[IC] Goblins of the Wilds

[Aristocles]

Siwa had set her sights on a dark-skinned warrior who had just gotten back from a patrol. At least on the surface, he was everything a female goblin could desire. Standing almost three and a half feet, he was quite tall for his species. His heavily-muscled body bore testament to the many hours of training and exercise he had undergone, and the many scars on his strong chest gave witness to the many vicious fights he had endured and survived. Surely, such a fit and durable male would make an excellent sire for many healthy children. Perhaps Koglan had a point when he had encouraged Siwa to look for some younger meat to satisfy her appetites. As she approached the male, Siwa briefly and vainly indulged herself in visions of what might be, of raising a litter of mighty warriors, with each boy being stronger and more devoted to their tribe and family than the last.

Her fantasies were cute short by the sudden alarm which came from the village gate.

"Griz? Griz! Someone, please help!"

As a dutiful warrior, the male goblin took off into the dark, running faster than Siwa could follow. In a moment, he was lost, as were her chance to lie with him that night. Regretfully, Siwa began the slow walk back to her hut. At least she could say she had tried to find a mate, as Koglan had asked her to. Still, all that soap for nothing... or was it? Koglan would be her first stop in the morning. Perhaps she'd find another use for it then.

Breden had heard the commotion in the village, albeit distantly. He thought nothing of it at first; it was only when the sound of other goblin running to the front gate grew to such a point that he couldn't ignore it that he trotted out to see what was the matter. The name which had been shouted was clearly Griz, a goblin Breden knew as an acquaintance. Breden made it to Griz's hut and found the goblin inside, apparently injured.

"Griz! What happened?!"

[Gigan]

Vos smiled as he watched the elder smith shoot down the advances of the young Siwa, wondering if he was so earnest about a mating when he was her age. With one last chuckle, Vos made his way out of the doorway of the forge and back into the larger village.

Once again the glare of the the sun aggravated his inebriated head as he made his way toward the Shaman’s hut. Perhaps the Shaman had a tincture or herb that could help with the pounding of his head. Vos hoped so as he approached the large hut that was covered in bones and relics.

Before Vos could even knock on the door, a thin elderly goblin emerged from it, “What do you want?”

Vos was initially confused at who this was, his mind still murky from the wine. However, after a few seconds he placed a name to the face. This was Tiglib, assistant to the village Shaman.

“Tiglib. Is the Shaman in?” Vos asked.

“No, not in. Gone to meet with Shaman of the goblins west of here.” Tiglib stated.

Vos sighed. With those kind of meetings, the Shaman could be gone for several days. How was Vos supposed to learn from him if he was never here. Vos gave a half-hearted smile to the elder goblin.

“Well let me know when he gets back.”

Tiglib nodded, then retreated back into the hut. Vos turned back toward the village, formulating a plan on what to do with the rest of the day. He figured that he was too hungover to go hunt, so perhaps staying in the village would be the best choice.

Vos decided to head for the centre of the village, where the warriors too old to hunt congregated. Vos entered the group and proceeded to make small talk and then shared stories of battles past. That was good enough for about an hour before the older goblins ran out of interesting stories. Vos politely excused himself from the conversation and went back to his hut. He decided that since today was a write off he would just sleep the rest of the day.

Once back in his hut, Vos quickly fell asleep on the ground. Next thing he knew, it was nighttime, and he had to take a piss. Vos got up and left his tent so that he could go and relieve himself. However, as he was doing so, he heard shouts coming from the outskirts of the village.

Shouting an expletive, Vos rushed to grab his axe from his hut, unsure if the village was being attacked. With the speed of a warrior several years younger than he was, Vos made his way to the edge of the settlement. There he saw the collapsed body of a fellow warrior. With a much clearer mind now, Vos immediately recognized him as Griz.

“What happened?” Vos asked one of the goblins gathered around the downed goblin.

[Searat]

A random warrior goblin answered Vos as the spear-wielding goblin and the blacksmith rushed the unconscious goblin back to his hut to rest and be attended by one of the village's healers. "Griz got beaten up by something, Vos. I'm surprised to even see Griz in such a state. What in the nine hells could have even caught up to him?" the random goblin shakes his head side to side in confusion.

It was known among the village that he was one of the best archers in the village, despite his age. He would never go up against a foe one-on-one in melee...unless it was the last resort.

"Whatever Griz fought, pushed him that far. Scary." The warrior says with a hint of fear in his voice.

