Professional Documents
Culture Documents
GUBbi Banbwa
GUBbi Banbwa
COPPERPLATE OF
THE SWORD ISLES
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OF SONGS AND COPPERPLATES 7
SUGILANON, OR A STORY 8
THE LIES OF BEGINNING 9
ANG DAGHAN 11
THE FORMING OF THE CONTINENTS UPON THE WORLD JAWS 11
THE SWORD EMBEDDED INTO THE HEART OF THE WORLD 12
THE ANCIENT CYCLES 12
THE STORY OF THE FIRST HOUSE 13
THE SEVENTH SUN ERA 14
THE RAMAHASAN EMPIRE 14
PETTY MANDALAS 16
PANNAI LEAGUE 16
STATE OF VUYU 18
SRITALUK, KINGDOM OF VIOLET CORAL 20
THE KINGDOM OF SINUKU 22
NATION OF IBALNONG 24
THE SULTANATE OF DAGINDARA 26
ON THE PEOPLE OF THE SWORD ISLES 28
AMONG THE TAWO: ILAWOD AND IRAYA 29
AMONG THE SINA 30
THE TAWO ACROSS THE POLITIES 31
ON GENDER AND SEXUALITY 32
A SMALL SAMPLING OF NON-HUMAN TAWO: SARING LAHI 33
BETEL NUT CHEWING 36
BETEL NUT CEREMONY 37
THE SOCIAL CLASSES 38
DATU, KEDATUAN, AND BINUKOT 38
Sailing 70
Winds Of The Sword Isles 72
Food 72
Hunting 73
Alcohol and Drinking 73
THE BALAY, OR HOUSE 75
TOWN HOUSES 76
COTTAGES 77
TREE HOUSES 77
FAITHS OF THE SWORD ISLES 79
IDOLS AND SPIRIT HOUSES 79
THE DAGHAN: NATURE GODS, ANCESTOR SPIRITS, AND GUARDIAN
SPIRITS 81
OFFERING AND WORSHIP 82
KAHIYANGAN 82
YAWA AND BUSAW 83
COSMOLOGY AND THE AFTERLIFE 84
THE OVERWORLD 84
THE MIDWORLD 85
THE AFTERWORLD 85
ANITO 86
Creation: Violence 93
HIYANG 94
Creation: Arriving From Mists 98
SAMPALATAYA 99
Creation: Forming From Bamboo 102
IMAN 104
Creation: Engendering by the Black Eel 108
that you don’t need to read huge swathes of writing to get a game
going
SUGILANON, OR A STORY
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think that to be false. Only dullards and kings will think that our
present day cannot come from multiplicity
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ANG DAGHAN
The nature spirits that live within natural places, as well as those
gods of pantheons that live in sky abodes, are known collectively as
Ang Daghan, The Many. None is above Ang Daghan. No, not one.
All are within Ang Daghan: all diwata, all gods, all goddesses, all
demons, all malevolent spirits. All are Ang Daghan.
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THE SWORD EMBEDDED INTO THE HEART OF
THE WORLD
Look now, to the center of the sea
A memory strikes you, like lightning. An image of a grand
warrior, a thunderous one, tattoos running up their sky-skin, their
face perverted into a devil god grin
Their kris impales the heart of the world. Yutadagat, in a single
instant, is boiled
Another lightning ash: the kris shatters. It falls upon the center
of the world.
The god is the Sky
This is one of the many stories for the origins of the Sword Isles,
although this is the one most important and shared across the isles
themselves. The Sword Isles, when looked upon from above, is in the
shape of a shattered kris
The heart of the world still bleeds
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It is said that in those times, even more monsters roamed the
lands, before the Rajah known as Rajah Baltog of Botavara in the
south of the Sword Isles and the Rajah known as Rajah Indarapatra
in the north of the Sword Isles went to cull them. They did not do
this in concert, but they cleaned out much of the monsters.
However, these monsters have recently resurfaced in the wake of
the coming Eighth Star Era
Most of the stuff of Epics among the various cultures of the
Sword Isles happen during these Ancient Cycles, describing
powerful gods, sorcery that causes entire islands to ascend into the
heaven, warriors that can ride upon shields, and ying barges
Of course, all these things are still doable in the modern era
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THE SEVENTH SUN ERA
The Seventh Sun Era is said to have been the longest. It was a
time of peace and innovation. During the Seventh Sun Era, said to
have lasted ove a thousand years, three states ruled over the Sword
Isles: Tundun, Put’wan, and Ba-e. During those years, the three
kingdoms had a name for the region that spanned between Ba-e,
Tundun, and Put’wan (which means it did not include the Kalanawan
area nor southern Rusunuga): Tulongarajah, which means Three
Kings
Tundun, Put’wan and Ba-e have lost their luster in recent years,
but their technology and innovations persevere: the various writing
systems, writing upon copperplate and palm leaf scrolls, ying barges
rowed by guardian spirits, goldworking, and various kinds of sorcery.
The most powerful empire in the distant past was the Ramahasa
Empire, to the furthest East, in the Continent raised by the Sky-
Skinned Gods. It is peopled by the diverse auraskan tiger folk, who
still hew close to a divine caste system. From them arose the two
most popular faiths in the Known World: the ascetic Annuvaran and
the embracing of multiplicity that is Ashinin
To this day, they ght and war and worship the Beings that live in
the Sea, and undergo meditation to ascend the realm of Falsity and
achieve oneness with the Chaos of In nity
There the faith of the Prime River or the religion known as
Ashinin, which hinges on the belief that there was a Great Being, the
Prime, known to most as The Om, that is split into three, the
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PETTY MANDALAS
The Petty Mandalas are called as such because they are smaller
than the expansionist and larger mandalas that play a larger role in
the Skysea War. They are at most 1 - 2 banwa in size. They are
nonetheless important and contribute to the growing enmity between
states. A Player Kadungganan can choose to play a Mandala from the
following Petty Mandalas as well
PANNAI LEAGUE
Cooperative lords, pious folk, and disciplined warriors. On the
island of Lantiaw, north of Rusunuga, east of the Gatusan, lays the
powerful league of ten city states known as Pannai. Established by
ten monkey-headed datu who arrived from deep within the jungles of
Sonyoh, they brought with them sorceries, spiritualities, spirits, and
gods of their own and conquered the land. Pannai, wherein local
tawo lived in disparate and small banwa, were gathered up and split
into ten haop, each one following a holy monkey lord
The Pannai League is assembled about one of the grand holy
mountains of The Sword Isles: the Holy Mountain of Madjaas, where
the gods live. There, they say, Sri Dapa etches upon the Tree of Life
the number of days for every mortal born. They believe in a whole
pantheon of gods, as well as minor gods, that live within every single
thing. They each claim a shore or island
The League does not war against each other. Instead, they
support each other, trading with each other and supplying each other
with the other’s needs. One state, Puti, will provide weapons to the
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rest of the states, while another state, Paiburong, will provide rice
and root crops to the rest of the states.
They are connected by rivers and the sea, and once a harvest they
all send pilgrimages to the base of the holy mountain of Madjaas to
offer prayers and thanks. The most elder of them, usually priests and
priestesses, would also nish a pilgrimage to the Holy Mountain of
Kanlaon, found deep in the island of Haraya, a day northeast. There,
the Ancient One lives
The people of Pannai are noble and disciplined. Unlike the
Rajahnate of Gatusan and the State of Ibalnong, they do not mark
their valorous acts with tattoos. They wear thick hardwood armor
and ght with both sorcery and sword. Their priests are all known to
wield swords alongside prayer chants. Their warlord datu led huge
swathes of armies to expand and conquer their domain
The people of Pannai are constantly warring with those in the
Gatusan to protect their island
If you come from Pannai, choose 1 item you start with: rattan
rope, holy leaves from Kanlaon, a ritual bamboo spear, intricately
engraved clay pottery
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STATE OF VUYU
Providers of rice and fruit, ritualistic headhunters, and celebrants
of nature. The state of Vuyu is the most powerful of the states that
live and thrive upon the Rusunugan Spine, the large mountain range
that spans the eastern edge of Rusunuga. Vuyu deals with their
fellow states as equals, despite being the most wealthy of them. They
specialize in farming, especially rice, which has become an important
export from them and has turned them into an integral part of
domestic trade
Established by the great Winged God Apuvuyu, who came down
from the Sky to grant the rst elders of the mountain-dwellers
knowledge of farming, terracing, weaving, pottery, smithing, and
warring. Finally, to create a royal line of leaders who will serve their
people, Apuvuyu took upon him a wife in one of the daughters of the
elders, who birthed the rst Datu of Vuyu. With his job done, he
ascended to heaven, leaving the words: “Let us remember.” They
believe that when someone born from Vuyu dies, they ascend up to
the top of Mount Vulan, the highest point in Rusunuga, where
Apuvuyu lives in a holy city
Vuyu lives in concert with surrounding settlements, performing
ritual headhunting, farming shared land, and trading rice and
foodstuffs with lowland peoples. They live in intimate closeness with
nature, and follow the tenets of Hiyang. They follow elder datu, who
provide them with counsel, knowledge, and guidance
The people of Vuyu constantly war with the lowland empire of
Virbanwa who seek to invade their sacred ancestral land
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If you come from Vuyu, choose 1 piece of item that you begin
with: a branch of owers, a laurel wreath, fragrant oils, a woven
abaca basket
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SRITALUK, KINGDOM OF VIOLET CORAL
Unbound pirates, travelers to distant lands, and friends to the sea.
