Re:real comments

From: Robert Darvall <madamx_at_2XmczjdUEigEBUXmlkX8MOKLG_-IGfo8iEy7kM51gWyTk_Zllr5SKjtO85osqE1RgQB6a>
Date: Sun, 24 Feb 2002 13:56:07 +1100


Peter Larsen

>1. I kind of like the honey thing, ...
>So this bee and honey thing is a characteristic of the clan that can add
>flavor but not the dominant character to any stead in the clan.

>2. What kind of magical resources are available to a smallish stead like
>this?

Bryan beats me to it
>I think they have their "household gods"...
>...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. ...  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. 

I see these god talkers as being the stead members with the best connection to a particular deity. Not neccessarily even high level initiates but the best the stead can provide. At least magical delegate & probably the bulk of the stead head to a larger centre for sacred time. Can we petion or pay for more powerful blessings in hard times? Granny normaly blesses the boundary stones each year cos shes been talking to Ernalda longest but this year the omens are bad so we'll get in the Gwyda from the clan to be sure. Basicly low level self sufficiency in magical matters with the right to call on the clan when you're up against it. Possibly a single crafting or hunter/gather Godi as explained later.

>3. What sort of resources are we assuming? ...

       Other resources? What about willow coppicing. All the water around the stead should produce a reasonable willow mead. Or is it too cold? Bryan? Withies are damn handy for everthing from baskets to wall reinforcing. (a more specific example of Peter's special trees) and willows have a suitably sinister folkloric tradition requiring ritual placation.(No JRRT did not make it up out of whole cloth).

     IMO the link between magic & resources should be fairly strong. This means that the most capable exploiter of that resource has the strongest connection to its god. So a stead can have the Poverri Godi & shrine to same while being some distance from the clan centre. Giles point about the building which houses the craft also housing the shrine (or shrinelet) to that deity seems logical under this PoV.

Then too magic is also a resource. Other steads may rent our (hypothetical) Poverri Godi to bless their efforts or travel some distance to get his blessing, bringing suitable gifts with them.

Equally Peter's point about the Pella Devotee is well made. The gods dispose of their gifts & if that don't suit the clan chief, well tough.

Bees also have a reasonable body of folklore (not to mention a wonderful Terry Pratchet character) associated with them which is ripe for plunder. Wild bee harvesting has some great Aboriginal practices still extant. The one that springs to mind is gluing a piece of white down to a wild bee so you can track it to its hive. (there ya go John, RW tracking through the air) Australian native bees are stingless so the process is doubtless easier.

I do think though, that the stead should have one commoditty it can produce in surplus, at least in reasonable years. Honey or fish (or magic for same) seem to be the current favourites
In a stead this size the majority of crafting probably_is_ done in dark season.

Jeff, in dark season you _do_dwell on the Byres, & the midden by the end of it. Adds atmosphere to the campaign I find.:-)

My aunt brought back a recent photo of an eastern european byre at winters end & the midden was the height of the building. No wonder the Scots made a song about it.

Darvall            

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