---

Griz awoke a couple of hours later. His cuts had been cleaned and healing salves applied to them, his swollen ankle and his bruised neck was wrapped with a bandage dipped in a mixture of cold water, and his torso felt significantly less painful. The spear-wielding guard smirks at the injured griz and welcomes him back to the realm of the living. "Heh. Can't say I'm not surprised myself. I thought I was going to die out there." It was then Breden burst into his hut and asked him what had happened, panic in both his voice and face. "I got into some trouble while trying to hunt for some dinner." He tried to reassure the younger goblin with a tired smile but he still needed to explain how did he manage to get the sack full of loot. "I tried to hunt a giant frog but underestimated the distance and I got thrown into the river and the current took me into the northlands. Orc territory. The sun was setting when I came to. I wandered the woods until I found a clearing and saw the stars, that was when things went to shit." Griz pauses to request the healer to pass him his water jug. The healer complies and hands over the piece of pottery to him, wherein which he takes a deep sip of water before he continued. "When I was walking south, I saw an orc trying to dig something up. Usually, I would have left him be and kept on moving. But I saw what was inside. It was full of valuables" He uses his head to gesture to the mud-encrusted burlap sack on the side of the hut. "Those kinds of things, would be worse off in those brute's hands. So I what any sane goblin would do. I rushed in and swiped it from the oaf's hands and made a run for it." Griz's eyebrows furrowed and he frowned. "I didn't expect him to have been so fast. If not for the mud that caused both of us to slip and gave me an opportunity to deal a lethal blow, I am almost sure that he would have eventually caught up with me and killed me...I limped the rest of the time back to the village. And thats where my story ends."

[Aristocles]

Breden listened intently to Griz, growing more worried as the story continued. "You don't think this got the orcs angry at us, do you? We're ah- we're- we're no match for them. The last time our people fought the orcs, we were stuck sending them some of our children as slaves for almost thirty years!" He was describing a war which the goblins of the village had lost over 100 years ago, yet the loss still resounded with them to this very day.

There was a silence in the room which lasted for almost a minute. "Who else knows about this, Griz? The danger sounds like something the chief ought to know about, or-or at least the shaman!"

Meanwhile, Siwa had woken up late that day. She wasn't expected anywhere today, and part of her didn't really want to get out of bed. She slept in for another hour before getting up and doing her stretches, and made sure to give her legs, feet, and arms a quick massage. After stretching and eating a quick breakfast of flatbread and berries picked from the woods, she dressed and went to go find Koglan. As expected, he was busy working the forge, not that she cared. The gobliness had done what was asked of her.

"Kog? Koglan, are you there?" She had to raise her voice over the din of the smithy, but she was positive he had heard her.

[BigPapaBelial]

The fire in the forge is actually low. The heat waves from the chimney above the hill aren't as hazy as normal. The work of the billows aren't as loud and thunderous. It's odd really. Even at this hour the old goblin would be awake, working on some project. He had said he'd be working on the rest of that axe. To give to the new chief. It's truly strange to say the least. And no answer comes to Siwa immediately. It's almost as if Koglan doesn't have his full faculties.

It takes a quick look around the forge to see why. Koglan stands, a hand on the chain of the billows. Firm, but lax. The poor smith looks to be half asleep. He stares into the guttering flames of the forge, rings around his eyes. And the evidence of a long night of smithing in evidence. A finished spear head. What looks like the half completed sword billet resting just out of the fire. A partially rounded helmet.

The poor old goblin doesn't even seem to be fully aware that the flames are startign to gutter. And it's a short while before he turns, as if finally registering someone calling his name, "Ah...Siwa...oh..." He then finally pulls the chain and the smithy is filled with renewed heat as the billows go to work to return the flames to rights, "I'm sorry...it has been a very long night...I don't know if I slept at all." He sniffs then looks to the young gobliness, "I assume you coming to me, means you did as tasked? Tried atleast to find someone else to mate with before coming back to me?" He archs and eyebrow and smiles, "Good..." He nods slowly, "Good..." And trails off a little, absently grasping for his hammer and tongs again, "Very good..." His hand rests on his anvil as he yawns, "Em I'm sorry...what...oh yes..." He looks at Siwa expectantly.

[Searat]

The guard goblin and healer goblin stood there in a mix of horror and disbelief.

