Chapter 150: War of the Oaks
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Chapter 150: War of the Oaks
"Bogs are caused by water. Springs, underground streams, or the spread of a river across a big area. Iron bogs are always from water coming up from deeper down, carrying iron particles with it, dissolved into the water. As the water lays in the bog a few things happen. You get the formation of peat, for one. It would be nice to find a peat bog. Good soil, and makes a nice slow-burning fire. Look for spongy moss and a lot of decayed vegetable matter."
"But for the iron, the telltale signs are an oiliness to the water and maybe some red tinge to exposed rocks. The iron slowly accumulates. Sometimes it's just pea sized nuggets, but you can get very large chunks if the area has been undisturbed for a long time. In ancient Europe, the first iron weapons were made of bog iron and the Vikings used a lot of it. It was also found in the Americas in the early days of exploration. Not as good as a mine, since the quantity is limited, but it was easier to work with and didn't have the sulfur of the mined ore."
"This stuff you have isn't bog iron. It looks like it, but it's dark steel ore. Hard as hell, a tier 2 material. I can work it, but just barely. I'd be really happy with you boys if you find some big chunks. My blacksmithing is lagging behind with all this building I have to so. Let's just say I'd be happy to make some nice dark steel axes with iron wood handles. Now those would cut down a tree fast."
=*=
Having been giving a lecture on bog iron from Jorges, the two lumberjacks made plans to enter the area of warring trees again. They circled further around the city, climbing tall trees to find a quicker route to the meadow that the one they had taken the day before. They found a path in the form of a dried stream bed. It had recently had water in it. The shallows were dry, but the largest of pools were still there. The fish were worried and hoping for a big storm so they could escape downstream.
The forest slowly changed from the mixture of oak, holly, sassafras, apple, and rowan to a wood completely comprised oak trees. Either the other trees hadn't been invited, or they had chosen to not be part of the war. The trees were growing close together, but the two lumberjacks had no trouble walking to the meadow. The squirrels left them alone, and trees seemed to pull branches out of their way. Even without the streambed, they could have walked through the forest easily. As they neared the meadow, a quest box appeared.
Rejoice Brothers! No longer shall the Iron Lords of the Hickory ignore us, content to live their long lives free of fear from axes and fire. They shall share the magic waters of their sacred spring or they shall die!
The age of the Hickory is ending. This is the age of the Oak!
Though you are sap-handed tree-slayers, the Brotherhood of Oaks accepts you. You too have struggled against the Hickory and felt the wrath of their Iron Branches. Join us and be rewarded.
-Assist squirrel scouts to plant 20 acorns. Reward: 1 magic acornPlunge into the depths of Nøv€lß¡n, where information dwells.
-Uproot and slay 20 Ironwood Saplings. Reward: 5 magic acorns
-Cut down 10 Ironwood trees. (Repeatable.) Reward: 7 magic acorns
-Fell the evil BarkRoar, oppressor of the forest Reward: 100 magic acorns and you may join the forest forever!
"They expect us to work for nuts?" John was unimpressed by the offer.
Cham looked to the hordes of squirrels running through the trees with acorns. "Maybe we can trade them to the squirrels. Do you think they have anything?"
"I think that maybe the girls are right, we need to think on things a bit. Plan A doesn't look like it has a lot of rewards. Plus, I think they'll revoke our membership cards once we have to go back to work cutting them down for building projects. Let's go with plan B for now."
Cham agreed and they moved forward, right up to where the dried streambed came out of the meadow. The oaks had damned the stream with roots and rocks. Only a trickle came from between the stones. But no trees grew in the gap on either side. It was easy to jump from the dam and into the meadow.
They took a few minutes to get their bearings and look over the meadow. Knowing what to look for helped. Oily black water stood stagnant above thick peat. The moss and grass growing on the hummocks grew and decayed, making the whole area a mass of semi-solid land.
John looked down at the damn, and thought he could see several other spots around the perimeter where piles of stone indicated similar dams. "Good plan by the oaks. Hem in the hickory, dam things up, and let rot and rust take them out. I wonder how trees decide to go to war?"
