If you like this idea, please also post your comments on the official design forum topic and vote in the poll!
http://tale-of-tales.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=9804
So here's my thing. I love orchards. I mean, seriously. There's just something about the idea of rows and rows and rows of trees being lovingly cared for and harvested that makes me happy. I think orchards are one of the great symbols of humanity working together with nature--neither destroying or unnaturally altering from it, but bringing a sense of order to it and both sides benefit. The trees are cared for, pruned, weeded, nurtured from "birth", and in turn the humans receive a bounty, the taking of which does not harm the trees, and continues the cycle. It's so harmonious and beautiful to me.
I think orange orchards are my favourite, and that's mostly because I love the visual aspect of oranges: the round, golden shape like that of a sun. So I love the thought of rows of trees with hundreds of little golden suns peeping out from between the leaves.
Now, here's my thought: How fun would it be for the deer to finally be able to care for the forest as it cares for us?
My proposal is for a new addition to the forest: a sapling orchard grove. (Of course, I would prefer an orange orchard most of all, but I think any orchard would be wonderful.) This orchard would start out as seedlings, grow into saplings, and one day would finally mature into a fully-grown orchard. The fruit that the trees bear could be knocked down by rubbing, just like the pinecones. This could be a way of introducing a new spell, or a new set of pelts, or antlers, or whichever the game makers feel best, that is made available when the deer eat the fruit.
But before the orchard matures, the deer would be able to care for it, and the orchard would grow in relation to how much care it receives, how often.
