Fires as a Natural Disaster

[Armaddict]

This kind of popped into my head at work, just wanted to see what other players(and staff of course ) thought of this.

Zalanthas is very hot and very dry.  I'm curious as to whether fires occurr often at all, by some means or another.  The land in some places -is- barren and wouldn't really support fire, but there are places scattered all over, as well as temporary camps and things brought out by hunters and such, that could be flammable if it were ignited.

The reason I ask is that when I think about it...a fire would be downright -devastating- in some places.  Water is scarce, so what would be used to put them out?  Sand-bucket brigades?  A bunch of people with special blankets to pat them down?  Or are fires enough of a rarity that it's not really prepared for or known how to take them down quickly?  Would cities actually -use- their supplies of water to put them out, should one occurr?

Just a completely random thought that was kind of interesting to my mind in 'robot mode' at work.

[Mook]

Yea.. shouldn't really require a Dragon to level Tuluk

[Manhattan]

there are commoner brigades, yeah.

[Angela Christine]

Yes and no.

Sand can be used to put out fires as well as water (in some ways it is better, in some ways worse).  In most places, including most of the grey forest, sand is readily available.  The sandy earth between trees and bushes in the scrub might prevent a fire from spreading too easily.  

I think areas of dense vegetation, especially the grasslands, would be the most vulnerable to catastrophic fires.  The grasslands probably do get periodic wildfires, electrical storms are not unheard of even if they aren't randomly generated by the weather code.  On the other hand a place like the grasslands can recover relatively quickly, by the same time the next year there should be a new crop of grass.  Having the old layers of thatch burned out can even make the new grass healthier.  I've known people who set fire to their own lawns in each spring, burning off the dead grass from last year.  They say it makes the lawn grow in greener, I'm not sure if that is because burning the dead grass releases the nutrients back into the soil as they claim, or if it is simply that the new grass looks greener when there is no old yellow grass mixed in with it.  I seem to remember that farmers have at times burned their fields after harvest.  If nothing else it does clear out some of the mice, insects and other creatures that eat the vegetation, and it also can eliminate blights, mildews, diseases, etc. that make the vegetation unhealthy -- so it is plausible that the new growth is lusher and healthier, for a while at least.  It would still be really unpleasant to be caught in one, but most of the damage isn't permanent.

The problem with having fire as a natural disaster, or having disasters in general, is that every room subjected to the disaster has to get a new description.  Ideally, that new description should be changed each week until a new equalibrium state is reached.  When the fields around Alanak were burned by gith those fields stayed in the burned condition for waaay too long -- it was IC years before those fields were re-planted, which is just silly since they probably grow two or possibly even three crops every year normally.  A disaster should be a dynamic thing.   Considering that each OOC week is 1/6 of a year IC, it would be a lot of work to keep the room descriptions changing at a reasonable pace.

Angela Christine

[Ghost]

I think, fire -is- a devastating threat to Zalanthas.

It is always a great intriguing tool, the fire is.  Codewise it does not hold any threat, but consder it RPwise.  There are not any water sources, that you can use to stop the fire.  Also the windy nature of Zalanthas is pretty handy to spread the fire.
You will have to rely on Vivaduans, or sand.  And sand, I don't think it is as good as water to stop the fire.  Because Sand is made of small solid particles which -do- let air to flow through.  Thus letting oxygen to feed the fire.  As long as there is oxygen to feed the fire, the fire is still threatening.
Now I think of it, maybe Krathians can be useful in stopping the fire as well.  I am not sure though, I always consider them as Pyro in X-men (except of course, Krathians can easily create fire) that they can manipulate the fire in any way they want.  So killing the flames might be their job as well.

Vivaduans and Krathians:  Like sand, they are not much reliable source either.  Well.. Maybe in Allanak, yes.  But what other place has official love, or in better words, use for Magickers at all?  
Besides, even in Allanak, they are not let to use their magick if a templar does not let them do so.  So....  There will be waiting for the magickers, and the templar's orders, which will cause the fire to spread more and damage.  The flames can be killed of course, but a good damage will be done.

The places that they do not have magickers, well.. They really seem at great stake, considering all they have is the sand to kill the flames.

[moab]

This has already happened at least once.  Fire has proven to be something that can sweep through the land at an unforgiving pace.

[Fireman Kank]

The black-robed templar says, "If the day comes when a fire threatens the Highlord's city, you will put this hose up your ass, and call upon your powers until the threat is passed."

The group of newly gemmed vividuans shudders in fear.