Totem/Fetish/Guardiangod/Spirit: The Spirit of the Magpie leads the Glittering Collection. The Magpie is said to be the craftiest of all creatures made by the gods. When the birds were challenged to see who could fly highest, The Magpie perched on the back of the Great Eagle, and when the bird was tired, fluttered off of his back, claiming the crown for himself. He preens himself with pride, his collection growing every day.
Pact: Under the Magpie, the tribe shall not want. Harsh times may come, and some may die, but there will always be just enough food
for the next hunt, just enough water to last until the next oasis, and just enough obsidian to finish a spear. The Magpie also
leads the tribe to areas where there is plenty, especially in food or his 'shinies.' In exchange, the Magpie requires his
insatiable appetite for glittering trinkets satisfied. Blandness cannot be tolerated, and dullness is the mark of an outcast.
Furthermore, he himself claims a portion of the best, under his 'right' as king of avians.

Minor Totems/Fetish etc: The Mark of the Raven is a small of a bird, the wood blackened and charred. Said to contain the spirit of Magpie's oldest friend, it is affixed to a strip of leather, with numerous jet-black feathers and obsidian and gold pieces. It is a sacred and extraordinary precious trinket, and to lose it would bring disgrace to the entirety of the tribe.
Pact: Anyone wearing the Mark of the Raven gains a new insight on life. Everything seems clearer and easier to understand, and
even the most complicated of puzzles become child's play whilst wearing it. However, the wearer changes in other ways. They become
more distant and capricious, their great intellect tempered with a flighty and eccentric nature. Furthermore, it seems to push
away the Mark of the Eagle, making wearing the two together impossible.
There is also the second fetish, The Mark of the Eagle. An eye made from amber, it too is attached to a leather necklace, however the necklace is instead marked with white and bronze feathers, as well as bird talons and shards of iron. It too, is a sacred and precious trinket, and its loss would be a great a mark against the tribe as loosing the Mark of the Raven would be.
Pact: Those wearing the Mark of the Eagle are the greatest hunters the tribe has ever been blessed with. They can spot prey from
great distances, aim their bows and spears with pinpoint accuracy, and never tire in the pursuit. They also seem unnaturally lucky
with finding prey- and they will never search for days, only to come up empty handed. However, those wearing the mark become hauty,
arrogant and overbearing, and the wearer cannot stand the wearer of the other Mark.

Leadership: The Collective are a polygamist Matriarchal society, where woman and men can both have multiple partners. Whilst the men gather the 'shinies' and are the main force behind the nomadic season, it is the woman who clean and polish stones, raise the children to appreciate the Magpie, make amulets and weapons alike, and fish during the autumn months. Woman are also considered more responsible and determined than the men, and sons are expected to listen to mothers over fathers. Decisions are made in the Winged Council- four women who are elected from the tribe upon one's death, lead by a fifth who communes with the Magpie for guidance.

Organisation: The Collection are seasonally nomadic. They roam during the spring and summer months, however in the autumn and winter, return to their ancestral home. Furthermore, many members of the tribe remain at their home year around, where farming is used to supplement the normal diet of fish and wild fruits and berries.

Warriors: The Collection strives not to fight, instead preferring to trade and showcase their wealth to each other. However, it would be a mistake to underestimate them. They produce high calibre archers and spear-throwers, and their obsidian arrows are prized for their resilience and edge.

Important People:
Mother Piari: The youngest member of the Council. She acts as a liaison between the council and the members of the tribe, assisted by her reputation as a caring and considerate figure. She has four children, and spends a large majority of her time caring for other children as well, making them amulets, charms and fetishes as gifts.

Speaker Okya: The current leader of the Council, and bearer of the Mark of the Raven. A thin figure, she secludes herself from all others, spending much of her time in discussion with the Magpie, or with the council, behind closed doors. Most find her eccentric at best, esoteric and impossible to understand at worst.

The Huntsman: Zayzhe Varruk. Current bearer of the Mark of the Eagle. A peerless hunter, he spends most of his time away from his fellows, only returning when he has caught his quarry. In times of need, Zayzhe is also leader of The Falcons, a group of other hunters who serve as assassins and marksmen for the defence of the tribe.

