Magic Untapped takes a look at the story of Colfenor, the Last Yew of Lorwyn.
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TRANSCRIPT:
Welcome back to Who Is on Magic Untapped as we take a look at the origins and stories of characters from throughout the Magic: The Gathering multiverse, I’m Barry White.
In this episode, we are going to take a glimpse into a character “rooted” in Lorwyn, the yew treefolk sage, Colfenor.
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Already ancient -- even by treefolk standards, the wise yew sage, Colfenor, had a cryptic personality. He never let on fully to his plans, assumptions, or even overall knowledge. He was always in pursuit of his own secret agenda in one way or another.
At one point, he took in and mentored a young elf from Lorwyn’s privileged Gilt Leaf clan named Rhys. The treefolk taught the elf the ways of yew magic and of the yew species in general. Through these teachings, the two grew to be close friends. Over time, though, their bond weakened as Rhys eventually returned to his own society, leaving Colfenor to wander the plane alone as he was, by this time, the last of his species.
After some time, the yew sage saw a vision of a great event that was to come and change Lorwyn forever. Understanding that he must find some way to ensure the survival of the yew race, he comes up with a plan and begins making his way towards the kithkin village of Kinsbaile.
There, he is reunited with Rhys and learns that, due to a botched attack upon boggart goblins during their Feast of Footbottom, his former pupil had been exiled from the Gilt Leaf. Seeing an opportunity to further his own plans, the yew tasks Rhys with traveling to the Murmuring Bosk, a grove sacred to Lorwyn’s treefolk. Once there, the elf is to plant a sapling to ensure the yew line will live on.
Agreeing to this favor, Rhys and his traveling partners, Kinsbaile archer Brigid Baeli, a flamekin pilgrim named Ashling, a triplet of fae known as the Vendilion Clique and a moonsong elf named Maralen, make the journey only to find the bosk had been burnt to the ground. Still, Rhys plants the sapling as instructed and performs a yew ritual to ensure its growth.
Afterwards, in an act of political intrigue, Ashling’s flame is doused and abducted by Brigid as instructed by her village’s elder, Gaddock Teeg. Unbeknownst to her, however, is that Colfinor knew about Teeg’s plans to pacify not Ashling, but Rhys – the real target -- and, without the kithkins’ knowledge, altered the instructions to have the archer target the flamekin instead of the elf.
The remainder of the traveling party make their way back to Kinsbaile to inform Colfinor of the Bosk’s destruction but find a number of obstacles hindering their return.
Once they finally do make it back, Rhys finds a smoldering Ashling in company with his old yew mentor. In fact, he arrives just in time to witness the flamekin pilgrim be rekindled by a greater elemental. As her flame returns, it burns brighter and hotter than ever.
The blaze engulfs Colfenor. The ancient yew sage burns brightly into death. The last of the yew soon little more than ash.
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As for that sapling, it would grow and play a critical role in the Lorwyn story. If you want to learn about that, you can check out our retrospective videos about Lorwyn and Morningtide, the first two sets in the Lorwyn/Shadowmoor mega-block.
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