ON SINA UNA: A FOREWORD “Our lives are not our own, We are bound to others, past and present, and by each crime and every kindness, we birth our future” — David Mitchell, Cloud Atlas Its with a heavy heart that Isay that this isthe last thing I will ‘write for The Islands of Sina Una. But Tam glad that the work fs completed. Outside of hoping to gain regular sleeping habits ‘once more now that I don't have to stay up until four in the ‘morning on call on the bathroom floor shouting about half ‘ores with Lucia or going over the fac that we don't know the ‘original name ofthe Tiburones due to colonization with one of ry researchers, ‘The following is an edited version of something I asked this team to read through to understand how much this book ‘matters to me, and what good it can do. ‘There is a place that exists between dry historical repetition and tourist sensationalism that we must seek. All of us, every ‘one, has a duty to uphold in seeking this middling line between hard fact and pure fiction, Itis here that lies the best work. It is here that lies earnest work, Iti here that Sina Una exists, In its short life thus far it has been talked about among online communities and friends. Ihave heard praise that I disagree ‘with. Thave heard praise that Iam humbled by, and never expected, And I have heard praise ofthis work that has made ‘me come to this slow and humbling fac That ifthis work can be done right, ifit ean be done wel, and ifit can be done good? It can live beyond just us. ‘Working on this book has been difficult. [have talked at length about the research that has had to be done so far just to, get what little we have obtained. But it goes beyond that, and, it goes deeper than that. Whether it be haunted by my own, realization or my own ego, one line that I typed out in the ‘marketing for Sina Una still rings in my head: “When you can't see a part of you as being you, you dont really know who you are, You remain a stranger to yourself” All of us who write or illustrate for this book are Filipino. In all my life, Ihave always. referred to myselfas anything but just Filipino. I was Filpino- American. I was Filipino-Chinese. Ii only Half-Filipino. As if attaching hyphen could remove some of the shame that I felt ‘towards my heritage. But working on this book, and learning about my culture, Ihave since stopped Tam Filipino. With no shame, with no second guessing, ‘This is what Sina Una has done for me. Thave spoken to many others already, and there isa shared sentiment among some members of our art and writing team, A sentiment of not knowing about their heritage. A sentiment ‘of notknowing about the culture. You could look at it on a map. You could see what food is eaten there, You know that, surely, there are men and women who ostensibly look similar to you, But ultimately it doesn't matter how accurate an internet map is ‘of measuring each inch of every coast, or how many thousands ‘of ways you can learn how to make kutsinta or sinigang or adobo. Because many of us are diaspora. And with that comes pain of not being able to see all of who you are, and a pain of ‘not seeing the full breadth of who you have come from. ‘And if you feel tha, then believe me when I say know the feeling, ‘And [have not felt tin quite a while, [But that has only come through the work. Through researching and understanding, be it the timeline of rice flelds or che story of Panganoron and Magayon, we find that place between the dull and analytical and the sensationalized ‘misunderstanding, We find that place between the experience ‘of a museum and the action thriller, We can normalize our myth through knowing it, and we ean help it spread across the world, whether it be at the table of a game group or just by letting new generations learn about our culture, To let them learn about us. arly on when I began working on this, Lucia told me that as long as others saw how much [loved tabletop gaming, that | would be fine, It has been over a year since she told me that, and it has never once wavered from being a total ruth. And have experienced growth and love in immeasurable amounts, since she told me that. There have been times when I have felt Ios angry, disheartened, defeated. But the love I have felt when ‘working on this book has helped me through them, no matter, hhow dark my thoughts had gotten. And I can only hope you grow to love this work as much as I have came to. ‘What I am leading up to, with all of this rambling, is this Sina Una is a product of love, made to be shared and. enjoyed, made to be learned from, From it we hope not to bear any poison, ill will, o ill intent, but to instead rejoice in a celebration of our heritage, no matter how distant to it we ‘once were. There isa place between the dry fact and the tourist lig, and that place isthe fantastical representation. Where our myth is alive and well, where the stories of our parents and ‘grandparents and ancestors come to being, and where we can craft from it a world that others can love as well. Its From love that the greatest things can be made, where the lost can be found, and where the diaspora can learn about their homeland, Beyond shame, beyond fear, beyond