Yes. Eiritha is the herd goddess, and at least since the introduction of Cattle in Pent she is the logical source of herd-caring magic.
>I thought she was Praxian, and Prax and Pent were enemies?
She is different from her Praxian sister, true - part of the reason for this enmity.
>Or is this a deity identical to Eiritha in all ways but the name?
Not sure about the name, really. Note that there is a horse mother goddess (who might be named Arandayla) mentioned in Hon-eel's contest with the Most Reverend ... (Lunar Fifth Wane History, in Heroes 1.6 or 2.1, and hopefully soon on Chaosium's website). KoS delivered the Grazer deity names only after that article...
>It also mentions that there are both Solar and Storm Pent tribes. What
>deities would be worshipped, in either case? By the women in particular?
Most work is left up to you, I suppose. The male side gets short mention (the four winds, equivalents of Orlanth, Humakt, Storm Bull and Gagarth, but _NOT_ identical) for the storm tribes; Pentan "Yelm" (Kargzant?), Golden Bow and various founders for the solar tribes. Shamanism is strong, and Ancestor Worship might be also a province of women.
>Would it be fair to assume that the different age groups have different
>deities?
True for males, if you regard the various stages of Yelm as different. (Like the Grazer sons of Yu-Kargzant, really.)
>And if so, the young female Riders might follow Sun Daughter in
>a Solar tribe? Given the problem with red hair, I don't think their
>Storm counterparts would follow Vinga :(
You want female warriors/hunters? These must be Lunar-infected. Get back your red hair... One of the Coders in Strangers in Prax was a Pentan girl warrior.
Robert Wolfe:
>Nick argues against Nochet as the site for Juno's Blackshirts
>campaign, and I agree.
I agree that there would hardly be an oppressive government with Block Wardens controlling each and every (spoken) thought - if you're not familiar with this aspect of oppressive German regimes of this century, think Brazil - allowing all the multi-cultural enclaves in their city. Just doesnt't fit the necessary xenophobic mindset...
>I've always seen Nochet (during the war anyway) as something like
>Saigon in the early seventies.
While I am unfamiliar with Saigon, I disagree strongly with all the following for Nochet:
>The local "legitimate" government is unpopular and corrupt,
The local legitimate government happens to be the cult leadership, in the form of the reigning queen(s?) and other priestesses. I don't think that Fazzur would have left behind most of his forces in Heortland if Queen Penelari had been subject to active prosecution by a majority of Nochet's population.
>the well-meaning foreign interventionists (the Lunars) are
>getting frustrated, pissed off, and more than a little
>reactionary.
Well, maybe. Fazzur himself was besotted with the queen, and would have stepped hard on any of his officers (hand-picked, and schooled by himself) would dare to soil the image of the beneficient Lunars.
>The weather sucks (if you're a Lunar, too hot, too humid),
Not really. The Manirian lowland climate is about the same as the (artifically warmed) Pelorian lowland climate. The Mirrorsea Bay would have temperatures in the range of 5 (in the winters) to 25 degree Celsius, topping maybe at 30 degrees in Fire Season (get your bath-suits out). Nochet would benefit from its proximity to the bay, which exchanges about half of its water each flood-cycle (about two per week) and thus gets the warm or cold waters from the Rozgali Sea (depending on the season).
>there's jungle out there,
Not within 4 days ride. Caladraland certainly has some sort of rainforest on the volcano slopes, but it is not the Yellow Elf kind of growth, subtropical at best, rather temperate.
>and sluggish muddy river deltas,
I doubt that. The new course of the Creekstream River (since 1318) runs through a valley carved by the much lesser Lysos River. You will get a canalized river bed for most of its lower course, with quite high flow speed.
>with plenty of insurgents,
Most of these have kinsfolk who have been present for centuries.
>and you can't tell the "good guys" from the "bad guys."
Now that's true.
If you want a huge, teeming city closer to the jungles, I'd propose you go to Rhigos. Almost as big as Nochet (the natives claim), not quite a part of either Porthomeka or Esrolia, only two days' worth of travel from the forested volcano slopes of Caladraland, and ruled by the infamous Demivierge. Situated at the logical debarking point for both of the major rivers of central Esrolia, and yet cut from most of the grain trade.
That's "interesting" sexual practices, a Voria cult closely associated with Uleria, a city government with a vengeance to rival Nochet, Porthomekan overlords (Caladrian-descended, solarish, but lusty as well) trying to establish themselves in the city, and foppish skirt-wearing Humakti ready to duel everything with a knife. No direct and official Lunar involvement, though...
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