Re: Re: Ralian Headhunting

From: David Cake <dave_at_...>
Date: Mon, 27 May 2002 01:21:26 +0800


>IMO:
>
>The Praxians most emphatically *don't* take heads, what with the "largest
>Thanatar temple in the world" (TotRM 15) in the Greatlands. Probably any
>hint of head-taking is worth an investigation by one of Storm Bull's goon
>squads.

        Nah. The Storm Bullies just need to inspect the heads to ensure that they are really dead, and not secretly alive. Which is easy, because you have them on a spike outside your tent so everyone knows what a bad ass you are.

        Separating your enemies into separate chunks and then doing things with the chunks is a solid Praxian tradition.

        Actually, no, I don't think Praxians practice head taking, I don't think its a nomad culture kind of thing. If you have to pack up and move all the time, you don't want to have to pack up several week old heads - but leaving them on a spike near the entrance to your permanent settlement is a different story. I think they may do so for proof of death, or just to make sure their enemies are dead, but then they get rid of the head quickly, or do something else to it maybe.

        In other word, I agree with your conclusion, but not your argument - scalps is more plausible.

>Somewhere there has to be a crazed magician (Theist, Animist, Sorcerer, who
>cares?) with a desk or cabinet full of severed heads whom he consults for
>policy (the Centauri Emperor from Babylon 5).

        Yes, but I always figured that such a personage would be a Thanatari.

>
>Brazen (or Iron) heads that whisper enigmatic wisdom into the ears of
>cultists or sorcerers...

        ah, but such things are not necessarily formerly human heads - often they are evil spirits bound into a convenient form. Are terribly suspicious.

>
>And of course, there are so many other body parts one can harvest from a
>kill: Scalp, skin, ears, thumbs, finger bones, whole hands, feet...

	Or that thing the Babeester Gori do.
	Of course, such things are usually not so good for 
identification purposes.
	Cheers
		David

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