When the Tarnished first finds Elden Ring's demi-human seamster Boc, he is in the form of a tree. Standing in a grove in Elden Ring's opening area Limgrave, Boc calls out to the Tarnished for help, saying, "Some clod turned me into a tree." Despite the long questline that follows his introduction, Boc's transformation into a plant remains much of a mystery throughout the game.
The clod responsible for the spell put on Boc first appears to be one of the demi-humans who kicked him out of his dwelling in Coastal Cave. When the Tarnished first meets Boc, the seamster explains that several of his own species attacked him in his home, stole his belongings, and took over the dungeon. It thus makes sense that one of these bandits would have hexed him and turned him into a tree as a sick joke. After all, the only reason the defenseless Boc would ever be found in the boss-filled area of Limgrave in Elden Ring is if he were running for his life, and in this case, he was.
However, the distance between Coastal Cave - a dungeon on the eastern shore of Limgrave - and Boc's first location is too large for the demi-humans to have chased him and returned back. Though not impossible, the likelihood of these demi-humans chasing down Boc when they already had his possessions and shelter is too low. To understand what could have happened to Boc, players should thus look to his location in Limgrave for other potential enemies who could have teased the poor seamster with this spell. Indeed, his placement in the eastern part of the region near the Mistwood Forrest and the witch of the Waypoint Ruins - Elden Ring's Sellen - suggests two possibilities.
Boc's Quest - How It May Connect To Sellen In Elden Ring
One of the possible culprits behind Boc's transformation into a tree is a demi-human queen. This queen would not have been a part of the group who took Coastal Cave from Boc, as this group was led by two chiefs. The demi-human queens, on the other hand, are much larger leaders who use sorcery to fight as opposed to melee attacks. This last fact points toward a demi-human queen being responsible, as magic had to be used to turn Boc into a tree. The demi-human queen who resides in the Mistwood is one of the closest magic-users to Boc's position in all of Limgrave, so it is possible she may be responsible for the seamster's transformation. After all, it would make sense for the demi-human queen to show mercy to another one of her kind by using a harmless bit of Elden Ring magic instead of hostile one.
But even closer to Boc's location in Limgrave is another sorceress: Sellen. Considering that Sellen is a bright enough magic user to become a teacher to players, it would make sense for her to have used a spell on Boc while possibly thinking the demi-human was a threat. However, this is more unlikely than the demi-human queen being the culprit because Sellen is trapped behind a Pumpkin Head in the Waypoint Ruins.
Boc is one of the sweetest and most fleshed out characters in Elden Ring. Upon meeting him, he worries about his hideousness warding people off, but by the end of his story, he realizes the beauty within himself. If only he realized people did not look at him in the beginning of the game because he had turned into a tree.