The High Hunt

Since the Chosen of Eilistraee is a religious oriented player group, naturally there is a place to have theological discussions. That is in-game religions; please leave real-world religion out of it. Debate the fine points of a certain dogma, how a church can enforce worship while staying true to its tenets or simply why one deity is better than another one is. All are free to talk about it here.

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Shir'le E. Illios
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Post by Shir'le E. Illios »

[quote="Bhaern Quel":qvg9tih5]So one might do a hunt any time, just High Hunt is naked?[/quote:qvg9tih5]
Yes. I'd say that one important thing to remember is that while there is a High Hunt, that it isn't they only way in which they deal with danger. Particularly if it is too risky I'd think that Eilistraeens would take care of dangerous creatures the more regular way.

Remember, the High Hunt is a religious ceremony and not (purely) a way to deal with problems.

If a faith has a ceremony for religious bathing once a month then that doesn't mean that people of that faith don't bathe normally during other times.


[quote="Argoth":qvg9tih5]In that case only a priestess leading the hunt is naked and only during the High Hunt. Interesting.[/quote:qvg9tih5]
Priestess[b:qvg9tih5]es[/b:qvg9tih5]; plural. Since it is a religious ceremony the priestesses wear their religious garb (i.e. nothing) while there is no requirement for the faithful to do the same (you don't put on ceremonial robes for going to church, but the priests at the church do wear them).

My interpretation of course, but it fits. :)


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Shir'le
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-= Shir'le E. Illios =-
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Argoth
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Post by Argoth »

Fits perfectly. It's just that I didn't know exactly if only the priestess leading the Hunt is naked, or are all of them naked. Still, does that cont in clerics (the characters having levels of the cleric class) or all ranking clergy members (sword dancers, male clerics etc...) and if male clerics are included, do they 'change' to become female for the purpose of such a significant religious event.

Of course, I suppose everything that was discussed could be just as easily interpreted differently by any DM. :devil:
Bhaern Quel
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Post by Bhaern Quel »

[quote="Argoth":3s7xs96n]Fits perfectly. It's just that I didn't know exactly if only the priestess leading the Hunt is naked, or are all of them naked. Still, does that cont in clerics (the characters having levels of the cleric class) or all ranking clergy members (sword dancers, male clerics etc...) and if male clerics are included, do they 'change' to become female for the purpose of such a significant religious event.

[/quote:3s7xs96n]

The followers are not naked, can be full armoured, can use any weapon, though blades preferred. I certainly expect all priests and priestesses leading the High Hunt to be naked.

As to if all clerics always go at the same time, for smaller communities this is likely. A large community, 10 + clerics might indeed have more then one High Hunt a season. Some might stay home for one to lead the second one. I would expect all clerics in the High Hunt to be naked

As the change dancers they would, in my opinion participate in current form. As Ed described change dance, the first time duration is short, each next time the duration becomes longer. So at higher levels times a change dance is performed it becomes a longer period of time in female form. Change dance to lead High Hunt and stay female for three months, perhaps a year does not make sense.
I would think the change dancer's sisters would expect him to lead a High Hunt in female form at least once, also the Run at least once in female form. You must remember no rules were written for this in formal way, all we have is what Ed spoke. It likely would be up to the DM to decide if he must give birth or experience other long term cycles of female life.

As for PtCs, any build from cleric (A ranger can become a sword dancer, though not a good build) would indeed have them leading naked the High Hunt.
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Post by Bhaern Quel »

I went digging for what Ed said.

