The virgin forest and crystalline river nearby Falcon's Hollow's seem to offer freedom, far from the cares and demands of civilization. In truth, all who work there do so under the oppressive auspices of the Lumber Consortium and Thuldrin Kreed's harsh vigilance, which make life as hard as the darkwood the lumber town devours . Nevertheless, the resilient folk ofFalcon's Hollow find a grim pride in their work. The cutyards are the pumping, bleeding heart of the town, with shifts around the clock cutting and shipping darkwood and other lumber down the River Foam. Hard men and women break their backs and lose limbs to saw and axe in the yards, aging 5 years for each one they spend toiling under these gruelling conditions. They're a rough and honest (for the most part) folk, obeying orders and defending the Consortium to outsiders. The lumberjacks and millworkers generally aren't looking for heroes-their problems are their own, and they're too proud to look to strangers for deliverance.
This cutyard culture dates back over a century, with rituals persisting from the earliest years of Falcon's Hollow. Disputes between loggers are settled on the river in a bout they refer to as a "loggerheads." Every so often a shout will ring through the yard, with one logger challenging another to go loggerheads on their dispute. The combatants balance on logs in the water with a length of knobby timber in hand. The first battered into the water is pulled out by the rest of the crew and acknowledges the truth of the other's claims. Some superstitious lumberjacks believe that water sprites judge the contests and take delight in ensuring that the wronged party gets vengeance, even in defiance of the competitors' comparative strengths and skills . From that moment on, the dispute is "given to the river" and no one speaks of it again. This phrase is also common parlance for a slight judged unworthy of actual dispute, with grumblers urged to give their complaints to the river and move on. Old Kreed approves of this logger justice, citing the old maxim "People are soft and bend to lie s . Wood is hard; let it decide."
The loggers play as hard as they work in what little time they get away from the yards . Aside from establishments like the Rouge Lady, which do a brisk business in alcohol and tawdry favors year-round, the townsfolk host several ramshackle celebrations throughout the year. First Cut marks the start of every spring, although it's now more ceremonial than practical, as Kreed forces lumber crews to slave away in the woods during even the bitter cold of the winter months. Still, the occasion brings families out to celebrate the start of the traditional lumber season. In the darkest months of winter, Quinn's Carnival comes to town to charm residents with spectacles, games, contests, and stranger attractions (see Pathfinder Module: Carnival of Tears for more details).