[Child of the 7th Age]

I did want to point out that there are actually some parallels in real life regarding the isolation of "beacon" duty. On a vacation trip to the Middle East several years ago, we took a ride in a four-wheel drive vehicle along a very desolate stretch of territory. We were the only car on the road heading for a remote spot on the Egyptian/Israeli border.

When we got to where we were going, there were two tiny posts on each side of the border. On the Israeli side, there were two soldiers posted in a lookout that was hung out over the edge of a cliff -- not actually a mountain but a rugged hilly range. Far off in the distance, we could see a tall tower with many steps leading up to it stuck out in the middle of nowhere-- it looked like my idea of a forest ranger lookout. At the top of the tower was a single Egyptian soldier peering down at the border through binoculars. My daughter started to jump up and down, frantically waving towards the Egyptian soldier. He peered back through his binoculars and also began waving happily at us. It was one of the high points of our vacation.

The Israeli soldiers explained they had been stationed here for a week, and we were the first people that had been by. They were slated to leave on the following Sunday. Apparently, at one time, this particular location had been a real "hot spot" on the border, with problems breaking out all the time. Now, it was a sleepy backwater, but someone was still required to stand guard.

Lighting beacons wasn't just something that PJ made up: it was an actual communication device heavily used in ancient times. The ancient Hebrews, for example, kept sentries located on the tops of hills for most of the year. They lit the beacons to tell the people when a particular Jewish holiday was starting. The beacons would start off in Jerusalem, and the fires were lit to the most remote corners of the kingdom, crossing over deserts and wastelands as well. No one had calendars, and this was the easiest way to make sure that everyone did things at the right time. They undoubtedly used this same device to warn people about impending warfare as well.

So PJ's device has some validity. Just think of it this way....if you had to choose between being in a front line to face a charging oliphaunt, or a little rugged camping out in a remote area, which duty posting would you pick? Under those circumstances, the beacon lighting duty starts to look better and better!