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Peaceful Cut


pachristian

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I just read an interesting entry in Wikipedia:

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The Mongols had a unique way of slaughtering their animals to get meat. The animal was laid on its back and restrained. Then the butcher would cut its chest open and rip open the aorta, which would cause deadly internal bleeding. Animals would be slaughtered in this fashion because it would keep all of the blood inside of the carcass. Once all of the internal organs were removed, the blood was then drained out and used for sausages.

        https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Society_of_the_Mongol_Empire

 

Given the scarcity of resources on Prax, I wonder if the animal nomads would do something similar? 

Anyone out there with serious experience as a butcher have any suggestions?

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I've seen this in Mongolia. They did not rip the aorta open but pitched it instead. And the opening, bellow the thorax, was just big enough to let the arm go inside, almost up to the elbow.

It seemed that this was the best way to kill a beast when you want to keep the blood and have neither a big pot nor a tree to hang the beast, so I would suppose that the Praxians do a similar way- This the case in my Glorantha, at least.

Wind on the Steppes, role playing among the steppe Nomads. The  running campaign and the blog

 

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2 hours ago, Darius West said:

I am a big fan of Prax having lots of pemmican otherwise known as "fat cake".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pemmican

Yum. I'd not heard of this.

 

2 hours ago, pachristian said:

I just read an interesting entry in Wikipedia:

Given the scarcity of resources on Prax, I wonder if the animal nomads would do something similar? 

Anyone out there with serious experience as a butcher have any suggestions?

Blood sausage can be found all around the world. I don't see why Praxians wouldn't eat it either.

I also see it being made in New Pavis with their access to grains from settlers and meat from the Nomads.

Edited by Iskallor
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11 hours ago, Iskallor said:

Blood sausage can be found all around the world. I don't see why Praxians wouldn't eat it either.

I also see it being made in New Pavis with their access to grains from settlers and meat from the Nomads.

Blood sausage is particularly tasty when fried imo.

I found this funny article on Mongolian cuisine.  

http://www.slate.com/articles/life/welltraveled/features/2008/the_mongolia_obsession/the_most_disgusting_food_ever.html

Personally I don't think it sounds as bad as https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hákarl .  Those Icelanders must kill and eat a raw troll every morning for breakfast if they think that's a delicacy :)

 

 

 

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2 hours ago, Iskallor said:

Tibetan salted tea, is by the far the most disgusting thing I have ever tasted.

When made with fresh Yak milk, I got used to it especially with less salt. There was little else to drink high above the tibetan plateau and its basically a high calorie food that you need to survive up there. The worst by far was fermented yak milk and I wasn't keen on yak hoof soup - a bit too glue like.

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The important thing about the Peaceful Cut is that it's not just an efficient way of slaughtering an animal, but that it it has a song component that send s the animal's spirit back to Eiritha. Each animal has it's own peaceful cut.

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8 minutes ago, David Scott said:

When made with fresh Yak milk, I got used to it especially with less salt. There was little else to drink high above the tibetan plateau and its basically a high calorie food that you need to survive up there. The worst by far was fermented yak milk and I wasn't keen on yak hoof soup - a bit too glue like.

It's one I can do without lol and I'm pretty adventurous when tasting stuff, it's the butter that gets me. Hoof soup, another of life's nasties.

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29 minutes ago, David Scott said:

When made with fresh Yak milk, I got used to it especially with less salt. There was little else to drink high above the tibetan plateau and its basically a high calorie food that you need to survive up there. The worst by far was fermented yak milk and I wasn't keen on yak hoof soup - a bit too glue like.

I had the same experience in Mongolia. Salted milk tea was ok, fermented milk (it was mare milk) was awful. I was fortunate enough not to be offered mutton eyes, which is a way to honour guests.

It is also reported that ancient Nomads used to take some blood from their horse, fill a dried intestine with it and cook it. It is not certain that it is true, but it is colourful enough to be introduced in Prax.

In those countries, scarcity is the rule and people learns not to waste anything (just not like we, decadents westerners !). These are good examples of how could be the daily life in Prax.

Wind on the Steppes, role playing among the steppe Nomads. The  running campaign and the blog

 

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3 hours ago, David Scott said:

The important thing about the Peaceful Cut is that it's not just an efficient way of slaughtering an animal, but that it it has a song component that send s the animal's spirit back to Eiritha. Each animal has it's own peaceful cut.

You have to be careful with this sort of thing in a role-playing game: Remember that every time you define a skill, you define a group of people who don't have that skill. If you need a different Peaceful Cut for every animal, then you've just told every Waha follower in your game that he must buy 5-6 different skills, none of which will have a direct impact on adventuring. If he doesn't buy those skills, he commits heresy every time he slaughters a herd beast from a herd type other than his own. That's a big point commitment for a player. 

Despite the magical component - and every craft has a magical component, I know this from watching friends knit - I treat Peaceful Cut as a craft skill, and a part of butchering. One skill (for game purposes). Saying something has a magical component in Glorantha is akin to saying something has a "use technology" component in our world - it's ubiquitous. 

