1
A NOTE ON INTENDED AUDIENCE
Public Playtest 3
Writer and Developer: Joaquin Kyle “Makapatag”
Saavedra (@makapatag)
Art Director: Dylan Briones (@illsvillainy)
Artists: Dylan Briones (@illsvillainy), Jul A. Refugia
(@JuiceUrLemons), Noriz Mora (@Togidemi), Tamara
Catada (@tanorochen), Xrystina Marcos
(@SweetCyanid3), Ahron (@daffonahron), Gen
(@Shaolinfan1), Luisa Odulio (@ghostprinceee), RM
Banas (@rmbananas), Cams Cabezas (@breezamiii),
Trina Laya (@tumbke), Fae (@indignoir), Kai
(@ClickClacKAI), Taters (@thistaters), Raj
(@rajavlitra), CamChua (@frillion)
Kasuratan Font: R- (@kathanglangit)
Playtesting: Sean Chingkaw, Kate, Noriz Mora, John
Erwin Casia, Benedict Mangahas, Luisa Odulio, Aryelle
Sison, RM, Lance, Jey, artspinapl
Other Credits: Shout out to all my Patreon patrons,
without whom this never could have been easy (and
maybe not possible)!
Inspirational Credits to LANCER, Dungeons and
Dragons 4th Edition, Pathfinder 2nd Edition, Strike!
RPG, Shadow of the Demon Lord, Apocalypse World,
Broken World, Exalted, Sagas of the Icelanders, Dreams
Askew, Blades in the Dark, Wanderhome, Ryuutama,
Heart of Wulin, Tresspasser and ICON for inspiring
mechanics and game feel.
Copyright: GUBAT BANWA belongs to Joaquin Kyle
Saavedra/Makapatag. You can use the stuff here to
remix or make your own stuff and sell them. I
encourage you to make settings, Disciplines, and more!
On Playtest 3
Hey all, Waks here. I’ve been writing Gubat Banwa for
the better part of 2 years now at this point. It’s been a
wild ride, but we’re about to reach our destination. And
it looks like the destination is just the beginning. I can’t
wait to see what we’ll be able to from here.
1st Edition’s Playtest 3 is not yet content complete, but
it is very close to it. Balancing is needed and particular
game feel, so I’d love for people to actually play the
game, especially to try out combat and solo play rules.
2
This game is written by me, a Filipino living in the
Philippines, largely for other Filipinos and SEAsians as
well. But it is written in English not only for it to be
accessible to other Filipinos, but also to be able to reach
a wider audience. Especially those that don’t know
much about Southeast Asian cultures.
Let’s get two very important things clear: this game
centers us and this game’s setting is not Southeast
Asia.
This game is explicitly written with us in mind, us being
Filipinos and other Southeast Asian people. Thus, it
centers us. The “default” is a broad-nosed, five foot tall,
genderless brown person. (Or better yet, remove the
notion of a default.) It centers our experiences, our
ideals. Our traditions, our weird cakes, our weird
smells. It’s about us. If you go into this game expecting
it to be about you then you will not get it. You are
welcome to play our roles: that is what an RPG is, after
all. But be respectful, because even we respect
ourselves. Treat us like people.
Secondly, this game is not Southeast Asia. It is not
just Precolonial Philippines. It is its own fantasy
setting. It is a Postclassic Fantasy intensely
inspired by the refulgent and diluvial cultures and
stories of Southeast Asia.
It is explictly a mythic reconstruction of a grand
Southeast Asia of Hindu-Buddhist Empires, Islam
Sultanates, and indigenous kingdoms and
communities. A work of pure love for something that
has been forced away from us. I am Pilipinhon, which
means much of the writing is influenced by Philippines,
but much of my research into Precolonial Philippines
has been the joyful eradication of the “Filipino”
identity to find a more whole and complete view of
Southeast Asia, where our differences don’t divide us
but unite, where the waters don’t separate but
connect.
With that said, I hope you will enjoy this deep dive and
fantastical reconstruction of Southeast Asia, as one
connected intrinsically to the rest of Asia, and as such,
it becomes a deep dive into the interplay of human
diversity, and a festival of human expression and
nature.
Gubat Banwa is about us. We revel in who we are.
Everyone is welcome to the feast.
- Waks
 Table of Contents
Table of Contents 3 Attacks 59
Changelog 4 Defenses 59
The Wandering Sheathe 6 Attack Elements 59
Touchstones 9
Resistances 59
Non-Fiction 9
Statuses 60
Fiction 9
HIT POINTS 61
Movies and Series 9
Block 61
Video Games 9
Advanced Violence Rules 62
I: An Introduction 10
The Battlefield 66
The Realms of Battle 11
Scenarios 72
The Rise of Datu 11
Enemies 74
The Lunar Advent 12
Enemy Origins 92
Issohappa Invades 12
IV: KADUNGGANAN 106
Eclipse Age 13
Kadungganan Creation 110
Festival of the Longest Night 14
Abilities 111
Poems of the Past 16
Folk 114
The Violences 17
Cultures 120
Philosophies 18
Time Keeping 19 Gatusan 120
What is Gubat Banwa? 20 Apumbukid 126
What Kind Of Stories Can We Tell? 20 Akai 132
Where is Gubat Banwa? 21 VIRBANWA 138
A Note on Trichiliocosms 21 Ba-e 144
The Five Major Mandalas 24 Geomantic Alignment 150
The Rajahnate of Gatusan 25 Conjuncture 162
The Confederation of Apumbukid 26 Debt 164
The Sultanate of Akai 27 Complications 165
The Lakanate of Virbanwa 28 Convictions 168
The Kingdom of Ba-e 29 Warbands 169
II: PLAY 31 Variant Creation: Legend 0 173
The Bulawan Rule 33
Kadungganan Advancement: LEGEND 174
The Pilak Rule 33
Legend Arcs 174
The Tanso Rule 33
Disciplines 176
The Puthaw Rule 33 MARTIAL ABILITIES 176
Modes of Play 35 Discipline Traits 176
What You’ll Need 36 Discipline Styles 177
Solo Play 37 Choosing a Discipline 178
War Drama 40 Anting-Anting 294
Barter 43 VI: Divinations 298
Optional Rule: No Tactical Violence 53 How to Divine the Fates 299
III: Violence 55 V: The Sword Isles 317
An Important Note 56 Open World Play in the Sword Isles 318
The Rule of Rosy Gold 56 The Gatusan Isles 319
Revel in Love and Lightning 56 VI: Lore 328
Objectives 56 Barter Items 330

The Rhythm 57 A Collection of Writings and Silks of the Lotus 332

The Violence Cast 58

3
Changelog
3.2 (11/18/22)
GENERAL
0 Fixed typos across the board.
DRAMA
0 Removed the Achieve Goals downtime activity.
0 Removed a large number of rules referring to
Conviction as a currency
1 Tweaked the Travel Dry Season activity: You may
Cast the Crocodile’s Teeth to see if you can make it
trouble-free.
1 Tweaked the Toil Dry Season Activity: Gain the
Debt Token of the people you helped, or gain some
sort of benefit (information, an item, etc.)
VIOLENCE
0 Moved the rolling of tempo dice after the first into
End of Riff instead of Start of Pulse.
0 Put down what True Hit means.
0 Removed every mention of Auto Hit/Auto Defense and
replaced it with +1 Hit/+1 Defense to denote that you
immediately have 1 Hit/Defense.
0 Clarified Rhythm and Pulses: you count down from
Beat 12 to Beat 1 each Pulse.
0 Clarified the Violence Cast even more, with more steps.
Clarified that it is a dice pool that you read from.
0 Added in the new mechanic that if an attack has net
more Defends than Hits, the Defends subtract HP from
the attacker.
0 Added the Deflect Basic Technique that gives +1 to your
POS or RES.
2 Deflect: Gain +1 to your POS or RES (choose
1) until the start of your next Riff. Then, you
move immediately to End of Riff.
0 Multiple typo fixes. Clarified that Mounts are one
fighter. It must be declared that they are being attacked
instead of the mounted fighter, even if it is an area
attack. Attacking a mount while someone is mounted
upon it inflicts Dullness on the attack.
0 Atheist is renamed into Silence.
ENEMY
0 Adjusted the HP Values of Chiefs.
0 Fixed typos in the Pale King section.
0 Demiurge: Diamond Body now has the following text:
“They are also immune to gaining any Poise Tokens and
only gain Poise Tokens whenever a Slave in the battlefield
is Defeated.” Creative Power now has the following text:
“As long as there are Slaves in the field, the Demiurge
cannot be Defeated.”
KADUNGGANAN
0 Martial Abilities have been made uniform: all of them
can have a total of 6 points invested in them, but they
start at varying ratings.
0 HP begins at 6.
0 POS and RES both start at 3 now as well.
0 Changed the “You can always…” of Water Sword
4
DISCIPLINES
0 Buwaya Lancer: Removed the “Your Hunts are
considered Slowed” effect.
0 Tigpana: Has been changed multiple times. It’s
Fundamentals is meter management now.
1 Everywhere All At Once Passive wording changed:
“When a fighter leaves a sq within burst 4, you may
deal 1 True Hit against them by spending an Interject,
1/Beat”
1 Wind-Breathing Style Passive changed: You now
ignore the Dullness when attacking adjacent fighters
with ranged attacks.
1 Enlightenment now has the following wording:
Whenever a fighter is hit within burst 4 of you, you
may inflict violence on them if you can, 1/Beat. The
Active Aspect now inflicts 2 True Hits instead of 1 True
Hit.
0 Baril Witch: Gun Blessing has been changed: Gun
Blessing 1+: When you make an area attack, you may
shift 1 after the attack.
0 Heavenspear: Hornbill Step Active Aspect has been
tweaked: “Shift 3 in a straight line, and then make the
following attack: Melee, Air, adjacent, 1 Target, BRV,
juggle 2”
0 Heavenspear: Mastery IV Rising Lightning has been
changed:
1 Passive: Whenever you teleport, gain Haste 2.
1 Active: You may Push one adjacent fighter 3 sq,
and then teleport to a square adjacent to them and
then Inflict Violence.
0 Mender: Mastery III Flowersmoke Lukay’s Passive has
been tweaked to add the following benefit: Additionally,
you begin every fight with a Healing Concoction
Consumable, which breaks at the end of violence.
0 Mender: Mastery IV Potion has been tweaked.
0 Mender Enlightenment Passive has been tweaked:
Whenever you deal damage to an ally, you instead heal 3
to them, no matter the damage dealt.
0 Warspeaker: Changed the Stun effect on the
Enlightenment to Sunder 2.
ANTING-ANTING
0 Kerisgala wording change: “All squares adjacent to you”
to “All squares close to you”
0 Clarified Naga Javelin: +1d damage
0 Changed the effect of Copper Claws: Whenever you hit
with a melee attack, also inflict Bleed 1.
NEW CONTENT
0 The first 5 subregions of the Gatusan Isles Region!
0 The Folk Origin template that details morale, with the
Gatusan Template and unique types.
3.1 (10/28/22)

GENERAL
0 Fixed a typo in the Casting the Crocodile's Teeth Section.
0 Typical typo fixing across the board.
VIOLENCE
0 Violence: Mentions to “turn” has been turned to “Riff.”
0 Violence: Sharpness and Dullness are now corrected as not being dice!
0 Violence: Attack Teeth now hit on a 5+, and 10s are now simply 2 Hits instead of Combos. Defense Teeth stay the
same.
0 Violence: Leap now requires it to be in a straight line.
0 Violence: HP values are mostly cut in half to account for the fact that on average, half the Hits you do will be
cancelled out by Defends, to further the martial arts fiction of kinetic attacks and blocks.
0 Violence: Mounts are now 5 HP by default. Dismounting puts you in an adjacent sq.
0 Violence: Objects now have Size x 5 Durability by default.
0 Violence: The Boulder field trait has been updated.
ENEMY
0 Enemy: All HP is lowered across the board.
0 Enemy: Medium IV is clarified to buff an ally in range 3.
0 Enemy: Ritualist Trait is modified so that they start a Spirit in the field immediately.
KADUNGGANAN
0 Kadungganan: BRV AND FTH now start at 3 instead of 2.
0 Kadungganan: HP now starts at 5 and goes up to 12.
ADVANCEMENT
0 Advancement: Rising in Legend now gives 2 points to Martial Abilities instead of just 1.
DISCIPLINE
0 Discipline: Death Dancer’s Fundamentals has been clarified: it is Enlighten instead of Enlightenment.
0 Discipline: Beast Hunter Pet is clarified as losing the ability to Bite while Mounted. Also, Deer-Skewering is
now Line 5. Maulers now push 4. Command is now no longer 1/Riff, but other commands are balanced
accordingly.
0 Discipline: Baril Witch is cleaned up to clarify that you get Gun Blessing when you start a Riff.
NEW CONTENT
0 New Content: New Diwata/Devata template! Undefeatable beings that have special combat rules to pacify.
0 New Content: The five Subregions of the Gatusan Isles! Each with a d12 Event table to ignite creativity and
immerse you into the Sword Isles.
0 New Content: New Alternative Advancement: Combat Legend! Rise in Legend after every 2 Violences.

5
The Wandering Sheathe
A woman walked into a small village, with nothing but
the clothes on her back—long silk robes over a textile
tube skirt and wooden sandals--and an empty dragon-
mouthed sheath.
A servant man, an oripun, sprawled to his knees before
her, hands scrabbling for purchase on the muddy
riverbanks.
A warrior, loyal to this settlement, walked into view, out
of the reeds. He aimed his luthang, arquebus, at the
servant.
“Laki! Forgive me! I meant no harm! I was simply
looking for food!” The servant groveled, hands rising
now to cover his head.
“Silence,” snarled the man. “You dare look at my wife?
Burn in Sulad!”
“Laki!”
But he heard no more, as the luthang’s cacophony
ripped through the air. Herons flew overhead.
The manggugubat pushed the oripun’s body into the
river, where nature will reclaim what is theirs. Without a
proper burial, however, the oripun will surely toil in
Sulad for eternity, or be eaten by Siginiguran.
The woman waited for the scuffle to be over. When the
man turned around and walked back into the reeds, and
presumably back to his balay, the woman continued
walking on, deeper into the village.
The village was deserted. No, it seemed deserted. As she
walked on ahead, a pack of dogs ravaged a corpse lying
on the street.
The wind howled. The sun was still low.
A man opened his doors. “Psst!” He called on the
woman. The woman turned to him, eyes narrowed.
“Don’t stay out there! You’ll get killed!”
The woman looked about her, and in the distance saw a
small band of warriors, led by a man upon a crocodile.
She nodded and walked over and into the balay.
“What do you think you’re doing, staying outside like
that?” The man closed the door behind her. He offered
for her to wash her feet, and she did so. She removed the
poor abaca slippers she had on.
“What’s happened to the village?”
“Oh don’t worry about that. Here, sit. Have you eaten?”
The man seems to be another oripun. His shoulder-
length hair was tied up into a severe bun, and he wore
nothing but a simple cloth over his shoulders like a
cloak, and a piece of cloth tied around his waist like a
sarong.
“No.”
“Here, I have some taro I left in stock. I don’t have any
fish or meat however.”
“It’s all right. I am eternally grateful for you sharing your
food.”
“Ah, you probably haven’t eaten in a long while. Don’t
worry about it! Unfortunately, I don’t have any betel nut
chew quids right now, so please don’t take that as a hint
of non-hospitality.”
6
The woman shook her head. “Do not worry overmuch
about it. I will be fine.” She looked out of the window,
discreetly, as that small band of warriors walked
through the town. Kicking rocks and extorting whatever
food or other tax they could get from the residents living
in. “What has happened to this place, this town, this
banwa?”
“Ah, I must apologize again to the Bayi. You’ve found us
at a most inopportune time. A Lakanate raiding party
has arrived this morning. We’re staying inside until they
finish what they have to do.”
The Ba-e turned to look at the man as he boiled some
taro. “Why? You do not flee inland?”
He shook his head. “Their warlord promised that we
would be slain if we did. They brought with them
Makagagahum Miracles. They summoned fire from
their palms. Our guns could do nothing, and we do not
have enough witches to fight back.”
The woman watched as the men passed by. “Where is
your Lord?”
“Locked up in his balay. They talk with him, saying that
they’re there to ‘negotiate’.”
“Why not just take debtors and be done with it?” asked
the woman. She gripped her dragon-mouthed sheathe.
“Oh, you. Of course you know that the Lakanate does
not deal like the rest of the polities in the known isles.
They’re here to expand their power by conquering land
and territories, instead of establishing relationships.”
He shrugged as he turned the taro in the pot. “It’s
something we never thought we’d have to suffer, as
we’re just a small settlement, and our Lord’s wife is the
sister of a Lord under Rajah Batara AmbasiÖ but I
suppose in their conquest they will not settle until every
rock is under their jurisdiction. Come, eat.”
She nodded. She left the window and ate.
“I’m Ilu, by the way. What’s your name, Ba-e?”
“Odyong Pitara,” she replied, as she took a bit of the
taro.
***
When they finished their meal, there was a knock on Ilu’s
door.
Ilu froze. He slowly rose to his feet and walked over to it.
He opened, it just a small bit, and asked: “Who is it--”
“Don’t go hiding her in here old man!” And the man
kicked the door in, sending Ilu flying backwards. Odyong
Pitara reached around and nonchalantly caught him,
placing him safely to his side.
Odyong realized that the small band of warriors have
arrived at their doorstop. Only three of them seemed to
be well-armored: wearing baluti and bringing with them
kalasag. Upon their feet they wore paruka, and had
bamboo shinguards. Their bahag were cloth and had
long flowing flaps, and they wore patadyong, or a kind of
sarong, over it.
The one that kicked the man in, bringing with him a
rusting kris, walked in, without removing his footwear.
He squatted down beside Odyong, smiling. His
moustache was long, and his pudong was large, almost
like a turban, and excessively decorated.
He smelled Odyong’s hair, which flowed long, braided
with flowers and thorns. “AhÖ what a catch.”
Odyong sighed. “Don’t do anything you’ll regret, Laki.”
The man paused. His eyes widened. He turned to his
lackeys and shouted, “Did you hear this bitch? Ha!
Jusko, and I thought I was funny!” He turned and
snarled into her ear, “If you don’t want to fucking die,
you’re going to do what I want you to.” His saliva was
infused with the stench of midday alcohol.
“Duck,” replied Odyong.
The man’s face contorted into confusion. “What--”
Odyong’s dragon-mouthed sheath clubbed his face,
stunning him, then she struck thrice: chest, groin,
then face. Like lightning.
The man fell backwards, knocked out.
Odyong reached over and picked up the kris, sheathing
it into her sheathe. It fit perfectly.
“Thanks,” she replied, rising. “Ilu, I would apologize in
advance for what they’re about to do to your house.”
“What?”
“Ha! The bitch bites! Get ‘em, boys. Tell ‘er what
happens to the dog when they anger the crocodile.”
A melee ensued: two armored warriors and almost ten
horohan, or warrior debtors, against Odyong and her
sheathe plus sword.
Odyong summarily dispatched of them without much
trouble. She didn’t need to advance: they attacked her
for her. She countered, wove, struck.
She disarmed a dagger that flew and punctured the eye
of another. She parried one attack, hit another warrior
thrice with the sheathe, and then leapt off of that man
to impale the one she parried with the kris. One of
them she threw over and out of the window. She
sidestepped a charging attack of another to send him
flying directly into the fire of the kitchen, slapping him
on the back with her sheathe.
This dance of swords and sheaths happened in the
length it would take one to blink an eye.
At the end of it all, half were dead, and half wished they
could be. As those incapacitated groaned in pain,
Odyong sheathed her blade and sighed. “Again,
apologies, Ilu.”
Ilu watched her, his eyes wide with a mix of fear and
awe.
“I’ll make it up to you,” said Odyong, as she walked
over to the door. “I’ll get rid of the Virbanwans.”
***
That night, after an extended detour through the docks
and killing more warriors there, Odyong made her way
up to the balay of the Lord. It wasn’t hard to find. It
was smack dab in the middle of the town, in front of
the weapon’s storehouse, which meant that they
probably had some sort of fighting chance.
Just that they weren’t successful.
Odyong walked over to the balay and was immediately
greeted by two warrior men, both wielding spears.
They wore a carabao horn cuirass over silken shirts
and pants, and peaked helmets.
7
“I’m looking for the Lord of this village.”
The two kawal, or guardsmen, simply looked at each
other, eyebrows furrowed. With a shake of their heads,
they turned and tried to shove Odyong away. Odyong
caught one of their hands and promptly broke it, then
used the other hand that held a spear to skewer the
other man’s throat. Odyong then knocked the kawal
out and broke his nose with his own spear.
Inside the Lord’s balay, a man sits on the bamboo
throne of the old Lord.
The Lord himself lay to the side, skull blossomed into
fragments upon the wall.
The man sitting upon the bamboo throne was a man
with a peaked helmet, full armor covering him in abaca
and carabao horn from shoulders to ankles, and
wearing wooden sandals. He sat nonchalantly, with
one knee up. He held his luthang up, butt on the
ground, barrel pointing at the door.
His legions rose, brandished their weapons.
“Ease, ease,” said the Virbanwan commander, raising
his hand. The legions lowered their weapons: spears,
swords, mostly. The occasional bow.
The commander rose, pushing a crying woman from
his side, who wore a golden diadem. No doubt the wife
of the now late Lord.
“So, you’re the one that has been tearing up this little
village,” he grinned, revealing his perfectly white teeth.
The teeth of animals.
“Ha. Your humor does not amuse me.”
“I’m not trying to make you laugh, pretty. Now, come,
then. What is it you want? Power? Position? Wealth?
You want to become a Lord? I have power in Virbanwa.
I’m Senapati Kampiyador, Third Warlord of Batara
Lakan Huwan Rekno, long may he live.”
“I want you to leave this village.”
“Ha!” The Senapati’s grin faded. “You’re not as funny
as I thought.” He rose, his shadow looming. He raised
his sabre and said: “Get out.”
The legions readied their weapons.
Odyong frowned. She watched the legions. The
Senapati took a few steps forward. “All right, now you
really don’t amuse me. I said, get out.” He raised his
hand and outstretched his fingers against Odyong.
An invisible hammer slammed into her, into the door
frame, sending splinters in every direction.
Odyong flew, backwards and out, landing upon dirt
and stone, rolling into the bushes. The legion leapt out,
then, screaming war cries, firing arrows, rushing with
swords and spears at the ready.
Odyong had no choice but to flee. She leapt over to a
lost hole in the ground, near the hinterlands where the
swiddens became the wilds, and hid there until the
legions slowed their search.
It took them the whole night. Odyong fell asleep within
her hiding grove.
***
Upon a cliff, whereupon the Pak-an Galura village
overlooks vast mountains of the Masanun Island
Chain, an elder man with hair like wisps of clouds
countered the attack of a young Odyong, wearing a
lambong and tubatub.
“Guro!” She snarled as she pushed herself off of the
ground. Her guro stared off over to the rolling mountains.
They trained at the edge of a cliff, where the wrong step
could spell certain doom. “I cannot get past your
defense.” She rushed forward again, exploding with a
flurry of blows, but her Guro blocked them all in a furious
exchange of strikes and parries.
At the end, he locked her striking arms, and then pushed
her away. She fell backwards.
“Guro!” Her frustration dripped from her words. “I have
been training for most of my life. Getting past you is
impossible!”
“Nonsense, young one,” replied the Guro, stretching his
limbs. “Nothing is impossible, not one.”
Odyong rose to her feet, dusting off the dust from her
malong. “I’m tired. Lets go home.”
“Not until you can get past me. Tomorrow is your final
trial, remember?”
Odyong let out a slow, dangerous breath. “How can I do
that? I’ve done all the techniques I know. I cannot get past
your defenses.”
“Then it is time for your final lesson, little frog. If
something before you seems insurmountable,” he raised
his hands in a ready stance. “Then do not depend on ‘I’.
That is the great lie. What is insurmountable can be
shattered with the power of ‘we’.”
***
The next morning, Odyong arrived at the shore of the
village to the sound of a bodyong being sounded.
The sound echoed across the entire island.
Odyong leapt out of the foliage and met the incoming
Biray.
“What took you all so long, mga buang?” Odyong said, a
small smile breaking out from her stoic face.
Upon the prow of the ship, four warriors met her. One sat
on the side: a beautiful, rose-eyed man wielding a long
kudyapi, wearing no armor but a colorful and golden-
tasselled saob-saob only worn by royalty.
Another sat by the outrigger, a young boy with a bow
longer than him. Another sat behind the prow, a large
woman with a large iron gut. She’s the one blowing the
bodyong. Her sundang glinted in the rising sunlight.
The last one was a man with an almost flamboyant baro
and sarong get up, whereupon he wore plumage upon his
pudong. Using sorcerous wind, he leapt from the ship’s
prow and landed upon the shore.
“Ah, have patience with us, Odyong,” said the man,
grinning. His gold-pegged teeth made it look like his
mouth was made of sunshine. “Kara-Kara over there
couldn’t help but stop by a nearby settlement to have a
chance at their shrimp dishes.”
Kara-Kara, the boy with the sikarom, leapt off from the
outriggers and onto the shore. “They had buttered hipon,
how could I say no! Bangol, come on, you’re with me on
this, right?”
Bangol, the iron-gut warlord, leapt down from the biray
and onto the shore. “Ah, don’t bring me into this. I have
nothing to do with that,” she said, grinning.
8
“Not anymore, when you finished them all,” said the rose-
eyed kudyapi player, as he leapt down from the side of the
biray and onto the shore. He wore a malong, as any
woman would.
“Come on I thought you were on my side Dagna!” Bangol
whined, pertaining to the kudyapi player. Dagna
shrugged.
Odyong couldn’t help but let out a small laugh.
“Tandayag,” spoke Odyong, referring to the man with
plumage upon his pudong. “Thank the spirits that you got
the message quickly.”
“Of course,” said Tandayag, smiling. “It is destiny. And
liberating villages is part and parcel for the Wandering
Sword Souls. And it looks like the fight has come to us!
Grand. We don’t have to waste time looking for them.”
Odyong nodded. She unsheathed her kris, then, and
turned to face the village.
The legion faced them. It was an entire army, rows and
rows of spear and swords, the occasional gun and bow.
Off to the sides, standing upon balay roofs, war
drummers wrapped in drab sack cloths banged upon
agung.
Despite being of Virbanwa, their war tactics and traditions
still echoed that of their roots. The warriors wanted
nothing but to fulfill their debt to their masters, while
those in the ranks that were wrapped in armor and
wielding shields and ceremonial blades no doubt wanted
glory. Those richer warriors, wrapped in decorative
jewelry, painted armors, wearing pants and sarongs and
pudongs bespeckled with carnelians and ivories, looked
almost bored--some even apalled or disgusted--that
their entire army had been amassed to face this small
contingent of five warriors. Five Kadungganan.
Five Kadungganan.
Lightning flashed and thunder crashed. Yet the banging of
agung was louder still. The cacophony of war.
Far behind them, standing atop the Lord’s balay, Senapati
Kampiyador raised an excessively bangled hand, glinting
like the sun’s rays.
His right hand man, dripping with jewelry, blew the
bodyong, and its sound ripped heaven.
At that sound, the servant that paddled the biray that the
rest of the Wandering Sword Souls arrived upon paddled
away, as fast as they could.
Just as well, thought Odyong to herself. She straightened
herself, readying her blade and her sheath, her saob-saob
flapping in the cold morning wind.
There, five souls stood upon the shore, bodies hardened
after a lifetime’s worth of martial training, hands quicker
after three. Weapons at the ready, sorceries prepared.
The legions of the Senapati advanced.
The Wandering Sword Souls strode forward to meet
them.
Touchstones
Gubat Banwa is inspired by a large slew of media and real life folklore. Its foundation is Filipino Martial Arts and
Southeast Asian Mythology. However it very equally draws from video games, other literature, and movies.
NON-FICTION
0 Barangay: Sixteenth-Century Philippine Culture
and Society by William Henry Scott. One of the
easiest to consume and most complete picture of 16th
Century Prehispanic Philippines. Bar none, if you want
to get into Pre Colonial Philippines, Barangay is one of
the best starting points.
0 History of the Bisayan People in the Philippine
Islands/Historia de las islas e indios de Bisayas of
Franscisco Ignacio Alcina. An integral deep dive into
late 15th - early 16th century Visayas, where the locals
still remember their old ways and practice them, with
Alcina recording all of it down. Here you see shamans
climbing trees to be possessed by gods, details about
shipbuilding, the blossoming of flowers that detailed
their seasons, how they wove, and their numerous
gods and spiritualities.
0 Philippine Folk Literature Series by Damiana
Eugenio. Integral to deep diving into Filipino Culture,
and a great resource for fantastical adventures.
0 Raiding, Trading, and Feasting: The Political
Economy of Philippine Chiefdoms by Laura Lee
Junker. Important to grokking how prehispanic
Philippines worked and how increasing violence led to
further trade and intensified war.
FICTION
0 Beast Player by Nahoko Uehashi. This novel
focuses on the relations of men with nature, and is an
integral part to viewing how nature gods might be
viewed in the setting, as well as the political upheavals
from messing with nature.
0 Malazan: Book of the Fallen by Steven Erikson.
An epic fantasy novel series that focuses on the
tragedies of war, the military, and the sins of the past,
complete with shapeshifting dragon gods and skeleton
fantasy neanderthals. The themes of Malazan greatly
inspired Gubat Banwa’s exploration into violence and
evil.
0 Shri-Bishaya and Margosatubig by Ramon
Muzones. Once serialized in Hiligaynon, English
translations now abound. Great way to look at
precolonial Philippine fantasy and with all the mystic
fantasy that entails. Muzones mixes this with myth
and folklore and traditions of the Hiligaynon people
Balu are inspired from Margosatubig!
0 Tigana, Under Heaven and Lions of Al-Rassan by
Guy Gavriel Kay. Great and absolutely poetic Fantasy
novels both based on different time periods
(Renaissance Italy, Song China, and Moorish Spain
respectively) that manage to create a beautiful and
intricate fantasy setting from the flesh of historical
periods. Filled with equal parts action, drama, tragedy,
and touching themes, these are great novels to get in
the mood of Gubat Banwa’s brand of historical-esque
fantasy and tragic drama.
9
MOVIES AND SERIES
0 Amaya from GMA. Unfortunately currently only in
Tagalog, this series is a glimpse into 16th Century
Philippines with a costume design to match. It’s great,
although suffers from all the trappings of being a
Philippine telenovela.
0 Princess Mononoke by Studio Ghibli. One of the
easiest touchstones to understand how diwata and
yawa are like. The seminal Spirited Away is also perfect
for trying to visualize weirder diwata, or perhaps
ninuno ancestor spirits.
0 Hero. One of the seminal wuxia films, where fights
are the narrative. Influences much of Gubat Banwa’s
combat mechanics and dramatics. It’s high-flying
kung fu is a great visual inspiration to ground fiction
on.
0 The Raid. An Indonesian martial arts film that
showcases brutal kinetic fights, usage of the
environment to survive large swathes of enemies, and
a plot that feels like a constant moon that the hero
Rama must survive against to return home to his
family, the Raid is a perfect example of Gubat Banwa’s
violence.
0 RWBY by Monty Oum. I first became enamored with
the idea of team-based, role-focused tactical combat
after watching Team RWBY fight that Nevermore in
Season 1. While Gubat Banwa doesn’t exactly emulate
RWBY’s high-flying combat scenes, it does aim for that
ballistic back and forth, that multi-hit combos, that
setting up environmental pieces for slick combat
maneuvers, and the philosophy of “No movement
wasted”. Every move flows to the next. This informs
Discipline design, combat feel goals, and role design.
VIDEO GAMES
0 Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together and Final
Fantasy Tactics. Both games helmed by the seminal
Yasumi Matsuno, these intricate war narratives blend
together fantasy with hard hitting political narratives.
Gritty without being grimdark, and mixed in with a
good sense of adventure and action. The most
important things you can get from these games are the
politically focused narratives (which make for great
war drama) and the encounter design. Maps are not
huge, and they are vertically diverse, which is what you
want to make combat not boring and dynamic.
0 Samurai Warriors, Dynasty Warriors, and
Sengoku Basara. Less so on the one vs. 1000
gameplay and more on the high fantasy, stylish action
take on historical periods and the focus on the different
warriors, pitting them against each other. This series
made me wonder what a Warriors game based on our
own ancient heroes and warriors would look like, and
helped me fantasize or make easier for consumption
the many details of Precolonial Philippines.
 INTRODUCTION

I: An Introduction

10
10
 INTRODUCTION
THE REALMS OF BATTLE
You can scarcely imagine it. A Sky of a Thousand
Thousand Worlds.
The grand Warring Realm, that is, Gubat Banwa in local
tongues, has undergone innumerable eras and periods.
People and cultures have been created and destroyed in
an endless cycle of creation and destruction. There is no
end. This is the Paradox of Multiplicity: only in the
acceptance of the many, the absurd, the uncountable,
can one find true tranquility.
Let us therefore sight along the lines, that single and
continuously slicing action, the great spear that has
been thrust by our ancestors and their ancestors. Let
us sight down history through the eyes of Violence,
which is markedly differently from Killing and Murder.
Take note of the difference.
The Spear pierces through.
In the distant past, before rulers, before gods, there
were communities and families that worked together to
help each other. This era ended eventually when Folk
invented ownership, and then invented weapons to
enforce that ownership. This was the eventual downfall
of the Sixth Cycle, with the 6th Tuig Bituon being
brought to an end only by the First Rajah, who
managed to bring all into Concordance. A huge feat.
The First Rajah, Rajaraya Pintas, brought Gubat Banwa
into the 7th Tuig Adlaw, and it was the greatest of all the
Tuig Adlaw. 50,000 Years of progress, of passion, of
power, of enlightenment, most of those in Concordance
practiced the Masteries of the First Makinaadmanon,
who arose during the wars of the 6th Era after
experiencing Suffering all his life.
THE RISE OF DATU
The 7th Tuig Bulan marked the rise of Datu in the Sword
Isles. Datu was the local term that meant “chief”,
“ruler”, or “superior”. It did not mean “King”: the people
of Gubat Banwa were too fresh from an overlord to
make that mistake again. However, where there is
power, there are the power-hungry, and soon they
would abuse the position of the Datu to taste the same
kind of power Rajaraya Pintas once held.
The various cultures, states, and societies that arose in
the 7th Moon Era all hearken back to the 7th Sun Era,
with royalties and tripartite social orders built upon the
shape of Rajaraya Pintas’ grand society. This is, of
course, built to fail. This did not stop them, however.
11
This Sage of Sages adopted the Masteries of Ashinin,
the Thousand Thousand God Faith of the Far Eastern
Raya Confederation, and the Masteries of Annuvaran,
the Tranquil Faith of the Far Southern Raya
Confederation, and infused it with indigenous folklore,
spreading far and wide tenets that would eventually
become Anitu, the belief in the consciousness of every
thing, working in concert in accordance with The
Hiyang, commonly translated as The Concordant, The
Harmonious, or The Agreeableness, a metaphysical
concept of pure harmony with nature.
The 7th Tuig Adlaw ended gradually and completely due
to infighting, not to mention the ire of the gods, as
Rajaraya Pintas and other such God-Kings would
challenge the very Sky and Sea themselves, leading to
many land formations in Gubat Banwa today, such as
the Footsteps of the Gods and Jamiyun Kulisa’s
Arrows.
The golden age is a myth.
What followed was the 7th Tuig Bulan, the Moon Era,
and it presented the greatest change. More
importantly, it began with Rajaraya Pintas being
violently overthrown from his throne, and his world-
empire of Samrat cast into the depths of the Jade Sea,
never to arise.
Rajaraya Pintas was overthrown by the same violence
he instigated. Thus is how the spear continues to
pierce.
A thousand years pass, and a thousand settlements,
empires, kingdoms, rise and fall. This was a time of
incessant war and never-ending violence. The 7th Tuig
Bituon, or the 7th Star Era, was also known as The
Sidereal Wars, for there were many and many, so many
that they were impossible to be written down, and they
now only live as songs and traditions. Paper can be
burned but the people must live and learn.
The rise of rulers brought nothing but war and killing.
So many people brought away by the tides of time. We
have brought this upon ourselves.
 INTRODUCTION
THE LUNAR ADVENT
One of the most powerful faiths that managed to
survive The Sidereal Wars was the Lunar Faith, or
Bulanism, named after the Moon.
This religion believed in the sovereignty of the Moon, for
there lived Baginda Sumongsuklay, the grand Lunar
Goddess who cleaved away the darkness to bring about
the world, as said by their sacred texts. The First
Prophet of Baginda Sumongsuklay herself was said to
have fallen from a comet sent from the moon, and
traveled from a jar and arrived upon Jamiyun Kulisa’s
arrows.
ISSOHAPPA INVADES
Around the same time the Lunar Faith arrived in Gubat
Banwa, so did the Issohappa, to the Far West, become
colonized by a parasitic, vampiric folk of fey-demons
known as the Pale Kings, Bleeders of the Fivefold
Universe, Conquerers of Royalty, ancient and towering
alien beings with pallid and dead alabaster skin, leonine
claws, and crimson eyes. When they died, they burst
into pools of slow flowing blood.
Upon flying frigates, goblin-slave-manned galleons,
and great lion-ships, arrived the Empire of Issohappa
upon The Sword Isles, and plunged the Gubat Banwa
ever deeper into darkness. This was the darkest era of
the 7th Tuig-Bulan, for the Pale Conquest succeeded,
and they claimed the island of Rusunuga under their
empire.
Issohappa turned the exalted ancient state of Tundun,
the City of Warlords and Sages, Third Heir to the Raya
Confederation, and turned it into the grand Imperial
City State of Virbanwa. The Crown City, loyal to the
Crown of Issohappa. It was forever different: folk were
enslaved, given the Red Eyes of Slaves when the Pale
King Aristocrats Enthralled them. They brought in their
construction methods, their stone bricks, their silvers
and sweet potatoes from the Near-Western Continent
across the Eastern Vastness. They introduced carriages
and plows, just so that the slaves can use them to
create vast farmfields to fuel the Imperial Economy.
12
There she began her Holy Quest, to spread the truth of
Baginda Sumongsuklay far and wide. Her faith was
widely accepted.
The Lunar Faith brought a certain stability to a broken
world, but it also brought with it the strength of zeal.
Warriors collaborated together under the banner of a
single faith, and waged war against others.
The Pale Kings were not adept at governing faraway
kingdoms, and thus they left most of the governing to
the Mendicants. Pale King friars and priests who spread
the glorious word of the Almighty, Lion of Lions, Lily of
the Valley. They preached the Almighty Commission,
the Penitence for the death of the Son, the Everlasting
Love of God, the Burning Bloody Daystar.
But the spirit of justice and violence broiled in the
Lakan of Tundun. They rallied their revolutionary
force, with vast amounts of reinforcements from
surrounding polities: from Sonyoh, Gatusan, Ba-e,
Apumbukid, Akai, Iyamat, Malirawat, and even Baik Hu,
and managed to siege the Cathedral of the Sidereal
Spoke in the middle of the city of Ananara, Virbanwa’s
inner city. There they killed El Kampiyador, the
Governor-General, and overthrew them. The old rulers
of Rusunuga banded together and pulled allegiances
from across Gubat Banwa to band together and repel
the invaders. This was the only time the disparate and
warring settlements have ever fought together in
complete concert. inst others.
 INTRODUCTION

ECLIPSE AGE
There was no 8th Tuig Adlaw nor 8th Tuig Bulan. Instead those were replaced with the Tuig Bakunawa, the Eclipse
Era, the only Eclipse Era in the aeons that have spanned Gubat Banwa. It was an Eclipse because no true
enlightenment and peace was achieved. Virbanwa liberated itself but fell into the trap of emulating their colonial
masters, becoming nothing but a semi-feudal, semi-colonial shadow of its former glory.
During the Tuig Bakunawa, the five major mandalas rose to power and became the most well known of the cultures
across The Sword Isles. The Rajahnate of Gatusan, established during the 7th Tuig Bituon by Sri Maharaja Bishaya.
The Sultanate of Akai, established by Sultan Jaris Akai, who arrived upon a bejewelled jar. The Confederation of
Apumbukid, a loose connection of settlements across the archipelago that fight to protect Hiyang. The Kingdom of
Ba-e which holds to its old power and to the broken memories of an ancient state.
And finally The Lakanate of Virbanwa, a victim of its invaders, now a burgeoning empire hellbent on unifying the
Sword Isles under the Ashen Star.
At the end of the Eclipse Era, the world is plunging into the greatest war Gubat Banwa shall ever see. A strife that
will last for a thousand thousand years, across various realms and dimensions of existence. There will be a great
gnashing of teeth, and swords shall cut until nothing is left.
There will be no 8th Tuig Bituon. It shall be with the final Era of Gubat Banwa: The Festival of the Longest
Night.

