Awaken and Near-Unlimited Free Time: What Do You Do?

[Westphalian_Musketeer]

I've been toying around with ideas of using the "Awaken" spell heavily in the actions of particular NPCs, and I'm wondering what insane/awesome/incredible uses you have for the Awaken spell. It makes animals and/or trees intelligent and speak a language, at which point your creativity can run wild.

Awaken is an expensive spell though, so players might be limited in what they can do.

Given that an NPC can for the sake of providing a unique and challenging encounter bypass such barriers, what do you do when you're able to uplift numerous animals? Which ones do you focus on? How do you get them to serve/stay with you before/afterwards?

[Bob Bob Bob]

...recreate the entirety of the Lion King. Just, Awaken the entire savannah. Grab some popcorn, maybe something to drink, watch the pathos of human drama play out across brand new cultures (based on their old animal instincts, probably) who also have no problem with what we'd call cannibalism (carnivores need meat, what happens when all the meat is intelligent?).

On a slightly less "crazy and bored druid" tangent, use it to raise an army. Same way someone who maxes diplomacy should be able to slowly raise an army by making friends and convincing them to join their cause, do the same thing with animals. Feel free to have interspecies rivalries, or the herbivores not trusting the carnivores, or whatever other standard inter-army friction you'd have normally.

[The Dragon]

Awaken all of them, except the tigers. Teach them never to speak while non-druids are observing. Procceed as if nothing has happened, and use them as spies.

Note that animal will saves still suck, so you can probably get away with using charm animal with impunity to get them to spill the beans.

[Rabbiteconomist]

Awakening the animals of your enemies. Many animals once sentient would not tolerate slavery, not for themselves or for their children. Ask yourself how many would aspire to give their children and parents intelligence in the same way? The animal slave revolts have just begun.

[Bob of Mage]

The results of this would be downright FUN. It would be even better if it worked on non-tree plants. Think about a whole field of grass that was as smart as a human, and could talk. Even better what if EVERY type of food was as smart as you were? I mean how painful, and frankly evil, would it be to live off only beings with an INT sorce of at least 10?

I would bet that fairly soon that good and evil would not mean the same thing any more.