burned out fireplace can be done anytime!
no joke
as soon as you have the items needed for the seal piece
I got it so early that I wasnt even in the proper place to even know it existed (minus that it was my 5th playthrough)
also you can go to the gnoll before anything in terms of the seals, and use scare, he will give you 500 bly just to leave him be, then come back and do it all again to get the piece
odd yep
the wood doesnt need to be given to talk to the babe either, I tested that, not sure if it should be,
but I went again from never getting the wood until near the end of act 1
(btw saw or axe works) no need to oil em both up
jusst fyi