[quote:rjkiswki]“If the High Hunt is always the End of the month? (I have played it as when an evil dangerous creature came near enough for the Goddess to call out alarm). How long does a Run last?”
The High Hunt is celebrated as a ritual at least once a season (once each summer, and once each winter). One may also be mustered whenever senior clergy of Eilistraee deem it needful, which means whenever the Dark Maiden sends them dream-vision warnings or urgings to do so. What triggers her to do so isn’t known, other than yes, causes of such urgings often seem to include the alert, armed approach of large and powerful foes of Eilistraeens (or marauding monsters) to Eilistraeen rituals, places of worship, and Eilistraeens engaged in the work of the Goddess. A Run usually lasts a month to a month and a half, but sometimes for a season or an entire year (longer Runs, unless the participating beings are detained or severely wounded, are rare).
Back in Dec05, bearsden asked: “I would like to know the role of male Eilistraeen worshipers in Eilistraeen rituals. Do the males participate? Are the males excluded from any? Any insight into these questions would help me out immensely. Thanks in advance for your time and help.”
Yes, males participate in almost all rituals, as lay worshippers (as Zandilar quite correctly pointed out). This includes the High Hunt, the Run, and the Circle of Song. Yes, there are rituals that males are excluded from, AS MALES (such as almost all of the longer, more passionate dances). However, increasingly males openly plead with Eilistraeen priestesses to be magically shapechanged so as to take part in such rituals, and the priestesses (if they have the means to do so), oblige them (sometimes the change is brief and temporary, fading out as the ritual ends, and sometimes it lasts for days or much longer, while the shapechanged being undertakes a service for the clergy).
However, The Sage was also correct when he posted “Males do not have a specific place in Eilistraee's clergy.” That is, males aren’t given roles in rituals or in the church hierarchy because they are males. They are blocked from serving in some rituals and church positions because of their gender, but that’s a different thing. Most males step into roles in rituals, and rankings among Eilistraeen clergy, as if they were novice or inexperienced females. They may not advance up and out of those roles and rankings because they are males, but even this isn’t a “rule.” Some males have advanced on their own merits or because Eilistraee has favoured them to others in dream-visions or because they have chosen to remain (or beg to remain) in female form, and this choice has been admired by female clergy as a mark of dedication.
It is true that many long-standing female clerics of Eilistraee are very suspicious of males (and usually see males who take and keep female shape as power-hungry individuals who will “stop at nothing” to rise in the ranks). This means they watch (and instruct) these males VERY closely, and may even devise tasks for them that are both tests and designed to “break male spirit” and cause the changed males to cleave to increasingly female points of view (for example, they might order a changed male to serve under, or take a day job working under, a chauvinistic and authoritatian male).
However, these gender matters can be overstated and overemphasized. On the whole, all clergy of the Dark Maiden welcome an increase in worshippers of the Goddess, and the fellowship (and working with) more and more Servants of the Dark Dancer.
Specific in-ritual roles of “unchanged” males include dancing, singing, having spells cast ON THEM as part of rituals, taking part in collective spellcastings led by female clergy, intoning prayers in unison and responsively with other devout of Eilistraee, and in the tending of fires, braziers, drawn barriers, vestments and tools handed to or taken from, and used by, female worshippers, and so on. Nothing stops anyone, of any race or gender, praying to Eilistraee, including dancing and singing prayers - - and NO clergy of the Dark Maiden would frown on a male exhibiting such behaviour except when they thought it was being done to deliberately disrupt a larger ritual. Many males who worship the Dark Dancer find a moonlit wooded place, pray to Eilistraee to notice and smile upon them, and then disrobe and dance as they sing a deeper prayer (of thanks, and for guidance). Some human hunters who aren’t drow or elves, and otherwise have nothing to do with such folk do this, and may dance around a silver bastard sword, and even (when the moon is full) sacrifice live-captured animals they’ve hunted down with a silver bastard sword. Others gash themselves with the sword while dancing around it, either in lieu of an offering or as well as an offering, as a mark of devotion. Such dances are sometimes undertaken by several males as part of a larger ritual led by female clergy, who heal the males as they wound themselves (and go on dancing and singing). [/quote:rjkiswki]

From viewtopic.php?t=384 there is some more on High Hunt and changedance that I might not have copied.
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