"We should send an observer. Maybe we'll learn something useful about the new rulers. Infiltrating archmages is hard but they're inviting people to come, so we can just have someone come."

"Most of the humans are terrified and confused and know even less about the convention than we do," says Gemma, their expert-on-Chelish-customs and principal spymaster (*) by dint of being Lawful Neutral. "You can walk in and be elected delegate tomorrow in half their counties, especially if you pay people."

(*) Not to Chelish standards, but she does talk to a lot of birds.

"Why throw anyone to the wolves? We withstood Aroden, we withstood Asmodeus, we'll withstand whoever the new humans serve. There's no need for a druid to go. If you want to learn something, get one of the humans who went after they all come back. If they come back." He snaps his beak for emphasis.

"I respect your position," says Violet Dahlia, the newest member of the mid-ranking Council of Druids, who is present mostly because they need a Chaotic Neutral member for a quorum and Salvador, being a little too Chaotic, is away at the most inopportune moment. "You defend half the forest's edges; of course the only humans you encounter are enemies. But fighting an eternal war is stagnation, because you're not winning. We need to be on the lookout for opportunities for new growth."

(The highest-ranking druids are busy with truly important tasks, and are present only inasfar an arch-druid is always present in spirit, everywhere in the forest entrusted to their care. This Council is composed of those wise enough to make good suggestions, but not so wise that their opinions will be backed by great individual power.

They make lesser decisions, and send greater ones up for approval. This will probably be a lesser decision, unless the Council is split.)

"I defend the edges because I know humans are the enemy. And in a few centuries you will gather enough disappointments to agree with me, girl."

"Peace," says Sofia, who as the True Neutral chair of the meeting has the privilege of taking the most comfy seat and the duty of saying "peace" every so often. "Marc, you're frustrated because we have talked this to death many times over. Violet, you won't change his mind and that's alright. Nothing has been proposed that would endanger the forest. The potential loss of a junior druid or other emissary should be weighed against the expected gain, but intelligence gathering is important. Particularly against those you name enemy."

"I think doing nothing isn't our best option. Violet is right, we shouldn't be too reactionary. Some of these new archmages are said to be Good."

"Andoran's new rulers are 'said to be Good'. Ask Verduran how much that helped. Humans and their gods never put alignment above their greed for dead bodies and empty land." An owlbear can't spit, but he metaphorically spits on humans and all their filth.

"I'm human. Not all humans are the enemy!"

"You are not human. You are a druid." Marc really wishes he could spend more time helping teach the next generation, but he can't leave the border undefended and who'd take his place? Violet, who wants to talk to the humans? Ferran, who probably helps them grow their crops when Marc isn't watching? Sometimes he feels none of these damned kids really understand the brutal necessities of survival.

"Peace", says Sofia in a warning tone.

"Fine. I'm not saying we do nothing. I'm saying we go on the offensive. Reclaim land while they're disorganized. We advance every time the humans are fighting each other, and hold the new ground after. It worked when Aroden died, it'll work again."

"On the offensive, against archwizards? Are you insane?! They took over Cheliax because they're stronger than the previous bunch!"

"They're not burning down the forest around us, are they? We'll take land from the humans the new rulers hate but don't replace yet. Have your spies ask about that. And we'll take land they're not using. The villages down south that were abandoned after the plague last decade. The grasslands by the bend of the Yolubilis. Violet's right, we need new growth and we have room for it. There's a dozen places I know ripe for planting, if we can stretch ourselves to defend them."

"Can we defend them?" Gemma asks dubiously.

"Focus, please. This does not affect the sending of an observer."

"Do the observers have something to add?"

Most of their companions are absent, filling in while they're at the council, so this comment is mainly addressed to the trees.

A tree nearby twists into a semblance of a face. "Of course we should reach out to them, if they are Good," says Oak. "Is there anything we can offer them in trade, or in return for leaving us alone, without repeating the travesty of the Verduran?"

"Plant growth. Obviously. They got rid of almost all the clerics of Erastil and now they've also got rid of the Asmodeans, so they've got to be desperate for it."

"To know what they want or need, we'll have to send someone to talk to them," Violet points out reasonably.

"What do we want? Other than the obvious."

"The obvious being for them to leave us alone. No logging or clearing, no excessive hunting. And to give us land they are not using. What else?"

"We can defend the forest; we don't need it as a concession we'd pay for."

"It would free you to expand the forest, take over new land."

"That I would have to fight for. If you think you can have peace and new land at the price of plant growth, you are deluded. I expect that won't stop you from trying."