Sungai Manambulu (suŋˈgai maˈnambulu)

The Sungai Manambulu is the largest river on the island of Lahat. It flows through the island's most populous and productive regions, linking the capital city of Ratubala with the prosperous port of Kendari. When the Mekongga conquered Lahat and established their kingdom, they displaced most of the native Tau Tanah from the river's surroundings and settled their own people along its banks. Today, apart from a few Kosalo Villages preserved by royal mandate, the river valley is almost entirely Mekonggan in character and is regarded as the kingdom's heartland.

The two great cities on the river differ sharply, and their contrasts are reflected in the settlements along its banks. Kendari is the older of the two, founded by merchants eager to exploit the rich pearl beds off the southern coast. It is unapologetically devoted to commerce and clings to traditions that long predate the Kingdom of Lahat - customs the Mekongga rulers regard with distaste. Chief among these is Pemilikan Raga, a practice of body ownership rooted in corpse medicine that hovers uncomfortably close to slavery. The southern settlements of the river look to Kendari for leadership and are largely populated by immigrants who come to the island seeking their fortune in the great port.

Ratubala, by contrast, is scarcely more than a century old. A planned city, it was conceived as a fortress and bastion of order. Residency is strictly regulated, and commerce is carefully managed, licensed, and subdued. Many believe the early Mekongga rulers deliberately designed Ratubala to be the opposite of Kendari - and if so, they succeeded. Displays of wealth are rare, the city instead embracing a stark, functional aesthetic that lends it the atmosphere of a military installation. The northern settlements along the Sungai Manambulu reflect this same character, so that traveling up or down the river often feels like passing between two entirely different worlds.

Notable Spirits

The god of the Sungai Manambulu is known as Tan-Manambulu, who manifests as a vast and implacable crocodile. The crocodiles of the river are therefore regarded as sacred by the Tau Tanah. Since the Mekongga settled along the river and took up worship of Tan-Manambulu, he has also come to embody the enforcement of social order - especially the rules of hospitality and cooperation. His methods, however, are anything but subtle. According to tradition, those who break these rules or stir up conflict within the river-god's domain are seized by crocodiles and vanish into the waters, never to be seen again.

As a result, those who work the river treat one another with remarkable courtesy, while the quarrelsome are urged to depart before they attract the god's attention. Some believe this divine insistence on politeness has helped keep tensions between Kendari and the kingdom from spilling into open conflict. More skeptical voices, however, suggest that the real balm is the wealth Kendari sends upriver - a magic far more persuasive than crocodiles.