Cham shook his head sadly. "Shit, I don't know why humans go to war, I'm not about to try to figure out trees. You ready?"
Both of them yelled to the other, "Plan B!" They dropped their packs, and their walking sticks, no axes were in sight. Each did carry an adze, with another in their belts, but they had flint heads instead of metal. No threat at all to an oak, let alone an Ironwood Hickory. Across the meadow they saw BarkRoar killing squirrels by throwing his Big Nuts at them. His aim was deadly and no squirrel survived contact with his nuts. Cham and Jon moved around the circle of the meadow to keep their distance from the angry treant.
Their targets were the small oak saplings that had been planted by the squirrels. They were easy to pull up out of the soft ground, or chop with an adze. Some of the squirrels became angry, and started to chitter at them. No squirrel wants to see its work undone, and they weren't going to finish their quota if the humans kept uprooting saplings.
Twice they found Ironwood Saplings laying on the ground. They did the best they could, moving them further into the meadow and replanting them.
Round and round the meadow they ran, tearing out oak saplings, saving Ironwood Saplings, and incurring the wrath of squirrels. A pack of angry rodents followed them, more chittering from the trees.
Finally, the squirrels had had enough and went for reenforcements. When they had gathered enough to deal with two humans, dozens of fuzzy-tailed warriors leaped from the trees and chased the lumberjacks as a pack.
"Oh shit! We have a rodent problem Cham. I think it's time to do some pest control!"
Both lumberjacks pulled their second adze from their belts and prepared to fight. Unlike their earliest fights against creatures in the wilds, the situation wasn't hopeless. Back when they had first arrived a lone goblin had killed them. Also, a woodchuck, a carnivorous flower, and a large, muscular rabbit.
Now though, they had weapons. An adze wasn't a great weapon, but it wasn't categorized as a default weapon. Both men had used them extensively to cut branches, and strip bark from trees. At Level 7 and STR 12 the adze in each hand had a good chance of chopping a squirrel in half with one blow.
Adze Damage: 10 points + 5xLevel +5xSTR = 105
Adze Chance to hit: 10% + 5xLevel +5xSTR = 105%
The squirrels were small, fast, and hard to hit which gave them 30% evasion, but a Tier 2 creature had a 20% advantage to hit a Tier 1, cancelling most of that bonus.
In addition to squirrels being easy to hit and every hit being a kill, the two lumberjacks had earned some abilities with their Core Skill Points:
'I can do this all day.' decreased any stamina costs.
'Tough as the trees you fell' gave them 20 points of mitigation to physical damage. And of course, the curse added another 5, reducing all squirrel bites or scratches by 25 points.
There is trouble with the trees
For the Hickory want more sunlight
And the Oaks ignore their pleas.
The trouble for the Hickory
(And they’ call it a disgrace)
They say the Oaks are just too many
And they grab up all the space.
But the Oaks won't stop their war
And they like the way they’re made
And they wonder if the Hickory
Can be left rotting in the shade?
There is trouble in the Forest
And the creatures all have fled
As the Hickory call for lumberjacks
And the squirrels just shake their heads
So, the Hickory hired workers
And demanded equal rights
‘The Oaks are just too greedy
We will make them give us all the light’
Now there’s no more Oak oppression
Because the Baron needs the wood
And now there's only pepper fields
Where the noble oaks once stood.
-With apologies to Rush.
The Oaks began this War. The Ironwood Hickory will end it.
(With a little help from our friends.)
-Kill 20 squirrel scouts. Reward: One blessing of the Glade
-Kill 50 squirrel scouts Reward: Three blessings of the Glade
-Kill 100 squirrel scouts Reward: Seven blessings of the Glade
-Kill Razortooth Fluffytail Reward: Ten blessing of the Glade
-Fell 100 Oaks. (Repeatable) Reward: Ten blessings of the Glade
-Remove cursed stone from the Glade Reward: One blessing of the Glade
-End the Scourge of Rust Blight Reward: A place in the Glade.
