Yew Endures by Yew Yew endures. Thus it has been for countless ages. Thus it is now. Thus it shall always be. Yew endures. From berry to root. From root to shoot. From shoot to branch. From branch to berry. Yew endures. From Spring to Summer. From Summer to Autumn. From Autumn to Winter unto Spring once more. Yew endures. Beneath our boughs, countless creatures have taken refuge. Shade from the heat of the summer sun. Shelter from the frigid winter winds. Ever green. Ever growing. Ever guarding. Yew endures. Even as we defend ourselves with poisonous, durable bodies, we grow sweet and nourishing fruit for a myriad of living things. Yew endures. Mortal creatures with hands that build and strive against one another tore stones from deep beneath the soil of Sosaria and built great dwellings. They cut our brethren down and crafted walls to hide themselves from their own kind. Revering our ancient might, they erected a city in our name. The city waxes and wanes as the twin sister moons. The people come. The people go. Yew endures. The elves in their hubris thought themselves everlasting. The dwarves thought their stoneworks would withstand the test of time. The bobbits thought their lineages would last for ages to come. Gone now. All gone to ash and dust. Yew endures. A great cataclysm reshaped the very world itself. Our distant kindred, imbued with the gift of magic, sought refuge beneath the ground and became twisted and corrupt in their fear. Their descendants, called “reapers” by those that remained, are a testament to their folly. Their groves are gone now. Their song is silent. Their magics corrupt. Yew endures. Against all odds, Humanity arose like a phoenix from the ashes of the great cataclysm. They alone came to inhabit the great stone structure of old and rebuild again and again the city erected in our name. They alone seek our wisdom. This is what they learned: Yew endures. Humankind set apart those who had grown strong in our knowledge. These new druids were lifted up and allowed to judge between good and evil among their own kind. In fear of their own frailties, they sought to achieve balance with nature and within themselves. In their seeking, they turned to the green, living forest for guidance. They learned that frailty is weakness only when one is unyielding. The green taught them that balance is found in knowing when to yield and when to stand strong. By knowing when to yield and when to stand strong, humanity might endure. Yew endures. The city that bears our name came to be ruled by the interloper Lord; one who came to Sosaria from another sphere. He who once claimed a fourth of all the lands as his dominion sought to unite all humankind in his understanding of virtue. Our people yielded to his rule and prospered. They came to represent Justice among all people. The interloper lord taught humanity of three principles and eight virtues. In his pride, he forgot that Humility and the willingness to yield is a virtue. To endure is virtue. Yew endures. The Lord called British summoned a Stranger from his own world to stand as an example of his virtues. This Stranger called upon one who knew our secrets and grew stronger with her aid. The Druid called Jaana joined his cause and came to know Love from his companionship. She was a student of our Truth and through her Love of him, she became a great force of balance and Justice. Thus did she endure. Yew Endures. The one lost in time - one of three who are one - came once more to the city that bears our name. Antos was this one called, and aided the Stranger with seeds of ancient knowledge. He yielded his wisdom sparingly and thus the Stranger came to know a new understanding of Virtue. In time, he learned Humility as well as Jaana denied his Love to become a healer and seeker of knowledge once more. His quest complete, he left Sosaria once again. Despite the pain of their parting, Jaana endured. Yew endures. The Stranger called the Avatar came and went and came again when bid to do so, and yet new evils arose to test the unity of the people. The Lord called British was often absent from his throne. New contenders for power were rumored to walk the land. Beyond the great waters, the Isle of Truth sought freedom from his rule. Beyond the Deep forest, in the heart of the Spiritwood, a village called Paws chose to stand strong against those who would rule them. In standing strong, they endured. Yew endures. Great evils threatened the Deep Forest once more and our endurance was put to the test. The city that bears our name had yielded for too long. Inspired by the strength of the people of the Spiritwood, Antos and Jaana decided that it was once again time to stand strong against the rising tide of evil. Thus they declared that the city that bears our name should be ruled by the wisdom of the Druids once more. Yew endures. None stood strong against their decision. Thus those who seek shelter and wisdom beneath our boughs returned once more to the old ways and yielded to the judgment of the Druids as in days long past. In yielding to the old ways and being mindful of their roots, they stand strong against the evils and injustice which plague the Deep Forest. Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, the cycle begins anew. Yew endures. From berry to root. From root to shoot. From shoot to branch. From branch to berry. Yew endures. Thus it has been for countless ages. Thus it is now. Thus it shall always be. Yew endures.
