Letters From the West: The Benefits of Crafting

Dearest Bria –

In your last letter, you inquired about the things that I have learned in my travels. I’m glad you asked! One of the things that takes a great amount of time away from my adventuring is the honing of my forestry and woodworking skills. Of course, the scrounging of wood scraps for both fire and weaponry was a necessity on my long journey to the white city, but it has become something much, much more now. In fact, not a day goes by when I don’t chop and gather some sort of wood or another, most times without even thinking about it. Climbing the Misty Mountains? Gather wood. Creeping through the dark of Khazad Dum? Gather wood. Charging headlong into battle with a fearsome war band? Halt, good fellowship, I must gather this wood! I’ve found that gathering wood on the plains of Rohan to be quite easy from the saddle of my war-steed. This doesn’t seem to be the case in other realms, however. It must be due to the flat topography of Rohan.

The fruits of my woodworking labor!

Of course, all of this gathering would be bothersome be it not for the mystical and fantastic creations I am now able to fashion after so many long hours of toiling and apprenticeship. For example, many a hobbit has approached me to inquire about crafting a club, which I suppose is just a log whittled down into a smaller log. No matter, I have also been commissioned by several masters of lore to provide them with staves! Which, again, I suppose, is just a stick when you get right down to it. As a crafter of wood, one of my most sought-after items is a pile of logs that sets next to a hearth in many a Breeland homestead in order to…um…be burned for warmth or food preparation. Which are both very important, I suppose.

When I began the long, arduous process of training to be a master woodcrafter, it made a good deal of sense, being that I use bows in battle and for the hunt. However, I have never been able to get my creative timetable correct. It seems as though when I had finally perfected the crafting of a certain type of bow, it was of limited use to me! I usually end up selling my bows to local vendors or giving them to other hunters instead of actually using them. At times, I give them to the children of the village who are looking for a new way to pass the day. Perhaps I am just slow to learn my craft, or perhaps I spend too much time on the trail of orcs (and not enough time studying!).

Likewise, Borowolf has learned much of the culinary arts since you last saw one another. As a leader of men, one of his responsibilities is to make sure all in his company are well-nourished. We were both rather excited when he very recently learned the secret Eastemnet recipe for coffee. I cannot reveal what the secret is, except to say that it comes in some form of bean. That is all the information you shall get from me, and begging for more will do you no good. The cook’s guild would stew me if they knew I had this knowledge! The reason for the secrecy is the affects that this “coffee” has on a person. Those who consume this strange brew move faster than the average man or elf. Soldiers and scholars alike can go hours without sleep, and this is indeed good, as we all know how sleep dulls the senses. In fact I have consumed several cups myself on this very day with no ill effects whatsoever. What is that noise outside?….ORCS! To arms! To arms!

My apologies, Bria. It seems as though a small varmint was attempting to enter my homestead. How unfortunate for him.

As you can see, the time we’ve used learning these crafts has indeed been well spent! I only hope that someday, when we meet again, I can demonstrate my skill at making sticks into…smaller sticks. It is much more impressive in person, I assure you!

Until then, shoot straight!

Your brother,

Braxwolf

I’d rather be hunting.

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Braxwolf can be found on twitter at @braxwolf

or on Windfola, making sticks smaller