A minor earth power similar to a hearth maiden - those smoke-spinning stead sylphs mentioned in TR and detailed at
http://home.iprimus.com.au/pipnjim/questlines/spirits.html#stead
certainly seems one way to go. We need a snappy name for them - I have a few ideas but they're all rather scatological . :) Soil Stirrer is one of the tamer ones. These gnomes will be sleepy, and unintelligent. Composting is very Earth - death to life, etc. And since all the minor stead powers seem to appreciate minor offerings, or words of encouragement. it may explain why you need to 'spend a penny' or 'cast a clack'.
And of course, night soil is a valuable fertiliser, so at some stage in proceedings, it will be spread upon the nearer fields. A job for the older children or perhaps the most junior wife.
Not all lodges will have soil stirrers of course. Given DP winters, night buckets will be used at least part of the year. External 'thunder boxes' are mentioned in TR.
Paul:
> Anyone know what those balls can be used for? Are they strong enough to
> > be used as marbles? :) Can I use them for the fire equivalent of
> > thunderstones?
From the description in the link above, the stead maidens themselves are known to cast them at unruly guests. So they're painful but not (usually) lethal. Given a sufficiently vindictive stead maiden however...
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