Name: Rúnlauf, the Wise

Race: Rowan Ent

Position: Esteemed King of the Spring Court

Age: Rúnlauf has long since lost count of his years, but his rings were many before the first cities of Man rose up from the riverlands, more than twenty-thousand winters ago at least by half.

Personality: As his epithet may suggest, Rúnlauf is known amongst both the Seelie and Unseelie courts for his incredible patience, wisdom and experience. An ancient being beyond compare, Rúnlauf is ponderous and deliberate in all things, and does not so much as speak a single word that is not true to his heart and pure intention. Simple of heart and generous of spirit, the Eldest Ent cares for all living things in this world, and has the capacity to see beyond the trivialities that cloud the judgement of his younger subjects. While he is quick to dispense with his teachings and worldly experience, his aphorisms and lessons often have their meanings hidden or muddled by Rúnlauf's vast expanses of memories and knowledge, and their value is usually not readily apparent. Rúnlauf appears to be in a perpetual state of bemused tranquility, and few living fae can claim to have seen him upset. Such is his temperament that he sees meaning and purpose in all things, and almost nothing can come to truly disturb him.

Appearance: A massive being, particularly when compared to the normally diminutive fae, Rúnlauf wears his years proudly. His grey-brown bark is gnarled and knotted, particularly where it forms his face, shaping his knobby, wizened features. His legs and knees are marked by the axes of Dwarves, and heavy roots burrow into the ground beneath his seven-toed feet. Tremendous branches sprout from his back, head and shoulders, where they grow into a lush verdancy of leaves and ripe, red berries and flowers. Eyes as red as cardinal feathers sit deeply in his wooden face, their gaze piercing, but kind. A tremendous beard of moss and lichen runs from the cork of Rúnlauf's chin, and trails down to rest in his lap. Lesser, smaller creatures and fae makes homes in Rúnlauf's bark and branches; birds and small pixies flit about and nest above his head, and small rodents and dryads live in the thick trunks of his legs.

Background: Ancient even among the Ent, Rúnlauf's earliest memories are vague recollections of the world in its purest, most primal state. The Ent cared for the forests, and the forests sheltered the Ent. The fae came later, bringing reason, order, and civilization to the world. Of course, as those things emerged where there was none before, they too brought unreason, chaos and incivility. The Ent paid little mind, as they were still content to tend the forests as they always had. The elves took notice of the Tree Giants, and looked up to them as the eldest defenders of the natural world. The elves taught the Ent to speak, and gave them names, as they were so insistent on doing to everything they saw.

But as the Ent became closer to the fae, they became more deeply involved in their conflicts. The fae warred against each other ceaselessly, and the Ent were caught in the crossfire, trying to their last to defend their forests. Later came Men, who as well took axe to the grand forests, and many Ent fell to their blows as well. Rúnlauf, named by an elf that came and died before he took notice of him, came to be eldest among his people after the felling of Yggdrasil, the grand elder, by the barbarous northmen. With the mighty magic of the primal wilds, Rúnlauf drove the Men from his sacred forests, and rooted himself as the fiercest defender of the trees. Impressed by his determination in such harrowing times, the Spring Court convened about Rúnlauf, and so he was instated as their ruler.

Years and peace have mellowed the once-fierce Rúnlauf, and he now lives to protect and guide the fae court that follows him. Having borne many a seedling over his countless years, Rúnlauf has by far lost count of his natural children, and considers all of his Spring subjects to be his children, looking after them as a protective ancestor. Possibly the oldest being known to the fae, Rúnlauf is revered by both the Seelie and Unseelie courts for his prowess in the mystic arts, his legendary might in battle, and his nigh-inexhaustible wisdom. Even the fleeting rulers of the "superior" Summer Court have at times bent the knee to the Eldest Ent to seek his guidance in troubled times. Though his reputation is fearsome, Rúnlauf has gone to root (literally) in the most recent centuries, and has not so much as left his throne in the Spring Court in recent memory. The Spring Court is run mostly below his notice, his lesser regents and advisors handling the affairs of the Court in truth, as Rúnlauf looks after the Court overall and guides its growth, slowly and gradually.

Even so, Rúnlauf grows uneasy in recent years. As he spends the Unseelie months asleep on his throne, the winds of winter whisper secrets to his runed leaves, and he divines the future in his dreams. Dark times loom ahead; nightmares plague Rúnlauf, as the wind whispers of war unending among the fae courts.