William

Wilhelm "William" Eik is an old oak stump.

Personality
William is grumpy and unkind. He rarely happens to be in a good mood and almost never feels sympathy towards others, which strangely helps him develop close relationship with Xavier. Despite William's hate of fire the two often meet on the bank of Black Creek fishing, drinking Cactus Rum and discussing William's cheerless past and terrifying future.

William is also on good terms with Knite and was a close friend of his grandfather Kanto. However, they don't have a lot in common and mostly play draughts or listen to the sounds of the forest. William also loves listening to melodies that is probably the only thing that can touch his wooden heart.

Another creature that William can stand besides Knite and Xavier is Phil, a young witchwing from the Castle van Garrett, who often visits William's Liar in Knitemire and tells gossips and rumors from around Mistland.

William has complicated relationships with the witch sisters, who seem too unpredictable and spoiled to him, so he prefers not to communicate with them unless necessary. He also detests small creatures like mice, snakes or weasels but doesn't express much hatred towards birds and bigger animals like elks or bears.

William absolutely hates winter, cold and snow but likes rains and dew, stating that October dew is the most delicious meal he has ever enjoyed.

History
William was born in the Year of Big Drums when a lightning strike hit an old oak in Knitemire and set it on fire. The trunk was burned to ashes but its stump and roots stayed underwater due to spring floods and therefore remained untouched. The lightning somehow revived the remains of an old tree and gave birth to a creature later named Wilhelm.

Upon his birth, William was bestowed the mind of an old man, keeping in memory everything that he had seen from the time he was a sprout. He witnessed many great events in the history of Mistland, such as the Great Hermetical War and the Sulphur Invasion.

William never longed for adventures, for most of his lifetime he stayed away from any forest dwellers. His first and probably the closest friend was Kanto, a marsh imp from Knitemire and Knite's grandfather. The two were inseparable for almost twenty years, until Kanto's departure for the Headstone of Sleepers, from where he never returned.