The Great Oak

While the Great Oak is indeed a large Oak Tree in the South-East of the Forest of Doon, and the only one of its species in the whole Wood, to the Foyii it holds a far deeper meaning than its natural presence. It is believed that, under its roots while it was still a sapling, the Elemental Crystal of Erdé was discovered. For a time, the small browny-coloured gem was held by the Chiefs of the Foyii until the first Crystal Circle was formed. Yet its significance in the beliefs of the Woodsmen does not end there, for it is said that The Great Oak is what created, and now sustains, the so-called Shield of Everspring - the nearly invisible, nigh impenetrable ward that protects Everspring, where the Chief resides. It was the discovery of the Crystal of Erdé that was used by the early Woodsmen as a sign their leaders would be protected by Nature itself. With Chiefs - and any close advisors - seeming to live longer than the average Foyi/Foyà, this belief was only reinforced. While there is no epic tale to tell or pass to future generations, the retellings of the Crystal of Erdé and the Great Oak's power form part of how the Foyii see themselves, especially those of the Foyverii clan.