@Blackmist16

"That sounds a lot like what shaman says." Breden didn't really have much more to comment on it than that; mystic sayings and the ways of magic and nature were beyond him. Before much longer, they were at the shaman's hut, which was somewhat closer than that of the chief's.

"Our shaman- ours is female but her apprentice is a male if I'm not mistaken- should see you soon. If she approves of your being here, the chief almost certainly will."

Griz had led the pregnant gatherer back to his hut and told her to wait for him outside.

"Why wait for me? Surely your other mates could have provided for you." Griz's voice emanated from within his home.

"I would have but one of them is a musclehead warrior too busy practicing his 'super move that'll defeat anything' and the other got eaten by a giant toad two weeks ago while he was fishing...poor Plu. I think you know him."

"Yeah. He gives me some of his fish sometimes. The poor fool didn't deserve that kind of fate. Hopefully, his spirit is welcomed to by the ancestors." Griz says before exiting his home with a pouch of dried strips of berries. The gatherer grins as the hunter gave her what she was craving. "Dried blueberries! My favorite!" Barely a second had passed before she ate a handful of the goods. "Grish. Yur da besht."

With the one carrying his bloodline satisfied, Griz excused himself and made his way to the blacksmith's home. Some of the others were already present, likely waiting for Koglan to finish whatever he was doing. Griz was no different and decided to lean on a wall while waiting.

@Aristocles

"It is a phrase I live by," Twig said looking around the simple hut, his eyes examining the handiwork which was not awful "Where is your shaman at the moment?" he asked Breden. Twig was curious as he had never met a fellow practitioner of his kind and was eager to learn from their shaman.

Vox grunted as he pulled in the two kills from his hunt to the village. He got in trouble last time for leaving the village for 3 days and not bringing anything edible. So as punishment he was forced to go hunting and bring back 2 kills to make up for the last one. This time he brought in two large looking dire rats. They looked a little over than 4 feet and were heavy. Maybe they may got themselves fat by eating the produce from the human farms around here. Vox also managed get some edible herbs and some nice looking mushrooms. He needed to preserve as much as he could for the coming winter. He brought them to the center of the village and was currently waiting for someone to come take the two rats

@Blackmist16@Zillanilla

"Well, she doesn't really let people know that. I'm told that the ways of magic require attention at the oddest times" he explained as they approached the shaman's hut. Luckily for them, the shaman's apprentice, a young male, came over to them.

"If you've come to see the shaman, she'll be available in just a min-"

"I'll see the druid now" an older female, perhaps 17 years of age, approached the three of them. Her red hair was streaked with lines of white, and it looked as if she hadn't cut it in over a year. She had once been quite attractive, and there were some signs of her once-fine physique, but she was clearly past her prime. Her emerald-green skin was marked by red tattoos all over, and while she wasn't exactly unhealthy, it looked as if years of practicing magic hadn't been kind on her. Perhaps it was more of a strain than she could take or much longer.

"Airan, you're going to replace me in just a few years, so pay attention to what you see here today." She looked at Twig with her deep blue eyes, her black pupils being unusually large, as if she had just eaten a poisonous mushroom. Perhaps she had done so. "If you've come to learn from me, I must apologize. There isn't much I can teach you. Even from here I can see that you are easily more powerful than I am, or more powerful than I have ever been. My magic is mostly for healing and divination."

Bredan saw Vox approach the village center, carrying the dire rats. He had promised to bring rats for a feast which was part of a shamanic ritual to divine the weather for the next month. Since he had failed to bring them back in time, the ritual had to be delayed. Now, they had all they needed. She briefly addressed the hunter, who she spied out of the corner of her eyes.

"Thank you, Vox. Just put them down by the fire. I'll handle the rest later. You can stay if you like; this outsider is a druid and you could learn much from him."

@Zillanilla@Aristocles

Magic takes more than it gives and the shaman was apparently no exception to the rule but it was also a sign of skill to a fellow practitioner, at her words Twig felt humbled and showed his thanks with a slight bow "I am grateful you think I am strong in the ways of magic," Twig said "My people have had a close connection to this forest since the first Green-Eye lived," his voice sounded a little sad "I also have a close kinship with the wolves of the forest" as he finished he turned to watch the new goblin Vox approach and he nodded greeting him "So this is your apprentice?" Twig asked the shaman, then turned to get a better look at the goblin she addressed.

