Hiorl the Miller
During the Darkness, the goddesses all went to sleep. Hiorl saw that when they were all asleep, there would be no one to feed his family. He led his family as they went from one goddess to another and collected whatever each would give him. Unfortunately, by this point all the goddesses had put hard shells over their bounty, as protection from the enemies of life. After his family had collected all they could, Hiorl went on a quest to find a way to make this food edible. He got the stone wheels of a giant's chariot to grind the food, but no one had the energy to do this work anymore. He then found the last strong things in the world to help his family - in some stories he married the river's daughter; in others, he got his relatives, the winds, to help. Mills of both kinds are now a part of Heortling clan life, and only the poorest clan goes without one.
Hiorl the Miller [Windmill only]
Entry Requirements: Work in a windmill. Physical Skills: Climb, Lift Heavy Burden, Trim Windvanes. Mental Skills: Gauge Wind Strength. Virtues: Patient. Feat: [air] Winds (Command Wind Daimon, Raise or Lower Wind, Speak to Winds) [making] Making Feats: Bless Mill, Maintain Mill Works. Secret: Orlanth's Fyrd. (After such a long time spent working in themill, devotees of Hiorl develop relationships to the wind daimones that frequent their tula. This secret works like a Relationship; the devotee can attempt to use this Relationship to call upon those daimones he knows to come to him, but only in times of great need.) Sacrifices: Members of Hiorl's subcult make sacrifices of one tenth of every bushel of grain ground in their mills to Hiorl and Orlanth Thunderous.
Worshippers: Millers (windmills only). Manifestations: Hiorl is present in every windmill. His devoteesdivine his thoughts by listening to the singing of the gears and the whistling of the wind through the vanes. Other Side: Hiorl's mill is on Orlanth's tula in the Storm Realm.
Hiorl the Miller [Watermill only]
Entry Requirements: Work in a watermill. Physical Skills: Climb, Lift Heavy Burden, Trim Windvanes. Mental Skills: Gauge Water Strength. Virtues: Patient. Feat: [water] River (Command Water Daimon, Speed Up or Slow Down Water, Speak to Waters) [making] Making Feats: Bless Mill, Maintain Mill Works. Secret: Engizi's Fyrd. (After such a long time spent working in themill, devotees of Hiorl develop relationships to the daimones that help with their work. This secret works like a Relationship; the devotee can attempt to use this Relationship to call upon those daimones he knows to come to him, but only in times of great need.) Sacrifices: Members of the Hiorl's subcult make sacrifices of one tenth of every bushel of grain ground in their mills to Hiorl and Engizi.
Worshippers: Millers (watermills only). Manifestations: Hiorl is present in every waterwheel. His devoteeshear his words in the rushing of the waters and the roaring of the gears.
Hiorl the Crushing Wind
During the Darkness when the good goddesses were all asleep, the people began to starve. Hiorl decided that if he couldn't find food then he'd make food, but none of the goddesses had any energy to help him. He went to his mother who gave him two big rocks for a bed for his house. Hiorl then went to the Barntar the Ram to try to get him to lend him his Ram-power, but he needed it himself. Hiorl decided that if he couldn't impress her with Ram-power, he would delight her instead. He made a toy out of sticks and old kites that he could make to whirl in the wind. Then he went to the daughter of Esrola and showed her his Spinning Wind Toy. It delighted her so much that she found she had the energy to help him. They went to his house where they made food for the people. It worked so well that Hiorl showed his kin how to set things up the same way so that the blessing could work for them, too. Windmills are now a part of Heortling clan life.
Hiorl the Crushing Wind
Entry Requirements: Work in a windmill. Physical Skills: Leap, Trim Windvanes. Mental Skills: Delight Woman, Gauge Wind Strength. Virtues: Pious. Feat: [esrola] Grinding (Crush [Cereal Crop], Grind Stone, Turn Wheel) [air] Winds Feats: Crushing Wind, Grinding Noise. Secret: Spinning Wind Toy. (This secret acts as an affinity that canbe used to augment any other affinities relating to the fertility of the earth. The devotee can use this to augment himself or another.) Sacrifices: Members of the Hiorl's subcult make sacrifices of one tenth of every bushel of grain ground in their mills to Hiorl and Esrola.
Worshippers: Millers (windmills only). Manifestations: Hiorl is present in every windmill. His devoteesclaim to be able to hear his words in the creaking of the works, his love in the grinding of the millstones and his good cheer in the rustling of the wind through the windvanes. Other Side: Hiorl's mill is on Orlanth's tula in the Storm Realm.
Hiorl Millstone Tradition
Hiorl Millstone is the spirit of the mill enterprise among the Heortlings. He manifests as a spinning wheels, grinding stones and roaring noise. Hiorl is worshipped by millers. He provides several types of spirits. Only Hiorl shamans typically have the Spirit Combat ability.
