Hickory in Mythic Europe?

Games Discussion Ars Magica
1

According to my superficial and meagre searches, Hickory is a sort of tree native to North America and China. What is it doing in Mythic Europe is my question???

I believe China is still a myth in the 1220s. With the risk of this becoming a China & Marco Polo thread, I believe that once the timeline reach 1269, Marco Polo's father and uncle return from Kublai Khan, and from that time China is in play. Perhaps not more than a myth until the return of Marco himself in 1295 or so. Any Hickory should not be known before that time, and only if the daring explorer somehow managed to bring back a piece of wood.

2

Iirc, that's been discussed before, and is not quite accurate. IRL hickories were once in Europe, but the last ice age wiped them out.

3

More a land of legend and myth than a myth per se. Only superficial knowledge of china known at large in europe. Still, it can easily exist :slight_smile: If you wanrt hickory you can always assme that the silk road provided you with some :slight_smile:

Cheers,
Xavi

4

It shall be a little mistake. Choose another tree instead of hickory and don't bother with obscure theories.

5

Someone made a mistake. I presume it is because they knew the 1870s spiritual in which Noah's Ark is made of hickory. I'd substitute gopher wood.

6

Ah... what material bonus might gopher wood give?

I sort of assumed hickory must be about when I saw it on the list of materials, though it did ring as American to my ears.

7

Given that nobody's ever figured out what gopher wood is even supposed to be, you're more likely to find Hickory really. Even in Mythic Europe.

Though I guess you could have, uh, 'gopher trees' be native to Divine regiones or something? I dunno. If gopher wood isn't a complete misunderstanding (the word that gets written as gopher could be some kind of adjective other than the tree species) then it's presumably a tree that was wiped out in the Flood or something.

8

(The reason for the smiley was because I knew it was an impossible wood. It's like, humour.)

It'd just use the hickory thing and call it gopher wood instead. I'd do this because of the C19th century American spiritual which says that Noah made his Ark of hickory bark, when biblically its "gopher wood" which might well be cypress if you read the right Methodists.

9

Missed the smiley, but... in retrospect, that you were joking should have been obvious. :blush:

I'm not convinced 'gopher wood' makes a good substitute, though. If anything I'd associate that with Aquam because of the Ark, and 'Hickory' is associated with Ignem.

'Gopher wood' makes a lot of sense for the 'majesty' aspect, perhaps, but...
Hm. What kind of wood was most commonly used for firewood in medieval europe? That's probably the best one to move the ignem bonus to. There needs to be some kind of wood with an ignem bonus, because fire wands are just about the most obvious magic item ever.

10

Whatever is nearby and can be cut down and burned.

Birch is the preferred firewood here in Mythic Scandinavia. Birch bark is very good for kindling.

How about moving the bonus to flamed birch? Seems appropriate. :slight_smile: thefiringline.com/forums/sho ... p?t=361437