"Depends on the tribe. Most have humans. Some are centaurs. Some have orcs. Some are mixed. Each tribe is like its' own country with its own rules and culture." Dala explained, "Unless you've taken time to study them, it's difficult to tell who is from which group." 

The minotaur's mind was made up and she accepted the offer. Dala almost shouted in excitement but somehow managed to keep that to herself. Despite her belief that the only reason she was so excited was because Yavish would be a great help to the town, which was true, there was another factor. She was just happy to have someone new to talk to. Most of the town were busy with their own work or just didn't have much interest in conversations about the rest of the world. Not only was Yavish a warrior but she was well-traveled and had a desire to help people. 

"Awesome!" Dala exclaimed, "Then I'll show you to your new place." 

Dala quickly led Yavish through the village, closer to the edge nearest the slope where a selection of homes stood. They only had two major rooms, true to her word, but appeared sturdy and comfortable. Each home had the structure of a regular house of Cardawen but had the corners or backends built into the hill, using it as a part of the structure instead of trying to separate from it completely. Most of the buildings on the hills used stilts or were built on a flatter part but this side of the hill was steeper and its homes reflected that. Yavish's home was a white wooden home with a red-tiled roof and a stone base. The building was tall but only had one story. The door was on the larger side and it was almost as if the house had been made for a taller person. Dala had intended for it to go some large orc or maybe even a centaur, but this worked perfectly. 

"There's no furniture yet so you'll have to get some from one of our shopkeepers." She explained. 

The door led straight into a kitchen with a fireplace and enough space for the necessities of a kitchen. An archway led to another room. It was empty but there was a comfortable small window that allowed enough light to enter the space. A bed would fit and even a desk or a dresser could be added in. 

"Sooo what do you think?" Dala asked. 

Tribes of humans, centaurs, and orcs.  It was quite impressive that Dala managed to form deals with many of them.  Yavish was curious about which of the tribes was the most dominant.  She was about to inquire about it when Dala's excitement about her staying cut that off.  Yavish followed Dala to where she'd be living, appreciative of her new friend's hospitality.

When they drew closer to the houses by a slope, Yavish studied them.  They definitely seemed livable for folks, though she had a slight concern about the stilts that many of the homes stood on.  Yavish hoped that she would not be living in one of those standing houses and was relieved when she saw that her house was more of a regular one.  A brief examination showed her that this particular house was no doubt built for someone like her.  She expected some furniture to already be set in place, but upon entry she was disappointed to find that the house was completely empty.

After the tour that showed that the house contained at least a kitchen and a fireplace and the information that Yavish would have to purchase her own furniture for the house, she stated to Dala, "It's…adequate."

It began to dawn on her that much of the village was still in the process of building itself up, so some gaps here and there were to be expected.  Nevertheless, Yavish was thankful to Dala for giving her a place to stay for a time.  She looked around what would become her bedroom and came up with a plan.  For now, the goal would be to acquire a bed, a chair, a table so she could at least live comfortably.  Yavish asked Dala, "Any shops I can visit to get some furniture?"

She lifted a finger as she remembered her other question and added in, "Also, of the tribes you mentioned, which is the most powerful out of them?"

Yavish seemed to accept the house, the visible disappointment in the lack of furniture was evident but it couldn't be helped. Even if they had available houses they were still building a stable economy. She couldn't rightly justify asking the villagers to build furniture  for strangers while their own futures were so uncertain. Fortunately, Yavish appeared to be motivated to add furniture herself when she requested for the shop names. Dala smiled and dug out a map of the village. The map was a crude drawing, since she had forgotten to bring along one of the maps made by a villager with actual artistic talent. She offered the map up to Yavish. 

"This will help you find all the stores and stalls you need." Dala stated. 

The map was crude but useful with its box houses and stick figures. Above each store was the name or the name of the owners. There was a store called Forever Furnishings run by pair of twins. One was a woodworker while the other focused in weaving and tailoring. Together they were able to supply most of the furnishings of the town. Under normal circumstances, their prices would be far higher since they had little competition. Dala made a deal with them so that their prices wouldn't rise too high in exchange for initial assistance during the setup of the stores. Many stores had made similar agreements with Dala since she was responsible for bringing them to the town, setting their stores up, and creating easier access to materials. To buy a bed with pillows and a mattress would be 90 silver, a chair 30 silver, and a table 50 silver. 