Twig studied the hunter for a moment then glanced at the shaman and nodded approvingly before turning back to the shaman.

@Blackmist16

"Yes. He shows great promise. I wouldn't have chosen him if he wasn't going to exceed me someday. But don't worry much about him. If I may, let me take a look at you." She looked at Twig, her eyes staring into his. "My tribe thinks of me as an all-knowing mother figure. The truth is, there's so much left for me to learn and not much time left in which to learn it. Were I a human, I wouldn't even be an adult yet. By the time an educated human's learning is complete, a goblin's life is almost done. Anything you can contribute to our tribe's knowledge would earn you the endless gratitude of this old shaman." Truth be told, she wasn't quite that old yet, but another three years would probably see her be replaced by Airan, after which she'd go into retirement.

@Aristocles

"I will help as much as I can" Twig explained to the shaman "But for the moment understanding the principals of nature is the most important lesson to learn" Twig said sagely to the shaman, hunter and Breden.

The laws of nature were always simple as everything in nature is apart of the cycle of life. The forest takes what it is given and returns what is lost to the earth and the cycle begins anew giving new life at the loss of another.

@Blackmist16@Aristocles
"A druid!?" thought to himself. A curious light soon could be seen in the goblins eyes, though he tried his best to hide it. An actual druid he could not believe it. He nodded at the offer made by the shaman and listened intently at the Druids words. "Understanding the principals of nature..." He did not fully understand, not yet at least, he had to confirm one thing first "The stories...druids turning into animals...is that true?"

@Zillanilla

Twig turned to face the shaman's apprentice and answered Vox with a chuckle "Those stories are true...well mostly true," he said fiddling with the wolf totem "It takes a skilled druid to do so and I have only achieved kinship with the wolves of this forest" Twig explained to Vox.

@Aristocles

"Inquisitive apprentice you have here," addressing the shaman Twig remarked "I would be happy to help your apprentice understand the way of druidism?" Twig said quizzically.

@Blackmist16

Vox pulled his head over his cloak for a moment his face covered by the grizzly head. They were true! The stories were! He couldn't believe this good fortune. This new druid said it would take a skilled druid to achieve his goal but his goal was achievable! He had to get started, but he could not do it by himself. The druid was willing to teach Breden, perhaps she can teach him too.
"...may I learn?"

@Aristocles@Zillanilla

Twig turned to the shaman and tilted his head ponderously then spoke "I know it would be rude to you," he explained weighing his words carefully "You are wiser than I am and he is not my apprentice but if you would let me I could train him with your permission since you know your apprentice better than I do" Twig said glancing at Vox hiding under his cloak.

'This one has promise,'he thought to himself 'I need to guage his commitment if the shaman allows him my tutelage' Twig thought and awaited the shaman's word.

@Blackmist16@Zillanilla

"Vox isn't my apprentice, but he has expressed interest in learning, as you can see. I haven't had the time to teach him and Airan, but you have my blessing to teach Vox if you like." The shaman sat down, her legs not able to support her after the long walk she had been on. The shaman gestured at Twig and Vox for a moment and mumbled something under her breath.

"There. It's not a spell, but you officially have my blessing to teach a member of our tribe. All I can ask is that you do not try to displace or make yourself a rival of Airan, as there can only be one shaman per village, and the ways of the druid differ from those of our own. As much as I respect the druids, we have to keep our own traditions going. Speaking of which, I have to tend our sacred fire in a few minutes. Was there anything else anyone needs of me right now?"

@Aristocles@Zillanilla

"You have my gratitude," Twig said with a little embarrassment, Airan had been standing there for some time and Twig had rather rudely ignored him as he had been distracted by Vox "My apologies," he said addressing Airan "I tend to get distracted often I hope you can look past that," turning his gaze back to the shaman he placed a hand over his totem and thanked her formally "By my will and the will of my ancestor's I thank you may the earth you tread upon be light and may your successors be blessed by nature" Twig finished and bowed slightly.

