Mokuzu

Always before venturing into the sunless grottos beneath Waterfall City, Mokuzu performs a small, quiet ritual. The elders whisper that the glowing lantern on their head contains a captured piece of the dawn, a light that unravels shadows and soothes ancient things that slumber in the dark. It is said they possess the same dormant, unbreakable power as the shell-warrior Tamago, an inner fortitude that no abyss can crack. Yet, the children who watch from the stone stairways know the simpler truth. The ritual is just a moment of peace with a slice of bread and jam. When the last bite is finished, they descend, a calm beacon disappearing into the earth, a living legend with a sweet tooth.