New insight to Redlance's Treeshaper magic...

You know that scene where Redlance hugs a tree and causes it to exude extra sap so it wont burn anymore, putting itself out?

Im not completely convinced this was actually on par with the effort it took to make something sprout in the desert.

Im currently at the beach, at my cousin's camp lot, and the neighbor up and decides to cut down all trees on his lot,including some nice 75 ft pines.

He asked if we wanted firewood from them. So we tried chopping one up. The chainsaw died on the first cut (after the guy felled it).

Long story short, we spent more effort and sweat getting a 10 ft piece back to camp about 100ft away than the wood will provide, but thats not the point Im trying to make (bare with me as Pendelton and Coors are prerequisites to staying at his camp site).

Longer story short, we had a few green branches on the fire. I was trying to jockey a piece around to kick up some heat and grabbed a nice cool spot near the cut end. I poked around with it and shoved it in the fire some more and looked at my had, covered in goo like depicted in the comic. A green tree makes this goo (melted tree sap) by itself, so all Redlance was doing was telling it to make a bit more, while with the seed in the desert he was making it grow against nature, in unfamiliar sand, with inadiquate water, at an unnatural pace... Im thinking this is more impressive than a self extinguishing tree after centuries of expierience.

I think Redlance's tree shaping abilities allow him to communicate with the trees on a certain level. Maybe his communion with trees taught him much about their inner workings and used them to their benefit.

I think here's a strong point to each scene and what he did, or is capable of doing. But I see it the other way around, though

With the seed growing against nature, in unfamiliar sand, with inadequate water, at an unnatural pace. That's not entirely true here. The Sun Folk also grew food in the village. Proof that seedlings did take root in their sandy dessert soil with inadequate water in a difficult environmental setting for plants.

Meaning it would have done so on it's own to begin with anyway. Redlance just gave it some "oomph"

Where as what he did with the trees and the sap? I would think that would take more effort to do so when he's fighting against the raging element of fire. He's only got split seconds for a tree to be able to produce that much sap at a faster rate than fire can burn. And the rate of a raging fire is pretty fast.

Not only did the Sun Village have cultivated gardens, they had a water supply. Remember the well that Savah's lifemate was able to created. So they had both. Redlance simply aided the dreamberry bush along.

I'll say on the desert bit. You'd be amazed what can take root and pop up in desert soil. I had stuff growing under my bird feeder last year that was out of control that I never ONCE watered. It managed to crop up during the hottest part of the year, too. Desert soil can support lots of plantlife, it's usually just the heat that bakes and dehydrates non-native plants into crispy critters. And I've had scrub bushes spring up what seems like overnight after a good monsoon rain!

So I'd concur that the trick with the tree(s) to sap coat themselves was more impressive!

In the winter months the sap in trees goes to the roots, when the weather warms the sap leaves the roots and returns to the tree. Redlance took advantage of the time of yr.

Redlance the Tree Shaper ... this was Redlance's thread, opened by emerald, on the original Scroll of Colors. Follow old discussions and see fanart from earlier times.

Visit Redlance's bio page on Elfquest.com.

There's no reason not to make this the generic Redlance thread, is it? ^^

'Character Bio':
Redlance/ Redmark (m)  
Alive (staying) – mortal
*Ulm*
Quasi-Recognized lifemate of Nightfall
Father of Tyleet
Grandfather of Pool
Adoptive grandfather of Little Patch
Lovemate of Cutter and Leetah
Mentor of Ember

Redlance is perhaps the character I associate myself with the most. His gentle spirit and love of nature, speak to me. He is also what I thought was the coolest looking of the elves when I had EQ (OG) #2. And it didn't hurt that his love mate was Nightfall, who I instantly developed a comic book crush for.