Griz, of all the goblins in the village, was crazy enough to not only steal from an orc but also kill one? This was like stories mothers told their children from wandering too far in the forest near the village. 'Don't go far into the woods today or you'll be in for a surprise. Don't go into the woods if you don't want to say goodbye. The orcs will snatch you up and quick and beat you to a pulp with a crooked stick. So don't go into the woods today and you better heed my advice.' Orcs were boogeymen for races like goblins. The only real difference is that orcs are real and boogeymen aren't.

"You've doomed us all! It's the Blood War all over again! You've just started another Age of Sorrows, you bloody idiot!" The guard goblin vented his frustration to the bedridden goblin, to the point that he kicked over a potted plant over. The healer goblin's eyes teared up and her heart sank at the thought. She had a good year in regards to rearing a litter; she only lost one of her children. It was hard but honest work to keep her younglings safe...and now there was a possibility of her losing them all in one fell swoop. "EVERYONE CALM DOWN!" It was not normal for Griz to let his emotions get the better of him but this was not a normal situation. "There will NOT be a second Blood War, NOR another Age of Sorrows. A fresh body that deep in the woods would be barely identifiable by this time. If the scavenger animals haven't eaten the body, surely a landshark wouldn't have given up on an easy meal." His knowledge of the orc lands was sparse but he at least knew that opportunistic scavengers would never leave a fresh body untouched.

As soon as everyone regained their composure, Griz apologized for his outburst. "Nobody else outside this hut knows about what I did. The chief and shaman deserve to know what had happened but know full well that what I did was justified." Griz grimaces as he forces himself up and limps over to the pack and pulls out the necklace with a black dragon pendant and shows it to all present. "This thing was glowing with unnatural energies when that brute gazed deep into its eyes. I'm no magic expert but I think that this pendant is why that lumbering oafish orc was unnaturally fast. Whatever this thing is, it is powerful...and it's better in our hands than in any orc's hands." He then puts away the necklace and limps back to his bed. "And by the looks of the contents, it ain't even theirs, to begin with. Probably nicked it from an adventurer they killed or something."

[Aristocles]

@BigPapaBelial

Siwa cleared her throat. "Kog, I did as you asked, and couldn't find anyone" she walked over to him slowly, tip-toeing her way closer to him as she looked him over in much the manner one would when observing a piece of meat, briefly running a finger over his strong chest and arms. "We're not gonna do it this instant, of course. Whatever you worked on last night took too much out of you. I'm eager to get on with things, but I'm not blind to your exhaustion. Don't worry, we can fix that."

She stretched her hands out and gently laid them on his shoulders, starting to gently massage them, letting her skilled fingers work their way into the nooks and crannies of his well-worn muscles. "You do such fine work for our tribe. Surely, you deserve to relax just a bit. Shall we go to your bed? I can't really rub you down very well standing up." She positioned herself in the direction of his room, but she couldn't exactly drag him off to bed. Not unless he wanted to go.

@Searat

Breden took a few moments to calm down. He wasn't a coward, but talk of an unwinnable war and the possibility of slavery didn't exactly put his mind at east, either.

"Griz, we really need to do something about this. I-I understand that it isn't as bad as another Blood War, but this could lead to something bad, especially since magic is involved. What do you think we should do about that necklace? That dragon design looks omin-omen... omenous? Well, however you pronounce it, it looks bad! The shaman should do something about it."

[Searat]

"I know it looks like it could bring trouble, Breden, and I don't know what kind of powers this thing holds...but at least it's in our hands and not in the orcs'. Think how much worse it would be if they were the ones to discover what this thing did." Griz shakes his head side to side. Thinking about a legion of orcs sent chills down his spine, what more magically enhanced ones? "I'll give the shaman the thing when she gets back to the village. Until then, it stays with me for safekeeping."

The guard goblin looks away, irritated. He did not like the fact that Griz did this kind of stunt. It was understandable that he didn't want something that may be a powerful magical item to be in the wrong hands, but did he really have to be the one to do it?

The healer goblin quietly accepts the fact that the events of last night were done and over with, not even the gods could change that. She just hoped that whatever power this necklace had, it was worth risking another war and the lives of their future children.

"Also, Breden." Griz reaches to his broken dagger in its sheath and hands it to him. "Would you kindly give this to Kog to see if he can fix it? I'd do it myself if I was in better shape." And the fact that he's kind of afraid to face the old goblin blacksmith after what he had done to a dagger he lovingly forged like many other iron weapons he produced for the tribe's proven warriors and hunters. Bringing the broken and battered blade to him is like personally returning to an artist with one of his works torn to tatters. It simply didn't sit well with the hunter goblin.

