Stonewood

Within the dark Endless Forest that fills the Skarith Basin like moss in a cupped hand, there is a mound of stones piled as high as the trees. Moss and vines and roots weave the boulders together, making them one. Making them whole. And there it stands, at the foot of a clear lake, for all to see: Bolentor, the Stone Tower. Or, as it has come to be known by Gelfling far and wide, Stone-in-the-Wood.
Spilling out from the rocky rise is the village that the Stonewood clan calls home. Nestled in the wealth of the abundant forest and with the lake at its back, Stone-in-the-Wood is everything a woodland-dwelling Gelfling might dream of.
Stonewood Gelfling are known for their toughness and bravery, traits that are required to live in the eat-or-be-eaten world of the Endless Forest, where no Gelfling sits at the top of the food chain. The Stonewood take pride in their reputation, and as a community, they enjoy encouraging one another, even during competitive sports. While reducing a clan to a few attributes is foolhardy—no one is ever one thing or another just because of their clan affiliation—I can safely say the Stonewood go out of their way to emphasize their hardiness and courage, especially when interacting with Gelfling from other clans.
Like all Gelfling clans, the Stonewood have a clan-first mentality. When a Gelfling is faced with decisions for the future, They turn to the clan for guidance. No matter whom is asked, the answer always began with “What’s best for the clan?” Although this way of thinking teaches one to prioritize the one’s own clan and set aside the well-being of other Gelfling clans, it is one of the few concepts that the seven clans have in common.
Despite their physical strength martial prowess, the Stonewood are known to be tranquil and in tune with the natural world. The Endless Forest is the most biologically diverse region of Thra and the clan respect and honor the many creatures with which they share their home. Regardless of their role within the clan or station with society, Stonewood prefer to wear armor rather than regular civilian clothing or luxurious linens and silks. They are hard working, proud, and a bit rowdy. The Stonewood think of themselves as tougher and more resilient than the other clans. Other clans find the Stonewood arrogant and aggressive.
The recent battle against the Skeksis left Stone-in-the Wood devastated. Its Maudra, Maudra Fara died heroically defending and inspiring her people. Whoever will replace her as the clans leader will have huge shoes to fill. As such, the seat of the Maudra has been empty since Maurdra Faras death. Partially because her Fizzgig Baffi will viciously attack anyone who sits in the chair, but mostly because the idea of Maudra Fara seems to be inspiring the clan to greatness.

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History

Residing in the Endless Forest, the Stonewood & proximity to the Castle of the Crystal led them to find employment as armored guards for the Skeksis during the time of the Second Great Conjunction. Over time, they·came to compose the bulk of the Skeksis military might and fought for their masters during the Arathim rebellion, a series of battles against a race of sentient arachnids despised by the Skeksis. Honorable warriors, the Stonewood were also the first of the Gelfling to officially stand against their former lords during the Age of Resistance, once it was revealed that the Skeksis were draining the Gelfling to consume their -were essence The Stonewood capital is Stone-in-the-Wood, the site of the famed first uprising against the Skeksis.

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Daily Life

Stone-in-the-Wood is a large, industrious community, with daily roles carefully assigned the maudra and her elder council in order to maintain a prosperous, thriving clan. Among the Stonewood are blacksmiths, woodcrafters, stoneworkers, fire keepers, gardeners, hunters, and a dozen other specialists who all work together, day after day. The work within the community is balanced, oral tradition and wisdom are passed down, and the clan remains strong, healthy, and happy.
A role in the Stonewood clan are wayfinders. Their role among the Stonewood is to aid travelers in their journey, sometimes leaving for days at a time to guide others through the Endless Forest.
Days in Stone-in-the-Wood begin early in the morning—the first clang of the blacksmith’s hammer signifies the start to a new day. Those whose work takes them outside the bounds of the village say their goodbyes and depart; those whose work occupies them within the village meet in their groups to discuss the day’s plan. Work continues until sunset, when the hearth is lit for a communal supper and, of course, a song or two. At night, the lanterns full of Firebugs are strung along the shell-roofed homes at the base of the rise. The flickering light of the lanterns makes it seem as though the village itself rests among the sparkling stars.