13
 INTRODUCTION

FESTIVAL OF THE LONGEST NIGHT

This is the Song of Rage, sung by Suga Nalamdagan, the First Makinaadmanon:

1 - Become hiyang.
2 - Sunder the world with your sins. Rejoice in the glory of combat.
The darkness chokes the stars. The world shall end after Eight
Cycles.
3 - The final number, perfection of divinity. Two squares
interpolated, 8 triangles within. 4 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1, perfection of
glory, of royalty, achieving harmony with Diwa, the essential flow of
reality. There is no escape from the ancient of days, as the cause-
effect crumbles in on itself, and love becomes evisceration
becomes love.
4 - We shall be divided infinitely, to the point where we are one.
What shall come after? A new world, a different one. Will it be
better? That is up for us to decide. Evermore we’ve held the destiny
of the world in our hands. Now it is time to accept responsibility.
5 - Shirk power, for what is power but irresponsibility? Use pride,
for what is pride but a ladder? Craft swords, for what are swords but
crude manifestation of truth?
6 - Therefore, listen to my plea. The center of the world is the
Sword Isles, and that is where the final battles shall take place.
From every region of Gubat Banwa, warriors shall arrive. They will
revel, in this Festival of the Longest Night.
7 - Damn my eyes, they fail me now. Sight without seeing. But sight
is not something I need, when darkness chokes the stars.
8 - How will one save this world? Or how will one change this? It
is up to you. Is it worth saving, or should one create a better one
from its wretched ashes? How will one change the world?
9 - The Answer is thusly.
10 - ATTAIN GLORY THROUGH CONVICTION.
11 - FIND HEALING THROUGH VIOLENCE.
12 - REVEL IN LOVE AND LIGHTNING.

14
 INTRODUCTION

You are Kadungganan, but that’s nothing special. The gods of the trees and the
mountains have seen more of your kind than you have seen blades of grass. They
grant you power, sure, through your incantations, and you harness ancient
blasphemies with your sorcery, but that is nothing to them.
What does make them interested is the fact that your footfalls heralds the end.
The Festival of the Longest Night arrives, of the Addawa Year 1001, is the
beginning of the final days.
Even the gods and the spirits shall revel in this Festival. There is no more time
for hesitation: Gubat Banwa comes to fulfill its name. It will become the lands
of violence. None shall escape. All shall revel. Where will you be, at the end of
the world?
Choose your Conviction, Kadungganan, and light your Flame of Want. Guided by
Rumination, you must change the world. Death? Harmony? Power? Hegemony?
Empire? Wealth? Annihilation? Become God-King, to change Gubat Banwa’s
destiny? Or tear all God-Kings down, and create something different?
Unsheathe your sword, and then raise it. Do not forget to cut, a sword is used
for cutting.

15
 INTRODUCTION
Poems of the Past
I’ve always hated this part, so I’ll keep it
brief. You live here, so you shouldn’t have
to be taught this. Your fathers and mothers
would have repeated these tales to you
every night, under the rictus grin of the
moon.
The Sword Isles, otherwise known as The
Isles of Violence or the Ritual Archipelago, is
situated in the center of the world, crafted
when an ancient war god stabbed the
world’s navel. The kris shattered into The
Sword Isles, while the world’s blood became
the shallow waters.
The Sword Isles is an exonym, meaning it is
what other nations call it, particularly the
dragon empire of Baik Hu. For the natives,
they refer to their own islands, and they do
not have a particular name for their cloister
of isles, save for the five major polities, who
have a stake in ruling over all of the isles.
While peace and trade settles in the other
nations, the isles of The Sword Isles only
intensify their violence, vying for heirloom
wealth, status, servants, and revenge.
But first, a brief note about time. The way
Sword Isle Folk reckon time is as thus:
The hours of a day is measured in the
Movements of the Sun. There are 16
Movements: starting from dawn and ending
at the time when it is so dark that one can
hardly see in front of them. They do not
reckon time at night, for that is the domain
of witches and demons.
The passing of days is measured in Moons.
Every Full Moon constitutes the midpoint
of a Moon. There are 7 – 12 Moons a year.
Every moon consists of 29 days. Weeks are
not differentiated from Moons, they are one
and the same. The islanders of the Sword
Isles measure of time through Moons are
more precise than clocks.
16
Years are measured in harvests. A year is
the length of time between one harvest and
the next, which necessarily means this is
not set in stone, as conditions for harvest
can differentiate and fluctuate in time.
Harvests are what measure age: being 15
Harvests old is equal to being 15 years old,
more or less.
Wisefolk have recently begun to reckon
Eras: periods of time made up of multiple
harvests. There are three kinds of Eras:
Adlaw Tuig or Sun Eras are times of
glory and peace. Stability and comfort.
Sun Eras are followed by...
Bulan Tuig or Moon Eras are times of
change, innovation, and dynamism.
Change here can be for the good or for
the worse. Moon Eras are followed by...
Bituon Tuig or Star Eras, that time
when the darkness overpowers the sky
and only a few motes of light can be
seen, is the time of darkness, danger,
violence, atrocity, hate, and sin. It is the
time when witches and demons are
most active. When a Star Era ends, it is
said to become a Sun Era once again.
However, the First Makinaadmanon, or
the bodhisattva or saint of the isles, has
stated that the Eighth Star Era, should
it come to pass, will be the Longest Year.
By the Eighth Star Era, the stars will
have been almost snuffed out by the
darkness between the stars, and thus
shall begin the Festival of the Longest
Night, where the sky and sea become the
color of the blood spilled of the eternal
strife.
The final Wars are upon us, and with it
the end of Gubat Banwa.
 INTRODUCTION
THE VIOLENCES
At the end of Eighth Moon Era, as the Eighth Star
Era is heralded, the Eight Indomitable God-Kings
rise, each wielding a Violence, sometimes rendered as
Mahapintas (great violence).
The Eight Indomitable Devaraja (eight because 8 is
the perfection of divinity) have followings that toil
about them. They are the crux of the world, the
Greatest of the Kadungganan. These Violences the
ones they have chosen to enact, and these have been
condensed into items of power, their Godly
Treasures. Sometimes, a single Violence is not
enough.
At the Center of the world is Apu Dayaw, the God
of the Holy Mount Apu, protected by the
Confederation of Apumbukid. They wield the
Violence of Harmony, condensed into a waling-
waling flower. Whoever wields the Violence of
Harmony shall create the world anew.
To the northeast of the center is Lunar Sultana
Yarashgara XII, Consort of the Crescent, who
leads the Sultanate of Akai. They wield the
Violence of Striving, condensed into a taming shield.
Whoever wields the Violence of Striving shall have
the strength to overcome every adversity.
To the Southwest of the center is Hari Batara
Ambasi, appointed leader of the Rajahnate of
Gatusan, once simply Rajah. They wield the
Violence of Conflict, condensed into a crimson kalis.
Whoever wields the Violence of Conflict shall change
the world.
To the Southwest of the center is Batara Lakan
Huwan Rekno, the Greatest Monarch of the
Lakanate of Virbanwa. They wield the Violence of
17
Conquest, condensed into a penitent veil. Whoever
wields the Violence of Conquest shall subsume all
below them.
To the far South of the center is Sangpamegat
Dayang Kalangitan, the Mother Demigod of the
Kingdom of Ba-e. They wield the Violence of
Remembrance, condensed into a gold-tasseled
parasol. Whoever wields the Violence of
Remembrance shall never become ignorant.
To the southeast is the Empress Zhu Que Liu, the
Vermillion Phoenix who is chained to wield the
impossible Hegemony of Baik Hu. She wields the
Violence of Empire, condensed into her 12-dragon 9-
phoenixes coronet. Whoever wields the Violence of
Empire shall never be conquered.
To the far west is the Bleeding Star Emperor, the
bringer of the Empire of Issohappa. He wields the
Violence of Annihilation, condensed into a bleeding
star asterix. Whoever wields the Power of
Annihilation shall destroy all things in their path.
Finally to the far east is the Chakravartin
Samrananda Varsha, the Herald of the Wheel,
who leads the Varsha Empire, locked in combat
with the Empire of Auraska. He wields the
Violence of Wisdom, condensed into a fulminating
vajra. Whoever wields the Violence of Wisdom shall
lead their loved ones to enlightenment.
Heed the words of the sage: a violence need not
belong only to a ruler, or a king. They have these
Violences because they have exploited the
system. A violence can belong to anyone, to any
group: from a disenfranchised group of farmers
to a lone peasant girl. Violence can arise from
anyone. And anyone with a Violence can become
harmonious and change the world.
 INTRODUCTION
Philosophies
Gubat Banwa’s setting is one of Hyper Southeast Asian
fantasy. It will be difficult to grok, and there is a lot of
material. It can be overwhelming, but you do not need
to know every little detail about the setting. As long as
you follow the following Setting Assumptions, or
Philosophies you are playing in Gubat Banwa’s
setting.
A VIOLENT WORLD
The word violent and consequently, violence, is a
powerful word that is used by this game to denote
strength of emotion. Violence is often used to mean
physical force, usually in an adverse manner. Occultists
and the Bible has used Violence as a manner of
superlative: to showcase intense emotion. “The
kingdom of the heavens is taken by violence” meant a
large flock of people are filled with an overwhelming joy
and feeling to enter into heaven. To take by force
what we have not by nature, such as love and
glory.
Violence in the physical manner is also just as
important in the world of Gubat Banwa. The world itself
has been fraught and torn apart due to incessant
violence, and the lack of response by better men.
Violence is a tool, as with any human creation, and
there is such a thing as justified violence. The violence
of the master is different from the liberating violence of
the slave.
INSPIRED BY SOUTHEAST ASIA
Gubat Banwa is a fantasy setting, but it seeks to re-
evaluate and revamp what “Fantasy” means. It starts
its foundations and assumptions upon Southeast Asian
folklore and experience, instead of any fantasy
literature or pop-fantasy crafted by many Western
Fantasy conventions. If you wish to play Gubat Banwa,
you must center Southeast Asia. Old Fantasy
conventions might be found here, but only because of
the inherent similarities of Southeast Asian stories with
other stories. It is important to remember that Gubat
Banwa is not Southeast Asia. It is inspired by it, and
in turn uplifts it, but it is not it. This is an important
dichotomy.
There are five major mandalas in the Sword Isles, each
one inspired by a different period of Southeast Asian
History.
0 Gatusan - Inspired by Maritime Hindu-Buddhist
Kingdoms (Srivijaya, Sugbu, Majapahit)
0 Apumbukid - Inspired by Hinterland and Highland
Indigenous societies. (Sama, Balinese, Maranao)
0 Akai - Inspired by Islamized Sultanates and
Kingdoms. (Sulu, Maguindanao, Ternate, Aceh)
0 Virbanwa - Inspired by Colonial Era settlements,
cities, and villages. (Batavia, Malacca, Manila)
0 Ba-e - Inspired by Chinese Influence in Southeast
Asia and Mainland Southeast Asian kingdoms.
(Champa, Ma-i, Ayutthaya, Khmer)
18
THE WORLD IS IN ITS FINAL DAYS
The world of the Warring Realms is on the verge of
death. It is destined to be destroyed by burgeoning
empires and mercantile dreams. This era of decay is
beautiful, in the same way a sunset is beautiful. The
world must end, but what is important is what the
people within it are doing to make a better world from
its ashes: they must bring about the violence needed to
bring about something better than this one. Kings
must be torn down, gods must be dethroned.
EMBRACE DIVERSITY
There are a thousand thousand kingdoms within a
thousand thousand islands. Even the larger continents
are made up of an excessively diverse collection of
cultures and ethnicities. This fact is inspired by the
inherent and vast diversity found in the real world. Use
this to your advantage: no single religion is correct,
there are a million gods, no single polity type exists, you
can create truly unique and weird cultures that embrace
the truth of the world.
NO SINGLE RULING BODY
There is no single ruling empire across The Sword Isles,
and especially none through Gubat Banwa. There might
be some kingdoms that have a larger stretch of control
over others, but there is no single ruling body that
warrants a single hegemonic culture. Revel in this
diversity, all become unique. Consequently, interstate
war is more likely in this setup.
CULTURE IS MAGIC
Magic here is not simply fireballs and magic hands.
Gubat Banwa approaches magic through what it is:
culture and religion. Magic is the little hand gestures
we do before walking into a dark spot in the forest, the
reverence we do by avoiding certain rocks, the worship
we do by placing rice balls upon a tree stump altar.
Don’t be fooled, there are still fireballs and such, but
that is squarely within the purview of martial arts.
EXALT THE MARTIAL ARTS
We reject the Western pop culture definition of martial
arts being simply “kung-fu”, or anything that looks like
a “Monk”. Martial Arts is an important art of any
culture as much as visual art or performance art is.
Martial art is an expression of humanity and culture,
and so we do the same here. Any fighting style is a
martial art (because they are), whether it be the sword
and board or the bow and arrow.
DIVINITY IN THE UNCANNY
Gods live within every single thing. You can speak with
them, and they will speak with you. Large
concentrations of them gather in the divine wilds, deep
outside the limits of civilization. They do not care for
you, so be careful with them. The dark is holy through
them, for that is where they live. They live in the cold
and the dark, in the uncanny, in the supernatural. They
do not and will never think like us. Nature is not us,
nature is not human. Reverence, Respect and Awe are
all children of Fear.
GLORY THROUGH CONVICTION
To enact proper violence, one must have proper
conviction. Violence without proper conviction is
bloodlust. Violence with harmful conviction is evil.
Violence with proper conviction is the path to Glory.
Only by achieving Glory will one find true
enlightenment, and the path to Glory is not something
that can be chased after. One must become Glory.
 INTRODUCTION

HEALING THROUGH VIOLENCE

The world is old and aged. It must
change. It is wounded and scared.
A sickness cannot be spoken to, it
must be purged. Therefore
violence is not inherently evil. In
fact, in the face of the end of the
world, in the face of incessant and
cruel force, one must enact
proper violence to be able to
achieve healing. The storm
must always come before the
rainbow. Therefore, attain
healing.

Time Keeping
In general, we follow the usual time
keeping as with other Tabletop Role-
Playing Games. However we have
different names for it, to help hew
close to the mood of the game:
A Scene is just that, a dramatic
scene. When it ends is up to the
players. A fight is almost always a
scene.
A Fight is a moment of kinetic action.
How long it takes is variable. Each
Fight has Flurries, bursts of violence
and movement that showcase the
back and forth of combat between
two to three sides.
A Session is 2-4 hours of play
time, composed of several scenes
in succession.
An Arc is a series of Sessions that
have a single, self-contained story
that starts and wraps up. In a long
running serial or show, this might be a
particular number of episodes,
chapters, or issues that focus around a
single issue, problem, or situation. Arcs
are usually self-contained story, with
their own beginnings and endings.
In Gubat Banwa, an Arc is a discreet
mechanical way of providing
progression: all Kadungganan begin at
Arc 1. The number of Arcs in mind is how
long a Kandu might go: the usual length
of a Kandu is 3 Arcs.
Particularly short games might only last
a single Arc, made up of a few Sessions.
A Kandu is a series of Arcs that
interconnect and build to a grand final
climax, whether it be confrontation or
destruction. In pre-colonial Visayas,
Kandu are ancient heroic epics
showcasing the greatest virtues of their
culture and tradition. They are notable for
their repetition of important things,
such as violence and drama. Kandu
singers, Parakandu, perfect their craft
by crafting more succinct yet beautiful
metaphors for each repitition.
Other Role-Playing Games might call this
“Campaigns”.

19
 INTRODUCTION

What is Gubat Banwa?

Gubat Banwa. The Warring Nations. The Lands at War.
Is this all we must be? I am one to talk. My aging hands
fail me, but they are more at home with the dragon-
shaped hilt of my kris than the arms of my husband.
Truly, the question resounds. In Gubat Banwa, martial
artists fight in deliberate, tactical violence, moving in
accordance with the eight-fold principle.
In Gubat Banwa, warriors have intricate, complicated
relationships. Sometimes so complicated that it can be
too hard to keep track of at once: but that is the way of
politics, the game of debts and bonds.
Sons having to kill their fathers for defecting to an
enemy nation, daughters having to flee to the
mountains to escape misogynistic responsibilities,
loved ones killing each other slowly due to orders
and/or emotions, and best friends dueling at the top of
a mountain in the midst of a storm as their ideologies
bring them to a head.
There is an attainable name for those that wish to be
more than just warriors. More than just Kadungganan,
prestigious. It is Barani, Hero. But you are no hero.
Not yet. Maybe you will, maybe you won’t. What is a
hero anyway? It is up to you to find out. War, hurt, kill,
blaspheme, and seize heaven’s thunderclaps. Wet your
steel with blood to birth a better world.
GUBAT BANWA is a Martial Arts Tactics and War
Drama Tabletop RPG, where you play as martial
artists poised to change the world in the face of its end,
known as Kadungganan. The game is made for 1-6
players for the optimal amount of players. Tabletop
RPGs are a medium of games wherein you (and
perhaps a small group of friends) take on specific roles
and set out to play through particular situations.
You play a role, defined by the game you play, with the
game also defining the mechanics with which you play
your role through. Very often the mechanics are ways
to interact with the world, or perhaps with the
narrative, or with the genre/feel the game is trying to
convey.
If you like the tactical combat of games such as D&D4e,
LANCER RPG, Tactics Ogre, and Fire Emblem, then this
game is for you!
If you like the dramatics found in various Asian Dramas,
wherein we imagine and revel in a dramatic
hyperreality, this game is also for you!

WHAT KIND OF STORIES CAN WE TELL?

This is up to your group, of course. Gubat Banwa is a flexible game; it is best suited for a large variety of stories that
deal with themes of oppression, empire, slavery, freedom, violence, honor, society, love, friendship, and the like.
Here’s a few examples of stories you can play with Gubat Banwa:

0 A Freewheeling Adventure Across Diverse Lands! Similar to adventure stories like Avatar: The Last Airbender
and One Piece, you can play Gubat Banwa if you want to play a game where you are encouraged to travel across
vast distances, usually by sea, to explore other locales, make friends, and find or perform a specific task, such as
defeating an evil overlord or finding (or returning) a special treasure.
0 Intense Political War Story. Similar to games like Fire Emblem and Tactics Ogre, you can engage in war stories
that deal with heavy political issues, such as genocide, racism, slavery, labor, mercantilism, and the nature of war.
Similar perhaps to Ramza traveling across large swathes of land collecting warriors in a guerrilla fight against a
corrupt religion, or Denam marching across a continent to find the truth behind an ancient empire. This is most
potent across the larger mandalas with imperial goals, such as Virbanwa, Ba-e, and Akai.
0 Intense Interpersonal Drama. You can center the stories to be a bit more personal: revolving around the politics
and relationships of the Kadungganan with the Folk around them, similar to a large number of dramas. There is a
robust system for dramatic mechanics and social debt for this.
0 Wandering Heroes of Martial Prowess. From Legend of the Condor Heroes to Dragonball Z, this is inspired by
the wandering vigilantes of wuxia. Gubat Banwa is particularly well suited for these kinds of stories, where violence
and martial skill are the turning points and emotional beats of a story.
0 Rise Against. Popular in stories such as Star Wars, Iron Council, Les Miserables, and of course Revolutions
across history: you can imagine worlds and stories that have the Kadungganan rising against a terrible hegemony,
who holds power and exploits the poor, the working class, and farmers. This is especially viable in stories set in the
Festival of the Longest Night, where autocrats and datu have risen to grasp for authority.
0 The Idyllic Green and Blue. The deep forests, the grasslands, the holy mountains, the vast oceans, the cold river
springs... These are the things we fight for. To preserve the world from atrocity, to achieve hiyang. Inspired by
stories such as Princess Mononoke, Howl’s Moving Castle, and Breath of the Wild, this is a more peaceful and cozy
kind of story that focuses on community building, wherein most usually the Kadungganan take the role of
caretakers and cultivators of the land, guardians of their communities (which include the spirits) to keep them from
succumbing to the bloodshed. A soft violence.What is Gubat Banwa?

20
 INTRODUCTION
Where is Gubat Banwa?
The Earthly Realm of Gubat Banwa, Poetically:
Yutadagat
Gubat Banwa means warring lands. This is the term
used across the world, with various translations to
Warring Lands depending on the place. It is the top
realm of the Lower Shell of the world.
The center of the world is the great Mountain of Apu,
the Central Pillar of Space, which is a sword that pierces
through all 14 Layers of Kalibutan, the cosmos. The line
bisecting the map is the Sun Path: that is the path of
the Sun at it arcs over the Cosmos, living in the First
Layer of the Upper Shell. It rises right beside the Far
Eastern Pillar of Fire, burning sand dunes into azure
dust, and sets beside the Far Western Pillar of Water,
where the water is boiled into sunmilk. All the lands
under the Sun Path have tropical or subtropical
climates.
The coldest areas of Gubat Banwa are in the corners of
the shell: where it is the furthest from each of the
Pillars.
The Far Northern and Southern Pillars themselves
provide some modicum of heat, absorbed from the Sun,
A NOTE ON TRICHILIOCOSMS
Gubat Banwa is the center of an ever-unfolding
hibiscus made of three billion billion realms.
The cosmos of Gubat Banwa is vast and large. Imagine
a giant coconut floating in a vast sea of wine (though
others ask you to imagine a lotus instead). The cosmos
itself is called Kalibutan. The higher layer of Kalibutan,
residing on the upper shell, are the Seven Upper
Realms, and the bottom shell of Kalibutan are known
as the Seven Lower Realms. Each Realm is stacked on
top of each other in layers. Denizens of the two Shells
can usually move in between each banwa more or less
freely. However, each layer of the upper layer is guarded
by a garoda, giant birds of smokeless flame.
The Upper Shell are made up of the following
realms, or lands.
Haribanwa, the Realm of God-Kings, the 7th
Realm, farthest from us mortals, where Creators
watch from void.
Himayabanwa, the Realm of Glory, the 6th Realm,
where rescued souls go to rest, and where the angels of
various cultures serve.
Buhibanwa, the Realm of Life, the 5th Layer, where
the highest mountains reach, and where the Tree of Life
resides.
Langitbanwa, the Realm of the Sky, the 4th Layer,
land of the Sun, Moon, and Stars
Balahalabanwa, the 3rd Layer, Realm of the Gods.
Warriors that die in combat are brought here by the
rainbow.
Apobanwa, the 2nd layer, Realm of the Ancestors,
who stride freely between this and the land of the Gods,
for they become Gods themselves.
21
though it is not strong enough to prevent snowstorms.
Civilizations huddle about the Pillars to heat up against
the absolute zero storms.
The borders of the map are the borders of the world
itself: at the edges of the world, the continents rise up
into massive mountains, known as the teeth of the
world. Past the teeth is the Endless Sea of Wine.
We live upon the Sword Isles. Five major polities of
power have emanated from five major nations, and in
the midst of them all are one million polities fighting in
never-ending war.
The islands of The Sword Isles are populated by tawo,
you and me. Alongside tawo live foreigners, whom you
call sina. These include humanoid beings from outside
the Sword Isles, all the way to the Pale Kings and Tiger
Gods in the furthest reaches of the middle world.
The Sword Isles is a vast place, home to a million
polities living in a million islands. Do not presume to be
able to grasp them all.
Hanginbanwa, the 1st layer, Realm of the Wind
Spirits.
The Lower Shell is where earthly mortals reside. The
1st Layer, the one closest to Hanginbanwa, is ours,
where mortals and spirits thrive, known as Gubat
Banwa.
The 2nd layer is the abode of the tree and mountain
spirits, and guardian spirits, known as Kahoybanwa,
Realm of Wood.
The 3rd layer is the realm of the sea, the oceans,
saltwater, which stream in past the World Jaws from
the endless Ocean of Wine. Here the sea gods dwell in
their mighty kingdoms, known as Kadagatan.
The 4th Layer is the layer of freshwater spirits and
waterspout spirits, known as Kasubanan. Here the
ancestor spirits, in the form of crocodiles, rule the
earth.
The 5th Layer is the layer of subterranean spirits: the
gods of the lower soil, of caves, of lost things. This is
the layer where Sulad is, floating in an underground
ocean. Sulad, the afterlife of many Sword Isles folk, is
owned by Sumpoy, Slaver of Souls, who forces folk not
saved by Iraon Daron to toil as they did in life.
The 6th Layer is the layer of punishment, known to
many as Nerak, or Inferno. Adherents of Iman and
Sampalataya fall here when they die and did not follow
the tenets of their faith. Other folk fall here if they must
be cleansed of misdeeds in their past life.
The 7th Layer is the Empty Layer. It has no name.
The four pillars of the world uphold the rest of the
layers here, where no sound can be heard. The world
shakes when the Abyssal Boar or Abyssal Serpent
shakes the world pillars.
Sometimes chains rattle impossibly in its vaunted
halls.
 INTRODUCTION

The Sword Isles

The Isles of Ritual and Violence
Thousand Thousand King Archipelago
The Region Impaled by God
The Heart of the Trichiliocosm

22
 INTRODUCTION

IND
W Iphag
H
TIMOG

N
AB

NW NE
AGAT

Dagat Habagat Pasina | W E

Eastwind Sea to Foreigners SW SE
Ipo
i han S
Am Kanaway

The Eight Direction

Winds

23
 INTRODUCTION
The Five Major
Mandalas
Out of the million polities of The Sword Isles, five
are known to be the most powerful, or greatest.
They have constant trade with the Continents, giving
them a monopoly on foreign prestige goods, as well as
facilitate immense trade both domestically within the
archipelago and outside of it. The Sword Isles is a huge
place—as it should be, being the center of the world.
However, remember that it is exactly that: huge. While
the five major mandalas of the Sword Isles stretch far,
they are still simply just five of the One Million Polities
in the Archipelago.
There is more than enough room for other empires to
be within the Sword Isles, trading and raiding. In the
present era, however, they might not possess a
Violence that positions them to be the herald that will
change the world.
Some examples of the million other polities that
permeate the Sword Isles are thus: Sinuku of the
Thundering Dragonbird, Ibalnong of the Monster
Slayers and Tamers, Asinan of the Iyamati
Concordance, Vuyu of the Ice-Capped Mountains,
Naksuwarga of the One Thousand Gods, Barungsai of
the Fated Divinity, and Sonyoh of the Rising Blades.
There are many, many more.
And so our eyes fall to the five, like rays upon the sun,
or petals upon the lunar blossom. Five is a holy number
in the isles: 4 + 1, perfection of divinity. A square with
the single point in the middle, a symbol of Hari-
Balahala Rakan Malaun, the most Ancient of
Primordials, whose name means God-King Chief
Eldest, the first ancestor of the Gods, the Giants, the
Aswang, and the Demons.
In the creation of the Gods, Malaun—who was duality
in unity and therefore, both—manifested their
masculine and feminine self and birthed unitarily the
first of the gods, and became the First Ancestor.
Malaun is gone now, either dead or having left Gubat
Banwa, their corpse (or perhaps, what’s left of it) can
be found in the deepest reaches of Mount Laon, in the
isle of Naplas. Some Apunon priests have said that Apu
Dayaw is Malaun.
24
It is important to note that these 5 Mandalas are
inspired by the entirety of Maritime Southeast Asia, but
are not them. Gubat Banwa is not Southeast Asia, and
we are not writing the actual cultures of these people
into the game. Instead, these cultures are intensely and
fundamentally based on our cultures. This means that
if you play this, you are not inherently disrespecting
any culture: Gubat Banwa is a fantasy game. Instead,
please do appreciate the vast diversity of our cultures,
how similar we are to each other, and maybe we can all
realize the violence inflicted upon us by colonial borders
(and colonialism in general).
Additionally, there is a slight Philippine-centric focus,
but that’s simply because we are Pilipinhon. We write
Gubat Banwa with the paradigm of “Philippines-as-
part-of-the-Malay-Archipelago”. “Precolonial” means
before colonial borders, after all.
A QUICK NOTE ON MANDALAS
The Sword Isles is filled with a huge number of
settlements, villages, cities, and states. “State” in the
Sword Isles functions differently than what is usually
understood when talking about states. Instead of
states having strict geographical borders, there is
instead a powerful center, and then that power
emanates outward: those closest to the center are
more influenced and connected to the center, while
those farther from the center are more prone to having
their own bespoke cultures and only answer to the
mandala out of trade agreements or out of
acknowledgement of their power/bonds. The center
plus the surrounding power it exerts over other places
are known as a mandala.
This term was coined by Multiplicitous Missionaries
that arrived in Ba-e (monks of Ashinin), and has since
proliferated across the Sword Isles. Some villages can
be powerful enough to have mandalas, but most of the
time only powerful cities have mandalas.
 INTRODUCTION

THE RAJAHNATE OF
GATUSAN
The grand rajahnate, led by the great Hari
Batara Ambasi, ancestor of the tiger-lord Shri
Bishaya, who was once an Auraskan Prince in
the far Southeast. They are royal raiders and
fierce competitors, who seek to get the most out
of life and create poems out of living. From the
dead they create gods.
They are inspired by the Hindu-Buddhist
Maritime Kingdoms across Southeast Asia:
including Sugbu, Butuan, Ma-I, Java, Pasai,
Srivijaya, Langkasuka, Mataram, Kediri,
Singhasari.
Five constants about them are:

0 Has 999 Chiefdoms united in alliance to a

single overlord, the Hari, who Witches the
largest foreign trading seaport, Kangdaya.
Hari Batara Ambasi bears the Violence of
Change, condensed into his Dawneater Kalis,
passed down through generations starting
from his legendary forefather Hari Sri Bishaya.
0 Tattoos are rites of passage either in love or
war. Are never not singing, like to insult and
mock as a war tactic and are prone to putting
family over others. Raiding is a way of life, a
way of revenge.
0 Taught poetry (that is, singing and oral
literature) at a very young age. A poetic
culture. Have their own reading and writing
system, mostly used for messages. Traditions
and rites are passed down through songs.
0 Worship and uphold the religion of anitu, the
spirits. These range from the gods, to the
nature spirits, to the ancestor spirits, to the
guardian spirits. While they seek Hiyang, they
are also prone to atrocity.
0 Bolstered by the Violence of Change. Hari
Batara Ambasi seeks to unite the one million
polities of The Sword Isles to enact the most
potent ritual raid: The Great World Raid, where
they will war against all of Gubat Banwa and
triumph.

25
25
 INTRODUCTION

THE CONFEDERATION OF APUMBUKID

The protectors of Diwa, the spiritual essence of truth, sometimes known as God, other times
known as “Energy” . They uphold hiyang, and travel to places wherein hiyang might be
broken and destroyed, and they quell places of atrocity, expunging Scourges, manifestations
of Di Hiyang. In accord with Apu Dayaw, they have been granted the ability to tap into the
Root Paths, which let them travel instantaneously across Gubat Banwa by walking into
strangler figs. This has caused Apumbukid to have settlements all across The Sword Isles,
and many other hinterland settlements are protected by them: a practice they have only
begun doing recently, in the face of the Eighth Star Era.
They are inspired by the various living traditions of Maritime SEA, who still practice
much of their indigenous religions: the Maranao, the Kalinga, the Bagobo, the Yakan,
the Subanen, the Dayak, the Balinese, the Sundanese, and the Batak.
Five constants about them are:
They are a Confederation of Five Principalities, known as Kedatuan, each one swearing
divine allegiance with Apu Dayaw. Each of the five Timway bear a Shard of Apu Dayaw’s
Violence, the Violence of Harmony, which can change the world. The Five Principalities are
as follows:
0 Niyawa, the Principality of Priests, Bearer of Apu’s Ritual Spear.
0 Samring, the Principality of Sages, Bearer of Apu’s Ceremonial Robes.
0 Pagariwara, the Principality of Warriors, Bearer of Apu’s Ritual Keris.
0 Diwangga, the Principality of Travelers, Bearer of Apu’s Wooden Sandals.
0 Barahanda, the Principality of Traders, Bearer of Apu’s Gold Balance.
Every warrior performs a pilgrimage to Apu’s Balete in Usambangsa, to pay respects and
stay for five days to align themselves with Diwa, and achieve Hiyang for a moment.
They are fiercely dedicated to protecting and keeping their settlements: they have since
adopted a more aggressive approach to stewardship, realizing that they cannot be idle as
the world crumbles. They travel in bands searching for places of atrocity, or Scourge, or to
seek out and counsel chiefs and rulers.
They perform ritual fights within Apu’s territory, but they do not go out and raid other
settlements outside of Pumirang.
Warriors perform ritual killing to realign places into achieving Hiyang: very frequently
these are the Scourge themselves: undead, demons, and the like. Sometimes however it is
a particularly evil person, who is very commonly the cause of such atrocity.