[BigPapaBelial]

Koglan sniffed and was slow even to react to Siwa as she stepped closer. He blinked and seemed to finally remember the deal they had made the day before. He blinked, "Ah...yes I remember. You didn't find anyone? Well you tried atleast." He was preparing himself to do his duty to mate Siwa and give her the seed she'd need to bear a litter of little goblin children. Maybe one or two of them would even bear his traits. He groaned but felt his body protest at the thought. Then Siwa gave him an out. He smiles, "I may have overworked myself abit it's true." He sighs and lets himself be lead back to his bed, the bed that sees more use then the bed in his hut out back.

Koglan carefully lays himself down on the cot. As Siwa moved so did he careful steps towards the bed and it's small alcove shaded from view. She was right, in his state he wouldn't be able to perform very well. But she seems to be offering him something even better. He'd heard of her massages and rub downs. Maybe that's what the slowly aging Smith needs the most is a good muscle massage to bring him back to full lucidity. He carefully sits on the bed then rolls onto his front, turning his head to look Siwa's way, "I do the best work I can for the betterment of the tribe...as do you...as do we all." He smiled a little, tiredly really, but it's a smile indeed. He then chuckles, "Come Siwa...do your worst." He grins broadly a moment later.

[Aristocles]

@Searat

Breden nodded. "Yes, I'll take it to him today!" The dagger was in bad shape, possibly fit only to be scrapped. For a human smith, this would be almost beneath his notice, but for goblins, the loss of any metal weapons was something of a big deal, given how rare metalworking skills were among their kind, let alone access to metal in the first place. Perhaps it was different for goblin tribes who lived near mineral deposits, but this tribe wasn't one of them. Of course, there was the issue about magic, something Breden knew was beyond his or Koglan's skill level.

"Just one more thing, Griz. I think it would be best if I gave it to Koglan a bit later today. I have it on good authority that he's going to be busy with some very important business right about now." The less said about the nature of this "business", the better.

@BigPapaBelial

Siwa reached down and felt his arms and legs. There was nothing meant to be arousing or intimate about it, merely a check-up at this point. She could feel by the texture, tone, and firmness of his muscles that Koglan had been working himself too hard and too long. Even if he were much younger, his limbs would be near or at exhaustion at this point. While she couldn't cure exhaustion by simply rubbing, she could accelerate the natural process of recovery. The gobliness took his right calf and began to knead it. Holding his leg steady with one hand, she pressed down on his soleus muscle, moving her hand back and forth in an attempt to refresh the tired limb. Hopefully, this would help to flush out any waste products in his legs brought on by fatigue, although Siwa didn't know the specifics of it. All she knew is that it worked.

"How's this feel? I'll do all four of your limbs and maybe your neck, but this isn't part of some mating ritual. Normally, I'd want to jump into that, but you need to save your energy for when we're gonna do the act, okay?"

[Searat]

"Understood." Griz said as he tried to settle more comfortably to his stack of hay draped with the fur of a couple of goats, he called a bed.

Even with the treatment of the healer, Griz was almost sure that he'd be bedridden for at least a week or so before he'd be able to function at full capacity again. Considering that he almost hunted on a daily basis, he felt a little awkward to be not able to hunt for at least seven days. But he reaps what he sows. "I'm gonna rest for a while. If you need me, wake me up." And with that Griz shut his eyes and did his best to relax.

The healer was to leave the hut first, telling Griz that he should rest and focus on healing up. Then the guard goblin, still upset for what Griz did, left wordlessly back to his own hut to rest and think about things.

---

Though unknown to them, there was another listener.

An ambitious and aspiring warrior happened to pass by at the right time...and from what he heard that necklace they were talking about would be his golden goose to more power and more personal glory. With a thin but wicked smile plastered on his face, he walks away. Formulating plans to take the necklace, whether Griz was willing or not.

[BigPapaBelial]

Koglan let out a grunt. It's no secret, that in the past he'd worked himself to utter exhaustion, and been found by one goblin or another, asleep on the floor of his forge. So the fatigue in his limbs is nothing new to Koglan what so ever. But as he feels Siwa's hands on his leg he finally actually feels the pain properly for once. He lets out a breath and sighs. Skilful hands rubbing at his skin and muscles. He takes a moment, "It feels fine Siwa, I've heard tales of your massages. And here I am, getting to experience one for myself." He let's out a little puffing sound as his leg muscle twitches under her ministrations. Calming and relaxing. Koglan lays there for a time. Listening to Siwa give her declarations.

