Whatanah Islands (Teiji)

Known natively as the land of the Xʷətəna, and referred to by High Elven cartographers as Teiji   Teiji is a pair of large volcanic islands located in the southwestern seas of Erthas, near the coordinates -23, -23. Though modest in extent, the combined landmass is roughly equivalent to the size of Germany. The islands are dominated by rugged monsoon jungles, steep volcanic ridges, and river-carved valleys that descend toward storm-beaten coasts.   The larger of the two islands is roughly twice the size of the smaller and contains a dense highland core of active and dormant volcanoes, while the smaller island is shaped by deep crater-lakes and coastal terraces. Seasonal rains nourish lush forests, and mists from the central peaks drift through the canopies of ancient cedar, bamboo, and fern.  

Lifeways and Peoples

  Teiji is home to the Xʷətəna, a Mesolithic people who subsist through fishing, foraging, shellfishing, and seasonal hunting. They build stilted longhouses along river mouths, craft dugout canoes for coastal travel, and maintain ceremonial fire sites deep in the upland forests.   They are the speakers of the Proto-Xʷətəna language family (inspired by Proto-Salishan), which branches into three regional tongues. Though lacking agriculture, the Xʷətəna shape their landscape through fire-clearing, forest tending, and tidal fish traps.  

• Qaləxʷ: Spoken in the highlands and eastern valleys of the larger island. Qaləxʷ groups are known for obsidian blade-making, moon rituals, and sacred fire rings at crater edges.
 
• Šəpiɬ: Centered on the smaller island’s lakes and misty ravines. These people are mythweavers, stone-carvers, and smoke-dryers of river fish and jungle fruit.
 
• Tənawéxʷ: A coast-trade speech shared among shoreline bands. They maintain clam gardens, collect driftwood for canoe carving, and relay news between the islands.

 

Geography and Ecology

  The volcanic nature of Teiji produces fertile soils and diverse habitats. Ancient lava tubes shelter bats and nesting birds, while hot springs are believed to be entrances to the spirit world.  

• Mount K̓wəsən: The highest volcano, considered a living being in Xʷətəna myth. No settlements exist on its slopes, though offerings are left at its base.
 
• Lake Lupatł: A deep crater lake on the smaller island, ringed with sacred standing stones. It is said to be the navel of the world, where ancestors first emerged.
 
• The Nələ River: A braided river that feeds into tidal marshes. Along its banks, families trap eels, collect roots, and gather birds’ eggs in season.

 

High Elven Contact

  To the High Elves of Daitō, the islands are known as Teiji.   Only the coastal peoples—particularly speakers of Tənawéxʷ—have had fleeting trade or ritual exchanges with Elven explorers, who viewed the Xʷətəna as living in harmony with their wild and dangerous homeland.  

Language Family

  The Proto-Xʷətəna language family spoken on Teiji is composed of three mutually intelligible tongues. Though all retain a common grammar, each has unique ceremonial terms, kinship markers, and naturalistic vocabulary.  

• Qaləxʷ – Highlanders; keepers of fire and stars
• Šəpiɬ – People of fog, lake, and stone
• Tənawéxʷ – Shoreline voyagers and messengers

 

Mythology

  The Xʷətəna speak of three siblings who shaped the world: the Fire Brother who raised the peaks, the Rain Sister who cloaked them in green, and the One Who Returned from the Sea, who brought memory. Each dialect group reveres these figures differently:   Qaləxʷ venerate fire and stone rites. Šəpiɬ recount the return of knowledge from watery depths. Tənawéxʷ tell of journeys between realms and how names drift like smoke on salt wind.