26
 INTRODUCTION

THE SULTANATE OF AKAI

The exemplars of Divine Striving: chivalrous warriors that live in one of the
largest monarchies in Gubat Banwa: a series of principalities across the
hundred islands of the Foosteps of the Gods, recognizing and paying fealty to
a single Sultana in the island of Siga.
Inspired by the various Sultanates of postclassical Southeast Asia: Sulu,
Maguindanao, Brunei, Maynila, Aceh, Johore, Gowa, Banten.
Five constants about them are:
0 Has a number of kingdoms under them, each one led by a Panglima or a
Ratu/Datu. They are all led by the grand lunar monarch Sultana Yarashgara
XII, Her Lunar Majesty, Consort of the Crescent Moon, sometimes known as
Maharani, empress. She is bolstered by the Violence of Striving, and wishes
to bring all of the Sword Isles into it, so that they may all reach Lunar
Heaven. Her Violence is condensed into her Lunar Taming, a crescent shield
that bears the Moon Burning Into Darkness.
0 Seek to expand their power in the name of their Divine Striving, especially
in retaliation to the threat of the Reconquest of the Pale Kings and the
imperialism of Virbanwa.
0 Worships the moon, and the moon has angels and devils and the Palace of
Baginda Sumongsuklay. Their zeal is nigh unmatchable.
0 Are known for their Knights, which ride on horses, elephants, and even
sarimanok. Sometimes they ride upon manta rays. All of these in service of
divine striving.
0 Their growth in strength is unparalleled, and they are one of the most
powerful polities in the Isles, possessing a large swathe of the Footsteps of
the Gods under their domain.

27
 INTRODUCTION

THE LAKANATE OF VIRBANWA

Conquerors and imperials. Those who seek to bring the “light of civilization”
upon all of the lands of the Sword Isles. Virbanwa was once the crown city of
the Issohappan West Indies, the seat of the Governor General, and the primary
source of Issohappa’s gold. With the success of the Lakan Conspiracy they
have managed to beat back the Pale Kings, but they have subsumed the worst
part of their invaders’ cultures: imperialism, mercantilism, and zealotry.
Inspired by the colonial cities of Southeast Asia: Spanish/American
Manila, Dutch Batavia, and Portuguese Malacca.

Five constants about them are:

0 Their ruler is Batara Lakan Huwan Rekno, said to be the grandest son of the late
First Lakan. He believes his penitence is that his ancestors did not unite the Sword
Isles together, and thus it is up to him to do it, to save the world from the Eighth
Star Era. He does this by asterix and bayonet: the Virbanwan faith in the Ashen
Star and their Issohappan-style military regiments. He is bolstered by the Violence
of Conquest, condensed and taking form as a crimson silk Penitent’s Veil, his and
his ancestors’ atonement for failing to unite the isles.
0 Their peasants toil in eternal penitence for being born poor. Unlike their island
neighbors, Virbanwa has access to vast plains for wet rice cultivation. They create
canals and irrigation systems. In the past, rice was only planted for the
community. However now rice is planted for profit.
0 Their religion, the Ashen Star, states that Makagagahum the Almighty is the
Distant Star in the darkness, so far that He is so small, but watches us from His
Empyrean Abode. He has tasked Huwan Rekno, who wields the Violence of
Conquest, to create the Millennium Kingdom, uniting all of the million-million
islands of the Sword Isles together. The Ashen Star Faith is an indigenized version
of the Issohappan Bleeding Star faith, which comes from outside of the cosmos.
0 They have conquered numerous chiefdoms and kingdoms, and turned them into
villages or cities, the rulers into mayors, who all pay tax to the Virbanwan
Government. Tax Collectors are also mendicant priests of the Beggar Saint Ayala,
who promotes mercantilism as justice.
0 They believe that most of Rusunuga is already theirs, but much of Rusunuga has
begun to conspire against them. Their strength does however reach from
Rusunuga’s northern tip with Gibankaw to the southern coldwind isles of Vetani.

28
 INTRODUCTION

THE KINGDOM OF BA-E

The oldest polity in the Sword Isles. They have been galvanized due to trade
with Baik Hu, and the strength of their tenacity. They have the greatest
connections to the past—they are heirs to Kadanay lineages, the oldest people
in the Sword Isles—as well as to the future: they have many Ashinin and
Annuvaran missionaries in their shores, and many Baikhan officials have begun
to stay in their cities.
Inspired by the Hindu-Buddhist Kingdoms of Southeast Asia or the ones
with common Chinese connection: Butuan, Ma-I (as Precolonial
Laguna), Champa, Funan, Majapahit, Ayutthaya, and Khmer
Five constants about them are:
0 Ruled by the Sangpamegat Kalangitan, once simply a dayang, who
lives in mind and consciousness, a near-Goddess. Wielding the Violence
of Remembrance, she seeks create the Eternal Kingdom of Ba-e, which will
never falter and never fail. To this end, she seeks knowledge and power, and
to bring Ba-e’s name across all of Gubat Banwa’s eight corners. She wields
the Violence of Remembrance, condensed into a gold-tasseled parasol of
eight angles, a promise to fill the eight directions with Ba-e’s grandeur.
0 Has the most Baikhan influence, and many Baikhan colonies can be
found in their shores. Their jungles and grasslands are pocked with giant
statues of the Tranquil Sage, the Premier Teacher of the Annuvaran Faith.
Pagodas and temples are created intertwined with strangler figs.
0 Ashinin and Annuvaran religions have arrived here, brought by
Tranquil Missionaries from the Southern and Southeastern Continent
regions. Many of them have been syncretized with indigenous anitu,
creating Ba-enon Anitu, which has subsumed much of the other gods
brought in from Ashinin and Annuvara. It is heavily rumored that the
Sangpamegat is in her current state because she was taught by Annuvaran
monks.
0 One of the richest nations in all of the Sword Isles, having access to
vast sources of gold and access to constant trade with Baik Hu, which
has recognized it as a tributary state and named Kalangitan as Queen.
They have created various gold items and turned them into weapons through
peerless craftsmanship. Kaiyumi, one of the Sangpamegat’s sons, was said
to have sorcerously created this Ba-enon Gold Alloy, which makes gold as
strong as steel. Kaiyumi Gold is highly sought after. They also have access
to vast rice fields, letting them perform wet rice cultivation and creating vast
amounts of rice.
0 Monastic schools are prevalent here, especially the House of
Wisdom, crafted by the Sangpamegat to forge Swordscholars that will
exalt the violence of remembrance. These Swordscholars travel the isles
etching down traditions, stories, and song upon imperishable copperplate so
that none of them may vanish in the Eighth Star Era.

29
PLAY

30
 PLAY

II: PLAY
In this section of the book, learn how to play
the game with the rules. Keep in mind that
Gubat Banwa is a particularly involved game,
and it demands your attention.
The Play Manuscript has three sections:
Seasons, War Drama, and Tactical Martial
Arts.
Before learning about how to roll, here are the
following General Rules that you should keep
in mind when playing a game of Gubat Banwa.

31
PLAY

32
 PLAY
THE BULAWAN RULE
Bulawan, Bisaya for Gold or pure gold.
The Bulawan Rule is this: fiction and drama over
everything else. If it makes sense in the fiction or if its
particularly dramatic, it happens. Let the story being
told take precedence over rules. In combat, if
someone is Incapacitated, they obviously would not
be able to perform effects or keep an effect going,
because they’re unconscious. Additionally, this is an
endorsement for the Umalagad to create rulings.
Rulings over rules.
THE PILAK RULE
Pilak, Tagalog for Silver.
The Pilak Rule is this: specific trumps general. A
specific rule from a Discipline or item is what will
happen instead of a general rule. If a general rule tells
you that you suffer damage, but a specific rule says
that you do not suffer that damage, then you do not
suffer that damage.
THE TANSO RULE
Tanso, Tagalog for Copper.
The Tanso Rule is the rule of rounding. Whenever you
must halve something, unless otherwise stated, round
down.
33
THE PUTHAW RULE
Puthaw means iron in Bisaya.
The Puthaw Rule is this: follow your responsibilities.
These are:
0 Agree on a Theme and Tone
0 Care about combat
0 Play into the melodrama
0 Make every fight meaningful
0 Learn to fight together
0 Make sure everyone is safe
0
0
Make sure everyone is having fun
Portray a fantastical feudal world embroiled in war
0 Fill the Kadungganan’s life with war and drama
0 Play to find out what happens
The Sword Isles is not a nice place. In fact, it is a
horrible place. It is a place that is directly horrible
because of the actions of those that have gone before.
They who have perpetuated this never ending war, this
endless cycle of blood and vengeance. This can only be
achieved if everyone is on the same page. This world is
a world primed for the kinds of stories Gubat Banwa
wants to tell, and you must play into your role as
Kadungganan that must suffer it.
 PLAY
AGREE ON A THEME AND TONE
And stick to it. As a Kadungganan, you have an equal
amount of work needed to do to make sure that the
entire game fits the tone that your entire table has
agreed upon. Make sure you hew closely to it, so
everyone can have fun. If you agreed on a lighthearted
game, maybe don’t inject torture into it. If you’re going
for a gritty war story, try not to stray too far from it
and try to marry a dragon to create crocodile eugenics.
CARE ABOUT COMBAT
As a Kadungganan, your primary mode in life is to fight.
You will get into fights eventually, so operate with this
in mind. In that sense, this is a combat heavy game.
What did you expect from a war drama game set in
Fantasy Late Porcelain Period Philippines, which was
characterized by intensifying violence? Remember your
stats, your rules, your abilities, so everyone can have
fun when the battlefield music plays.
PLAY INTO THE MELODRAMA
Siblings locked in eternal war. Once lovers now
enemies. Once enemies, now lovers. Play into the
melodrama one would see on Filipino Telenovelas, K-
Dramas, and even Chinese Dramas. This elevated sense
of drama is what makes these mediums so entertaining,
and it is pretty entertaining to see on the table as well.
Play into them. Don’t shy away from them.
MAKE EVERY FIGHT MEANINGFUL
Gubat Banwa fights last long. It’s made to be that way:
they are made to be interesting and major. But the only
way for you to get invested into such fights is if you
made it meaningful. The Umalagad will help facilitate
this: maybe the current combat has your long lost
brother in it, or maybe the footsoldiers are people you
once respected.
However, it is still up to you to make it meaningful to
your Kadungganan. In fact, this can lead to some
interesting emergent storytelling, if even during a
combat you realize that your Kadungganan might
sympathize or what have you with their enemy’s plight,
making it a grueling dance. Pick up the slack: the
Umalagad may be singing the song, but you are still the
subjects of it, you are the ones guiding the song.
LEARN TO FIGHT TOGETHER
Gubat Banwa is also inherently a team-based game.
Despite the war torn land, you find a little slice of family
with your allies. Thus, your objective is not to make
yourself stronger than them, but rather, find out how to
make yourself stronger for them. Gaining abilities and
skills that would help the entire party. This is a benefit
as well in combat, since much of the player and enemy
math is centered around the buffs and debuffs and
abilities that can only be attained if the players play off
of each other. You will never be able to survive alone.
MAKE SURE EVERYONE IS SAFE
Always use safety tools and establish boundaries. Use
tools such as Lines and Veils, X, N, and O Cards, and
Script Changes. If you look up TTRPG Safety Tools on
Google, you will find a whole slew of them. Choose
whichever one you think fits well with your group. I
personally am a huge advocate for Lines/Veils, X/N/O
Cards, and Stars and Wishes.
Here's a good article for safety tools: https://
optionalrule.com/2021/01/29/safety-consent-rpg-
checklist/
34
MAKE SURE EVERYONE IS HAVING FUN
This is probably the most important one, on par with
having everyone be safe. Make sure everyone is having
fun. It is not only the Umalagad’s job to reach out and
ask if people are having fun (the Umalagad is no lord or
master) but also the Kadungganan’s. Remember that
this is a social activity, it is telling stories around a
bonfire. It is singing an improvised song. Sometimes it
might not get fun, or something might spoil the fun. Be
open, be communicative, and always remember that at
the end of the day, this is only a game. And games are
supposed to be fun. Not just for you, but for everyone
else at the table.
PORTRAY A FANTASTICAL FEUDAL WORLD
EMBROILED IN WAR
Not just a fantastical world, but a world where Datu rule
settlements, fight over manpower and not just land,
and raid those that have slighted them. A world where
insults are taken personally and can lead to wars, where
wives and husbands are sought for by powerful chiefs.
A world where malevolent forces of nature--which only
appear due to the actions of the mortals themselves--
arise and try to kill the Kadungganan. A dangerous and
daring world that needs those that are willing to look
past themselves. This need not be a Precolonial
Philippine-inspired setting either: you can make up a
loose feudal society of Island Kings and Sea Queens on
the spot if you’re inspired enough by the lore of the
game.
FILL THE KADUNGGANAN’S LIFE WITH WAR
AND DRAMA
A Kadungganan’s life is always going to be embroiled in
interpersonal conflict, relationship melodrama, and
violent combat in a setting such as The Sword Isles,
where states are at war, prides are at stake, and families
are at risk. Play this up for the group. You want players
to be agonizing about an NPC that they’ve grown
attached to but might have to kill, or being intensely
protective of a certain NPC. Even better: if the
Kadungganan become intensely protective of each
other. Use their connections, their old lovers, brothers,
fathers against them. As the Umalagad, you are cruel
fate.
PLAY TO FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENS
The best thing about Tabletop Role-Playing Games is
that you don’t know what will happen at the table. Even
if you have an adventure planned out, or are following a
scenario or module, that kind of structure can only take
you so far. Let the Kadungganan’s actions blossom and
snowball, push their actions to the logical limit. Have
whatever structure or idea you had in mind stuck there
in the background, let it happen while the players work,
and then when you get a golden opportunity in the
fiction, use it. Then, let the players react. Find out what
happens when they do.
Play to find out what happens is one of the best
innovations of Tabletop Role-Playing Games: it’s a
principle and mindset that Video Games cannot
replicate. Lean on it. You don’t have to prep a
beginning, middle, and then ending, like you would a
novel.
Instead, prep events that showcase more of the world,
characters that have hidden motives and agendas, and
ancient spirits and gods that have set in motion plans
since the end of the Seventh Sun Era. Then, put the
Kadungganan within them and play to find out what
happens when you do.
 PLAY
MODES OF PLAY
Gubat Banwa is a tabletop role-playing game that can
be played in a number of ways. These play modes are:
Solo Play, Co-Op Play, Traditional Play, and
Competitive Play. Before playing, you can choose
which version of Play you wish to do. These modes of
play can be interchanged at any point: if from Solo Play
you want to transition into Co-op Play, you can!
0 Solo Play is exactly that: you control a single
Kadungganan and go through the Sword Isles by
yourself. You can even accrue companions, but they
will not be as powerful as your own Kadungganan.
You usually need just 1 player, yourself,
0 Co-op Play (short for Cooperative Play) is when
a group of players play as Kadungganan, but without
an Umalagad. You travel through the Sword Isles in
troupe-play everyone playing NPCs and the like, as
they fight enemies, solve mysteries, and overthrow
thrones. You usually need 2-5 other players with
you.
35
0 Traditional Play is the default mode of play
common in traditional RPGs, wherein a group of
players play as Kadungganan while one plays as the
Umalagad, a sort of master of ceremonies or arbiter
who facilitates the revelation of the world. You
usually need 3-6 players here, with one player
taking the role of the Umalagad.
0 Competitive Play is a more focused style of play
that is not made for Kandu play. Competitive play is
when 8 to 10 players play as groups of 4 or 5
Kadungganan and fight against each other. They take
turns inserting Field Traits and Height Variations on
a single 16x16 map, and then fight 4v4 or 5v5 until
none are standing. This one requires 8 or 10 players
to fully be playable.
 PLAY
WHAT YOU’LL NEED
The following rules will cover Solo Play to Traditional Play. Competitive Play is a completely different section of
gameplay that will be discussed on its own section later in this book.
KADUNGGANAN
The river of life ever flows. Rejoice in the glory of battle…
Kadungganan.
Those who bear the Steel of Conviction, the Flame of Want, the
Burden of Rumination, and the strength of Conviction.
Stand, now. Stand, and never let the world bring you to your
knees! Kadungganan! Fulfill your blasted name!
In honor and legend, let your name be writ across the eternal
stars!
Stride upon the bloody lands of GUBAT BANWA and change the
course of history!
Sunder the world with your sins so that we may build a better one.
Kadungganan in Gatusanon, Hulubalang in Akainon,
Bayani in Ba-e, Kabalyero in Virbanwa, and Vwiraya in
Apu-apu.
Kadungganan means Honor and Prestige. It is what you
are. If we are to translate it to this tongue, it can be Gallant
or Knight.
Kadungganan is the Trade Mataram term for the various
esteemed and honorable warriors across all of Gubat
Banwa. It is a lingua franca term for martial artists who
are the best and most skilled of all the warriors of their
culture, whether they be the Mahavira of the Varshan
Empires to the Xia of Southern Baik Hu.
In Gubat Banwa, you play as these Kadungganan. As a
Kadungganan, the world around you treats you with a
certain respect. Warrior cultures might look upon you as a
folk hero, and treat you with the same respect as nobles.
Others, such as powerful states and hegemonies, might
look upon you as a true nuisance, an evil upstart, threats
to their absolute authority.
As a Kadungganan, you play to uphold your Conviction and
to fulfill your Want. While in Gubat Banwa the cultures
mostly look upon Kadungganan as these unblemished
heroes who are worthy of places in their songs and
genealogies, this cannot be any farther from the truth.
Kadungganan, by virtue of their Want, are capable of
exalted highs, but also are prone to falling to the lowest of
lows.
As a Kadungganan, you can change the world. But are you
willing to lose yourself in the process?
PLAY ACCOUTREMENTS
Grab the supplied character sheet on the itch or
drivethrurpg page. Then you will need one of each kind
of polyhedral die: (d4, d6, d8, d10, d12, d20, and
Percentile dice/d100). It will be a good idea to have
multiple (around 10) d8s and d10s.
For stranger dice, such as “d2, d3 and d5”, simply roll
d4, d6 or a d10 and half the result. Or count every 2
numbers as 1 (for d3, roll a d6. 1-2 is 1, 3-4 is 2, and 5-6
is 3).
Finally, if you choose to play with Tactical Martial
Arts, you must have a battle grid and any sort of
tokens. This can be anything, as long as you can use it
to symbolize enemies on a battlefield, as well as players
on a battlefield. Gubat Banwa prefers the use of square
grids, but can easily use other grids as well, or even
gridless, counting each dupa/square as 1 inch.
36
UMALAGAD
O faithful guardians, gods of this world, hear our calls and our
hearts
Find us true and pure and clean and cleanse us from any
impurities
Guard us from all things that wish to bend us.
In the darkness of the Eighth Star Era, where the Goddess of the
Blackest Night brings impenetrable darkness:
Be our only guiding light.
Umalagad means Guardian Ancestor. Very often known
as Umalagad across many cultures, known as Ferandal in
Apumbukid, Kiraman in Akai, Katutubo in Ba-e, and Anghel
in Virbanwa.
In Solo and Co-Op Play, the Umalagad is a guiding force,
and not a player role. When things seem uncertain, the
Kadungganan Look to the Umalagad to keep the game
moving.
In traditional play, it is the role of the Umalagad to see
that a Kadungganan goes on their journeys, and work
toward their Convictions and Wants. To this end, you
facilitate the revealing of Gubat Banwa to the
Kadungganan, to the players. Whenever the Kadungganan
acts, the Umalagad dictates how the world reacts. As a
Umalagad, reveal that the world of Gubat Banwa is bloody
and visceral, fraught with violence, infighting, but also
reveal that it can be saved, that there is always good, and
that that is worth fighting for. The Umalagad’s role is to
establish fiction, and then react. The Kadungganan will act,
move through the rivers of the fiction, and the Umalagad
reacts to it.
In Traditional Play, the Umalagad’s responsibility is
roleplaying as the world, as the world of the mortals,
Gubat Banwa, as the various NPCs, or Non-Player
Characters, that the umalagad have deemed fated to be
complicated and entwined into the hearts and drama of the
Kadungganan. The Umalagad influence the movement of
the world, after all, and the Kadungganan pay respects,
revere rites, and worship the umalagad to bring them good
tidings.
THEN, CREATE THE
KADUNGGANAN AND THEIR
WARBAND.
The Umalagad will be focusing on building the world
and creating NPCs, those destined to meet with the
Kadungganan, along with any combat rules they might
need when violence inevitably breaks out.
To help with this, the Core Rulebook contains a bunch
of easily usable starting points below the Character
Creation section, as well as easily digestible lore for the
Umalagad to use.
Those that will be playing as the Kadungganan will be
creating their own warriors to fight against whatever
happens in their lives. They will fight against in both
physical wars as well as social bouts and mental
violence to seize the day and survive in this land of
constant conflict.
 PLAY

SOLO PLAY
Recommended for beginners and those that don’t
have Gubat Banwa’s mechanics down, you can start
trying out Gubat Banwa for mostly free, without the
need for someone to run for you, through its Solo
Play mode!
Solo play uses your own imagination, divinations,
and a robust tactical martial arts system to create
diverse narratives, compelling storytelling, and
intricate situations that you can immerse yourself
into, to experience the vast world of Gubat Banwa, and
to pave in blood and metal the legend of your
Kadungganan. What songs will they sing of you?
THINGS YOU NEED
Solo Play requires you the same things needed with
traditional play, with some other things. Notably, one
thing you don’t need is another player that takes on
the role of an Umalagad.
0 Something To Record Your Ventures: You need a
paper and pencil. Ideally this is some sort of
notebook that you can use as a journal, that you can
use to track down what happens on your
Kadungganan’s journeys. Writing down what
happens to you is known as Inscribing. Of course,
you can also write this down on a computer or some
other sort of document.
0 Divinations: This Core Rulebook has a large
Divination section. Divination is the term used for
oracles or the tables used to create randomized
outcomes to help facilitate the movement of the
narrative. You can use other books for Divinations! In
fact, you can use resources outside of RPGs, such as
academic papers or books, to find more inspiration.
HOW TO PLAY SOLO
There are a myriad of ways to begin playing solo. Very
often you can put down a map and then be on your
way, but of course this is easier said than done. For
those that want to start playing Solo, follow these!
0 Choose a Region. There are five major regions in
the Sword Isles, which cover vast swathes of the
Sword Isles that have similar geographic makeup,
cultural aesthetics, and are usually close to each other.
0 Either choose an Area from the Region or make
your own. There are a large number of areas within
each region to start your work in, or you can choose to
make your own region or settlement by following the
Divination for creating a settlement.
0 Decide whether you’re within a settlement or
outside of one. This can influence how you start your
game: if outside a settlement, ask yourself why? Are
you in the midst of a raid? A fight? Maybe you’re out
hunting? Or maybe you’re adventuring?
0 Record Your Starting Position. Inscribe your first
touchstone, as stated in the Inscribe Your Song
mechanic detailed below. Then, you can begin. Either
roll on a Divination, or describe how your
Kadungganan is carried by their heart to venture.

SOLO PRINCIPLES
Here is a general list to keep in mind for Solo Play.
These Guidelines must be followed if one wants an
optimal play experience.

0 Surrender yourself to the fiction. Give yourself to

the fates. Revel in the dramatic, do not revel in trying
to win every single argument. If you want an
interesting story, fail and accept consequences.
0 Think Outside Yourself. While in a situation, think
about how the other characters might speak with
your own Kadungganan. Do not think in terms of how
your Kadungganan might be benefitted. Think instead
of the wants and needs of each character, and play
into the fiction of that.
0 Think of your Kadungganan’s Feelings.
Emotions and feelings are the most important parts
of this game. Kadungganan tend to have larger than
life emotions, and you are welcome to play it up.
Always keep their emotions in mind.
0 Keep Track of Combat. Use a notebook or some
such if you are opting to play Solo with tactical
martial arts, which is configured anyway to be able
to run perfectly well with solo games, although it
does require the player to have a larger grasp of
Gubat Banwa’s martial intricacies.

37
 PLAY

LOOK TO THE UMALAGAD THE VENTURE

When you want to answer questions, determine how
a character might respond, discover details about
Gubat Banwa, you may Look To The Umalagad.
When you Look to the Umalagad, choose one from below:
0 Conclude: Decide an answer based on the most
interesting or dramatic result. Perhaps use a Catch.
0 Likelihoods: Choose 2 options for the question. Then,
assign a likelihood rating for them each within 10.
Example: Option 1 might be true on 1-3, while Option 2
might be true on 4-10.
0 The options can even be what your Kadungganan
does, to keep things interesting, but making sure it’s
in line with their Principle, Want, and Conviction. This
can be, for example, “Do I kill him or spare him?” For a
more benevolent Kadungganan, the “Kill Him” option
might have a 1-2 chance of happening, while the
“Spare Him” option might have a 3-10 chance of
happening.
0 This can also be used to answer more uncertain
things. For example, when trying to find out where
something might be, you might ask: “Is it deep in the
forest or out in the sea?” Both which might have a 1-5
chance and 5-10 chance of being true. Whatever it
may be, you must get this answer from within the
fiction.
0 Something Wicked Happens: Think deep and true for
something interesting, or roll a Divination.
When you leave a Point of Peace and travel
through the Sea of Conflict (that is, any
unfamiliar place, dangerous waters, hazardous
locales [which might include parts of a city]) define
the Venture’s Threat (below).
Threats
0 Risky Venture: A 5-Crescent Moon.
0 Challenging Venture: A 6-Crescent Moon.
0 Dangerous Venture: A 7-Crescent Moon.
0 Formidable Venture: An 8-Crescent Moon.
0 Legendary Venture: A 9-Crescent Moon.
Every time you further your Venture (in the fiction
by travelling, or fighting through a jungle), make a
proper Cast. Usually this is something like
Sensitivity, Judgment, Poetry, or Toughness. When
a Moon becomes Full, you reach your Destination.
0 Every Fate gained fills in a Crescent. Reveal a
new vista or point of interest that you find.
0 Every Opportunity gained can be used to
remove a Tooth.
0 Every Consequence gained adds a Tooth.

0 This is where you can ask: What happens now?
What do they want? And the like. You can answer this
on your own, whichever might be the most
interesting, or you can roll a Divination.
0 Every Catch gained introduces a danger a
random encounter appropriate to the region that
you must resolve. Multiple Catches might introduce
multiple dangers.
0 If the Venture Moon is Consumed, you become
hopelessly lost: lose all Crescents except 1, raise the
Venture Threat by 1 if possible, you face a Danger,
and then mark Conviction.

INSCRIBE YOUR SONG

In Solo or Co-Op Play, inscribing your song upon your
journal is an important procedure that you must always
go through. Writing it down anywhere can help
crystallize what happens in the fiction. Think of these as
points of no return: once you write them, you cannot undo
them.
You can choose the frequency of when you inscribe what
happens in the fiction. A common choice is inscribing
when Casting the Crocodile’s Teeth, as Casting is often
a decision point that you cannot turn back from. Another
common choice is during important events, which can
help you decide what you write down as important as
things come to a head.
When you inscribe your song while in a Point of Peace
or in Downtime, crystallize the events upon the
copperplate of your soul. Then, answer one (1) of the
following questions and write down the answer, explaining
particularly how your Kadungganan feels about it:

0 Am I the same person that I was?

0 Did I suffer horrible consequences?
0 How do I feel about my Convictions being tested?
0 Did my Shield Alignment bring me to a worse place than
before?
0 Has violence brought me love?
0 Has love brought me violence?
0 Have I done something that honors the ancestors?
How?

38
PLAY

39
 PLAY
WAR DRAMA
War Drama is one of the two modes of Gubat
Banwa, the other being Tactical Martial Arts. In
War Drama, you eviscerate yourselves and others
upon the altar of war, to change and shape upon
yourself a Gubat Banwa that you wish to live in.
As Kadungganan, you are poised to change the world.
As freemen, you can choose which Chief to follow.
As warriors, you are free to take the world by its
reins. As non-nobles, or as petty aristocrats,
you are closer to the earth that you walk upon
than the actual regents and vassals that walk
the land.
As Kadungganan, you look upon the world
with a shattered heart. Is this all there is?
Constant war and bloodshed?
Claim your sword, Kadungganan. Rise.
Sunder the world with your sins, so that
you may pave the way for a better one.
War Drama has a slew of rules, and
many of them are important
mechanics to drama. The portions
of War Drama are:
0 Conviction, to see how to
influence the world better, and
to strengthen your martiala rt
techniques.
0 Casting the Crocodile’s
Teeth explains when you
roll your character’s
narrative skills, that are
not connected to Tactical
Martial Arts.
0 Dramatic Techniques
explains what you might
do after reading the
crocodile’s teeth and
interpreting it.
0 Barter, explains how
commerce works in the
isles: that is, each polity
values items differently.
0 Debt and Honor are the most
important aspect of Sword Isle social
networks. It is the primary way
connections are made, and how Social
Classes are enforced.
0 Downtime is how you spend your
times of rest. You can only Downtime
in Places of Peace, and cannot
downtime elsewhere. While not in
Downtime, you are venturing.
40
CONVICTION
As the world changes, so do you, Kadungganan. Your
Conviction is what stands between you being
destroyed and you destroying the world.
Each Kadungganan has 5 Convictions. These
Convictions are statements of truth, these
are things that they hold dear to their
hearts, whether they be
beliefs, ideals, people, things,
places, and more. These are
the things they fight for in
a land that has
known nothing
else.
As they go through
the world, they
mark their
Convictions: as without Conviction, a
Kadungganan is nothing. It is through
Conviction that they change the world,
and potentially save it. Who else can it
be? Marking your Conviction means it has
been tested and weathered. If you survive
until Downtime, a time of rest and
peace, then you can ruminate upon your
Conviction and change it, for the better.
However, if all your Convictions are
marked and you suffer Consequences,
one possible consequence is now
Death. This can be literal death: the
fiction follows that your Kadungganan
dies. Or it can be social or ego death:
the fiction follows that they lose
what makes them a Kadungganan.
Either way, they are no longer a
Playable Character. You must
start anew.
 PLAY

CASTING THE CROCODILE’S TEETH

The Sword Isles is full of uncertainty. Whenever a
Kadungganan attempts to do something with
either an uncertain or dramatic outcome, they
must Cast The Crocodile’s Teeth. Dice in this
game are known as Teeth, (shamans and Priests
divine fates with crocodile teeth).
READING THE TEETH
After Casting, figure out what the results of each tooth
means below. If you end up with No Results due to
cancelling, then Look To The Umalagad. Keep the fiction
moving, even if no results appear.

Uncertain might mean: “I try to stop this boat
from crashing into the river with my bare ability. I
don’t know if I’ll be able to do it, so may my
forefathers bear witness.”
Dramatic might mean: “I want to try and
persuade this aristocrat to my side, to create a
blood compact. Should I fail, I will incur their ire.
Should I succeed, I will gain the favor of a harbor
prince, and gain access to international riches.”
To Cast The Crocodile’s Teeth...
1. Ascertain the most relevant Ability. How the
action proceeds, concludes, and the
consequences that arise from this come
decided by which Ability is used. These are
what are considered the Ability Teeth.
2. Ascertain the Difficulty of what you’re trying
to do. By default this is 3d8. However, if it’s
more difficult, raise this to 4d8, or if it is a
truly legendary deed, raise it to 6d8.
3. Then, roll your Ability Teeth, the Difficulty
Teeth, and any Merit Teeth or Karma Teeth
that you might have, and then tally all the
results.
4. Fate and Consequence cancel each other
out. So do Opportunity and Catches, 1-
for-1.
5. After tallying all the results: refer to Reading
the Teeth. If you are left with no results
whatsoever (no Fates nor Consequences),
then either Look to the Umalagad or decide
what happens next according to the fiction.
Either way, what you set out to do doesn’t
happen.
ITEMS WHEN CASTING
When you have an item that would fictionally help
you in an action or a roll, such as a rope to leap
over a chasm, or wearing clothes that would help
an aristocrat look at you more favorably, give the
Cast +Merit.
0 Blank: Blank means nothing happens. Look to the
Umalagad.
0 Opportunity: Any number of Opportunities means a good
twist of fate of some sort, or some sort of benefit, a beneficial
complication.
0 Fate: If you end up with any Fates, you do what you set out
to do.
0 Catch: Any number of Catches means there is a
complication or hindrance that puts a spin on what you’re
trying to do. Catches cancel out Opportunities, 1-to-1.
0 Consequence: Any number of Consequences means you do
not get to do what you set out to do, and you suffer any
consequences as is fictionally appropriate. Consequence
cancels out Fate, 1-to-1.
Sam’baha attempts to chop down some trees to make an
impromptu dam to stop an incoming flood. The Umalagad of
their game–an Owl with blueflame feathers–ascertains from
the spirits that this needs her Might. However, she has a wasay,
a chopping axe, which gives her +Merit Tooth to cutting trees,
which means she gets to roll 3d10(+1d10) and then a d6.
She rolls her Ability Teeth (3d10), her Merit Tooth (d6) and
the assigned default Diffculty Teeth (3d8): she gets a 1, 1, 5,
8, a 6 on the Merit Tooth, and a 1, 2, 4 on the Difficulty
Teeth. That is 2 Fates and 1 Catch.
Moving forward, Sam’baha is successful in trying to break the
tree, but she did not gauge the length properly, and the tree is
pushed down by the rushing flood--straight toward the village
she’s protecting.
MERIT AND KARMA
MERIT
Merit is good fortune and favor by the ancestors and the
gods, but also an advantage brought about by beneficial
contexts and situations. Merit is a d6, and you can have up to
3 Merit Teeth for a single cast. Each Merit has a separate
table of results.
KARMA
Karma is bad fortune and ill intention by those around you,
and the horrible weight of consequence. Karma is a d4 and
you can have up to 3 Karma Teeth for a single cast.

