As for shrines I believe that every stead, has its houshold or stead shrines, the little statuettes, carvings or even places that are accepted as being more holy to your god -The small rapids when on Poverris' holy day Brother Salmon literally jumps into your hands. The high meadow where the deer always come to graze as long as Odaylas portion is left by the Bear rock. The small statue of Mahome which stands by the Hearth fire. These are shrines that do affect your magic and abilities, but they probably dont provide any major magic.
Giles
> >
> >
> > 2. What kind of magical resources are available to a smallish stead
> like
> > this?
>
> I think they have their "household gods", the little statues or wood
> carvings or whatever that they make routine sacrifices at. But these
> wouldn't be shrines proper. So for most ceremonies they'd travel to
> the chief's stead where the majority of the shrines and temples lie.
> I'd guess that it is a couple of hours walk up the track. (much like
> people trecking into town to go to church each week).
>
> However, it isn't impossible that a minor shrine would be at or near
> this stead, if it was the specialist within the clan or there
> happened to be a holy place near there. For instance, perhaps this
> is _the_ fishing spot for the clan, so there is a shrine to Poverri.
> (not saying we should have that, just an example of one
> possibility). When others wanted to worship at that shring, they'd
> have to come to this stead.
>
> The generic stead description in Thunder Rebels suggested that most
> stead would have a couple of god talkers, one male, one female. But
> yes, for more specialist things they'd depend on wandering god
> talkers.
>
> > 3. What sort of resources are we assuming? We can have the Four
> Providers,
> > which is good, and honey seems like a given, but what other
> resources are
> > available for use and/or trade? Obviously, the stead weaves cloth
> and makes
> > pottery, baskets, clothing, and wooden goods for its own use, but
> do we
> > want to identify any of these as specialities of the stead?
>
> I think most steads' surplus, if any, is mostly food, and is counted
> into the clan's totals. The real specialist crafters are apt to be
> at the chief's steading. Which isn't to say that there can't be a
> gifted amateur or two "It just hasn't been the same since Aunie Brega
> died, her pots were just as good as Rana's down at the Chief's stead,
> even if they weren't quite so fancy."
>
> However I agree that some of the natural resources of the tula are
> apt to be nearest this stead, just by random distribution (although
> the chief's stead is apt to be near the most valuable resources, and
> resources near there are most apt to have been fully developed).
>
> Some likely "resources" outside pure food would include:
> -as you said, clay
> -rushes that happen to be especially good for weaving baskets.
> -berries that make a good die.
> -bronze (notice that the rapids run through a gap in a ridge?
> Perhaps that was made in the god time during some fight, the loser's
> bones could still be around as a bronze source).
> -particular trees that don't grow widely in the tula, but which have
> particular uses (hickory for axe handles, cedar for chests, for
> instance)
> -the river crossing. Hey, if there are people who want to cross,
> they are going to give you gifts to thank you for rowing them
> across. Won't be major trade, but it is something.
> -water fowl. That shallow mucky lake at the top of the map probably
> has LOTS of duck/geese nests in it. Maybe the hunters gather an
> excess of feathers that form part of their payments to the clan.
> -they probably have more hunters, proportionately, than the chiefs
> stead, and the hunting of water mammals (muskrat, beaver, whatever
> they have in Sartar) is apt to be good, so they probably also provide
> a certain amount of furs each year too.
> -there could be a source of nice but not too valuable stones...say
> really pure quartz crystals that the potters like to use as
> decorations, or maybe low grade amethyst.
> -just because there are so many trees around, and they might be
> different than in the more fertile ground around the cheif's stead,
> perhaps birch bark and pine pitch?
>
> That's all that I can come up with off the top of my head, but I'm
> sure people can think of other 'normal,' not too valuable, resources
> if needed.
>
> --Bryan
>
>
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