"Well," casually Twig addressed Breden "Should we meet your chief now?" he asked him glancing momentarily to Vox "Can this one come with us? I need to understand him before teaching him" he asked Breden.

@Blackmist16

The shaman got up after her short rest and shuffled off to tend the sacred fire. It had been blessed over a century ago to keep burning despite rain or cold temperatures, but it needed to be fueled every so often, albeit far less than a normal fire would.

"The chief? I can take you to his hut, but there's no guarantee that he'll meet you now. After we give his place a shot, I'd like to visit Siwa's hut. She's a friend of mine and she'll be giving birth to her first litter soon... and while I don't think I'm the father of any of her children, I'm pretty sure that one of our shared friends is the father of at least a couple of 'em, and she said she wants me as a sire for her next set of kids, if we both survive that long." Breden wasn't exaggerating or joking with that last part about survival. Life was precarious in these times, especially with the oncoming winter, the threat of war, and the dangers inherent in hunting.

@Aristocles

"It is life," Twig said "We must live with what we are born with and die in order for another life to take our place" he explained before glancing at the shaman and her apprentice "If we can't meet your chieftain now we should go to your friend she will need a healer after she gives birth to her litter," Twig explained to Breden and looked at him seriously "I can help if it would be appropriate I can ease her pain and make sure the process of giving birth happens without issue but I ask since she is your friend and I am a aquaintence to you" he said shifting back and forth on his feet.

He honestly just wanted to help anyway he could to ease suffering, it was an emotion he was all too familiar with and he would do anything to prevent that sort of pain from inflicting others.

@Blackmist16

"She'll trust you if I vouch for you, which I will, don't worry. Let's go see the chief first." It was only a short walk to the chief's hut, which was easily larger than any of the others in the village by twice over at least. The chief himself was inside. He came to the entrance- which was a large piece of cloth as the goblins didn't have doors- and looked at the three goblins assembled there.

"Yes, Breden, what is it? And who have you brought with you?" He looked at Twig and Vox. "Oh, Vox. I suppose you got the meat? And you there, with the eyes, who are you?" He was somewhat put off by the strange visage of the green-eyed goblin, but he was hardly intimidated.

@Aristocles@Zillanilla

Shrugging Twig followed Breden to the chief's hut, the chief looked like he had seen his fair share of battles and had a stern look about him that looked suprised when he gave Twig a glance "I am a druid of the Green-Eye tribe," he said as he studied the chief with his gaze "I am the last Green-Eye my name is Twig and I wish to ask you to grant me refuge here" he explained to the chief.

"If you have questions I will answer," before Twig continued he briefly eyed Breden and said "If not I wish to help his friend at once," he told the chief "I will help anyone suffering that is one of my duties as a druid" Twig gazed at the chief awaiting his deliberation.

@Aristocles@Blackmist16
Vox nodded yes to the question and remembered something that he was suppose to tell the chief. "Chief...the humans have a deal...to barter..". Vox explained the reason why he was able to get two rats, so quickly. He caught these two near the human villages fields. When he caught them the farmers made a deal to trade some good for getting rig of them. "if we barter...I can preserve for the winter..."

(I was waiting for the some of the players who were here longer to reply. They've had a chance to catch up, so I'll go ahead and post again.)

"A Deal? For what? We don't have much to barter with, and there aren't any of those- those... those round metal things that humans love so much. We don't have any of them."

"Coins. And we have a few of them, but not enough to buy anything big with."

"Yes, thank you Breden. We haven't the coims or a whole lot that humans could want. And we shouldn't steal the coims, either, not after what happened last year with Rom and the merchant." Breden would have corrected the chief's pronunciation of "coims", but he didn't see the need to drag this conversation out."

The chief turned to Twig. "And since you clearly appear to be a druid-" this was a bit of an assumption on the chief's part, but it was a correct one. "-you have permission to see whoever it is you wish to in the tribe if they need your help and are willing to accept it. If you hurt them, you'll have to answer to me. Is that understood?"