Tanah (ˈta.na)

"Find the vanishing temple, and you will be free."

— common belief among the workers of Tanah

Tanaha is the largest of the Timlau Islands, and the most affluent. It is ruled over by the Karajan Suracandra, a member of the Persatuan Phaṇin. It is known for its profitable plantations and opulent mansions.

Of course, not everyone lives in a mansion. The vast majority of the population lives in small huts, which are granted to them by the landowners for as long as they remain employed. The plantation owners also own the crops, the tools, and all the stores. To live as a peasant on Tanah is to live in debt. The harvest brought in each day will goes towards paying this debt, or it can be exchanged for food, tools, or other necessities. A hard-working nest of adults can usually keep their level of debt stable, as long as there are no injuries or illnesses. When eggs are laid and hatchlings demand food, the nest tends to slip into deeper debt until the children are old enough to work in the fields. Then things will usually stabilize again, for a time.

If a nest's debt grows too large, a daily harvest will be insufficient to keep it from growing. When this happens, the only recourse is debt-slavery - a member of the nest sells themselves into lifelong servitude to reduce the debt of the whole nest. Debt-slaves have no rights within the society, and are given the most demeaning and dangerous tasks to perform that a free person could refuse. While most of the higher classes do not engage in the purchase of debt-slaves, they condone those who do - and those who are willing to purchase a debt-slave often have dark intentions. Few of these slaves live long once enslaved.

But the people of the fields do have one thing that gives them hope - the Vanishing Temple. Sometimes, a laborer will hear bells where none should be, and find that a great temple has appeared in the middle of the field. Those who enter are never seen again, and they are forgotten by all but the ones who loved them most. And their debts are forgotten too - the entire debt of the nest is altered, with all the physical and mental recollections altered to a new, lower level. How and why this happens is not known, but it is believed that the people taken by the temple are truly in a better place.

Notable Spirits

One spirit that is spoken of on Tanah is the Rĕsag Rasa, or debt-clingers. These invisible beings are said to be the ethereal manifestation of the weight of obligation, and they climb upon their victims as their debts grow. They do not directly harm the person they ride, but they are heavy and grow heavier over time. Some people speak of being burdened or even crushed by the weight of the Rĕsag Rasa. According to the tales, when someone carries their Rĕsag Rasa into the Vanishing Temple, the debt they represented is wiped away from the world.