Re: Re: Wyters and Animals

From: Roderick and Ellen Robertson <rjremr_at_...>
Date: Wed, 14 Feb 2001 17:39:29 -0800


>
> > >> If the Wyter is embodied in an object then, to destroy the wyter
> > >> you need to ritually destroy the object. If it is embodied in an
> > >> animal
> > >
> > > It can be done with sufficiently nasty attacks -- its just tht the
> > > wyter will fight back and resist and a big wyter is very powerful
> >
> > but not necessarily very resistant to Close Combat, IIRC...
>
> p 98 - defence certainly makes it tough to hurt with magic. And for
> Close Combat, you'd think that it would be the toughest thing the clan
> could find that was mythically appropriate. I suspect that the
> resistance to being hacked up with a sword would be pretty high for a
> bronze arm-ring.

The ability of a Wyter's wicker basket to resist swords might be pretty low ...

> If wyter were easy to destroy, we'd not have as many of the things
> kicking around. =) However, since they are the heart and _soul_ of a
> community, they are guarded pretty well. Chief's house or temple,
> both are hard to deal with. And, of course, they tend to warn the
> chief and anyone around.

Yes. The wyter will alert the clan/band of enemies as soon as those enemies "cross it's radar". The clan.band then has the resposibilty to defend the wyter or lose its magic.

> > >When you "build" a wyter that is embodied in a sacred animal, there
> > >are ceremonies and proceedures that allow you to call it into a new
> > >body should the old one wear out. (I don't see as them being
> > >immortal).
> >
> > That ties in with what I was thinking. For MGF there should be
> > specific requirements for the animal - descendant of the original.
> > Animal born as a twin birth, or a single birth, Particular
> > pigmentation, born on an auspiscious day etc etc...

Absolutely. But if the animal is slain by an enemy, it probably counts the same as destroying an inanimate object. There are probably easily remembered ways to permantly discombobulate a animal-form wyter (cut the head off, & piss down the neck, or some such). Think "ritual defilement".

Roderick

Powered by hypermail