Having stood his weekly duty at the Lorecave, Dai was happy to move on to a less formal means of serving his people: his efforts to incorporate the lives of the newcomers into his teaching duties. It had not been requested in any official manner, but already many of the children had questions about the odd visitors that had been received in the valley. Dai wanted to be able to answer those questions with truth rather than rumor, so it made sense to seek out some of the new folk as well as those of his people who had dealings with them. Anestin had seemed a natural choice, especially as the lore speakers of the wandering tribes had shown an interest in sharing their stories.

He was a little tired, having channeled Zan to augment a particularly vivid telling of some of the old lore, but the excitement of new things to learn more than made up for it. As always, the warm light of the Nest’s phosphors brought a smile to the teacher’s face. His amber eyes caught the glow as he looked around to see who else might be there. Hopefully some of the Roek – they seem to have had the most contact with the newcomers.

Glynn needed to get out of the house. His father was on a rant about how something bad would happen because of all the newcomers. Glynn would not have any of that, he left as soon as he brought up the hair; he thought the hair was magnificent. He needed a drink, something strong.

He retreated to the Nest, a great place for the weary loremaster or storyteller. Glynn was both, well trying to be both. He walked past the walls of the Nest, rubbing his fingers across the blueness. He entered, sat, and drank. It was his normal routine at any tavern. It took him a whole drink to realize that Dai was also in there. He knew Dai as one of his teachers from when he was younger, he was actually happy to see him.

Finally, someone I can talk to.

He walked up to the older man, smiling. "Hello, Dai. How are you?" he said, taking another sip of his drink. "How are you adjusting to the newcomers?"

It was young Todou.
A hunger for the old stories even as a child, and achievement in the classroom if not the fields. The leg… but such is the way of things.
Dai allowed himself a brief smile at the youth’s facial adornment, trying to remember if the strip of hair had been there for a while or if it might be a new style influenced by the strange fashion of their lost brethren.

“I thrive as the tribe thrives in these exciting times. You yourself well know that there is always more to teach and more to learn.”

“As for our wandering brethren… well, the absence of the hatchers will likely bring about much change. We must wait and see what adjustments are necessary. Certainly there has been more traffic and much curiosity. My only contact so far has been to help explain the cave paintings to some of their curious. But our children ask many questions, so here I am seeking answers.”

“I hope your own studies are going well. Has your father been having you track down old tales of the tribes as they were? I understand new lineages will have to be tracked…”

“But surely that is not what you meant. Have you had any personal encounters?”
As a loremaster-in-training, Glyn might have been set to watching the outsiders or recording official meetings. That is, if the boy’s father was not set against exposing him to outside corruption. As Dai recalled from many dinner conversations, Lutwyn was slow to welcome changes to tradition and surely the tumultuous “spokes” tribes meant change.

Glynn found the newcomers fascinating, to say the least. They could teach him so much of the outside. He wanted to invite them into his home and treat them as honored guest; his father would have none of that. Glynn thought about the encounters he had. He only met two so far, twins, both around Glynn's age. He ran into them on his way to Ethiashir's library, they wanted to know where to find the Dereko House.

"I've met a few, they are quite an eccentric people, to say the least. I've been trying to meet some, but they keep evading me. They must have so many tales and as we both know, An unknown tale is a wasted tale." Glynn chuckled, it was an inside joke between Dai and Glynn. When Dai had taught Glynn, Dai told him the saying. It stuck with him till then. It was actually one of the reasons Glynn decided to become loremaster. "I think I might petition Durg Roon to let me start a family tree on the walls of the cave for the newcomers. They are our brethren, they deserve the right to be on that wall as much as we do. I just hope my da won't shun me." He gave Dai a wry smile. Dai knew his father, he knew what he would do.

"I myself think that adding them to the cave might be a bit premature... but it could not hurt for you to speak to their lorekeepers and perhaps begin the design for such a work."

"In this case I would urge caution - not because of your father but because there are a great many things to be settled with all of the changes to come. There is bound to be conflict, and it is usually best to maintain a balanced view of things."
Tribal conflict was a subject of distaste for the peace-loving teacher, but he could smell it coming. After all, power was at stake in a way that it had not been for generations.

"Although... we are paying much attention to who comes into the valley, but little has been said about what me might gain by exploring the land beyond the old boundaries for ourselves. There were some old trees in the time of my great-great-grandfather with a special variety of moss... no one has tried to gather it in years, as the mists shifted to cover the place."
Dai was planning such a trip in the back of his head, until he realized he'd become distracted.

"Sorry, Glynn. My mind wanders in strange directions these days. How has your own training been?"

"Training is good, Dai, training is good. I think I'll be a loremaster by the time I am of age." Glynn was being a little overzealous in his remarks. It was highly unlikely for anybody to be made an official loremaster so early in life. He still had a long way to go.

"I find that being a loremaster's son and grandson has made me ready for the challenges ahead, whatever they may be." He was referencing what Dai had said moments before, about the changes coming with the outsiders. "I might not be where I am today without your help though, Dai. You were one of my main inspirations into becoming a loremaster."