Your point is actually reasonable....I don't think most Heortlings do much skating. Recall that their "skates" are the shin bones of an ox strapped to your boots (shin bones have a fairly narrow edge), so they are somewhere between longish, dull, skates and short, narrow, skis.
The reference to ancient skating that comes to mind (from inventions of the ancient world, if I recall correctly), is a quote from London several centuries ago, about when the Thames froze over men would strap ox shin-bones to their feet, then use an iron-tipped poles to push themselves along the ice at great speed....and men being boys being boys, attempt to smash into each other at said great speeds and knock each other down.
So I'd imagine that some Heortling clans skated in the darkness when everything was frozen over, and they still recall how to skate, and probably learn as kids...and most probably don't do it all that often afterwards. So no danger of the ice capades erupting, I think.
Mind you, it is odd that they skate, and can all snowshoe, but nobody skis. I'd think adding skis would allow some great scenarios of Orlanthi rebels harrassing Lunar encampments, in tribute to the Finns versus the Russian invasion in WW2.
--Bryan
PS. IMO both Odaylans and Yinkini have stories about how their god taught worshippers to make snowshoes. The styles probably differ, and to this day some clans use smaller, round, Odaylan snowshoes, others use longer, Yinkini snowshoes. A few pragmatists have both and use one or the other depending on snow conditions and where they plan on going.
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