It's been hinted that the Digest might be a better place for this, so here goes. What would my newtling probably encounter as obstacles in his attempt to establish a new breeding pool on the Zola Fel? The Tradetalk article mentions that Father Newtling (aka Great Newt) had Seven Bachelors who each overcame a specific challenge. I'm assuming that the Great Newt's battle vs the Rock Lizard should form part of this HQ, also.
I'd also like to mention that I'm sure that there are breeding colonies elsewhere than the New Fens at Handra. The Tradetalk article itself mentions that "ease of survival [in the New Fens] promotes social intricacies unknown in other newtling communities". It also mentions that only adults become shamans of the Great Newt, and that "they rarely have cause to interact on decisions of great significance. The vast New Fens are an exception to this". This clearly implies that other breeding communities exist.
I made one definite mistake about the bachelors, though. It looks as though all bachelors have to leave the community for some years, at least. I overlooked the statement that bachelors (at least in the New Fens, and I think it means everywhere) only remain with their community for up to twelve years of their 30-odd bachelor lifespan. They are supposed to leave to become strong enough to be worthy to breed. Maybe they only stray as far as the next tributary up the river, but they must leave. That will alter a fair bit of what I was thinking about their society, in which I thought there would be a lot of tension between bachelors who never left, and those that did. If they all leave, it's just a question of for how long.
How large is the community at Rainbow Caves likely to be? Also, if the missing Eye for the Great Newt statue is restored, what would be the benefits for the community? I think the statues are rumoured to be able to reanimate if they are made complete again. Walking over the plains of Prax to indicate where a new colony should be established is probably a bit OOT (and make things way too easy), but being able to fight in defense of the Caves colony would be about right.
Alison
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