pettiness, beyond hatred, beyond resentment. I is there where Sina Una lies, Thope you enjoy it Joshua “HT TPaladin” Mendenhall, Co-Director”TELL ME A STORY. That is the most important thing you could ever learn. Our stories aren't just NOC Sicomecon eae hee mete rote lessons; they are our legacies. Within its SORT ae g Ae beet Re ec atd Kee those who came before us, and it is our duty to keep that alive. For if we do not do it, then who will? Who will remember RR ian e Ne Cem cee men a aceae ta Ds Cm al Rare tORsoD LEAKED eros how to move forward, if they cannot see BOOK OC Nod clot NOR Pore e ae cm ota aa And let us keep this legacy alive.CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTIONWELCOME TO THE ISLANDS Gentle waves rock the wood beneath your feet as you stand acthe prow of your boat, hand shielding your eyes from the brilliant sun cresting the distant horizon, Golden rays of Tight catch and dance along the turquoise sea, and the ocean ‘wind whistles in your eats. In the distance, you can see the silhouettes of islands rising from the morning mist. Some bear towering peaks of verdant green, brushing the clouds themselves and thrumming with wildlife, while others are shrouded in molten blankets of ash gray fog, the hunger of a ‘volcano rumbling deep beneath the earth. Sand crunches against the hull as your boat arrives on a beach, and along the shore, you see so many others like you: voyagers, whispering gracious prayers to the spirits of the sea and sky; merchants, laden with baskets of mango, rice, and kalamansi; warriors, beating the blades and tall wooden shields of their ancestors. Each, in their own way, carrying forward the rich and vibrant legacy ofthe islands around them, So you take breath, and step offthe boat: Because you understand that in this world brimming with monsters and peril, every choice you make carries the heartbeat of| those who came before you. And so long as you honor that, you are never alone. THosE WHO CAME First The Blond f Sina Uns «ew campaign Seting for Se isa tas yal oes tat ree teeter ee uated Os eto eaters researchers, designers, and artss ll eager to explore and share their heritage, this book provide wealth of new pares pare aera ee stories lostio time, pera egy ergy reser ee es re ace toate a pu cilaicaion For the ran bebta his book, Th Mand gf Sina Une serves asa way to rediscover and reforge that missing ie creme sl eee eee stores with enero to cose. Prez historical source or leis per ae Peet eal nal es err cee ee eee ibe Cesar is Foe ches lard arateg ces te eee eee ere a al eect cel irecord of th changed endo to traselate this rable kitory into a fantasy setting. Mealy tae eee ofthe beok ik ose the ee eee specified the general rile f $i Ean il apy fo the ier pet lee ome eettee case self-contained the content ofthis books balanced aguinst the core material of 5th Edition, allowing you to use the options provided here alongside other Sth Edition supplements Sina Una means, Those who came first” It an homage to the fact thatthe entire journey ofthis book, from inception to publication, was undertaken with the earnest desire to remember, celebrate and connect with our ancestors. Our history was lost; we could look athe islands on a map, we could know that somewhere in the world there must be other people who look like us, but for many of ws, our past and heritage was litcle more than a hazy image on a distant horizon. And when you cannot see the fll breadth of who you have come from, you cannot know ll of who you are. ‘With ths book, we come one step closer to knowing. And ‘we are proud to share this ourney with you. THE WORLD AT A GLANCE Sever lands si together wk the vate Blue oan cack pee eter ore ecettced er eee share, More deal about each ofthe Mads can be oundin Chapter 2: The World eee ge eter ore the islands. Tn every settlement, there are intrepid voyages Tooking parm themselves with the wespons and toad ced pe aye ieee estrone epee en td ao mater where you travel abper and sdveature rth ee SPIRITS AND SORCERY. Every creature and object that exits in the world is regarded as having a spirit, oF soul. From the towering trees to the rough- hewn pebbles of «river, to you and your fellow companions—all things have a spirit. ‘The level of conscious awareness a spirit has depends on its size and its relation to those that surround it, For example, spirits that inhabit small weeds and shells are barely aware of their existences, while the spirits of voleanoes and bays are revered as powerful divine entities, The peoples who inhabit, the islands, commonly referred to as mortals, also each have their own individual spirit, which travels to an afterlife ‘upon their death. Such spirits of the deceased often maintain, vigilance over their descendants from afar, granting advice and protection to their loved ones. Spirits are also the source of magic inthe islands, Because everything in the world has a spirit, everything also has some amount of magic residing within it. Practitioners like bards and ‘wizards have learned to sense and use this ambient power in the world around them, harnessing it for grand feats. Others, like clerics and the shamanistic babaylan, commune with