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The Stonewood and the Skeksis Lords

On the edge of the Endless Forest, the earth splits, and out sprouts a magnificent castle of black stone, like a claw reaching for the very suns: the Castle of the Crystal. Within its mighty halls dwell the Skeksis Lords, and may they do so forever that Gelflings might warm their faces in their radiant light. Indeed, it is thanks to them that such a fantastic structure even exists. From any place where a Gelfling might crane their head above the trees of the wood, they will see the tower of the castle, proof of the impossible power wielded by the Skeksis, and evidence of their ability to protect that which lies hidden within the castle’s shining and hallowed walls.
While the Stonewood benefit from the natural bounty of the wood and the Black River, they also prosper from their proximity to the Skeksis. Many Stonewood are called to serve the Skeksis within the castle itself. This is an honor bestowed more frequently to Stonewood Gelfling than to Gelfling of any other clan. In youth, many younglings might receive an invitation to serve as guards. Their faces brighten when they hear they have been called by name to walk among the Skeksis. It is an unparalleled task among Gelfling, and especially among the Stonewood, whose relationship with the Skeksis might be called more intimate than that of any other clan (aside from the Vapra).
This discrepancy does not go unnoticed by the Stonewood clan. It is no secret that many Stonewood believe the Skeksis were in error when they chose the Vapra to be the leaders of the Gelfling and our ambassadors to the Skeksis. This is a sentiment learned and held by nearly all Stonewood Gelfling, even the maudra herself. Why was the Vapran Citadel chosen as the capital of the Gelfling when Stone-in-the-Wood is often called the hearth of the Skarith Land? The Stonewood maudra interacts with the Skeksis on a more frequent basis, and it is Stonewood Gelfling who are most commonly called to serve at the castle. So why was the Vapran maudra named All-Maudra? As a young Stonewood, it was natural to wonder why the Skeksis chose to favor the Vapra over the Stonewood.
But it was even more important to know the dangers of disagreeing with the Skeksis. Not only because the Skeksis are much wiser and more powerful than any Gelfling, but also because mistrusting the Skeksis, and in turn the Vapra, might result in rivalries that could damage livelihood and reputation. If the Vapra decided to challenge the Stonewood, it could mean fewer imports from the north, including any and all trade from the Sifa, who use Ha’rar as their primary trading port. Not to mention jeopardizing the long-earned rapport with the Skeksis. Whether or not the Skeksis were wrong in choosing the Vapra, accepting the circumstances as they are now may be the safest way to preserve the Stonewood clan’s strong standing.

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Name Day

While every Gelfling celebrates their Name Day in different ways, the Stonewood Name Day tradition is remarkably unique. While naming a Gelfling and presenting the youngling is essentially the same as it is in other Gelfling communities, the celebration of the first Name Day in Stone-in-the-Wood has an additional ritual of passage.
When a youngling celebrates the sixth anniversary of their Name Day, they, along with any other younglings whose Name Days fall within the same season, are sent to climb Bolentor without the guidance of adults. Each youngling is sent to the summit with a small chisel. When they reach the top, they find a stone that fits their liking and carve a sigil into it. This becomes the sign of their name, memorialized with the hundreds of other sigils carved before them.

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Stone and Wood

The Endless Forest is dense, and it is the great equalizer of the Skarith Land; in order to live happily among the other creatures of the wood that are strong of tooth and nail, the Stonewood have, quite appropriately, honed their stone- and wood-crafting skills into an art. These important trades are very similar, in that they take time to learn and even more time to execute. Training trees and other wood life to grow in specific shapes can occupy the entirety of one woodcrafter’s lifetime; doing the same with stone can take generations.
However difficult to master, these talents fortify the entire village from the ground up, perhaps most evident in the way they weave the stone, trees, and wood together to create a myriad of homes for the Gelfling of the clan.
Though some do use metal swords and the like, Stonewood hunters and trappers prefer stone-tipped spears and even finely crafted stone daggers. Made by a community of highly skilled woodcrafters, Stonewood spears are renowned for their durability and perfect balance.

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Gelfling Fire and the Crucible

An incredible monument sits at the base of Bolentor. This is the Crucible and the Stonewood hearth.
The Crucible, like all Gelfling hearths, is the gathering place for the Stonewood during important occasions. This is the place where the maudra delivers announcements and conducts ceremonies, where newborns are introduced to the rest of the clan, and where traders from other regions are first greeted and welcomed to Stone-in-the-Wood.
Among these many communal purposes, one tradition that revolves around the Crucible is of particular note. Looking upon the hearth, one will find that the metal in the center of it—melted nearly beyond recognition—bears the form, here and there, of weapons.
It is this way by intent. Every time the Stonewood must take up arms, when the battle is over, the warriors carry their weapons to the Crucible. There dozens of swords and spearheads are jumbled upon one another and melted in the fires until they are no longer the instruments of violence they once were. Through this ritual, Gelfling separate their aggressive acts and memories from their everyday lives, leaving them to be consumed by the flames in the Crucible’s belly in order to focus on healing a practice espoused by the proverb "The hand that holds the blade cannot help the fallen to their feet".
The Crucible and this ritual of destruction by fire is a prime example of the Stonewood relationship with their patron element: fire. It is said in many songs of ancient lore that when the Gelfling were split into seven clans, it was by way of the seven elements. Those with fire in their hearts, whose embers never die, became Stonewood. Their warmth lights and leads the way for other Gelfling, so much so that Stone-in-the-Wood is often regarded as the hearth of the seven clans—not only because of its central location, but also because of the bright, brave souls that inhabit it.
Many songs tell of a sacred place where, in the far future, the Gelfling will once again receive the blessing of Thra in the form of song; many of the far-dreamers who have peered into the flames and seen this dream believe that Stone-in-the-Wood may be the location foretold in the prophecies.

