Physical Layout

   Most forgathering sites have few permanent features or structures. Upon their arrival, attendees construct any necessary buildings or fixtures, and take them down when the forgathering ends. Forgathering fixtures are simple but functional, with building materials consisting usually of wood, stones, and mud. Here are a few features common to most sites:

   Sleeping Area. The driest and clearest patch of ground makes the best sleeping area. Attendees pitch their tents or lay out their sleeping bags in lines, spaced well apart. In colder climates, the sleeping area is located where the sun (whatever there is of it) can warm the earth before nightfall. In warmer climates, shady locations are preferred.

   Dining Area. A typical dining area consists of a few benches or logs for sitting on, some stone barbecue pits, and a simple lean-to for storage. The optimum location for the dining area is several hundred feet from the sleeping area, positioned so that breezes don't carry the cookfire smoke in the direction of resting rangers. A stream nearby for washing up is also desirable, if available.

   Fire Pit. A pit for burning waste is constructed near the dining area, preferably away from trees or brush to minimize the chance of a fire getting out of control. It's located where the prevailing breezes don't carry the smell of burning garbage toward the sleeping or dining areas.

   Barn. A barn, stable, or pen is constructed to house the rangers' animal followers for the duration of the forgathering. Large forgatherings may require several pens and stables to accommodate a variety of species. Rangers are responsible for the feeding and grooming of their animals, and are also held accountable for their animals' behavior; it's considered a grievous breech of etiquette for a lion follower of one ranger to eat the goat follower of another ranger.

   Chapel. The forgathering chapel may be as simple as a stone platform, or as elaborate as a full-sized cabin with a podium and wooden pews. Religious symbols are not exhibited here, so that the chapel may accommodate worshipers of diverse beliefs. Most often, the chapel is isolated from the main forgathering site, erected in a nearby woodland or other quiet location.

   Campfire. The communal campfire, typically constructed in a central location, serves as the focal point of the forgathering. The campfire burns all night and day, continually tended and fed deadfall logs. At any hour, rangers can be found crowding around the camp fire, roasting meat and exchanging stories.

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