Mundane Magic – Chapter 7, Prologue 35

Don’t be such a doubting Thomas, Si’ri. These yurts are based on the cumulative experience of generations of nomads, so they can be folded and stowed much more easily than you’d imagine. >_> And, after all, it’s not like K’ip is carrying that much other stuff in his inventory purse. Beside the tent, the rations, armaments, armor, ammunition, medical supplies, potions, rope, torches*, firewood, clothing, money, jewelry, climbing equipment, lockpicks, random fetch quest objects and those iron boots that are weightless when they’re in there, his inventory is practically empty! I don’t see why he shouldn’t be capable of carrying all of that in a purse that seems to be 12 cubic inches at minimum. >_>

So, yeah, the more mundane practical aspects of outdoor life tend to be glossed over in fantasy fiction, i.e. usually relegated to an by-implication-only, offscreen existence. It’s just not nearly as exciting as fighting dragons or exploring ruined temples, and it adds a whole new layer of problems with plausibility and practicability…and a layer, at that, that can’t be handwaved away with magic quite as easily as any other problem in a fantasy world. The idea of powerful, wizened sorcerers delving deep into forbidden knowledge to find a way to create extra lightweight, foldable tent poles is just…just not really what fantasy is all about.

Therefore, I’ll follow established precedent and gloss it over, as well, save for this one strip. From here on (and retroactively where applicable) it can be considered implied that Si’ri and K’ip rest at night, and during K’ip’s frequent daytime naps, in a comfortable yurt he’s carrying in his inventory, along with a large supply – inexhaustible in practical terms – of super-special magical food that supplies all of their varied nutritional needs and never spoils.

Originally, the magical food in this strip would have been some sort of hard tack, following the lead of Professor Tolkien…but it seems that people today have completely different ideas about what magical food looks like. ._. Admittedly, lembas was described as rather plain-looking, but still. DISCLAIMER (although it really shouldn’t need one): This is a joke, obviously. Don’t actually consume laundry detergent. >_>

More on Thurs…uh, Monday.

* K’ip doesn’t really need those, thanks to his cat’s eyes, but he thinks they’re great for setting a certain mood.

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