Story: Long ago, before the world had been scorched by Hyena, the Magpie was another lowly bird. He was not as fast as the Peregrine, as powerful as the Eagle, as beautiful as the Macaw, as large as the Condor or as fit as the Albatross. However, he did have an eye for precious items. Scooping them up, the Magpie would jealously protect his glittering horde, until one day, one of the Gods came down, curious as to what the shine was from Magpie's nest. Astonished at what he had created, the God was also concerned that the Magpie would collect all the precious materials in the world. To prevent this from happening, he scatted the great horde far and wide, however in return, granted the Magpie something to make him truly special- intelligence. He was not as fast as the Peregrine, but he could take a faster route. He was not as powerful as the Eagle, but he could trick the other birds into giving him food. Ammasing his collection once more, he draped himself in fine blue robes, to become as beautiful as the Macaw, and could ride on other creatures for far longer than the Albatross could fly. When he found humans however, he saw a kindred soul.

Humans were not as strong as the Elephant, as ferocious as the Lion, as lithe as the Gazelle, as fast as the Cheetah or as resilient as the Rhino. But Magpie saw cleverness within the humans, and where there was cleverness, there was guile. Together, promised the Magpie, the humans would never want, but they would need to help him in assembling his 'shinies' again.

As the forest came to bloom, the forest listened to hear the Songbird began his song anew. But alas, he was silent. He did not sing to the trees and flowers, nor to the hares and rabbits. He sang to the proud Lion, the vicious Wolf and the stalwart Bear. He did not sing to the fish of the sea nor the other birds of the sky. To all, the Songbird was silent.

Eventually, the Robin, the most helpful of all birds, said to the songbird "Songbird, why do you not sing?"

"Oh, Robin" replied Songbird, "I do not sing because I lament and I cannot sing, lest my song become a dirge"

Said the robin "Then Songbird, why do you lament?"

"I lament", said the Songbird, "Because no one sings my song but me. It is as though none know it"

"But songbird, without your music, our forest falls silent!"

"Better silence than sorrow", Songbird replied

And the Robin saw that the Songbird was unhappy and would not sing unless someone else could sing to him. But the Robin did not know the Songbird's song. Nor did the Lion, nor the Wolf, nor the Bear, nor the fish of the sea nor the birds of the sky, nor the trees and flowers. In fact, no-one knew the Songbird's song. And so the forest fell silent and a great mourning swept over the land.

But there was one who was not disheartened. The Mouse, a small and resourceful creature, came to the Robin and told him "I have seen a new creature in the forest! Perhaps it will know the Songbird's song?"

The robin was at once overcome with joy, thanked the Mouse and took this information to the Songbird. But the Songbird did not share in the Robin's enthusiasm. "Old or new, none can sing my song. It is folly to even wish it"

But the Robin insisted and, after much cajoling, the Songbird agreed to see the new creature.

The Mouse showed the Songbird the way, to the furthest edge of the forest. When they arrived, the Mouse proudly displayed a small human girl-child playing on the forest floor. The Songbird was very curious, for he had not seen a man before, but his curiosity did not rouse him from his malaise

"See, Songbird, this creature is very remarkable!"

But the Songbird insisted "Old or new, none can sing my song. It is folly to even wish it"

They watched the girl-child for a moment longer. Unaware she was being spied on, the child began arranging sticks and branches fallen from trees to make a small den.

"See how it changes the forest floor with its paws! Is it not a wondrous thing?" cried the mouse

"Yes" replied the Songbird glumly, "But our Anteater can do that. And it cannot sing my song"

And the girl-child went into the nearby river and began swimming.

"See how it swims with ease! Is it not a majestic sight?" pleaded the Mouse

"Mayhap" Replied the Songbird, "But our great Salmon can do so better. And it cannot sing my song"

Then the girl got out the river and began to climb a tree

"How magnificent! The forest truly is its element!"

At this point, the songbird was getting annoyed. He declared loudly "Yes, it may build like an Anteater and swim like a Salmon and climb like a Monkey. But it cannot sing my song! Old or new, nothing can sing my song!" and in his frustration, he began to sing.

The girl-child, hearing the Songbird, looked up and was at once struck by what she saw. "How beautiful are his feathers" she thought, "How enchanting his voice!". And so the girl-child listened to the song of the Songbird and thought about how wonderful it would be to be like him.

The Songbird finished his song and told the mouse "If it cannot sing my song, then I am lost!"

But the girl, not knowing how to speak with the Songbird, had memorised his song. At once, she began singing it back to him. Her notes were not perfect, as no man can ever hope to be perfect, but the Songbird was nonetheless amazed at the girl.

"What are these creatures called?" Asked the Songbird of the Mouse

The Mouse, having lived amongst Men before, replied "They are called Men"

The Songbird was in great joy "At last! A creature that can sing my song! Man, oh Man, Glorious Man, you have saved my voice and this forest!"

And the Songbird began singing again, and all the forest rejoiced. And from that day forth, the Songbird vowed to watch over the little girl and all her kin and all her descendants, from now until the end of eternity.