Great info on Morokanths, Praxians, and Herdmen. Methinks its time we
Seattleites revisited Prax....
I especially like the way Morokanth use hyenas as "dogs". But how do the
hyenas stand the Morokanth;-)?
DDunham:
> Fixed underwater dwelling might be used by air breathing mermen,
> but I lack ideas on how they transform stale air into fresh air.
>Plants, I'm sure, since they convert carbon dioxide to oxygen.
As long as there is ample sunlight. Without light, plants consume oxygen
just like animals. This would mean that Mermen cities would be either -
1) shallow
2) have a captive, underwater sun - long forgotten or presumed dead by the
land dwellers
3) be located on sources of incoming oxgenated water: river mouths,
mysterious upwellings from the underworld, or magical currents from the
surface.
I've seen films of Mongols butchering sheep by making a clean incision in the sternum, inserting a hand, and squeezing shut one of the major blood vessels near the heart (the vena cava, maybe?). The sheep goes to sleep and dies very quickly, and there is almost no blood loss.
I like Niel's idea of offering blood to the ground, though. Though wouldn't it really just attract flies and hyenas? My vote for the Peaceful Cut wording is telling the animal how it is going to Eritha - and maybe asking it to carry a message to her.
Praxian Herd structure:
> The Alpha Male of the Herd responds to the cry and the herd sets off in
his aid. I think Tada
acted in a similar manner with the Sons of Storm Bull. The Alpha Male
of the Herd was the son of 'Storm Bull' IMO and had the appropiate magical
powers IMO. There is no need for humans and/or hsunchen herders.
Maybe male mythic herd animals follow Waha and can be considered sons of Storm Bull, and fight with Kahns. But the female herd animals would have their own hierarchy, and actually lead the herd. (So the clan's Eritha acolyte would deal with the alpha cow, probably called something like "Eldest Sister".) This fits well with the Eritha myth, and with more modern animal behavior research which shows that the mares, cows, and bitches actually make the group decisions about where to go and when. The stallions, bulls, and dogs follow along, fighting off rivals and predators. (Canids, of course, are superior animals because the dogs help provide food and look after the young;-)
In Praxian tribes, don't the men own the male animals? Might Praxian clans be lead by the older women in most matters - excpet where war is concerned? It's easy to see how outsiders might assume that the Khans run the show...
Pam
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