He can't help but grins, and he turns his head enough to look at her, "Siwa...even if this were a mating ritual, I would have a hard time performing at the moment. To anyone's satisfaction." He grunts and nods, "We shall get to that in due time. And you shall have my help with that litter you seek. As promised, as sworn." He grunts as her fingers find a rather stubborn knot of muscle. He tenses up briefly then chuckles, "All in good time. Just you don't stop working my limbs. And later, I'll do my best to work you." He can't help but chuckle lightly at the innuendo.

[Aristocles]

(Sorry for the delay once again! Was a bit sick. I'm better now. No, it wasn't the coronavirus.)

@Searat

Breden nodded and slowly walked out of the hut, unnerved by what he had heard. He made his way back to his hut and thought about what all of this could mean. Even if there wasn't going to be a war, there was surely some danger looming on the horizon. Then, an idea crossed his mind. He could join a group who could confront whatever the danger was. While he would have to contribute to such a party, the odds that he'd not only survive it but could legitimately claim to have done a great deed would be reasonably good.

And the ladies loved a male who accomplished mighty deeds, as they wanted whatever it was about the male which made them so mighty for their own offspring.

@BigPapaBelial

Siwa gave him a mock slap on the cheek, way too light to be taken seriously.

"Oh my, aren't you eager?" she joked, continuing to rub his limbs, moving to his left leg. "How's that feel? I think I've gotten most of the tightness out of your right leg. Just how long do you stand for each day? Those were some really bad knots, Kog. They were like the kind I'd find in warriors who were walking home after a battle for days almost on end."

[BigPapaBelial]

Koglan lay there for a time, marveling at the feeling of a leg that isn't tensed up tightly. He lays there and laughs as Siwa swats him, "I thought you'd like that kind of response Siwa." He chuckles gently and relaxes again. Gritting his teeth as the young gobliness works at him. Strong calf and thigh muscles twitching under her ministrations. It takes him almost a full 5 minutes before he speaks again, "How long do I stay on my feet a day? How long does it take to make a sword you may also as, five hours at the minimum. How long to make a shield? Four hours. How long to whittle out the handle of an axe? Another three hours. And all those 12 hours I will remain on my feet, even while getting something to eat or drink." He lets out a shuddering breath as a particularly stubborn set of knots is worked clear.

After abit Koglan who had zoned out abit grumbles out, "It's the long hard duty of a village craftsgoblin Siwa. There is always another project. A request. Or a warrior or a hunter has managed to earn a new weapon that they have been striving to get." He lifts an arm to point over at a near finished axe, the head had been pounded onto the wooden shaft, and he'd been applying a stint to the shaft so the head would not come lose, "There, that is a journey level work. A weapon for the young chief. If I ever get to gift it to him." He chuckles and settles again, "Always another project. I can't stop working." He smiles, "But it's moments like these that let me know, my work is appreciated."

[Aristocles]

(I'm back. Before you ask, I'm fine. My family needed some help too, but they're fine. No one has the coronavirus.)

@BigPapaBelial

Siwa chuckled at his little speech. "We all appreciate the fine work you do, even if your goods are really more for males. That said, if you ever started making metal jewelry, I'd be happy to trade you for it, if I get my hands on enough things you like. Maybe some human coins. I'm not sure why humans like those things so much; they're useless. Still, they toss little copper coins at me when I dance in their town, so they must be worth something. I think 50 of them can be exchanged for a big loaf of bread." She moved down to his feet and began to massage them, starting with his right foot.

She could have told him that he needed to take a break more often, but there was no point in that. He wouldn't listen and it would probably just slow his output. Siwa used both hands to knead his right foot, starting with the arch, the ball of the foot and along the big-toe side of his foot. Once the muscles were warmed up, she used both hands to wring Koglan's foot. Grasping around the ball of the foot she moved her hands in opposite directions. She started at the toes, moved up the arch to the heel, then wringed back down to the toes.

After that, she made a fist with his hand. She took her fist and used her knuckles to rub deeply on the sole of the foot between the ball and heel. Two minutes later, she cupped one hand under the heel, behind the ankle, to brace his foot and leg. Siwa grasped the ball of the foot with the other hand and turned the foot slowly at the ankle five times in each direction. Following that, she used her fingers to press deeply and draw lines from his heel up to the toes. She did this 5 times - along the bones leading to each toe.

