You could also make the case that th tribe does not have that many members in the sense that most Heortlings think of themselves as being in a clan -- tribes and Sartar, while they have their uses (and the later is currently something to get misty-eyed about over drinks), mostly serve to protect the interests of the clan. So your average clan memeber will not make the sacrifice of self to the tribe and tribal wyter that would be required to make it really powerful. That clan member is pretty interested in everything that goes on on the clan's tula, but do they care (in more than an idle gossip kind of way) what goes on on the tulas of their tribesmates (especially those who are not neighbors)?
>7. and what about the Kingdom itself? Sartar as Wyter? which abilities would
>such a Wyter have?
>
>Worship of Sartar himself as a god superceeds this, as, I would imagine,
>does worship of the Red Emperor. A deity has more versatility, and is much
>harder to destroy.
What I said about tribal wyters goes double here. The average clan member can probably recite the clans in their tribe and knows the chiefs and major figures; I be there are few non-Mhyish types who can do the same for the whole of Sartar. Even the kings and tribal representatives probably don't have a great grasp on what's going on on the other side of the kingdom -- 24 tribes are hard to keep track of, not to mention 24 x ? clans.... Getting worked up about the Occupation is fine, but when the chips are down, it's the clan you care about.
>10. and how easy, as Philippe asked before, is it to add or substract people
>from the "fellowship"?
>
>Becoming part of a wyter is like becoming a part of a group. It would take
>some time (several weeks?) , especially if the group were relative
>strangers, and common worship and ritual. Clansfolk attaching themselves to
>a battle banner would be easier and quicker.
Yes, I also think the process requires a fair amount of dedication -- no "week end wyter worshippers." If you show up every few raids and tag along, I doubt you are part of the war band; between raids the group trains together, sacrifices to the wyter, and builds the bonds of comradeship that make the wyter possible; this isn't somethig you do occasionally, temporarily, or casually. Think about it as a time requirement -- for average Heortlings supporting the clan wyter, taking care of the stead's ancestors, honoring the Storm Tribe, sacrificing to the god they are initiated to, supporting a stead wyter (if any) and maybe one other organizational wyter (should they have one, most don't), plus all the chores of daily life do not leave a lot of time for "hobby wyters."
There's probably a minimum number of people required to form a wyter (possibly six, based on the 7 Mothers example), and members have to have regular and reasonably frequent contact with each other (in most cases). So think of an average clan -- outside of the clan itself, the steads, the fyrd, and the warband, how many groups in regular Heortling life exist that you can be this dedicated to? A merchant probably does not have five friends that will always travel with him/her (and employees probably don't care enough) to support a wyter. Outside of the cities, you won't find a concentration of craftspeople large enough to have a "guild wyter" and so on. Or, at least, that's what I think this morning.
Peter Larsen
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