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Duties of the Mothborn
::Elder::
The leader of the tribe and overseer of the community's prosperity and safety. As Elder, she keeps the tribe in harmony with the spirits and ways of the Motherfather. She is a patient, wise, and fierce figure who spends her days very involved with every aspect of tribe life, checking in with the scouts, providers, and performing Rites with the Piecemakers and Grovetenders. She is also responsible for assigning the moths to new tribe-mates, be they adult or foal. She ensures that everyone feels safe, has access to resources and contributes towards the betterment of all.
::Tribunal of the Crest::
This semi-official body is made up of representatives from all of the facets of the kin, from Healer to Teacher, Grovetender to Piecemaker. They sit in council with Rot at each turning of the seasons to discuss the various issues their peers may have so that she can see to such things as assigning scouts to assess new areas so that the providers might range further, or rule upon whether the Healers might make use of an unused mangrove as a hospice. These things and countless more fall to the representatives to bring to Rot, and for Rot to discuss and eventually decide upon. It is also Rot's right and responsibility to call for a sitting of the council outside of these quarterly sessions whenever need dictates.
While it is seen as a duty, rather than a position of power, some degree of respect is afforded to the council members; however, should they prove themselves unable or unwilling to represent the needs of their peers, they are likely to find themselves taking part in a vote to find their own replacement.
::Healers::
Practitioners in all areas of healing and various forms of therapy, with keen attention to anatomy and close ties to the herbalists. The Healers are an essential part of any society, and the Mothborn greatly value them. They help with sickness, broken bones, and bouts of poisoning. They use various herbs and plants for aroma therapies, assist in making salves, poultices and they sing Hymns as well, to help channel the healing magic the swamp holds.
They have the largest tree on the Crest and in the roots is where they have their clinic - where all Healer kin work. They also play a large part in the end of life care for the Oldsouls to ensure they pass peacefully and comfortably.
::Herbalists::
Even more than the healers, whom they work closely with, these kin are experts in the various properties of the numerous plants, herbs, and animal parts that can be used in healing - whether it be relieving pain, speeding bone growth, purging toxins, or one of their other myriad functions. While they can often be found at the healer's clinic or in discussion with the gatherers, the herbalists do not often administer their curatives directly - trusting instead to the healers to care for the kin.
::Scouts::
These hearty kin hold much experience and know the land backwards, forwards, and every which way. They keep the borders of the Mothborn territory safe from intruders and are the first ones to be dispatched in the event that a kin goes missing. They are skilled fighters and negotiators, strong and self-sufficient individuals who are equally at home in the hidden knolls of the swamp as they are within their home tree upon the Crest. They are also the ones dispatched by Rot and the Piecemakers when remains need to be retrieved.
::Providers::
This blanket term refers to the hunters and gatherers of the Mothborn. Both of these roles are deeply entrenched in the Cycle, killing plant and animal life to sustain and renew the kin. As such they are held in higher regard than they might be in other tribes.
The hunters use snares, traps, or more unorthodox methods to provide game to the Mothborn. They also inspect, skin, and break down all kills as part of their duties. They most often work in teams of three, and most hunting expeditions last three days.
The Gatherers bring home plants, fungi, fruits and seeds. They tend and harvest the gardens of various flora and fauna and go out foraging daily. They are also in charge of the dry stores, keeping them organized and plentiful. They must be strong, using Tortoise shells strapped over their backs on either side with leather strips and vines to carry home some of their larger bounties. Woven bowls/baskets of vine or dried reeds are also used.
::Teachers::
The duties of guardianship and the raising of the tribe's young do not follow a strict regime - some foals (Particularly orphans or those whose parents belong to the scouts) are communally raised and there is no stigma associated with giving your foal up to be raised by the tribe as a whole. On the other hand, some parents choose to raise their young more directly, which is equally acceptable.
One facet that is unchanged, however, is the role of the Teacher. All foal over the age of one spend a number of hours equal to their age, per day, with a member of the Teachers. These incredibly wise and well-rounded kin see to all aspects of the foal's general education, from the various forms of plant life, basic hunting skills, the basic rites of the Mothborn, the nature of the surrounding tribes' lands, etc. Some time before adulthood the educated foal is allowed to spend the remaining year of her youth in an apprenticeship with one of the adult kin so that she may begin that duty upon reaching her majority.