-Remove the bodies of the fallen Reward: 20 blessings of the Glade
Please report us if you find any errors so we can fix it asap!
Chapter 150: War of the Oaks
"Bogs are caused by water. Springs, underground streams, or the spread of a river across a big area. Iron bogs are always from water coming up from deeper down, carrying iron particles with it, dissolved into the water. As the water lays in the bog a few things happen. You get the formation of peat, for one. It would be nice to find a peat bog. Good soil, and makes a nice slow-burning fire. Look for spongy moss and a lot of decayed vegetable matter."
"But for the iron, the telltale signs are an oiliness to the water and maybe some red tinge to exposed rocks. The iron slowly accumulates. Sometimes it's just pea sized nuggets, but you can get very large chunks if the area has been undisturbed for a long time. In ancient Europe, the first iron weapons were made of bog iron and the Vikings used a lot of it. It was also found in the Americas in the early days of exploration. Not as good as a mine, since the quantity is limited, but it was easier to work with and didn't have the sulfur of the mined ore."
"This stuff you have isn't bog iron. It looks like it, but it's dark steel ore. Hard as hell, a tier 2 material. I can work it, but just barely. I'd be really happy with you boys if you find some big chunks. My blacksmithing is lagging behind with all this building I have to so. Let's just say I'd be happy to make some nice dark steel axes with iron wood handles. Now those would cut down a tree fast."
=*=
Having been giving a lecture on bog iron from Jorges, the two lumberjacks made plans to enter the area of warring trees again. They circled further around the city, climbing tall trees to find a quicker route to the meadow that the one they had taken the day before. They found a path in the form of a dried stream bed. It had recently had water in it. The shallows were dry, but the largest of pools were still there. The fish were worried and hoping for a big storm so they could escape downstream.
The forest slowly changed from the mixture of oak, holly, sassafras, apple, and rowan to a wood completely comprised oak trees. Either the other trees hadn't been invited, or they had chosen to not be part of the war. The trees were growing close together, but the two lumberjacks had no trouble walking to the meadow. The squirrels left them alone, and trees seemed to pull branches out of their way. Even without the streambed, they could have walked through the forest easily. As they neared the meadow, a quest box appeared.
Rejoice Brothers! No longer shall the Iron Lords of the Hickory ignore us, content to live their long lives free of fear from axes and fire. They shall share the magic waters of their sacred spring or they shall die!
The age of the Hickory is ending. This is the age of the Oak!
Though you are sap-handed tree-slayers, the Brotherhood of Oaks accepts you. You too have struggled against the Hickory and felt the wrath of their Iron Branches. Join us and be rewarded.
-Assist squirrel scouts to plant 20 acorns. Reward: 1 magic acornPlunge into the depths of Nøv€lß¡n, where information dwells.
-Uproot and slay 20 Ironwood Saplings. Reward: 5 magic acorns
-Cut down 10 Ironwood trees. (Repeatable.) Reward: 7 magic acorns
-Fell the evil BarkRoar, oppressor of the forest Reward: 100 magic acorns and you may join the forest forever!
"They expect us to work for nuts?" John was unimpressed by the offer.
Cham looked to the hordes of squirrels running through the trees with acorns. "Maybe we can trade them to the squirrels. Do you think they have anything?"
"I think that maybe the girls are right, we need to think on things a bit. Plan A doesn't look like it has a lot of rewards. Plus, I think they'll revoke our membership cards once we have to go back to work cutting them down for building projects. Let's go with plan B for now."
Cham agreed and they moved forward, right up to where the dried streambed came out of the meadow. The oaks had damned the stream with roots and rocks. Only a trickle came from between the stones. But no trees grew in the gap on either side. It was easy to jump from the dam and into the meadow.
They took a few minutes to get their bearings and look over the meadow. Knowing what to look for helped. Oily black water stood stagnant above thick peat. The moss and grass growing on the hummocks grew and decayed, making the whole area a mass of semi-solid land.
