Re: Re: Date WW fell

From: Roderick and Ellen Robertson <rjremr_at_...>
Date: Fri, 22 Oct 2004 12:24:34 -0700

> Well, yeah... But in theory, if you were Tatius, trying to design a
> ritual to "kill" Orlanth (yes, limitations accepted), which climaxed on
> Windsday, Death week, Dark season, then is there any particular day on
> which said ritual should start? Any "lead-in" HQs, or anything? Any
> date-dependent stuff at all that we can use as an excuse for Tatius
> delaying the military defeat of WW?

Well, that's the start of the Ancestor Day rites (TR 113, 95). Maybe it's not *Orlanth* they are trying to kill, but the "Spiritual Community" of the Orlanthi? Cut off the living people from their dead ancestors and what happens? Since a *lot* of Orlanthi cultural self-image is tied up in the Ancestors, destroying that link might weaken the "love" (fealty? what's a good word for it?) of the people for Orlanth (letting them be more easily assimilated into something like Doburdon or the 7 Moms). Take away worshippers, and Orlanth is diminished, at least as an object of worship (can't do *too* much to him in his aspect as Storm).

So, when would be a good time to start? Hmm, maybe start on Asrelia's Treasure Day (Freeze/Fertility/Earth) and try to disrupt the Rest Day rites (when Asrelia gives back stuff she stored on Treasure Day). Or Ty Kora Tek's Shroud Day (Freeze/Illusion/Darkness "when men are powerless before the power of Death") or Night of Lost Souls (Clay/Truth/Storm). Those are *cultural* Death times (as opposed to, say, Humakt's holy days). Letting the rites start, but disrupting them (somehow) would lock the people into "death mode". They are also "Hope" days - "things may be dead, but there is always hope". Remove the "Hope" portion of the ceremonies and people will be bad off. Finish up by "killing" Orlanth (or the ancestors).

Another reason might be revealed by the Runes of the day -

Dark Season - the nadir of Orlanth's power (Darkness season is the "dead part" of the year, the Darkness Age was the Chaos Wars, etc.) As a self-resurrecting god he doesn't necessarily follow a circular cycle - (which would put his nadir in Earth Season), instead he can have a gradual decline followed by a sudden return to "life".

Death week. Things die. Duh. :-).

Windsday - Orlanth's weekly holy day.

Of course, there might be a perfectly good Dara Happan or Lunar reason for the exact timing that we just don't know...

RR
C'est par mon ordre et pour le bien de l'Etat que le porteur du pr�sent a fait ce qu'il a fait.
- Richelieu