Whispering Kin

Displaced long ago from their native settlements in the Micanshu Highlands the Oakborne are considered by many to be one of the Whispering Kin, or peoples who have betrayed their fellow humans to the Elves. Like others who are accused of this treachery aiding the greenbloods the Oakborne are an itinerant people who trade their skills and wares for a time with settlements and move on when demand for their services or goods diminish.
Suspicion of being Whispering Kin does not usually preclude a traveling band from setting up camp near a town, or even within a city. Many sheriffs may demand a deposit held in surety for encampments of the Oakborne or other wandering people, just as they might for the off season stay of a mercenary company.
Viewed with some wariness in the Ib River valley the Oakborne are broadly tolerated and even to a degree welcomed for their tales from other distant locations the average villager may never see for themselves, or the semi-luxury trade goods they may have to offer. In the lands north of their proclaimed home however, the displaced Oakborne are reviled as Whispering Kin spies for the elven tribes and believed to be in league with the realms of Fae'erie and the queen with whom the greenbloods wish to regain favor.
If passing through a region where a people may be considered Whispering Kin they often avoid settlements and move at times they expect to go unnoticed, often furthering the perception of their affiliation with the nomadic elves. Itinerant groups of humans are frequently the only ones the elves treat with amicably, and the elves will even allow them passage across their territory unmolested, adding to the suspicion of collusion.

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Originally written for 2024 Summer Camp challenge answering Myth A MYTH, URBAN LEGEND OR CONSPIRACY THEORY BELIEVED BY MANY TO BE TRUE