Forester (sage study)

Forester is a sage study in the field of Wilderland which grants the character a considerable familiarity with forested regions in temperate and sub-arctic climes, from high taiga to thick deciduous forests. The study also provides a certain familiarity with the fauna of such regions, as well as survival skills.

To the forester, a forest is not an undifferentiated mass of trees, but a place that presents itself in parts, each with its own character and expectation. The press of trunks, the thickness of growth, the fall of the land and the quality of light are taken in together, forming an immediate sense of where one stands and what the place allows. Nothing appears neutral; each stretch of ground carries a weight of use, difficulty or promise that is recognised without pause.

The forest does not conceal itself so much as it withholds from those who do not know it. To the forester, its signs are plain. The arrangement of growth, the interruption of pattern, the presence or absence of sound and movement all speak, not as curiosities but as part of a continuous awareness. What is near, what is distant, what has passed and what may be encountered are all understood as part of the same impression. This study does not grant knowledge of the forest as an object, but familiarity with it as a condition. The forester does not stand apart from the wood, but exists within it without uncertainty, taking its measure instinctively and responding to it as readily as to open ground or clear sky.

Sage Abilities

The sage abilities below are those acquired by a character through the study, according to status.

Amateur Status

• Birdwatching: gives the practice of seeking and observing birds in their natural setting, sharpening the ability to distinguish species by shape, motion, call and habit, even when glimpsed briefly or obscured by foliage.

• Construct Bivouac: gives knowledge of how to raise a serviceable wooden frame shelter within hours, using available materials to produce immediate protection from weather, wind and ground conditions.

• Identify Clean Water: provides reasonable certainty that found water, though impure, will be clean enough to drink, by recognising signs of stagnation, contamination or safe flow within the landscape.

• Tree Climbing: gives skill at ascending through branches and foliage with speed and control, maintaining balance and grip while navigating irregular growth and shifting support.

• Woodcutting: gives skill at selecting and cutting timber suited to need, judging grain, weight and condition so that wood is taken cleanly and with minimal waste.

• Woodland Foraging:gives improved ability to locate edible plant and animal matter within forested regions, recognising where sustenance is likely to be found and gathered with efficiency.

Authority Status

• Locate Self: gives the ability to determine precise location within a known locus once features of the landscape can be observed, fixing position without reliance on distant markers.

• Locate Water: gives the ability to identify the probable location of existing water in wilderness landscapes, recognising terrain, growth and ground conditions that indicate its presence.

• Log Riding: gives sure-footedness when clambering across loose logs moving upon a rivercourse, maintaining balance and control while using a peavey, a short hooked pike.

• Mushroom Hunt: gives knowledge of when and where to search for edible or poisonous mushrooms in a wild environment, recognising the conditions under which they are likely to grow.

• Improved Shelter: gives the ability to strengthen outdoor shelters for greater durability and warmth against severe weather, improving structure, insulation and resistance to wind and rain.

• Forest Sign: gives innate knowledge of the forester's language, allowing the land to be read clearly through marks, disturbances and patterns that reveal passage, use and presence.

See Ranger Sage Abilities