Rumors of the Northern Sword Coast

[Oarthias]

A rather large dire bear, joins the gathering and stands behind the druidess. Golden-brown eyes alight with anger at the blatant disregard for the rules of foresting the trees. The hairs on her back bristle which would make her appear rather unapproachable.

[CooCooCachoo]

*Her head turned slightly and she murmured to sooth the large dire bear in a Sylvan tongue. If you have the language, feel free to PM me for what was said.*

[Oarthias]

The bristled fur of the dire bear begins to lower as the words spoken but her eyes still hold a great bit of anger.

[Leramak]

*The blinded woman in the hood, wearing no armor and painted with runes in ash and red mud, tracked the incoming steps with her eyeless stare and held her position. If any animal growled or moved she postured toward it and it maintained its ground without further complaint. She smiled, broadly, exposing her canines at the comments of the more disgruntled worker who seemed to itch for a fight and then saved her words for the ones in charge.*

As I have warned the Gate, I now warn you. What you take from the wilds must be repaid. The balance must be made whole. I see you at least only fell older trees, and so I appear unarmed rather than attacking.

You fell the old trees but you do so indescriminantly. I see no replanting, I see no selectivity for fast growing species. I see a campsite flattening the underbrush, I see waste and sawdust piled to rot, and there will be fires in my forests to warm your food. More growth to die so that you may build walls.

I asked the Gate how it repaid and reviered the balance... They told me they planted gardens.

A garden is no more the wilds than a fish bowl is the sea. Hopefully the crafty Blackroses have more to say?

The lumberjack of a man listens intently as the blind druid speak as he postures leaning putting all his weight onto his left side.

After the druid finishes speaking, he ponders for a moment. “There is nothing to be gained from leaving the land bare and deforested. It is not advantageous to either or and non-sustainable.”

He gives a broad grin as another bear enters the fray.

“After we are done, we will plant to replace what was taken and then some, right now I am afraid anything we plant will be trodden over by the laborers.”

He would look back towards the Cleric standing nearby listening in on the conversation before his gaze would look over the campsite.

“Perhaps there is a better way of harvesting lumber that you could show us as to not needlessly upset natures balance. We are fully prepared to learn if there is a more effective way.” He would turn to look at the druid a cheerful smile overtaken his face and he would reach up to wipe the sweat off his brow.

[Emeralds]

*The blinded woman in the hood, wearing no armor and painted with runes in ash and red mud, tracked the incoming steps with her eyeless stare and held her position. If any animal growled or moved she postured toward it and it maintained its ground without further complaint. She smiled, broadly, exposing her canines at the comments of the more disgruntled worker who seemed to itch for a fight and then saved her words for the ones in charge.*

As I have warned the Gate, I now warn you. What you take from the wilds must be repaid. The balance must be made whole. I see you at least only fell older trees, and so I appear unarmed rather than attacking.

You fell the old trees but you do so indescriminantly. I see no replanting, I see no selectivity for fast growing species. I see a campsite flattening the underbrush, I see waste and sawdust piled to rot, and there will be fires in my forests to warm your food. More growth to die so that you may build walls.

I asked the Gate how it repaid and reviered the balance... They told me they planted gardens.

A garden is no more the wilds than a fish bowl is the sea. Hopefully the crafty Blackroses have more to say?

The lumberjack of a man listens intently as the blind druid speak as he postures leaning putting all his weight onto his left side.

After the druid finishes speaking, he ponders for a moment. “There is nothing to be gained from leaving the land bare and deforested. It is not advantageous to either or and non-sustainable.”

He gives a broad grin as another bear enters the fray.

“After we are done, we will plant to replace what was taken and then some, right now I am afraid anything we plant will be trodden over by the laborers.”

He would look back towards the Cleric standing nearby listening in on the conversation before his gaze would look over the campsite.

“Perhaps there is a better way of harvesting lumber that you could show us as to not needlessly upset natures balance. We are fully prepared to learn if there is a more effective way.” He would turn to look at the druid a cheerful smile overtaken his face and he would reach up to wipe the sweat off his brow.

The woman listens as the conversation between the two unfold and seems content to just listen in not getting involved at this point. A content expression could be seen on her face with an occasional nod from time to time.