The other question Yavish had was related to the tribes. Dala's brow furrowed as she became increasingly concerned on what Yavish was planning. The minotaur had enough common sense, so she doubted Yavish would go racing around challenging the tribes but she couldn't help but feel a bit worried. Still, Dala would place her trust in her friend and hope she didn't do anything that would get her killed. 

"Well… it depends. There are some tribes that are big enough and large enough to move around continents." Dala began, "Lunar Sun and Broken Ember are the biggest examples of that. I think Lunar Sun are in the highlands right now. Broken Ember would be in the Bohar-Plains, north-east around this time of year. They're the strongest currently since they have Lycanthropes in the thousands." 

She remembered meeting Iona, daughter of the chief, a long time ago to arrange better relations, only to learn they weren't always present in the Bohar Plains. If she had done her research properly, she probably could have avoided going through all the effort for such little rewards. 

"But when the big tribes decide to stay in other continents for the season, then the ones that are the strongest are the Eira, the Greinea, and the Enkonah. They usually stick around throughout the year." She explained, "The Enkonah get their strength from their horse riding and are faster than the other three. They're a mix of humans and centaurs. The Eira are known for their strong connection to the magical world. Mostly humans with a few orcs. The Greinea are the largest whenever the bigger tribes are gone so they typically draw strength from their numbers. They are mix of a bunch of different types of people."

Her knowledge of the Bohar Plains was steady but she also understood the everchanging principles of the land. 

"But these things can change." Dala went on, "It only takes one plague or one bad year to bring a strong tribe to its knees, just like any country or group. The Bohar Plains are massive. If one tribe falls, another will rise to take its place." 

Yavish noticed the change in expression, however brief on Dala when she went to answer her question for more information on the tribes.  She decided that she had delved far enough into that rabbit hole and that her interest had been more than satiated.  What amazed her the most was the Broken Ember tribe with werewolf numbers that topped into the thousands.  She knew that the village was more than lucky to have Dala as their expert negotiator.  Yavish dreaded to imagine what would have become of the village had the Broken Ember decided to pursue more savage goals.

She looked over the map that Dala provided her with and just about managed to hold back a chuckle when she saw the stick figures.  Yavish's own artwork was never on a professional level, so she had no room to judge.  When she scoured the options available to her to purchase basic furniture, she decided to start at Forever Furnishings.  Yavish pointed a finger on the store and said, "I think I'll check out Forever Furnishings first and go from there."

The biggest circumstance that would factor into what she would buy would be the price in comparison to what she had on her.  Of course, Yavish also had to make sure that whatever she brought would not immediately break under her weight.  Then another thought came to mind.  A weapons store may be worth checking out if the village had one.  Her current weapons had served her well, especially in her and Dala's recent bout with the wolves, but she figured that it would not be a bad idea to browse the store to see if anything was there that grabbed her attention. 

Yavish seemed to have everything in order and her curiosity satisfied. Dala's previous concerns melted away since it looked like Yavish was just generally curious. Now she had a professional adventurer on her side, even if it was a temporary situation, Dala would feel safer whenever she had to leave for business or a duty. Cardawen would be lucky to have a warrior such as her.

"Forever Furnishings would be good. And check out the red stall marked on the maps. They make the most heavenly melopitas." She suggested. 

Dala always favored the part cake part cheesecake dessert with its melted honey but there were more duties to attend to. Runaway sheep wouldn't save her the endless amounts of paperwork she had on her table.  She also didn't want Yavish to feel like she was hovering so she decided to give her friend some space and let her explore the village on her own. The villagers would be pleasant to newcomers, especially when Yavish was going to purchase something and especially after the sheep rescue. 

"I'll let you do your thing." Dala said, "I've got more work to get done. Let me know if there's anything you need, okay?"

With a wave of her hand, she headed back to the upper floor of the barn, her temporary living space and went back to the paperwork. When the village was large enough, she would build her own place but for now she'd just use the upper room and focus on her work. If only more sheep were running away. Alas, somebody had to do the work and she wasn't going to leave it on its own.