Sritaluk is a kingdom built at the northwestern tip of Kalanawan. It
is built upon an ancient crab kingdom that harvested the violet coral
underneath the surf, known as taluk. The crabs are now nowhere to
be found, although some shells can still be found, and are used as
communal spirit houses
Founded by sailors from the Rajahnate, Sritaluk has become an
enterprising “free” state, wherein those that wish to travel far off
unseen lands: usually the far northern hinterland of Majebebe, where
the land is cold and the mountains are white
Sritaluk is ruled over by a triumvirate of merchant princes,
considered orangkaya by travelers. Sri Digna, Sri Amion, and Sri
Isakatuparan banded together to overthrow the previous tyrant,
Sarripada Bulkeiah, who imposed unfair tariffs and docking fees
upon those that traded.
Sritaluk is far away in the Gold Silk Current, but those ships that
do pass by Sritaluk are blessed with the sight of titanic crab-shell
spirit houses, datu longhouses made of violet coral, and warriors clad
in that same coral breastplates, shields, and spears. Taluk is light in
water, and thus Sritalukan warriors are adept at swimming in water,
able to ght both at boat and underwater.
Sritaluk’s mandala of in uence is not wide, although thanks to the
crab gods that they supplicate to and the aforementioned skill of
Sritalukan Kadungganan, they have been able to ward off various
raids and invasion attempts from other polities, namely Dagindara,
Akai, and Gatusan.
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their lives is spent up and down the myriad rivers that arise from the
bay of Sinuku. They are in an ever strife with the crocodile folk that
live in these rivers
They are attuned intensely to the movement of the stars, naming
them and assigning proper words to the movements of the sun and
moon. They reckon their time by the stars, and they awake at dawn
when the morning star, known as Salandaguis, the rat’s lamp, appears
in the dawn sky. They are friends with the comets
If you are from Sinuku, choose 1 piece of item that you begin
with: clay pot, porcelain ask, a box of rice, a ake of meteorite
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NATION OF IBALNONG
Fierce defenders, ever-loyal braves, and unparalleled hunters.
Ibalnong is a powerful city state headed by the descendants of
legendary warrior-hunters that was fabled to have cleared the region
of Ibalnong of all the destructive monsters and made it a clean place
to live in. Following after their warrior-hunter ancestors, the
Ibalnongan are skilled and fearless warriors who foster trade and war
with the Rajahnate. They staunchly defend their peninsula from all
forms of attack, whether it be from within the archipelago or from
foreign power
Like the cultures within the Rajahnate’s mandala, they tattoo
themselves as spiritual markings of valor. They have a practiced and
written code, etched upon copperplate inscriptions. Their forts and
towns are protected by bamboo towers, called bantara, upon which
skilled sharpshooters wield the sikarom longbow, as large as a man is
long
They pay their worship to the greatest of mountains in all of The
Sword Isles, Magayon, who is said to have been the corpse of a
beautiful woman, Daragang Magayon. Within Mount Magayon,
which is an active volcano, sat upon a Firesmoke Throne, is the great
elder god Gugurang, who looks over his domain with benevolence.
Thanks to him and his dedicated warriors, the Lakanate has been
having a rough time creeping into the fabled state of Ibalnong
Ibalnong is built upon an ancient city of bamboo and gold. Ruins
from an ancient age are quartered off into one section of the city,
while the current datu, Datu Laadang Amiris, and the rest of his her
haop lives in a more lived in a portion of the state, wherein cottages
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have been built and watchtowers rise. The ancient ruins, said to be
the balay and tombs of the ancient Ibalnong Hero-Datu, are revered
and considered sacred, and act as a communal spirit house for those
that live within Ibalnong
Ibalnong are prone to war and trade, and they will not bow before
any other than their god Gugurang. The Ibalnongan never
surrendered
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The People of The Sword Isles are known as the tawo. Any
person outside of the islands (or to an extreme extent, any person
outside of their particular settlement) such as the Pale Kings of
Issohapa or the Auraska Tiger Lords of Ramahasa, are Sina.
The tawo are a large array of people, diversi ed by their nations,
families, and ethnic origins.
Their diversity was said to have been the blessing of the gods of
the Ancient Peoples. But those things do not matter.
What does matter is that the tawo are of one ancestry, one thread,
one connection. They were not made better or less than another.
They were all equal, born from the same earth, formed from the same
dust, pecked from the same bamboo
And then they angered nature. The world trembled. They were
split and they split themselves. They looked at nature and wondered
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and marveled, and said: If the world be three, then surely, we are
three also
There is a little folk tale, sung across all of The Sword Isles: that
once, in a long time ago, the rst man named Kausausa and his family
lived in a house. He went out and hunted a giant shark
Seeing that he could do this, and not seeing that any of the gods
could, he said that he was surely more powerful than the gods now
A powerful god of the Sky--different according to which
settlement you hear the story from--rained thunder and lightning
upon the man’s house. Kausausa died. His family ran to different
portions of the house to hide: those that hid in the hidden rooms of
the sleeping quarters became nobles, those that hid in the walls
became debtors, and those that ran outside of the house became free
men.
The Sina are part of this people, as they have also observed that
they followed a similar tripartite societal structure. A popular
addition to the folk tale is that some free men traveled to the edges of
the earth, where it was cold, and thus they froze and became Pale
Kings.
Others communed with tiger gods and sea kings, and thus
Auraska and other different humanoids arose
Thus is the way of The Sword Isles
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Ilawod Tawo are those that live in the larger shore settlements.
These shore settlements are usually large, and can have three or more
towns sewn together in an interweaving web of familial relations and
political connections
Iraya Tawo are those that live deeper into the island up the
mountains, where the air is cold and perfect for farming rice and even
crops from different parts of Yutadagat, or through the deep
rainforests, in intimate connection with the rest of the world.
The Iraya Tawo hunt for foodstuffs, rare animals, wild honey, and
more items from the deep forests and the high mountains, as well as
plant in large rice swiddens and paddies, which they then trade down
the river to the shore settlements.
The Ilawod Tawo trade these items for foreign exports, silks,
clothing, iron, and weapons to the Iraya Tawo. This symbiotic
connection is integral to the survival and ourishing of both ways of
life
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This lack of strict reverence for nations and states have formed a
very diverse archipelago. Many people from other states come into
The Sword Isles and as long as they can contribute to the way of life
of the tawo, they are considered as part of The Sword Isles. Thus
culture is diverse as well to The Sword Isles, and they adopt much of
their neighbors stylings and religions and cultures, leading to a truly
diverse and intermixing area. The Sword Isles has become well
known for this, despite being out of the way from the supposedly
lucrative Sea Silk Wind Path, where trade from Ramahasa from the
far Eastern Continent has made those in Naksuwarga and Medaka
Peninsula materially and culturally rich
Many Tawo travel to Medaka for lucrative job opportunities as
well as for trade. Many Kadungganan become mercenaries that ght
for the Medakan Kingdom, or with Naksuwarga, or even against the
Malirawat Empire
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These “races” are known within the game as “Lahi”, which
translated from Tagalog to English is more or less “ancestry”.
