the seasons un avernum

[mistica]

while playing a3 for the umpteenth time( i seem to be doing this more than often now), i discovered that the seasons are named beautifully by the team. My favourite is remembrance. Is that autumn? conngrats to the team for thinking the names up.

[Ephesos]

Very true... Jeff did a good job of getting those little details in. Truly enriches the gameplay, and helps you forget the little annoying bits.

[Alorael at Large]

Leafloss is obviously autumn. I can't remember where Rememberance is in the calendar, so judge it by that.

 

—Alorael, who doubts that there are any perceptible seasons in Avernum. Being underground makes the position of the planet relative to the sun rather insignificant.

[VCH]

What name did winter have?

[Alorael at Large]

According to Silver Harloe's excellent page, here are the months in order (although Rememberance isn't necessarily the first month):

 

Rememberance

Suncome

Radiane

Empire

Leafloss  

Icefall

Frost

Evermoon

 

With eight months, there are probably two per season. If seasons don't change in the middle of a month, then I'd say Icefall and Frost are the obvious winter months, Evermoon and Rememberance therefore have to be spring, Suncome and Radiane are summer, and Empire and Leafloss are fall.

 

—Alorael, who will add that Leafloss is the only month without any holidays. The fall must be boring in Avernum.

[Lord Nargil]

What and when are the holidays, and what effect do they have. I can only recall 2 or so when I played A3

[Ephesos]

Quote:

Originally written by Droozler:
Alorael, who will add that Leafloss is the only month without any holidays. The fall must be boring in Avernum.

Yeah, you'd think that with a primarily agricultural economy there'd be some harvest-time style holidays. Although, that wouldn't mean much to an adventurer, I suppose.

[Alorael at Large]

If I were a farmer growing mushrooms and mutant trees underground, I'd be too depressed for holidays too.

 

—Alorael, who supposes that Avernum at least guarantees good weather and even (and perpetual) growing seasons. On the downside, your plowlizards wants to eat you and instead of crows you have rabid giant bats, cave slimes, and other horrors of the deep. Such is life.

[mistica]

Quote:

If I were a farmer growing mushrooms and mutant trees underground, I'd be too depressed for holidays too.

you said it!! lol

i guess the seasons really dont matter inside avernum; i mean, they cant see the sun anyway... its a tad like living in the poles, i guess.

[finlay]

Quote:

Originally written by Alorael:
According to Silver Harloe's excellent page, here are the months in order (although Rememberance isn't necessarily the first month):

Rememberance
Suncome
Radiane
Empire
Leafloss  
Icefall
Frost
Evermoon

With eight months, there are probably two per season. If seasons don't change in the middle of a month, then I'd say Icefall and Frost are the obvious winter months, Evermoon and Rememberance therefore have to be spring, Suncome and Radiane are summer, and Empire and Leafloss are fall.

—Alorael, who will add that Leafloss is the only month without any holidays. The fall must be boring in Avernum.

Remembrance makes sense as the first even more if it's the spring; that matches up with the Roman calendar and many others which begin on the vernal equinox.

[Skribbane Freak]

(post deleted by Ice Drake)

EDIT:deleted

[Alorael at Large]

Posting a single word response like that is almost always spam. In this case, because it added nothing to the discussion, it was definitely spam. Please refrain from such posting.

 

—Alorael, who doubts Avernum is much like the poles at all. Extreme northern and southern latitudes get extreme lengths of daylight and night. Avernum is always in a sort of dim but lit state.

[Skribbane Freak]

oh ok sorry

[Ephesos]

Ice Drake, no need to post such a short response... you don't have to post whatever comes into your head. Still, it's encouraging to see that you're learning.

 

You've got to wonder how the Triad managed to get so much of the caves lit... and if they had that much power, why not try to light the farms better (and grow something other than mushrooms)?

 

Also, why doesn't Avernum's messed up day/night cycle (or lack thereof) interfere with the Avernites more?