And no, nit-pickers, I did NOT just say that magic is the technology of Glorantha. I said it is interwoven into every skill and aspect of life, and is consequently indistinguishable from those skills and aspects of life.

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12 minutes ago, pachristian said:

You have to be careful with this sort of thing in a role-playing game: Remember that every time you define a skill, you define a group of people who don't have that skill. If you need a different Peaceful Cut for every animal, then you've just told every Waha follower in your game that he must buy 5-6 different skills, none of which will have a direct impact on adventuring.

Actually no. The Peaceful Cut is pretty well defined in all the rules sets. The "Each animal has it's own peaceful cut." is background colour and has no effect on the game:

RQ2 Cults of Prax page 24 - a skill.

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The Animal Barbarians know a skill called the Peaceful Cut. This is an ability and a prayer which will let the sacrificed herd beast die peacefully and without fear, and also includes butchering the creature properly, without wastage. This skill is taught to all Lay Members free upon their acceptance into the cult.  

RQ3 GoG Boxed set The Cults Book

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Special Waha Spirit Spell Peaceful Cut 1 point ritual Ceremony

This is the special ritual which herders perform to ensure that the soul of the slain beast returns to its mother, to be reborn properly. It includes a short prayer and ritual of thanksgiving.

This spell must be performed in conjunction with the Craft skill of Butchery. The user makes a single skill roll, attempting to roll under both his Ceremony skill and his Craft/ butchery skill. 

 

RQ4 - pretty much as RQ2

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Peaceful Cut 

This skill is also known as Butchering. It includes the ability to dismember an animal the quickest and most efficient way, and the ability to divide up a prey animal in the traditional manner. With this skill, an adventurer also knows the rituals that ensure that the soul of the slain beast returns to its mother, to be reborn properly. It includes a short prayer and ritual of thanksgiving. 

 

HeroQuest Glorantha - part of the Death Rune, Praxian tradition or Praxian culture - doesn't need defining.

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(death) The Peaceful Cut
After Waha rescued the Protectresses, the herds could return. He knew that if they were to be provender from the goddess, their spirits must return to his mother and the cycle of rebirth. Waha knew the correct way to kill an animal so its spirit would be unharmed. Using Foundchild’s teachings he wove the songs to sing those spirits back to the bliss within the womb of Eiritha. He taught these to men as the Peaceful Cut. Each herd beast has its own distinctive song. All men of the Praxian tradition know the ritual. It is taboo for women to learn it. 

 

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2 hours ago, Zit said:

I agree with Iskallor. What if you miss your roll ? Do you commit heresy ?

No I think you just ruin some of the better cuts of meat or on a fumble you accidentally cut the intestine before it has been removed.  That is what I had happen when that occurred back in the day.  Of course the tail is all important in the Peaceful Cut due to the potential to make a ball of tails, which is a pity because a good boiled tail is pretty good eating on many animals.

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8 hours ago, Iskallor said:

I never get my players to roll for peaceful cut. Something everyone knows and they have far too much stuff to be worrying about anyway.

 

In a game situation, I would only get them to roll if it the success/failure/fumble of the Peaceful Cut was important in a dramatic sense.

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13 hours ago, David Scott said:

When made with fresh Yak milk, I got used to it especially with less salt. There was little else to drink high above the tibetan plateau and its basically a high calorie food that you need to survive up there. The worst by far was fermented yak milk and I wasn't keen on yak hoof soup - a bit too glue like.

Sounds like some delicacies for Chern Durel (or perhaps just Panj Mao Valley)!

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6 hours ago, Darius West said:

No I think you just ruin some of the better cuts of meat or on a fumble you accidentally cut the intestine before it has been removed.  That is what I had happen when that occurred back in the day.  Of course the tail is all important in the Peaceful Cut due to the potential to make a ball of tails, which is a pity because a good boiled tail is pretty good eating on many animals.

 Ever try Kare Kare , peanut butter and Ox tale soup, yum.  So how much of the tail do you need to bury for the peaceful Cut?

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6 hours ago, TRose said:

 Ever try Kare Kare , peanut butter and Ox tale soup, yum.  So how much of the tail do you need to bury for the peaceful Cut?

Just looked it up.  That looks like a great recipe.  I honestly haven't tried much Filipino cuisine, it is perhaps the only Asian cuisine that is sadly under-represented where I live.  http://www.sbs.com.au/food/recipes/oxtail-stew-kare-kare

As to how much of the tail you need to bury, I hope it is only the skin and the fluffy bits.  You can't eat those. 

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Can anyone point me to the reference on the burying tail/hand thing. It sounds like it occurred as reaction to the Ball of Tails in Plunder/Borderlands, but I'm unsure if it's really a thing or just a passing comment by Sandy. Personally I don't think anything has to be done with those parts as part of the Peaceful Cut (or it would be in the text). The Ball of Tales is just a "bad" magic item, something that no one would do in the Wastes due to the alerting of the Priestesses etc. Elsewhere is likely fine.

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