[CooCooCachoo]

*For a moment she seemed to consider him. Though she wore a blindfold, there was the distinct feeling that she was appraising him. The light around her seemed to shift as she considered. She then motioned to her pack of conjureed animals and they evaporated; Mists wisping away like forgotten dreams. She murmured to the elemental that groaned and also disapated. She bowed her head respectfully to it in parting. The massive male brown bear stepped forward and pressed his head under her arm. The glow around her settled finally into a warm, welcoming green. She moved with him as her guide to a pile of logs and ran her hands over them.*

Mmnn. . . Oak, Elm, some pine.

*She tapped the thick, straight pine log and said* More of these...

*She tapped the oak.* Far less of these. The oaks take centuries to grow. If you take one, take an elder one that has begun to rot at the base. If you can stick a sword into the ground next to an oak with no force, it is ready to be felled. The wood inside will still make fine works. They are also full of knots and curves. If your wood worker is skilled, they will make fine pieces indeed, but pine grows straight, even and quickly. it is better for building structure and quickly. Save seeds and make counts of what you take. Plant exactly what you have taken and not just the pine that suits you.

If your rangers bow to Mielikki, be sure each fire has the dread prayer spoken over it.

The sawdust and trimmed branches that do not make your fires for food. . . If it is possible, mound it around the treestumps. A little near each one and not a giant mound. Do not burn the stumps nor pull them; let the mushrooms feast and return them to soil slowly to feed the new seeds you plant near each one.

Turn the ground as you leave. You will have packed it down and trampled it as you say, but the scar you leave will be much less long lasting if you losen the soil so new growth may take it unhindered and...

*She placed a bag of seeds in his hand* Scatter this behind you. They are weeds that grow in this area.

When you take give reverence to the Earthmother who bore all life and to the gods of the wild for the bounty that now protects and houses you. Leave an offering, burried in the center of your camp. Something of value to you in sacrifice for the earth to claim. A sacrifice *she pointed to the logs* for a sacrifice.

*she sniffed in his direction after letting go of the bag of seeds in his hand. She pointed to a small purple flowering shrub.* That is soapwart... It's very fast growing... Take as much as you need. *she doesn't explain pointing it out.*

[Leramak]

*For a moment she seemed to consider him. Though she wore a blindfold, there was the distinct feeling that she was appraising him. The light around her seemed to shift as she considered. She then motioned to her pack of conjureed animals and they evaporated; Mists wisping away like forgotten dreams. She murmured to the elemental that groaned and also disapated. She bowed her head respectfully to it in parting. The massive male brown bear stepped forward and pressed his head under her arm. The glow around her settled finally into a warm, welcoming green. She moved with him as her guide to a pile of logs and ran her hands over them.*

Mmnn. . . Oak, Elm, some pine.

*She tapped the thick, straight pine log and said* More of these...

*She tapped the oak.* Far less of these. The oaks take centuries to grow. If you take one, take an elder one that has begun to rot at the base. If you can stick a sword into the ground next to an oak with no force, it is ready to be felled. The wood inside will still make fine works. They are also full of knots and curves. If your wood worker is skilled, they will make fine pieces indeed, but pine grows straight, even and quickly. it is better for building structure and quickly. Save seeds and make counts of what you take. Plant exactly what you have taken and not just the pine that suits you.

If your rangers bow to Mielikki, be sure each fire has the dread prayer spoken over it.

The sawdust and trimmed branches that do not make your fires for food. . . If it is possible, mound it around the treestumps. A little near each one and not a giant mound. Do not burn the stumps nor pull them; let the mushrooms feast and return them to soil slowly to feed the new seeds you plant near each one.

Turn the ground as you leave. You will have packed it down and trampled it as you say, but the scar you leave will be much less long lasting if you losen the soil so new growth may take it unhindered and...

*She placed a bag of seeds in his hand* Scatter this behind you. They are weeds that grow in this area.

When you take give reverence to the Earthmother who bore all life and to the gods of the wild for the bounty that now protects and houses you. Leave an offering, burried in the center of your camp. Something of value to you in sacrifice for the earth to claim. A sacrifice *she pointed to the logs* for a sacrifice.

