Re: Ahh! Assistance needed from experts!

From: Peter Larsen <plarsen_at_...>
Date: Thu, 19 Feb 2004 19:04:44 -0500

At 4:17 PM +0000 2/19/04, bethexton_at_... wrote:
> > I like this, but I think the Thunder Brothers wouldn't be
>all
>> about combat -- they should give feats that are helpful to men in
>their
>> everyday lives.
>
>I would disagree with this. I the thunder brothers are usually
>recognized as a war band, and the working gods are not usually
>counted in their number. Also, 'all' heortlings are initiates, so
>the people who would use the Thunder Brothers common magic would
>normally be initiated to a cult which gave them the magic they need
>in their everyday life (typically an Orlanth Allfather sub-cult).
>They turn to the Thunder Brothers for the magic they need in
>extraordinary situations. For those to whom combat is ordinary, they
>initiate directly to one of the Thunder Brothers.

        Many of the clan rings call the outer ring "Thunder Brothers and Weaver Women" (or one or the other). I think the Thunder Brothers are the male deities of the Storm Tribe and worshipping them is part of being a good Orlanthi male. Some are deadly HtH fighers, some throw stones, some are sneaky, but they are all Brave, Strong, Proud, Generous, Hard Working, Stubborn, etc. The bulk of the most famous are warriors to some extent or other because, well, that's a big part of what the Storm Tribe is about, but they also do other things -- they must be farmers and herders and hunters and fishers as well as warriors, because that's what most Orlanthi do, at least some of the time.In Thunder Rebels, were told that all men become part of the Thunder Brothers during regular worship (p. 207), so I don't think they are just warriors.

        I'm also not really happy with a common religion that provides a bunch of combat feats for a couple of reasons:

Combat is a big deal to the Orlanthi, but it's not the only thing. A common religion should serve the common needs of the people. Generally useful skills which might have other applications seem more likely. The Right Tool for the Job rather than Bladesharp, Deep Breath Endurance rather than Strengthen Armor, etc. These could be used in the fyrd, but they have other uses, too. Why waste common magic time on a situation that comes up a lot less rarely than pulling turnips?

A couple of combat-related common magic feats might overshadow a character's combat-specific magic from his god, assuming the character concentrates on theism. That seems backwards. A fyrdman should almost always be weaker than a weaponthane who specializes in combat, after all.

>However, making it all feats might be just a little too kind. It
>might offer a mix of feats, charms, and talents. After all, some of
>the storm tribe seem to have a spiritual nature, and any thunder
>brothers with such wouldn't be worshipped as gods normally, but would
>be part of the collective. And some of the later generation thunder
>brothers may have passed along abilities as talents.

        This is a good point. I expect it depends on the clan to a great extent. If you live near a spirit wood, learning some charms like Spirit Dog Don't Bite Me is a pretty wise idea...

Peter Larsen