King Erell

King Erell was the Drywid member of the Five Kings and bearer of Nature. During the final battle at the Castle of the Kings, he transformed into the immense tree that still occupies the central courtyard.

Rule and decline

Erell initially stabilised the embodied and ecological needs of the Noble Era. Over centuries, unrelieved Nature burden made hunger, growth, instinct and living continuity increasingly dominant. His rule became feral and controlling.

Transformation

Erell's transformation was literal survival rather than symbolic death. His consciousness persists through roots, sap, fungi, animals and seasonal change, operating too slowly and diffusely for ordinary conversation.

Burden role

The tree may continue to absorb part of the Nature burden. Its persistence may help explain why devastated Drywid populations did not vanish immediately and why some survivors became plantlike or sanctuary-bound guardians.

Later evidence

@Taiva encounters the tree in Five Empty Thrones without identifying it confidently. The intended conclusion emerges only by connecting physical clues, Drywid overload, legends of the Fall and Dawn knowledge.