Othern Vaerith was young when The Fading first blighted the land. He had only recently completed his apprenticeship as a tailor, within the capital of Elyiore, Heartwood. He remembers distantly a memory of someone coming into the shop to be fitted for new clothes, they were talking about failing harvests, something he now knows was the beginning of The Fading. As The Fading Progressed, He wasn't worried, the thought "The Mother will protect us" often came into his mind whenever someone brought up the continual failing of crops, and the animals moving away from their normal pastures. He remembers believing that it was just the nature of the world that sometimes area's become less fruitful and that's all there was to it. He wnet about his days believing that until, he saw her, a young elfin walked into the shop, changed.
She had lived in the lands that had grown infertile and she herself while still Elfin did not appear the same as she once did. It broke him, "Why are Mothers children suffering" he thought. Even though Othern was never deeply religious he delved deep into the old texts, went to the elders more asked more questions, but they never gave a satisfactory answer. "The Mothers will is sometimes confusing" they would say, or "The Mother is bringing us to a new era" was talked of, but he didn't believe that. This, what was happening, was a blight plain and simple in his mind. The thought "We need to save The Mother, as She has saved us" coalesced in his mind and into a singular driving factor. After frantic studying he came to a conclusion, The Mother Tree will survive without change longer than the people who inhabit the land. He decides to journey to the world.
He joins an exodus, with a group that holds a sapling of The Mother Tree. He knows deep down that people are trying to replace The Mother Tree, but he doesn't show it. This group lead by a bunch of "New Era" thinkers is his best chance at deeply understanding The Mother Tree and once he understands it he can go back and save it, and in doing so save The Mother and her people.