When that part Was done, Siwa used her thumbs to press and move in small circles along the sole of the foot, covering the entire surface of the sole, taking care to apply more pressure to the ball and heel of the foot. Then, grasping the foot beneath the arch, and with her other hand, beginning with the big toe, she held the toe with her thumb on top and index finger beneath. Starting at the base of the toe, she slowly and firmly pulled the digit, sliding her fingers to the top and back to the base. She did this with all of the toes on his foot. Then, she made a fist with her hand, and gently pressed it into the arch of Koglan's foot, held it for a second, and released. She repeated this a number of times, until he was satisfied with how it felt.

Finally, she took the heel of her left hand and rubbed the arch of his foot with the heel of her hand, covering the whole area of the arch - even up to the side of his foot.

"That's one foot done. The technique is the same on the left foot. How's that feel, Kog?"

[BigPapaBelial]

It's a low grunt at first that shows that Kog is alive. He'd gone silent. And barely moved as Siwa had worked. But soon he lifts his head, "Siwa...how is it, you are not the most sought after gobliness in the entire village. Your hands and fingers work wonders. This is the most relaxed I've felt in all my long 17 years of life. Not since the milk of the poppy I drank when my face was cut have I felt so relaxed and rested." He sighs, taking a moment. He turns his head to smile at Siwa, "The massage so far has been wonderful young gob. And I'm quite happy and in awe of your work." He leans his head down and nods slowly.

It's a short shift then he nods again, "Thank you again Siwa. For this." He hums low and wonderingly, "Metal jewelry you say? An interesting idea. I had never really thought of that. My precious iron and steel, have always been needed for tools and weapons and armor for the tribe. But I had not thought of using it for something like adornments. Hmmm I don't think it'd be hard. A ring is much like the hole in the head of an axe, only smaller, a bracelet, like the billet of a sword, only looped." He hums, and it's the first time the smith has ever considered makign anything but tools, weapons or armor, "Perhaps. With a little experimentation, and practice. I could make something." He turns to look at Siwa, "And maybe you take a packful with you when next you visit the human towns. Use them to bartar for those little copper disks of theirs." He nods, "Perhaps at any rate." He lays his head back down.

He rests for a time, "Humans...such strange creatures, but maybe useful. I like your idea Siwa. I'm going to try it." He grins and motions with a hand, "I think I have spoken on this matter."

[Aristocles]

Three Months Later...

Siwa gently rubbed her belly as she slowly made her way through the muddy streets. There was no doubt about it now, a litter was on the way. Some species considered this to be a very special thing, and perhaps it was in a way for goblins. While their species revered reproduction to the point of worship, individual pregnancies were so commonplace that they barely registered. Even so, this was Siwa's first, and this pregnancy would always be special to her.

She had mated with several other males after seeing Koglan. She had been back to him a few more times in the last three months, and she was certain that she had at least one of his offspring in her womb at that very moment. The gobliness had continued her vocation as a dancer, but it was starting to get hard to keep it up. Soon, she'd be unable to do very much work at all until after giving birth. While the tribe still kept a granary for her to draw a bit of food from, it wouldn't be enough for herself and her children, once they were weaned, of course.

Today, she found herself heading over to Koglan's forge once again. The rings he had given her had already been traded for some of those "coins" humans seemed to love so much. There was a fair pile of coins in Siwa's hut, in fact. None of them could be used to buy food in the goblin village, and going back to the human town to buy food was getting harder and harder as her pregnancy progressed. Worse, she believed she was going to give birth to a large litter; good for the tribe if most of the children survived, hard on the mother when it came to feeding all of them. The point was, she needed help.

[BigPapaBelial]

As usual there is a steady sound from the smithy that Koglan Ironweaver works out of. It'd been three months now since he had laid with Siwa and given her his part to her litter. And a few times since then she'd returned. Much to his quiet amusement. He admits that she's interesting company. On top of that her idea to start fashioning rings, necklaces and bracelets has paid fruit. Those strange coins that the humans use for currency he believes the word is, had come in, for his work he got a small amount of them and had learned that they could be used in trade. Which confused him to no end. It sounded like the humans could use them to buy goods and services, unlike with the goblins where all were welcome to their good and fortune as long as they put in the work. It didn't quite make sense to him, not really.

