#bone tailrings

Goods & Treasures of Redwall - Holt Lutra

For the first time Ublaz spoke, his voice scarce above a whisper. “Tell me what you took, everything.”

The corsair [Conva] recited a list of spoils. “Beakers set with colored stones, platters also, carved bone tail- and pawrings, one gold neckband, a box of small purple pearls and another box made from a hinged scallop shell. This shell contained six large, rose-colored pearls.”

- excerpt from Chapter 2 of Pearls of Lutra

After Captain Conva and the crew of the Waveworm sacked the den of Holt Lutra, they returned to the Isle of Sampetra with the spoils taken from the slain otters. Considering the fact that the corsairs would have been interested in taking items of noteworthy value (and weapons, let’s be honest), it is possible that the beakers they stole were made of glass, perhaps handcrafted by the otters, or of metal. In order to set the glass ones with colored stones, the beakers would have had metal accentwork, which would act as a secure base for the stones. Doubtless the bone tail- and pawrings were carved from the bones of creatures the otters of the holt managed to find or slay. These might include whale bones, dolphin bones, or the bones of large fish. An interesting thing to note is that two of the items in the spoils list may have possibly been obtained by the holt through trades/gift exchanges with other creatures. These items are the gold neckband and the rose-colored pearls. The small purple pearls owned by Holt Lutra are decidedly saltwater, as darker colored pearls typically come from oysters found in the ocean; lighter colored pearls occur in oysters drawn out of freshwater lakes, rivers, and ponds. It is also unlikely that an otter from Holt Lutra would have discovered gold on the coast, notwithstanding if one of the holt brought the gold back after a journey. Though it is not mentioned, the hinged scallop shell box would have had to have its edges gilded in order for it to close properly (see center image above). These items were considered to have been the most valuable objects owned by Holt Lutra; sadly, the “Tears of All Oceans” cost all but one of them their lives.