i have a scenario that includes Thunder Day too, as part of my drive to give the heroes a feel for their major festivals.
> Are there any established factoids regarding Orlkanthis ceremonies
on Thunder day?
OK I'm sure you know, but for anyojne reading this that does not, Thunder Rebels is obviously the primary source for the mechanics of holy days. This gives you the timings of the ceremony of the evening and following day. With the Orlanthi power to predict weather I assume that the ceremnony begins the night before the storm comes and climaxes on the day it breaks.
Second, and probably more what yu are after, have you seen Patrik Sandberg's material on an Orlanthi Holy Day? It looks very much like a Thunder ceremony (or Swrod day end of sea beginning of Fire). You have the calling on the guardians of the six directions, sacrifices etc. I have found Patrik's account an invaluable inspiration when writing my own holy days:
Patrik's site is:
http://home.swipnet.se/~w-59453/index.html
and you want:
http://home.swipnet.se/~w-59453/holyday.html
Great stuff and kudos to Patrik.
Remember that the priests choose a myth for the ceremony based onnthe clan's situation, predictions for the coming year. Patrik chooses Orlanth vs Aroka, but you could choose something else. Thunder day is a fertility festival (fertile spring rain) so fertility based myths would be appopriate too (save the battle for Sword Day <g>). Once you have selected an appropriate myth (I now tend to give the players a handout rather than reading it) that will help you to shape your ceremony. Remember that post TR we now understand that the telling will actually involve a trip to the other side for the Orlanthi.
The travels of Biturian Varosh (on the Issaries website andin Cults of Prax) has material on an Orlanthi ceremony at Pairing Stone which can also give you some inspiration into Orlanthi ceremonies.
> Would anyone have a problem with proposing a sacrificial bull
marked with the Orlanth rune in woad? This is gonna be a McGuffin,
really.
Highly appropriate, I would have thought, and Patrik has a sacrifice in his account.
As a quick note, Runemasters have access to Greg's unfinished Harmast's Saga which has a wealth of insight into Orlanthi ceremonial pracitice. Patrik's material dovetails nicely with what is there though.
Beyond that you could look for material like RavenBok on the web which describes Asatru, the modern practice of Norse belief. You might also want to consider possible parallels between Freyr and Orlanth in his Thuderous role for inspiration.
Hope that helps,
Ian Cooper
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