Ability Tooth (d10) Difficulty Tooth (d8)

1-2 Blank 1-2 Blank
3-5 Opportunity 3-4 Catch
6 2 Opportunities 5 2 Catches
7-9 Fate 6-7 Consequence
10 2 Fates 8 2 Consequences
Merit Tooth (d6) Karma Tooth (d4)
1-2 Blank 1 Blank
2-4 Opportunity 2 Catch
5 2 Opportunities 3 2 Catches
6 Fate 4 Consequence

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 PLAY
CATCHES AND
CONSEQUENCES
For reference, Catches are ways to nudge the drama
forward, which Kadungganan must react against, while
Consequences are hardline and instant consequences
that you must live with. You do not need to give out a
Catch/Consequence for every Catch/Consequence
tallied out: sometimes it would do good to consider the
magnitude of a result in relation to the number of results
tallied. Example: Getting 3 Catches might not mean 3
Different Catches below, but maybe 1 very inconvenient
Catch.
CATCHES
0 Threaten the Kadungganan with either violence or
drama.
0 Show something awe inspiring.
0 Let the spirits play and dance. The spirits can fuck
with the Kadungganan, as they are wont to do.
0 Place the Kadungganan into a high stakes situation.
0 Spotlight one of the Kadungganan.
0 Exploit weaknesses or complications.
0 The environment threatens to shift.
0 Give the Kadungganan an opportunity to showcase
their strength and skill.
0 Introduce a new aspect to the current scene that
might change how they view it.
0 Introduce something that the Kadungganan must
react to immediately.
0 A twist of fate, Look To The Umalagad and consult
Divinations to see what might happen next.
CONSEQUENCES
0 Mark a Conviction. The target must mark a
Conviciton to show how they use it to weather the
consequence.
0 Wound. Take away something important from the
Kadungganan as a consequence, whether it be a
Consumable, an Anting-Anting, maybe even a
Mastery.
0 Complicate. A Complication or Debt arrives to take
the Kadungganan away from the scene.
0 Accusation. Accuse the target of an honor-
shattering deed, earning the ire of others, potentially
lowering their Honor.
0 Reveal. Force one of the Kadungganan or one of the
NPCs to reveal something they don’t want to.
0 Shift. Change the environment forcefully, whether it
be climate, mood, or even the place where the scene is
taking place.
0 Impair. The Kadungganan is impaired in some way,
they suffer Penalty on a roll that is related to the
impairment. This Penalty lasts until they can heal the
Penalty.
0 Heaven Moves Without You. Showcase something
that happens away from the Kadungganan, which they
usually cannot do anything about.
0 Revel in Love and Lightning. Throw the
Kadungganan into violence.
0 Alignment. The Kadungganan must choose one of
the Consequences written in their Alignment to suffer,
making things worse for everyone.
42
BAKUNAWA EATS
THE MOON
Bakunawa is a creature--some
say a diwata, others say a
yawa--who night after night
conspires to eat the moon. It
almost succeeded once, but
the collective noise and effort
of the diwata and the tawo
managed to fight it off.
The Moon is a tool used to
gauge accumulated progress
to a certain goal. Use this when
something takes some time or if it requires a lot of work
put into it. In this sense, they are Progress measures.
Essentially, you would use these to track an endeavor that
takes several actions to overcome.
Each Moon should be named with the eventual goal in
mind. When trying to infiltrate a stone fortress, call it
that: “Infiltrate Stone Fortress”. This lets you remember
what the Moon is for.
When the rules tell you to create a moon, doodle a circle
and separate it into crescents. The most common is 5-
crescents. If a certain activity is difficult or takes a long
time, it might be 7-segments. If it’s extremely hard and/or
takes a really long time, it might be 9-segments.
Saniogo seeks to outrun a rushing tigbalan. The Umalagad
states that this is a moon with 4-segments. The Bakunawa
begins to eat the Moon.
Anything that furthers the accomplishment of the goal of
the Moon fills a crescent. This can come from things
accomplished in fiction, but is also commonly done by
succeeding on Casts whenever you attempt an action
to further the Moon. Merit can cause you to fill more
than 1 Crescent at a time. When all crescents are filled,
then the moon is Full, and whatever you were making
progress toward or attempting to do is achieved.
However, whenever something bad happens in the fiction,
when the fiction changes into a more precarious situation
due to what the Kadungganan do in the fiction, the
Umalagad draws a single triangle on the perimeter of the
Moon. Very commonly this is brought about by Failing
Casts.
This represents the Teeth of the Bakunawa. Once you get
three triangles, the Moon is Consumed, and consequences
befall you, and your progress is either stalled for the
meantime or lost completely, whichever makes most
sense in the fiction. Gaining Merit on a Cast might be
used to remove Teeth if it makes sense in the fiction.
Saniogo attempts to leap across a chasm to escape a
tigbalan. The Umalagad asks what Saniogo does, and
Saniogo says that he leaps up to grab a vine that was
hanging about. The Umalagad nods approvingly--he says
that Saniogo leaps across the chasm, catches a loose vine,
and swings safely to the other side. No Teeth yet, the
Umalagad thinks. Saniogo shades in a segment of the
Moon. Three left.
However, the Umalagad states that the tigbalan can cross
chasms with its bird wings easily. It closes in on Saniogo,
and the Umalagad points out that there is a rushing river
before him. Saniogo cannot think of a way to cross the river
quickly, and decides to power through it. He makes a Might
Cast to power through, but fails. He is carried away by the
river, and the Umalagad says that the tigbalan is closing in.
A single Tooth circles about the Moon now.
 PLAY

BARTER
In the Archipelago of The Sword Isles, there is no
proper coinage. Trade is facilitated entirely through
barter: collections of valuable items and minerals in
exchange for items of equal value.
Barter is not a numerical value. Instead, items are
their own things, and it is up to the person you are
selling the thing to assign it a value, from below:

Treasure. Heirloom wealth. The most valuable

item in the islands. A show of wealth. Usually:
Bronze gongs, porcelain jars, imported silks,
foreign weapons, silver coins, captives, foreign
captives, heirlooms.
Valuable. Rarer items, filled usually with
prestige, made from smiths, or owned by
powerful warriors. Usually: Kadanay pottery,
prestigious weapons owned by local heroes,
blessed items from a dead datu, holy weapons,
bullets and ammunition. Sometimes for
blacksmiths, slag iron is valuable.
Essential. Necessary items. Usually: Rice, foreign
coinage, iron pieces, golden nuggets, weapons. Not
always though. Sometimes Apunon do not need
rice, they have plenty.
Abundant. Items that help life, but are abundant in
the isles so they are not as valuable. Usually: local
textiles, clay pots, water, root crops, wood, pearls. Not
always, of course: sometimes hinterland societies
might find pearls to be valuable.
It is important to note that this system is in place
because the one buying (or selling) the item will be the
one to give value to it, according to their context.
Mountain settlements for example might consider fish
and salt essential items, but they might consider rice--
something they harvest and export--as abundant
items.
Gaining abundant items are easy, but things that are
commonly considered valuable or treasure in the isles
require specialized merchants and traders to gain, but
are signs of wealth. Richer datu might want to
establish good connections with you if you showcase
treasure on you, such as foreign armor.
This means that barter tiers are not fixed, and differ
from place to place, although there are commonalities
across all settlements, especially in the trading
metropoles.
Foreigners would usually count what is just
commodities to the tawo as necessities. Pearls in the
Sword Isles might be abundant (pretty ones
nevertheless, and used as jewelry), but they are
treasure in Baik Hu and Iyamat. Clay pots are
abundant in the isles, but Iyamat folk treat them as
essentials due to their ability to store tea leaves.

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DEBT
Debt is used to denote someone’s personal obligation to
someone else for doing something for them. In The
Sword Isles, Debt is such a ubiquitous concept that
entire polities and villages are formed around Debt, and
social classes are created from it: slaves and servants
are usually nothing but people who owe Debt to their
masters.
Debt in Gubat Banwa is a social value and mechanic to
show how much leverage you have over someone or
how much leverage someone has on you. You usually
gain Debt to someone when they do something for you,
such as give you an item, grant you protection, food, or
even interact with you romantically.
You can accrue (or owe) Debt not just from a person,
but also even from organizations, communities,
groups, or even ideals. Debt to an ideal means that the
Umalagad can manipulate you with that ideal.
HONOR
Debt is an important currency and ability. However,
you cannot have more Debt than you have Honor. Think
of Honor as social status: the higher Honor you have,
the more dependable people find you.
As a Kadungganan, you begin with Honor 3, and it
can never go below Honor 1.
To raise Honor, you must pay off your Debts. However,
you cannot have more than 8 Honor.
44
DEBT TECHNIQUES
The following Debt Techniques must follow the fiction.
An important note on this is that both Umalagad
Characters can also gain Debt from Kadungganan,
which means they can also influence you with Debt.
ACCRUING DEBT
When a character does an entity a solid, help them
when they’re in dire straits, give them gifts, or
otherwise both parties agree that one of them owes
the other...
The character gains the Debt Token of the entity they
did a solid for. A character cannot have more Debt
Tokens to a single entity than their Honor. (Example: if
you have Honor 3, you can only have up to 3 Debt
Tokens from a single person).
USING DEBT
When you wish to pull on your Debts, spend 1 Debt
Token and choose 1 below:
0 You can ask them to do a single thing. If they choose
not to, you gain another Debt Token from them. If
they cannot gain anymore Debt Tokens, you must do
that thing.
0 If you’re attacking a target that owes you, gain 1 Hit.
0 If you’re defending against a target that owes you,
gain 1 Defend.

PAYING OFF DEBTS
When you wish to pay off your Debts, speak with the
person you wish to pay off. They can choose one from
below:
0 They can ask you to do something for you.
0 They can ask something from you that you must
pay.
If you do it, the one you have Debt to discards 1 of
your Debt Tokens to them. If you remove all your
Debt Tokens from someone, gain +1 to your Honor.
PLAY
TRANSFERRING DEBT
When you wish to transfer the Debt someone owes to
you to someone else, say your reason and how much
Debt you wish to transfer, and then transfer that
much Debt Tokens that the person owes to you to the
other person. They owe it now. You can use this to
feasibly gain goodwill from others, as Debt can also
be used as a form of currency in the Isles
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DOWNTIME
Downtime is exactly that: times of
respite. You can only go into Downtime
when you are not venturing: you must
not be in a Raid, and you must be in a
Place of Peace. You can perform
Downtime Actions. The number of
Downtime Actions that you can do
depend on the current Season of when
you go into Downtime. You do not need
to use up all your Downtime Actions,
these are simply suggestions. If you
wish to freely roleplay, otherwise known
as freeplay, during Downtime, feel free!
Places of Peace are rare in Gubat
Banwa. Additionally, Downtime Events
still should follow the fiction: you
should feasibly be able to do the
Downtime Event you want to do in the
Place of Peace you’re in.
In Dry Season, you can do up to 3
Downtime Actions.
In Monsoon Season, you can do up to
2 Downtime Actions.

CONVICTION AND LEGEND

Downtime is where you find rest and
your deeds catch up to you. For every
Conviction you have marked, gain 1 XP.
You also gain 1 XP automatically for
surviving into Downtime.
When you reach 10 XP, you rise in
Legend immediately, and then lose 10
XP.
Afterwards, every marked Conviction
must be rewritten into something
related into what marked it. Then,
remove all marks.

46
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MINGLE
You go out and meet someone you want to meet. This
can either be someone you already know or someone
you haven’t met before. When meeting with someone
in this way, make sure it makes sense for them to be
there in your area.
If it’s someone you haven’t met before, roll a d6.
1 – They are fiercely hostile to you.
2 – They are wary of you.
3-4 – They are neutral: they don’t know you yet.
5 – They are receptive to you.
6 – They are enthusiastic in meeting you.
TOWN TALK
Go around and listen to the town talk. This
can also be used to poke your nose
somewhere where it doesn’t
belong, or somehow be a fly
on a wall for some important
information. Use this to
find information.
State your method and
what information you’re looking
for and then cast the Crocodile’s
Teeth.
Fate: You get info.
Opportunity: You get the ability to get
different info.
Catch: You attract unwanted attention.
Consequence: You do not find what you
were looking for.
PREPARE
You can prepare yourself. You gain an Item Token. You
can spend the Item Token at any time to say that you
have a particular item prepared. This item cannot be
larger than a small buckler shield. If it is, you must give
away 1 of your own items, as barter.
Then choose 1 from below:
0 The Item is not exactly what you thought it would
be.
0 The Item took a bit more haggling to get. You
owe someone powerful: they gain your Debt
Token, meaning you owe them something. The
Umalagad can choose to hide who this is.
0 Getting the Item took a lot of time. You can
only gain the Item Token when
you next return to Downtime.
0 The Item is dangerous
somehow, physically: it might
blow up, or corrupt you.
0 The Item is dangerous
societally: you have attracted
dangerous attention.
DIVE INTO COMPLICATIONS
Choose yourself and two more people.
Following the fiction, the three of you fall into
a Complication. Define what it is. The context
of your Complication might have been
because of something that happened outside
of Downtime.

IMPROVE ABILITY
You work on improving yourself. Raise
one of your Abilities by 1. Play this out.
Bring any Debts into play, if there are
any. Learning a new Ability (that is,
bringing an Ability from 0 to 1) requires
proper storytelling.

CHANGE DISCIPLINE
Other than a specific story beat, you can
also willingly change your Discipline by using
this Downtime Event. As always, keep in mind
that switching a style also means having to
recalibrate muscle memories, as well as having
to deal with any fallouts from your previous
guro. Most Disciplines require a Guro to
learn, which sometimes only come when you
have enough Honor for the Guro to find you
worth it to teach.
When you Change Disciplines, choose a new Discipline
and take that Discipline’s Boosts, Inflict Violences,
Fundamentals. You keep any Mastery that you
already know. However, you must already have a
Mastery from that Discipline to change into it.

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DANCE WITH HEARTS AND THOUGHTS Once both participants have chosen, move on to the
Climax of the scene. During the climax, both of the
When you want to spend some intimate time with participants choose 1 from below, whichever makes
someone, play it out. You, the other party, or the most sense according to the ongoing fiction.
Umalagad sets the scene of where it takes place. Dance
with Hearts and Thoughts can and probably will trigger 0 Things get heated. An argument erupts. Things
Drama mechanics. don’t look good for the both of you. Play out how you
Once the scene and context have been laid out, one of resolve this. If you don’t, that’s still okay.
the participants in the dance chooses 1 from below. 0 Things get hot. Something good happened along the
Once they’ve chosen and it has been resolved, move to way. Suddenly one of you is pinned against the wall,
the other participant and they get to choose 1 below. staring at each other, feeling each other’s hot breath.
Play out how this ends.
0 Ask them a hard question. This should lead to an
0 Things get soft. The participants open up, becoming
in-character conversation. Hard question is of course
emotional and finally, accepting whatever comes out of
contextual, but it should be whatever either the one
the scene. Play this out to find out what happens.
being asked or both of the characters in the
conversation don’t want to ask or hear. 0 Things work out. The scene ends up fruitful for both
participants: maybe they find a new resolve, or a new
0 Recall something they did before. This can be an
conviction, or maybe they just learn something new
event during a venture, leading to an in-character
about each other in general. Play it out to find out what
conversation.
it is.
0 Bring up a topic. This can be any topic: the warlord
you killed in your last violent encounter, the new After the Climax, both characters give each other their
weapon you created, the meaning of debt, if love is real, Debt Token, no matter how it goes down. According to
etc. Try to bring up topics that will bring your the fiction, this might create another Complication.
character into entanglements.
0 Reveal a vulnerable part of you. Show them
something you don’t usually show people. A soft side
of you. Perhaps your love for music, or a natural
affinity to dogs. Whatever it is, it should be something
that changes their perception of you.
0 Irritate them. Do something bad, something they
don’t like. They get to tell you what it is they do that
they don’t like.

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There are two primary seasons in the Sword Isles:
dry and monsoon.
It is important to note that Love and Violence, can
happen in every Season. The two Seasons are simply
ways to frame your story and to help ground where the
drama and tactical martial arts takes place.
Each Season also essentially limits what you can do
during Downtime.
DRY SEASON
The Dry Season dominates most of the other half of
the year. While Dry doesn’t inherently mean hot—the
winds are still freshly chill, after all—it does mean that
rains are lighter or less likely during the day, which
allows for a wider range of activities.
Dry Season, of course, is a time of action, of fires and
flames. During the Dry Season, the war continues.
When you go into Downtime during Dry Season, you
only have access to 3 Downtime Events, as well as the
following Dry Events:
TRAVEL
Travel during the Monsoon Season is not as common
as in the Dry Season. You can visit another settlement
for the time being. See things you might have wanted
to see. You might attract unwanted attention, or get
news you didn’t want. You may Cast the Crocodile’s
Teeth to see if you can make it trouble-free.
TOIL
You offer some help to the datu’s workers and
peasants, whether it be offering your expertise, helping
in the field, helping in the farms, plantations, etc. Gain
the Debt Token of the people you helped, or gain some
sort of benefit (information, an item, etc.)
50
FEAST
After a harvest is the time for Feasting. This is a small
fraction of time where one gets to feast and enjoy the
food harvested, as they are blessings by the gods. This
is a time of celebration and rest for everyone, and
usually has one to two Feasts.
When going into a feast, you can sometimes choose to
hold the feast itself, in which case you might get some
prospects and connections. Whatever happens in a
Feast, roll a d10
1. You find someone that is interested in you, and
they might give you help.
2. You drank a bit too much. Something
unfortunate happened during the Feast, tell the
group what it is.
3. You impressed or helped a person or a group of
people: you know them now, and they give you
their Debt Token.
4. Someone helped you during the Feast. Give
them your Debt Token. What happened? Who were
they?
5. You traded with another person: give up one of
your items or equipment and get another one of
equal value (ie. If you give up a commodity in that
area, you gain something that is also a commodity
in that area).
6. You attract attention that you really didn’t
want. What is this attention? How is it a
detriment to you?
7. You blasphemed or otherwise offended an
important person during the feast. Who was it?
You must make amends: they gain your debt
token.
8. You did something you immediately regret to
someone in particular. What was it? Give them a
Debt Token.
9. You revealed something to someone that you
should not have revealed anything to. What is
it and who?
10. You have no idea how but you are suddenly
entrapped in obligations with another person
from the feast. Perhaps it is marriage, perhaps it
is work. Whatever it is, deal with it.
 PLAY

GO HUNTING GO TRADING
Whether with the datu or not, you can go hunting for They can travel to a distant land with barter items at
food and game. This is usually for ritual sacrifices and the ready, and trade with them. This doesn’t have to be
items for a Feast. Make an appropriate Cast as to used for trading reasons only: it can be used to travel
where you’re hunting (or fishing): this is usually to another land to solve some political spites on behalf
Observation, Grace, or Sensitivity. With an of a datu, fix things, provide aid for another, or even
appropriate difficulty depending on what you’re trying work for another datu for a time to gain that Datu’s
to hunt. Each Kadungganan on the hunt makes a Cast. trust, and maybe debt.
Fate: Gain 2 hunting spoils. This will be a common choice, as it is the “Adventure!”
option. They will usually be provided with a barge by
Opportunity: You find something interesting during the datu, or maybe they can get their own.
the hunt. Alternatively, gain 1 hunting spoil
Complication: Lose something (choose 1): an item, a
Conviction (change it), someone’s debt token,
somethign important to you.
Catch: You attract unwanted attention, either the
spirits of the forest or the wrath of the gods.
If you choose not to give any of your hunting spoil to
the gods of the forest that you hunted in, you incur the
wrath of the gods, which will befall you at the worst
possible time.
Doing this Event with royalty is a popular way of
bonding with them: Hunting with Chiefs and Kings is
a popular pastime in the islands, and is an important
way for a datu to showcase his skill, as well as his
warrior vassals to prove both their loyalty and their
strength to their ruler.

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MONSOON SEASON RETRAIN

The rains come differently across the isles, and so it is
entirely possible for Kadungganan to leave an island
during the rainy season of that Isle but arrive on a
different Isle which is going through its own Rainy
Season. Rainy Season dictates whether people should
farm, prepare swiddens, or depend on stockpiled
foods.
Monsoon Season is the time of rest, of endings.
Monsoon Season usually comes in after a harvest,
expertly predicted by timekeepers. Some rituals are
performed during Monsoon Season, such as ritual
killings, or feasts after rains.
When you go into Downtime during Monsoon Season,
you gain access to 2 Downtime Events, and the
following Monsoon Events:
You can reevaluate one of your own Masteries. If you
do, spend a downtime Action to change 1 of the
Masteries you know to another Mastery of your
choice.
LEAVE
You leave your current datu and work for another datu
or go wandering for a while. You cannot do this if you
have Debt to the datu.
The datu will usually let you go with the equipment
they’ve given you. Any family you might have will go
with you, unless the datu buys them from you.

UNDERGO CHANGE
You find a way to rest even more. The rains pour down
every day, offering cold winds and somber tunes. The
islands turn from vibrant orange to the rare gray-blue
of rains. Change a Conviction that you have, even if it
isn’t marked. It must be, however, related to
something you experienced.

MEDITATE
Think back upon your travails and your ventures, and
how it has changed you. Speak with your Umalagad,
talk together about how you feel like you’ve changed,
or how something in a previous Season has made you
different. If both you and the Umalagad agree, gain the
following benefit:
Gain a new Gift from one of your Alignments. You can
only have up to 5 Gifts at any time, and at least 2 of
them must come from your Heart Alignment. If you
learn a New Gift and you already have 5 Gifts, you
must choose which Gift to replace. You can only learn
Gifts from your three chosen Alignment.

52
 PLAY

Before going on a Raid, you must dictate your Raiding

RAIDS
Raids are an integral part of a Kadungganan’s life.
Raids are bursts of action and drama that have you
traveling deeper into a place that you are Raiding to
gain wealth, treasure, something important, or
prestige. Why you’re doing it is up to you.
Raids are the equivalent of dungeon delving in Gubat
Banwa: structured approaches to journeying into
dangerous places. Usually these raids are other
settlements, but sometimes larger raids can take place
in mass ritual burial cemeteries, ancient forests, cave
complexes, cities, and even heaven and hell
themselves. Dungeons and large ancient abandoned
temples of course exist: the constant cycles of violence
create ruin after ruin that pock the islands.
Roll a d8 if you need inspiration on where the Raid will
take place.
1 – Settlement. A small settlement, usually an easy
Raid. Sometimes these can be ruins, places where
undead or yawa walk.
2 – Large Town. A larger settlement, with various
datu within. Usually an average raid.
3 – Abandoned Cave Complex. Ancient demons and
monsters walk within. Usually average.
4 – Mass Burial Complex. Starts above ground and
usually ends up underground or even within mountain
cliffsides. Usually average, and usually encounter
Undead.
5 – Ancient Forest. Forests are filled with gods and
other spirit societies. Usually average, and filled with
Spirits.
6 – City. An even larger settlement, filled with many
goods. Might not be a metropole, but close. Hard
Raids, usually, but might not have a lot of combat
encounters.
Objective. This is almost always singular. Some
examples are below! You can even roll a d10 on it.
1-2 Wealth. You’re looking for as much wealth as
possible, and the objective area has it.
3-4 People. You want to recruit as much people as
possible, and you must do it by force by killing their
leader. Maybe perhaps you want to liberate the people
from a tyrannical leader.
5-6 Revenge. This is a revenge raid. You want to
kill and destroy as much as possible.
7-8 Trial. You’re doing this to prove something to
yourself or someone important to you, and you must
get something from the objective area.
9-10 Artifact or VIP. You’re looking for a
legendary object, or a particularly important person.
Raids are a gauntlet of Encounters, both combat and
non-combat, that a Umalagad puts you through to
test your mettle.
Designing Raids is something an Umalagad can think
of in advance or prep it, or they can choose to go with
the flow and play it out.
In that case, the Umalagad will always begin the Raid
with an arrival encounter, whether it be violence or not,
and then roll a d10, adding +1 until they reach the “goal
area” at 12.
1-3 A Non-Martial Encounter
4-5 A Martial Encounter
6-7 Something interesting.
A twist in the Raid, something that might
8-9 upend the understanding of the Raid, or
recontextualize the objective.

7 – Metropole. You are raiding one of the largest
10
settlements in The Sword Isles, the centers of political
and economic power. Would-be empires and states.
Very hard raids.
11
8 – Heaven or Hell. You travel using skybarges into
the depths of the earth or the heights of the sky. The
hardest raids to do, and usually one that will never go
well, even if you achieve your goal.
12
An item, or treasure. Perhaps Anting-
Anting.
Penultimate. You find something
harrowing. Something that is connected
to the goal perhaps.
Objective Area. This is where the raid will
end. It might have a boss encounter, or
you might simply find what you’re looking
for. Play it out

OPTIONAL RULE: NO
TACTICAL VIOLENCE
If you do not like the prospect of playing on a grid and
wish solely to engage with Gubat Banwa through their
Skills and Moons.
They can gain Techniques and choose Disciplines as
normal, but they can use Techniques to gain Merit
Dice in combat if it gives them a benefit in fiction.
You can choose how to handle combat: whether it be a
simple gauntlet of Casts, or dealt with through Moons.

53
54
 III: Violence
“Violence for violence’s
sake is not the rule of
beasts but the nature of
divinity.”
Gubat Banwa is a game of rapid kinetic
martial arts, violent sorcery, heartrending
convictions and bouts of will. Warriors
that channel gods face sorcerers that
master black arts, martial artists who
have unlocked a new form of cultivation
clash swords with those that perfect the
night alchemies.
When the crocodile’s teeth are cast,
convictions are unsheathed, and steel
sparks: the Umalagad must declare that:
“The river of life ever flows! Rejoice in the
glory of combat!” and they enter violence.

55
 VIOLENCE
AN IMPORTANT NOTE
Fights in Gubat Banwa is an abstracted affair, played
out in a grid, crafted in such a way to model the chaos
and kinetic quickness and back-and-forth of martial
arts films and wuxia novels. It is not meant to be
realistic or a representation of physics in the game
world.
Tactical Martial Arts is a subsystem of techniques
that you can use to engage in a deeper and more kinetic
system of fighting, to model the martial arts fights that
are so important in Gubat Banwa. These all must follow
the fiction as needed.
Tactical Martial Arts is not needed to play Gubat
Banwa. It is there purely for those that want to
interface with it. If you want to run quick combats
within the system, using Moons and Casting the
Crocodile’s Teeth should be more than enough for this,
and the use of fiction. In general, one wants to use
Tactical Martial Arts for either narratively important or
dramatic fights, or if your table enjoys tactical grid-
based combat.
BUT WHAT ABOUT THE MASTERIES, ETC.?
Each square in Gubat Banwa is an abstraction of space.
When in abstract combat, you can assign a fictionally
appropriate unit of distance for each square (for
example, 5 ft. = 1 sq.) to be able to translate distances
easily.
THE RULE OF ROSY GOLD
This is the Rosy Gold Rule, so called because it is the
Bulawan Rule tinged with the color of blood. It is this:
even in violence, fiction first. This means if
something happens that doesn’t make sense in the
fiction, that doesn’t happen. If a fighter makes an attack
that deals fire damage against a fighter that is soaking
wet or swimming in water, they cannot deal fire
damage.
One of the Umalagad’s supreme responsibilities is to
facilitate a fun combat that is grounded in the fiction of
the Kadungganan. As such, final rulings are up to the
Umalagad on all things. But with such power comes an
equal amount of responsibility: therefore, you must
know the fiction of your fight first and foremost
before making rash rulings.
56
REVEL IN LOVE AND
LIGHTNING
When the Kadungganan must engage in violence,
one player must put down a minimum 16x16 battle
grid and place every fighter upon it. There should be
two sides: the Kadungganan and the Enemy. Any allies
are on the side of the Kadungganan. Any non-allies are
on the side of the Enemy.
0 No fighters of opposite sides should be closer than 6
squares from each other.
0 Gubat Banwa uses the square grid, but one can use
hexes without problem, or even play this without a
grid or a battle map.
0 There should never be more than [The Number of
Kadungganan + 2] Enemies on the battlefield.
0 Kadungganan can equip up to 8 Masteries. This is
called the 8 Armed Demon.
OBJECTIVES
After declaring battle, the Umalagad asks the
Kadungganan what their Win Condition
Some examples of Main Objectives are:
0 Kill a target
0 Stop a ritual from being performed
0
0
Break down the stone wall
Get all allies to the specified location area
0 Activate all traps or contraptions
0 Incapacitate the enemy team
0 Convince them to take your side
0 Ensure an escape route
0 Survive until end of Pulse 6
0 Protect a particular important person or thing
0 Destroy a target's ship or armor
LOSS CONDITION
With all of that done, the Umalagad then sets the Loss
Condition. Usually this is something like: “If all the
Kadungganan are Posture-Broken or Defeated at the
same time”. Some example Loss Conditions are shown
below. Whatever it is, if the Loss Conditions are met,
the Kadungganan are considered as having lost the
battle, and suffer consequences afterwards. Defeated
Kadungganan lose all Conviction they currently have.
0 A leader is killed.
0 A place is breached.
0 An enemy falls in love with an ally.
0 An ally reaches the enemy.
0 An ally attacks an enemy.
 VIOLENCE
THE RHYTHM
When a fight begins, fighters erupt into a chaotic lightning
flash of techniques and abilities, of martial arts
maneuvers and desperate parries and dives. When combat
begins, the War Drums begin to resound. This. This! Is the
glory of combat!
After setting the grid, it is time to set the Rhythm.
Rhythm is the Turn Order of all fighters in the
battlefield.
The Rhythm has four parts: Pulses, Tempo, Beats and
Riffs.
Pulses are the sequence of lightning clashing swords
and thundering drums. Frequently known in other
games as a “Round”. It is typically 12 seconds of
lightning fast action.
Each second is called a Beat, wherein a fighter can Riff.
You count down from Beat 12 to Beat 1.
At the beginning of the fight, each fighter rolls their
Tempo, which is a die dictated by their Discipline, and
then modified by their Trait. The result is which Beat
they get to Riff. Then, the Pulse counts down from Beat
12 to Beat 1. Once it reaches the Beat equal to the result
you rolled, you Riff.
Example: You roll your Tempo (d6) and get a 5. You get
to Riff when the Pulse counts down to Beat 5.
Riffs are when a fighter gets to perform techniques,
changing the beat of battle, and is commonly known
as turns in other games.
For Enemies, they instead roll their Gambit Die to both
find out which Beat they Riff on and what they do
on their Riff.
Generally, Enemies of the same types should roll their
Gambit Dice once to find out what they both do. For
example, if you have 3 Juggernauts on the field, who
have a d6 Gambit Die, you only roll 1d6, and then the
result dictates the 3 Juggernauts’ Riffs and Techniques.
INTERJECTS
Some Masteries might need you to spend Interjects.
These will very frequently be written as Interject X, with
X being the number of times you can use it. All your
Interjects refresh at the end of your Riff.
COOLDOWN
Most Masteries have an Active Aspect that has a
Cooldown. This will be written usually as Cooldown X,
with X being any number between 2-6. When you use a
Mastery’s Active aspect and it has Cooldown on them,
the Active Aspect goes on Cooldown. You cannot use it
again until it goes off cooldown.
At the end of your Riff you roll a single Cooldown Die,
a d6. You then compare the result to every Active on
Cooldown. If you rolled equal to or higher than an
Active’s Cooldown, then you take that Active off
cooldown.
THE RIFF
START OF RIFF
When you start your Riff, perform the following in order:
0 Perform any Start of Riff effects.
0 End any effects that end on Start of Riff.
TECHNIQUES
As a Kadungganan, you can perform 3 Techniques on
your Riff, blitzing through the battlefield.You have a
number of Basic Techniques, each taking 1 Technique
to perform:
0 Deflect: Gain +1 to your POS or RES (choose 1) until
the start of your next Riff. Then, you move
immediately to End of Riff.
0 Inflict Violence: Perform one of your Discipline’s
Inflict Violences.
0 Interact: Interact with one of your items. Some
items might require more techniques.
0 Leap: Jump horizontally equal to your Jump trait,
but only in a straight line. This lets you ignore terrain
and lets you jump over chasms and lower elevations.
0 Second Wind: 1/Violence, spend 1 Technique to heal
BRV + FTH with 1 Hit. When you Second Wind in this
way, gain +1 to POS and RES until the end of your
next Riff, and you can immediately take 1 Mastery off
cooldown.
0 Shove: Push 1 adjacent fighter by 1 square.
0 Stride: Move a number of squares up to your Speed.
END OF RIFF
After performing three techniques or choosing to end
your riff, perform the following in order.
0 First, end any effects that end during the End of Riff.
0 Then perform any number of abilities and effects
that you can do during the end of Riff.
0 Regain any spent Interjects that you have.
0 Roll your Cooldown Die if you have any Actives on
Cooldown to see if you get to use them again on your
next Beat.
0 Then, lower all current Status Durations and
Mark Durations on you by 1. If a Status Duration is
brought to 0 here, the Duration goes away.
0 Finally, roll your Tempo Dice. This will dictate what
Beat you move on the next Pulse. Do this even for
enemies, though enemies of the same type only roll
once.
0 Then end your Riff. If there are more Riffs on this
Beat, they take it. If not, move on to the next Beat.
57
 VIOLENCE
VIOLENT GLOSSOLALIA
A list important combat terminologies that will be used
throughout the game.
0 +Xd: X being any number. This means you add an extra
Attack or Defense Tooth equal to X.
0 Adjacent: Every square that touches your square’s sides and
corners (all 8 squares around you). This includes all squares 1
square above and below you.
0 Ally: Any benevolent creature that fights on your side.
0 Area of Effect: Any of the burst, blast, path, or line
patterns.
0 Attack: An action that exerts force to change the disposition
of another fighter or object. There are three types: melee,
ranged, and area. Attacks inflict Hits. Hits subtract 1 HP.
0 Bane: A negative status effect.
0 Beat: The point in the Rhythm where a fighter bursts into
action. Called “turns” in other games.
0 Boon: A positive status effect.
0 Bravery [BRV]: Physical ferocity and strength, used for
physical attacks.
0 Cleanse: Remove a status and all durations.
0 Close: Every square orthogonal to you (cardinal directions)
on the same height.
0 Conditioning: Particular strength to an element. When you
are attacked by an element you have conditioning to, gain 1
auto Defend.
0 Element: The five natural elements of the Trichiliocosm, to
which all things are beholden, and also dictate a particular
affinity of an attack. There are five elements: Fire, Water,
Metal, Air and Earth.
0 Enemy: Any hostile creature that fights against you.
0 Faith [FTH]: Spiritual strength and mystical constitution,
used for mental and mystic attacks.
0 Fighter: Any creature in the battlefield that has Posture,
usually creatures that are actively fighting.
0 Hit Points [HP]: The ability of a fighter to stay in combat,
turning killing blows into grazing hits.
0 Object: Any thing in the battlefield that has Durability.
0 Overwhelming: Every Hit reduces 2 HP.
0 Posture [POS]: The ability of a fighter to stay in the fight.
Their ability to dodge and deflect, used against Bravery
Attacks.
0 Interject: A rating that some techniques give, letting you
perform actions out of your Riff. All your Interjects refresh at
the end of your Riff.
0 Resolve [RES]: The ability of a fighter to weather mystical
effects. Used against Faith Attacks.
0 Rhythm: The sequence in which martial artists delve into
violence, commonly known as the “turn order” in other games.
Made up of pulses (rounds), beats (ticks), and Riffs (turns).
0 Square: The abstract spacial units of a battlefield,
representative of the holy five point shape. Very often 1 dupa
tall and wide (1 fathom), but scale can change according to the
battlefield.
0 Skewering: Ignore the first Defend of an attack.
0 Summon: Any creature summoned by a summoner. Usually
dependent on their summoner.
0 Terrain: The characteristics of a square. Most terrain is
normal terrain.
0 Tempo: The stat used to determine when you’ll move in a
Pulse.
0 True Hit: Cannot be canceled out by Defenses.
0 Vulnerability: Particular weakness to an element. When you
suffer an element you’re weak to, suffer +1 Hit.
58
THE VIOLENCE CAST
Attain Glory through Conviction, Find Healing by
Violence.
A Violence Cast is specifically for martial arts. It has
two dice components: the Attack Teeth (d10) and the
Defense Teeth (d8). They function very similarly to a
Crocodile’s Teeth Cast, just with the important
difference in results to help model the fiction of kinetic
martial arts better in the mind’s of the fighters.
When you make an attack, you make a Violence Cast:
1. Collect a number of Attack Teeth (d10s) equal to
the stated rating (either BRV, FTH, or some other
rating), representing the number of strikes you
launch. Read each die separately. If the die comes
up as a 5-9, then that die is counted as a Hit. On a
10, that’s 2 Hits. Anything 4- is a Whiff.
2. Collect a number of Defense Teeth (d8) equal to
the stated rating (usually POS, RES, or some
other rating), representing the active deflections,
parries, and dodges of the target. Each die that
comes up as 6+ is a Defend. Anything 5- is a
Whiff.
3. Roll the attack and defense teeth and then read
each die. Cancel each Hit with Defends, 1-for-1. So
if you have 2 Hits and 1 Defend, that is 1 Hit net
total.
4. Subtract a number of HP from the target equal to
the number of Hits. If there are no Hits, then you
deal 0 Hits. If there are more Defends than there
are Hits, the each Defend subtracts 1 HP from
the attacker.
5. You only roll attack teeth once if an attack has
multiple targets, but each target rolls their Defense
separately.
0 Whiff: A miss of an attack or defense. Nothing
happens.
0 Hit: Your attack or effect scores a clean hit on the
target. Each Hit subtracts 1 HP from the target. Hits
are actual attacks biting down upon a fighter.
0 Defend: The attack or effect is deflected, avoided,
evaded, resisted, and the like. Each Defend cancels out a
Hit.
SHARPNESS AND DULLNESS
Sharpness represents combat advantage, while
Dullness represents combat disadvantage. Both cancel
each other out and don’t stack. These only apply to the
Violence Cast. You apply Sharpness/Dullness to the
Attack and Defense Teeth.
If you have Sharpness: your Attack Teeth Hit on a 4+.
If you have Dullness: the Defense Teeth Defend on a
5+.
 VIOLENCE

ATTACKS
Attacks are the primary way you interface in combat.
It is how you achieve your goals. You must exert force
upon something to change it, after all, and that is
what attacks are.
When you roll attacks, each Hit reduces 1 HP. Hits
are actual hits upon the target, attacks that land.
True Hits cannot be canceled out by Defenses.
Attacks are very frequently written like this:
A NOTE ON COMBINED ATTACKS
Some attacks deal a combined BRV+FTH or
FTH+BRV. To figure out what Defense to use against
these, use the first Trait. So if an attack is
FTH+BRV, you use RES. If BRV+FTH, then you use
POS.
COMBO BREAKER
Your Second Attack in a Beat suffers -2d. Your third
attack and beyond in a beat suffers -3d. All to a
minimum of 1d rolled.

