>IMG midwinter is the HHD or a HD of most Darkness deities, including Ty
>Kora Tek, Babs and Maran Gor and Asrelia.
Like I said, I like the Ernalda-in-the-Underworld idea, but this actually strikes me as a pretty good idea of an "oppositional" ritual or holy day. The fact that midwinter is a major Darkness HD (which I agree with completely) doesn't preclude the notion, IMO, that it can also be a major Sun holy day, it's just of a different type, "oppositional" if you will -- hence, the putting out of the hearth fire and other unusual (noncommunal) elements of the ritual. Perhaps, then, the more appropriate foes would be darkness ritualists who attempt to interfere with the transport of the blessed torches, rather than Chaos fiends.
And to use the proposed fire festival as an example of the ritual system I described -- such a festival strikes me as a good example of a "pantheon" festival in that even though the nominal deities involved would be Mahome and Elmal/Yelmalio, everyone in a community would be involved in some way; perhaps their impact on the overall success of the ritual would be varied, along the lines of Nils' graduated system for providing support points, based on cult initiation. Participants who were "pantheon" initiates, good Orlanthi all, would count the least but still provide a part of the magical rating; initiates and priests of Mahome and Elmal/Yelmalio would have their contributions magnified as representatives of the specific deities involved in the rituals. And the difficulty rating of the rite could be upped by the efforts of opposing Darkness communities (if there are any in the area).
Just thinking aloud.
Mark
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