The village of Oakhaven was built around a tree so large its roots served as the town’s foundation and its canopy as the sky. For generations, the village was split into three distinct guilds: the , who lived in the dark soil and managed the water; the Trunk-Keepers , who carved homes into the bark and built the structures; and the Leaf-Watchers , who lived in the heights, harvesting sunlight and rain.
The used their silk-weaving skills to create massive funnel-nets, stretching them across the highest peaks to catch the morning mist—moisture too thin for a single person, but massive when gathered together. The village of Oakhaven was built around a
But soon, the dry heat caused the wood to shrink. The homes began to crack. Without the Root-Tenders’ moisture to keep the bark supple, the very stairs and halls of the village began to crumble. But soon, the dry heat caused the wood to shrink
They were neighbors, but they were not one. The Leaf-Watchers looked down on the "mud-stained" Root-Tenders, and the Root-Tenders resented the "flighty" Leaf-Watchers. The Trunk-Keepers simply stayed in the middle, closing their shutters to the bickering. They were neighbors, but they were not one
By the time the autumn rains finally arrived, the village had changed. The gates between the levels were gone. They realized that unity wasn't about everyone doing the same job—it was about realizing that no matter how high or low you lived, you were all nourished by the same sap.
The used their knowledge of the earth to dig deep, redirected a distant, forgotten underground spring back toward the tree’s base.