Bukarottawo: Crocodilian folk. They are thin and lithe and walk
on both legs, and can use their tails as secondary weapons
Ugima: Satyr-like creatures that live in the forest, but sometimes
trade with tawo. Ugima are usually seen as maneaters, but only if
they are hungry and have nothing left to eat due to the atrocities
caused by human war
Banoytawo: Eagle-folk, creatures that are humanoid but have
eagle-like features. Most resembling the Philippine Eagle
Pugitatawo: Actually just octopuses that have learned how to
wield weapons, wear armor, and can now walk on land
Tamawo: “Those Unlike Us”. They look like humans, but have no
philtrum, have pale skin, and platinum blonde hair. Some say they
have weird magics, others say that they have secret cities within the
forest
Ubag: Inspired by the recently found skeleton of homo
luzonsensis, is a kind of pygmy human. They’re good with tools and
are usually much quicker and lither than the normal human
Binturongtawo: Bearcat people, brothers to Musang folk but not
as friendly. They’re big and tend to be lazy, but they smell like
popcorn and hide serious muscles
Irongtawo: Large dog people that live in little packs within the
forests. Are mostly peaceful, and help humans in catching their prey
Auraska: Tiger folk, usually from Ramahasa and Mahajola. They
are large, usually bearded white, and wear clothing inspired by
ancient Sanskrit India. Many nobles in the Rajahnate have some
form of Auraskan blood, leading to some of them having leftover
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In the land of The Sword Isles, the Social Class system is the
skeleton and framework whereupon all things dance. It is so
ingrained into society that tawo even give things in nature titles that
re ect their social rank: Datung Bayawak is a term for large and
great monitor lizards or komodo dragons, while Oripung Bukad is a
term for small and “frail” owers that shy away when touched
Here are the Social Classes of The Sword Isles laid out. For each
of the Classes, there will be a short table to help you visualize what
each person of each of the Classes would look like, as so much of
society hinges upon them
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Sandig sa Dat
1. Atubang. The datu’s chief minister and privy counselor
2. Paragahin. The datu’s steward, one who speaks, makes
arrangements or takes charge for them
3. Bilanggowan. The datu’s sheriff, who has a balay called
a bilanggo that acts as a jail
4. Paratawag. Usually a slave. The towns-crier, who
announces unto the settlement through shouting from a tall
tree or delivering a message directly to the persons
concerned (such as calling speci c Kadungganan for a
raid)
5. Senapati. A warlord and commander of a portion of the
Datu’s army, answering directly to the datu. In smaller
settlements, a datu takes on the role of a senapati
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Datu Disposition
1. Black-toothed and quirky eyed, with a penchant for
collecting scraps to create new inventions. Would love to
explore the ancient tombs left behind by the Kadanay
people
2. Large and heavyset, always grim. Readying their haop
for war. Is vigilant, knows that another settlement is going
to come any day to attack for something they did not do
3. A datu hellbent on correcting injustices, for they
suffered injustices of their own and they would not wish it
upon others
4. An ancient and wizened old datu, leaning upon a staff
made of the bones of an ancient tiger. Skilled in the ways
of offensive sorcery. Seeks to create a new religion
5. A skilled and tricky lord who knows the ways of
politics and abuses it to get what they want. Helms a large
haop, which is built upon spider web
6. A young datu who has something to prove, and
sometimes does not listen to the counsel of the wiser due to
his rashness
7. A datu burning with ideals, seeking to change the
course of the world as they see it, attempting to abolish the
classes from the top down
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Datu Problems
1. Another Datu has declared war upon them
2. The umalagad, ancestor spirits, of that datu are
displeased with them, and it has caused ill fortune to befall
the settlement
3. The diwata are rampaging nearby, and they do not
know why
4. One of the polities is planning to conquer them
5. A Rajahnate settlement is closing their trade routes
with them, causing a major blow to their supply lines, and
will likely cause starvation or loss of wealth
6. They are being attacked by either the Lakanate or the
Sultanate, to further conquest (if the Lakanate) or faith (if
the Sultanate)
7. They are being raided by foreign powers
8. The Confederation has deemed them to be too
dangerous to the nature around them, and is launching a
raid upon them
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Datu Settlemen
1. Small, cozy. Around 100 households. Mainly a trading
haop, or an agriculture haop
2. Larger. Around 200 households. Usually adept at raids
3. Huge. Around 300 or 400 households. Might have
connections with foreign trade, or large connections with
surrounding polities.
4. Expansive. Usually only for the capitals and
international trading entrepots. Around 600 households.
Might have more than one Datu leading them
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NOBLE CLASS
Tumao in the Rajahnate, Timway in the Sultanate, Maginoo in the
Lakanate, Kadangyan in the Confederation
The Nobility are usually those that have in some way a blood
connection with the Datu: either through lineage, as their relatives
(cousins, nieces, nephews, and the like), or as blood-sworn kin
(through the Sanduguan, the Blood Compact)
The Nobles are considered the second rank of nobility, right
below the kedatuan royalty
Many Nobility act as retainers and vassals to the Datu, helping
them and doing work for the datu, should they need it, whether it be
contributing materiel, working their elds, or ghting in raids and
war engagements. However, they do not need to pay tribute, only
that they ght with the datu should the datu call upon them, and they
very commonly engage in their own pursuits, whether it be artistic or
mercantile
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ubiquitous in the archipelago. Other examples include burping or
talking about how dirty a noble’s nails or ears have become
If one breaks the Golden Web Tapestry, it unravels a whole slew
of consequences. Things such as nes and debt for the lower classes,
while other nobles might suffer societal disgrace and public shame,
which is something no noble wants, as they would be indebted, or
have Debt, to the noble that they committed the breaking of the
Golden Web Tapestry to. Of course, the Golden Web Tapestry is
simply a social construct, and needs a society to be enforced
Nobility Problem
1. Another noble has blasphemed their countenance, and
must be punished
2. They must be ready and need new items for makeup
for the coming feast
3. Someone from the lower class saw them making love
with someone that they should not be making love with
4. They have broken the Golden Web Tapestry, and seek
to evade the consequences or are being hunted down
5. A noble is hunted down for not honoring a trading
contract with another settlement
6. A noble has blasphemed the name of the Datu in a
feast
7. A noble has lost their heirloom wealth and must get it
back
8. A noble has lost their imported texts, which they use to
learn more languages. They believe someone has stolen it,
as texts are well wanted as culture in other settlements
Nobility Disposition
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FREEMAN CLASS
Freeman are a privileged class, and not a serf like class. Those of
the Freeman Class are free to change their allegiance to their datu at
any time, theoretically. Theoretically because it is not uncommon for
many freemen to own a large amount of debt to a certain datu, or
choose to become retainers for that Datu
Freemen are considered a third rank of nobility, right below the
nobles. They do not need to work to pay off a labor obligation like
debtors—although they can accrue debt—but they can choose what
to do. Many become capitalists in their own right, become datu, or
perhaps enjoy the protection of community and helps around the
datu. Very commonly, though, whatever the pick up as a trade, they
must ght with the datu when the time comes.
A Kadungganan is a kind of freeman. They may pledge their
services to a Datu for a time, and then leave and change allegiances
whenever it pleases them, or whenever they need to. This is their
privilege: they are not part of a datu’s particular following
Freeman, thanks to their freedom, get to enjoy a wide variety of
freedoms. Freemen usually render services to the datu. Thus many
freemen work as laborers. Some owning their own farms, others true
warriors, others professional singers, and even others as potters and
traders and merchants, sometimes with wealth rivalling the Datu’s
own
When a Freeman either chooses, or manages to pay off their debt
to the lord they have chosen to follow, they may choose to leave,
traveling and either seeking out another lord and settlement to follow,
or perhaps building up a settlement themselves
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Freeman Disposition
1. A freeman who loves singing and will never give it up for
the world
2. A freeman with a particular sweet tooth and is running
around trying to satisfy it
3. A young one who wishes to become a Datu someday
4. A freeman who takes great pleasure in abusing their
servant for some twisted reason
5. A freeman who holds an important secret of a noble that
they refuse to let go
6. A freeman who is in love with the binukot (veiled prince
or princess) of another settlement, but does not have the
bugay or bride price to be able to buy their hand in
marriage
7. An eccentric freeman who loves collecting herbs and
hides away in their balay for days at a time
8. An overly serious freeman who does their best in their
trade and does not want to slip up, ever
Freeman Problem
1. The freeman does not have enough wealth to be able to
move to another Datu
2. A freeman is discontent being the retainer of a Datu, and
wishes to dethrone the datu and take it for themselves
3. A freeman has lost their means of living, and is quickly
accruing debt. At the rate that they’re in, they will become
oripun
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children that help them in the kitchen, making meals for the
Datu themselves. Larger settlements might have cooks that
can cook for the entire Kadungganan or noble population
10. Fisher. An integral trade in archipelago. A skilled sher
who uses harpoons, nets, and traps to capture large amounts
of sh, which they then cook or trade
11. Paraawit. A professional singer, hired to sing epics in
feasts, dirges in funerals, or inspiring war songs when going
into war
12. Shipbuilder. A freeman who owns their own shipyard
and has their own horohan to help collect materials and help
build the ships themselves
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DEBTOR CLASS
There are three kinds of debtors in The Sword Isles: the peasants,
the servants, and the infantry
When these debtors are raided, they are usually taken away and
brought to markets, where their obligation and labor is sold to others
that wish to take them on. As labor is a premium in the Sword Isles,
with their being a surplus of natural resources and not enough labor
to capitalize on it, debtor obligations are usually priced similar to
bahandi. When they are bought, they usually become servants for the
one that bought them, sometimes peasants if the buyer deem it so.