Entry Requirements: Work in a mill, either water- or wind-driven. Physical Abilities: Leap, Lift Heavy Burden, Trim Windvanes. Mental Abilities: Hiorl Myths. Traditional Spirits: [air] Wind Spirits (typical spirits are Breeze spirits, Gust spirits and Zephyrs) [water] Water Spirits (typical spirits include Splash spirits, Spray spirits, Sluice spirits) [plant] Grain Spirits (typical spirits include Good Cheer spirits, Health spirits) Special Spirits: Grinding Rock, Inner Works, Spinning Wheel. Spirit Allies: Millstone the Helper. Fetch: Small pinwheel. Fetishes: Those worshippers of Hiorl who make fetishes typically use millstones. Tradition Secret: A shaman of the Hiorl Tradition may learnAffinities and Feats of Hiorl as if he was a devotee of Hiorl. To do this, he must travel to Hiorl's Mill in Orlanth's tula and attend the Moot when Hiorl taught his magic to his family.
Worshippers: Millers. Other Side: Hiorl's mill is on Orlanth's tula in the Storm Realm. Other Connections: Hiorl is one of the Storm Tribe. His followers are experts, and are almost always carls or thanes. Disadvantages: Hiorl's Tradition is very small and specialized.Without the support of the clan and his family, a Hiorling will be unable to maintain his connection to the spirit world.
Special Spirits
Grinding Rock
Might: 12-12W
Grinding rock spirits give the hero an edge in any activity that
requires great physical power; this is usually an ability like
Strength, but it can also be applied to Work Tirelessly or a physical
passion. Once used the spirit returns to the spirit world and must be
recaptured.
Inner Works
Might: 12-12w
Inner works spirits increase the hero's problem-solving abilities
with an augment equal to one-fifth of the spirit's might. This allows
the hero to work out the solution to a problem, but only for a short
amount of time - once the problem has been considered, the spirit
returns to the spirit world and must be recaptured.
Spinning Wheel
Might: 15-15w
Spinning wheels can be used to inspire energy in women (in which case
the spirit's Might can be used to lend APs) or improve crop yield
(use the spirit's Might to augment a related ability). After one
extended contest, the spirit returns to the spirit world and must be
recaptured.
Spirit Allies
Millstone the Helper
Might: 10
Only the Miller of the clan can gain Millstone the Helper, and he is
always integrated into a millstone (like a fetish). The ritual
preparation requires the help of the entire clan. The requester must
marry an earth priestess during the ritual and she must accompany him
to the Other Side. They must reenact the myth of Hiorl in the guise
of their respective spirits and fulfill the conditions of the myth.
Once integrated, Millstone the Helper is activated automatically whenever cereal crops are ground in the mill. The spirit's Might is rolled once for each batch of cereal crops, and if a success is rolled the batch of cereal crops is ground with great efficiency, effectively multiplying the yield (this acts like a bumpup, after the fact, on the roll the farmer used to reap the crop in the first place..
The Fraternal Order of the Turning Wheel
In the Ice Age, food was in short supply. Cereal crops were available, but were tough to consume and hand grinding took a lot of energy to accomplish. Hiorl sought a way to improve the quality of the food that was available without increasing the workload of the people. He observed the action of the women and the repetitive motion reminded him of the work of the oxen that plowed the fields. He went to Engarth the Barntar and asked him for help. Engarth needed his oxen, and asked Hiorl to find another way.
Hiorl pondered some more, then observed the rushing river and the gusting wind. He used the technology the Mostali gave to the Heortlings and hit upon the action of the gears to drive the millstones and grind the grain. With the aid of his clan, he built the first watermill and later the first Windmill.
Entry Requirements: Join the Fraternal Order of the Turning Wheel. Physical Skills: Climb, Sluice Water, Trim Windvane. Mental Skills: Doctrine of the Fraternal Order. Virtues: Crafty, Curious, Persistent. Grimoires: [movement] The Turning of the Great Wheel (ClearThinking ritual, Determine Consequences, Reduce Problem to Tasks, See Problem from Different Angle)
[making] Hiorl's Guide to Milling (Coordinate Effort, Enchant
Gate with Resist Water, Enchant Stone with Improve Yield, Enchant
Stone with Sharpen Groove, Resist Water, Sharpen Groove, Turn
Windmill)
Talismans: Millers use their millstones as talismans for most of
their spells, formed out of hard stone and etched with Hiorl's symbol
(a modification of the Movement rune). These talismans are the
subjects of much care. As the focus for much fertility magic, the
stones are seen as vulnerable to being cursed. Cursed stones are
extraordinarily difficult to "uncurse", and are frequently discarded
by being placed in bridge foundations; it is thought that the nature
of the bridge as a midpoint between change and stasis will eventually
remove the curse from the stone. Stones that kill people (typically
by tumbling when they are being moved) are often used as grave
markers for the person slain.
Secret: Turning Wheel. (Acts as an integrated passion spirit, giving
a bonus to any Ability used to solve a problem by thinking
creatively.)
Worshippers: A few score followers of Hiorl make up the Fraternal
Order. All of them live in the Dragon Pass area or in Kethaela.
Manifestations: All aspects of the world of the future belong to the
worshippers of the Great Futurist.
Other Side: Hiorl's node is on the Adept Plane, in the realm of
Aeolus, though it has no direct link with Aeolus' node.
Other Connections: The Fraternal Order is not part of any
established organization in Heortland or Kethaela. Other millers are
typically friendly, though, and in some areas the Order acts as a
support group for millers of all varieties.
Disadvantages: Heortlings distrust sorcery. In some areas, millers
are often suspected of using this magic to malign ends, an offense
that carries heavy fines and ostracism. In some cases, millers
suspected of sorcery have been hounded out of their homes by outraged
farmers.
Roland
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