Sadagorou

The Ramen-Bowl Guardian of The Heart of the Forest is what the children call them. The adults simply say Sadagorou appeared one autumn, combat pole in hand, and was immediately accepted by Mokuzai. Locals will tell you they’ve never seen them eat, nor seen what lies behind their shaded eyewear. They just stand at the edge of every feast, a silent sentinel with a poker face. A lost traveler, however, tells a different story: one of Sadagorou in the rougher outer woods, glasses glinting as they stared down a territorial beast, not with aggression, but with a deep, unsettling understanding. The creature simply turned and left. Mokuzai seems to be the only one who knows their story, and they aren't telling. They just nod when Sadagorou is near, a silent acknowledgement between two deep roots of the forest.