I need to go to bed here soon because I have to get up in a few hours to go to work. But I wanted to leave you with a thought about the Drykas today that you might not have considered. Someone in a PM a few minutes ago asked me how to make themselves useful to a Drykas family... in essence a Pavilion. They assumed, and asked, if having a singular skill they were kickass at would make them valuable.
Yes and No.
I want to get you guys thinking like members of a horseclan. Some of you already understand this. Some of you don't have a clue. I need to tell you that when writing the Drykas, I borrowed heavily from my western plains culture. I'm half-Bannock Shoshone and I grew up in a place where there was no electricity and everyone worked to eat, survive, and thrive. Sure, in the seventies we were all tucked neatly on reservations. But because we didn't have TV, we had stories around the campfire and we had an endless struggle to maintain the old ways through stories, reenactments, and festivals. When I wrote the Drykas, I wanted everyone who wanted to play a mobile group to get a taste of what was lost on the american west with a fantasy flare. Some people assume the Drykas are reminiscent of the middle earth human The Riders of Rohan from Lord of the Rings. Others think of the game of throne type Dothraki. Regardless... Native American, Rohan, Dothraki... there are still issues.
Yes and No. Can being hellishly skilled at one thing make you invaluable.
It depends on what that skill is. Are you a healer? Then maybe yes. Are you an expert at survival? Or war? Then maybe yes. But by and large the answer is going to be NO. Why?
People who specialize in one thing don't thrive on the Sea of Grass. If you are an artisan, for example, things are rough for you. Who feeds you? Who clothes you? Who heals you?
The people that THRIVE on the Sea of Grass are the folks that are decent at a whole bunch of things... Jacks of All Trades types.
Can you hunt, fish, pitch a tent, ride a horse, forecast the weather, tan a hide, trap rabbits, heal wounds that aren't too severe? You have to diversify. You have to know about a lot of things. IF you are soft, weak, helpless and say all you can do is make pottery... what good are you to the Pavilion? You can't mend worn clothing? You can't even make clothing. You certainly don't know how to cobble a pair of boots... or trim a horse's hoof so hes not so lame.
This is a hard life. There's no time for sitting around doing nothing. You are SUPER BUSY surviving. You find water. You move constantly... have you ever been camping? Camping is hard work setting up and taking down tents. Think bout how big a pavilion can be... they have whole areas for living, sleeping areas, and even stables for prized mounts. They are so big they need wagons to move them. Who drives the wagons? Who sets up and takes down the tents every few days? Who packs up all the shit? ITS FRIGGING HARD WORK.
The average lifespan on the Sea of Grass is around thirty. There are no old people really. A late teen unmarried is a waste. They live incredibly colorful lives incredibly fast. Why? Their environment. There are big predators, magic creatures, natural disasters - storms, fires, hail, snow, blizzards, floods, encroachments, disease... and couple that with water, food, and shelter... its amazing anyone is around.
There are strengths in numbers and Endrykas is that strength. So next time you think about skills and what your character needs to survive and thrive... and even to become invaluable to others... look at the setting, the culture, and I bet you can answer that question yourself.