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Attitude toward Others

Thanks to its location, Stone-in-the-Wood is a stop of necessity for any travelers on their way to nearly anywhere in the Skarith region. Although the Stonewood community benefits from this constant passage—often offering hospitality in trade for materials and produce from distant areas—the influx of outsiders has also reinforced many of the clannish mentalities inherent to Gelfling culture as a whole. While the Stonewood are friendly and welcoming to those passing through, they have also gone out of their way to preserve the privacy and strength of their internal community.
One of the most noticeable ways this has been done is by creating separate areas—way houses and wells, for example—for traveler use. Outsiders are welcome in these places, but should they wander mistakenly (or intentionally, I suppose) into other areas, they will be met with a very different reception. These places of privacy are the areas where most families live and so despite the outsider’s ever-changing presence, younglings find stability and safety at home.

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The Stonewood Lyre

Among the Stonewood is one family who has made enchanted instruments for as long as any can remember; their craft is beyond impeccable, their work sought as far as the Citadel in Ha’rar by the All-Maudra’s musicians.
They build their pieces from powerful materials from all across Thra; contained in that small space were fragments of driftwood from the Silver Sea and stone from the Sifa Coast. Metals and woods and melted crystal sand. Shards of bone and hollow feathers. In that magical workshop, the Song of Thra resonated so strongly, some say that any instrument made by those talented hands could summon the very voice of the Crystal in a single note.

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Culture

The culture of Stone-in-the-Wood is certainly one that favors the hunter-defender, a Gelfling archetype by which the Stonewood build their days and maintain their style of life. This is evidenced in many aspects of Stonewood traditions, though perhaps it is most readily illustrated in their relationship with the creatures that cohabit in the Endless Forest. While the Stonewood respect and value all life as much as any other clan, the forest is also one of the most dangerous regions of Thra. Eat or be eaten is the way of life there, regardless of how much one respects or values another.
And so, in this rich and competitive environment, the Stonewood rise to defend their homes and themselves, and have developed sophisticated weaponry and armament to do so. This is the way of the hunter and the defender; one who knows the way of the cycle of life, prey and predator—one who uses this knowledge to protect oneself and the things one loves. This is not to say that Stonewood tradition does not abide by the laws of nature. They never hunt for sport. The Stonewood staba-senta—“wood watchers”—are keenly aware of the balance of creatures within the wood. The Stonewood tradition is to use hunting to maintain and uphold the balance within their sphere, not disrupt it.

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Food

Stonewood meals are traditionally served in groups around the hearth, and thus fire-roasting, baking, and searing are common ways in which dishes are prepared. The scent of clean smoke and food on the fire is always enough to make one’s mouth water. Paired with the tart flavors of forest fruits—in particular the peachberry and the dangerous-to-obtain bluemouth fruit—and a cup of cold water from the Black River, Stonewood meals are jolly, hearty, and unforgettable.

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Recreational Poisons and the Screaming Tree

