Yew Town Council

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SunWolf Discusses the History of the Yew Town Council

 

ATLANTIC— The Yew Town Council (YTC) held its first meeting on 19 June 1998,  making it one of Atlantic’s oldest organizations. During the first two years of  its existence, the YTC developed into a widely-renowned and well-respected  establishment. Many of the Council’s governance and organizational practices  influenced the foundations of other town councils. Sadly, on 4 May 2000, when  the YTC was at the height of its influence, its predominance suddenly began to  decline: an abrupt change to the facet system posed a challenge that the YTC was  never quite able to adapt to.

The YTC was not a guild, but a loose  affiliation of likeminded guilds that collaborated to promote Justice, the  virtue of Yew, and to encourage the betterment of Yew’s community. When Atlantic  was divided into two facets, however, many of these guilds were forced to  reexamine their respective missions. As members of the YTC began to evolve, some  lost interest in the Council. Moreover, several new guilds began to pose an  external threat to the YTC. In light of these changes, the Council’s leadership  found it increasingly difficult to hold the community together.
Presently, the Yew Town Council is only a shadow of its former glory but it  is currently enjoying a resurgence under SunWolf who has resurrected the Militia  and The Yew Town Council Meetings have moved to Yew Abbey Trammel. Meetings are  held every 2nd Thursday at 9:00 pm EST. Guilds and Individuals are invited and  welcome to attend. Any announcements or organizational events that might be up  coming from any guilds may be announced at this meeting also.
Despite  the YTC’s regression, the Council remains an important part of Atlantic’s  history. It’s legacy is a shining example of what many consider the Golden Age  of Ultima Online . One of the Council’s central members, SunWolf, is  currently working to redevelop the organization. Because of his centrality  throughout the organization’s history, I asked him to tell his story of the  YTC’s early years.
Quote:
Sometime around December 1998 or January 1999, I was in Yew and ran across a  fellow decked out in a green uniform and armor. His speech was smooth and he  really presented himself very well. I was curious about him so I just started  asking a lot of questions. Later, I learned that he was a private in the Yew  Militia and he was patrolling Yew to see if anyone needed anything. His name was  Rabulkain and he would later on become Mayor of Yew.