Enterprising and mercantile capitalists sell debtors at a pro t.
More commonly, when a datu raids a settlement, they take in the
debtors of that settlement and turn them into debtors to the datu
instead
Debtors make up the majority of the The Sword Isles population.
Becoming a debtor is easy: accrue enough debt through your actions,
enough that you cannot pay it off, then you wil become a slave to that
person that you owe the most. This will then extend to your next of
kin, until one of them can eventually pay off your debt price, and free
your family and generational line
PEASANT
Peasants render their service up to the datu, most usually working
in their eld, shing, hunting, or what else. Peasants have their own
houses, and they render a portion of their labor and work to their
datu, whom they owe their debt to. Through opportunity and
enterprise, they can decrease their debt, and eventually pay it off in
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full. When raiders come to their village, they are expected to take up
arms and ght alongside the datu. Peasants are different from
servants in that they live in their own houses while tilling the elds of
the datu, in exchange for the datu’s protection and strength in being a
settlement
SERVANT
Servants live in their master’s houses, and any person can have a
servant, even other servants (thus making them the lowest rung of
the Debtor Class). Servants are not to be traded away and must be
treated well, lest you become a bad master, as tradition dictates. They
must be fed and given clothing by the masters. Masters dictate when
a servant can marry and sometimes even who they can marry. The
servant’s children inherit their class until they can pay off the debt
price. Servants render all their labor to their master, and they live in
their master’s house. Should they give birth, the master is expected to
take care of the servant’s child as if it were their own. A master may
even have a favorite servant, who act similarly as retainers, which
they call their sibin
INFANTR
Infantry serve as footsoldiers for the master they serve, oftentimes
working as a personal guard as well. Their masters train them and
equip them, Infantry usually have similar tasks and functions to
squires: helping their masters when it comes to combat, maintaining
their weapons, and more
Servant Disposition
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1. A disenfranchised servant who is tired of working for
their master
2. A beautiful servant who is in an ilicit love affair with
their master
3. A servant who harbors a deep hatred for the one that
their master serves
4. A servant who is wholly committed to their master until
their death
5. A servant who would want to become free and pursue a
different trade, but cannot due to their love for their master
6. A servant who seeks restitution for something their
master has done to them
Peasant Disposition
1. A peasant constantly unimpressed by sorcery and war,
simply annoyed that it gets in the way of their weaving
2. A peasant who likes farming way too much, and is
devising multiple technology to help it along
3. A peasant who tills lands so large that they have to deal
with another settlement hogging up too much of the space
4. A peasant who walks around drunk all the time, but is
still surprisingly competent
5. A peasant who is in a secret love affair with a servant
6. A peasant who works all day in the elds but crafts
poetry at night, under the light of a small candle
Horohan Disposition
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The Sword Isles are rife with settlements and societies that share
many things in common, diverse and different as they are. This
includes their general outlook on crimes, laws, and dooms, as well as
the things they eat or the things that they trade.
In addition, they do share a similar way of trading and counting,
using wooden counters and rice grains as barter, and sometimes even
foreign currencies to be able to trade with other kingdoms
The common unit of measurement for weight is sack, which
comes from sacks of rice being main forms of trade. A sack of rice is
equal to three liters of rice. Other common terms for weight is hand,
for a handful.
For length, it is the following: nger, for the length of a single
nger. Palm, for length of a palm. Foot for the length of a foot. Arm
for the length of an arm. Wing for the length of two arms spread out
wide. Most balutu or personal boats, for example, are 10 wings long
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PROPERT
Property is usually measured as heirloom wealth, known across
the isles as bahandi. This heirloom wealth is accumulated over
generations, and is usually constituted of gongs, porcelain, and other
such expensive items, usually items that can only be found from
outside the archipelago, but not always. Things that mostly only
warriors and nobility can afford, and is out of the ballpark of the
lower classes
DEB
Debt (Debt) is accrued through both materially and obligatorily,
and is an integral part to society and The Sword Isles social classes as
a result. A Datu and their family who has performed a horrible crime
is usually given so much debt that their entire family, and perhaps
even extending to their next of kin and generations after, are turned
into debtors, working for the person that they owe the most
DOMESTIC TRAD
Traded domestically among the Tawo of the siles are textiles,
other weavings, wood, and especially foodstuffs, as it is easier to
cultivate food such as rice from upland societies where hills can be
turned into rice farms.
INTERNATIONAL TRAD
Imports from outside the archipelago is a frequent source of
wealth and power as well. As of present, Baikhan porcelains are so
prominent in The Sword Isles that most of their ceramics and
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ON CURRENC
There is no currency, although the closest is rice grains, gold
kernels, and barter rings, used as a medium of exchange. Calculations
are made on wooden counters, kukot, and heavy items are weighed
with a steelyard, sinanta, and gold weighed against little seeds in a
pair of balances that can be carried around on the person
Gold kernels and barter rings are used as medium of exchange for
barter. This is a preferred export of Baik Hu and Madaki
However, square-holed Baikhan coins known as caz were already
in wide circulation, especially in the Sultanate
To the right is a table of the usual trade goods, both domestic and
international
Some Trade Good
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HUKUM, OR LAW
The Hukum, a term for Law or Judge found across the entire
archipelago, is the term applied for judicial matters.
When someone performs a crime, the Datu takes upon the mantle
of the Hukum, serving both as judge and as the Law. Despite this, it
is not as arbitrary as it seems: social mores and unwritten-yet-sung
traditions already foretell and speak the laws of the Tawo into
existence. Taboos and social norms are ingrained upon every child as
they are born into this world. There is the assumption, of course, that
one does not need to be taught to be moral. That this virtue is
ingrained into our very souls, a priviliege for being able to live
together with nature
As the Hukum, the Datu presides ove civil cases and criminal
cases, sometimes referring to the judgment and counsel of those
trained and experts in law and custom--those that study the Hukum.
If results were inconclusive, it is not rare for the Datu to demand a
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This practice is more popular among the Rajahnate and
Confederation settlements than the Lakanate and Rajahnate
JEWELR
Jewelry is an important part of The Sword Isles culture: even
debtors would have bangles or anklets of gold. Some jewelry would
have carnelian adornments, or pearl, or sometimes even diamonds
and rubies. The most important jewelry is of course the gold
accessories, which range from diadems to bangles to waist cords to
sashes made of pure gold to rings to arm bands to thigh bands to
belts to anklets to ear ornaments to ear piercings and even to golden
pegs upon the teeth
Decorative dentistry is another important component of jewelry:
those that can afford it would ll the gaps between their teeth with
gold, and others would peg their teeth with gold stubs, making it so
that whenever they grinned or smiled their mouth would shine like
the sun, akin to the epic heroes of their tales
TATTOOIN
Tattoos are called batuk or patik, and mostly only some
settlements in the Rajahnate and the Confederation used them.
Professional tattoo artists are called Mambabatuk and those tattooed
are called binatakan. The rst tattoo is usually given as a coming of
age deal, with a person’s rst conquest in war or love: either by
killing another or by having sex. Tattoos are then only given to those
that continue to conquer, each new tattoo a burning marking of his
valor. They are given piecemeal, but each one would eventually
connect with other tattoos to create an intricate painting with the
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one harvest and the next. Age therefore is measured through how
many harvests a person has lived through
SMITHIN
Smithing is a very valued skill, and one that even datu practice
due to its prestige. Being a smith, which is called a panday, does not
only mean you can create weapons and armor. Smiths can craft all
sorts of things, from gold (Panday-sa-bulawan) to iron (Panday-sa-
puthaw).