John looked down at the damn, and thought he could see several other spots around the perimeter where piles of stone indicated similar dams. "Good plan by the oaks. Hem in the hickory, dam things up, and let rot and rust take them out. I wonder how trees decide to go to war?"
Cham shook his head sadly. "Shit, I don't know why humans go to war, I'm not about to try to figure out trees. You ready?"
Both of them yelled to the other, "Plan B!" They dropped their packs, and their walking sticks, no axes were in sight. Each did carry an adze, with another in their belts, but they had flint heads instead of metal. No threat at all to an oak, let alone an Ironwood Hickory. Across the meadow they saw BarkRoar killing squirrels by throwing his Big Nuts at them. His aim was deadly and no squirrel survived contact with his nuts. Cham and Jon moved around the circle of the meadow to keep their distance from the angry treant.
Their targets were the small oak saplings that had been planted by the squirrels. They were easy to pull up out of the soft ground, or chop with an adze. Some of the squirrels became angry, and started to chitter at them. No squirrel wants to see its work undone, and they weren't going to finish their quota if the humans kept uprooting saplings.
Twice they found Ironwood Saplings laying on the ground. They did the best they could, moving them further into the meadow and replanting them.
Round and round the meadow they ran, tearing out oak saplings, saving Ironwood Saplings, and incurring the wrath of squirrels. A pack of angry rodents followed them, more chittering from the trees.
Finally, the squirrels had had enough and went for reenforcements. When they had gathered enough to deal with two humans, dozens of fuzzy-tailed warriors leaped from the trees and chased the lumberjacks as a pack.
"Oh shit! We have a rodent problem Cham. I think it's time to do some pest control!"
Both lumberjacks pulled their second adze from their belts and prepared to fight. Unlike their earliest fights against creatures in the wilds, the situation wasn't hopeless. Back when they had first arrived a lone goblin had killed them. Also, a woodchuck, a carnivorous flower, and a large, muscular rabbit.
Now though, they had weapons. An adze wasn't a great weapon, but it wasn't categorized as a default weapon. Both men had used them extensively to cut branches, and strip bark from trees. At Level 7 and STR 12 the adze in each hand had a good chance of chopping a squirrel in half with one blow.
Adze Damage: 10 points + 5xLevel +5xSTR = 105
Adze Chance to hit: 10% + 5xLevel +5xSTR = 105%
The squirrels were small, fast, and hard to hit which gave them 30% evasion, but a Tier 2 creature had a 20% advantage to hit a Tier 1, cancelling most of that bonus.
In addition to squirrels being easy to hit and every hit being a kill, the two lumberjacks had earned some abilities with their Core Skill Points:
'I can do this all day.' decreased any stamina costs.
'Tough as the trees you fell' gave them 20 points of mitigation to physical damage. And of course, the curse added another 5, reducing all squirrel bites or scratches by 25 points.
There is trouble with the trees
For the Hickory want more sunlight
And the Oaks ignore their pleas.
The trouble for the Hickory
(And they’ call it a disgrace)
They say the Oaks are just too many
And they grab up all the space.
But the Oaks won't stop their war
And they like the way they’re made
And they wonder if the Hickory
Can be left rotting in the shade?
There is trouble in the Forest
And the creatures all have fled
As the Hickory call for lumberjacks
And the squirrels just shake their heads
So, the Hickory hired workers
And demanded equal rights
‘The Oaks are just too greedy
We will make them give us all the light’
Now there’s no more Oak oppression
Because the Baron needs the wood
And now there's only pepper fields
Where the noble oaks once stood.
-With apologies to Rush.
The Oaks began this War. The Ironwood Hickory will end it.
(With a little help from our friends.)
-Kill 20 squirrel scouts. Reward: One blessing of the Glade
-Kill 50 squirrel scouts Reward: Three blessings of the Glade
-Kill 100 squirrel scouts Reward: Seven blessings of the Glade
-Kill Razortooth Fluffytail Reward: Ten blessing of the Glade
-Fell 100 Oaks. (Repeatable) Reward: Ten blessings of the Glade
-Remove cursed stone from the Glade Reward: One blessing of the Glade
-End the Scourge of Rust Blight Reward: A place in the Glade.
