Tagaampon

History and Legends
Tagaampon came to existence from near accident. When Malahom fell and created the beginning of Kandaya’s mangrove forest, they slowly gathered soil and sand, and from that gathering came the spread of the trees. A cycle of this went on for years—of gathering and growth and even more gathering—until eventually the trees had formed the water into a river. This river, born of chance and growth, sought to advance the island of Kandaya farther and farther. But before the Kandaya itself could expand its shores significantly, a strange presence came to Tagaampon: a Child. No tree hated the Child, but they could not take care of it themselves. No hill wished ill intent to the Child, but they could not give it a home. Tagaampon, seeing its loneliness, took it upon itself to protect the infant and see that it grew strong.

As the Child grew, so too did Tagaampon. It could use its waters to move the trees around and on itself, which proved fun for the child, as well as becoming a means to keep it protected. No one could sail to the heart of Tagaampon, where it kept the child hidden, unless the trees were aligned to allow passage. And as Tagaampon became a powerful spirit in its own right, the child decided to see more of the world beyond the trees that moved at its whim.

Tagaampon was lonely without the Child, but their return came with a chance to never be lonely again. For with Tagaampon as its guardian, the child would work to create a place for those who would eventually come.

Relationship with the Islanders
Tagaampon’s only true relationship is with those of Pahinga, who it guards closely. It took the infant in because it had no one to take care of it, but the child opened Tagaampon’s heart. Many people may need help, and not all are easily aided. Some are wracked with deep pains, some are born or lose parts of their body, and some are born without certain senses. In Pahinga, they could receive aid or lessons to adapt to the world, and in some instances form new limbs or tools to maneuver it easier.

Such safety is born from the river spirit’s bond with the trees that helped create it. Using its power and form, Tagaampon is able to move the many trees of the mangrove forests, creating either easy passage or impossible mazes for travelers who attempt to sail to Pahinga. With enough force, Tagaampon is able to change the way it flows making sailing into its treasured city impossible.

But the safety and calm isn’t the only thing that connects Tagaampon to the islanders. In Tagaampon’s body, there are fast growing mangrove trees which become excellent material for wood carving and boatmaking. Panday from across the islands who prove their devotion or skill are sometimes given Tagaampon’s blessing to study in the island’s heart for such trees. But rarer still are special mangrove trees suffused with magic, naturally tied to the energy in the world: panday who prove their worth are taught the techniques required to successfully work these rare trees.

Important Festivals
With spirit wood rarely grown from the mangrove forest, it has become a highly desired commodity in Pahinga and to Tagaampon, and even more so for the whole of the islands. It has many uses, which makes the construction of spirit wood boats both hard to come by and valuable. The techniques necessary to use spirit wood are time consuming to learn and often filled with mistakes, increasing the rarity and value of said boats. So when one is completed, there is a natural cause for celebration.

Whenever a spirit wood boat is finished, it is sailed by its creator and a handful of others to celebrate its formation. It is spun around inside of the Whirling Bay of Pahinga before being slingshotted out of the bay down the river entrance. Tagaampon helps ensure that it will not crash, but such an event is filled with other boats also flung down the river and slowly brought back to town, where a feast is held in respect to the crafters, the wood, and the new spirit of the boat itself.

Additionally, the opportunity to craft in Pahinga is a blessing for any would-be Panday, but those accepted into the city are not yet granted the chance to work with spirit wood. Such wood is infused with a spirit’s energy, and the usage of it in crafting is a delicate art to not destroy the spirit’s body.

The techniques to bend and carve the wood was first taught by Tagaampon themselves, and the art has been passed down to new Panday with each generation. But for those who are taught currently, they must venture down to The Cradle in Pahinga and seek Tagaampon’s blessing. Such a ceremony is a quiet, private affair, where the Panday must sit in isolation deep in the altar chamber and eat alone with Tagaampon. They must tell the river who they are, and should they lie or deceive, they will be barred from being allowed to learn the techniques they seek.

But those who pass the ceremony’s test are allowed a further benefit: to sit beside the first Child of Tagaampon in the afterlife and watch over future generations of Pahinga once they pass on.