Tree Village (the surface) and The Undergrove (the root city) reveal how the KUKU woodfolk live with light, memory, and spirits.
🌳 KUKU WORLD
KUKU are woodfolk born between the tree deity Kukunochi and humankind. Part of their bodies is wooden, allowing them to heal and sustain life simply by bathing in light.
They are destined to live with the forest—strong like trees, gentle like people. Many carry a wooden box called a masu, where contracted spirits dwell. Channeling those spirits through battle, healing, music, or dance is known as Spirit Art, the signature power of KUKU.
The masu is a symbolic heirloom said to be given by Kukunochi to every KUKU child. Each box shelters a spirit. When the KUKU sings, fights, prays, or performs, the masu glows, becoming a shield, a lantern, or even an instrument.
Because the masu grows with its owner, the wood grain shifts alongside their heart. Fully awakened spirits make the box shimmer like a living being.
In the KUKU world, every natural phenomenon hosts a spirit—light, wind, water, fire, soil, flowers, even shadows. The relationship is resonance, not domination.
When a heart is clouded, spirits fall silent; when it is clear, they sing together. Spirits rest inside the masu and grow with their partners. Over long years, the box breathes like a living creature, and when spirit and KUKU synchronize, unknown powers emerge.
Tree Village is the surface settlement where KUKU have lived for millennia amid mist and sunlight. At its center rises the world tree born from Kukunochi. Its trunk is wider than mountains, its branches pierce the clouds, and at night the bark’s lines glow softly to illuminate the entire forest.
The Undergrove is a subterranean city carved inside the world tree’s colossal roots. Tangled roots form a vaulted ceiling where glowing moss and light-bugs spill emerald light over the streets.
Vendors trade resin lamps, fragrant fruit crafts, and vessels that house spirits. The rhythm of mallets and merchants never stops. While Tree Village is serene and prayerful, the Undergrove is a second world below—alive with light, sound, and scent—the creative heart of the forest civilization.
Use Tree Village, The Undergrove, and the official character sheets as your launch pad. Remix them with your perspective and let the spirits guide your narrative.
