Summary
Living wooden guardian whose body tolerates the Mirror Spire’s reactor heat/temporal distortion. Essential to the Eresh arc; serves as both mechanical key and mythic anchor.
Role in Eresh / reactor access
- Only viable interface near the ruined reactor core; wood composition resists heat/radiation-like energy and temporal distortion (tolerance, not immunity).
- Resonates with Technogarch systems: dormant mechanisms briefly reactivate, sealed paths unlock, stabilization sequences become possible.
- Pip must wear Kodomaru as living armor (Eresh expedition): unfolding exoskeleton, heavy/tank-like momentum, frog-like leaps, ground slams. Hazards become survivable, not harmless.
- Not a vehicle—he is a burden willingly carried.
Mythic implications
- Ancient hieroglyph-like records show a “tree-shaped being” shielding a ruler from unbearable light/heat; predates Technogarch collapse.
- Suggests Technogarchs borrowed/replicated an older solution; mystery preserved (strange man could be Bonsai Sage/predecessor/echo).
- Environmental cues: heat bends away, hostile machinery falls silent near him, reactor chambers echo the hieroglyph motifs.
Themes
- Survival through coexistence, not domination.
- Protection through life (wood) instead of steel.
- The cost of carrying what others abandoned.
Open questions
- Lock exact origin/species and any faction tie.
- Define drops/loot if ever allowed (currently treated as non-lootable companion/ally).
Sources
docbase/kb/kodomaru_reactor_key_eresh_expedition_addendum.md
Visual traits
Not described in available sources; add silhouette/gear when material surfaces.
Personality
Not yet documented.
Role & Narrative Behavior
To be defined once source details are available.
Things to keep in mind
- Currently reference-only; avoid fabricating lore.
- Fill in from future drops or chat canon when confirmed.
Open questions / conflicts
Unknown: identity, affiliations, and narrative function.
Missing / conflicting information:
- Add backstory, role, relationships, and arc involvement from sources.
- Media not provided; add references or uploads when available.
Media placeholder: pending upload.
Source excerpts (maybe)
Referenced figure; details scarce—flag for fuller sourcing before expansion.