Smithing is expensive since it would mean you would have the
materials needed to craft weapons and items. It is considered the
noblest trade, as usually only the wealthiest datu could even afford
the raw material. Iron and such were usually not mined, but rather,
stolen from raids against other polities, whether it be from within the
Archipelago or from foreign in uences. Regular raids to Baik Hu to
gain iron to melt and use for smithing is a very common raiding
impetus
A smith’s shed is called gusali. This is usually an open house
beside their actual house. Here they would have their forge, made of
hollowed out small tree trunks, with pistons ringed with chicken
feathers set so as to collapse on the return stroke. They were
alternately raised and lowered by the blacksmith’s apprentice, knwon
as masaop, to produce a steady draft. Both cylinders had a bamboo
outlet near the bottom which led to a common stone receptacle
known as a lilong, which concetrated the draft into a charcoal re.
The anvil was a piece of iron set in a heavy wooden block, and the
smiths’ tools were: palo (two-handed stone maul), a palo-palo (stone
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hammer), kipit (pair of tongs), and an assortment of bolos for cutting
the red-hot metal
The most important tool manufactured, repaired, or retempered
by the blacksmith was teh bolo. Dohong/Dayopak was the ordinary
one, while tuwad was a larger, heavier one for woodcutting. Bako for
weeding or cultivating, pisaw was one with a short blade and long
handle to be pressed under the arm or against the ground with the
foot to leave both hands free for stripping rattan
Additional tools used by the smith are the abluwang (drill), barit
(a rough piece of iron for whetting tools or striking with int for
re), binkong (curved adze), bisong (knife for preparing betel nut),
dallag (straight adze), garol (spurs for ghting cocks), kalob (spoon
bit), sabit (billhook), salat (sickle), sipol (paring knife), tigib (chisel),
tirlos (lancet for bleeding), ulok (dentist’s awl).
WOODWORKIN
Carpenters cut their own timber. They had lore for when to cut:
different species are felled during the different turns of the moon,
some are more solid on the eastern side, and “male” trees are always
stronger than the “females” of a species. Trees are felled with ax and
bolo, split down the middle with edges, and then each half is adzed
into a single plank, squared with the same tool. All carpentry and
house construction are done with skillful joinery without saws or
nails. This has lead to beautiful geometrical pegs and shapes made to
t entire boats and houses, usually only held together by the
ingenuity of the joinery design or by thick abaca rope
Plates, bowls, spoons, and ladles, urns called bohon, cof ns, and
chests of all sizes are hewn from single blocks of wood, and often
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decorated with ne carvings. Rough leaves of the hagopit tree or biri
palm are used as sandpaper, and ray sh tails or dahonan hides are
used to smooth even the hardest of woods
GOLDWORKIN
Most The Sword Isles settlements and polities almost always have
gold upon almost every person. Most gold was mined by placer
mining: gold panning in streams or riverbeds. These placers are
called dulangan, dulang being the wooden pan used. Pamiling,
sifting, was the activity.
Gold is bulawan, ne gold is himulawan. They had touchstones
known as sanitran to test its quality, but most people could estimate
content on sight. Some men would carry around little scales and
weights in special pouches to make spot purchases.
A panday-sa-bulawan take advantage of gold’s supremely
workable material. Lumps are carved, modeled, and hammered to
shape, beat out into onionskin sheets, to be cut with shears into
silhouettes, wrapped into beads, or drawn into thin wires to be used
in lgree work or woven into thick ropes. They soldered tiny
granules together, several hundred in a square centimeter.
None have surpassed The Sword Isles smiths in this manner
The Sword Isles gold is integral to this goldworking progress
WEAVIN
Weavers were usually those considered women. It is usually done
through the use of backstrap looms. The warp threads were not
placed in a permanent framework but rather, in one continuous loop
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around a loom bar held in the weaver’s lap by a strap behind her
back, and another one suspended from a house beam or tree branch
Weaving is a normal part of housekeeping, and weavers supplied
clothing. In the epic literature even in the Philippines, this is the
pastime of even royal ladies. Heroes departing on ventures are
ritually clothed with magical raiments and garments by their mothers
and sisters
Cotton and abaca are both exports here. Baik Hu called Ba-e
abaca yu-da, or jute, in the thirteenth century. Wives of householding
oripun are required to spin cotton, supplied to them by their masters.
Paid workers are employed as domestic weavers
Tying bers together with ne knots to produce threads is the
rst task taught to young girls. Cotton is a standard part of blankets.
Cloth straight from the loom--whether they be cotton or abaca--are
soaked in lime, sometimes dyed, and then cudgeled to soften.
Dyestuffs are red sibukaw, intensi ed by nino wood, indigo tagum,
yellow ginger root known as dulaw, kasuba a kind of saffron, and an
impermanent black dye known as tina. Dyed thread is used to insert
colored stripes in plain cloth, including imported silk and sometimes
even threads of gold.
The most elexant textile, considered to be a monopoly among
those of Gatusan and Apumbukid, is pinayusan. It is woven of abaca
bers hand-selected for both their whiteness and hair-thin structure.
It is then tie-dyed by binding little pinches of cloth, leaving a ne
owered pattern in natural color on a eld of deep red. It can be
made to make pudong as thin as gauze
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POTTER
A potter’s craft is known as dihoon. They do not employ the
potter’s wheel but rather, the paddle-and-anvil technique.
The common cooking pot is daba/koron. Wide-mouthed jars are
bogoy, and at pans for cooking are balanga. Banga water jars are
shaped like porcelain jars. Dinner plates are Baikhan porcelain,
however: pingan lasa are large ones, lampay are small ones, and siwit
are little ones like sauce dishes
Baikhan jars are known as ang-ang, those used for pangasi
alcohol are gining. Linoping are big ones with ears for handles, so
called because they look like men tattooed all over. Hinalasan are
dragon jars, so called because of the serpent done in high relief on
their sides. Tinampilak are large black jars, tuytuy are small black
ones. Kabo are blue and white jarlets, often used for tea and carrying
waters
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SAILIN
Water is the lifeblood of The Sword Isles. From the rivers that
wind up to the upland societies, and down to the seas that spread its
arms in both a beautiful and terrifying embrace. When in The Sword
Isles, look for no roads or trade paths: it is the water that provides
movement. This is why there is no need for wheeled carriages during
this time: the ships that shipbuilders create are more than capable of
bringing anything they wish to any part of the island, from coconuts
to elephants
Sailors in the islands of The Sword Isles are almost never out of
sight from land, and thus they rely on landmarks and piloting instead
of celestial observations. The waters between islands are a means to
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connect, and not separate, the differing polities and societies of The
Sword Isles
Shipbuilders are known to be usually very rich, and datu are
known to be shipbuilders as well. A wide variety of ships sail across
The Sword Isles waters: from the single canoe baroto, to the large
merchant biroko, to the outrigger warships of biray and karakoa.
Among the Lakanate the trading galyon ship, stolen from the Pale
Kings, has already arisen to dominance and has led to further trade
among the region
Most ilawod settlements are almost never built out of reach of salt
water. Men and women that paddled would carve out their own
paddles, and were as personal to them as their weapons.
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FOO
Most food is made in iron stoves and pots, wherein they boil
chicken, sh, octopus, squid, pig, deer meat, goat meat, and more
foodstuffs that could be eaten. Fishermen and Hunters bring back
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their catch with them at the end of the day, and freshly caught catch
is almost always cooked and eaten immediately
HUNTIN
Hunters use hunting dogs to hunt down wild boar and deer, and
chase them into balatik traps: bamboo balistas that could skewer
entire human bodies. Using these strategies they capture large games
easily. Fishermen use traps at the mouths of rivers, as well as cast
wide nets while out in the sea to catch sh and other game. For sh
in streams, they would harpoon it, and for larger sh such as whale
sharks, they would hunt it down and bleed it out with serrated
harpoons
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is a sort of ceremony to persuade a person or the diwata to take the
rst drink, before beginning the drinking
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The balay is the term for all the kinds of houses in The Sword
Isles. The most common type of balay, the permament settlement, is a
kind of cottage built upon thick hardwood pillars (in the case of the
balay of Datu, sometimes maed of stone or ironwood). These square
houses are then given an attic, which is where most of the sleeping
quarters can be found. The underside of the house is tall enough to
be used as either a storage (usually for weapons or personal boats) or
for livestock, in which case they would be fenced.
It should be noted that balay are almost never bare (save for
balay-balay): keys and beams are carved with stories of animals, with
sarimanok and crocodile, with large petaled owers and blossoms.
Flowers, foliage, and gold are abundant and were used as decorations
upon a house. To the locals, these are normal. But foreign merchants
have described the balay in the Sword Isles as “gold houses” or
“ ower houses”.