[Kelandon]

Well, it sort of explains why no one ever goes home to sleep.

[VCH]

I doubt they could survive on mushrooms any way. What value do they provide?

[Dolphin]

They don't eat only mushrooms. They eat lizard meat and bread as well. I haven't seen it mentioned anywhere, but they could eat the lizard's eggs as well, and perhaps cave cow milk.

[Alorael at Large]

The mushrooms were magically altered to be able to sustain the humans living in Avernum. I believe Patrick was involved in that.

 

—Alorael, who also is sure that there's some edible cave tree, cave shrub, or cave annual. Not all the cave plants can be producers of low quality wood alone.

[Lilith]

I believe it's mentioned at some point that the glowing fungus that lights the caves wasn't created by the mages, but existed back when the first exiles were sent down (possibly created by Vahnatai, although this is never explicitly stated). At least, this was the case in the Exile series; not sure if it was changed for Avernum.

[Alorael at Large]

Were the crop fungi also premade? I definitely recall some references to the powerful mages having a hand in their creation from A1.

 

—Alorael, who should load an old save and go bother Patrick himself. He is almost positive that Patrick is the one who talks about all that. Either him or some other old coot in the Tower of Magi. Or maybe Rone. Actually, Avernum is full of coots.

[Kelandon]

You know, Erika takes credit for making the fungus glow, but someone else (I forget who) says that the fungus was already glowing before they got there. Erika may just be an egomaniac, or possibly she did some work at the Tower of Magi that enhanced the glowing effect — the message upon entering the Tower's botanical room indicates that the mages were responsible for significant crop modification.

 

I think I have all this written down somewhere.

 

EDIT: Ah. Specifically, Erika in A1 says, "These passages wouldn't even be lit if I hadn't created the fungi that emit light, and I don't even get credit! And don't get me started on the mushrooms!" She adds, "The mushrooms down here? That are edible, nourishing, and grow with only the slightest light? I created them!"

 

However, Solberg says, "It was [Erika] that created the strain of mushrooms that grow quickly and are so nourishing, and other special plants as well," and adds, "Erika created the trees that grow in stone, so we could have a meager supply of wood. She summoned down several plants from above, and changed them so they'd grow down here. The one thing she didn't make was the glowing fungus on the cave ceilings. It's amazing, magical stuff, and was already here when the Empire found these caves."

[Alorael at Large]

Strange that Erika would take credit for the one thing she didn't do. Who's more senile, Erika or Solberg?

 

—Alorael, who would actually chalk that one up to a Jeff mistake.

[The Almighty Doer of Stuff]

I don't think so, Alo. Erika is noticeably arrogant. She's obviously trying to take credit for something she didn't do because it makes her seem more powerful.

[Alorael at Large]

I can understand why Erika brags about being responsible for the survival of all humans in Avernum. She's that kind of person. What I don't understand is why she would brag about the plants she didn't make when the ones she did make are every bit as impressive. Unless she views lies as preferable to truth, which is a stretch even for Erika, her boast makes no sense at all.

 

—Alorael, who would be more impressed with nutritious fungus than glowing fungus anyway. Wizards have a history of making things glow in Exile/Avernum. Light and Long Light, glowstones, flashy runes, and the like are all illuminated. Wizards usually don't make things that people eat. (Priests do, though. Thank the gods for manna!)

[mistica]

erika seems genuine enough in A3, yet sometimes I wonder whether she DID encourage the vahnatai... I mean, rentar could have died in the end in erika's hand... yet she does not. Erika sometimes charges on the adventurers without provocation(in the endgame and though she gets killed, even that is an illusion, i think. (sorry kelandon, if you feel this note is unneccesary but i had to say this coz i cannot help suspecting erika)

[Archmagus Micael]

Erika's arrogant, but she's not evil. So don't say she is!

 

OR READ (and suffer the consequesnces) of MY SIG!

 

- Archmagi Micael