NOVEL NEXT Chapter 736 – Selfless Society
“There is no one right way for society to function, as much as some people like to think that their way is the way.” - Aideen deVreys, the Silver Maiden, after beating a priest intent on forcefully converting a goblin tribe to the “right” way to live until he was almost dead, circa 521 FP.
“Wiro! Good nephew! It has been a while since you last visited!” said a middle-aged goblin man whose decorated sash and feathered headdress identified him as the chief of the village as the group came in. “How are Juwi and little Titi? Are they still doing fine over there? Oh, right, weren’t you about to go out to the plains a couple years ago? I remember you telling us about that last time you visited.”
“Long time no see to you too, Uncle Seta,” replied Wiro as he hugged the smaller man warmly. “Mother and Titi are doing fine. Titi’s growing up to be quite a menace, even,” he added with some amused laughter. “I just returned to the Blacktower village a couple months ago, haven’t have an opportunity to come this way yet until today, since the Wise One and his guests happened to need a guide to visit here.”
“Oh, right. Pardon my manners, Wise One. I was overjoyed at seeing my nephew again after a long time and have neglected you,” said the middle-aged goblin as he turned towards Jort and bowed apologetically, though the smile never left his face.
“Think nothing of it, Village Head. It is normal to be happy in such a situation, and besides, we’re the ones who are imposing on you,” replied Jort with a toothy grin on his face. From the way he then also hugged Seta, it was clear that the two were acquainted, likely old friends, even. “Let me introduce my guests. This lady is the Life-Giving Everlasting, the same one from a hundred years ago. She and the rest of her group are honorary Bloodfangs. They wanted to see what life’s like over here so I brought them over.”
“It is our honor to be your hosts, Everlasting One. Please excuse our lackings for we only have this little village, but I suppose that is what you wish to find out, is it not?” said the Village Head as he shifted his attention to Aideen. Now that she had a closer look Aideen noticed the resemblance to Wiro, even if the latter stood a good bit taller due to his half-orcish heritage.
As they were led by Wiro to their temporary accommodations, they took a look around the village curiously. The goblins, despite their smaller frame, were not disadvantaged against a human when it came to physical prowess, and were very capable of looking after themselves even in the difficult environment. If anything, their smaller frame might even be somewhat of an advantage, as it allowed them more economy of space and made it easier to hide themselves.
The village as a whole was built so that it would be effectively camouflaged to the eyes of most predators. While it was easily visible to Aideen and the rest, the goblins had plants like ivy and other climbing vines growing on parts of their palisade, breaking up its shape in irregular stripes. As a result, from afar it was all too easy to mistake the village’s walls as just another part of the forest.
Aideen and the rest discovered it easily since they already knew what to look for.
One thing the group noticed immediately was how most things in the goblin village were done in a communal manner. It was not unlike how the orcs did things, but more that it was taken to a further extent. The people in the village worked together to do whatever it was that needed doing, each one contributing as best they could in the manner where they could help out the most.
Since they happened to arrive when the village’s hunters and warriors were at home and not out on a hunt, they saw how the stronger warriors were helping some others in fixing their homes, or other tasks where their strength would come in handy. The houses in the village were mostly built of dried mud with wood for support, and were built low to fit the stature of their dwellers.
“Unlike us Clans in the plains, the goblin tribes each usually hold sway over several villages. This village is under the rule of the Mengasti tribe, or if I were to translate it into the common tongue, something along the line of the Bouldershield tribe,” explained Wiro. “The villages under a tribe’s rule are considered a collective who would help each other when they were in need, as much as they feasibly could.”
“That’s a nice way of doing things. I had expected more rivalry or the likes with multiple villages under one tribe’s jurisdiction,” noted Aideen.
“Right, that is partly because they see property in a different way. The concept of
personal property was one that we from the plains brought to them, in a way. As for these folks, they only view things in terms like property of the tribe,” said Wiro as he nodded. “Everything belongs to the tribe, and since the people are the tribe, they would naturally take good care of what is their own, get what I mean?”
“While sometimes conflict does arise between tribes, within the tribe itself, there is rarely if ever any conflicts over property. After all, why would someone fight over what is already theirs by right?” added the young warrior as he had a somewhat wistful look on his face. “Granted, some of their practices might sound odd to those from abroad, or even to us from the plains, like how they would regularly switch mates and lovers at will, but I guess that’s just part of it. If it works out fine for them, who are we to deny that? After all, it is their life to live and their decisions to make.”