The Endless Forest is home to some of the most diverse creatures, flora and fauna alike, all of which have developed their own means of surviving in the endless cycle of the natural world. Many are poisonous, warning predators of their toxic bodies with bright colors and alarming noises and movements. Others protect themselves with deadly venoms, delivered by fang or claw or stinger.
The Stonewood, having lived in this natural sphere for ages, have developed a most interesting use for the more harmful substances found within the creatures of the wood. Although some can be fatal in even a small dose, there are others that our apothecaries have been able to alter—through fire or water or soil—and distill into potable liquids.
One of the more involved procedures for distilling such a substance is used for the fruit of the arara tree, more commonly called the screaming tree. This tree bears sweet fruits that dangle in large purple clusters. Normally, the fruits are edible and quite delicious; however, the tree has a fascinating defense against creatures that might otherwise strip the fruits before they have a chance to seed: When the tree senses danger, it emits a terrifying screaming sound (the mechanism of which is a mystery).
The scream itself is alarming enough to scare many predators away, but if that weren’t enough, when the screams of the tree are heard by the fruits, they secrete a poisonous goo that coats the clusters. This slime is potent enough to kill smaller creatures, but for Gelfling, it is only enough to send one into a dreamlike daze. In even smaller quantities, however, it has a relaxing effect, and so Stonewood apothecaries have found a way to extract the substance in the controlled environment of their workshops. This is the procedure:
First, the tree is approached quietly by experienced harvesters, who remove the berries so stealthily that the tree never has a chance to unleash its horrifying-sounding defense. The berries are then brought back to the apothecary’s workshop. There the inert berries are broken into small groups and placed in bowls of water. The apothecary—having perfected the sound over many trine—then screams softly into the bowls one at a time, in the perfect tone of the screaming tree. Reacting to the apothecary’s voice, the berries release their defensive slime, which dissipates into the water. Later this is reduced to a more measurable substance, bottled, and traded.

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Songs of the Stonewood

Beware the Hunter

Be safe, my childling

As you calm your heart

Look not beyond the window

Out into the dark

Be safe, my little one

Close your heavy eyes

Think not of the monster out there

Wearing a bone disguise

Be safe, my sweetest darling

As you drift into a dream

Hear not the frantic heartbeats

Hear not the panicked scream

Be safe, my dearest treasure

Till you feel the morning’s rays

Feel not the presence at the door

Nor the Hunter’s burning gaze

Jarra-Jen
It should come as no surprise to any that Jarra-Jen, the Lightning Born, was of the Stonewood clan. It is said that after each and every one of his many adventures, Jarra-Jen would return to his home in Stone-in-the-Wood, his pack full of treasures and mouth full of stories of his most recent triumphs. The most exciting of his songs were dream-etched upon stone slabs and set atop the Bolentor rise. There they remain to this day, proof of his legendary adventures that made the Stonewood clan famous far and wide.
The following is a humorous childlings’ song told often in spring when the Fizzgigs—the Stonewood’s sigil creature—awaken from their winter hibernation. Many creatures in the wood burrow underground in the colder seasons, and no matter the warnings issued by their parents, young Gelfling cannot be stopped from digging through the leaves and brush with sticks. This song is often told as a first reminder that you might find yourself in a predicament should you awaken any ornery creatures—though the ending of the song usually results in unstoppable giggles and laughter. This song is a crowd-pleaser, especially with children, for obvious reasons; the sound effect near the end is often unique to the song teller who tells it, allowing one to leave one’s personal signature on the well-known song in the most ridiculous way.

Jarra-Jen and the Fizzgig King

At the end of the winter in the trine before last

The Fizzgigs of the wood began to break fast

Howling and barking for the awakening spring

Yet sleeps the largest of all: the Fizzgig King

His body is naught but a mouth and a tail

Fur thick and dark, teeth spiny and pale

But his snores shake the forest from treetop to root

Then his ears twitch as a twig snaps under boot

Yea, here comes our hero, our brave Jarra-Jen

Traveled the whole world and back again

Cutting through Fizzgig wood on his way back home

Boots heavy with soil and sand and sea foam

Our hero was tired and his tread was not quiet

As his path took him through the spring Fizzgig riot

’Twas all yipping and yapping along that forest trail

Jarra-Jen chuckled and waved. And then stepped on a… tail?

RAWRRRRRRR!

The Fizzgig King had been snoring

But now he was awake and roaring!

His mouth opened huge and red and wide
With a giant gulp he sucked Jarra-Jen inside!

Aaaaaghhhhhh!

No one could hear Jarra-Jen’s shout

“I’m terribly sorry, now please let me out!”

But the King was not in an agreeable mood

Jarra-Jen had to escape before he became food

To escape the huge maw was no easy feat

So Jarra-Jen tickled the King’s throat with a leaf

And when the King wouldn’t burp for his part

Jarra-Jen tickled backward and the King gave a loud

P P P P B B B B B B B B B B B B B B T T T T T T !

Ah, fresh air at last!

