Barbarian Adventures should give a lot of advice on how to do exactly that. In the meantime IMO
> 1) Do roads in Sartar go through clan property or between borders?
I would say both. I think there are number of points here. First the only 'roads' we know of are those built by Sartar and his descendant Kings. Anything else is likely to be at best an improved track. Tracks will certainly exist between the main steads on the tula or places people visit, and might well exist into neighbouring tulas if relations between the clans are good enough to foster regular traffic. It is possible that a tribal king might encourage the clans to develop better trails in tribal territory (perhaps as part of their taxes), but the maintenance of those trails would depend on feelings toward the tribe. The roads of Sartar are probably an extension of this policy. The King gets the clans to maintain, patrol and defend their section of road and give you a tax rebate for it. The Lunars may have taken over many of these duties in hostile areas, though they undoubtedly tax you for the privilege.
2) If through do you have to ask permission to pass through tulas when you are not stopping?
Option A: The King's Road is free to all to travel without let or hindrance and subject to the King's Peace. Anyone breaking the King's Peace has to pay his own worth in wergild to the King as well as any other fines.
This feels a little organised for the Kingdom Of Sartar. Perhaps strong kings, like Tarkalor enforced it but not others. Maybe the Lunars enforce it in Temeritan's name.
Option B: The Kingdom does not interfere in clan affairs. Travel across any tula requires the permission of those who own it. You perform the Greeting on meeting locals or patrols, but you do not ask for hospitality just for passage.
3) Are the King's Roads like interstate roads, passing around settlements?
No. Sartar and his descendants built the roads to improve trade and communications. They connect settlements. Settlements should be on good natural lines of communication anyway.
4) How do you raid someone far away without fighting every clan between you and them.
Negotiate with everyone in between, or try to sneak past them.
5) With the Hero Wars rules for Wyters is it impossible to run murder mysteries?
Check the rules in Thunder Rebels for Divination. Bear in mind the wyter is subject to the same restrictions, it does not know everything, and only what the members of the community, clan and land, themselves know. Individuals other than the chief are beyond its comprehension (TR p98). It never knows who Bjorn's killer is, only that he is dead, and the grief of his family or his bloodline might let the wyter know that foul play was involved.
One man sneaking across the border, and backed by magic, has a better chance of remaining undetected than a host have. The wyter has an awareness rating, if you can defeat that then the wyter will not notice your actions.
Following a previous thread, I ruled in an episode that a group of heroes trying to evade the Truth magic of the Greeting had to defeat the wyter's awareness.
6) Does the Wyter speak in riddles like divination (can it be ambiguous)?
Well the wyter may not talk at all. The wyter's communication with the chief is mental, so he knows what it mans. Of course, it has a former existence, which may colour how it perceives things, but for everyone else (p.97-98 Thunder Rebels), its communication form is dependant on its embodiment. Elders and thanes may be able to guess at what it intimates, but only the chief knows.
7) Can a Wyter's attention be misdirected while some other mischief is taking place.
Yes, and it will tend to concentrate on what is important to the community.
8) Would a Wyter alert the Chief if there were unauthorised, nonviolent, social contact across borders, say, love affairs, football matches smuggling, etc?
I do not think the wyter knows more than there are non-community members on the tula, but there are members of the community with them. If the chief does not know what is happening, he may send someone to investigate. Remember that while the wyter tells the chief what is happening, the chief must decide what action to take, if any. If there is disputed hunting land on the border, with hunters straying into your tula in pursuit of game, but always escaping before patrols can reach them, the chief might not bother to react next time it happens. It could be a false sense of security.
9) Do clan members ask permission before going to another clan's
fairs and markets?
Yes, but I doubt he has to give permission every time. If members of
your stead have been going to another clan's stead to trade for the
last four years then you do not suddenly have to get permission
unless the situation changes. You only need the chief's permission
if you are doing something new, or there are possible consequences
to your clan. Remember the Heortlings have collective
responsibility, so the other clan may hold your kin to account for
your actions. Therefore, they have a say. Of course, no one can make
you do anything, so you might do it without saying, but be prepared
to take the rap for that from your kin.
Ian Cooper
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