Chosen of Roosevelt
The forest the Chosen called the Roosevelt stretched roughly forty square miles across the eastern edge of Bailey Dominus Columbia North, from the eastern waterways to halfway across the peninsula toward Gathering Burge, and from a few miles south of the Patrol Line along Cheapskate Bay down to the Anna Polis Seabank. The community that guarded it was composed of Natural Ones, Mericans, and Remnants who had lived within those timberlands for generations. Their ancestors considered the land holy. Their descendants inherited the obligation to protect it.
For a long time, the forest was large enough and remote enough that protection meant simply being present. Then Bowes Lumber Yard settled on the edge of the woodland, and the Chosen faced a decision that would define them for years. Some argued the newcomers were termites grown unchecked, an immediate threat to be crushed. Others hoped, somewhat naively by their own later admission, that the settlement's impact would be swallowed by the vastness of the growth. The lumber operation was small. The forest was enormous. Surely the balance would hold.
It did not hold. Within the first few years of the lumber trade boom, Bowes Lumber Yard outgrew the point where it could be easily managed or eliminated. The Chosen turned to guerrilla tactics: raids on logging operations, sabotage of equipment, ambushes along timber roads. Years of bloodshed followed on both sides. Neither could destroy the other. The Chosen knew the forest too well to be rooted out; the lumber operation had grown too entrenched to be driven off.
The truce that eventually emerged was brokered by Senators from City Center, who compelled both groups to bring representatives to negotiate. The terms were precise: for every tree harvested, two must be planted. Only the largest and oldest trees could be taken; no clear-cutting permitted. In exchange, the Chosen ceased their raids. The agreement renewed every five years, with both sides reporting on how the balance was working. It was, by all accounts, a fragile arrangement. The Chosen watched the loggers with the patience of people who measured time in tree rings, and tensions never fully subsided. Whether the truce would survive its next renewal was a question that hung over the Roosevelt like the canopy itself.
For a long time, the forest was large enough and remote enough that protection meant simply being present. Then Bowes Lumber Yard settled on the edge of the woodland, and the Chosen faced a decision that would define them for years. Some argued the newcomers were termites grown unchecked, an immediate threat to be crushed. Others hoped, somewhat naively by their own later admission, that the settlement's impact would be swallowed by the vastness of the growth. The lumber operation was small. The forest was enormous. Surely the balance would hold.
It did not hold. Within the first few years of the lumber trade boom, Bowes Lumber Yard outgrew the point where it could be easily managed or eliminated. The Chosen turned to guerrilla tactics: raids on logging operations, sabotage of equipment, ambushes along timber roads. Years of bloodshed followed on both sides. Neither could destroy the other. The Chosen knew the forest too well to be rooted out; the lumber operation had grown too entrenched to be driven off.
The truce that eventually emerged was brokered by Senators from City Center, who compelled both groups to bring representatives to negotiate. The terms were precise: for every tree harvested, two must be planted. Only the largest and oldest trees could be taken; no clear-cutting permitted. In exchange, the Chosen ceased their raids. The agreement renewed every five years, with both sides reporting on how the balance was working. It was, by all accounts, a fragile arrangement. The Chosen watched the loggers with the patience of people who measured time in tree rings, and tensions never fully subsided. Whether the truce would survive its next renewal was a question that hung over the Roosevelt like the canopy itself.
Structure
The Chosen of Roosevelt are a multi-generational community of Natural Ones, Mericans, and Remnants who have lived within the eastern timberlands of Dominus Columbia for generations. No formal leadership structure is described in available sources, but the community operates with enough coordination to conduct guerrilla warfare, negotiate diplomatic agreements, and enforce compliance with territorial boundaries. Decision-making appears to be communal, with the entire group mobilizing to defend their holy ground when threatened.
Public Agenda
The Chosen exist to protect and preserve the Roosevelt as holy ground. Their mission spans generations: patrol the woodland borders, ensure their own existence remains in balance with the nature around them, and prevent the forest from being consumed by industry. In peacetime this means monitoring compliance with the lumber agreement and reporting to City Center every five years. In wartime it means guerrilla raids and sabotage against anyone who threatens the integrity of the timberlands.
History
The Chosen of Roosevelt have protected the eastern timberlands known as the Roosevelt for generations, considering the roughly forty square miles of forest to be holy ground. When Bowes Lumber Yard first settled near the forest, the Chosen debated how to respond. They initially hoped that the forest's vast growth would absorb the impact of a small settlement and that the newcomers might learn to live in balance.
That hope proved naive. Within a few years the lumber trade boom caused Bowes to grow too large to be easily managed or eliminated. The Chosen turned to guerrilla tactics and raids, and years of bloodshed followed on both sides. Eventually the Senators of City Center brokered a tenuous agreement: for every tree harvested, two must be planted, and only the largest and oldest trees may be taken with no clear-cutting permitted. The agreement is renewable every five years, with both sides reporting on the state of the balance. Tensions remain, and a return to bloodshed is widely considered inevitable.
That hope proved naive. Within a few years the lumber trade boom caused Bowes to grow too large to be easily managed or eliminated. The Chosen turned to guerrilla tactics and raids, and years of bloodshed followed on both sides. Eventually the Senators of City Center brokered a tenuous agreement: for every tree harvested, two must be planted, and only the largest and oldest trees may be taken with no clear-cutting permitted. The agreement is renewable every five years, with both sides reporting on the state of the balance. Tensions remain, and a return to bloodshed is widely considered inevitable.
Generational guardians of the Roosevelt, a holy forest in eastern DC.