The Teachers, as you might expect, are some of the most generally learned members of the tribe; however, they are not to be underestimated in martial matters. They will lay about them in a rage and frenzy to protect their youthful charges, giving their lives if necessary.
::Weavers::
These essential kin keep everything from falling apart. They build and invent new, ingenious things to help make tribe life more efficient, they weave baskets to hold food and seed, they work with tar and reeds to make homes more sturdy. They are bright, creative and keep the tribe tidy and beautiful. They also build the shallow-hulled vessels used to transport the dead, and other more mundane things.
::Singers of the Songs of Rest, Renewal, & Rebirth::
A choir of kin with beautiful voices mostly used in ceremonies and festivals. They may have other jobs in the tribe, but they know the sacred songs - the ones to help ease the spirits and to send a dearly departed peacefully on their way or the jubilant ones used to welcome a new foal into the tribe or seedling mangrove upon the crest. They were personally taught these songs by the clan Elder, and rejoice in the daily practice required of them.
::Tamers::
This catch-all title refers to the kin who breed, keep, and care for the companion animals of the tribe.
These diverse kin are part animal-lover, part Healer, part Grovetender, and part Piecemaker for their diminutive charges. They are responsible for ensuring numbers do not threaten the balance - this is particularly important for the non-native species that prospective new members may bring with them. They assist with sheds and molts and can help with minor health concerns such as impacted digestive systems or swollen glands. They also have their own set of rituals that somewhat mirror those of the Piecemakers, Grovetenders, and Singers... but on a more smaller and more intimate scale.
::Piecemakers and Grovetenders::
These two groups of kin bare special mention - The Piecemakers for their duties relating the cycle's closing and the Grovetenders for their role in the cycle's beginning...
The Piecemakers are kin that handle the dead and the rites pertaining to the dead and death (be it of kin, an especially old tree, or the seasons themselves).
The Piecemakers work closely with the scouts, recovering the Mothborn or nameless wanderers who have died upon the Bonemarshes as well as recovering the dead of other tribes, or even species, if it has been requested of them (Generally by loved ones or elders of the departed's tribe). The Mothborn have their own rites for those who pass; however, they are equally respectful of whatever rites, rituals, or procedures are asked of them by the requesting tribe or loved ones - provided they do not directly disrespect the dead, the balance, or the cycle.
These kin have a keen eye for detail, and are masters of skeletal structures and puzzles. They're charged with cleaning the bones and piecing them back together, following the Eve of the Ninth ritual. It is daunting work, only for kin with massive amounts of patience and respect for the dead. The bones of the dead are afforded this special reverence for, no matter the passage of time, these sole remnants of lives-past are the only material not taken by the swamp to birth new life. It is the belief of the Mothborn that the Motherfather and, by extension, the swamp itself leave the bones untouched as tribute to the individuals who have lived - to be cared for and revered by those left behind until they too, are naught but bone.
The Grovetenders, for their part, tend and support new life. Have you ever wondered what happens to all those offerings Rot obtains? They work directly with Rot to ensure the Offerings of Kinship, given by new members to honor the cycle, are sorted and planted appropriately, sometimes even with a departed kin.
They also work closely with the midwives to accept the Offering of Birth and Rebirth from the mother (Or Lifelings) of new foals. This offering, identical to the offering of Kinship, is lovingly sorted and planted so that both lives, foal and sapling, are able to grow alongside one another. At the anniversary of the pair's first year (during which time the Grovetenders have helped to tend their young charges) the Rite of Renewal is performed in the Grove that shares the same name and the new foal chooses and is chosen by the Moth that will be her companion.
The Grovetenders have multiple areas all over the island where they plant their special gardens, and are often found tending to them alongside the Gatherers. They make garlands and wreaths, especially to decorate expectant Lifelings or passing Oldsouls. Their connection to all life - flora, fauna, and kin vibrant and resplendent to any who look upon them.
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