-Remove the bodies of the fallen Reward: 20 blessings of the Glade
Chapter 150: War of the Oaks"Bogs are caused by water. Springs, underground streams, or the spread of a river across a big area. Iron bogs are always from water coming up from deeper down, carrying iron particles with it, dissolved into the water. As the water lays in the bog a few things happen. You get the formation of peat, for one. It would be nice to find a peat bog. Good soil, and makes a nice slow-burning fire. Look for spongy moss and a lot of decayed vegetable matter.""But for the iron, the telltale signs are an oiliness to the water and maybe some red tinge to exposed rocks. The iron slowly accumulates. Sometimes it's just pea sized nuggets, but you can get very large chunks if the area has been undisturbed for a long time. In ancient Europe, the first iron weapons were made of bog iron and the Vikings used a lot of it. It was also found in the Americas in the early days of exploration. Not as good as a mine, since the quantity is limited, but it was easier to work with and didn't have the sulfur of the mined ore.""This stuff you have isn't bog iron. It looks like it, but it's dark steel ore. Hard as hell, a tier 2 material. I can work it, but just barely. I'd be really happy with you boys if you find some big chunks. My blacksmithing is lagging behind with all this building I have to so. Let's just say I'd be happy to make some nice dark steel axes with iron wood handles. Now those would cut down a tree fast."=*=Having been giving a lecture on bog iron from Jorges, the two lumberjacks made plans to enter the area of warring trees again. They circled further around the city, climbing tall trees to find a quicker route to the meadow that the one they had taken the day before. They found a path in the form of a dried stream bed. It had recently had water in it. The shallows were dry, but the largest of pools were still there. The fish were worried and hoping for a big storm so they could escape downstream. The forest slowly changed from the mixture of oak, holly, sassafras, apple, and rowan to a wood completely comprised oak trees. Either the other trees hadn't been invited, or they had chosen to not be part of the war. The trees were growing close together, but the two lumberjacks had no trouble walking to the meadow. The squirrels left them alone, and trees seemed to pull branches out of their way. Even without the streambed, they could have walked through the forest easily. As they neared the meadow, a quest box appeared.Rejoice Brothers! No longer shall the Iron Lords of the Hickory ignore us, content to live their long lives free of fear from axes and fire. They shall share the magic waters of their sacred spring or they shall die!The age of the Hickory is ending. This is the age of the Oak!Though you are sap-handed tree-slayers, the Brotherhood of Oaks accepts you. You too have struggled against the Hickory and felt the wrath of their Iron Branches. Join us and be rewarded.-Assist squirrel scouts to plant 20 acorns. Reward: 1 magic acornPlunge into the depths of Nvln, where information dwells.-Uproot and slay 20 Ironwood Saplings. Reward: 5 magic acorns-Cut down 10 Ironwood trees. Repeatable. Reward: 7 magic acorns -Fell the evil BarkRoar, oppressor of the forest Reward: 100 magic acorns and you may join the forest forever!"They expect us to work for nuts?" John was unimpressed by the offer.Cham looked to the hordes of squirrels running through the trees with acorns. "Maybe we can trade them to the squirrels. Do you think they have anything?""I think that maybe the girls are right, we need to think on things a bit. Plan A doesn't look like it has a lot of rewards. Plus, I think they'll revoke our membership cards once we have to go back to work cutting them down for building projects. Let's go with plan B for now."Cham agreed and they moved forward, right up to where the dried streambed came out of the meadow. The oaks had damned the stream with roots and rocks. Only a trickle came from between the stones. But no trees grew in the gap on either side. It was easy to jump from the dam and into the meadow.They took a few minutes to get their bearings and look over the meadow. Knowing what to look for helped. Oily black water stood stagnant above thick peat. The moss and grass growing on the hummocks grew and decayed, making the whole area a mass of semi-solid land. John looked down at the damn, and thought