Trents

Trents are a race of hostile oak trees, which dwelt within the forests of archaic Sosaria during the time of Ultima I.

Description
Trents, similar to the subterranean tanglers of the era, were tree-beings which were known to feed on unwary human travelers. Appearing to be nothing but in-extraordinary oaks at first glance, trents would employ strength and surprise to ensnare and crush victims in their mobile branches. Unlike their underground cousins, who systemically starved their prey before digesting it, trents ate their victims either alive or freshly slain.

While similar in passing to the reapers of later ages, the trents of early Sosaria were never observed to practice magic, and appeared to be formed of a living, foliage-bearing wood - stark contrast to the leafless bodies of later horrors. If a relation between the two tree-races existed, the particulars of it have been lost to history.

For reasons unknown, the trents were not seen in the lands which would become Britannia after the death of Mondain.

Trivia

 * Trents almost certainly derived from the "treants" of early installments of the table-top role playing game,  Dungeons & Dragons, which in turn are very likely derived from the Ents of J.R.R. Tolkien's literary works.