And that is the tale that the song tellers sing

Of Jarra-Jen in the maw of the Fizzgig King

Bolentor, Pride of Stone-in-the-Wood
Of course, one cannot discuss Stone-in-the-Wood without making some remark of the stone rise around which the village is positioned. Though it may seem like an ordinary, natural geographical feature, closer inspection of the stones has led many rock readers to believe the boulders were moved from a variety of different locales. For example, there are some stones with a red hue found only among the Claw Mountains, far to the west, across the Crystal Desert. Some of the boulders in the center of the rise are of a black, almost pitch color, and very dense—potentially from within the Grottan Mountains. And yet they are all overgrown with moss and trees and roots, some of which must be hundreds of trine in their own right.
It is not known how Bolentor, the stone rise that gives Stone-in-the-Wood its name, came to be, and every song teller seems to have their own story. Some tell a song of a giant that moved many stones from every corner of Thra to this place, so marking it as the center of the world. Some say that the earth opened one day and the stones spilled out. Others said that the massive pile of stones was the droppings of an enormous bird.
One song tells of an unnamed Gelfling who sang with a voice so lonely and sad that the mountains to the east gave up their children. The stones tumbled down the cliffs and came to this place, and once arrived, there they stayed. Though her name is not part of the song, most Stonewood agree that this young Gelfling was Maudra Melyff, one of the first recorded maudras of Stone-in-the-Wood. Although we do not know the origins of this song, the consistency with which it is associated with Maudra Melyff is so strong that the legend is named after her.

Maudra Melyff the Rock Singer

Comes a young Gelfling through the green

Dark hair, dark eyes, and a voice pristine

Lays eyes upon the prettiest clearing she’d ever seen

Emerald grass, dancing trees, still lake between

Sits in the center, eyes closing, she meditates

On the wood and the earth and the gentle lake

Feels in her heart a most yearning ache

Lets out her voice, and the earth quakes

Sings her song of loneliness and pain

So sad and pure that the sky begins to rain

Cries out her soul in a yearning refrain

Till the east rockies shudder in twain

The mother of the mountains had heard her cries

Sent her children stones down from her heights

Tumbled to the clearing and now there they lie:

Maudra Melyff’s Bolentor, the great stone rise

The Black River
The most prominent artery within the Skarith Basin, the Black River originates within the Grottan Mountains and empties into the Silver Sea at the port of Ha’rar, far to the north. Between those points, it twists through the Endless Forest, bringing crystal-clear water down from the mountains. Slow and steady, the river is ideal for transporting goods north to Ha’rar. Its banks are even and clear, making travel alongside its sparkling black waters easy for any wayfinder, novice or experienced.
Stone-in-the-Wood rests roughly midway between the Black River’s spring and delta. The Stonewood Gelfling benefit not only from the river’s clean and consistent water supply, but also from the wildlife that flourishes near the river. Thus there are hundreds of odes to the Black River from many song tellers inspired by its slow-moving waters—to tell them all would fill far too many scrolls. Instead, here is one.

Black and Shining River

(Spriton Origin)

O black and shining river

Night within the day of the wood

Wherever round you wander

Life rises from you, green and good

O black and shining river

Wide from the forest to the sea

Guide me through the darkest night

Be my nighttime eyes so I can see

O black and shining river

Fated lifeline of the land

Telling all her quiet secrets

As a crease read in a gentle hand

O black and shining river

Now take me out to sea

Though it was along your watery way

That I was ever truly free

Olyeka-Staba, the Cradle Tree
A walk’s distance from Stone-in-the-Wood—if one knows the way—is a tree that towers above the others, its trunk as wide as the Black River. There is something so soothing about standing under the tree’s impressive body; it has the same feeling as lying in the arms of one’s mother and feeling the rest of the world fade away. It is no wonder, then, that the tree is called Olyeka-Staba, the Cradle Tree.
While the songs do not agree on how the tree came to be planted, most songs agree that the Cradle Tree is the origin of every tree in the Endless Forest. What the forest hears, the tree hears. What the tree feels, the forest feels. Stonewood Gelfling have gone to the Cradle Tree for hundreds of trine to sit beneath its dense emerald leaves, in the hopes of hearing its wisdom. Others visit to inspect the tree for illness, as a way to determine the health of the entire forest. And so it has been between the Stonewood and the Cradle Tree for as long as any song teller remembers.
The following is a song told by parents to their childlings as they rock them to sleep.

The Cradle Tree’s Lullaby

Rest, my babe, as a flower in the shade

Close up your petals, hide your face away

Nestle in my arms as you fall asleep

Listening to whispers of your Cradle Tree

Basic Information

Clan Name: The Stonewood
Hometown: Stone-in-the-Wood
Region: Endless Forest
Maudra: Maudra Fara
Totem animal: Fizzgig

Colors

Core element: Fire
Clan color: Red
Sigil color: Beige / green / earthly tones
Pennant color: Red w/ green & yellow detail

Spelling & Style

Noun singular: Stonewood
Noun plural: Stonewood
Adjective: Stonewood

Stonewood Character Traits

• Industrious
• Proud
• Confident
• Single-Minded
• Haughty
• Brash