"The things that make a forest a good neighbor will be, yes, plant growth, and goodberries could be a nice treat now and again, and wood, and lines of communication. I think we're hearing things in both directions about whether a forest is a thing that can do something or not do it, the way a country is. Who-all would need to agree, for your forest to do or not do something? When they sent you were they saying they'd take your report and follow along with what agreements you made?"

"The forest has a council of druids, with representatives of some of the other races and - communities in it, and they'd need to agree to the deal. If they do, I don't think anyone else in the forest is strong enough to seriously oppose them. Some people might choose not to help, it's not all - giving orders, but most people eventually need something from the druids and their friends so they'd get it done. Most of the people who actively, deliberately defend the forest from outsiders are already the druids and their friends, so they'd be helping."

"I can't promise specific things for them right now. I can suggest and propose things, and tell you what I think they'll want and accept, and then I'll tell them what you said and what you want. And then I really think some people from both sides will need to meet again and figure out the best terms, to settle on a final deal."

"All right. So from where we're sitting it may be the best we can do to say that there ought to be an ambassador of some kind to your forest, maybe to the other two also, and they should talk about what they want and what they can do to trade for it."

"Yes! That would be very good. To say we and you both don't want to fight, and we should talk and try to agree on peace and trade." Soler is her new favourite city human! Putting "we should talk and not fight" in the Chelish highest law is all she ever wanted. (At least, all of it that was realistic, given that Eulàlia exists.)

"The Whisperwood doesn't have anyone in charge," Tuimfane points out. "It's a place, not a town." 

...this elf probably isn't a real druid after all.

It makes sense that the druids of Ravounel Forest are more organized, because they run the best forest-defense in Avistan, but all druids are fundamentally social creatures. Not in the sense that they have to live together, but - they live in the context of there being other druids in their forest. They keep in touch with each other, they help and guide the rest of the forest, and obviously they have to agree on things sometimes. If they couldn't organize the forest to do things, there'd be no forest left! They can't just - depend on Hell portals and dragons to keep the humans away!

"Either of you know about the third forest?"

That's a great question Feather has been dreading all week! She wishes there was a druid delegate from Whisperwood here with her to back her up. (Seriously, that forest is several times bigger than Ravounel, why couldn't they spare a delegate?)

"I don't know as much as I'd like to," she confesses. "I've been there briefly and I was taught about it some. I think the druids have several more local groups, because it's a much bigger forest, and one group of people can't organize and keep track of it all from one place. But I expect they all at least know each other, so they should be able to arrange a meeting of representatives from the different areas or something."

(She thinks the most likely reason they didn't send a delegate is that no one could speak for the whole forest, although they didn't exactly tell her this.)

"Well, they didn't for this convention, so I don't see too much reason for optimism that they'll pull together if someone asks again."

"They might not have known the convention would let them talk about this, or what the new government is like. I only came because I hoped, the invitation to the convention didn't actually say it was for promoting peace and trade with the forests. It's worth asking them."

"All right, we can recommend figuring out whether there's something there to send an ambassador to."

"No forests have a government, any more than the Abyss does."

"I never met anybody from the Abyss and I suppose they might lie even if they said they had a council, but Feather says her forest's got a council. I can't cast Plant Growth. Might never be able to. But druids can and I'd like to finagle a way to make it look like the right thing to do."

'I expect you've been to both so you can compare', Feather does not say to Eulàlia, because she wants to be nice to Soler.

"Can Delegate Seguer please not interfere while Sower Soler talking?" Liushna asks, as sweetly as she can. 

"I can look out for myself, thanks."

"Among humans the convention is that when one person stops speaking and looks around the room, he invites comment from others. I know that this is one of the many ways humans are different from the strix. Another is that we are not cannibals."

There's a cannibal on the committee??????

"There wasn't any call for that."

"...Well, actual reason Delegate Seguer should not talk is because have no idea what talking about. But thought better say other reason." 

"Honored chair, the strix habit of cannibalism strikes me as precisely the sort of cultural difference which a committee like this one should strive to learn about so as to better understand one another. Truly, how can we build the foundations of mutual respect without mutual comprehension?"

"Not sure what cannibal mean exactly. If mean eat other person same species, strix not do. If means eat other person, most strix tribes not do. Very few tribe do and nobody like them. Also," she examines her fingernails, which is something she's seen bitchy human women do, "think human never eat human, still not know what talking about." 

"This is the committee on Forests, not the committee on what to have for supper. Both of you cut it out."

Liushna shrugs and sits back in her chair. She got the last word in, so that's fine. 

"I apologize, honored chair. Delegate Windwhip, perhaps we can meet after this session so I can learn more about which are the people-eating tribes. I think our previous conversation was on - attempting to figure out if there's someone to send a delegate to? I'm pessimistic, but won't vote in opposition, so long as the delegate has written a will and has grown children and so on."