Elven Bow "Paradox"

[Ryujin]

All made by Druids, who nicely ask the trees to give up the wood for them.

 

[LightPhoenix]

They deliberately grow trees to take the shape of bows, so when they die the wood is already in the needed shape.

 

[Larrin]

Any halfway sensible race of tree respecting fey should know the difference between treating trees respectfully and never cutting a living tree ever. To say they never hurt trees may be in the books, but its pretty A) limiting B) idealistic C) nonsensical D) etc. If an elf needs a bow, they darn well cut a branch and make a nice bow out of it. Then they say thank you and kiss the boo boo.

 

[malraux]

Here's the "paradox": Elves in 4e never cut living trees, but every elf learns how to fire a bow proficiently. So...just how are they making so many bows? Last time I checked both self and laminate bows require live wood... Seems like there's a great story in there somewhere. Are they magically training yews somehow to spit out chunks of sap/heart wood? Have they developed a bone or other material bow? Are there a small number of bows passed thru family lines? What's the solution enworld?

I read that as Elves never cut down living trees. Cutting a limb off is better described as trimming or pruning.

 

[Chris Knapp]

I read that as Elves never cut down living trees. Cutting a limb off is better described as trimming or pruning.

To make teeny, tiny bonsai bows.

 

[Crothian]

They kill only the evil trees.

 

[Quickleaf]

...and they do it with laser clerics who pew-pew the tree. "You just killed the elder tree!?" "But I didn't cut it!"

 

[Saeviomagy]

They never cut trees, they just fire lots and lots of arrows into the base of it until it collapses.

 

[Wormwood]

In all seriousness, I assumed "never cut living trees" to mean "cut down". Carefully pruning a bough to form a bow seems perfectly acceptable to me.

 

[surfarcher]

Here's the "paradox": Elves in 4e never cut living trees, but every elf learns how to fire a bow proficiently. So...just how are they making so many bows? Last time I checked both self and laminate bows require live wood... Seems like there's a great story in there somewhere. Are they magically training yews somehow to spit out chunks of sap/heart wood? Have they developed a bone or other material bow? Are there a small number of bows passed thru family lines? What's the solution enworld?

As a long-time self-bowyer I can tell you that it's very easy to make a bow without cutting the tree down. I've done it a number of times. More times than I have actually cut an entire tree down. It's simply easier, more efficient and does less damage (the latter's a moot point in primitive cultures).

This is also the preferred technique for many, arguably most, native cultures... They tend to be VERY efficient about that kind of thing. You have to be when you are working with primitive tools and time = food for your family and tribe!

By far the most efficient technique is placing two notches about bow length+1' apart on the upper side of a big branch or the uphill side of a medium trunk. Let it dry out for a few weeks (assuming it's summer) and then lever it out of the wood. This leaves a scar on the tree but does no real structural or permanent damage. It's CERTAINLY no more damaging than pruning or other "tree doctor" work.

Now introduce Elves who have an affinity with trees that we don't have, and are better able to tend to them and heal them than we are. I think there's a couple of very real resolution's here.

Perhaps the Elf might cut the surface part of the tree, possibly as part of tending to the tree's needs (again - tree doctor work). Afterwards they'd tend to the tree's healing and possibly more to over-compensate for any minor harm. This "harm" would likely be no worse for the tree than cutting a human's hair or nails (surface scarring like this is nothing, trees are "designed" to survive worse). Or they might interact with the tree's spirit, letting the tree know it's need and resulting in the tree "gifting" them some of it's wood - the tree could form the notches of it's own accord, in harmony with the Elf's needs. These needs would be to provide food for it's family and protect the woods and the trees. The Elf would, of course, carefully tend and praise the tree out of respect and special thanks.

Oh yeah. Real wooden bows can't really be passed down more than one or two human generations before they fail. We also never use timber from dead trees (very dangerous). And lots and lots of folks have made composite bows that contain no wood.

Hope this brain-dump helps!