hT Odayla
(oe-DAE-lah)
The Deep Hunter
Storm pantheon
Storm pantheon
The cult of Odayla is the Orlanthi hunters cult, supporting all types of hunters. It is most common in the less populated orlanthi regions, less so in farmland and virtually unknown in urban areas. It is very rare in Prax and around Pavis, overshadowed by Foundchild.
He is one of the twin sons (the other being Ormalaya) of the Lady of the Wild (Velhara) and Orlanth, thus he is one of the Thunder Brothers (though he rarely gathers with them), and during the Darkness he gave the Heortlings the skills and magic they needed to stay alive. On the hunt, he teams up his uncle Yinkin as often as he can be persuaded to.
The importance of the cult locally is determined by how much of the diet is provided by hunting.
High holy day is Winds Day, Harmony Week, Storm Season.
Shrines teach Sureshot.
The Huntergods
Requirements: standard. Skills are Missile Attack, Devise, Listen and Track.
Initiates must hunt and kill at least one prey beast per season to donate to their clan. They must always use the Peaceful Cut on any animal killed for food. In addition an initiate must never harm an alynx unless in self defence or in mercy.
They may learn the cult skills of Butchery and Train Alynx.
Spirit magic: Disrupt, Mobility, Peaceful Cut, Slow, Speedart.
It is told that Odayla the Hunter, son of King Orlanth & The Lady of the Wild, was out hunting one day in Foxglove Vale
near the mountains of his father. This day his prey was the Purple Stag of the Only Oak, a legendary beast, king amongst its kind,
fleet of foot and as strong as a wild boar.
The Purple Stag led Odayla on a merry chase. With great leaps it would cross rivers and vales, always keeping one step ahead of
its pursuer. Many times Odayla almost caught up with the stag, but each time he was given away, or his mother's gifts were found
wanting. Eventually he dug the Unseen Pit and chased the deer into it, but more by luck than anything else.
Then Odayla made a fire and began to roast the deer, but such had his exertions been that he grew drowsy and fell asleep.
However, Odayla was the perfect Hunter, and when he slept he always kept one ear awake so that he could never be surprised.
So,later on, when his keen ear heard the sound of movement, he awoke, but pretended to still be sleeping. As the sound grew nearer
he carefully opened one eye and espied the Silver Fox sneaking up to steal the roasting deer.
Before the fox could react Odayla had pounced on him. With one hand Odayla held the fox and down and with the other he plucked
out the foxes bushy tail. Then he took up his mother's flint knife and prepared to skin the fox. The fox cried out for Odayla to
spare him, claiming that he had needed the food for his cubs, but Odayla ignored his pleas and prepared to finish his gruesome
task.
It was then that the fox told Odayla that if he spared his life he would teach him a skill known only to foxes. Odayla agreed and
so the fox's life was spared. The skill the Silver Fox showed Odayla was the secret of how Foxes move swiftly through the forest,
how to move silently but swiftly. This was a hard skill to learn (and the fox a sarcastic teacher), but the trick was to start to
run by putting one foot forward, then to bring the next foot forward before the fmt had touched the ground. When Odayla was able
to do this continually he was able to run without putting either foot on the ground, and therefore did not make any noise while he
ran. It took a long time for Odayla to learn this skill, but eventually he was able to run quite fast - though if he thought about
it too much it wouldn't work!
Thus satisfied, Odayla let the fox go. However he kept the fox's tail and afterwards could always be seen wearing it on his belt.
This is why the Silver Fox has no tail. But since the Silver fox's cubs (Red Fox, White Fox, Blue Fox and all the others) had
already been born they do have tails.