Honey Warden

The Honey Wardens are based in Erlea Village, near the base of the Ambolt Cliffs. The cliffs have hundred of bee hives suspended at various points. There is a giant bee colony further along, just over half a days trek. There is one week a year where the bees swarm and the villagers shelter inside. Even the Honey Wardens daren't venture out. They put up signs and give warnings to all in a certain radius to beware. 

The Honey Wardens also oversee the day to day protection of the bees and collect their honey and wax. Once a year they make a special trek to the Giant Bee colony and gather the honey, which they have discovered have some unique properties. In smaller doses it is soothing and healing and gives good vibes to the consumer. In larger doses it is hallucinogenic and can affect the vision. 

The wardens spend a week preparing for their trek and on the day of the gathering they start out before dawn. On their journey they stop and wash in the waterfall to remove their scents and be clean. They then hike to the base of the cliff and build a fire. They sacrifice a chicken to their bee deity for a safe gathering session and with some of the honey baste and prepare the chicken before cooking it in a spice filled stew. While that cooks they prepare their rope ladders and equipment. One person throws a rope with a grappling hook to the top of the cliff, hopefully not hitting the hives. They then attach a rope to the top of the rope ladder and ascend the cliff on the first rope. Once at the top they secure the rope ladder so others can get up and down. They stay at the top ensuring the ladder stays secure and can move it along as needed. 

The smoke from the fire is built up into a giant bonfire and bundles of herbs are attached to long sticks and burnt so they smolder a kind of soothing scent which calms the bees. The honey is gathered, the grappling hook removed and the rope ladder is left to the side as the person up top climbs back to the group. The honey is put into special containers in special backpacks and baskets or slung over poles held between two people. The group puts out the fire but keep their burning herbs until they reach the waterfall where they extinguish the herbs and bath ritually, ensuring they remove any stickiness from the honey before they arrive triumphantly in the village. 

The hallucinogenic honey is used medicinally in small doses though sometimes people may imbibe too much.

Perception

History

Melissa and Devorit were a couple from Erlea Village and they noticed one day that the bee population was decreasing. They started observing and following the bees and rescuing swarms that had no place to go. They built homes for the bees along the cliffside, out of the reach of the village. And then they collected honey and wax from those hives but a little at a time, as needed. Over time they set up the Honey Wardens to continue their work. This allowed them more time to research. They discovered the giant bee colony a half a days trek up and along the cliff. This began annual trips to gather the honey.

Operations

Tools

Rope ladders, ladders, hooks, smoke, netting...

Dangers & Hazards

The bees can be dangerous, particularly the giant bees.

Type

Raw Materials Gathering