Pahinga, Mangrove City

History
Pahinga began not as a refuge or as an encampment, but as a cradle. In Tagaampon’s gathering, they brought to the trees a child, who had no family, no friends, and no possessions save for the basket they were left in. Nurtured by the river and fed delicately by the mangrove trees that shone so brightly, the Child became stronger and healthier as the years passed by. It naturally came to be accepted that Tagaampon was the Child’s parent, for it was they who watched over the Child the most.

But the Child became curious about the world beyond the trees, about others on the island of Kandaya. With this curiosity in mind, they took with them days of food and tools for survival, leaving the cradle of Tagaampon that they called home. The Child hunted with the people of Hanapin, won the favor of Taonglupa, and learned from the people of Siringa. Their sight of the world expanded tenfold, of both its treasures and its trials, and they brought this knowledge to the cradle home that they missed.

They brought with them those who had become their closest friends. Hunters, crafters, and some of the devotees of Malahom. The Child brought their stories and lessons to Tagaampon, and thanked the spirit for bringing them in all those years ago. They told Tagaampon about their adventures around the island and of the many people they had met. Many around the island, and more from the stories that were shared with the child, were without aid. These people were injured in ways unhealable by traditional magic. As well, there were many who had no one to care for them, be they orphans or those without others to give them aid. With the care that Tagaampon could provide, with the knowledge the Child had gathered, and with the magic that suffused this hidden heart of Kandaya, they could be there for these people.

And so was the start of Pahinga: as a place of aid. The Child would eventually become Pahinga’s first datu, who would stress the lessons of compassion and community above all else. They would eventually pass on, as mortals do, but with each limb or eye crafted, with each boat that is carved, and with each person aided, their memory lives on. And in this, Tagaampon will always have more to care for.

Important Figures
Datu Makisig. Humble and composed, Datu Makisig is a younger halfling of jovial nature, whose duties take him travelling across all of Kandaya to meet with the other leaders of the island. From them, he takes in those whose needs are greater than those settlements can provide, and arranges for them the help that they require. His role as Datu is hidden as he travels, taking the appearance of a small, blind merchant with his bodyguards, so as to travel undisturbed. But while the title of merchant is a falsehood, his blindness isn’t, for it was his blindness that brought him to Pahinga to begin with. Given freely to Tagaampon as a child, he has learned to live his life without the use of his eyes, and now senses their way in the world through the aid of a spirit in order to serve as Pahinga’s Datu.

He works tirelessly to bring new members to Pahinga: both those who need or want assistance beyond normal healing, or panday, whose skills surpass their peers when working with wood. While his duties may take him away from Tagaampon and Pahinga for weeks at a time, he is glad to bring back new members and stories for his friends and family.

Babaylan Marikit. Marikit first began her life as a panday, crafting boats on the island of Timanduk for many of her early years. When she decided to try her hand at sailing for the first time, it was a disaster and left her battered and at death’s door on Kandaya. The members of Taonglupa saw this dying tiefling, and though nursed back to health, could not heal her arm. Seeing her resolve to make it back home, a silent agreement was made between the members of Taonglupa, and they brought her through the mangrove forests of the island to Pahinga.

There, Marikit was given a new, prosthetic arm. With her permission and request, they grew an arm made of wood and bark, replacing the one of flesh she was born with. This new arm allowed her to learn the method of boat making unique to Pahinga, using the mangroves special to the river, which can sometimes be infused with magical potency. She was taught how to speak with the spirits of the trees to keep the wood alive as it was cut and carved, as well as the spirit of the boat once it came to be.

And as the weeks turned to months, these teachings became the foundation of Marikit’s training as a Babaylan. Though she has not returned to Timanduk, she does not miss it, for it is here in Pahinga that she has carved a place for herself.

Caylao. Quiet and imposing, Caylao serves as the collective representative of the panday in Pahinga. The half-elf serves as the teacher for those who come to panday to learn their craft, and it is through her guidance that they grasp how to work the spirit wood that marks Pahinga’s work above that of others. Though it took her many years to learn the techniques that using the spirit wood demands, there is no doubt that Caylao has earned her position through tireless effort and unceasing care of craft. She spends much of her spare time assisting with trade, meting out the herbs and remedies used to treat internal pains that are grown under her watch.

Important Landmarks
The Cradle. The altar that once was home to Tagaampon’s first ward still remains, hidden underneath Pahinga itself. Beneath its walkways, beneath the river upon which it rests, deep within the earthy embankment that moors it to the land, is a small prayer hall devoted to both the child and to Tagaampon. Inside this depth-covered chamber is an altar to Tagaampon and, beside it, an altar dedicated to the child that founded Pahinga. All panday who look to master the art of crafting with spirit wood come here and give a piece of their first finished vessel to the spirit.

Whirling Bay. In the center of the city’s buildings is a bay for all of its vessels, both in travel and in creation. Because of Tagaampon’s power, it is never at rest or in perfect stillness, and as such it is constantly shifting, changing, spinning, and has become in itself something of a sight to behold. Its shape bends to two circular docks, split by the main river entrance to Pahinga itself.