Rawk & Roko

From: James Frusetta <gerakkag_at_wam.umd.edu>
Date: Mon, 13 Jan 1997 01:26:27 -0500 (EST)


I suggested Raven was demoted by Yelm after rank naughtiness. But Stephen Martin sez that the Praxians don't believe in Yelm, so it can't be a Praxian myth.

To which I respond: they don't believe in Yelm? Well I'll be darned. I didn't know that. (The cheering sound is every uz I've played or GMed crying "WOO-HOO!" ;)

Certainly, it'd have to be a Dara Happan myth, then. I think the myth given in Raven's Stepladder would work fine for Prax (at leat on tNhbe from an _uz_ POV -- Raven is a "darkness" spirit because he helped the trolls and is friendly to them, not because he has the rune. etc. Since the trolls ran into the Dara Happans before they met the Praxians, maybe that explains some of it...?)

(And, BTW, who _do_ they consider to be the Sun God in Prax?)

Stephen also suggests a lack of Ravens in the Wastes: No way. If the _same species_ of Ravens can live in Prudhoe Bay _and_ Death Valley, they can live in the Wastes. In fact, they can probably live just about anywhere in Genertela that's not crawling with Chaos (that is, and live more than 5 minutes). I don't know about Pamaltela, though: Ravens don't live in jungle, although there is a specialized crow, I think.

As fo worshipping Raven in Prax: maybe as a warrior society? Doing incredibly bold deeds that are slightly silly. Lemme thing of good RW examples... ravens tend to do things like tease dogs and wolves by biting tails, then jumping out of harm's way; flying head-on toward cars and trucks to "flow" along on the airstream; and, as noted in Lawrence Kilham's great monograph on them, when he tried to shoot one overhead and missed: "Just as I looked up, he took a shot at me. A large, purplish splotch (the raven had been eating crowberries) landed on the front off my hat... ravens, in addition to being sharp mentally, may have a sense of humor."

So a "raven" warrior might do incredibly brave but foolish things such as sneak into enemy tribe's camps and dye symbols on the Kahn's favorite beast, challenge Storm Bull bezerkers to duels and run like fun, steal Lunar paraphenlia, etc. I suspect those who survive the process revert to normal nomad behavior, although I think it'd attract adolescents: you make a name for yourself, then drop your membership in the Raven Society. Only a few malcontents, mental patients and plain-out weirdos keep in it.

Time for another round of Name that Uz Trickster:

For Jongale, if you stressed his trickster exploits you might refer to him as Rokogale _in that context_. When the Lhankor Mhy sages wrote the history in Troll Pak, they either ignored the normal uz usage in the passage about him plucking the leaves, or they standardized and used Jongale the Silent because it's the usual term given. (Similarly with Vaneekara). And RomoZoZo isn't used because Death Lords jump up and down on Grey Sages who use it.

I will also admit I'm not fond of the idea of calling Eristi the Doubter a trickster -- I've always thought of him more as the glum straight-man type, myself. If anyone was a trickster in the "Friendy Sea Monster" incident, it was the sea monster, IMO. ;) You could probably work up a nice Trickster and Eristi rountine for uz nightclubs, note.

James Frusetta


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