Yronvid (Dark Ironwood Tree)

Yronvid (Dark Ironwood) is a tree found only in the extreme northern reaches of our world of Liggjavard, but quite common on the darker world of Skadivard. Technically deciduous, the leaves are small and narrow, though not quite needles, and grow in spirals around the thin branches year round. Yronvid do not typically grow taller than 20 paces, though the trunks are stout and continue to grow thicker as the trees age. From counting the rings, we know that specimens over 1,000 years old have been harvested.
Yronvid trees grow most commonly in poor, rocky soil. Yronvid grows slowly in cold regions, producing rot-resistant wood, dense enough to sink in water. When successfully transplanted and cultivated in warmer climes, Yronvid trees are short-lived, developing loosely-grained wood with little structure, a tendency to crack, and a surprisingly robust rate of combustion.
Typical wood is dark, close-grained, extremely strong and tough, and may only be worked by the finest of tools. Yronvid sawdust is said by some to smell of pine, and by others to smell of blood. (No correlation to race or upbringing has been found for this difference in perception.) Neither the wood nor the sawdust are known to be toxic to workers.
A skilled crafter can create weapons and armor that rival those made of metal with Yronvid. (Well-made Yronvid armor is lighter than metal armor of similar composition, though due to the effort in manufacturing, will take better tooling and longer working time to finish.)
Yronvid reproduction is violent, and the process is not entirely understood. Trees of a certain age and size will drop their leaves, indicating that they are preparing for their next stage. It is not always the oldest trees, nor the biggest, in which we see this effect. After some days, never more than a month, the trunk of the tree decomposes with great force, driving shards of wood in every direction. Some fraction, perhaps a quarter, of the fragments that are driven into the ground will take root and begin to grow new Yronvid. When harvesting these fragments, the Woodcrafter's Guild recommends leaving behind any pieces lodged in the soil, to encourage the growth of new trees.

— Introduction to Yronvid from Woods of Hvatvetna: a Guide for Crafters