The Woodsmen
Woodsmen use the Great
Forest to make their
living. Many woodsmen just make short
forays into the forest where they collect bundles of sticks that are sold as
firewood in the village. In the right
season they will supplement that with bagfuls of nuts and berries that they
collect. During the right season, they
will also bring back bags of fallen fir-cones, which also make excellent fuel
for the fire.
More serious woodsmen, however, can be found deeper in the forest, felling and
recovering trees that are needed by house builders or carpenters. These woodsmen know where to find most types
of tree that grow in the forest, and can source materials for most needs.
Charcoal burners, on the other hand, collect what wood they can. They will mix left over branches and
chippings from felled trees with freshly taken wood, and turn it into charcoal
for use by the smelter. Wood is
collected into a large pile covered with layers of earth and then burned slowly
to carbonise the wood and drive all the moisture off. The resulting charcoal burns much hotter than
normal wood.