From: darvall (madamx@ns2.mikka.net.au)
Date: Sun 30 Jan 2000 - 13:16:49 EET
I wrote this stuff in order to give my hunter's a more wilderness centred
approach to their lives. The conditions on the gifts are not meant to be
geasa but more a growth from the hunter's intimate contact with the wild &
the goddess of same. Having experienced some of these feelings (albeit to a
lesser degree) on returning from extended periods out bush I felt they
could form a basis for weird Odaylan behaviour. & yes I pinched the basis
for my ideas from John Hughes & Mike Raaterova notably their Questlines
articals. Any suggestions for improvements gratefully recieved.
The Odaylans have an intricate & intimate relationship with the Lady of the
Wild. As both mother & lover of their God as well as figure of both life
(prey) & death to the cult she is bound intrinsicly into their world. She
appears most often to hunters & although this is wonderful it is also
terrible & always exacts a price from the mortal. As mother /protector/
hunter of all wild creatures she both provides the hunters' prey & preys
apon them. The act of hunting brings a mortal into her domain more surely
than any other. Unlike the various domestic activities, herding, berrying
etc, hunting is always part spirit quest & so hunters attract more of her
attention. The various rituals involved with hunting are as often as not
aimed at Tara with her son interceding on the part of the hunters.
Tara is not hostile to hunters any more than to any other carnivore but
neither is she any more protective. Just as she demands things of wolves,
alynx, badgers & jumping mice so she demands things of hunters. Her demands
are never outside the capability of the species. Dying is within this
definition & they may be outside the ability of an individual.There are
always compensations, even for death. Any meeting with Tara is a mystical
event, although Taran mystics have low life expectancies.
Share of Blood Meal Tara actively takes her portion of the blood by
drinking it with the hunter. In return she allows the hunter to
connect with the soul of his quarry in such a way that he always knows its
location. This gives the hunter a fear of fire. He can be near it but won't
use it himself
Jackal's Portion Tara merely watches the butchering occasionally
Wolf' Portion Tara takes all the guts & the hunter becomes impervious
Bear's Portion Tara takes the whole kill. In return she gifts the
Yinkin's Meal The hunter shares the kill with Tara. Both eat the
Stag's Portion Sex. Regardless of the gender any sex with Tara
Gargath lottery Tara hunts the mortal through the forest. If he
Twinson's Fate The hunter is sacrificed on the Wild Altar. This
Deed of blood The hunter sacrifices a specific creature to Tara &
darting in to grab a bone or piece of meat. The hunter so blessed will
never startle an animal. He becomes so much part of the wild they ignore
him. He does however find beds unbearable
to all but the coldest weather (-5°c & below) & all normal insects ignore
him. The hunter then finds normal clothing, ie shirt & trews, unbearable if
the temperature climbs above 0°c hence they generally
get about in kilts.
hunter with the bear's ability to slay. Any strike the hunter makes
against natural prey (ie in season) is lethal. As the hunter can kill using
the simplest of weapons metal is eschewed even to the point of use as
ornament or armour. NB this ability can only be used on such animals as are
in season,it can be used on humans from the start of Harmony / Earth to the
end of Harmony / Storm as this is Man season.
prey raw on site staying til it is finished. This imbues the hunter with
the stamina to run down any prey. Thus this is what they do shunning all
missile weapons.
results in a child wrapped in leaves & hair appearing at the hunter's
stead 2-3 seasons later. This child will either be a great hunter or a
wild priest of Tara. In addition the hunter concieves a great longing for
the Lady of the Wild which outshines all mortals. This can be broken by
moving to another land. The fornication brings out or heightens the
hunter's dominance. The hunter will lead any group
of which they are a part. This may result in challenges from other dominant
individuals & ends when the hunter is decicively beaten.
escapes the experience tunes him to flight. Nothing can catch him in the
wild. All ambushes are detected & enemies noticed on aproach through an
attunement to the nature of both animal behaviour & that of wild
spirits.Subsequently he can't bear to pursue an animal with an alynx.
confirms the old pact that ended the tearing claw. Any hunters related to
the sacrifice are blessed with a 15% better chance of success
bathes in its blood. This permanently removes the hunter's scent but heated
water always acts as an uncomfortable reminder of the ritual. Thus the
hunter chooses to bathe in rivers or rainfall.
Deed of Nurture The hunter is bound to succour a particular
Bewilder The hunter must cause some ploughed land to return
Taboo The hunter can judge the success of the hunt, the
creature. Often this demands the raising the young of
a species This act gives the hunter an unerring sense of direction but
prolonged nurture of a wild creature makes the hunter antisocial. So much
so that human society is avoided; often for weeks at a time.
to wilderness. This imposes a connection to the local flora enabling the
hunter to feel changes in the local forest making it easier to locate the
best food sources & hence the best prey. Loss of this connection, as when
the hunter is inside a house, is uncomfortable at first rising to
unbearable the longer the lack of contact is maintained.
weather, coming battle, lawsuit, or other matters from the behaviour of a
single species. Only one matter can be judged per species but the hunter
will not harm the messenger species.
Darvall
madamx@mikka.net.au
>From quiet homes & first beginnings
Out to the undicovered ends
Theres nothing worth the wear of winning
But laughter & the love of friends.
Hilare Belloc
------------------------------
End of The Glorantha Digest V7 #338
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