Dougal

Dougal's own name denies him. Pseudotsuga — "false hemlock" — not a true fir at all, though he stands among the tallest conifers on Earth and has the timber to prove it. Every introduction is a small apology: yes, the cones hang like a hemlock's; no, he is not one; please, the height speaks for itself. He petitioned the Skyreach council to be judged by altitude rather than etymology, and the council — after the traditional three days of deliberation — ruled that a tree is what it grows, not what it is called. Dougal framed the ruling in bark. Now he introduces himself with relish: "Dougal. False hemlock. True giant." The young trees with awkward names come to him for counsel, and he gives them the only advice that ever mattered: grow so tall the name has to look up to you.