There are three kinds of balay: the permanent wooden structures
that could be considered as town houses, usually housing the datu
and the kedatuan, cottages made of light materials near elds and
hunting ranges which are inhabited by most of the ordinary people,
and tree houses which are important installments during times of
war
A fourth kind of balay, known as the balay-balay, is a sort of
temporary hut structure that function as temporary shelters for
hunters, farmers, and travelers
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TOWN HOUSES
These town houses were built upon hardwood or stone pillars,
ve to ten on a side, and planted deep into the ground with
something valuable buried under the rst one. The hardwood is so
sturdy and incorruptible that it can withstand two to three
generations of decay and storm
The oors of town houses are split into two sections by a squared
beam running lengthewise down the balay. The higher portion is
made of bamboo, rattan, or cane strips lashed together on top of a
wood grill. Liquids run down the grill, and is noisy, so respectful
members of the house must stay away from that portion of the oor
especially while the datu is sleeping.
The roofs of the town houses are made of bamboo or palm leaf
shingles lashed to heavy rattan strips, rising to a ridge pole or up to
three in larger town houses. On the attic area is where the datu might
sleep
Townhouses always have wooden ladders that lead up to the door
and might include one or many or all of the following (1d6)
1. Verandas for laundering (batalan)
2. Living spaces alongside the house (saramde)
3. A split bamboo ladder for house dogs (salugsog)
4. A decorated facade (pamulong)
5. A small room for servant (sibay)
6. A door or window large enough to pass through
(pasngawan)
A ruling datu has the largest house in the community, sometimes
30 meters long. As a town house, it not only served as their dwelling,
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workplace and storehouse, but also a community center for civic and
religious affairs, with a public lounging platform down the front.
Wooden partitions carved with high foliage creatated separate
chambers for the datu and their family
To construct a town house large enough to entertain an entire
community was a form of competition itself
Houses of Royalty or Nobility are constructed similarly, although
not as long or as large as a Datu’s.
Lakanate houses are known for their balay-na-bato structure,
which replaces the posts and pillars of the town house with a stone
basement instead, lifting the living room to the second oor.
COTTAGES
Non-datu and kedatuan live in smaller cottages built of larger
materials, ready to be moved every few years due to shifting
swiddens. They did not stand on thick hardwood pillars and instead
had unsquared poles. These cottages can be put up almost anywhere,
and travelers, farmers, seamen, hunters, and shers all construct so
many so that they could rest within them. Well traveled roads and
river fords are choked by them due to this
TREE HOUSES
Tree houses are built during times of war, upon trees or tall posts,
ften meters from the ground. They are reachable as defensible
positions, and can contain entire families. Vines and ladders are used
to climb up it, and warriors can attack invaders from that vantage
point. These are called ilihan.
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FAITHS OF THE SWORD ISLES
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Langitnon and Suladnon, that are present throughout all of nature
and live within every single thing
Larger settlements perfume and paint their taotao. Those brahmin
of the Annuvaran brought with them ancient golden statues of Annu,
the Tranquil Sage. There are also the different bronze and jade
statues of the Tuong-Ashinin, which embody their six-armed gods,
three-headed demons, and sky-skinned deities. The faiths of The
Sword Isles accept all of these as simply the diwata of the other
nations and states
Each household has a taotao to their umalagad, or their ancestor
spirit that also acts as their guardian spirit. This is prayed to when
leaving or entering into a house
Oustide of households, there are spirit houses called lantangan,
found usually among riverbanks or before trees, or in the midst of
settlements. These lantangan usually hold a single taotao within
them, housed in a wall-less house similar to the houses of the tawo.
Offerings of unsalted food, herbs, and rice are then laid in front of
them. Larger lantangan that is made for communal worship and
offering is called a magdantang, and is usually large enough to have
multiple taotao, representing multiple spirits and gods, to reside
within them
Other taotao can be small enough to be carried on a person, as a
sort of talisman.
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have devoted their essence and beign to protecting and watching over
said person or item, often imbuing it with strange powers and
likenesses. Anito rituals are also performed for umalagad more so
than the diwata.
Nature Gods are strictly non-human beings, arising from nature
itself. Thus Ancestor Spirits can never be nature gods. However, they
are all worshippped as gods all the same
KAHIYANGAN
All spirits have two states of being: kahiyangan, which means
“state of agreeableness or harmony,” and hindi hiyang, which means
a “state of disharmony, of disagreeableness, of allergy.
Kahiyangan is characterized by a state of tranquility and
peacefulness. The entity would be in essence peaceful, at one with
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their chosen state of being. Like the calm wind on a cold morning, as
all things should be
Hindi Hiyang is characterized by a state of disharmony, wildness,
chaos, and belligerence. There is something causing the spirit to be
violent, to lash out at what’s causing them ill, whatever it may be.
This is like a harsh howling wind when one wakes up in the middle of
a storm. A spirit, whether they be guardian, nature god, or ancestor
spirit, if left for too long in this state, will gestate into yawa
To appease these gods and spirits, certain rites and passages must
be performed, to give fealty and offerings to these gods. The
Paghiyang, which the Confederation are known to perform, is the
ritual of turning Hindi Hiyang back into Kahiyangan.
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Busaw are known to be large and have more than one set of arms.
They generally wear similar clothing to tawo, but their heads and
faces are like tusked tigers
THE OVERWORLD
Kaluwalhatian in Anito and Hiyang, Langit in Sampalataya, and
Surgu in Iman. This is generally the abode of angels, heavenly beings,
the sun, the moon, the stars, and in Langit and Surgu, the highest of
its layers is the throne of god, whether it be Makagagahum or
Baginda Sumongsuklay. The general belief is that the sky is
composed of seven layers, and the blue sky we see everyday is the
seventh and lowest layer
As one moves higher, one will nd jars lled with souls of those
worthy to be in the sky as well as those as of yet to be born. Here live
angels and other heavenly beings, as well as powerful priests and
priestesses conversing with the spirits of the sky.
Even further up, one nds gates that bar the path between layers,
guarded by eagle gods known as Garuda, who are headed by Galura,
the Bringer of Storms. None has been able to travel to the upper
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three layers of the Skyworld just yet. However, the Sun and Moon
can both be found on the fth layer of the heavens
THE MIDWORLD
The land where man lives, known across the isles as Kalibutan.
This not only includes land and earth, but also the rivers and the seas
used to connect the land together. Kalibutan is composed of three
layers: the layer of air (Kahanginan), the layer of land (Kalupaan),
and the layer of sea (Kalaotan). Man is made to live in Kalupaan, and
there are other creatures that live in the Kahanginan and Kalaotan
THE AFTERWORLD
Sulad in Anito and Hiyang. Kalaliman in Sampalataya. Narka in
Iman. The Afterworld is composed of 7 different layers as well, and
the caverns of the world are the seventh and highest layer. Deeper
within are the rivers that lead to the layers of the dead, where those
that are not worthy of moving into the Sky (usually because thay did
not die in battle, or did not have enough wealth as judged by
Underworld gods, or committed taboos in the past) live and work
and rest, in the cold burrows of earthen villages. They do everything
they did as in life, except bear children. They live for seven lifetimes
until they are buried in a rice-grain sized cof n
Deeper still one can nd gates guarded by giants and ogres,
barring entry. There is a layer for torture and punishment, as
atonement for the sins accrued upon the Midworld. There is a layer
where the river washes away the memories of a person, so that their
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soul can then be placed into porcelain jars that become new people in
the Midworld.
Iraon-Daron, the diwata of saving lost souls, is known to venture
deep into the layers of the Afterworld to save those that deserve a
better afterlife
One of the layers holds the earth pillars of the Midworld. They
are held up by four earth giants. When the earth giants are angered
or threatened, Midworld quakes
At the bottom is the throne of the two gods of hell. None know
anything about them
ANITO
The most prevalent religion amongst the isles, so embedded it is
into daily life that it is hardly considered a religion, and thought of
more as a way of life. Anito translates to worship
Anito is the faith in the inherent divinity of nature. It ascribes that
nature is the true law, and that upon the weaves of nature all life
arises. This belief in nature encompasses the fact that diwata, nature
spirit-gods, live within every single thing, and embody them as well.
As a tawo would have a kalag, or a soul, so would a tree have a
diwata. If a person was removed of their kalag, they would become
an unfeeling husk of their former self, not truly them. So too would a
tree be, if their diwata would be removed. A tree that is not truly a
tree
Diwata are ubiquitous creatures, permeating and living upon the
air, the leaves, the shadows and the trees. They believe that the most
powerful diwata live in the Sky and in the Underworld. Those that
live in the sky, living within broad concepts and celestial objects, are
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Their kine and kith shall not last ever long. Cast forlorn regrets, they are too
late for the ballista has been red.
