History:

The Yew Militia's past is derived from the Imric people of Agon. The City of Yew was once a frontier bastion against the Orc clans, before the time of the Mercian invasion. The free company of Yew once solely defended their lands, until being swept aside by the changing tides of Agon's cultural, spiritual and military surface. The City of Yew in northern Agon was sacked and destroyed by the invading Mercian armies under the rule of Duke John of Malregard. The lands of Yew were absorbed into the collective of Mercia, fading into nothing more than ledgers and old paperwork. The armed forces of Yew however did not forget. The free-peoples Militia still wanders the world, carrying on the name of "Yew" despite its location on the modern realm. The Yew Militia lives on only in name, however it is a name the free-company of Yew will never forget, and never retire.

As taken from the Yewian Loremasters scrolls:

- 213, Lyonesse

The nobles of Lyonesse rebel against the rule of the island-state's clerics, who insist on strict adherence to the tenets of the Morganic faith. Tapping into a thirst for personal freedom, the rebels swiftly gain support among broad layers of the populace.

After a series of bitter defeats, the last of the traditionalist forces are pressed into the southwestern corner of the island. At this critical moment, the goddess Morgaine visits the leader of the remaining loyalists, Duke John of Malregard, commanding him to lead his followers to new lands, where they are to build a new kingdom bathed in her light. Hastily constructing a fleet of ships, the Morganic loyalists set sail for the main continent. Glad to be rid of the fierce duke, the victorious rebels do not follow.

Duke John and his war-hardened knights land on Imric soil, on the eastern coast of Agon 's main continent. Swiftly defeating the local heirs to once-proud Chaldea , they establish the city of Sanguine.

-210, Mercia

After a series of impressive victories against the Imric, John of Malregard crowns himself the first king of Mercia - a new kingdom under Morgaine.

The remaining tribes of free Imric finally unite under a High King, called Aur the Bold. Aur inflicts several bloody defeats on overstretched Mercian forces, before being decisively defeated at the Battle of Dalriada. With the last High King dead, the final vestiges of Imric resistance fade, and the kingdom of Mercia now controls the old Chaldean heartland. 

-211, Mercia

With the final defeat of the Imric armies, the razing of the City of Yew, the Militia forces and remaining civilian populace are forced to retreat to the various far reaches of Agon. Here they make their living, vying to one day gain revenge on the Mercians, and see Yew built again.

-3, Agon

Yewian Loremasters continue to record and protect Yewian bloodlines as the centuries pass. The face of Agon shifts constantly, and the Loremasters finally convene to re-establish the armed forces of the Yewian people. From the far reaches of Agon, Yewians arrive to answer the ancient call of the Militia rally, bringing together the free peoples of Yew once again. The history of the ancient Yewian city will live on, and new stories and tales will be made. The Imric warrior culture will once again flourish, with Yewians at the fore-front.

1, New Agon

"New Yew" is founded in the desolate ruins of Frostbourne, located in Nifleheim of north-west Agon. The city quickly amasses a force of strong willed northmen, many of whom share ancient Imric decent after the great migration from Mercia. The fledgling citizens of New Yew quickly realize in the unforgiving continent of Nifleheim, alliances much be forged. Emissaries arrive to the near city of Frost Coast and establish a working defense pact with "The Lords of Death". Also included are members from the frenzied Kill Cult clan, forging one of the first dominate alliances on Nifleheim proper. "Death Alliance" begins regular lock down of Nilfheim and soon challenges from other alliances begin to emerge.


The First Continental War
The entity known as HARM begins directly challenging Death Alliance forces in wide scale combat. Temporary truces develop for the sake of common prosperity, but soon fall into chaos as enemy forces cause asset destruction in city propers. With the homelands directly threatened, all out war begins. Late night raids raze entire buildings as each side wrecks destruction. Soon HARM is forced to call for support, and other forces not native to Niflheim arrive. With the escalation in process, Death Alliance is forced to call upon outside assistance as well. Forces from Goonswarm as contacted, as are members of Apollo, SiN, Aesir and others. The list of established forces involved in the conflicts are dizzying, and Yewian loremasters are hard pressed to arrive at an accurate list.

