Relkish Bells

Attached to wagons, sheep and even belts, the sound of clay bells is commonly associated with nomadic Relkish groups moving through the mountainside. Bells are an important feature of Relkish culture, both functionally and spiritually, and the sacred craft of producing them dates well into the First Age.

Description

Relkish bells can be highly varied, though they are always made out of clay. Dark red or grey, depending on the clay used in their construction, the bells are usually elongated or dome shaped, and the clapper within the bell is attached with wool or leather. Because of their cultural importance, they are lavishly decorated with paint, dyes, braided woolen streamers, or gemstones.

The sound of the clay bells is often softer than that of a metal bell, their shape designed to produce a gentle, fairly deep chime. Bells for different uses are often shaped to produce slightly different sounds; bells on sheep are loud, and deep and less jarring, as not to startle the animals or disturb the sleep of shepherds moving them. Bells on children are small and make a higher-pitched chime that cuts through the surrounding sounds. Bells on wagons are often wind-chime-like, and are designed to make a soothing, melodic chime.

by spooktacular

A Relkish clay bell with woolen decorative braid in a style often attached to a wagon or cart.

Functional Use

Bells are tied to wagons and handcarts, acting to help keep a large group moving together, and to help those who leave the group to hunt or forage find their way back home. Bells are also attached to sheep on a collar to help shepherds keep track of their herds. The bells often double as a way to mark favourite "pet" sheep, important breeding rams, or problem wanderer sheep. Similarly, children wear belts containing a few small, rounded bells, to help their parents find them if they wander off.

Spiritually

Clay Relkish bells are fired in a sacred, arcane process by the Orrata of a given Relkish group. Shaped by hand by the Orrata themselves, or by their Tieatta, the bells are placed in a vessel with spiritually important herbs and wood chips, and magically fired through the use of a flame-based spell. This process can be taxing, and because of this, many bells are often fired at once. The process of making the bells and shaping them for different functions is verbally taught, passed on generation-to-generation by the Relka Tie of a Relkish group. It is a process that deeply and spiritually connects those involved, and this process is kept very secret from outsiders.

Additionally, bells are often thought to have an important sacred function in helping the spirits of fate find their followers, acting as a communication or connection between the Relkish and the spirit world. The bells are considered blessed, sacred items, and are coveted as such. When the fairly fragile bells inevitably break or chip, it is considered an omen, and it is believed that the bell has served its owner. The broken bell is then buried in the soil and thanked.