9. Buyung Sinagmali, the First Light of Dawn, who lives in the
darkest portion of dawn, at the cusp of all beginnings. Warrior and
enemy of Si Labawanun Humadapdap
10. Mahadiwa Rajatambal, the Lord of Remedies, who lives in
the mending of wounds and unfading scars. One of the ten
Mahadiwa, who give knowledge of healing to all traditions and
cultures
11. Si Dapa, the Magnate of Life, who lives in legendary
mountain of Madjaas, as well as in the time of birth and deaths of all
people. Known as Sarip Apad in other regions, he is not a very well
known diwata, and really prefers to stay in his mountain
12. Si Patpat Nagakapal, the Clay Former Monarch, who lives in
all things being created. Said to be the one to have created the World
Jaws with his wife, Malaonsina, who died after the world was made
13. Si Gurang Tungko, the One Who Holds the Sky Pillars, who
lives at the borders of the horizon. He wanders the earth in search of
his wife. Said to be the grandfather of Jamiyun Kulisa and Indira
Suga
14. Somarajah Daktul, also known as Gab’ibata, or the Child of
Night, the most worshipped deity in the cosmos, the Peerless Shifting
Lunar Overlord, who lives within the Moon, patron of witches and
asuwang
15. Idda Mangubat, the Sovereign of War, who lives in the hearts
of warriors all. Warrior who blesses all heroes on all journeys, for he
thrives in war and war only. Was said to have been able to kill the
diwa of death itself, but was shown a world he could not bear.
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22. Rajaraya Pintas. The Vanquishing Lord, who seized heaven.
The rst Rajah, the rst Raider, and the rst Feaster. Rejoicer in
violence, worshipped in other lands as Vashvana, Bischumon, and
Kuvira.
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CREATION: VIOLENC
In the beginning of time, there was one God-King, and two God
Beings. This God-King was known as Manaul, the great eagle. The
other two God Beings were Kaptan, the God of Bedrock, and
Magwayan, God of the Waters. One day, they claimed superiority
over each other, but of course neither would acknowledge the other’s
superiority. Thus they warred, the universal arbitrator. The two
fought in whirlwinds and crashing storms. Eventually, God-King
Manaul ew to a high mountain overlooking the waters and dropped
great masses of rock upon the gods, killing them. The masses of rock
became The Sword Isles. With the end of the war, Manaul traveled
down to a clump of bamboo and struck it open, where Si-Laki and
Si-Bayi, the rst man and woman, leapt out from
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HIYANG
Hiyang can be seen as an offshoot or a branch of Anito, as it has
much of the same cosmogony and cosmology of Anito, and simply
has a greater emphasis on the principle of Hiyang and holds
importance upon material practices and ritual upon the world.
Hiyang means harmony or agreement
The Hiyang is the faith in Hiyang--that state of perfect
equilibirum and oneness with nature. They believe that katawohan
was not meant to be treated as separate from the rest of nature, and
that they are in fact simply part of nature, and everything they do is
natural.
Con ict comes into play when there is disharmony, the breaking
of the Hiyang. When Hiyang is broken, malevolence abounds.
Therein lies sickness, war, death, ailments, and even Yawa, which in
truth do arise from human atrocities
In matters of cosmology and cosmogony, they share many of the
same beliefs as Anito, with the added belief that the diwata and
Langitnon and Suladnon are all simply expressions of Hiyang, and
thus must be supplicated to and appeased whenever there is a
disharmony.
Those that attain a certain kind of enlightenment with the Hiyang
become known as Makinaadmanon, the Wise Ones. These
Makinaadmanon become physically one with nature, hair turned into
leaves, ngers into branches. They are sages that teach young
practitioners
The truth of the Yawa come from them: Yawa is nature disrupted,
Hiyang destroyed. In places where Hiyang is broken, there arise
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They are connected by rivers and the sea, and once a harvest they
all send pilgrimages to the base of the holy mountain of Madjaas to
offer prayers and thanks. The most elder of them, usually priests and
priestesses, would also nish a pilgrimage to the Holy Mountain of
Kanlaon, found deep in the island of Haraya, a day northeast. There,
the Ancient One lives
While there are many different ways for Hiyang to be disrupted--
usually as dictated by the diwata of that place, as they are the
expressions of Hiyang--there is a common thread among them that
Hiyang priests have collated and written upon palm leaf manuscripts,
usually known as the Rites of Accord. They are as follows
● Violence upon sacred ground
● Unjust taking of too many resources without letting
nature regroew it rst
● Being too loud in sacred groves and mountains
● Slaughter in sacred grounds
● Filling nature with dirt and other leftover wastes
● Not offering the rst food or rst shot to the diwata
● Blaspheming the name of the ancestors and of nature
Hiyang priests are known as Walian, ritualists and saints of the
Hiyang
Upon the matter of temples, adherents of Hiyang believe similarly
with the adherents of Anito: that no other temple can match the
grandeur of nature itself.
Hiyang tradition--which is all oral, as with Anito, although
teachings of sages are written down on palm leaf manuscripts--states
that building large temples for the gods is inherently destructive, as
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the gods do not need that as they already live within nature itself,
their self-made temples.
Using materiel from another place and then forcing them into
shapes wholly human is anathema to the adherents of Hiyang
In addition to spirit houses, adherents of the Hiyang put up
Pintuang-hiyang. Arched gates of bamboo and hardwood, usually
decorated with ve different kinds of owers, that serve as a gate into
the world of spirits.
When one steps into such a gate, one is in a divine place.
Pintuang-hiyang are usually placed in front of large natural altars
and shrines, such as mountains, giant trees, hallowed lakes, and
blessed rivers, which all have diwata living within them
Once you have passed a Pintuang-hiyang, you are expected to
observe the Rites of Accord, lest they dishonor and anger the beings
that live within.
Adherents of Hiyang are also predisposed to become exorcists,
those that would ght off yawa and cleanse places of yawa
infestations. Due to their natural knowledge and observance of the
Hiyang, they become more attuned to nding out breaks and tears in
the balance, helping nd out whether a yawa has caused something
bad to happen or not.
In recent times, Walian and Balyan have begun to put up
monasteries around The Sword Isles. Small settlements are usually
built around or at the base of important natural sites, such as the
great mountains and the temple trees. These monasteries teach
natural philosophy and other elds of knowledge to young children,
helping them grow up to become monks, known as biksu or biksuni,
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SAMPALATAYA
The Ashen Star Faith. The Sampalataya espouses one major
doctrine: that all things are under Makagagahum, the Almighty, and
that Makagagahum returns soon in the body of the Prophet
Maitresiya, who brings with him Forlorn Eschatology and Rapture.
Sampalataya means faith
Maitresiya is also a king, a Hari, who brings with him the Yukot-
Langit Kingdom. This Milennium Kingdom, which comes from the
heavens, is said to be the salvation from the nal days. All those that
follow Makagagahum will be brought into this Kingdom and then
sent into the highest heavens, to live in eternity with him.
This is the main thesis of the Sampalataya. They say that after the
Yukot-Langit Kingdom has been established, Makagagahum the
Destroyer, known as Makaubos, will descend upon Yutadagat and
raze it all with a blade of light. No more valleys of tears. No more
islands of bloodshed
Those that follow the Sampalataya believe in the Almighty,
known as Makagagahum, and his three aspects: The Creator known
as Maykapal, the Preserver, the Equalizer known as Makapatag, and
the Destroyer known as Makaubos. These three Aspects are
sometimes revered on their own right, and cults have grown around
them. Death cults and murder cults sprout from worship of
Makaubos, while many panday see Maykapal as a patron god of
sorts
Sampalataya is an amalgamation and successful syncretism of the
native faith system, which was similar to Anito, and with the
Issohappan religion that worshipped the Umnipot, the Almighty
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God. It is worth noting that those that lived in the settlements before
the Lakanate already believed in a supreme god, whom they called
Makagagahum.
However, when the Issohappan faith arrived, they were forced to
accept the faith, which was then used to cow the many warriors and
turn them into sheep. After the Revolution, the Umnipotism stayed,
but was then quickly syncretized with local religion and faith and
belief, thus creating Sampalataya.
From Umnipotism, Sampalataya evolved intricate worship rituals,
created devotees, a priesthood was born, and stone cathedrals with
the images of the Three Aspects of Makagagahum were erected.
Devotees would spend the seventh day of each quarter-moon in the
cathedrals, called simbahan, wherein they performed rituals and
engaged in worship.
