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Post by hengest on May 20, 2022 19:29:08 GMT -5
Superstitions (some of them) go way back and are found in many cultures. Maybe some can be used as inspirational material.
For example, picking the petals off a flower while reciting "X loves me, X loves me not" as a kind of fortune-telling device.
I know an Eastern European version to be used when hoping for a letter from someone ("There will be one, there won't be one...").
What could you do with this in your campaign? Where did it come from, what other purpose could you imagine for this kind of practice?
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Post by The Semi-Retired Gamer on May 21, 2022 8:57:00 GMT -5
Cool thread idea! I like this a lot.
I recall reading an article about graves with a crisscrossed pattern of iron bars about 6 inches above ground level. This was to guard against them becoming a member of the undead such as a vampire of a zombie. You could use it like that, or you could turn it around and have it prevent the corpse from being accessed by foul creatures of the night.
On a related note, in the first Wheel of Time book (*I think that's where I saw it*) some of the early scenes involved the daily hustle and bustle of a small town. From the activities taking place you could clearly tell that real life holidays were used for inspiration.
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Post by hengest on May 23, 2022 9:12:01 GMT -5
Cool thread idea! I like this a lot. I recall reading an article about graves with a crisscrossed pattern of iron bars about 6 inches above ground level. This was to guard against them becoming a member of the undead such as a vampire of a zombie. You could use it like that, or you could turn it around and have it prevent the corpse from being accessed by foul creatures of the night. On a related note, in the first Wheel of Time book (*I think that's where I saw it*) some of the early scenes involved the daily hustle and bustle of a small town. From the activities taking place you could clearly tell that real life holidays were used for inspiration. I like this, never heard of it. Do you happen to remember what era and locale this was from? I was thinking that counting rhymes and "she loves me, she loves me not" stuff might be interpreted in a "magic has gone away or faded or been forgotten" setting as the verbal component of spells that has become non-magical children's lore, its original purpose having been forgotten. Although if the missing "key" to the magic were rediscovered... |
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Post by The Semi-Retired Gamer on May 23, 2022 17:30:40 GMT -5
Cool thread idea! I like this a lot. I recall reading an article about graves with a crisscrossed pattern of iron bars about 6 inches above ground level. This was to guard against them becoming a member of the undead such as a vampire of a zombie. You could use it like that, or you could turn it around and have it prevent the corpse from being accessed by foul creatures of the night. On a related note, in the first Wheel of Time book (*I think that's where I saw it*) some of the early scenes involved the daily hustle and bustle of a small town. From the activities taking place you could clearly tell that real life holidays were used for inspiration. I like this, never heard of it. Do you happen to remember what era and locale this was from? I was thinking that counting rhymes and "she loves me, she loves me not" stuff might be interpreted in a "magic has gone away or faded or been forgotten" setting as the verbal component of spells that has become non-magical children's lore, its original purpose having been forgotten. Although if the missing "key" to the magic were rediscovered... I wish I could remember with certainty. I know it was about a documentary on monsters and horror; specifically, vampires in the old world. I believe it was a European place. Cool idea about the nursery rhyme. |
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