Bravery Attacks - Attacks made with Bravery

are physical attacks.
ATTACK ELEMENTS
Faith Attacks - Attacks made with Faith are There are five damage types, that showcase the
mystical attacks. numerous ways of maiming that martial artists in
Gubat Banwa are capable of. These elements are
intertwined with the various elemental philosophies
ATTACK CLASSES of the cultures in Gubat Banwa.
There are three different classes
of attacks. The most basic 0 Fire is the scalding flames of blazes, the heat of
attack is known as the Inflict gun powder and bullets, blinding
Violences, which is different lights, the radiance of the stars
depending on your and the sun. These light flammable
Discipline. terrain on fire.
0 Water is intertwined with
Melee Attacks water, representing cutting jets of water,
(BLADES) - Attacks made sundering poisons and acids, goopy
usually up close with marshes, and even the deep dark of the
close range weapons. unknown abyss, the chilling gloom, and all
the spirits within.
0 Benefit from flanking. 0 Air is the howling winds, the boom of
thunder and war gongs, the devastation of
0 Does not benefit from vantage. storms, the cackling fulmination of lightning, the
flight of arrows and slicing of daggers as well as the
Ranged Attacks (ARROW) - heavens and the clouds themselves, and all the
Attacks made from afar, with spirits within.
sorcery or martial art. 0 Metal is the harmony of water and fire, the
heart of weaponry, the unmoving being of
0 Do not benefit from ambition and strength, the impact of
flanking. bludgeoning steel. Metal in the Sword Isles is
0 Benefits from often connected to Gold, and also
vantage. represents lightning (as it conducts it) as
well as strength of emotion and mental
0 All ranged attacks state. Metal damage can also represent
vs fighters on damage against the mind.
lower elevation
have +Sharpness. 0 Earth is the element that represents all the
living creatures upon the land, which includes Folk,
0 All ranged attacks against adjacent fighters have trees, mountains, and all, since everything has a
+Dullness. spirit. It represents even the invisible beings deep
in the mountains, the darkness of the divine wilds,
Area Attacks (COINS) - Attacks targeting huge and the dead things deep below, because what else is
swathes of the battlefield at a time. death but another phase of life?

0 Do not benefit from flanking.

0 Does not benefit from vantage.
DEFENSES
Each attack targets a Defense. There are three in all,
which can be boosted and strengthened.
RESISTANCES
VULNERABILITY
When you suffer an element you are Vulnerable to,
you are considered as suffering 1 automatic Hit.

0 Posture. You dip, dodge, deflect, and parry and

maintain physical tenacity and composure. Used
against Bravery Attacks.
0 Resolve. You steel your willpower, maintain mental
composure, and dig for a deeper strength, one of the
soul. Used against Faith Attacks.
CONDITIONING
When you suffer an element you have Conditioning
to, you are considered as already having 1 automatic
Defend.

59
 VIOLENCE

STATUSES
There are a number of statuses that a fighter can be subject to, changing their fighting state, either for good or for
ill.
Durations of the Statuses are expressed as a number after the Status, ie. Eviscerate X. At the end of your Riff, you
count down the Duration of all Statuses you currently have on you. Durations on Statuses can stack: if a fighter
gains Eviscerate 2 from one source, and then Eviscerate 3 from another, that adds up to Eviscerate 5.
If an effect lets you Cleanse, you remove the written status or choose a status to remove if no specific status is
written. You remove it completely, including all of its durations.
There are two kinds of Statuses: Boons give beneficial effects, while Banes give debilitating effects.

Boons
Cultivate Gain +1 to your BRV.

Enlighten Gain +1 to your FTH.

Float Ignore all terrain.

Haste You double your SPD and JMP.

Stealth You cannot be the valid target of any melee or ranged attack. If you suffer or deal any hits, lose Stealth.

Protect You have 1 Auto Defend against all sources of Hits.

Shell Gain +1 to your RES.

Shield Gain +1 to your POS.

Regeneration Heal 1 when you start your Riff.

Unyielding You cannot be forcibly moved unless you choose to.

Banes
Bleed You are wounded. Suffer 1 True Hit when you start your Riff.

Coward Suffer -1 to your BRV.

Daze You can only willingly target fighters close to you, you lose all Stances, and you cannot take any Stances.
You cannot Flank nor take Vantage.

Eviscerate You lose the first Defend result on your Defense Teeth.

Fray Represents damage over time: burning, poison, bleeding, etc. When you tick down Fray’s duration, suffer 1
True Hit first.

Juggle You suffer -1 POS, you cannot Flank, you suffer +1d damage, and you cannot spend Interjects.

Provoke The fighter that Provoked you is the only valid target for your melee or ranged attacks. All area attacks
must include the Provoker as a target, or else you cannot perform the attack. When you move while
Provoked, you cannot end in a square farther from your Provoker.

Silence Suffer -1 to your FTH.

Slow Your SPD and JMP is halved, rounded up.

Stop You cannot move voluntarily.

Sunder Lose all POS, RES, Conditioning, and Damage Immunity.

Stun You cannot Flank. You lose 1 Technique on your turn and cannot Interject.

Unbalance Suffer -1 to your POS.

Waver Suffer -1 to your RES.

Weak Discard the first Hit result on Attack Teeth.

60
 VIOLENCE

HIT POINTS DEFEATED

While Defeated, you are removed from play and cannot
“Remember the two most important factors to a fight, be targeted. All effects and marks you’ve put down in
greenhorn. One is to always keep your posture up. If the field, save for Fields, are removed as well.
your posture breaks, you are done for. The second is to
guard your flesh. If your flesh is exposed, then you are Deal in narrative and fiction to find out what happens
dead.” when you’re Defeated. In the Sword Isles, killing is not
actually very popular unless it is for Ritual Revenge.
Kadungganan are skilled martial artists, and even in Instead, Defeated units will be most likely turned into
the heat of combat they know to keep their posture up servants for the winning side, working and fighting for
at all times. When swords clash, spears impale, and them, tilling their fields and such.
sorceries are slung, a martial artist keeps their
composure and maintains their posture, or else they
die.
CONVICTION IN VIOLENCE
Conviction is the primary thing tested during fights.
This is their Hit Points, their gauge for their ability to
During Violence, if you are brought to 0 HP while all
stay on their toes, to keep their combat stance up,
your Convictions are marked, you die. The one that
their ability to ignore or reduce otherwise killing
brought you to this state gets to make a deathblow
blows into grazes and dodges. Not just that, but it
against you.
also represents sheer willpower, resolve,
determination, ability to keep one’s self in the focus of
combat.
Each Discipline has a different HP rating, which
BLOCK
represents hardier Disciplines that focus on keeping Block is the ability of something else to keep
their stance more so than others. Some sorcerous damage away from you. This can represent shields
martial artists (frequently of the Sharpshooter and that might break, ironclad armors, and magical
Witch Styles) for example focus completely on their barriers. In other games, this might be known as
offensive techniques, and HP is less useful for them as Temporary HP.
they very frequently are away from the line of fire.
All damage reduces Block first before HP. You lose all
You always begin fights with full Hit Points. Block and cannot gain Block while suffering Sunder.
Block does not stack: if you gain another instance of
When you fall to 0 HP, you must...
Block, keep the Block that is higher.
0 Describe what susurration it leaves behind, what
trauma or wound it inflicts upon your Kadungganan.
0 Choose 1 from below:

1 Become Defeated: the attacker gets to deal a

Finishing Blow against you.
1 Mark 1 of your Convictions. Explain how it
helps you stay within love and violence. Then
immediately Second Wind.

61
 VIOLENCE

ADVANCED VIOLENCE RULES

MOVEMENT CHANCE DIE
All Techniques that let you leave your square are If anything states that something “Has an X% chance of
counted as movement. When you choose to move, that happening”, that is a Chance Die. Roll a d100 and try to
is voluntary movement. When you are forced to move, roll equal to the percent or lower. Example: 50% chance
that is forced movement. of gaining Block 2. You gain the Block 2 if you rolled a
50 or lower on the Chance Die.
0 Moving into adjacent squares costs 1 Speed.
Generally, if you have chances from more than one
Diagonal movement is counted the same.
source, you simply take the highest chance.
0 You can move through, but not end in, ally squares.
You cannot move through enemy squares.
0 Jump is a trait all fighters have that details their HOSTILE ACTIONS
vertical allowance. A fighter with Jump 2 can leap,
Hostile Actions are all actions that would inflict
climb, or otherwise move up into a square that is 2
detrimental effects against the target, such as dealing
squares higher or 2 squares lower than them without
damage, inflicting debuffs, or forceful movement.
suffering anything else.
0 If you move into a square that is lower than you and
beyond your Jump, then you suffer skewering damage
equal to the number of squares you fell down.
VALID TARGETS
You can only target other fighters, objects, other
0 You cannot move diagonally across blocking
squares in the environment, or the ground. You must
terrain that fills its space, unless you are getting on
have line of sight and appropriate line of effect. Unless
top of the blocking terrain. This generally means you
otherwise stated, all actions that need a target must
cannot move diagonally through corners.
have Valid Targets.

FORCED MOVEMENT WILLING TARGETS

When you are told to forcibly move a target, it will very
commonly say how many squares. If it says something Some targets might be willing. If this is the case, they
like “push the target 3”, you must push the target 3 can choose to suffer the effect of the Technique or attack
squares, unless they are moved in a way that makes immediately.
them collide. However if it says “push the target up to
3”, then you can move them 1-3 squares.
Heights: You can forcibly move a target up into a higher
LINE OF SIGHT AND EFFECT
square as long as you have enough forced movement for You can only target those that you can see with your line
it. For example: you push an adjacent fighter by 3 of sight, as well as those that you have a clear shot at:
squares. You can push them 3 squares horizontally, or your line of effect. Line of Sight is usually blocked by
3 squares diagonally up, letting them land on a square blocking terrain.
that is up to 3 squares high. However you must have
To find out whether you have Line of Sight or Effect,
enough forced movement to be able to do this: if you
draw a straight line from one of your corners to the
Push 3, you cannot push them 2 spaces horizontally,
center of the target’s square. If the line touches blocking
and then up onto a space that is 3 squares up: you only
terrain, then there is no line of sight or effect between
have 1 square of forced movement left.
you and the target.
Difficult Terrain: Forced Movement ignores Difficult
Enemies of the same size as you, on the same Height as
Terrain.
you or higher can block Line of Sight, but allies don’t.
0 Push - Move the target forcibly away from you in a
straight line. You cannot push a target to the side, it
must always be away.
0 Pull - Move the target forcibly into a square closer to
you. This can be diagonally towards you, but not
laterally just to the side.
0 Slide - Move the target forcibly in any direction.
0 Collide - A unit collides with a fighter, object, or
terrain if they are forcibly moved into it. Colliding with
something still counts as moving into that space, but
inflicts 1 Hit on you and the target you collide with, and
then you stop all movement. Even if you have any
leftover forced movement, that ends immediately.
When you are forcibly moved, you are just forcibly
moved once, even if you are forcibly moved more than
one square.

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 VIOLENCE
RANGE
Range will specify how far the target of this attack can
be. These will be expressed in dupa or squares. In
general, count ranges the same as movement.
Firing of an attack/effect against a target on a lower
height gives a +1 square bonus to the range of the effect
(if it is not adjacent, melee or close) per Height
Difference. (Example: Healing someone that is 1 square
high, while you’re on a square that is 3 square high,
gives you +2 extra range. A range 2 heal becomes range
4.)
If it is a [range] and then [area of effect], you choose
a square within the specified number of squares from
you. That becomes the origin square of the area of
effect. Range 1 Burst 2 means the you place the origin
point of the burst within 1 square of you. Range 3
Burst 3 means you place it within 3 squares of you.
Range 0 Burst 1 means the origin point is your own
square.
Adjacency: Everywhere within 1 square of you
(basically all 8 squares around yours) is X 0 Line X: This is an area that fills a single straight line
considered adjacent to you. This includes all
squares with a height difference of 1.
Close: Melee range is every square
orthogonal to you (cardinal directions: north,
X that it targets vertically or diagonally upward.
south, east, and west). Someone not on the
same height as you is not close to you.
COUNTING RANGES
When you count ranges, start from a square adjacent to
the origin. Count ranges the same as movement.
When counting ranges into heights, in general it is
treated the same as if they are horizontal. If you want
to shoot straight up 3 square, you can do that. If you
shoot a fighter that is 3 square far and 2 squares high,
you can do that as well. Horizontal range is vertical
range.
Burst
Blast
AREA OF EFFECT
Areas of Effect has four area patterns: Burst, Blast,
Line, and Path. Each one counts range as normal. In
general, Area of Effect ignores Provoke.
Area of Effect is blocked by blocking terrain, as it still
requires line of effect. This means that blocking terrain
can block off an AoE’s effect.
0 Burst X: This is an area that extends to X dupa in
every direction from the origin, which can either be an
origin square or the user. Every square includes height:
going up and down. Bursts often include the origin
square.
0 Blast X: This is an attack that must have at least 1
square in its area of effect that is adjacent to the origin
point. X dictates how large the area is: blast 2 would
mean it covers a 2x2 squares area adjacent to the origin
point. For example: a rifle technique might be Range 0
Blast 3, which means it affects a 3x3 square area, but
one of the squares must be adjacent to the fighter using
the technique. The Blast covers a cube area, so a Blast 3
also goes up 3 squares and down 3 squares.
in any direction starting from a square adjacent to its
origin point. X is how many squares the line is long. The
squares of a Line must be contiguous (sharing a
common side or corner, so you can angle the Line
diagonally) but you cannot make it so that it “snakes”,
it must look like a straight line. You can angle a line so
0 Path X: This is an area that can be placed in any
manner as long as at least one square is adjacent to the
origin square and all squares are contiguous with each
other, sharing at least a path and corner, meaning you
can “snake” paths. X means how long the path goes.
FIELDS
Fields are lingering zones in the battlefield, like smoke
or changing tides. Fields last until the end of the scene
or until overwritten. New fields overwrite older fields on
each square. Some fields must be sustained, the creator
must actively sustain them by spending the required
Technique on their turn.
Line
Path
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 VIOLENCE
STANCES
Stances are martial arts forms that unlock true
spiritual strength. Stances cannot stack, and when you
take upon yourself a Stance that Stance supercedes the
old one. Stances will always define when they end.
FALLING
If you fall beyond your Jump trait (ie., you fall 3 squares
while your Jump is at 1), you suffer a number of True
Hits equal to the squares fallen. (Example: If you fall 3
squares, you suffer 3 True Hits.)
Falling damage cannot be reduced in any way.
VANTAGE
When making a ranged attack against a fighter on a
lower height, you are considered as having vantage:
gain +Sharpness on that attack.
SIZE
The Sword Isles are filled with warriors of all kinds.
More than one culture has traditions that tell the old
story: the original inhabitants of the Sword Isles were
giants, filled with spiritual power, closer to the gods
than mortals.
For the most part, most fighters will be Size 1. Size 1 is,
as with everything, an abstraction: it can be a small
goblin ghoul or a mounted knight upon a rainbow
raptor. Size 1 only takes up a single square on the grid.
Size 1/2 are smaller beings. Miniature beings: little
earth gods, geckos, ants, little lizards, and such. Size
1/2 is anything below 1 square tall and wide. They only
take up 1/4 of a square.
FLANKING
If you and one other ally are standing on
both adjacent sides of a fighter, you
both gain +Sharpness on all melee
attacks against the flanked fighter.
64
Size 2 should be reserved for large beings the size of
small pagodas: demigods, young giants or pygmy
giants. Size 2 creatures take up 2x2x2 squares on the
grid.
Size 3 is for powerful, perhaps even legendary and
mythical beasts and beings. These fighters take up a
huge chunk of the grid, and should be treated with both
fear, awe, and grandeur. Creatures like serpent gods,
hatred demons, or elder giants. Size 3 creatures take up
3x3x3 squares.
Size 4 Are for even larger beings than that.
Humongous collosuses, living bodhisattva statues,
ancient ruinous giant defense spirits, giant forest gods.
They take up 4x4x4 on the battle grid.
Size 5 Are for giant wrathful demons, elder gods, fierce
dog-lion gods, ancient viscera witches, giant serpents,
enormous deer spirits, infested giant demon-boars,
and even giant god-bodies. They take up 5x5x5 on the
battle grid. However, they can far exceed this height and
width in fiction.
Size 6 should not be modeled as a single fighter in the
battlefield anymore. Instead, section their body parts
into different Size 5 fighters on the field.
Size 7+ should not be modeled as a fighter at all.
Perhaps instead they are Battlefields on their own that
the Kadungganan must damage, or somehow quell.
These are truly gargantuan beings. Should be reserved
for truly godly beings. Beings of towering, gargantuan
bulk: these are crocodiles that cause a change in tides,
eagles whose wings block out the sun, turtles that are
entire islands on their own, primordial titans, serpents
that wind about entire mountains, and gods.
 VIOLENCE
COVER
When making an attack against a fighter and there
is a feasible obstacle (often cover terrain) in between
the target and the attacker, draw a line from one
corner of the attacker’s square or the origin
square of something, toward the center of the
target’s square.
If the line is in any way impeded by a cover terrain
(usually walls and the like), then that enemy has cover
against the attack. Having Cover imposes +Dullness
on the attack.
SHIFTING
Shifting is a special kind of movement. It represents
acrobatics, lightning fast dodges, wall-bounding
kinetics and the like. Shifting never provokes
Interjects or other kinds of effects (unless the
effect is specifically triggered by Shifting). Shifting
does not ignore terrain however.
Heights: Shifting still uses your Jump for the
purposes of jumping vertically or horizontally.
FLYING
While Flying, you are flying above the battlefield. While
you have Flying...
0 All melee attacks against you have +Dullness.
0 All your movement ignores Height, Terrain, and
you can move through Enemy squares.
0 You have Vantage on all ranged attacks.
0 If you are Unbalance, Juggle, or Stun, you lose
Flying.
TELEPORTING
Teleportation is not counted as movement: it is
displacement: you remove yourself from your current
square and place yourself into the square you choose
to be in. This means it does not trigger Interjects or
other effects that ask you to move. Teleportation
ignores all terrain, and all height.
IMMUNITY
Whenever you become Immune to any kind of effect,
you cannot suffer that effect any longer, and you
remove any existing effects of that kind from you.
Immunity ignores even skewering damage.
65
SUMMONS
Some effects might bring Summons into the fold. If
there are no stats written for the Summon, they will
have 4 HP but the rest of their traits are shared by
their Summoner.
However Summons will very commonly not have their
own place in the Rhythm Track and not have their own
turn.
MARKS
Whenever a target is marked, it will be written as mark
X, with X being the duration. Mark effects are usually
defined by the ability that gives them. New Marks
always overwrite older marks, unless stated that
they stack, in which case that mark can co-exist with
the other marks.
When you are Defeated, all your marks on other
fighters are lost.
MOUNTED COMBAT
Mounts are powerful creatures that can be ridden on
by fighters in a battlefield. Mounts are considered
Allies.
Mounting/Dismounting: To Mount a creature
requires one to move into the Mount’s square. To
Dismount can be done at any point during one’s turn
as a Technique, ending in a sq adjacent to the mount.
If one suffers Unbalance or Juggled, they have a 65%
chance of being knocked off their Mount, ending in
a square adjacent to the Mount.
While mounted on a Mount, the mount and the rider
are considered as 1 fighter.
Riff: The rider and the mount take the same Riff.
Attacks: If no HP is listed, the mount has 5 HP. When
attacking a mounted fighter, one can choose to target
the Mount instead of the mounter (this must be
declared before the attack is made, and this must be
declared even if it is an area attack). A Defeated Mount
is immediately removed from the battlefield. However,
attacking a Mount while there is a rider upon it
imposes Dullness on the attack.
Forced Movement: If the mount is moved forcibly, so
is the rider. If the rider is moved forcibly, the rider can
move with the mount. Otherwise the rider is knocked
off, landing on the destination of the forced movement,
and suffers Unbalance 1.
Teleportation: If either the mount or the rider is
teleported, the other does not teleport with it. If the
mount is teleported without the rider, the rider is
dismounted and suffers Unbalance 1.
 VIOLENCE

THE BATTLEFIELD EDGES OF THE BATTLEFIELD

When creating a battlefield, decide whether the
The Battlefield is the third pillar of Gubat Banwa’s Battlefield’s Edges (that is, the perimeter, the out of
combat. So are we part of nature, thus is violence: bounds area of the battlefield) are either walls or out of
simply expressions of nature. Therefore the Battlefield bounds. If Walls, they work the same as Wall terrain,
plays an important part to every fight. although once the wall is broken it then becomes out
The three aspects of a Battlefield are Terrain, of bounds.
Weather, and Field Traits. If these are Edges, a fighter is forcibly moved into an
edge, they have a 75% chance of ending up in an
adjacent square instead. If they fail, they are removed
OBJECTS IN THE from play until the start of their next Beat.
BATTLEFIELD
The battlefield will very often have objects (that are
usually also terrain on their own right). These objects
will usually define their Height or width or what their
shape is, but most commonly they will have Sizes,
which is the same as fighter sizes.
Objects do not have Posture but they instead have
Durability, which acts the same. When an object is
reduced to 0 Durability, it is destroyed: remove it from
the field.
All Objects, unless stated otherwise, have Durability
equal to (5 x Their Size).
Outside of combat, follow the fiction. These stats
might not matter when trying to destroy some kind of
barrier.

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 VIOLENCE
TERRAIN
Terrain is the properties of a square. Some terrain
can have the qualities of other terrain, such as Water
Terrain being also Difficult Terrain. A single square can
have multiple terrain qualities. There are Basic
Terrains and then there are Complex Terrains.
Complex Terrains can have the properties of Basic
Terrains.
BASIC TERRAIN
BLOCKING TERRAIN
Prevents line of sight, line of effect, and movement. If
there is no height associated with Blocking Terrain,
assume that it prevents all line of sight, effect, and
movement regardless of height.
DANGEROUS TERRAIN
Moving into a dangerous terrain square reduces your
HP by 1, 1/Beat.
DIFFICULT TERRAIN
Moving into a square of difficult terrain costs +1 Speed
(moving into an adjacent square costs 2 instead of 1
sq.)
HINDERING TERRAIN
Prevents movement but not line of sight.
WALLS
Walls don’t take up squares but rather, the sides of
squares. Walls count as blocking terrain—stopping line
of sight and line of effect. If an attack goes through
walls, the wall suffers the damage instead of the fighter
in the square behind the wall: you must draw a line from
the origin square toward the target. If the line touches
the wall in any way, it targets the wall instead. Walls
very often only have 1 Durability.
LADDERS
Ladders don’t take up squares similar to walls, but
rather the sides of squares. Moving into a square
through the side of the square that has a ladder (must
be orthogonal, diagonals do not count), does not cost
extra Speed if the Height is higher.
SLOPE
Slope terrain is considered -1 square high for the
purposes of moving into it.
COVER
Cover terrain are things like low walls, shrubs, and
boulders that fighters can hide behind. Line of effect
that crosses cover terrain gives the target cover.
CHASMS
Chasms are terrain that are lower than -8 squares in
height, so far deep that they are hard to recover from.
You must horizontally jump over a Chasm. If you move
or are forcibly moved into a Chasm, you have a 65%
chance of ending up in an adjacent square instead.
Otherwise, you fall into the Chasm and reduce half
your current HP, then you return into a square
adjacent to the Chasm at the start of your next Riff. You
can generally leap over chasms.
FLAMMABLE TERRAIN
A square that is covered with easily flammable material.
if the square or targets within the square suffer a fire
attack, the flammable terrain ignites and becomes
burning terrain.
COMPLEX TERRAIN
BURNING TERRAIN
Burning Terrain is Dangerous Terrain that also
reduces 1 HP if you start your Beat within it. Burning
terrain is put out by water or rain and then becomes
Scorched Terrain. If Burning Terrain becomes Water
Terrain, it becomes Scorched instead.
Burning Terrain is removed if the square or targets
within the square suffer an air or water attack.
HAZY TERRAIN
All fighters in Hazy Terrain are considered Hidden save
for all those within close range of them. Hazy Terrain is
removed if the square or targets within the square
suffer an Air Attack.
TALL GRASS TERRAIN
Tall Grass is difficult terrain and flammable terrain.
While you’re within the Tall Grass Terrain, all ranged
attacks against you suffer -1d.
Tall Grass Terrain becomes Burning Terrain if the
square or targets within the square suffer a fire attack.
WATER TERRAIN
Water terrain such as rivers and sea and oceans. Water
terrain is difficult terrain. While on Water Terrain, you
have air vulnerability and fire conditioning.
Water Terrain has a 45% chance of becoming Frozen
Terrain if the square or targets within the square suffer
a water attack.
FROZEN TERRAIN
Frozen Terrain is difficult terrain. If you are in a
square that becomes Frozen terrain, you become Stop
2. If you suffer a fire attack while on Frozen terrain, you
suffer +1 Hit and then the frozen terrain is removed, and
you lose the Stop caused by Frozen terrain.
Frozen Terrain is removed if the square or targets
within the square suffer a fire attack.
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 VIOLENCE

WEATHER SUN SCORN

Each Battlefield also has Weather, which is the
weather of the battlefield, which gives effects
across the entire field.
CLEAR
It’s bright and clear. No modifications.
LIGHT RAIN
It is drizzling.
0 All ranged attacks suffer -1 range.
STORM
The winds pick up, and the rains have come.
The Sun beats down relentlessly, scorching the
lands.
0 Fire Attacks deal +1 Hit.
0 Fray inflicts 2 True Hits instead of 1.
MOONGLEAM
The moon’s rictus grin shines down upon you
all.
0 All area attacks lose the first Hit result.
0 At Pulse 5+, every beginning of a Riff, there is
a 30% chance that that fighter’s senses are
overwhelmed: they become Dazed 1.

0 All ranged attacks suffer -1 range. HUNTING MOON

0 All ranged attacks suffer +Dullness. The moon is gone, and darkness comes upon you
0 All fighters’ Speeds are halved unless in all.
covered areas.
0 All fighters have cover against melee and
ranged attacks.
THUNDERSTORM
It is almost impossible to see through the pall of NIGHT
the tempest.
It is the night. The moon might or might not be
0 All ranged attacks suffer -1 range. shining. A dark premonition burns.
0 All ranged attacks suffer +Dullness.
0 Any fighter in a square not within the
0 All fighters’ Speeds are halved unless in illumination of a light source is considered as
covered areas. having cover.
0 All fighters in exposed squares have a 10%
chance of being struck by lightning (1 True
Hit) when they start their Riff.

THE LEAVES FALL INDISCRIMINATELY

Crimson and viridian leaves are cascading down.

0 All fighters gain cover at Pulse 1.

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 VIOLENCE

FIELD TRAITS COLD DIWATA IDOL

An idol shaped in the form of a deep sea snake,
Field Traits are explicitly items or traits of the
to represent the coldness they came from. Takes
battlefield that can be interacted with. If the
up 1 square in the battlefield. When interacted
Environment and Terrain are both passive things
with while adjacent, it deals 1 True Hit to all
that change the context of battle, Field Traits are
adjacent fighters and then turns all adjacent
active things that can shift the tide of combat.
squares into frozen terrain until the end of your
The following are only some examples of field
next Riff.
traits that you can use.

BOULDER FIREGECKO
A size 1/2 object in the battlefield. This is a
A Size 1 boulder in the field, large in size, but can
firegecko that, once agitated by any sort of
be pushed over. When it is forcibly moved, it
damage or if Interacted with, explodes and
moves in the direction it is pushed until it
immediately inflicts 2 True Hits to all fighters in
collides with terrain, a fighter, or the edge of the
a burst 3 of it, and then it is removed from the
map. If terrain, it suffers 2 Hits. If a fighter, it
battlefield.
deals 2 Hits to the fighter, slides the fighter to
the side, and then keeps going (unless the fighter
cannot be forcibly moved, in which case it GEYSER
suffers as if it hit terrain). If the edge of the map, There is a geyser in a single square in the
if it is a wall then treat it as colliding with terrain. battlefield that is covered by a rock. Any fighter
If the edge of the map is a chasm, then it falls can interact with it to remove the rock.
into the chasm. Afterward, at the start of any Beat as chosen by
the interacter, the geyser explodes. When the
DAM Geyser explodes, any fighter that is within close
burst 1 of the geyser is immediately Juggled and
A line 3 blocking terrain blocking a river’s flow. It
suffers 2 Hits.
has a Durability 6, and when destroyed, the
water rushes into the field, turning everything on
the same height of the Dam or lower into water PILE OF LEAVES
terrain. Takes up a single square. Any fighter can
interact with it during the start of their turn or if
ENTANGLING VINES they deal air damage to it. When you kick the
leaves all about to provide a distraction,
A size 1 object. When a fighter moves into its
spend 1 Technique. All squares in burst 1 of the
square, this consumes the Entangling Vines and
pile of leaves give cover.
they become Stop until they spend a Technique
to remove it.
TABLE
DIRT PILE A low Height 0.5 object that can be pushed
around, colliding with other fighters. It has a
Takes up 1 square. While adjacent to a dirt pile,
Durability 4. It can be interacted with to flip it on
you can Interact with it to kick it into the face of
its side to make it a wall.
a fighter adjacent to the dirt pile, making that
target Dazed 3. Moving into the dirt pile
removes it from the field.

OIL JARS
Takes up 1 square, but can share squares with
other fighters. When the oil jar suffers fire
damage, it explodes, dealing 2 True Hits to all
fighters in close burst 1 and then making all
those squares burning terrain.

69

69
 VIOLENCE

CONSUMABLES
Listed here is a list of items that are commonly used in
combat, known as consumables, that are very often only
useful in combat. You can gain these as rewards or from
buying from Downtime through gaining items. You can
never have more than 3 of each of these item types at a
time. When you use a consumable, they are consumed,
meaning they are gone from your inventory.
Whether in Solo, Co-Op or Traditional Play, the warband
can only carry up to 5 consumables. More fighters in a
warband would necessitate less consumables, while a sole
fighter would likely need a lot of consumables to stay
alive.
In Solo Play, consider using these consumables (written
in a d20 table so as to facilitate randomization) to fill in
gaps when you’re having a hard time in combat. Give these
to your Kadungganan as rewards for ventures and hard
fought combats.
Unless otherwise stated, all consumables need you to
Interact with them (1 Technique) to use their effect.

d20Consumables
1 Healing Concoction. Heal your Critical value.
2 Spiced Coconut Milk. Gain fire conditioning 2.
3 Hot Ginger Tea. Gain water conditioning 2.
4 Bluepea Drug. Gain metal conditioning 2.
5 Calming Safflower Drink. Gain air conditioning
2.
6 Heavenly Cloud Tea. Gain earth conditioning 2.
7 Sugapa. Your next melee attack becomes
skewering.
8 Clearsight Herbs. Your next ranged attack ignores
cover.
9 Naga Tooth. Your next attack becomes water.
10 Fireflower. Your next attack becomes fire.
11 Iron Hibiscus Petal. Your next attack becomes
metal.
12 Calcified Lightning. Your next attack becomes air.
13 Clump of Scorched Earth. Your next attack
becomes earth.
14 Mending Drug. Cleanse 1 status from yourself.
15 Rooster Mentala. Inflict fire vulnerability 2 on
one fighter in range 2.
16 Naga Mentala. Inflict water vulnerability 2 on
one fighter in range 2.
17 Turtle Mentala. Inflict metal vulnerability 2 on
one fighter in range 2.
18 Hornbill Mentala. Inflict air vulnerability 2 on
one fighter in range 2.
19 Crocodile Mentala. Inflict earth vulnerability 2
on one fighter in range 2.
20 Geomantic Moondrop. You can only ever have 1 of
a Geomantic Moondrop, it’s mysticism makes it so
that you never see two Moondrops at a time.
Interacting with this costs 2 Techniques, letting
you ingest it: choose a damage type: you can deal
that damage on all attacks until the end of the
scene.

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VIOLENCE

AGAINST ALL ODDS

Every fighter goes all out when in desperate circumstances.
Like a cornered animal, they will use everything in their
disposal to be able to fight back. This rule reinforces that.
At the beginning of a Melody, if your side has less than
half the number of fighters on the other side, you gain
AGAINST ALL ODDS for the rest of the Violence.
When you are Against All Odds, gain +1 Tempo Die that
you roll at the beginning of a Melody. This means that you
have 2 Beats during that Melody.
Against All Odds only triggers for Kadungganan,
Companions, Standard Enemies, and Braves. Minions
and Chiefs do not trigger Against All Odds.
NOTE: Keep in mind the wording: you must have less
than half the number of fighters. What this means is that
if you are only 2 left, and the enemy side has 4 fighters,
you are not Against All Odds. If you are 1 left, and your
enemy side has 4 fighters left, then you gain Against All
Odds.
NOTE: Against All Odds, once triggered, lasts for the rest
of violence.

SPECIAL SOLO RULE: TRANSCEND LIMITS

If you are in Solo Play and playing a Single Kadungganan
(and not an entire warband or do not have Companions),
then you can trigger Transcend Limits once per Violence
instead of gaining Against All Odds. When you
Transcend Limits, you gain +2 Tempo Dice instead.

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 VIOLENCE
SCENARIOS
While Victory Objectives supply enough diversity to
completely avoid the “deathmatch” type of encounter,
here are four additional combat encounter types that
change things up. These are called Scenarios. The four
presented here are: Capture, Escort, Defense, and
Last Stand.
CAPTURE
“Datu! The tree, the stone, and the longhouse in the
present wetlands before us are under contention. We
must be like the hurricane, and capture the field! Let
us rejoice in our divine struggle!” - Satariya Pakrud,
in the Battle of Lightnings and Flames, during
the 12th Harvest of the Eighth Moon Era.
Capture is a classic capture the base kind of Scenario.
Objective: Gain more Capture Points than the enemy
side at the end of Pulse 5.
Defeat Condition: Defeat is when you gain less
Capture Points than the enemy side.
Stalemate: An equal amount of points is achieved at
the end of Pulse 5.
Battlefield Setup: When setting up the Battlefield,
you must make the size at least 25x25 squares. Then,
place three different 3x3 zones in the field. These are
the Zones of Contention.
At the end of every Pulse, both sides count the number
of fighters they have at least partially within the Zone
of Contention. For each fighter you have within the
Zone of Contention, gain a Capture Point.
Deployment: Kadungganan and Enemies deploy in
opposite sides of the map. Both Enemies and
Kadungganan must deploy within a 3x3 space at both
edges of the map.
Enemies may have a contingent of reinforcements, but
there cannot be more than N + 3 foes on the field at
any given time. N being the number of Kadungganan.
72
ESCORT
“The Sarripada’s life before ours. We must remember
our oaths. That sworn fealty we pledged under the
blooming bamboo flowers, before the grand
mountain of Gising-gising. If we break our oath, then
what are we but base rocks, made to bleed foes? Let
us remember where we came from. Let sorrow name
the Sun, for tonight we shall bring the Stars to
victory.” - Senapati Sikara, in the Battle of Red
River, in the Inagos River, the 345th Harvest of
the Seventh Moon Era.
In Escort, you must help a single fighter (The
Escort) travel from one corner of the map to the
opposite corner of the map.
Objective: The Escort escapes alive and conscious.
Defeat Condition: Pulse 6 ends without gaining
Victory.
Stalemate: The Escort is incapacitated.
Battlefield Setup: When setting up the Field, you
must make the size at least 22x22 squares. Then, place
the deployment zone of the Kadungganan in one of the
four corners of the map. Make it so that they can
surround the Escort Unit. Then, place the Escape Zone
in a 3x3 place that is at least 2 to 3 spaces from the
opposite edge of the map.
Then, place the Initial Deployment Zone for the
Enemies directly in front of the Target Zone, around 3
to 4 spaces from it. Then, place reinforcement
deployment zones in four different parts of the map.
Make sure that there are no more than N + 3 fighters
in the map at any given time.
Prepare double the amount of Enemies than you
normally would, but deploy them in staggered
intervals, or to increase tension. You can deploy new
Enemies at the beginning of any Enemy Beat.
The Escort: Build the Escort as a Companion Folk
with the same tier as a Kadungganan, but they do not
have their own Riff. The Escort moves whenever a
Kadungganan or ally to them Strides, moving the same
amount of Speed as the Kadungganan does.
If the Escort is ever adjacent to a fighter from the
enemy side, they stop moving and can’t move until it is
only adjacent to units from the ally side.
ESCAPE
When a Kadungganan is within the Escape Zone, they
may spend a Technique to escape at the end of their
turn. If they are adjacent to the Escort and the Escort
is not adjacent to an Enemy, the Escort also Escapes.
The rest of the Kadungganan must then also Escape, or
else be left behind.
 VIOLENCE

DEFENSE The young girl did not answer. Sri Nagini turned to the
others. Two young men, one of them drowning
“Remember! We are the thunder and the lightning, the himself with alcohol. The other was stretching, almost
hurricane and the mountain! We shall protect what is nonchalant, like a cat.
ours. Now is not the time to run: they try to raid us for “All right, fools. Listen up. All we have to do is be a
revenge? HA! Let us see about that. We are the thorn on their side, and their war machine will fall.
golden gleaming blades! When we sunder them, let Death is not defeat.”
us make sure that they will not meet Hell!” - Sri
Pakrud, the Battle of Indigo Lake, deep in Sri Nagini turned as the forces of Virbanwa Stop
Tauhaw, against belligerent Tauhawnon, during across the grasslands, appearing from the trees. Sri
the Fifth Star Era. Nagini and the Kadungganan stood within an ancient
kota, overlooking the Lake of Sirimina.
Defense has you protecting either a single or a number
“Remember that wretched and exalted phrase,” said
of Size 3-5 objects. These can be used to dramatically
Sri Nagini, and she raised her spear—the bells upon
simulate protecting a castle, protecting civilians and
it clanging in cacophony—to signal that they were
peasants, protecting a town, or protecting important
there. She screamed: “Revel in love and lightning!”
artifacts.
Objective: The Ward/s still stands at the end of the The Last Stand is one of pure desperation. At best, it's
40th Beat. holding out just long enough for a victory in another
area. At worst, it is certain death.
Defeat Condition: All Wards are destroyed.
But death brings glory.
Stalemate: All Kadungganan are Defeated.
Objective: The Kadungganan have 1 or more Points at
Field Setup: When setting up the Field, you must make the end of the Pulse 6.
the size at least 25x25 squares. Then, place the Ward to
be defended in one side. Place Kadungganan Defeat Condition: The Kadungganan have less than 1
Deployment directly in front of the objective. Point at the end of Pulse 6.
Then, place Enemy deployment zones in three different Stalemate: None. This is Victory or Death.
areas: one in front of the Kadungganan Deployment
Battlefield Setup: When setting up the Field, you must
zone, and then two more at two different sides, on both
make the size at least 25x25 squares. Then, place the
sides of the map. None should begin behind or beside
Last Stand Zone in the center of the map, usually a 5x5
the Ward.
space.
Prepare double the amount of Enemies ([N+3]*2), but
During Preparation Phase, Kadungganan may spend 1
hold half of them as reinforcements. At the beginning
Conviction Token to place either a H1 Blocking Terrain
of Pulse 3+, deploy any number of reinforcements at
or a space of difficult terrain in 1 space within 2 squares
the edges of the map, but never going past N+3.
of the Last Stand Zone.
Ward: The Object should be at Size 3 to Size 5, and it
The Foe Deployment Zone is every side of the map. They
can be a single object or multiple objects (good for
must start from the edges of the map, but they may
simulating defending a number of houses, for
deploy in any part of the map’s edges.
example). Define what this is.
Prepare triple the amount of Enemies, but hold half as
Reinforcements. At the beginning of Pulse 3+, you can
LAST STAND begin deploying reinforcements in the edges of the map,
but you should never have more than N+3.
It was a thunderous morning. The sun was not there
to greet them. Last Stand Zone: The Kadungganan begin with 4
points. At the end of Pulse 6, tally the points. For each
As expected, Sri Nagini was correct. She had Foe within the Last Stand Zone, the Kadungganan lose
anticipated that the Virbanwanon would follow them to 1 Point. This can bring their points to the negatives.
the depths of the Mairete. She was stuck with just four
other Mairete Kadungganan. Lingid, too. Unknown.
No songs about them. Greenhorns, but Kadungganan
all the same. They would have to do.
The war drums of the Virbanwanon— plundered from
Akai towns no doubt— resounded in the distance.
“Bayi,” said one of them. A young girl, wielding a
sikarom taller than her. She was clad in the full
vestment of breastplates and abaca undershirts. “How
many are there?”
“Are you ready for death, child?”
They had to hold out. Just for a bit. Sri Nagini knew
that the young Rajah Batara Ambasi was halfway
through the mountain of Janagdan. All they needed
was a couple sun-movements, and they will be in
Alang-alang, and on a karakoa home. To safety.
Rajah Batara Ambasi must not fall.