Sampalataya uses a holy book known simply as the Usangaklat,
otherwise known as the One Book. From the Usangaklat, which is
inherited from the Issohappan religion, there is a cosmogony and
cosmology.
It teaches how Makagagahum was everpresent, and was the
prime substance. Out of loneliness and love, he split into three
powerful spiritual beings that eventually became his three aspects,
and how it ended with him having to ght his three aspects to
consume them once again, to become whole. He left the world then,
and was only to return when the time is correct, so that the
Maitresiya can usher in the Kingdom of Peace
The Mahapari is equal to the pope, and is the prime counselor of
the Batara Lakan, the divinely appointed Lakan of the Lakanate,
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descended from a holy bloodline said to have come from the rst man
that stepped out of the bamboo.
The Tuong-Gahum’s Commandments are two, and are ubiquitous
and subject to much philosophical discourse: Love others as you love
yourself and Love the Almighty more than yourself. This has given a
rise to a particularly zealous brand of Kadungganan that would
gladly die for their nation and their god
Worship of Makagagahum is not facilitated through simple
prayer, for Makagagahum is so far away from tawo that they would
not deem to listen. Instead, for prayers to be heeded by the Almighty,
one needs to speak and pray and offer to the one of many Pintakasi,
saint intercessors of Makagagahum. They constitute a pantheon of
13, embodying major aspects of Lakanate life. When prayers are
given to these Pintakasi, they bene t from the offering and then
deliver the beseechments to Makagagahum on high, who will then
decide whether or not to grant it
Lakanate Priests are known as pari, and they focus on speaking
and facilitating rituals to Makagagahum and the Pintakasi, as well as
conducting weekly masses, a liturgical Service Divine for the
Almighty. Due to this, balyan still exist alongside pari to facilitate
rituals for the diwata. Bishops are known as Sonat, and they
primarily exist to train more pari in districts.
Below is the list of 12 major Pintakasi that one can offer to
1 Ahom Kalake. The Pintakasi of the Sun, patron of warriors
2 Bwan Kabayi. The Pintakasi of the Moon, patron of
revolutionaries
3 Gattalim. The Pintakasi of Blades, patron of panday
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IMAN
The Moon Faith believes in the sovereignty of the Lunar
Empress, the Moon Goddess Baginda Sumongsuklay. Through Her,
freedom and peace is achieved. “Masi’nag tuud in Baginda.” Her
Majesty is Luminous, the rallying cry for many priests and warrior
saints. Iman means Faith in the people of the current’s language
Iman came to the islands through Sihkandag, a young woman
wreathed in the Jambangan Monsala, the ower kerchief. Sihkandag
became fast friends with the Rajah of the island of Siga, Rajah Akai.
She served as his prime counselor and in exchange was able to
spread the religion of the moon goddess to the isles, which was
eventually accepted and turned into the state religion of the Sultanate
after Rajah Akai conquered and cowed the surrounding settlements
of his sons and became the Sultan. He then eventually married
Sihkandag, and approved--maybe even encouraged--the coming of
missionaries and pandita wise men to the islands of the Sultanate
The basis of Iman is still a reverence in nature, although they, like
the Sampalataya, put a much greater importance upon the worship of
Sumongsuklay. Temples built for Sumongsuklay are called moske,
and they are usually crafted in a distinct geometrical style, out of
white marble and clay and stone. These moskes are architectural
marvels, upon which even travelers bow
Those that follow the Iman adhere to speci c taboos and rituals:
the forbidding of eating pork, the loss of tattooing, the ritual act of
not butchering meat.
Priests and priestesses are in charge of facilitating ritual worship
and masses every week. They facilitate the building of moskes in
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offerings and treated like other humans and members of the greater
world. Baginda Sumongsuklay is believed to be the greatest of the
diwata, although some pandita contest that categorizing her as one is
an inherent heresy to her nature of being the one above all,
transcendent of natural categories
Many adherents give themselves up to the faith. Thus the practice
of pagsabil, the act of holy rage. This is done in supreme obeisance
and bloody worship of Baginda Sumongsuklay, and acts as their nal
sacri ce, as pagsabil is usually seen as a sort of ritual sacri ce. When
one performs a sabil, they reach heaven through violence: they are
invested with the trappings of one to be buried, and anointed with oil.
And then, they go into the battle with the purpose of dying and
bringing as many as they can with them.
Moskes built by panditas have become a hub for knowledge, with
culture and religion coming in from Naksuwarga, Baik Hu,
Malirawat, and Iyamat. Through them, many new technology,
known as Agham, is accrued, which is then reverse-engineered by the
pandita. A majority of Aghaman, people who study and construct
these advanced technologies, come from the Iman. Not only because
of the Sultanate’s access to the Agham (as the Lakanate and
Rajahnate are privy to trade with them as well), but because of the
Tuong-Bulan’s insistenec and teaching that all technology is a
supreme act of emulation of Baginda Sumongsuklay’s divinity, who
created the universe
War and raiding are integral parts to the Sultanate. These aspects
are not dampened by the Iman: Ayah Menat teaches that violence
begets violence, and that there is no way to leave this circle except for
oneness with the Baginda. Thus, to achieve true peace, noble
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sacri ces must be made, in order to bring all under the lovely
closeness of the Baginda. With the coming of the Lakanate, which try
to push forth their faith as the only good faith, adherents of Iman
push forth, bolstered by their zeal and empowered by the rays of the
moon.
Baginda Sumongsuklay, as taught by Ayah Menat, is the moon
because the moon was the rst piece of light in the midst of darkness,
and thus why it is the brightest thing in the night sky. The sun is
simply an extension of the moon’s gleam, bringing with it day.
Baginda Sumongsuklay exists, then, as a counteracting force
against the encroaching tides of oblivion, which is what the ink of
night is. Baginda Sumongsuklay is both the creator and the
preserver, and in Her holy majesty, we must all be, so that the war
against oblivion can end, and the Baginda can ascend with her
creations to eternity
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and giants and said that Indung was the true offspring of Baginda.
The devils, dwarfs, and giants all believed him. With a golden sword,
Indung and the creatures attacked Anak while he slept
But re came from heaven and destroyed Indung, charring him
black and burning off all limbs. The Golden Sword of Indung ew
into a mountain, and was lost. All the devils, dwarfs, and giants ed
to the mountains, the trees, the rocks, and the depths of the sea, and
that is why creatures hide
Anak pushed Indung into the waters, and Indung became the rst
eel. Now alone once again, Baginda gave Anak more companions:
this time, from cracked clay, came two companions. Laki and Baye,
who were identical in all but name. This made Anak happy again, but
Anak told them that they cannot eat from the areca palm
Laki and Baye were eventually told by Indung, by the shore of
their land, to eat the areca palm because they will learn many good
things. Curious, they both ate it. And when they did, Laki was cursed
with a penis and larger body, while Baye was cursed with breasts and
vagina. Angered, Anak left the earth forevermore.
But Laki and Baye were powerful, they gathered enough Gahum
and used their newfound knowledge to gain true enlightenment, and
they became the two rst Gods: Diyamiyon Kulisat, Brother
Thunderbolt, and Indira Suga, Mother Sun
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THE TRANSCENDENT DICHOTOMY AND ON
MATTERS OF THE SOUL
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believed, Sri Manawari writes, that to achieve a ful lling and happy
life, one must be reaching for ISA, in a state of KAISAHAN. To
achieve this, one must be excellent in their chosen path, whatever
that may be, as long as it does not cause DI HIYANG within nature
A person that dies while their Kalag is in KALAGITNAAN or in
KAISAHAN passes into the afterlife as peacefully as their social
standing might allow. However, a Kalag that passes while in the state
of KAWALAN is liable to become vengeful dead, wherein they will
commit atrocities to those that live: usually atrocities tied or related to
the reason why they are in a state of KAWALAN.
It is well known that people that die and are not given proper
burials or suffer violently beforehand, or are the victims of atrocities,
have their Kalag sink into KAWALAN immediately upon physical
death. Thus the multiplicity of living and vengeful dead among the
isles
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NAME GENERATOR
Sigw Pura
Iray Buli
Gulo Pangodyon
Tingg Kalwa
Nagkarla Kalampisa
Lamo Lub
Aguyo Natudn
Balaklawo Ligasn
Ita Kila
Kumintan Suban
Mahayha Bangu
Paran Baliri
Bakuwo Ugsa
Amiha Madulu
Raron Malasumban
Sab Para
Magha Kala
Mara Humasunun
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