>therefore I'm looking for all
> those areas where people are in close proximity with those who
aren't
> kin.
>
> So we have:
> 1)Cities
> 2)Wandering bands of all sorts
> 3)Tribal Moots
> 4)Specialist Temple pilgrimages
> 5)Traditional inter-clan festivals & markets
>
Well, I have a few thoughts, all probably the source of less net
travel than the above, but all possibilities for players to get
involved with:
- Most clans probably have traditional trade agreements aside from
the markets ("Every Earth season we will send you 400 bushels of
grain, and in return you provide us with two wagonfuls of raw bronze
and two horses.") and these need to be delivered/picked-up.
- Unexpected needs for specialized information/skills/items, which
result in a decision to send someone off to seek said thing. "We have
an infestation of rubble runners. The Three-Stone clan has a horn
which drives the thing away. Perhaps they will lend it/ sell it/send
someone with it if we offer them enough. Best send an emissary.")
The heroes can either be that person or accompany them.
- Sometimes even the most insular clan wants better information to
back up the rumours that they here ("The Cyrling clan says the lunars
are making the Colymar tribe grow mais. I can't believe it. Perhaps
we should send Harvar to visit his aunt in the Black Spear clan and
find out?")
- Negotiations for marriage, escorting women to their new clans,
escorting widows/divorcees who wish to return to their birth clan.
- Unscheduled contests. One of the way a clan (and its leaders) can
show off is to sponsor a contest--usually one that they think they
have a decent chance of winning. (The word goes around that two days
after a certain holy day, the Black Oaks are sponsoring a contest to
find the fleetest runner in Sartar, with a fine stallion as prize.
Are you going to let those lunar-loving scum win? Even if you can't
compete, maybe you'll go).
- Escorting tribute to the lunars / attending a lunar court case.
Not a happy occasion, but sadly frequent in these dark times....
- Escorting someone who has been banished for political reasons.
After all, sometimes you want the person to survive travelling a safe
place, and to make it back when the banishment is over. ("For
spitting on the lunar tax collector, we banish Harvar for two hands
of seasons. What is it Kentvent? You wish permission to travel for
a season to Pavis? Oh, and Harst and Verlain do as well? Very well,
granted, no, don't tell me why, I don't want to know.")
- Deniable aid to the revolution. ("Escort these dozen cattle and
this cart full of food to the Blue Fox clan, oh, and take the back
roads. Watch out for bandits, especially with blue feathers in their
hair *wink, wink* we wouldn't want all of this to fall into their
hands so that they could live off it this dark season, now would we
*wink, wink*")
- Deus Ex Machina :) They get caught in a flood and swept down River
clinging to flotsam, an incredible blizzard arises while they are on
patrol and they can't make it back to their stead but their is a
neighboring clan hunting camp not so far away. You come out of a
hero quest not where you came in. Someone has a vision that shows
that you are needed at a specific location.
Some of these really only work once or twice before they are tired,
others can re-occur more often--like the marriage escorts, it is easy
to say "You accompany your cousin Rana to the Split Waters clan for
her wedding. While there, suddenly.....". You shouldn't use it too
often unless you want it to become a running joke (Take Rana to her
wedding, escort her home after her husband dies, escort her to the
next wedding, escort her home after their divorce, escort her to the
next wedding......)
I hope this helped at least spark some ideas for you.
--Bryan