73
 VIOLENCE
ENEMIES
Not all people you meet become your enemies. Of
course not. If you will make an enemy of every sword
then you will never achieve healing through violence.
However, if you are afraid of making any enemies, then
you will never bring about a better world.
In Violence, those hostile to you are known as your
Enemies, fighters on the field that have an express goal
of making sure that you don’t accomplish your
Objective. Enemies are built differently than
Kadungganan, and they are significantly easier to
handle, as very often one player is expected to control
each enemy (though this is a convention Gubat Banwa
does not aim to uphold, thanks to Solo Play and Co-
Op Play).
An Enemy is composed of 4 parts: their Martial
Abilities, their Trait, their Inflict Violence, and their
Gambits.
0 Martial Abilities are the 7 combat focused
abilities that Kadungganan also have except one.
These are Hit Points [HP], Bravery [BRV], Faith
[FTH], Posture [POS], Resolve [RES], Speed
[SPD], and Jump [JMP]. What Enemies don’t have is
a Tempo Ability, as that is dictated by their
Gambits.
0 Traits are single defining abilities that are always in
effect, and usually exalt the Enemy’s Class.
0 Inflict Violences are that Class’ basic attack. They
almost always only have one.
0 Gambits are the brunt of an enemy, and dictates
when they take their Riff, as well as what they do
on their Riff.
GAMBITS
Enemies still have 3 Techniques, and Gambits tell
the enemy what they do with those 3 Techniques.
Gambits are a unique roll that one makes for Enemies
at the beginning of a Pulse. They dictate turn order as
well as what they’ll be doing with their techniques on
their Riff. Think of them as AI for the enemies.
Gambits take the role of Tempo for enemies, and any
effect that affects Tempo affects an enemy’s Gambit
instead. Like with Tempo, Gambits never go above 12.
At the beginning of a Pulse, roll every enemy’s Gambit.
Enemies of the same type (ex.: three Raiders) share a
single Gambit roll. This means they all Riff on the
same Beat (but not at the same time, choose which one
Riffs first) but it also means that they would do the
same thing on their Gambit.
The Gambit is what you call the table itself, Gambit
Entries are each of the entries listed down, which differ
based on the complexity of each Gambit. Each Gambit
Entry will have a multitude of actions. Some actions are
Basic Techniques (costing 1 Technique to do), but they
might have access to other effects, wherein the number
of techniques needed to use it would be noted by the
number of Technique Flowers [�].
If an Action wouldn’t do anything (ie., Inflicting
Violence without a target) the enemy can choose to
Stride instead in place of that part of the Gambit. They
must then move on to the next Gambit action.
74
TRADITIONAL PLAY
If you are in Traditional Play, the Umalagad can simply
play with Gambits as well to ease the mental load.
However, the Umalagad can take control of each enemy,
using the Gambit roll only to define when they will take
their Riff. On an Enemy’s Riff, they have 3 Techniques
to use on any of the Basic Techniques and any other
unique technique the enemy has on their Gambit.
GAMBITS AND FICTION
Of course, Gambits are made in such a way to
dynamically alter the fiction, so you can bounce off of
what the Gambit rolls might be. However if something
is drastically going in a direction that is detrimental to
the current fiction, or if you have a golden opportunity
for an interesting or dramatic twist, you can take
control of an enemy and gain 3 Techniques to spend on
any actions on their Gambit List.
BUILDING VIOLENCE
Your Violence Budget is how many enemies you can
deploy against Kadungganan. These fights are
commonly average or difficult, so as to challenge your
players.
Your Violence Score is always N+3, with N being the
number of Kadungganan in the field. This means a
fight with 3 Kadungganan would have a score of 6.
Each standard Enemy is equal to 1 violence point. Using
the previous example, deploying 6 Enemies (N+3)
against 3 Kadungganan is a recommended average
fight.
To make it harder, your score instead is N+6. To make
it easier, your score instead is N.
Below is a list of all types of things to introduce
into a fight to fill up your Violence Score:
0 Standard Enemy = 1
0 Minion = 1/5
0 Brave = 2
0 Chief = N+6
THE BATTLEFIELD
Once you’ve considered the number of enemies, you
should then choose at least 2 from below, 3 if its a
particularly significant setpiece:
0 3-5 Field Traits.
0 A Height Variation equal to or greater than +5/-5.
0 Large swathes of difficult terrain.
0 At least 3-5 pieces of cover or blocking terrain.
0 At least 10 sides of walls.
0 A change in Weather.
 VIOLENCE

ENEMY TYPES ENEMY RANKS

Enemy Types are narrative and mechanical templates There are three base Enemy Ranks. There is the
for you to express different fighting styles. Each Style Standard Warrior, which is a standard enemy. Then
has 7 Types, with the first Type being the basic type that there are the Minions, and the Braves. You can apply
that style is supposed to do in the battlefield, thus being these Ranks to any Enemy Type except for Chiefs.
less complicated and good for first-time players to use.
Finally, each style also has an 8th Chief Type, a fighter 0 Minions: Minions represent easy to dispatch
that requires a party of fighters to defeat. enemies, those that are so far below the skill of the
Kadungganan. They each have only 1 HP and have -1
Each enemy type has 3 sections to their Martial
to all Martial Abilities except for their SPD/JMP,
Abilities, written as “x/x/x”. Each section denotes
and they have -1 to all Gambit Dice, minimum 1.
to an Arc: “Arc 1/Arc 2/Arc 3” and when fighting
Kadungganan of that Arc you would use the appropriate 0 Braves: Braves are more powerful warriors that can
Arc rating. pose a threat to Kadungganan. They have x2 HP, have
+1 to all Martial Abilities except for SPD/JMP, and
On top of the generic Enemy Types here, there are also have 2 Gambit Dice to roll instead of 1, meaning they
Faction Types that one can find in the Regions of should have two Riffs in a fight. If they roll the same
Gubat Banwa, detailed under each Faction. These Types number twice, reroll until different.
are unique to their Factions.
Each Type is also color-coded styles that narrate
their role in the battlefield.
Red means they are Raiders. Swift damage dealers.
Orange means they are Sharpshooters. Ranged and
area attackers.
Blue means they are Sentinels. Defenders of their
allies and damage takers.
Purple means they are Witches. Those that inflict
Banes and can change the battlefield.
Green means they are Mediums. Wild cards,
supporters, and givers of Boons and healing.

75
 VIOLENCE

RAIDER TYPES RAIDERS

Raiders move swiftly and scrap, dealing large
amounts of damage when given the opportunity.
MARTIAL ABILITIES POS 2/4/5
HP 5/6/7 RES 2/3/4
BRV 5/7/9 SPD 4/5/6
FTH 3/5/6 JMP 2/3/4
TRAIT INFLICT VIOLENCE
Ambush: Raiders inflict Blade: Melee, Metal,
+1 Hit against targets with Adjacent, 1 Target, BRV
full HP.
GAMBITS (d8)
1-3 Stride � Stride � IV
4-6 Stride � IV � Whack [�]: Inflict 1 Hit
on 1 adjacent fighter.
7-8 Stride � IV � Gatling [�]: IV, ignoring
CB

FIST ASSASSIN

Powerful front line pugilists who can grapple enemies Extremely close quarters warriors that are super fast
and strike with a multitude of elements channeled and have phases where they cannot be hit at all.
from the gods. Used to get through enemy lines.
MARTIAL ABILITIES POS 2/4/5 MARTIAL ABILITIES POS 2/4/5
HP 5/6/7 RES 2/3/4 HP 5/6/7 RES 2/3/4
BRV 5/7/9 SPD 4/5/6 BRV 5/7/9 SPD 4/5/6
FTH 3/5/6 JMP 2/3/4 FTH 3/5/6 JMP 2/3/4
TRAIT INFLICT VIOLENCE TRAIT INFLICT VIOLENCE
Grappler: Attacks against Empty Hand: Melee, Assassin: Melee attacks Karambit: Melee, Metal,
Stop opponents have Earth, Close, 1 Target, vs Staggered enemies Adjacent, 1 Fighter, BRV
Overwhelming. BRV Inflict Stop 2. deal True Hits.
GAMBITS (d8) GAMBITS (d8)
1-2 Stride � Stride � IV 1-3 Stride � Stride � IV
3-4 Stride � IV � Whack [�]: Inflict 1 Hit 4-5 Stride � IV � Gatling [�]: IV, ignoring
on 1 adjacent fighter CB
5-6 Shift 2 � IV � Mortal Grapples Gods 6-7 Shadows Strike Twice [�]: Teleport
[�]: Melee, Fire, Close, 1 Target, BRV, SPD � IV � Shadowstep [�]: Teleport
Stop to Push 5. 2
7-8 Stride � Wrestle Buddhas [��]: 8 Shadowstep [�]: Teleport 3 + Anino
Melee, Fire, Blast 3, All Targets, Safe, Devaraja [��]: IV x2, ignoring CB.
BRV+FTH, Inflict Stop 2.

76
 VIOLENCE

LANCER RAGER
A lance-wielding warrior that make up the bulk of Powerful warriors that throw caution to the wind and
warriors in the Sword Isles. Their reach and their dive deep into violence, immersed into an endless
ability to travel through dense jungle makes them well of fury.
formidable foes.
MARTIAL ABILITIES POS 2/4/5
MARTIAL ABILITIES POS 2/4/5
HP 5/6/7 RES 2/3/4
HP 5/6/7 RES 2/3/4
BRV 5/7/9 SPD 4/5/6
BRV 5/7/9 SPD 4/5/6
FTH 3/5/6 JMP 2/3/4
FTH 3/5/6 JMP 2/3/4
TRAIT INFLICT VIOLENCE
TRAIT INFLICT VIOLENCE
Rage: When Staggered, Barung: Melee, Metal,
Charge: Gain +1d to the Spear: Melee, Metal, Line immediately become Adjacent, BRV. If Raging,
next attack after striding 2, All Targets, BRV Raging for the rest of this deals BRV+FTH and
4+ sq. violence. Raging: Gain becomes FIRE.
BRV+2, FTH+2, SPD+2
GAMBITS (d8)
GAMBITS (d8)
1-3 Stride � Stride � IV
1-3 Stride � IV � Stride
4-5 Stride � Dragon Tooth [��]: Ranged,
Fire, Range 4, 1 Target, BRV+FTH, 4-5 Stride � Berserk [��]: Area, Fire,
inflict Stop 1. Blast 1, All Targets, BRV+FTH
6-7 Lancer’s Speed: Gain Hastened 1 [�] 6-7 Temper [�]: Next attack becomes
+ Stride + IV Skewering. If Raging, also gain
8 Stride + Sibatsa Bakunawa Overwhelming + Stride + IV
[��]: Area, Water, Line 6, All Targets, 8 Stride � Fell Cleave [�]: IV three
BRV+FTH times, ignoring CB.

REAPER
SWORDMAIDEN
A scythe and shovel wielding warrior-gardener that
Sword wielding warriors that carry with them the chucks soil, uproots trees, and beckons all to the
prestige of the blade. They can set up attacks for burial jar.
allies as they batter down their foes.
MARTIAL ABILITIES POS 2/4/5
MARTIAL ABILITIES POS 2/4/5
HP 5/6/7 RES 2/3/4
HP 5/6/7 RES 2/3/4
BRV 5/7/9 SPD 4/5/6
BRV 5/7/9 SPD 4/5/6
FTH 3/5/6 JMP 2/3/4
FTH 3/5/6 JMP 2/3/4
TRAIT INFLICT VIOLENCE
TRAIT INFLICT VIOLENCE
Dig: Start of Riff, may turn Scythe: Melee, Earth,
Sword Dance: After Kampilan: Melee, Metal, 1 adajcent free sq into a Path 3, All targets, BRV
making a melee attack, Adjacent, BRV, Inflict 1 Chasm, and 1 adjacent
shift 1 and gain Shield 2 Hit to 1 enemy adjacent sq rises by 1 Height.
to target Immune to all Chasms.
GAMBITS (d8) GAMBITS (d8)
1-3 Stride � IV � Stride 1-3 Bring To Hell [���]: Area, Earth,
4-5 Stride � Sword Ambahan [��]: Area, Burst 2, BRV, all free squares become
Metal, Burst 1, All Targets, BRV+FTH, Difficult Terrain
Unbalance 1 4-5 Stride + Harvest [��]: All marked
6-7 Sharpen [�]: Cultivate 2 + Stride + IV enemies are Pulled 2 and suffer 1 Hit.

8 Sword Dance [�]: Shift 6 sq in a
straight line, moving through enemies,
inflicting 1 Hit on every enemy moved
through�Sword Dance [�]�Sword
Dance [�]
6-7 Stride � Deep Cut [�]: Area, Earth,
Line 3, BRV, other sq in the line
become Difficult Terrain � Arise [�]:
Teleport adjacent to any Chasm.
8 Arise [�]: Teleport adjacent to any
Chasm � IV � Stride

77
 VIOLENCE

SHARPSHOOTER TYPES SHARPSHOOTERS

Sharpshooters attack from afar, reliably, picking off
enemies, but spending most of their time aiming.
MARTIAL ABILITIES POS 2/3/4
HP 4/5/6 RES 3/4/5
BRV 4/6/8 SPD 3/3/4
FTH 4/6/8 JMP 4/5/6
TRAIT INFLICT VIOLENCE
Critical Distance: Gun/Bow: Ranged, Air,
Attacking targets 3+ Range 5, 1 Target, BRV
squares away grants
+Sharpness
GAMBITS (d6)
1-2 Stride � Stride � IV
3-4 Stride � Leap � IV
5-6 Stride � IV � Snipe [�]: Inflict 1 True
Hit to 1 Fighter in range 5

SNIPER
Warriors that wield either giant, man-sized bamboo
longbows or long arquebuses that can bring single targets
down from almost across the battlefield, unparalleled in their TIGLANTAKA
capability to shoot down single targets.
Cannoneers trained in the arts of explosion and
MARTIAL ABILITIES POS 2/3/4 penetration.
HP 4/5/6 RES 3/4/5 MARTIAL ABILITIES POS 2/3/4
BRV 4/6/8 SPD 3/3/4 HP 4/5/6 RES 3/4/5
FTH 4/6/8 JMP 4/5/6 BRV 4/6/8 SPD 3/3/4
TRAIT INFLICT VIOLENCE FTH 4/6/8 JMP 4/5/6
Watchtower: When Arquebus/Longbow: TRAIT INFLICT VIOLENCE
attacking with vantage, Ranged, Air, Range 7, 1
inflict 1 True Hit. Target, BRV, If target has Blaster: All area attacks Lantaka: Area, Fire,
no enemies adjacent, have +Sharpness. Range 4 Burst 1, All
gain +1d. Targets, BRV
GAMBITS (d6) GAMBITS (d6)
1 Stride � Stride � IV 1 Stride � Stride � IV
2-3 Stride � IV � Snipe [�]: Inflict 1 True 2-3 Stride � Shove � IV
Hit to 1 Fighter in range 5 Stride(+1) � Dragon Flame [��]:
4-5
4-5 Stride � IV � Overwatch [�]: Until Area, Fire, Blast 5, All Targets,
end of next Riff, 1/Beat, when a fighter BRV+FTH
moves out of a sq within burst 5, inflict 6 Stride � Cannonball [��]: Area, Fire,
1 True Hit. Line 6, All Targets, BRV, Inflict 1 Hit on
6 Stride � IV/Straight Shot [��]: Area, every fighter adjacent to the last target
Air, Line 7, All Targets, BRV x2 of the line.

78
 VIOLENCE

JUGGLER BLOWGUNNER

Acrobatic warriors that can juggle rope darts, Treetop assassins that inflict poisons and other lethal
daggers, swords, spears, and even hearts. effects from afar with imbued darts.
MARTIAL ABILITIES POS 2/3/4 MARTIAL ABILITIES POS 2/3/4
HP 4/5/6 RES 3/4/5 HP 4/5/6 RES 3/4/5
BRV 4/6/8 SPD 3/3/4 BRV 4/6/8 SPD 3/3/4
FTH 4/6/8 JMP 4/5/6 FTH 4/6/8 JMP 4/5/6
TRAIT INFLICT VIOLENCE TRAIT INFLICT VIOLENCE
Bouncing Daggers: After Throwing Knife: Ranged, Treetop Assassin: When Sumpit: Ranged, Earth,
making a ranged attack, Air, Range 3, 2 Targets, attacking with Vantage, Range 5, 1 Target, BRV,
inflict 1 True Hit on 1 BRV inflict +1 Hit. Slow 1
enemy within range 2 of 1 GAMBITS (d6)
target.
1 Stride � Stride � IV
GAMBITS (d6)
2-3 Stride � IV � Surmount [�] Shift 2
1 Stride � Stride � IV ignoring height.
2-3 Stride � Shove � IV 4-5 Stride � Barrage [��]: IV twice without
4-5 Stride � Death Blossom [��]: Shift 3, CB.
and then deal 1 True Hit to all enemies 6 Acrobatics [�]: Gain vantage against
in burst 2 at any point during the move. all targets with ranged attacks. � Stride
6 Stride � Dancing Fang [��]: Ranged, � Dancing Fang [��]: Ranged, Metal,
Metal, Range 5, 1 Target, BRV, inflict Range 5, 1 Target, BRV, inflict Slow 1.
Slow 1.

SORCERER
DANCER
Powerful magick-users and spellcasters that have the
strength and power of a artillery. They very often A jovial and mad dervish that performs war dances in
channel the teachings of either destruction gods the battlefield to summon and invoke the very gods
(such as Siwa Priests or Nibatala Balyan) or rely on and spirits, and to inspire their allies.
the knowledge of old mystic arts passed down from
generations. MARTIAL ABILITIES POS 2/3/4
MARTIAL ABILITIES POS 2/3/4 HP 4/5/6 RES 3/4/5
HP 4/5/6 RES 3/4/5 BRV 4/6/8 SPD 3/3/4
BRV 4/6/8 SPD 3/3/4 FTH 4/6/8 JMP 4/5/6
FTH 4/6/8 JMP 4/5/6 TRAIT INFLICT VIOLENCE
TRAIT INFLICT VIOLENCE Jive: May Shift 1 after Galura War Dance:
every ranged attack. Ranged, Air, Range 3, 1
Power Overwhelming: At Sorcerous Bead: Area, Target, BRV, All allies in
Pulse 4+, gain Floating, [Choose any Element], range 2 may shift 1.
Overwhelming, and all Range 4 Burst 1, All
Hits are True Hits. Targets, FTH GAMBITS (d6)
GAMBITS (d6) 1 Stride � Stride � IV
1 Stride � IV � Stride 2-3 Stride � IV � Spear Dance [�]:
Choose 1 ally in range 3. Bless them
2-3 Stride � Teleport 1 � Overwhelming with Cultivate 1.
Siwa-Merit [�]: Area, Fire, Burst 2, All
Targets, FTH 4-5 Stride � Burning Dance [��]: Area,
Fire, Burst 3, All Targets, Safe, BRV, All
4-5 Teleport 3 � Siwa Lantaka [��]: Area, allies in the burst can make their next
Fire, Blast 5, All Targets, FTH attack Fire and inflict Fray 2.
6 Ajna Siwa [���]: Ranged, Fire, 6 Stride � Channel Sayawhari [��]:
Anywhere in the Battlefield, 1 Target, Area, Earth, Burst 3, All Targets, Safe,
BRV+FTH, inflict Slow 1. BRV+FTH, All allies in the burst can
shift 2 and then IV.

79
 VIOLENCE

SENTINEL TYPES SENTINELS

Sentinels are fighters that keep enemies close,
refusing to let them attack allies, and those that can
take a lot of hits and keep going.
MARTIAL ABILITIES POS 4/5/6
HP 7/9/11 RES 3/4/5
BRV 3/4/5 SPD 3/4/4
FTH 2/3/4 JMP 1/2/3
TRAIT INFLICT VIOLENCE
Vigil: 1/Beat, when an Large Weapon: Melee,
adjacent enemy makes an Earth, Adjacent, 1 Target,
attack that does not BRV, Slide 1 (but keep
include the Sentinel as a adjacent)
target, inflict 1 True Hit on
the attacker.
GAMBITS (d10)
1-4 Stride � Stride � IV
5-8 Stride � IV � Shield Up [�]: Gain 1
Defend against the next attack.
9-10 Opportunity [�]: Gain Opportunity 2.
When an enemy leaves an adjacent sq,
inflict 1 True Hit � Stride � IV

JUGGERNAUT GUARDIAN
Momentous mountains that can barrel through foes and Guardians get in between their allies and enemies
stay in the thick of it, keeping heat off allies. and become an indestructible wall, a lightning rod
against all attacks.
MARTIAL ABILITIES POS 4/5/6
MARTIAL ABILITIES POS 4/5/6
HP 7/9/11 RES 3/4/5
HP 7/9/11 RES 3/4/5
BRV 3/4/5 SPD 3/4/4
BRV 3/4/5 SPD 3/4/4
FTH 2/3/4 JMP 1/2/3
FTH 2/3/4 JMP 1/2/3
TRAIT INFLICT VIOLENCE
TRAIT INFLICT VIOLENCE
Unstoppable: Can collide Axe: Melee, Earth,
with fighters and not have Adjacent, 1 Target, BRV, Guard: 1/Beat, when a Warhammer: Melee,
movement Stop. Can move Push 1, then Shift into the fighter leaves an adjacent Metal, Adjacent, 1 Target,
into enemy sq, colliding. vacated sq sq, inflict 1 True Hit. BRV, Slow 1
Does not suffer damage from
collides. Can only voluntarily GAMBITS (d10)
collide once per fighter per 1-3 Stride � Stride � IV
Beat.
4-6 Stride � IV � Shield Up [�]: Gain 1
GAMBITS (d10) Defend against the next attack.
1-3 Stride � Stride � IV 7-9 Stalwart [�]: Gain Block +1 � Taunt
[�]: Pull 2 one enemy in burst 3 � IV
4-6 Stride � IV � Momentum [�]: Gain
Hastened 2. 10 Stride � Guardian Aura [��]: Mark
every ally in burst 3. Any time a fighter
7-9 IV � Stampede [��]: Shift 5, moving makes an attack against a marked ally,
through enemies, inflicting 2 True Hits become the target of the attack instead.
per enemy moved through. Can only move
through enemies once.
10 Stride � IV � Fling [�]: Push 5 the
target, inflicting +1 Hit and Stun 1 if they
collide.

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 VIOLENCE

IRONCLAD DESTROYER
A slow moving inevitability clad in the fullest of Powerful warrior-priests blessed with Siwa-Makaobus
armors in the Isles, wielding large weapons that Flame, capable of great conflagrations.
smash through.
MARTIAL ABILITIES POS 4/5/6
MARTIAL ABILITIES POS 4/5/6
HP 7/9/11 RES 3/4/5
HP 7/9/11 RES 3/4/5
BRV 2/3/4 SPD 3/4/4
BRV 3/4/5 SPD 3/4/4
FTH 3/4/5 JMP 1/2/3
FTH 2/3/4 JMP 1/2/3
TRAIT INFLICT VIOLENCE
TRAIT INFLICT VIOLENCE
Burning Hatred: Any Makaobus Blade: Melee,
Brute: Gain 1 Defend Panabas: Melee, Metal, fighter that has Fray also Fire, Path 2, 2 Targets,
against the first Hit of any Adjacent, 1 Target, BRV, suffers Provoke to the FTH, Fray 2
Beat. Inflict Unbalance 1 Destroyer.

GAMBITS (d10)
1-3 Stride � IV � Stalwart [�]: Gain
Block +1
4-6 Stride � IV � Opportunity [�]: Gain
Opportunity 2. When an enemy leaves
an adjacent sq, inflict 1 True Hit
7-9 Stride � Quake [��]: Area, Earth,
Range 1 Burst 1, BRV, Inflict Stop 1
10 Stride � Shield Up [�]: Gain 1 Defend
against the I attack. � Shield Bash
[�]: Melee, Metal, Adjacent, 1 Target,
BRV + [1 per current Block]
GAMBITS (d10)
1-3 Stride � IV � Opportunity [�]: Gain
Opportunity 2. When an enemy leaves
an adjacent sq, inflict 1 True Hit
4-6 Stride � IV � Conflagrate [�]: Inflict
Fray 1 on all enemies in burst 2.
7-9 Stride � Cleansing Flame of
Makaobus [��]: Area, Fire, Blast 3,
BRV + (1 per Bane on target), Fray 2.
10 Makaobus-Buda Inferno [���]: Area,
Fire, Burst 5, BRV+FTH, Pull 3, Fray 3,
Any fighter that collides with Destoyer
suffers +1 Hit

HOUND CHAMPION
A swift moving knight that moves with blinding speed An unconquerable warrior that brings inspiration and
across the battlefield to protect allies. Usually strength to their allies, which in turn bolsters
devotees of Wisnu. themselves. Said to be champions of Adlaw, the
Great Sun
MARTIAL ABILITIES POS 4/5/6
MARTIAL ABILITIES POS 4/5/6
HP 7/9/11 RES 3/4/5
HP 7/9/11 RES 3/4/5
BRV 3/4/5 SPD 3/4/4
BRV 3/4/5 SPD 3/4/4
FTH 2/3/4 JMP 1/2/3
FTH 2/3/4 JMP 1/2/3
TRAIT INFLICT VIOLENCE
TRAIT INFLICT VIOLENCE
Ward: At start of
Violence, make 1 ally Ravaging Knives: Melee, Burden: When an ally is Blessed Kalis: Melee,
Ward. Whenever Ward is Metal, Adjacent, 1 Target, targeted within burst 2, Fire, Adjacent, 1 Target,
attacked, shift 3, inflicting BRV, If target suffers change the target to you BRV, if the target has
1 True Hit if adjacent by Provoke, inflict BRVx2 instead. Banes, deal +FTH.
end of shift. Choose a instead.
new Ward when current GAMBITS (d10)
War is Defeated.
1-3 Stride � IV � Stalwart [�]: Gain Block
GAMBITS (d10) +1
1-3 Stride � IV � Distract [�]: Provoke 2 4-6 Stride � Budhi Taming [��]: Gain
a single adjacent target. Block 4.
4-6 Stride � IV � Opportunity [�]: Gain 7-9 Stride � Imbue Sunlight [�]: Protect
Opportunity 2. When an enemy leaves 3 all allies in burst 2. � Adlaw’s Glave
an adjacent sq, inflict 1 True Hit. [�]: Melee, Fire, Blast 3 3, All Targets,
7-9 Dogged Drive [�]: Gain Haste 2. � Safe, FTHx2
Stride � Hamstring [��]: Melee, 10 Dakog Kalasag [���]: Gain Immunity
Earth, Adjacent, BRV, Stop 1 against the next melee or ranged attack.
10 Mukunda’s Chariot [���]: Teleport
adjacent to any enemy and then IV, with
Provoke 2 to all enemies in burst 2.

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 VIOLENCE

WITCH TYPES WITCH

Witches control the battlefield with banes and
afflictions.
MARTIAL ABILITIES POS 2/3/4
HP 4/5/6 RES 3/4/5
BRV 2/3/4 SPD 3/4/5
FTH 3/4/5 JMP 2/3/4
TRAIT INFLICT VIOLENCE
Ripping Curse: Inflict Kulam: Area, Air, Blast 4,
Eviscerate 1 on a target All Targets, Safe, FTH,
that you forcibly move. Slide 2
GAMBITS (d12)
1-4 Stride � IV � Stride
5-8 Stride � Teleport 2 � IV
9-12 Stride � Frighten [�]: Inflict Weak 2 to
1 target in range 3 � Dominate [�]:
Slide 2 all enemies in burst 2

TORMENTOR ATROCITY

Tormentors are bombard victims with ailments to A Dihiyang infested warrior, who uses the
slow them down and whittle their will. perversion of harmony to their advantage.

MARTIAL ABILITIES POS 2/3/4 MARTIAL ABILITIES POS 2/3/4

HP 4/5/6 RES 3/4/5 HP 4/5/6 RES 3/4/5
BRV 2/3/4 SPD 3/4/5 BRV 2/3/4 SPD 3/4/5
FTH 3/4/5 JMP 2/3/4 FTH 3/4/5 JMP 2/3/4
TRAIT INFLICT VIOLENCE TRAIT INFLICT VIOLENCE
Tormenting Curse: Any Blood Mantra: Area, Cursed Disharmony: Deepclaw: Ranged,
Bane inflicted has +1 Earth, Range 3 Burst 1, Whenever forcibly Water, Range 3, 1
Duration and the first FTH, Inflict Bleed 1. moving a target, inflict 1 Target, FTH, Slide 1
Bane inflicted on a Beat True Hit, once per
inflicts 1 True Hit. enemy per Beat.
GAMBITS (d12) GAMBITS (d12)
1-3 Stride � IV � Frighten [�]: Inflict Weak 1-3 IV � IV � IV
2 to 1 target in range 3
4-6 Shift 3 � Discordant Blast [��]:
4-6 Teleport 3 � Pestilence [�]: Inflict Area, Fire, Blast 3, All Targets, Safe,
Fray 2 on one enemy in range 3 � IV Push 2
7-9 Slide 4 one adjacent enemy � Doubt 7-9 Stride � Discordant Displacement
Mind-Curse [�]: Waver 2 to 1 target [��]: Slide 2 all enemies in burst 3
in range 3 � Blinding Lights [�]:
Daze 2 on one fighter in range 3. 10-12 IV � Ancestor’s Vengeance [��]:
Until end of next Riff, if a spirit is
10-12 Tearing Hex [�]: Unbalance 2 one defeated, it inflicts 2 True Hits on the
fighter in range 3 � Destroy Manikin one that defeated it.
[�]: Sunder 2 one target in range 3 �
Horrify [�]: Stun 1 one target in range
3.

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 VIOLENCE

RITUALIST ORATOR

Ritualists mark enemies as well as summon little A speaker-warrior that uses the strength of rhetoric
gods that lock down the battlefield. and word to confound enemies.

MARTIAL ABILITIES POS 2/3/4 MARTIAL ABILITIES POS 2/3/4

HP 4/5/6 RES 3/4/5 HP 4/5/6 RES 3/4/5
BRV 2/3/4 SPD 3/4/5 BRV 2/3/4 SPD 3/4/5
FTH 3/4/5 JMP 2/3/4 FTH 3/4/5 JMP 2/3/4
TRAIT INFLICT VIOLENCE TRAIT INFLICT VIOLENCE
Summon Gods: Channel Spirit: Ranged, Persuasion: After Mock: Ranged, Air,
Whenever hitting with an Air, Range 3, 1 Target, inflicting a Bane on a Range 3, 1 Target, FTH,
attack, may put down a FTH, All Spirits fighter, slide them 1 Weak 1
Spirit (Summon) summoned inflict 1 True
adjacent to one target. Hit on all enemies GAMBITS (d12)
Can only have 3 Spirits adjacent them.
at a time. All squares 1-3 Stride � Stride � IV
adjacent to the spirit are 4-6 Stride � Doubt [�]: Silence 2 on an
Difficult Terrain. At the adjacent enemy. � Insult [�]: Coward
start of a fight, put down 2 on an adjacent enemy.
a Spirit in range 5.
7-9 Stride � Dominate [��]: Force 1
GAMBITS (d12) fighter in range 3 to IV against any
fighter of your choice.
1-3 IV � IV � IV
10-12 Stride � Stunning Logic [���]: Stun
4-6 Teleport 3 � God Call [�]: Pull 1 all 1 one adjacent enemy.
enemies in burst 2 of all Spirits � IV
7-9 Faith Unending [�]: Heal 1 all spirits
� Fury Diwa [�]: All spirits may shift 1
� Reprimand [�]: Stop 1 all enemies SMITH
adjacent to spirits.
A skilled warrior that uses peerless craftsmanship to
10-12 IV � Ancestor’s Vengeance [��]: craft weapons and obstacles.
Until end of next Riff, if a spirit is
defeated, it inflicts 2 True Hits on the MARTIAL ABILITIES POS 2/3/4
one that defeated it.
HP 4/5/6 RES 3/4/5

HUNTER BRV 2/3/4 SPD 3/4/5

FTH 3/4/5 JMP 2/3/4
Skilled hunter-warriors that lock down the battlefield
with intricate traps. TRAIT INFLICT VIOLENCE
Master Crafter: Does Hammer: Melee, Metal,
MARTIAL ABILITIES POS 2/3/4 not suffer collides. When Line 2, 1 Target, BRV,
HP 4/5/6 RES 3/4/5 forcing collides, +1 Hit. Push 2
BRV 2/3/4 SPD 3/4/5 GAMBITS (d12)
FTH 3/4/5 JMP 2/3/4 1-3 Build [�]: Place a Size 1 Object on an
adjacent free sq � Stride � IV
TRAIT INFLICT VIOLENCE
4-6 Build [�]: Place a Size 1 Object on an
Trap: At the end of a Short Bow: Ranged, adjacent free sq � Leap � IV
Riff, turn one adjacent Earth, Range 3 Blast 3, 7-9 Repair [�]: Heal 1 all adjacent allies �
free sq into dangerous All Targets, Safe, BRV, Inscriptions [�]: All enemies adjacent
terrain. Bleed 2 to objects put down by the Smith suffer
GAMBITS (d12) 1 True Hit � Hari Mudra [�]: Slide 1
all objects on the field.
1-3 Stride � IV � Hobbling Trap [�]: Turn 10-12 Build [�]: Place a Size 1 Object on an
1 free sq in range 3 into difficult terrain adjacent free sq �Build [�]: Place a
4-6 Shift 3 � Stopping Trap [�]: Turn 1 Size 1 Object on an adjacent free sq
free sq in range 3 into hindering terrain �Build [�]: Place a Size 1 Object on
� IV an adjacent free sq
7-9 Spike Trap [��]: Choose 1 sq in
range 3. All enemies in burst 2 of the sq
suffer 1 True Hit and Stop 2 � Stride
10-12 Stride � Pit Trap [�]: Turn 1 free sq in
range 3 into a chasm � IV

83
 VIOLENCE

MEDIUM TYPES MEDIUM

Mediums provide combat support for their allies.
MARTIAL ABILITIES POS 3/4/5
HP 6/7/8 RES 3/4/5
BRV 3/4/5 SPD 3/4/5
FTH 3/4/5 JMP 3/4/5
TRAIT INFLICT VIOLENCE
Empower: When a fighter Cheer: Ranged, Fire,
starts their Riff adjacent to Range 3, 1 Target, FTH,
the Medium, they gain Give 1 ally in range 3
Block 1. Cultivate/Enlighten 1.
GAMBITS (d6)
1-2 Stride � Stride � IV
3-4 IV � IV � Inspire [�]: 1 ally in 2 sq
may shift 2
5-6 Stride � Chant [�]: Give Cultivate/
Enlighten 2 to all allies in 2 sq.

