Talunan Current Status
Current Status
As Talunan received word from Kotabalon of the expansion of the Colony through the northern Islands, it took the leadership role in organizing the South into the Free Island Alliance. With the military minded Datu Masindi's coordination, the forges began working non-stop to produce the necessities of war. The emphasis on battle preparation requires cooperation with the other islands, particularly with Kandaya which provides wood, textiles, and skilled Panday boatsmiths.
Masindi has studied the invading Colony technology and has applied it to his designs. From this he created the design for a new type of Karakoa Warship that will rival the War Galleons of the Colony. To achieve this design, wood shipments must arrive safely from Kandaya where the wood of the holy Mangroves give the best chance of handling the stress of the new Latanka Mortars, layered bamboo cannons which can fire devastating explosives at a distance. Ideas for specialty rounds derived from the flora of Adlawadto are also in the works.
Additionally, Kumikislap, the Babaylan of the Forge, has studied the steel weaponry captured and presented by the Emissaries from Kotabalon. She believes the process can be replicated by incorporating additional materials into the forging process to make sharper and more durable weaponry.
The spirits of the island are disoriented by the shifting of the moon phases. As such the wind that typically is predictable in its direction swirls, the volcano which erupts exactly twice in a year now cries its destructive tears monthly, and the Red Woman has been sighted on the shores around Baga, demanding an advance on her annual ceremony.
The Guardian Etom of Baga is centuries old. His days are spent maintaining the ritual which hides Baga from the Red Woman and now the Colony and Pirates who would seek to harm the settlement. While Etom possesses unrivaled physical and mental endurance as a result of his centuries of guardianship, the years have taken their toll. The guardian knows that his time is finite, and a suitable replacement for him must be identified.
Background
By legend, Talunan was formed by the tragic result of a love triangle between three maidens soured. The spirit Pagtuga of the Stone, having lost in rivalry with Panganoron of the Air for the hand of the beautiful Magayon. In anguish, Pagtuga paralyzed Panganoron and later poisoned the drink of Magayon, who trusted the Stone spirit for whom she still had loved. Panganoron, recovering from her paralysis, arrived too late as Magayon's spirit fled her corpse in two directions, one forming the volcano Mayon, and the other flowing out to sea to manifest as the vengeful Galit ni Magayon (also known as "The Red Woman"). As a result of this betrayal, the wind howls in contempt of the land, and the volcano Mayon erupts regularly in frustration. Additionally those live near the ocean occassionally find themselves face to face with The Red Woman, an emotional spirit which either expresses intense rage through the infliction of sickness, or overindulgent gratitude through the giving of gifts.
The result of the intense conflict of these forces of nature makes Talunan a dangerous place to live, but also imbues natural resources that have allowed Talunan to become famous for the creation of fine iron weapons and reinforced bamboo armors. The settlements on the islands work in conjunction to produce these goods, which previously were shipped throughout the Islands to its protectors. However with recent developments, the Free Island Alliance relies heavily on the expansion of production of these to fuel mobilization.
Bamboo grows at Duyan-Duyan with a thickness that exceeds elsewhere on the Islands. These are cut into plates fitted for the individual receiving armor and bound together with iron chain and often textiles shipped in from Kandaya. The Iron comes from the Great Forge at Iraga, where Babaylan Kumikislap leads the enormous Bamboo School of Smithing. In addition to creating iron for weapons, armor, and ships, Kumikislap creates masterwork sculptures which become offerings to sooth the erupting anger of Mayon. When the iron is destined for reinforcing war ships, it is brought to the City Hidden in the Bay: Baga. Here under the great shield of the Guardian Etom, artisans and craftsman of all stripes are able to construct masterpieces of warships. The eccentric but brilliant Datu Masindi from Iraga constantly pushes the envelope of technology, particularly in its applications in battle.
Faction Control
Talunan is controlled by the Free Islands Alliance
Diplomacy
Talunan is the political center of the Free Islands Alliance, which is primarily the brainchild of the brilliant strategist Masindi. Masindi, an expert of diplomacy on top of his keen military instinct, brilliantly navigates the cultural desire for independence and self determination of individual islands and settlements with the functional needs of an alliance on the task of mobilization.
The other alliance members tend to trade raw materials to production centers in Talunan, primarily assembled at Baga. Baga's hidden nature makes it an ideal place for this production to take place as it is protected from infiltration or attack by Colony Invaders or Pirates.
Key Figures
Masindi - The current leader of Iraga is a human named Masindi. He lives within his great Limestone Palace, upon great hills that face the perfect triangle of the Mayon. Masindi is, unlike his forebears, a thin and not so physically strong Datu. He makes up for this with his skill in diplomacy, his tactical strategy, and his love for military technology. He has shrunken lantaka to be used as hand cannons, and has outfitted his entire fighting force with padded bamboo armor. Masindi is known to be a master panday as he forges both weapons and trinkets. (Sina Una 124) His latest design promises to catch up and even exceed the Colony naval power via creation of a new type of Karakoa.
Kumikislap - The head babaylan of Iraga, or ‘Sonat’ as they are called in other communities, is the great dwarf asog named Kumikislap. Kumikislap is a sonat, a master, and a blacksmith teacher of Datu Masindi. She has lived for more than four hundred years and has accrued a great amount of knowledge because of it. She is the one that singlehandedly constructs metal offerings for Mayon whenever she is angered; to appease her wrath and to stop her from erupting violently like she did four hundred years prior. These iron constructs are usually statues of the great hero Panganoron, her lover. Kumikislap heads a large academy, the Bamboo School of Smithing. She takes students from every culture, with the only caveat that her students must learn her language. (124) Her current focus is replicating the production of Steel from studying captured Colony weapons and evaluating production options available on the islands.
The Guardian Etom- Mysteriously, Etom is still alive after all these centuries. Maintaining the magicks of Baga is tied to his blood and bone, which apparently sustains him. He does not age and does not sleep — and also cannot have children. Because of these circumstances, Etom has become a living record of Baga’s history. (123) As the trials of age begin to take their toll, he continues to perform his duties to protect the settlement of Baga, he also knows he must seek a new Guardian to take his place and allow him to die.
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