But from those fruits borne from making adornments he'd increased his iron supply and his ten few steel ingots had growned to nineteen, good strong steel to be used when the right time came. At the moment he's working on a knife, a good long curved blade, something at scout or hunter might use.

As he works heating the weapon billet he looks out the window to his forge and sees someone he was not expecting. That looks like Siwa. And he's really not sure why she'd be here at his forge any. He hums and places the knife billet on the edge of the furnace and uses a rag to dry and wipe his hands clean. Then walks towards the door to his forge. Waiting and watching the young gobliness approach, arching a brow curiously, "Hello there, young goblin." He starts then quirks his head to the side, "What brings you here? Are you okay Siwa?" He looked her over and her obviously gravid state. He hums softly curious for her reasons.

[Aristocles]

Siwa prided herself on being independent, or at least, as independent as a goblin could be given their tribal state. Most of her income, if it could be called that, came from her performances outside of the confines of the village and its surroundings. While she could work in the fields surrounding the village, there really wasn't much else she could do. Leaving a group of infants for most of the day wasn't an option, and while she had friends and relatives who could look after her young for a while, none would be able to do so for the long time it took for her to journey to the human town, perform, and travel back. Simply put, she had to stay in the village.

"I-I'm okay, but-" She wasn't normally this blunt, but there was no disguising it now. "-I need your help to support my children. While I don't have much to give in return, I can promise you that one of my sons- possibly one of yours- will be sent to you as an apprentice when he's old enough. What I need is food, or the means to get it, and you seem to have plenty of those." Siwa let out a sigh. "Also, if it helps, I suppose we could... meet a bit more often. Mating with you was a really good time, and if it worked, maybe your blacksmithing blood passed down to my boy. I'm pretty certain I have at least one son in me might now." She would have added 'a mother knows', but that was a stereotype even among the goblins.

"The chief assigned me to work in the fields in the east, for as long as I'm able to. They're not very fertile and my feet are getting swollen. It's not easy to walk around and farm all day, and I'll be pretty much confined to my hut once I swell up a bit more." Indeed, her feet were killing her even as they spoke, but she smiled anyway. "It's going to be a big litter, maybe 8 or 9 younglings. If you want to come over and see their birth, you're welcome to. One of my sisters will be helping me deliver, but I've told her you might be there. None of the warriors I've laid with are interested in it. Or in me, honestly. They told me that they'd mate me again once I got thin again. Can't blame them; I'm not the prettiest thing to look at right now. Breden says he still wants to lie with me, but this really isn't a good time."

[BigPapaBelial]

Koglan hummed and motioned to the pregnant gobliness, into the forge, past the furnace itself, and the knife billet staying heated by the hot coals. Into the tiny little living area at the rear of the smithy. A new door leading to his hut just next door cut into the wall there. Making it much easier for him to come and go back and forth between his hut and the forge. He gestures to one of the chairs, one of three, around a table made of a piece of a slab marble and several stout pieces of wood. He gestures to one of the chairs, "Sit. I have spoken on his matter." It's a stern way of saying it, but she says her feet are swelling which can only mean pain, which needs rest to help it. He waits for her to sit before he sits as well pulling a pitcher over and pouring some sweet water into two cups. He places one in front of her and nods, "You are right. As an elder of the tribe and a craftsman I am afforded some fortune."

He looks at the young woman, "Normally I wouldn't worry too much about this. It is our way, the males don't meddle int he affairs of birth." He nods slowly before continuing, "But as you say I have an investment perhaps, in your litter, a child, a boy, someone to pass my knowledge onto." He settles into his chair letting it creak beneath him, he looks across at Siwa, "But besides all that, I'd be a fair poor goblin if I were to ignore your plight." He chuckles, "I would have helped you for the asking even if you didn't potentially bear a pup of mine." He nods, "You will have free run of my smithy and my hut, and when I go to gather my food weekly you may come and sup daily if you like. I'll find someway to make it work. I have spoken on this matter." He makes a gesture to say he will say no more, having said his part.

The old goblin relaxed in his chair and nodded, "Moving on to other topics, when you are ready to dance again, I'd like to assist you. I have an idea. Though it may be looked down upon by the chief and the shamans for misusing my iron, I will make you bells, and large jangling rings, so when you dance you may make a merry din to go along with your steps." He nods, "Yes, I'd like to do this for you Siwa. But not until you have birthed and are ready to dance again. Yes?"