From: Michael Straight <straight@email.unc.edu>
Subject: Re: (whorl) Cards
Date: Fri, 10 Jul 1998 08:49:21 

On Thu, 9 Jul 1998, Sean Whalen wrote:

> The use of the computer cards as currency always seemed a little
> strange, and I have a theory about why this came about.  Basically,
> Typhon didn't want the crew of the Whorl to be able to betray him 
[...]
> He tells them to use it as currency.  He thus spreads it around among
> the people who can each use their own cards to put into the machinery
> of the ship in which they leave the Whorl.  It spreads it out over the
> whole Whorl, and because it's money, the people won't want to part
> with it.  The Crew wouldn't be able to go around and collect the
> cards, and the Cargo wouldn't help at all, they don't want to give
> away their money.  When Typhon wants them to leave, he just instructs
> them to bring their cards with them, which they'll probably do anyway.
>  On the ship, he tells them to put the cards into the slots and the
> ship functions, taking them down.

I think this makes sense.  I'll just add that the breaking of cards into
bits is a tragedy unforseen by Typhon (not to mention a nifty pun). 
Except I don't know enough economics to guess how plausible it is cards
could have once been common currency and changed so that for most peasants
they represent a huge sum. 

-Rostrum


*More Wolfe info & archive of this list at http://www.moonmilk.com/whorl/