he could see several other spots around the perimeter where piles of stone indicated similar dams. "Good plan by the oaks. Hem in the hickory, dam things up, and let rot and rust take them out. I wonder how trees decide to go to war?"Cham shook his head sadly. "Shit, I don't know why humans go to war, I'm not about to try to figure out trees. You ready?"Both of them yelled to the other, "Plan B!" They dropped their packs, and their walking sticks, no axes were in sight. Each did carry an adze, with another in their belts, but they had flint heads instead of metal. No threat at all to an oak, let alone an Ironwood Hickory. Across the meadow they saw BarkRoar killing squirrels by throwing his Big Nuts at them. His aim was deadly and no squirrel survived contact with his nuts. Cham and Jon moved around the circle of the meadow to keep their distance from the angry treant.Their targets were the small oak saplings that had been planted by the squirrels. They were easy to pull up out of the soft ground, or chop with an adze. Some of the squirrels became angry, and started to chitter at them. No squirrel wants to see its work undone, and they weren't going to finish their quota if the humans kept uprooting saplings.Twice they found Ironwood Saplings laying on the ground. They did the best they could, moving them further into the meadow and replanting them. Round and round the meadow they ran, tearing out oak saplings, saving Ironwood Saplings, and incurring the wrath of squirrels. A pack of angry rodents followed them, more chittering from the trees.Finally, the squirrels had had enough and went for reenforcements. When they had gathered enough to deal with two humans, dozens of fuzzy-tailed warriors leaped from the trees and chased the lumberjacks as a pack. "Oh shit! We have a rodent problem Cham. I think it's time to do some pest control!"Both lumberjacks pulled their second adze from their belts and prepared to fight. Unlike their earliest fights against creatures in the wilds, the situation wasn't hopeless. Back when they had first arrived a lone goblin had killed them. Also, a woodchuck, a carnivorous flower, and a large, muscular rabbit. Now though, they had weapons. An adze wasn't a great weapon, but it wasn't categorized as a default weapon. Both men had used them extensively to cut branches, and strip bark from trees. At Level 7 and STR 12 the adze in each hand had a good chance of chopping a squirrel in half with one blow.Adze Damage: 10 points + 5xLevel +5xSTR = 105Adze Chance to hit: 10% + 5xLevel +5xSTR = 105%The squirrels were small, fast, and hard to hit which gave them 30% evasion, but a Tier 2 creature had a 20% advantage to hit a Tier 1, cancelling most of that bonus.In addition to squirrels being easy to hit and every hit being a kill, the two lumberjacks had earned some abilities with their Core Skill Points:'I can do this all day.' decreased any stamina costs. 'Tough as the trees you fell' gave them 20 points of mitigation to physical damage. And of course, the curse added another 5, reducing all squirrel bites or scratches by 25 points.There is trouble with the treesFor the Hickory want more sunlightAnd the Oaks ignore their pleas.The trouble for the HickoryAnd they' call it a disgraceThey say the Oaks are just too manyAnd they grab up all the space.But the Oaks won't stop their warAnd they like the way they're madeAnd they wonder if the HickoryCan be left rotting in the shade?There is trouble in the ForestAnd the creatures all have fledAs the Hickory call for lumberjacksAnd the squirrels just shake their headsSo, the Hickory hired workersAnd demanded equal rightsThe Oaks are just too greedyWe will make them give us all the light'Now there's no more Oak oppressionBecause the Baron needs the woodAnd now there's only pepper fieldsWhere the noble oaks once stood.-With apologies to Rush.The Oaks began this War. The Ironwood Hickory will end it.With a little help from our friends.-Kill 20 squirrel scouts. Reward: One blessing of the Glade-Kill 50 squirrel scouts Reward: Three blessings of the Glade-Kill 100 squirrel scouts Reward: Seven blessings of the Glade-Kill Razortooth Fluffytail Reward: Ten blessing of the Glade-Fell 100 Oaks. Repeatable Reward: Ten blessings of the Glade-Remove cursed stone from the Glade Reward: One blessing of the Glade-End the Scourge of Rust Blight Reward: A place in the Glade.-Remove the bodies of the fallen Reward: 20 blessings of the Glade