Death Alliance survives double sieges multiple times, and begins the great offensive in which the entire HARM alliance (dubbed the Rainbow Alliance) is slowly dismantled over a series of carefully planned attacks. The temporary "Coalition of the Chilling" is disbanded after Death Alliance is able to control all of Nifleheim proper.

SiN, Aesir, Black Company and Apollo remain in Death Alliance and forge a new super power, which slowly but surely dominates the entire north of Agon and sprawls over two continents. Large engagements are fought with the only other major challenge at the time, TheMercs and their affiliates. The end result changes little however, and holdings are kept secure.


The End of Hyperion
The Yew Militia originally began it's life in service to King Manus of Hyperion deep in Mercian lands. The King promised a Barony and lands to protect, backed by the "might" of Hyperion, the Yew Militia felt the future was bright. However, internal corrosion was clearly evident if not blatantly obvious. The Yew Militia soon felt it was best for all to depart, and naturally irked the King and his minions. Being branded traitors, the Yew Militia called upon it's Death Alliance allies to wage war against the kingdom after Niflheim was secured. Death Alliance was in debt to Goonswarm for their support against the HARM's alliance, so the pact was made to rid the world of Hyperion. Goonswam and the Coalition had been waging all out war against Hyperion at this point, and the Coalition needed the extra man power to finish the job. Eventually the King himself surrendered to Death Alliance in grand fashion, and The Yew Militia stood triumph over the once capitol of Hyperion.


The Great Betrayal
During the end of the upcoming "exodus to new lands" ((NA-1 launch)), Aesir, Black Company, Khans and Bwharharharharhar (whatever...) plot in secrecy to overthrow the Death Alliance leadership and establish new control as "New World Order". Assuming an easy victory, plans were set and sieges were dropped. Despite dwindling forces as the exodus continued, the core of Death Alliance remained to ensure civilians were able to retreat in safety. Yew Militia, having just founded and nurtured their new city, stubbornly refused to surrender and fought with true grit and iron, losing countless hours of sleep to fend off the nightly raids. Eventually Death was able to recover from the early assaults, and began their own operations. During the day Death Alliance would sack cities, and in return, N.W.O. would reclaim them in the night. The viscous cycle carried on for months, Death Alliance pulling out surprising victories despite the overwhelming forces arrayed against them. At one point nearly all of N.W.O. holdings were reclaimed save for Aesir's last stronghold. A last minute cavalry rush through unguarded gates kept the city from falling however, and Death Alliance returned to their reclaimed homes. Having bought enough time for civilian and military forces to board the ships to new lands, Death Alliance left Niflheim for good.

As one last move of defiance, Supreme General Nocturne of the Yew Militia gave the order to hand the great city of Frostbourne over to one entity capable of continuing the war against New World Order and the betrayers. TheMercs inherited the city in and over-night move before the Aesir forces could coordinate a siege. TheMercs were obviously curios about the ordeal, but were never directly involved until now. The bloated NWO horde bringing forth hundreds of armored soldiers proceeded to siege the city from it's new owners. TheMercs and their allies did not take kindly to these actions. Soon, a new war was waged against NWO by TheMerc alliance. Frostbourne was completely razed by the tremendous power of TheMerc's warhulk armored columns and carried on the fight to the rest of NWO territories. Eventually the NWO alliance toppled within itself due to poor leadership, and Niflheim was left a torn wasteland of scraps and memories.

Altogether Andrews and a crew of brave Yewians during this time agreed to remain behind and forge the remnants of the great Militia in the aftermath. Eventually the brave companions who stayed behind reclaimed Frostbourne once again and carried on the legacy. A valiant attempt but ultimately the city proved to costly to maintain for the small elite force. Frostbourne was sold to deserving residence, and the remnant forces disbanded to go their separate ways.


