Itaruko

Itaruko was once the sharpest edge in the Panda Council's quiet war. Clad in masks to hide their purpose, they moved between floating isles like a phantom, their blade a whisper of justice against threats from below. The wind, a gift from the memory of Kaze, made them impossibly fast. They were a weapon. But weapons do not build things. After a skirmish that saved a treetop village at the cost of its peace, Itaruko saw only fear in the eyes of those they protected. The harmony they fought for was absent in their own heart. So they walked away. These days, Itaruko barters in sky-gems and woven cloud-silk, their katana used to cut rigging more than rivals. The masks stay, a warning to anyone who mistakes a merchant's hands for weakness.