HERBALIST BALYAN
A field medic who uses herbs and incantations to Spirit mediums that interact with the invisible realm
mend wounds and make others stronger. of spirits through trances and dances.
MARTIAL ABILITIES POS 3/4/5 MARTIAL ABILITIES POS 3/4/5
HP 6/7/8 RES 3/4/5 HP 6/7/8 RES 3/4/5
BRV 3/4/5 SPD 3/4/5 BRV 3/4/5 SPD 3/4/5
FTH 3/4/5 JMP 3/4/5 FTH 3/4/5 JMP 3/4/5
TRAIT INFLICT VIOLENCE TRAIT INFLICT VIOLENCE
Auto-Potion: 1/ally per Balaraw: Melee, Metal, Healing Spirit: Allies that Evocation: Choose 1 ally
Violence, when an ally Adjacent, 1 Target, BRV, start their Riff adjacent in range 3. A sword spirit
falls to Staggered, heal 2 Push 2 heal 1. possesses them: giving
them immediately. Skewering 1.
GAMBITS (d6)
GAMBITS (d6)
1 Sri Dewi Agas Mudra [���]: Heal 1
all allies in the battlefield and cleanse 1 Stride � IV � IV
them of all banes. 2-3 Stride � Hearten [�]: Give 1 ally in
2-3 Stride � IV � Heal [�]: Heal 1 one range 3 +1d on their next attack �
range 2 ally Spirit Break! [�]: Let 1 ally in range 3
4-5 Stride � Hearten [�]: Give 1 ally in IV
range 3 +1d on their next attack � 4-5 Stride � Balahala Adlaw’s Blessing
Purify [�]: Cleanse all banes on 1 ally [��]: Range 3 Burst 2: all allies in the
in burst 3 burst can gain +1d on their next attack
and they can choose to make it deal
6 Selfcare [�]: Heal 1 self � Stride � fire attack.
Heal [�]: Heal 1 adjacent ally
6 Stride � Flood God [��]: All allies in
line of sight gain Regeneration 2.

84
 VIOLENCE

WARLORD SINGER
A frontline warrior that leads their allies to supreme Wisefolk that grant teachings and guidance to their
victory. allies, using mudras and incantations.
MARTIAL ABILITIES POS 3/4/5 MARTIAL ABILITIES POS 3/4/5
HP 6/7/8 RES 3/4/5 HP 6/7/8 RES 3/4/5
BRV 3/4/5 SPD 3/4/5 BRV 3/4/5 SPD 3/4/5
FTH 3/4/5 JMP 3/4/5 FTH 3/4/5 JMP 3/4/5
TRAIT INFLICT VIOLENCE TRAIT INFLICT VIOLENCE
Advance! At start of Riff, Blade: Melee, Metal, Guidance: All allies in Enlightened Palm:
shift 1 all adjacent allies. Adjacent, 1 Target, BRV, burst 2 of the Saint has Melee, Fire, Blast 3, All
1 adjacent ally may IV +1d to all attacks. Targets, Safe, FTH, Allies
in the burst gain Haste 2.
GAMBITS (d6)
GAMBITS (d6)
1 Stride � Shout [�]: 1 ally in range 2
may Stride � IV 1 Stride � Enlighten [�]: All allies in
burst 2 gain Enlighten 2 � IV
2-3 Heal [�]: Heal 1 adjacent ally � IV �
Hearten [�]: Give 1 ally in range 3 2-3 Stride � Purification [��]: Mark all
+1d on their next attack allies in burst 2. A marked ally can only
suffer 1 Hit on the next attack against
4-5 Stride � Brave [��]: All allies in line of them, they then lose the mark.
sight gain Cultivate/Enlighten 3.
4-5 Stride � Love [�]: 1 ally in range 3
6 Shout [�]: 1 ally in range 2 may Stride gains Protect 3 and Shell 3. �
� Break [��]: All allies in burst 2 may Lightning [�]: All enemies adjacent to
inflict violence. any ally with Protect or Shell, suffer 1
True Hit.
6 Temporary Nirvana [���]: 1 ally in
range 3 becomes immune to all hits on
SAINT the next attack.
Wisefolk that grant teachings and guidance to their
allies, using mudras and incantations.
JUDGE
MARTIAL ABILITIES POS 3/4/5
HP 6/7/8 RES 3/4/5 Holy warriors that protect allies and grant them
strength, punishing wicked foes.
BRV 3/4/5 SPD 3/4/5
MARTIAL ABILITIES POS 3/4/5
FTH 3/4/5 JMP 3/4/5
HP 6/7/8 RES 3/4/5
TRAIT INFLICT VIOLENCE
BRV 3/4/5 SPD 3/4/5
Guidance: All allies in Enlightened Palm:
burst 2 of the Saint has Melee, Fire, Blast 3, All FTH 3/4/5 JMP 3/4/5
+1d to all attacks. Targets, Safe, FTH, Allies TRAIT INFLICT VIOLENCE
in the burst gain Haste 2.
Chakravartin Law: When Imposition Gada: Melee,
GAMBITS (d6) an ally is attacked while Metal, Adjacent, 1
1 Stride � Enlighten [�]: All allies in within burst 2, inflict 1 Hit Target, mark the target
burst 2 gain Enlighten 2 � IV to the attacker afterwards. until end of next Riff. All
attacks against the mark
2-3 Stride � Purification [��]: Mark all have +1d.
allies in burst 2. A marked ally can only
suffer 1 Hit on the next attack against GAMBITS (d6)
them, they then lose the mark.
1 Law of Siwa-Batala Reality [���]:
4-5 Stride � Love [�]: 1 ally in range 3 Teleport 3 all allies in the battlefield.
gains Shield 3 and Shell 3. � 2-3 Stride � Eradicate Maya [��]:
Lightning [�]: All enemies adjacent to Cleanse all statuses from 1 ally in range
any ally with Shield or Shell, suffer 1 2.
True Hit.
6 Temporary Nirvana [���]: 1 ally in 4-5 Shift 3 � Place Altar [��]: Place a
range 3 becomes immune to all hits on Size 1 Altar in an adjacent sq. All allies
the next attack. adjacent to the altar have Protect.
6 Law of Wisnu-Hari Reality [���]: All
enemies in the field are marked. When
the marked enemy makes an attack
during their turn, they become Stop 2
immediately.

85
VIOLENCE

CHIEF TYPES
Chiefs are the most powerful of warriors, great enemies,
bearers of immortality. When Kadungganan face Chiefs,
they face powerful movers and shakers of the world, and
they are meant to feel the consequences of facing such
powerful combatants.
The Chiefs have a number of mechanics that make them
more difficult to fight. Chiefs are usually equal to 5
Kadungganan. If you have to scale down to
accommodate less number of Kadungganan, lower their
HP by 1 per Kadungganan less than 5. Chiefs also have
3 Traits instead of just 1.

CHIEF INNATE TRAITS

Poise: Chiefs are powerful: they cannot be broken so
easily. Whenever you forcibly move a Chief or give
them a Bane or some other negative status effect, they
gain a Poise Token instead of suffering the effect. When
they get 8 Poise Tokens, they are Poise Broken.
While Poise Broken, they are considered Stun and can
be forcibly moved and suffer Banes. Chiefs remove 2
Poise Tokens whenever they start their Riff afterward,
until they lose all Poise Tokens and lose Poise Broken.
They cannot gain more Poise Tokens while Poise
Broken.
Phases: A Chief has 2-3 Phases, which is considered
in their stat card.
Too Like The Lightning: Chiefs roll their Gambit Dice a
number of times equal to N, with N being the number of
Kadungganan in the field. This means they should have
the same amount of turns as the Kadungganan.

86
 VIOLENCE

SWORDMASTER
A master of the art of slashing, who has sliced a coconut
tree in a single swing. Fear their name.
MARTIAL ABILITIES POS 3/4/5
HP 40/45/50 RES 3/4/5
BRV 7/9/11 SPD 6/6/6
FTH 5/6/7 JMP 2/3/4
TRAITS INFLICT VIOLENCE
Blade Barrier: 1 Auto Heirloom Blade: Melee,
Defend against all ranged Metal, Line 3, All Targets,
attacks. BRV, Shift 1 before or after
the attack
Parry: After cancelling all
Hits, Inflict Violence against
the target.
Sword Fields: After making
a melee attack, place a
single Size 1/2 Sword in a
sq adjacent to target, which
is an object.
GAMBITS (Nd8)
PHASE 1: SHEATHED BLADE
1-2 Stride � IV � Tenderize [�]: Eviscerate
2 against 1 adjacent enemy.
3-4 Stride � IV � Sundang Sayaw [�]: Inflict
1 Hit on all adjacent enemies.
5-6 Stride � Judgment Cut [��]: Area,
Metal, Range 3 Burst 1, All Targets,
BRV+1
7-8 Stride � IV � Juggling Sword [�]: Push
3, if the target collides, pull 2 then IV with
Skewering, ignoring CB
PHASE 2: UNSHEATHED SWORD (WHEN
STAGGERED, TRIGGER PHASE 2 IMMEDIATELY).
1-2 Teleport adjacent to any Sword � IV �
Sword God: Inflict 1 Hit on all enemies
adjacent to each Sword
3-4 Stride � IV � Sundang Sayaw [�]: Inflict
1 Hit on all enemies in burst 2.
5-6 Teleport 3 � Judgment Cut [��]: Area,
Metal, Range 3 Burst 1, All Targets,
BRV+1
7-8 Teleport 5 � IV � Juggling Sword [�]:
Push 3, if the target collides, pull 2 then IV
with Skewering, ignoring CB
9-10 Makaobus Annihilating Sword:
Bulandahas [���]: Inflict 2 True Hits to
all enemies adjacent to the Swordmaster
and every Sword on the field, then all
Swords are destroyed, and the
Swordmaster may teleport to any of the
Sword’s former squares, and then IV.

87
VIOLENCE

BARIL GUNDEVIL
Powerful gunslingers that wield all sorts of firearms to
adapt to a wide variety of situations. They can
summon powerful cannons, arquebuses, and
dragoon pistols to destroy enemies, both from afar
and from up close.
MARTIAL ABILITIES POS 3/4/5
HP 35/40/45 RES 3/4/5
BRV 7/9/11 SPD 4/5/6
FTH 5/6/7 JMP 4/5/6
TRAITS INFLICT VIOLENCE
Multigun: Does not suffer GUNSLINGER: Choose 1
+Dullness for any ranged when IV:
attacks and ignores
Combo Breaker on Arquebus: Ranged,
ranged attacks. Metal, Range 7, 1 Target,
BRV
Quick Reload: Reroll all
1s on Attack Teeth. Lantaka: Area, Water,
Range 4 Burst 1, All
Bombadier: All area Targets, BRV
attacks have +1 Hit.
Terakul: Area, Fire, Blast
3, All Targets, BRV

GAMBITS (d6)
Phase 1: Gun Master
1-2 IV � IV � IV
3-4 IV � Rainstorm [�]: Shift 5 and then
inflict 1 True Hit to all enemies in burst
1 at any point in the movement �
Rusak Astra [�]: IV against any fighter
in the battlefield
5-6 Stride � Lawana Sinigida’s Astra
[��]: Area, Fire, Line 7, All Targets,
BRV+FTH
Phase 2: GUN GOD CHANNELING (Immediately
trigger after hitting Staggered)
1 IV � IV � IV
2 IV � Rainstorm [�]: Shift 5 and then
inflict 1 True Hit to all enemies in burst
1 at any point in the movement �
Rusak Astra [�]: IV against any fighter
in the battlefield
3 Stride � Lawana Sinigida’s Astra
[��]: Area, Fire, Line 7, All Targets,
BRV+FTH
4 Nataraja Gunslinger [�]: Shift 4, then
gain Haste and all ranged attacks
ignore cover and don’t require line of
sight � Vritra Chases Indra [�]:
Area, Fire, Path 7, All Targets,
BRV+FTH � Rusak Astra [�]: IV
against any fighter in the battlefield
5 Stride � Indrastra [��]: Area, Fire,
Blast 5, All Targets, BRV+FTH
6 Vajra Bullet Hell [���]: Mark all
enemies in the battlefield. When they
move, they suffer 1 True Hit and the
mark is removed.

88
 VIOLENCE
NAVADIKPALA
Powerful warriors that guard not just the eight, but
nine directions. Many of them are attributed with
supreme devotion, and are thus said to have the
merit of BATALA the Supreme Auspicious God. The
term Nava-Dikpala is given only to the greatest of
warriors, those that have given their lives to their
Devarajas and will not hesitate to die for them.
MARTIAL ABILITIES POS 5/6/7
HP 42/47/52 RES 3/4/5
BRV 5/6/7 SPD 4/4/4
FTH 5/6/7 JMP 1/2/3
TRAITS
Verumkai Master: The Navadikpala is immune to
Unbalance and Stun.
Perfect Vadivu: Whenever the Navadikpala is
attacked, they may IV back at the attacker, no matter
the range. Once per enemy per Beat.
Pervasive Kalari: Whenever a marked fighter leaves a
sq, they suffer 1 True Hit. Once per fighter per Beat.
Marked fighters also suffer Slow.
INFLICT VIOLENCE
Kali Panabas: Melee, Metal, Burst 2, 1 Target, BRV,
Mark 1
GAMBITS (d10)
Phase 1: Channel Rudra
1-3 Stride � Stride � IV
4-6 Stride � IV � Distract [�]: Provoke 2
a single adjacent target.
7-8 Stride � IV � Makapulao Facet [�]:
Provoke 1 a single fighter in range 3.
9-10 Laho Swallows The Sun [��]: Shift 3,
and then gain the following effect until
the end of next Riff: whenever an enemy
enters adjacency, inflict 1 True Hit, once
per fighter per Beat � Alagaka
Summons [�]: Pull 2 a single fighter in
range 4.
Phase 2: Ninth Direction of Siva (Trigger when
Staggered immediately)
1-2 Stride � IV � Makapulao Facet [�]:
Provoke 1 a single fighter in range 3.
3-4 Laho Swallows The Sun [��]: Shift 3,
and then gain the following effect until
the end of next Riff: whenever an enemy
enters adjacency, inflict 1 True Hit, once
per fighter per Beat � Alagaka
Summons [�]: Pull 2 a single fighter in
range 4.
5-6 Pagwaagan’s Blessing [�]: Choose a
single fighter within line of sight. Leap to
an adjacent sq � Lakanbakod’s Wall
[��]: Place wall terrain in the outer
squares of burst 2 of an adjacent
enemy.
7-8 Wisnu Ward [��]: Gain Block 5. As
long as the Navadikpala has this Block,
whenever they suffer an attack, they
inflict 1 True Hit back at the attacker
before their attack resolves. � Durga’s
Call To Glory [�]: Stride and then
Provoke 1 all adjacent enemies.
9-10 Hari’s Glory [���]: Mark all enemies
in the Battlefield. While marked, they are
suffer Provoke from the Navadikpala,
and the Navadikpala deals +1d to them.
When a mark does not deal damage to
the Navadikpala at the end of their Riff,
they suffer 1 True Hit.

89
 VIOLENCE

ASWANG

The most powerful of witches, who gain powerful

powers by channeling gods just as with any other
shaman, but also by gaining personal power through
eating livers of humans, wherein they gain enough
Gahom, personal spiritual power, to energize their
most powerful of sorceries: shapeshifting, flight, fire-
summoning, and bisection. To harness this much
Gahom, they must have a vessel, which is an item
known as the Itim Na Sisiw, or Black Raptorling.
Elder Aswang can create more Itim Na Sisiw, and
anyone that obtains the Itim Na Sisiw of an aswang
gains the power of aswang themselves. However,
very often, they have to accustom themselves to this
power, so they still must train. Those who have
swallowed an Itim Na Sisiw are known as Yanggaw,
or “Newly Infected.”
When an aswang relinquishes their Itim Na Sisiw,
they die. While they have the Itim Na Sisiw, they are
functionally immortal.
To the Ashinin Missionaries, the Asuwang are said to
tap into the power of the Deva, able to harness
Maya. However, this power is not for mortals to
wield. Or at least, not for uncultivated mortals. Very
often, outside of the most elder of aswang, most
aswang become possessed of a dangerous and
murderous power that they cannot control. This is
often more common when a witch swallows the Itim
Na Sisiw of elder aswang.
MARTIAL ABILITIES POS 3/4/5
HP 35/40/45 RES 3/4/5
BRV 3/4/5 SPD 4/5/6
FTH 7/8/9 JMP 1
TRAITS
Tanggal: When Striding, the Aswang Flies. They can
choose to bisect themselves, making it so that they occupy
the sq they left as well as the sq they Stride into. At the
beginning of the next Riff, the other half returns: choose 1
sq to which the Aswang chooses to stay in, and then remove
the other half.
Maya: Whenever inflicting Banes, inflict 1 True Hit and Slide
1.
Wicked Argent Witch: All ranged attacks against the
Aswang have +Dullness, and they may shift 1 afterward.
When bringing an Enemy to 0 HP, heal 1.
INFLICT VIOLENCE
Witchery: Area, Air, Blast 5, All Targets, Safe, FTH,
Slide 3, Fray 1
GAMBITS (d12)
Phase 1: Wicked Witcheries Phase 2: Power of the Crone (Trigger immediately when
1-3 Stride � IV � IV Staggered)
1-3 Dog Shapeshift [�]: Gain Haste 2, and
4-6 Teleport 5 � IV � Gain cover 1. Slow 2 all burst 2 enemies � Stride � IV
7-9 Dog Shapeshift [�]: Gain Haste 2, 4-6 Demon Bird Shapeshift [�]: Teleport 3
and Slow 2 all burst 2 enemies � Stride and then gain Vantage on all attacks �
� IV Hokot [�]: Inflict 1 True Hit to all enemies
10-11 Demon Bird Shapeshift [�]: Teleport in line 6 � IV
3 and then gain Vantage on all attacks 7-9 Stride � Rakshasa Hex [��]: Sunder 2,
� Hokot [�]: Inflict 1 True Hit to all Weak 2, Waver 2, Unbalance 2, Stop 2 to
enemies in line 6 � IV 1 target in range 5
12 Stride � Rakshasa Hex [��]: Sunder 10-11 Asura Shapeshift [��]: Gain
2, Weak 2, Waver 2, Unbalance 2, Overwhelming 2, Skewering 2, Cultivate
Stop 2 to 1 target in range 5 2, Enlighten 2 �Inflict Cursed Ajna [�]:
Inflict 1 True Hit on all enemies in the
battlefield, and then inflict Coward 2/Silence
2
12 Dakini-Mahakala Swallowing [���]: Area,
Earth, Burst 5, All Targets, Safe, FTH+BRV,
Stun 2

90
 VIOLENCE

KATUURAN
Katuuran are elder shaman, head priests of a city-
state, probably even deified at death. Many Katuuran
walk around a state with a long crowd of assistant
shamans. Katuuran would conduct the most
important rituals, and more importantly channel the
most important of the gods. Sometimes they would
even attempt to speak with the Supreme, Beings that
are very often not to be spoken to. However, they
are also purveyors of devotion, they lead their flock
to the right path to let them accrue spiritual merit.
Both spiritual merit and devotion to the ancestors are
important to the spiritual cultivation of mortals. These
warriors are the greatest of sages, many of them
would be considered as bodhisattvas, saints, and
brahmin.
Many Katuuran are Nibatala, Nihari, or Nilawana.
Nibatala comes from NI (of a person) + BATALA (the
Supreme Noble Lord). BATALA is another name for
SIWU, and is commonly believed by the commonfolk
to be the Supreme God, in contrast to the aristocrat
and court religion of NIHARI, who believe in HARI or
WISNU as the Supreme Reality. Warriors very often
invoke LAWANA SINIGIDA, the first warrior, an
ancestral god in the Isles, who is said to have been
an avatar of KALAKATRI The Undefeatable, the
Murderous Aspect of RAYADEWI the Great Mother
Goddess, the Primordial Energy of the Universe.
Katuuran that are devotees of Lawana are known as
Nilawana.
Many Katuuran, alongside the greatest of Barani,
become gods upon death, ancestral deities similar to
Buddhas. They have attained glory through
conviction. They who have reached heaven by
violence.
MARTIAL ABILITIES POS 4/5/6
HP 40/45/50 RES 4/5/6
BRV 3/4/5 SPD 3/4/4
FTH 4/5/6 JMP 3/4/4
TRAITS
Spirit Summons: Every start of Riff, summon 1:
Raider Minion, Sharpshooter Minion, Sentinel
Minion, Witch Minion
Xenoglossy: All spirit minions can be used as origin
points for any effect or attack. Whenever a spirit
minion gains a Boon, Block, Skewering, or
Overwhelming, the Katuuran gains it as well. If the
Katuuran moves into a spirit minion’s sq. Ultra Spirit:
Area, Fire, Burst 2, All Targets, Safe, FTH, All allies in
the burst gain Cultivate/Enlighten 2.
INFLICT VIOLENCE
Ultra Spirit: Area, Fire, Burst 2, All Targets, Safe,
FTH, All allies in the burst gain Cultivate/Enlighten
2.
GAMBITS (d6)
Phase 1: Channel Spirits Phase 2: Channel Gods (Trigger immediately when
Staggered)
1 Stride � IV � All minions in the field
may IV 1-2 Stride � IV � All minions in the field may IV
2 Law of Siwa-Batala Reality [���]: 3 Stride � War Spirit Summons [��]: All
Teleport 3 all allies in the battlefield. allies in burst 2 gain Block 3 and
3-4 Shift 3 � Place Altar [��]: Place a Skewering.
Size 1 Altar in an adjacent sq. All allies 4 Stride � Channel Lawana [��]: The
adjacent to the altar have Protect. Katuuran and all allies in the field may
teleport 3, then gain Shield/Shell and
5 Stride � Eradicate Maya [��]: Protect 2.
Cleanse all statuses from 1 ally in range
2. 5 Stride � Channel Lakapati [��]: All
enemies in burst 2’s next attack cannot gain
6 Shift 3 � Place Altar [��]: Place a more than 1 Hit.
Size 1 Altar in an adjacent sq. All allies
adjacent to the altar have Protect. 6 Channel Batala [���]: The Katuuran and
all allies in the field gain Overwhelming 2.

91
 VIOLENCE
ENEMY ORIGINS
The world of Gubat Banwa is as beautiful as it is vast.
Not all the fighters the Kadungganan will encounter will
be random raiders or traveling warriors. Very often
they will be from something. This is indicated by their
Origin, which is commonly placed in front of their
name.
Origins are very commonly not used in the first few
sessions. Use them when your Kadungganan are ready
for some more complexity and interesting situations in
your fights. In later Arcs, Origins will become almost
mandatory to be able to keep up with the sheer number
of abilities that a Kadungganan can take.
This will feature the following Origins: Pale Kings,
Beasts, Demons, and Gods. The several Region
Factions in the later World section has even more
Origins.
PALE KINGS
Issohappa is a far west Empire in the Far West
Tooth of the World Jaws. The World Jaws has four
cardinal teeth, which in other The Sword Isles
traditions are known as the Pillars of the World, for
they hold up the firmament. Each Pillar has its own
diwata, who is powerful on their own right. It is said
that a small number of people from The Sword Isles
sailed there during the creation of the world and
populated it. However, they were quickly subjugated
by an invading force of pale-skinned, knife-eared, 7-
foot tall humanoids, who had crimson eyes and
platinum hair.
These beings called themselves Realiza Palida, the
Pale Royalty. And they believed their birthright is
GUBAT BANWA. All of it. They stride forward with
their Bleeding Star Emperor, who sits upon his
Astral Throne.
The Emperor is counseled by a Senate. There are five
Grand Senators in all, each one being the head of a
different Ministry: War, Justice, Health,
Commerce and People. The current Emperor is
Fal-Sidolfus XII, The 108th Star of Heaven, long
may he reign. In the Issohappan calendar, it is the
1521st Year after the Resurrection of the Sanguine
Prophet.
Those of the Aristocracy, the Senators, Ministers,
Nobles, and Dukes, are all Pale Kings or have Pale
King blood in them. No Pale King ever becomes
disenfranchised, although there are some that
might have gained their own conscience and
deserted Issohappa’s war machine. Beneath the
Aristorcracy are the peasants: farmers, conscripts,
bandits. They live in duchies and farmlands, all
under Pale King regents, knights, and dukes. These
are almost always mortals, non-Pale Kings.
Issohappa has a standing army, composed of
fusileers, pikemen, and cavalry. They have a naval
contingent as well as an aerial contingent, which
ride upon Blood-Drakes, flying bat-like creatures
summoned from the Bloody Heart of the Weeping
Mother, an artifice-cathedral at the heart of the
Empire.
92
The Empire’s Capital is Yavum. It is carved out of
the corpse of the Far West Pillar of the Earth, after
the Pale Kings slew the Far West Pillar’s Diwata,
Buyung Kanluranung Sangsangga. The Pillar has
been replaced with the Bell Tower of the Heaven-
Piercing Star, the centerpiece of the Royal Palace-
Cathedral known as the Mangled Hand of God, for it
resembles a mangled claw reaching to heaven. It is
made of bones and ghosts-forged-into-steel.
The Mangled Hand of God still twitches, and
the Bleeding Star Emperor lives within.
Issohappa, led by the Pale King, has been expanding
further to the center, where the Center Pillar of
Gubat Banwa stands, known as Mount Apu. Here
they believe that they will find the ruling spirit of
Yutadagat, and they will be able to fully rule the rest
of Yutadagat.
The Pale Kings are ever hungry for power, for riches,
treasure, capital. They send merchants to Iyamat
and Baik Hu. They believe that sending missionaries
to these heathen lands will cure them of their Sin of
Ignorance, and the entire world will be placed under
a single name and empire, which must be done
before the return of the Sanguine Prophet. To that
end they have had no qualms in decimating entire
populations, or destroying entire cultures that do
not adhere with their Ashen Star belief.
There have been some infighting going on in the
ideologies of the Pale Kings as of late. None of the
ideologies are beneficial to Gubat Banwa.
They have come close to colonizing The Sword Isles
once, when they managed to invade Virbanwa. With
concerted effort, they were driven back. Some
contingents and deserters still linger within The
Sword Isles, and Virbanwa has no doubt suffered
and internalized the suffering brought upon them by
Issohappa. The Pale Kings influence cannot be
understated, cannot be avoided. Issohappa has left
the islands for now. But they are returning.
Through The Sword Isles, their Reconquista will
triumph, and all of Gubat Banwa will be theirs.
 VIOLENCE

Pale King Origin Template

Glory to the Sidereal Banner: At the beginning of violence, for every Pale King fighter on the
field, also place down 3 Slave Minions adjacent to the Pale King.
Bloody Angel Thesis: When a Pale King fighter is Defeated, they become an Angel: they heal
3 HP, become immune to all damage until the end of their next Riff, and then gain +2d on all
attacks.
The Threat of Capital: All Pale Kings are Braves.
Stolen Reliquary: Pale Kings steal holy items from the places they go into. All Pale Kings have
+1 Hit on all attacks and All Conditioning. The first time they are Staggered in combat removes
these benefits.

93
 VIOLENCE

PALE KING ORIGIN FIGHTERS SLAVE

All Pale King Origin Fighters have the Pale King “Oi! Get ur arse back here. The Pale is calling us
Template. again! We’ve no time to be dallying. Who fucking
cares if your fingers are falling off? There’s gold!”
MARTIAL ABILITIES POS 3/5/6
LANZA DE ESTRELLAS, ROYAL STARLIGHT LANCE HP 1 (Minion) RES 3/5/6

“O, see me, O Lord of Stars. See what mine faith BRV 3/5/6 SPD 3/5/6
hast turned me into! Witness my sanguine flesh, the FTH 3/5/6 JMP 3/5/6
lions grafted upon my putrid flesh. The rotten skin
turned black. I am turned monster, sailing across the TRAIT INFLICT VIOLENCE
stars. Is this what thou wisheth upon thine flock?
Mob: While adjacent to Rusty Blade: Melee,
Hast thou forgotten me? Has thou... FORSAKEN other slaves, gain +1d. Earth, Close, 1 Target,
ME? I hath been of utmost faith, I hath worked most BRV
tirelessly, to accomplish the mission of the Church! I GAMBITS (d8)
am nothing without thee. Thou hast made me
NOTHING WITHOUT THEE. HOW CANST THOU 1-3 Stride � Stride � IV
FORSAKE ME, THOU MOST OBEDIENT SERVANT?
4-6 Stride � IV � Shove
O, Holy Lance of Starlight, thou hast been by my 7-8 Stride � IV � Whack [�]: Inflict 1 Hit
side all this time. Come and let us bring upon ruin on 1 adjacent fighter
upon the heathens. Perhaps, once the great Church
and Hellstar has scourged all of Gubat Banwa, canst
mine own calvary end. Maybe then I can rest.
CAZADOR DE DIOSES, ROYAL HUNTSMAN
I fear I will never find rest. The great Star hath work
for me even in death. It is my work that matters to “O, mighty Star God, I am wreathed in shadow. I am
them. It is my function. ‘Tis the only Nirvana.” the blade of the Church and the arrow loosed from
the bow of the Crown. I am the greatest weapon, the
MARTIAL ABILITIES POS 3/3/3 srike upon the heathens. When I have chosen my
HP 10/12/14 RES 3/3/3 prey, I will not stop until they are dead. My head is
that of an Astral Owl, and my skin is as black as a
BRV 7/8/9 SPD 6/6/6 starless night. I stand towering over others, and my
appendages are slender like branches of trees, and
FTH 7/8/9 JMP 4/4/4 my jaw hangs slack. My bow is my spine. I am the
TRAIT INFLICT VIOLENCE shadow at the corner of thine eyes. Ye are my prey.”

Carry Out The Great Holy Starlight Lance: MARTIAL ABILITIES POS 2/3/4
Commission: Ignore all Melee, Fire, Line 2, All HP 8/10/12 RES 3/4/5
terrain and height, as well Targets, BRV BRV 4/6/8 SPD 6/6/6
as cover. All attacks
against non-Pale Kings FTH 4/6/8 JMP 4/5/6
always have +Sharpness. TRAIT INFLICT VIOLENCE
GAMBITS (d8) Sidereal Bullet Cazador: Sidereal Rifle: Ranged,
1-2 Stride � Stride � IV Marks can stack up to 3 Fire, Range 15, 1 Target,
times. Attacking marked BRV, Skewering, Mark 2
3-4 Stride � IV � Arrows From The Stars targets +Sharpness. All
[�]: Area, Fire, Range 3 Burst 1, All melee attacks against the
Targets, FTH Cazador suffer
5-6 Stride � Sidereal Blessing Sword [�]: +Dullness.
Area, Fire, Blast 5, All Targets, FTH � GAMBITS (d6)
Pain [�]: Melee, Fire, Blast 5, 1
Target, BRV 1-2 Stride � Stride � IV
7-8 With This Lance I Shall Skewer Your 3-4 Teleport 5 � IV � Shadeflesh [�]:
Heathen Gods [���]: Make the Gain cover until end of next Riff. When
following attack twice: Melee, Fire, suffering any damage while in cover,
Range 5 Line 6, All Targets, BRV+FTH inflict 1 Hit to all enemies in burst 2.
5 Aim [�]: Sunder 2 all Marks. �
Arrows From Heaven [��]: IV twice,
ignoring CB.
6 Bounty [��]: Mark all enemies in burst
5. � It’s In The Walls [�]: Inflict 1
True Hit per mark to every marked
fighter, no matter the mark.

94
 VIOLENCE

ESTRELLA HIDALGO, THE ROYAL STARLIGHT OBISPO SANGRADO, THE PRIEST OF THE
KNIGHT BLEEDING GOD
“I am a hidalgo is a noble knight with mine own “O, ye mighty blades of the church. Mine hands and
holdings, land, estate, and squires in their Homeland feet have been cut off from me, lest they do evil
in the far western continent of Issohappa. I travel far before the face of God. I am placed upon the world
and wide to fill my days with adventure. I can do this, to eradicate sin. If thou art pure, if thou art free, then
for I am the ruler of the world. My ancestors are the thou shalt not fear. If thou are ignorant, then thou
greatest of kings, who hath conquered the world, canst be saved. If thou chooseth blasphemy and
and I shall carry on their greatness. heresy, then the greatest of cognito hazards upon
thee. The Mighty Lord shall unleash the Smiling
I am star-knighted rightfully the Emperor himself. My Angels upon thee, for upon the bosom of God there
soul has been BLASTED OUT OF MY PUTRID BODY is no Hell. There is only God. There is only God.”
AND REPLACED WITH THE SHARD OF GOD!
MARTIAL ABILITIES POS 2/3/4
I... I sit upon a steed of starclouds built from mine
own sidereal rituals. They travel to The Sword Isles in HP 8/9/10 RES 3/4/5
hopes of conquering it once again for the Crown. Ye
shall bow before the Lord.” BRV 2/3/4 SPD 3/4/5

MARTIAL ABILITIES POS 5/6/7 FTH 6/7/8 JMP 2/3/4

HP 14/16/18 RES 5/6/7 TRAIT INFLICT VIOLENCE

BRV 3/4/5 SPD 6/6/6 The Smiling Face of the Reprimand: Area, Fire,
Bleeding God: Whenever Range 3 Burst 1, All
FTH 4/5/6 JMP 2/2/2 the Obispo hits with an Targets, FTH
area attack, also inflict
TRAIT INFLICT VIOLENCE Pacification 2.
Starknight Steed: The Astral Saber: Melee, Pacification: You can
Hidalgo is Size 2. All sq Fire, Blast 3, All Targets, never deal more than 1
adjacent to the Hidalgo is FTH Hit. When you suffer
dangerous terrain, and damage, you suffer x2 the
they ignore dangerous Attack Teeth, and then
and difficult terrain. They you lose Pacification.
always have 1 Auto
Defend against all Hits on GAMBITS (d12)
all times. Whenever a 1-3 Stride � IV � Stride
fighter leaves an adjacent
sq, IV, 1/Beat. 4-6 Teleport 5 � Inflict The Fear of God
[�]: Inflict Waver 2 and Fire
GAMBITS (d10) Vulnerability on 1 target in range 3 �
1-3 Stride � Stride � IV IV
4-6 Stride � IV � Burning Star Shield [�]: 7-9 Teleport 5 � The Horrifying Fate of
Gain Block 3. When this Block is The Sanguine Orphan [��]: Inflict
destroyed, inflict 1 True Hit on all Doom 1 on 1 target in range 3. Doom:
enemies in the field. Your HP becomes 1 for the duration of
Doom. If you are brought to 0 HP, lose
7-9 Horrid Visages [�]: Provoke 1 a Doom.
fighter in range 3. While Provoked, they
are also suffer Slow � Stride � Smite 10-12 Screaming Scorn Sermon [���]:
[�]: Melee, Fire, Adjacent, 1 Target, Inflict 1 True Hit and Stun 1 on all
BRV+FTH, if target has Provoke, gain targets in burst 3.
Overwhelming.
10 Damascene [���]: Place a Starblade
above all fighters in the battlefield. At
any point, the sword can be made to fall
upon the enemy to deal 1 True Hit.

