I included the connection to Heliakal in the Masks affinity with the feat, Heliakal's Visage. And this is consistent with my still unpublished Khelmal writeup (included in the material with Unspoken Word), which includes the following:
"When the world broke, Heliakal called upon his kin for aid and they answered. Khelmal answered first and volunteered for the most dangerous job. Heliakal and Khelmal marched north to fight Valkharal who is called Winter King and who had locked justice in a frozen tomb. Khelmal carried the Shield of Heliakal and stood beside that glorious source of Justice to face Valkharal. After a long battle, Heliakal was defeated by Vinak, the Bonecrushing Grip. Khelmal led the retreat of the survivors, though he had to fight with the Vanchites' thieving god Tunoral for Heliakal's great Shield and Torch. He won, carrying those sacred relics into the mountains to save the folk there and guard the last remnants of Justice. Tunoral gained Heliakal's mask, however, and after that claimed to bear Heliakal's Justice."
I like the idea of including more association with the remains of Heliakal, though not necessarily Light itself since raccoons are nocturnal animals, and I think the logical place is with the subcult (mask) of Kemel the Dutiful. This is Tunoral as loyal follower of Heliakal in the Golden Age before the world went astray. So expanding on that subcult, here are my ideas.
Kemel the Dutiful
Affinities:
Masks (Perfect Agreement, Strict Attention)
Duty (Bear Golden Mantle, Elegant Pickup, Follow to the Letter, Play
with Shining Object)
> I would tend to think that the Common Magic ought to be biased to
> Charms rather than Spells. I'm trying to think of a few "Find what
> I need" is one - although that might also be a Feat under the
> Survival affinity.
Now that I have my copy of HeroQuest (hoorah!) my sense is that Tunoral and Negalla tolerate and support a continually varying Common Magic. I'd certainly like to explore this more and would like to see your (or your players) ideas on this.
I've also pulled together my notes on Negalla below, again with the caveats that it is not complete and is open to ideas. The "Find What I Need" fits with the Negalla feat that I tentatively called "Reveal Useful Object".
Negalla the Nest Maker
Negalla was born in the Woven Nest, a bowl shaped in the manner of Reladiva, but pieced together by Aswata Greenweaver from the grasses and branches that decorated the land. Negalla was sister to Lagada Crow-mother and Hesvata the Magpie and the three shared the nest. But where her sisters preferred to fly and seek out the shining light, Negalla stayed near the nest, forever taking pieces apart and putting the pieces back together.
In those early days the Woven Nest was part of Reladiva's court and Negalla saw many beautiful things there, for this was the Golden Age. Sometimes when a god or goddess dropped something, Negalla would pick it up and pack it away in the nest. Thus when Sodruya dropped the Cloak of Feathered Leaves to try on the Cloak of Greening, Negalla took and wore the old one. And when Nealda cast the Yellowhead Worms out of the earth after they ate her favorite rock, Negalla gathered them up to fill the spaces in the nest. Other times, Negalla would trade away something she picked up for something else as when she gave Erkalana the Gutstrings in exchange for the Song of Remembrance. On a few occasions, following her sisters, she would sneak into the homes of others and steal what she wanted.
When conflict and war came to Reladiva's Bowl, Negalla ventured further from the nest, often following the mighty warriors about. She picked up what was dropped (such as the Nine-banded Whip), what was broken (including the Leg of Uloclos), and what was left behind (even such esoteric items as the Tears of Honbestal and the Great Spit of Razan Bullhead). When the waters rose and filled the Bowl of Reladiva, Negalla sealed the nest with mud and blood. When storms drove the nest hither and yon upon the waters, she gathered the flotsam and jetsam, which drifted around, including the Lost Crown of Reladiva. She picked up people, spirits, and gods, including Tunoral, who were lost and had no place. This great nest or raft she named Vanch, the Patchwork Place. And within the great nest, Negalla and Tunoral became lovers and consorts and blessed their people with their gifts.
When the waters receded, Negalla's nest settled into the mud in the northeast corner of what was Reladiva's Bowl. Others came raiding the land, stealing treasures, and killing folk. Negalla reminded her folk that even the great nest could be raided and torn asunder, but still rebuilt, for there were always broken and lost things to rebuild with. After the Iron Ram broke the walls of the nest, Negalla show her folk the hard droppings left behind and how even these could form new walls. Negalla told her folk that what others sought were treasures no longer, but what they could add to the nest would be blessed and gain tenfold in value. Where the Ram Hoofs cut the Understone, there grew the Thorn Hedge, which would protect many folk for a time.
These ways were followed even when the Ice of Valkaral crushed the land and the Great Darkness of Night birthed monsters. The great nest was broken down and hidden. The dead and dying were stripped of all useful. Broken trees, rocks carried by glaciers, and sharp thorns protected the little nests that remained. Negalla even stole the shadows of the Esserberns and wrapped these around the little nests to hide them further. Lost spirits (such as the lovers Hermilla and Bromior), masks of gods (such as the Scarf of Watery Essence), and ancient weapons were gathered to distract or fight the monsters. And when the Ice had gone and the Sun rose again, Negalla and her few straggling folk were there to greet the Dawn of Time.
Negalla is called Nest Maker; Mother of Vanch; the Scavenging Queen; the Shadow of the Wild; and Gatherer of the Lost.
The usual depictions of Negalla include: a mother with a nest upon her head; a woman with a stick in one hand and a sack in the other; a woman with a shadowy mask; or a woman with a beak.
Entry Requirements: most Vanchite females are adopted and marked by Negalla at birth. When they come of age, they become initiates of Negalla, if they succeed in the First Nest Making. Negalla also welcomes outsiders (and initiates of many other deities), though such newcomers must bring sufficient offerings to the nest to convince Negalla they are ready to be adopted through the Dark Gathering.
Keywords: Watchful, Scavenging, Receptive
Mundane Abilities: Bird Watching, Foraging, Hide Item, Nest
Building, Raft Making, Remember Ritual, Spot Forgotten Object,
Weaving.
Affinities:
Scavenger (Bear Burden, Collect Spirit, Pick Up Shadow, Pluck
Treasure, Reveal Useful Object, Strip Bare)
Adaptation (Acquire Skill, Adapt Ritual)
Subcults:
The Scavenging Queen (Sovereignty, Scavenger)
Nest Maker (Weaving, Adaptation)
Weaving (Blend Essence, Link Spirit, Weave into Nest)
Adaptation (Welcome Home)
Harald
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