The tree-shaper and the wood

[Svrtnsse]

Ahoy scribes,

I got hung up on a detail in my WIP and I need some outside input.

In my setting there's a specialized form of magic-use called Tree-Shaping. As the name implies it's basically a way of magically changing the shape of trees (and plants and other vegetables etc). Technically tree-shaping is no different from any other kind of magic and anyone able to wield magic would be able to do it provided they were able to grasp all of the complexities involved (kinda like playing a guitar, anyone can strum the strings but to make it sound good you need to know what you're doing). What separates the tree-shaper from another magician is that they have a deep intuitive understanding of the way the trees and plants work and as such they're able to manipulate them with much less effort.

Now the question is how would a tree-shaper react to something like carpentry or woodworking. The magic of tree-shaping requires the tree to be alive and able to grow, but chairs and tables and houses are made from wood that's no longer alive. Is this something that would bother a tree-shaper or not? Since they have a deep affinity and understanding of living plants and trees, would they find it disturbing on an emotional level to live in a wooden house, like a log-cabin?

If you have any thoughts on this, please share. If you have questions, please ask.

 

[Jess A]

Depends on your plot. A dislike for 'dead' wood can be a good plot device, especially if it makes them weak or jittery or affects a character relationship (etc). However, it might restrict certain plots. So you should consider your plot as well as logic on this one.

My logic tells me they might feel a bit sickened by it, but that can depend on their context - who trained them, where they grew up, their religion or beliefs etc. What's taboo. So many factors. Having a deep understanding of nature and life is definitely a big factor. On the other hand, they might just see chairs/tables etc as a dead thing, and therefore not important. Could shaping a tree to an unnatural extent be seen as cruel? Would someone killing a tree be seen as cruel? If they are against woodwork, would they be against any sort of land clearing?

 

[Svrtnsse]

These are good sensible points. Some of them I've thought of and some of them I haven't. I'll likely go with how it varies a bit between practitioners, probably with there being some kind of split between two different schools of thought.

 

[Jess A]

These are good sensible points. Some of them I've thought of and some of them I haven't. I'll likely go with how it varies a bit between practitioners, probably with there being some kind of split between two different schools of thought.

And that in itself could be a plot device.

 

[Svrtnsse]

Aye, it's unlikely to be a major one at this stage, but it could be used to bring some depth/background to characters involved.

 

[wordwalker]

One comparison might be to hunting; a good hunter kills animals, but does it with respect and because he uses the meat and hide. For that matter, some tribes make jewelry from their ancestors' bones; it can take some getting used to, but that doesn't make it wrong.

So a tree-shaper might find carpentry disturbing but bearable... although the sheer amount of cut wood in a building might take a long time to get used to. He'd need a good reason to stay around it at all, but with that established the rest would just be endured.

Then again, he might be outraged by the idea of killing trees deliberately, and the sheer scale of lumbering. If he is, that's a major source of conflict, the kind that turns his society into religious withdrawal or holy war.

 

[Svrtnsse]

I like the comparison with the hunter. I have been trying to come up with a good comparison but got stuck on the wrong path ("a surgeon wouldn't build a house of bones" is just silly). I guess another comparison would be to shepherds or others who keep animals. They care for their charges but aren't above butchering them for food and hides as well. Then again, that's not exactly the same either...

I guess playing up the duality/conflict is the right thing to do.

 

[mbartelsm]

It doesn't need to be black and white, it doesn't need fifty shades of gray either (bad joke, I know), each character is unique and their views may greatly differ. Think of a character who cares about trees, plants them, waters them, takes care of them and when he does the shaping he only uses the absolute bare minimum of the tree; Now think of a character who thinks of trees as nothing but a mean to an end, the important thing is not the tree but how he will use it, for him if may be easier to shape it while it's alive, for someone else it may be easier to do so after the tree is dead, it doesn't really matter.

 

[Kahle]

Depending on how deep certain characters' connection to the trees is, you might have them be able to 'read' dead wood. Say they walk into a great hall and run their hand along the main supports. They might be given impressions of an old forest long dead, great canopies-memories of the trees so to speak. Now a person who merely manipulates trees might not be able to read the wood in this way, but an expert or devoted apprentice might.

 

[Svrtnsse]

One thing I came up with was to compare it to the difference between vegetarians and people who eat meat. There are several reasons someone would be a vegetarian and there are varying degrees of it - some people eat fish, others are vegans.

 

[brokethepoint]

Two factors that I can think of right now.

First is how close do they live to cities or towns that would use carpentry.

The second is that trees will die from non human interaction, whether from natural or animal / insect. I think that in these cases the use of the wood would be seen as a good thing as it is not wasted.

In cases where people cut down live trees, I would go with the square peg round hole.

 

[Saigonnus]

I don't see why a treesinger would have issues with "dead" wood in general. Say hypothetically the treesinger "grows" a table from a large enough tree, it would be dead once he/she seperates it from the tree (which is unharmed by the growing process) It is simply a means to an end. Carpentry may be considered the "heathen" way of doing things in comparison with treesinging, but the end result is almost the same thing. I could see a tree-singer looking down on carpenters in general, but they might realize that not everyone can afford a treesung table or bench, so they have to go to a carpenter.

 

[Jess A]

One thing I came up with was to compare it to the difference between vegetarians and people who eat meat. There are several reasons someone would be a vegetarian and there are varying degrees of it - some people eat fish, others are vegans.

Hmm I can comment on this from a personal view. I eat fish and crustaceans but no other meat - for various reasons. But I actually fish for my food and I do it with the environment in mind. It's not killing and consuming the animal that bothers me, rather the methods I think (e.g. some farming methods).

This could be applied in your case. Wordwalker mentioned mass destruction of forests as opposed to taking a few trees/not wasting wood etc. This is a parallel. The other parallel is that I try to respect the fish I catch. Wordwalker also bought that up with the hunter parallel.

My brain is sleeping. Sorry if this made no sense!

 

[Svrtnsse]

Many thanks to all of you for the comments and feedback, it's much appreciated.