NORMS

     Everyday norms for us hobgoblins would best be explained by walking through a day of how we live. In the mornings, it is customary for the female hobgoblin of the household to wake everyone up at 5 am so the children may begin hunting and the adults may begin cooking, cleaning and organizing things around the hut. We always greet one another with a high five and it is important that we look into each other's eyes to ensure trust, otherwise it sends a message that one of us has done something wrong, has lied to someone about something, or that the hobgoblin has recently betrayed another's trust. When saying goodbye, we quickly hug one another, which signifies closeness and proper mannerisms. Simply waving goodbye is taken as an offense to us and it shows that you do not want to be close to the person you are saying goodbye to, nor do you have any trust in them. Failing to follow the customs of greetings will result in having all of us ignore the hobgoblin who failed and do so until they improve their manners.
     When hunting, since I am not a child any longer, I will explain how a child should act when they hunt. Before embarking on a hunting trip, a hobgoblin child should pray to the Nature Gods for prosperity in their trip and for good luck. After making a kill, a hobgoblin child should approach the animal, make a bed of ferns around it, and pray to the Nature Gods to thank them for the kill opportunity and for the luck that they were given. If this is not done, a child will be looked down upon by the Nature Gods and contract an illness or bad luck until they redeem themselves. They will also be outcast by all of us and forced to live across the river in seclusion until they redeem themselves.
     It is customary that before dinner (and only dinner), we all pray to the Nature Gods to thank them for our gift of food and our general well-being. On the second Wednesday of every month at dinnertime, we all gather around the fire for our universal Day of Thanks to the Nature Gods. All of us must bring an offering of food to be thrown into the fire so the Gods will be pleased. Traditional dances and songs are performed at this time, and a large feast is held with the finest foods in our village served. If someone is not in attendance at the Day of Thanks, then they are permanently outcast from the village and are never to return.