New Lands, New Opportunity
Settling in local cities secured by advanced forces, Death Alliance arrived into the new lands with relative secrecy. The original tri-fecta alliance of Yew Militia, Lords of Death and Kill Cult remained in operation. The initial goals after landfall were to train the men to wage war for new threats. "New Yew" also known as Frostbourne, was lost for now but the ideals of Yew remain at the forefront. Death alliance undertake a new identity known as "The MEN", after a trademark speech was intercepted from The Black Company during the N.W.O. war (something along the lines of "But what about the men!" in regards to the happiness of Black Company, at which point Yew/LoD/KC just gave a chuckle). The MEN alliance was known to engage in sea-tower combats with large forces of ships and manpower, quite often dominated the scene. The City of Erinthel in elven lands proved to be the capitol of the alliance, and never fell to enemy siege attempts. "It's always sunny in Erinthel" became a well known quote for the MEN alliance.

2, New Agon

Frostbourne, verison 2
The Yew Militia once again has migrated to the historical city, as the MEN (Death) Alliance mutually agrees to end the alliance, as the Lords of Death seek a lifestyle without the concerns of city ownership. The Militia forces begin plans to forge their own path and potentially a new alliance using Frostbourne as a bastion, with hopes of rebuilding the ancient Imric civilization.

The Mug, The Hammer, The Tree...

-These are the three items of which ancient Yew was founded and formed. The Mug is our golden mythical chalice, emblazoned with a Yew-tree and made of solid gold. Only the finest Yewian ale has the privilege of being placed within the Mug. Fit for a King.

-The Baronial Hammer is carried by the Militia, and is handed down to the next in the errant-noble line. It's big. It's deadly. It represents the warrior culture of Yew. To smash things, preferably the enemy. The hammer was saved from the burning city at the time of the Mercian conquest, and has been protected and carried by the Militia of Yew each generation.

-The Yew-Tree, is a large massive tree found only in the thickest of forests. The City of Yew was built in such a place, where Yew-Tree's grew rampant giving the realm it's main resource, wood. Right after ale. A Yew tree is a place every Yewian can rest his weary self down, and is a sight of comfort. The Yew trees emphasizes many Yewians traits. Long-lived, stubborn, ageless and hard as foch to hack down.

Yewians still honor these three traditions and symbols to this day, despite lacking an official City of Yew to possess.

Roleplaying a Yewian Militia or Civilian:

Yewians are mostly simple people, with a spartan-warrior culture. They thrive on their secluded lands, seeing to it's protection and safety. Life here is certainly dangerous, and the hardships endured by endless Orc and Mahirim raids have turned Yewians into willing and dedicated soldiers. These men and women are hard. They are survivors. They are the ones who stayed behind. They are the ones who fight tooth and nail for their freedoms. To fight for your home is the greatest cause in a Yewians mind. To sack enemy Orc forts comes a close second!

-In Darkfall the Yew Militia encourages humans to join first and foremost, but Dwarf and Mirdains are accepted due to the common connections and alliances in the game. Most humans in Yew are considered to have ancient bloodlines reaching back to the Imric civilization in what is now currently Mercia. So most Yewians have a strong hate for native Mercians loyal to the current King, since long ago the Mercian invaders wiped out historical Imric lands.

-Most Yewians are hearty soldiers, some being called up from local farmsteads as the Loremasters seek out any and all mercians with ancient Imric blood ties. Other loyal Yewians are "adopted" as loyal supporters to the Imric cause, or from soldiers simply looking for a home or perhaps a tight brotherhood of warriors. Due to the mixed nature of current-day Yewian forces, the populace ranges from simpleton to refined officers to stout dwarves and even a select handful of converted alfars and mahirim.


Celtic correlation by Arcanist Ewan McLeabhar