Danau Harimau (ˈdanau̯ haˈrimau̯)

Danau Harimau is the largest lake on the island of Lahat. It lies south of the sacred forest of Pulau Cemara and west of the Sungai Manambulu. For the Tau Tanah, all parts of the land are holy, each with its own place in a vast tapestry of divinity, and Danau Harimau is among the most sacred. The lake is said to be the gateway to Tanah Mboi - the land of the ancestors. According to legend, the spirits of the dead journey to the lake when they are ready to leave the physical world, following the currents of the soul into its depths, where the door to Tanah Mboi is found. They are guided by the Harimau-laut - spirits who take the form of tigers with the lower bodies of giant fish. The Harimau-laut also guard the threshold, barring any who are not ancestor spirits of the Tau Tanah, and waging an eternal struggle against the Sali-sali - centipede-demons who seek to infiltrate and devour Tanah Mboi.

Before the coming of the Mekongga, many villages stood along the shores of Danau Harimau. After the invasion, however, most were abandoned, as so few of the Tau Tanah survived. Today, only one village remains: Kelirona, on the southern shore. It is one of the Kosalo Villages - communities designed to replicate the old order of the island and bound to the Kosalo Astrolabe through Folk Magic. The people of Kelirona are not permitted to leave and are required to live as closely as possible to the ways of their ancestors. The other lakeshore villages are maintained by the Mekongga army, kept in a state of uncanny preservation as though their inhabitants might return at any moment. This creates an eerie atmosphere: perfectly intact but utterly empty settlements. The Mekongga believe such measures strengthen the walls of Kosalo, which were gravely weakened by the destruction of Lampuato - the event that led to their invasion of Lahat.

Notable Spirits

Danau Harimau is home to the Harimau-laut - spirits who appear as tigers with the lower bodies of great fish. They were placed there by the first ancestors of the Tau Tanah, who made them out of dreams and stories, and charged with guarding the doorway to Tanah Mboi from the living. In those early days, death was still new to the world, and many believed they could fetch their parents and grandparents back from Tanah Mboi. The living would venture there often, pestering the deceased, and the Harimau-laut needed only a fearsome appearance to send them away.

The invasion of the Mekongga changed everything. The Tau Tanah, unwilling to surrender, were slaughtered, their bodies left scattered across the fields. From beneath those desecrated corpses came the Sali-sali - gigantic centipede spirits, whose name means "the Crawlers." These demons converged on the sacred lake, consuming the souls of the dead wherever they found them. When they entered the waters, the Harimau-laut faced their first true battle.

The Sali-sali were not clever, but they were huge, relentless, and innumerable. They devoured any spirit they could overwhelm, and more than one Harimau-laut was torn apart in their mandibles. Yet the first ancestors had crafted their guardians well: fierce, powerful, and tireless. For three days and three nights, the battle raged, the lake churned into a storm of blood and foam. In the end, the Harimau-laut drove the demons back, slaying many - but not all.

The Sali-sali retreated into the shadows beneath the earth, where they lurk still. They snatch and devour any spirit they encounter, and seem to have grown more cunning with age. Worse still, their numbers never diminish: it is unknown whether there are new demons born, or those slain return from death, but there are always more. They hound the spirits of the Tau Tanah into the lake, forcing the Harimau-laut to fight again and again. From Tanah Mboi, the ancestors have sent portents to the living, urging them toward the means of destroying the Sali-sali once and for all - but so far, none who have taken up that quest have survived.