*she sniffed in his direction after letting go of the bag of seeds in his hand. She pointed to a small purple flowering shrub.* That is soapwart... It's very fast growing... Take as much as you need. *she doesn't explain pointing it out.*

As she would speak he would walk with her trying to follow along as best as he could acknowledging the mentioning of the different varieties of tree's and the methods employed on determining which to fell.
He would take the bag of seed from her as she placed it in his hand a quick "Thank you." would be uttered.
He would continue to listen as she would speak on the earthmother and or sacrifice. He would remain silent until the purple flowers were pointed out.
"What purpose would this serve?" he would ask slightly curious.

[CooCooCachoo]

As she would speak he would walk with her trying to follow along as best as he could acknowledging the mentioning of the different varieties of tree's and the methods employed on determining which to fell.
He would take the bag of seed from her as she placed it in his hand a quick "Thank you." would be uttered.
He would continue to listen as she would speak on the earthmother and or sacrifice. He would remain silent until the purple flowers were pointed out.
"What purpose would this serve?" he would ask slightly curious.

*Her blindfolded countenance went as flat as could be imagined without seeing her eyes.*

"It's for bathing. Boil it down, strain the plant out of the liquid and use that liquid for your bodies when you bathe. It will keep your body fresh for a good 12-24 candlemarks even through a fair bit of rigor. It also does not perturb the streams you bathe in and will not kill the fish. It is far more gentle than, but every bit as effective as, the lye soaps to which you are acustomed. We will return to see that the balance was respected. By the looks of your rations... Two weeks?"

*with that she would move away, unless she was stopped she and her bear disappeared into the woods like they were never there.*

[LivT]

One of the bears of the pack shifted; in the shadows of an ancient oak it might well have been a dryad in a cloak, so shrouded in bark and leaves as she.

“Carry what you’ve learned with you.” Her voice was surprisingly gentle, “for if you ever felled a dryads tree, her kin would not show temperance.”

Unless more was to be said or asked, she would leave with her sisters.

The crow, however, stayed in the boughs.

[Oarthias]

The dire bear doesn't seem as content to leave as the others, but she follows her sisters nonetheless.

[Leramak]

"That's not a bad idea" *he would chuckle as he would wipe some more sweat off his forehead. "I think we could all use a good cleaning up."

"For now, we may end up staying longer depending on how much lumber is needed." He would give her a thumbs up though he still hasn't realized she is blind.
He would then turn back towards the camp and face towards the cleric. "Lets see about marking the tree's to be felled differently."
He would walk down pick up his ax and begin talking with the other laborers about the measures going forward.

[JustAnotherGuy]

Throughout the logging process, occasionally a giant white wolf can be seen through the trees. He is not stealthy, but neither is he obvious. He does his best to appear non-aggressive, staying far enough away so as to hopefully not cause any panic amongst the laborers. He is not a constant presence and only shows up just after dawn, and just before dusk for short times.

[CooCooCachoo]

*There was always the feeling of being peacefully watched. A large brown bear, the size of which had not been seen for centuries, patroled the distance. Mostly only the rangers of the camp saw the massive beast and found it keeping the perimeter safe from bugabears and hobgoblins. Ocassionally it might be seen in the company of other creatures and the great white wolf. Murmurs would spread that long had the wilds known little protection and now a mysterious wild druid who took the form of a legendary bear roamed all of the forests of the coast. Along with her sisters, the white wolf, and at least one skilled ranger, they kept nature's ways. The time of neglect was clearly over now, but also too was the feeling of danger in the wilds to those that paid respects to the balance. . .*

[Emeralds]

The lumber camp would now be fully set up as the majority of Laborers would continue to fell trees that were marked well in advance using the techniques that the druid had spoke of. The majority of the tree's felled would be Pine with the occasional oak here and there. The rangers had taken out time when they first arrived and marked out the forest acre by acre. As the tree's marked with an acre were felled and cleared the laborers would spread the sawdust and shavings before spreading seed then overturning the soil. After that they would move on to the next acre and repeat the process.

The sentries would keep a constant watch for Bugbears and goblins within the area being ever so vigilant.

[Leramak]

The Big lumberjack of a man could be seen helping out loading the logs onto the wagons and strapping them down getting ready for transport.
Pack horses would be used to pull logs to the loading sites. Where the pines and the oaks were separated into different piles.
By the end of the day the first load would be ready for transport as it would pull out. Accompanied by the lumberjack of a man now sporting Plate armor.