Grandfather Tree

The Grandfather Tree is the most ancient being of the Met Sakinsa, the sentient plant-people (Leshi, or Moonriders) who came to Callidore on the small green moon eons ago and who alone among the peoples retain direct knowledge of the Dry lands before humanity. He is revered across the species as their single greatest source of wisdom — even above the Vundel, as Lilastien remarks.

The Grandfather Tree does not live in Anghysbel. He sits rooted on the far side of the world; Ameras says so explicitly when the expedition first hears his pronouncements:

Isn't the Grandfather Tree on the other side of the world?Ameras, Footwizard

It is the Court of the Leshi Fathers — the oldest rooted Leshi of the moot meadow in Anghysbel — that humans actually meet. The Court consults the Grandfather Tree on the expedition's behalf and returns with his judgment.

The Leshi maintain their link with him through what Deeproot describes as an organic, biological communion that works even inside the jevolar of Anghysbel, where all arcane communication is suppressed:

There are more subtle cycles in the universe than mere magic. We live in the shadow of the jevolar, yet we still maintain our link with the Grandfather Tree through other means than magic. It can be a struggle, sometimes, but the connection is always there, as long as there is life.Deeproot, Footwizard

In Footwizard it is the Grandfather Tree whose word grants the expedition permission to harvest striekema resin for the Vundel, and whose further revelations — conveyed privately to Lilastien — shape Minalan's later work on the Vundel and the Forsaken. In Alka Alon and Vundel philosophy the Grandfather Tree is associated with an unfulfilled promise, a latent destiny of Callidore, making him a figure of world-historical weight. When the expedition returns from its deadly errand in Marshal Arcane, the Court of the Leshi Fathers reports that Deeproot will "relay your findings to the Grandfather Tree," and Lilastien concludes that he will likely champion humanity — because the survival of his people depends on it.