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Stralchus has prudently stored the steel tools where Chief Kothis can't get at them, and the first thing the mystic makes you do is extract a vow from the chief that he will return your tools. Immediately aware of the tools' utility—even as Keimia seems to consider other applications—Kothis agrees.

But even with steel tools, the work proves daunting. The sheer scope of the forest, the logistics of clearing brush before you can even begin to cut, and the size of the job threaten to overwhelm you and your small band of workers. Even Keimia's help (she's excited to have an ax) isn't enough. But you force yourself not to become overwhelmed; at the end of the day, you've cleared a section of wood and you at least have plans for how you can construct a palisade…though further work will have to wait until your return.

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