We said our goodbyes and I went in search of the famous Serpent Cross Tavern  I kept hearing about. Probably a week or so later, the guild that was based in  Minoc broke up, so I moved back to the town I enjoyed being in, which is Yew. I  knew the people at West Yew University (WYU) and was one of the protectors of  the place back then and aided in anything they needed. One night at Serpent  Cross, there was an militia meeting which I was allowed to sit in and Renee, who  was one of the bartenders at the tavern, was voted as the new Militia Captain.  There was also an attack on the tavern, which I aided in averting. I had been  fighting murderers a lot due to the old guild I was in, Covetous, Minoc Mines,  and WYU. Rabulkain kept asking me to join Yew, because they needed someone who  had some skill when trouble came. So I accepted and noticed they used WYU for  training. There was around 12 or so active people who were always together, but  they really had no skills in combat.
I used to get yelled at by Renee  about how I talk and presented myself, since all I knew was the PvP world.  Rainbow King and a list full of others pretty much helped me along the way. It  was a habit I had to break really, but once I started paying attention to what I  was saying, I was promoted to Sergeant, which is a tactical office used to train  members. There were three patrols a day and different people with rank would  lead them. The patrols were also a test, in a way. Citizens used to report to us  any murder activity or if anything else was going in during these patrols. We  would also help people recover their bodies in Shame, but it wasn’t in our  boundaries to actually go inside and unless it was pre-planned. Normally, we  ended the patrol there and just camped outside the entrance until we all went  our own ways.
Thursdays at 9 used to be our weekly militia meeting,  Sundays at 3 was the town hall meeting. At the town hall meeting, I meet Gargish  Dragon, who had taken time to answer my questions about Yew. He was one of the  founding members of the Yew Town Council and he taught me a lot about the  Council.
Renee stepped down as captain and Zenda was voted in. I was  promoted up to second of command after settling some internal stalker mess that  happened within the guild. Slowly, everyone kind of stepped aside and let me do  my thing.
I had read the original meetings of forming this guild and I  sometimes wondered where these other guilds were and why they were not around,  so I went to find members of them all and asked them. It was many months ago and  everyone was in game back then, a month would seem like an year those days,  because you were busy all the time. There was just one facet (i.e., Felucca), so  there was always something going on and my schedule was always full. It had  taken me a lot of time to build up trust in these guilds – they had their own  rules, own towns, own people. But I made sure the militia patrolled their areas  and remained visible, giving them a chance to meet each other.
I also  made sure, when patrols were in the LOA village, that they followed the LOA  rules – that they didn’t intervene unless they ask for help and respect LOA’s  wishes. Respect was – and is – the main thing I enforced in Yew. After some time  and a lot of debate, the ties between everyone got closer and trust was built.  LOA, Clan Moor, STC, WYU, UN, Fogwood, and a few more all started joining the  council. I asked for an ambassador from each guild. Each guild had three votes  on issues in order to keep things fair, due to LOA boasting 400 some members.
Then Zenda stepped down as Captain and Silver Dryad and Seer Nikademus  ask me to become the captain. I declined because I didn’t’ feel I was ready and  it was a big job. Besides, as lieutenant I could have more time to do more  things. The Captain rank went empty for 3 or so days before they asked me again – this time with Gargish Dragon, who I really couldn’t say no to – and I  accepted. I kept the ball rolling, so to speak, and kept promoting the name and  virtues of the Town of Yew guild, which consisted of only 7 active members due  to the fact that we stopped recruiting after the aforementioned stalker problem.
I met Xanthar in Serpent Cross Tavern. He asked the militia to be at the  grand opening of the museums, and so we branched out into their own militia with  the same basic uniforms as ours, but blue instead of green. Our numbers was  spread thin and WYU formed their own militia. That didn’t last long and soon  they merged with Yew to increase both of our numbers. No matter where we went,  though – Rivendell, or Trinsic, or wherever else – we were well greeted and well  known. The militia itself grew to around 48 active people, who all patrolled and  helped out in Yew or wherever else they were called upon. Stormweaver Orcs  started to appear and we had to keep them in check, as well. I had so many  contacts and so many messages, I barely made it out of the office alive. Things  remained like that for months. I sent groups of Militia to events, while I  stayed working on what had to be done next. The ICQ messages killed me. I  couldn’t play much anymore. People kept asking me to go meet this person and so  forth. I even missed Lord British when he came to address us because someone  needed help in Fogwood.
After a few months, I worn down and asked my  second in command to run for captain. He was voted in and I had departed Yew but  stayed around as an adviser. Thrawn was the current mayor at the time and they  both knew what yew was. I joined Knights of Sosaria, under Wolf and Breti, to  spend more time with Gwendolyn of the Trinsic Council and Auren Therion of the  Britian Council. I just wanted to have some personal time and enjoy myself. I  attended all three of the council meetings when I was able, but soon trammel was  formed.
With the birth of Trammel, the Yew Town Council was as lost as  everyone else. Many evil guilds appeared in Yew, as well. Yew had such a huge  name, it seemed every guild in the world came after Yew and really spread things  thin. It confused the current leaders of Yew and eventually new leaders were  appointed. Regardless, people left yew little by little over time. The original  feeling just wasn’t there. We went from helping people in felucca to just wars  with evil guilds in trammel and there was really no reason for the wars, besides  land. The battles in the past, prior to the existence of Trammel, with Ncr and  Orcs all had meanings. Each group was fighting for a purpose, and even if it was  for land.
I was asked to return to yew to see what I could do to save  it. I returned and people were happy initially, but I didn’t really have much  energy left. I was still enjoying my retirement with Gwendolyn and seeing what  Aurens would get into next. I think different people kept the town meetings  going, the militia was pretty much there in name only. We had one last big  battle which we won against BWK at Serpent Cross Tavern, but everyone pretty  much departed after that. Everyone was heartbroken on how people acted or looked  at Yew. The newcomers wanted to control Yew and do their own things in the city.
Others came in and did what they did, and ran their own methods of the  yew town council. I know nothing of their history or actions, but none of them  were truly an open council, as Yew once was.
Originally, the militia  consisted of Yew citizens who were called upon to defend their lands, but  everything seemed to change after Trammel. So, the militiamen returned to the  woods, to whatever we were doing before we’d joined Yew, till the day that we  all are called upon once again.
Interview by Fallon Valor
Yew Town Council

NPC Building:
Yew Rural
Co-ordinates: 68 12’N 59o 24’W Felucca Facet

Visited By: Fallon Valor
Visited On: November 12,
2009

Last modified: September 11, 2011

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