95
 VIOLENCE

CLERIC, THE SPEAKER TO ANGELS

“I speak to God and I am in immense pain. God has
told me to pierce myself in swords. I must keep
bleeding to speak with Him. I must speak with Him. If
I do not, then I will die. I see His face in every
crimson surface. I cannot see. The Smiling Angels
guard me, they protect me, I preach to my flock and
my flock nods and follows and they achieve
revelation. I am a saint. Please save me. My body is
not mine own. I speak to God.”
MARTIAL ABILITIES POS 3/4/5
HP 12/16/18 RES 3/4/5
BRV 3/4/5 SPD 3/4/5
FTH 5/6/7 JMP 3/4/5
TRAIT INFLICT VIOLENCE
Angel-Body: The Cleric Angelic Sword: Melee,
is chained within the Fire, Burst 2, 1 Target,
corpse of an angel. They FTH.
have Fire, Water, Air and
Earth Conditioning.
They lose this
Conditioning when
Staggered. All allies in
burst 2 of the Cleric gain
+1 to all Martial Abilities.
Whenever the Cleric
moves through a Slave,
they may consume the
Slave to heal 1.
GAMBITS (d6)
1-2 Stride � IV � Call [�]: Summon 1
slave in a sq in burst 2.
3-4 Fly 5 � Holy Blade [�]: IV, using any
Slave in the field as the origin �
Blessing [�]: Consume all Slaves in
burst 2 to heal 1 per Slave.
5 Fly 5 � Gravitas [��]: Area, Earth,
Burst 4, All Targets, BRV+FTH, Stop 2,
Gain Floating 5
6 Summon Smiling Angel [���]:
Summon any non-Origin Enemy Type in
a sq adjacent. This enemy has +1 to all
Martial Abilities.

96
VIOLENCE

DEMIURGE (Chief)
God.
Or perhaps, one of His many avatars. Lion-headed. Eyes
of exploding stars. Bleeding azure.
Whatever it is, the Demiurge is the Head of the Sanguine
Church, and is commonly equal in power to the Emperor.
Granted the power of Creation.
MARTIAL ABILITIES POS 7/7/7
HP 30/32/34 RES 7/7/7
BRV 7/7/7 SPD 7/7/7
FTH 7/7/7 JMP 7/7/7
TRAITS
Diamond Body: The Demiurge is immune to all attacks if
they have at least 2 allies adjacent to them. They are also
immune to gaining any Poise Tokens and only gain Poise
Tokens whenever a Slave in the battlefield is Defeated.
Creative Power: The Demiurge may summon 1 Slave in
the battlefield every start of Riff. As long as there are Slaves
in the field, the Demiurge cannot be Defeated.
Perfect Son of Chaos, Taker of Gnosis: The Demiurge is
always Floating. Whenever they gain Poise Tokens, inflict
1 Hit on all enemies in the battlefield, and heal 1, 1/Beat.
INFLICT VIOLENCE
God of Control: Area, Fire, Range 3 Burst 2, FTH, Slide 2
GAMBITS (d6)
Phase 1: Prophet
1 Stride � IV � Summon Book of
Commandments [�]: Summon a Ritualist
Minion in range 2.
2 Stride � IV � Summon Shield of
Conviction [�]: Summon a Guardian
Minion in range 2.
3 Stride � IV � Summon Sword of
Lightning [�]: Summon a Saint Minion in
range 2.
4 Stride � IV � Summon Kettlebell of Love
[�]: Summon a Saint Minion in range 2.
5-6 Apocalypsis [���]: Inflict 2 True Hits to
all enemies in burst 3. All Minions can be
defeated to deal 1 True Hit to all enemies
adjacent to the Minion.
Phase 2: Yaldabaoth (Trigger immediately when
Staggered)
1 Teleport 5 � Summon Book of
Commandments [�]: Summon a Ritualist
Minion in range 2 � Summon Shield of
Conviction [�]: Summon a Guardian
Minion in range 2.
2 Teleport 5 � Summon Sword of Lightning
[�]: Summon a Saint Minion in range 2. �
Summon Kettlebell of Love [�]: Summon
a Saint Minion in range 2.
3 Fly 5 � Wield The Sword of Faith [�]: All
allies in the battlefield gain Cultivate/
Enlighten 2 � Hosanna! [�]: All allies in
the battlefield gain Shield/Shell 2
4 Fly 5 � Go! Ye Blades of the Church!
[��]: All allies in the battlefield may IV.
5 Go Forth And Spread The Word of God
[���]: All allies in the battlefield may shift
3 and then heal 1.
6 Give Your Bodies To God For Greater
Apocalypsis [���]: All allies in the
battlefield are Defeated, and the Demiurge
heals 1 per defeated Ally, and then inflict
3 True Hits to all enemies adjacent to the
Demiurge and each Defeated ally.

97
 VIOLENCE

BEAST
Beasts encompass all animals: from animals that we might find here in our primary world to the unique beasts that can
only be found here in The Sword Isles. Animals are part of nature, and are respected by the people of The Sword Isles.
Beasts in The Sword Isles scale from life-force sucking mosquitos to giant slithering pythons that cause earthquakes.
Beasts don’t have Origin Types. Instead, add the Enrage Trait and one other Trait below on any particular Type
as a Template.
Trait: Enrage. When the beast becomes Staggered, they gain +1 to their BRV/FTH/SPD/JMP.
Add one of the following:

0 Venomous/Blazing. Whenever the beast makes an attack, also inflict Fray 1 for each Hit.
0 Serrated: Whenever the beast is Hit, inflict Bleed 1 per Hit back at the attacker.
0 Sharpened Claw. If attacking with vantage or while flanking, the attack deals +1 Hit.
0 Truesight. The beast cannot suffer Stun, Daze, ignores cover, and does not treat enemies as blocking line of
sight.
0 Predator. If the beast does not voluntarily move on their turn, they gain Overwhelming 2.
0 Behemoth. The beast cannot be moved forcibly by smaller Sized combatants. They are Size 2.
0 Unstoppable. Gain +1 BRV/FTH/SPD/JMP while the beast has Fray, Slow, Stop, Bleed, or Unbalance. Then,
they ignore those conditions.
0 Avian. This Beast has Flying .

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VIOLENCE

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 VIOLENCE
DIWATA/DEVATA
Diwata are the strange uncanny beings unlike us. Those
that live in the darknesses of nature, or the blinding
crash of thunders, or in the burning crackles of flame.
Those that tread across the trees, those that eat the
heads of children. Diwata are little gods residing in the
periphery, granting merit and taking it away.
Demanding nourishment, demanding sacrifice,
demanding reverence. Fear them, they look at you with
bent eyes, with broken faces. They may be worshipped,
but they do not need your worship.
Also known as hyang in Jamiyun Kulisa’s Arrows, or
diyos in Virbanwa.
Like with Beasts, the sheer multiversity of diwata
means they don’t have any unique Origin Types.
Instead, follow the steps below to applying a Diwata
Template.
DIWATA TEMPLATE
God. Diwata are gods of nature. They are not like us.
Their uncanny nature inflicts awe and fear. All mortals
that face a God suffer -1 to their Tempo or Gambit.
Diwata can be spoken with and offered to, but they are
hard to understand. Their motives can be hard to
understand, alien as they are, but they are almost
always aligned with protecting Universal Flow and the
Right Path of Nature.
100
Not Our Own. You cannot harm diwata, that is like
striking at trees. To defeat a diwata, one must follow a
particular set of rules, or perform a particular ritual,
that very often does include violence. Diwata cannot be
defeated, they can only be pacified, which is the same
mechanically as Defeated.
When making a diwata, choose 1:
0 Offering. Place offerings in 4 different random
squares on the battlefield, but are never closer than 7
squares to the Kadungganan. To pacify the diwata,
the Kadungganan must go adjacent to each offering
and interact with it to pick it up, and then give the
offering to the diwata by interacting with the diwata
while adjacent to it while holding the offering.
0 Sacrifice. Choose an enemy in the Battlefield that is
not a diwata. That enemy must be defeated while
within burst 2 of the Diwata to pacify them.
0 Influence. If there is a shaman or priest that the
diwata can feasibly speak with, that wisefolk must
speak and channel the diwata. While adjacent to the
diwata, the chosen shaman or priest (only 1 can be the
speaker) can spend 1 Technique to give the Diwata 1
Influence, and they can only do this 1/Riff. When a
Diwata gains 6 Influence, the diwata is pacified.
0 Purify. Place 1 enemy per Diwata on the field. Those
enemies must be defeated to pacify the Diwata.
0 Geomancy. Choose 5 random squares on the
battlefield, nothing within 6 squares of the diwata.
One must perform a ritual by spending 1 Technique
while on that sq. Once you have performed a ritual on
each square, the diwata is pacified.
0 Something Else. Diwata are unique and strange
beings, transcendent of our mortal wiles. You can
make a pacify condition for the diwata you choose.
Make it something strange, something borne out of
Southeast Asian rituals.
 VIOLENCE
Choose 2 below for the diwata you make.
Make sure this matches the diwata. For
guardian gods, they might take Boundary and
Life Furance for example. Alternatively, you
may roll d20.
1. Boundary: All squares adjacent to the
diwata are difficult terrain for enemies.
2. Life Furnace: Start the fight with
Regeneration.
3. Vajra: The diwata’s attacks always have
Overwhelming.
4. Untethered: The diwata has Flying.
5. Forestwalker. The diwata ignores all
terrain.
6. Giant God. The diwata is Size 2 or 3.
7. Royalty. When the diwata Shoves, they
can target 1 fighter in range 10, and they
can slide them by 3.
8. Isvara. When an ally starts or ends their
Riff adjacent to the Diwata, they heal 1 HP.
9. Elemental Harmony. At the beginning of
a pulse, the diwata must choose an
element. All enemies suffer vulnerability to
that.
10. Shrine. Place a shrine (Size 1 object) in the
battlefield at the beginning of Violence. The
diwata can use the shrine as the origin
point for any effect. Attacking the shrine
grants the diwata Skewering 1 and
Cultivate/Enlighten 1.
101
11. Alignment With Nihaya. Choose 1
Element. The diwata becomes immune to
that element.
12. Geomantic Weapon. Choose 1 Element.
When the diwata makes an attack with
that element, they score 2 Hits on a 9+.
13. Strange Physiology. The diwata has
spinnerets, or wings, or extraordinarily
sharp claws. Choose any Bane, they inflict
1 stack of it when they Inflict Violence.
14. Godly Speed. The diwata teleports when
they Stride.
15. Guardian Deity. When an enemy leaves a
sq adjacent to the diwata, inflict 1 True Hit.
16. Diamond Body. When colliding with the
diwata, they suffer no Hits and they inflict
2 Hits on the colliding target.
17. Indra’s Net. All things are
interconnected. When the diwata Shoves,
can choose 2 targets and teleport them 5
sq, and then the diwata teleports 5 as well.
18. Glory. When a diwata brings a target to 0
HP, they gain +1 Technique for their
current or next Riff.
19. Divine Wrath. When a diwata is
staggered, they gain +1 to all Martial
Abilities for the rest of Violence.
20. Gajaraja. A diwata has a giant mount.
They are always considered 1 Height
higher and they become immune to
Unbalance, Juggle, and Stun.
 VIOLENCE

GATUSAN ORIGIN FIGHTERS

FOLK
All Gatusan Origin Fighters have the Gatusan Template.
Folk are those that fight and try to prove their
Convictions. Each Folk is a warrior and has their own
love and lightning. Their own ideals, their own hopes KALIS
and dreams. Be careful when fighting folk: these are
your own. Send them to nirvana, or to hell, or to the Warriors that wield kalises, consecrated weapons
great mountains of Madjaas: you continue the great filled with spiritual power. They are filled with the
cycle of Violence. hotblooded strength of their leaders. Kalises are
awarded only to the best of swordsmen.
FOLK ORIGIN TEMPLATE MARTIAL ABILITIES POS 2/4/5
Conviction. All Folk have a reason for fighting, and if HP 5/6/7 RES 2/3/4
reasoned to, can cause them to rethink combat. BRV 5/7/9 SPD 4/5/6
However, they will fight for their Conviction until it
looks like all is bleak. FTH 3/5/6 JMP 2/3/4

Morale. Folk have something to live for. At the TRAIT INFLICT VIOLENCE
beginning of any Pulse where there are twice as many Blade Grace: When Kalis: Melee, Fire,
Kadungganan than there are enemies (eg., If there are 4 Striding, inflict 1 Hit to all Adjacent, 1 Target, BRV
Kadungganan and 2 Enemies left) all Folk enemies will enemies adjacent before
Surrender, becoming Defeated. moving.
Unbreakable. Some Folk might have GAMBITS (d8)
Unbreakable Morale, which replaces their Morale 1-2 Stride � Stride � IV
trait. This means they will fight to the death.
3-4 Stride � IV � Gatling [�]: IV, ignoring
CB
THE MAHAMANDALAS 5-6 Blade Streak [��]: Shift SPD in a
straight line, inflict 1 Hit to every enemy
There are five Mahamandalas, the five great mandalas moved through � IV
of the Sword Isles. Most fighters of the mahamandalas 7-8 Vajra Sword [��], inflicting 1 Hit on
are Folk. If for any reason they are of the mahamandala every enemy the Kalis becomes
but they are not folk (perhaps a culture god) then they adjacent to during the movement, 1
have Unbreakable Morale. enemy per Beat � IV

To make a Folk enemy, choose one of the Enemy

Types and apply the Folk Template and one of the
Mahamandala Templates below. JAVELIN
Poison dipped spears are the most common form of
GATUSAN projectile weapon in Gatusan. Oftentimes deadlier
than bullets, as the spears thrown—bamboo with
The Rajahnate is made up of 999 Chiefdoms, all pledging firehardened tips—are hard to get out, embed
allegiance to a single Raja, known as the Raja Batara. deeper, and can spread horrible poison. Javelins are
The current Raja Batara is a powerful warrior named a trained class of spear throwers that rival even the
Ambasi. Each of the chiefdoms are on the brink of best of archers and gunners.
statehood. Their mandalas grow. Any single state that MARTIAL ABILITIES POS 2/3/4
gains large amounts of manpower will for be able to
challenge Ambasi’s Mandala, which emanates from HP 4/5/6 RES 3/4/5
Kotaraya Kangdaya, or the great City of Kangdaya. BRV 4/6/8 SPD 3/3/4
Warriors of Gatusan burn with a yearning for gold and FTH 4/6/8 JMP 4/5/6
glory. For them, Glory is nirvana, it is a transcendent TRAIT INFLICT VIOLENCE
ideal, something that will make them Gods, but Pinning Spears: When Throw Javelin: Ranged,
something that must forever be chased after. making a Ranged attack Range 4, 1 Target, BRV,
with vantage, also inflict Shift 1 after
GATUSAN ORIGIN TEMPLATE Slow 1.
Each Gatusan fighter has the following mechanic: GAMBITS (d6)
It’s Time To Raid! At the beginning of a Pulse, the 1 Stride � Stride � IV
Gatusan fighters choose a single enemy in the field as 2-3 Stride � Leap � IV
their Raid Target. All their attacks against the Raid 4-5 Stride � Snake Venom [��]: Ranged,
Target gains Skewering. If that enemy is brought to 0 Range 5, 1 Target, BRV, Fray 2
HP, all Gatusan fighters in the field can heal 1 HP and 6 Stride � IV � Spear Palisade [�]: Put
shift 1. down a wall on any side of any square
in range 4.

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 VIOLENCE

KAWACA LORD
Powerful warriors clad in chainmail (known as kawaca) Lords are chosen by their merit and their might. Even
and crimson kopiah. They wield guns, water-engraved if they come from a long line of kings, if they cannot
shields, and swords. They make up an elite warrior- supply the required righteousness or violence, then
class, though not all of them are Kadungganan. Very they will be taken over by that which deserves it
often they are royal guardians, very close to the warlord more. Most Lords are on the Path of Glory, fighting
that they serve. and inflicting violence to ensure peace for their family
(that is, their entire banwa) as well as to perform
MARTIAL ABILITIES POS 4/5/6 great feats of excellence that will cause them to be
HP 7/9/11 RES 3/4/5 remembered.

BRV 3/4/5 SPD 3/4/4 MARTIAL ABILITIES POS 3/4/5

FTH 2/3/4 JMP 1/2/3 HP 6/7/8 RES 3/4/5

TRAIT INFLICT VIOLENCE BRV 3/4/5 SPD 3/4/5

Readied Shields: 8s on Lance: Melee, Metal, FTH 3/4/5 JMP 3/4/5
Defense Teeth generate 2 Range 2, 1 Target, BRV, TRAIT INFLICT VIOLENCE
Defenses. Slide 1
Shout!: Whenever this Cleave: Melee, Metal,
GAMBITS (d10) fighter starts their Riff, it Adjacent, 2 Targets, BRV,
and all allies in burst 2 Slide 2
1-3 Stride � Stride � IV may shift 2.
4-6 Stride � IV/Push 3 � IV/Push 3 GAMBITS (d6)
7-9 Shift 3, ignoring terrain � Water Buffalo
Overwhelm [��]: Melee, Earth, Blast 3, 1 Mocking Laugh [���]: Inflict 1
Safe, BRV, Provoke 1 all enemies damage on each enemy in burst 3, and
then inflict Unbalance 1.
10 Stride � Fire! [��]: Area, Fire, Line 5,
BRV+FTH, Safe, Provoke 1 all enemies 2-3 Chant: Gain Cultivate 1, all allies in
burst 3 gains Cultivate/Enlighten 1 �
Stride � IV
4-5 Stride � Bodyong [�]: 1 ally in range
CURSEWITCH 3 may inflict violence � IV
6 Rousing Speech [���]: Gain
A robed and gowned witch clad in flowers, oils, and Skewering on this fighter’s next attack.
golden ornaments. Their spells are fueled by a certain All allies in burst 3 gains Overwhelming
hatred, a certain anger. This passion and strength on their next attack.
they harness to supercharge their witchcraft, to
strengthen the magickal effects of their hexes upon
their foes.

MARTIAL ABILITIES POS 2/3/4

HP 4/5/6 RES 3/4/5
BRV 2/3/4 SPD 3/4/5
FTH 3/4/5 JMP 2/3/4
TRAIT INFLICT VIOLENCE
Familiar: A size 1 spirit Spite Curse: Ranged,
summon begins adjacent Earth, Range 4, 1 Target,
to the Cursewitch. Every FTH, Inflict Weak 1
start of Riff, it may shift 1.
Can be used as the origin
point for all effects by the
Cursewitch.
GAMBITS (d12)
1-3 Stride � IV � Domination [�]: Slide 1
fighter in range 3
4-6 Unlash [�]: Gain Float 3/Stride �
Stride/IV � Rupturing Curse [�]: Make
1 fighter in range 3 Vulnerable to a single
element.
7-9 Domination [�]: Slide 1 fighter in range
3 � Kindle [��]: Inflict Fray 2 on all
enemies in burst 2, and then all squares in
the burst become Burning Terrain.
10-12 Teleport 2 � Summon Witch Mangrove
[��]: All spaces in burst 2 explodes into
roots, inflicting Stop on every enemy in
the burst. Whenever an enemy with Stop
starts their Riff in the burst, they suffer 1
True Hit. The Field dissipates at the start
of next Riff, unless sustained with �.

103
 VIOLENCE

RAJA (Chief) Phase 2: Glory (Triggers when first Poise Broken

or Staggered). Immediately heal 20.
True Kings are rare in the Sword Isles. They take upon
themselves the title of Raja, but taking upon the name 1-2 Stride � Call To Glory [��]: The
does not make one what is named. To shine with Raja and all allies shifts 3 and then
righteousness, to break infinities, to offer Devotion that gains Cultivate 2, Unyielding 2, and
scorches the sky. That is what a Raja must be, and only Haste 2.
those true Raja will survive the grueling Final Festival. 3-4 Stride � IV � Deflect
One such example is Sri Raja Kus-gan Lokapala: one
of the burgeoning warrior-braves that has collected a 5-6 Stride � Impossible Virtue [��]:
formidable force. His banwa, now known as a Kota Gain Unyielding 2 and +2 to POS/
(City-Fortress), Kota Binarani, has grown in size and RES until end of next Riff.
has managed to accrue power and resources from the
Sultanate of Akai as well as the kingdoms of Rajakami. 7-8 Stride � Eradicate Fear [��]: The
His current regnal title means “Lord King Mighty Raja and all allies gain Block 4.
Guardian of the World”. He seeks to overthrow Raja 9 Break Infinity [���]: The Raja and
Batara, but he does not seek to rule Gatusan. He seeks all allies gain +1 Technique on their
to light the flame of enlightenment: he is on the next Riff.
Bodhisattva Path, and he wishes to bring all others with 10 Will The World Know Your Name?
him to true liberation. [���]: The Raja marks out a burst
MARTIAL ABILITIES POS 6/7/8 5, which does not move even if they
do. At the start of the next Pulse, the
HP 45/50/55 RES 4/5/6 Raja leaps and then reveals their
Indra-Realization, becoming more
BRV 4/5/6 SPD 6/6/6 than a King, inflicting 40 True Hits on
FTH 4/5/6 JMP 3/4/5 all enemies in the burst. Those that
survive this gain his respect. This
TRAITS INFLICT VIOLENCE effect cannot be repeated more than
once per Pulse.
Unbreakable: The Raja Heirloom Kalis: Melee,
has Unbreakable Morale Fire, Range 2, 1 or 2
unless appealed to their targets, BRV, mark targets.
Conviction. Additionally, When a marked target
while they are Poise moves into a sq adjacent of
Broken, they suffer the Raja or any Allies, they
Sunder. suffer 1 True Hit and then
lose the mark.
Perfect Parry: When the
Raja completely reduces
Hits to 0, they heal 1 and
may shift 1.
Lotus-Eyed: Every start of
Pulse, the Raja summons
two Kalis Minions of the
same Arc.
GAMBITS (d10)
Phase 1: Righteousness
1-3 Stride � IV � Self-Exaltation [�]: Gain
Cultivate 1.
4-6 Stride/IV � Pure Lands [��]: Put down
a burst 1 field that lasts until any fighter
is Defeated within the field. While in the
field, all enemies have -1 to all
Defenses.There can only be 2 Pure Lands
at a time.
7-9 Shift SPD � Righteous King Lance
[��]: Melee, Fire, Blast 4, Safe,
BRV+FTH
10 Stride � Grand Proclamation [��]:
Slide all enemies in the field by 3 sq. All
enemies then gain Provoke 2.

104
VIOLENCE

105
IV: KADUNGGANAN
The First Kadungganan Warband was said to have been formed by the
ancient First Slave, who gathered together the first martial artists of the
bloody Warring Realms, toiling under the Scourge, to strike back
against the Invincible Queen of Glaves.
The First Slave found the practitioner of striking arts, of quick-
movement, fast as winds: Kalakatri, Her Murderous Glory, who wielded
the first kalis and summoned ebony lightning. Kalakatri did not join him,
but instead, granted the First Slave her sword and shield.
Then the First Slave met the practitioner of protective arts, of shield
protection, area denial, and forced movement: Sri Katun Sahaja, the
Crumbling Boulder, who wielded the grand breastplate of defeated
giants and deflected thunder.
They went on to save the practitioner of vast striking, master of long-
ranged arts, of swallow blades, of burning bullets: Lontok Alam Gantar,
the Thundering Echoing Cannon, who wielded the first lantaka and was
the crafter of firearms.
They then had to persuade, up within a deep forest mountain, the great
hexer, practitioner of the eldest witcheries, who could mold Scourge
and make it into weapon: Dewasuhawa, the First Witch, who wielded
the ancient palm leaf scrolls, summoner of both demons and gods.
Finally, to complete the warband, they needed a warlord. A general
who could lead them to victory. They found, sitting before a silent and
stagnant, cold lake, the First Hari, the First God-King: The Conquering
King Rajaraya Pintas. He who ventured into heaven and challenged
The Sun Mother, he who ventured into heaven and stole the name Hari
from the gods.
The Conquering King was a demigiant: he was born from a giant
mother and a bamboofolk father. His eyes were large, bulging, and his
canines grew like tusks. He towered over the rest. But the First
Kadungganan Warband banded together and defeated the Conquering
King with diversity and understanding. With the defeat of the
Conquering King, he agreed to join the Warband. And so The First
Slave went on to challenge the Invincible Queen of Glaves.
KADUNGGANAN

The
Kadungganan
K
adungganan. Those that make war. Martial
Artists, Warrior Braves, Executioners,
Butchers, Warlords, Witches.

Those �irst one in and last one out, following the

commands and ideologies of their lords.

They are those that have obtained warrior

prestige--some of them through prowess in
battle, others through heritage, or birth, or
ancestry--and have thus become elevated to
the sides of their leader, acting as their
sword and shield.

They are known under many names:

bhayangkara, timawa, satariya, managku,
bagani, bayani, but altogether they know
themselves as Kadungganan. The Elite of the
Warrior Class. The Best of the Best.

108
 KADUNGGANAN

Kadungganan (or Gallants) hold a special place of prestige in The Sword

Isles: they almost always hold the highest echelon of the warrior class. They
are regarded as just below their warrior-chiefs in prestige. They are
Warrior-Elites, gentlemen, supreme martial artists. While they might not
be as rich as their noble class counterparts, they are certainly held to a
higher regard. They are akin to samurai, vikings, or a Spartan Elite.
Kadungganan are free to shift allegiance as they wish, sometimes paying
only a small sum to the leader they are leaving. Thus Kadungganan are free
to choose whichever job or venture prospect they would like. Some
Kadungganan choose to stay for long with one Lord, but it is not
uncommon to find Kadungganan who exercise their freedom.
You play as a Kadungganan, someone who has attained that warrior
prestige. Kadungganan prestige differs per person, of course, and you begin
your Kadungganan career in the lowest rungs. The tail end of the crocodile
army. The feathers of the king eagle. Struggle through this world, fighting
for your convictions, for your lord, or for your self.
The Kadungganan is the character through which the players wage war and
love in the war-torn lands of The Sword Isles. Thus, it is integral to know
how a Player, through their Kadungganan, interact with the mechanics and
fiction of the setting.

109

KADUNGGANAN CREATION
PATH STEPS
When creating a Kadungganan,
you must follow The Path, which
describes the following things:
0 Where you come from and
how you were brought up
(Culture, Subculture, Lineage,
and Social Standing)
0 Something interesting that
happened to you (Conjuncture)
0 What you are or chose to be
(Alignments)
0 What you learned to wield
(Discipline)
0 Someone that you owe
something to because of what
you did (first Debt)
0 Something that makes things
complex (Complication).
You can follow each step and roll
randomly on each step, or
choose whichever best suits your
image of your Kadungganan.
EXCLAIM Steps
4 to 7 and Step 9
are optional. If you
are running a short
Arc or a one shot,
you can ignore
these. You can also
choose to uncover
t h e s e
Complications,
Debts, and
Conjunctures
through play.
KADUNGGANAN
D10 CHOOSE A FOLK
1_ON_
Folk are purely cosmetic choices. They do not have on them attribute changes
and whatnot, since all kinds of Folk can be found across the Isles. When in
doubt, choose Bamboofolk: they are the most common of the folk. This one
does not need a Lifepath choice, though it will most likely affect what your
parents look like.
D10 ASSIGN ABILITIES
2_ON_
You can spread 4, 3, 3, 3, 2, 2, 2, 2 and then leave everything else at 1.
D10 CHOOSE OR ROLL CULTURE
3_ON_
0 Choose or roll for a Subculture and gain its starting item.
0 Choose a Lineage, and then add the extra Abilities.
0 Choose a Social Standing, and gain its item.
D8 DISCOVER CONJUNCTURES
4_ON_
Then, find out something strange that happened to you, your Conjuncture.
D10 DIVINE ALIGNMENTS
5_ON_
Choose your Alignments, who you are outside of violence, what the universe
was when you were born, what you have chosen to become. Choose a Heart,
Sword, and Shield Alignment.
D10 REVEAL DEBTS AND COMPLICATIONS
6_ON_
Choose 1 person that you owe a Debt to and then 1 Complication
you share with your Bandmates.
D10 DEFINE YOUR CONVICTIONS
7_ON_
Your Convictions are the reasons why you fight. These can be
ideals, beliefs, people, places, things, or dreams. Write
them in first-person perspective (ie. “I must find who
killed my father.”)
D10
8_ON_TRAIN MARTIAL ABILITIES AND
DISCIPLINES
First, spend 2 points on your Martial Abilities,
and then choose a Discipline, find out what you
chose to learn. Think of this as your “Combat
Class.” It is how you interact with violence. You
can change Disciplines later.
0 Your Martial Abilities are stats used for
combat only.
0 You gain the Fundamentals, Inflict
Violences, and the first 2 Masteries of that
Discipline.
D10 FIND YOUR WARBAND
9_ON_
Create your Warband with the group.
0 Choose your Warband Nature from the list.
0 Define your Warband Conviction.
0 Talk about how the Kadungganan met.
10_ON_
D10 YOUR VIOLENCE BEGINS
Finally, choose a name, and then begin at Legend 1.
110
 KADUNGGANAN
ABILITIES
Abilities in Gubat Banwa measures your Kadungganan’s approach and how they view the world, as well as how the
world views them. They are how they interact with the world. There are 16 Abilities, each one dealing with a particular
aspect of the world. A Kadungganan’s Abilities measure themselves at their core, as well.
Abilities begin at 1 and can go up to 7. During Kadungganan Creation, assign the follow ratings to chosen
Abilities: 4, 3, 3, 3, 2, 2, 2, 2, and 1 everywhere else.
BEAUTY
Attractiveness, but not purely because of features.
Beauty is reprehensibly impossible to categorize, you
cannot boil it down to eye shape and nose line and
forehead broadness. No, beauty is what comes before
judgment, beauty is what comes before evaluation. A
flower is beautiful to us but not because their
cheekbones are perfectly aligned. High Beauty might
mean that you cannot help it: people find you
attractive and appealing and they don’t exactly know
why. However, this might lead you to unwanted
attention. Low Beauty means you do not attract as
much attention, and people are not swayed easily by
you. People are swayed by beauty, you see, do not deny
it. Beauty standards in the Sword Isles are thus: broad
and sloped back foreheads (like the moon, for what
else is more beautiful than the shining lightning in
eternal darkness?) and broad noses. This ability
ignores beauty standards.
CONTROL
Bottle it up. Or– no. That’s a bad way of putting it.
Sheathe it, there. Control handles your capacity to
sheathe your emotions, to put it away, as required. It
is not the quality of being dense, no, it is cool,
composure. High Control means you wield your
emotions perfectly, by hilt or by blade: high Control
might also mean that you will never let go of your
control of your emotions, and you will never connect
with those around you. What is a Kadungganan
without the hands they hold? Low Control means you
are prone to bouts of intense emotion, possibly with
no regard to the consequences of your actions.
GRACE
Your hands are dexterous, fingers quick, feet always
moving. You are the wind, just like the wind. And the
wind retreats, the wind is whisked away, or rather,
chooses never to stay simply just there. High Grace
might mean you can run across walls, scale towers,
avoid boulders, but too high and you might overshoot,
you might bound, you might travel to the ends of the
world and find nothing but hopelessness. Low Grace
might mean you fumble, you fail. Things fall from your
hands, slip through your fingers. You cannot grasp
anything.
111
IMAGERY
To create, to craft, to sing a song others can see in
their minds requires a certain capacity to imagine.
Imagery is just that, imagination, creativity. High
Imagery means you can vividly imagine things easily
and perhaps, maybe even, put it down upon paper. But
you are burdened with image, burdened with the
mind’s eye. Simply standing there and thinking might
overload you. Low Imagery makes you as imaginative
as a stone upon a lake: still, and no ripples unless
others move you.
JUDGMENT
Observation and analysis are nothing without good
reasoning. In the Sword Isles, to be able to see the
value of the libra and the sword, with or without each
other, is just as important if not more to being able to
change the world. How can you change the world if you
cannot place it within your mind, intertwine its roots
within the caverns of the psyche? High Judgment
means your reasoning is slick and oiled, sharper than
wit, than darkness. However you might look upon
yourself too highly, and fall into the trap of not needing
others’ opinions. Low Judgment means your reasoning
is clunky, a rusty blade. You cannot cut away the
imperfections of the world, you cannot remove the
inconsistencies of thought.
MIGHT
Gaze upon shattered ships upon shores. That is the
work of the mighty, gaze upon it and despair. What is
might in the Sword Isles? What is strength when the
darkness between the stars has swallowed the lights?
Wield blood and flame, is that might? High Might
means your grip upon the sword-handle can bisect
trees, but too much and your sword might shatter.
Low Might perhaps means that you can only raise your
sword. But swing it? You will break first.
 KADUNGGANAN

OBSERVATION
The Sword Isles demands you to look closely. That leaf
is not just a leaf! Turn it over and witness the spirits
that dance underneath it. There is more to observation
than just perception. It includes analysis, rumination.
Nay, it requires it. High Observation lets you find the
intricacies of everyday life, lets you appreciate the
small things, even lets you understand what they
mean, but you might be too wary of your
surroundings, and you might get overwhelmed with
analysis. Decisions become hard for you. Low
Observation makes it so that you can miss the easiest
of things to spot, and even if you do, you might not
know just exactly why it's important.
POETRY
Your ability to read and tap into the intricacies of epic
and song, of subtext and context. Of poetry and
metaphor, of secrets and lies. The Sword Isles is filled
with people that speak in riddles and twists. High
Poetry means you can interpret what people say and
the subtext of their actions, figure out lies, and even be
good at lying yourself, but you are prone to reading too
much into things, and sometimes even you can’t figure
out if you’re telling the truth or not. Low Poetry means
metaphors and songs and epics and stories (and
everyone is a story) are indecipherable to you.
PSALM

OCCULT The Sword Isles collects and archives tradition, culture,

and knowledge in story and song. Thus, to know the
There are secrets so hidden in Gubat Banwa that only Sword Isles is to know its harmony, to be part of its
those that are dead or cursed to eat livers can afford to chorus, to know the intricacies of its paeans. High
dig through soil and corpses to find it. And even then, Psalm might mean you know a great amount of Sword
the secrets are not answers, but questions. Occult is Isle knowledge, but this might cause you to look down
your knowledge of these secrets, of things that even upon those that don’t. Low Psalm means you don't
the diwata might forbid, that the sages caution know much about your own culture. Why have you
against. Knowledge of the interactions of sorceries blocked out the song of the ancients?
with hiyang, of the strange vagaries of the Four-Part
Soul, of the underworld and the dead. High Occult
means you know what others might not know: truths
about monsters and demons and ghosts and the
vengeful, as well as the forbidden alchemies within the
world that let you perform magic: turning water into
wine, leaves into flame, herbs into life. However, the
secrets… change you. At High Occult, you hear the
whispers, your fingers are blackened, your eyes are
different. Low Occult might mean that you are
completely blocked off from knowing the secrets, the
ancient and long buried knowledge. Dense to it, you
might not even know when you are affected by it, just
like how not being able to feel pain is more a curse than
blessing.

PIETY
The Sword Isles are sometimes known as the “Islands
of Rituals”: every little thing is a rite to the ancestors
and to the spirits, to accrue better merit through good
deeds, so that their lives would become better.
Knowledge and the ability to stay pious and faithful is
an important characteristic for Kadungganan, no
matter what their faith. Pious Virbanwans might
perform their penitences properly, while Pious Akainon
Lunar Faithfuls might strive for better lives for all
those around them, as part of their Divine Striving.
High Piety means you are cognizant of the various
rituals and religions across the Isles. You might even
know the rituals of religions that are not yours!
However it might also make you overzealous, too
obsessed with perfecting and maintaining order, and
you might be susceptible to heresy, or even to those
that have no respect for religions.
Low Piety might mean that you could care less for the
rituals of the various religions. You do them purely out
of your own benefit or as parts of your culture, but
there is no obsession, no passion, in your
performance. Those with High Piety drink deep of
faith, like an obsessive and overpassionate love
between two young lovers. You do not possess that
enlightenment at Low Piety.

112
 KADUNGGANAN
SENSITIVITY
The world is alive. “Sacred nature” is redundant:
nature is already inherently sacred. The heartbeat of
the world is the diwata, the spirits, the gods, the
demons, everything in between. Listen to its heartbeat:
to be in harmony and accordance with nature is
“Hiyang”, transcendental oneness. Sensitivity is your
ability to tap into the world’s heartbeat, to meet the
manifestations of nature itself. High Sensitivity lets
you listen in to the truths of the world as spoken by the
spirits and the dead, and interact with them, but it
makes you paranoid. You hear the voices everywhere.
And once you can see them, they can also see you. Low
Sensitivity means you fall into that horrible horrible
trap of thinking that the world is inert and dead, and
the only thinking beings are Folk. You cannot touch
the unseen, which makes you useless.
TENDERNESS
Your ability to empathize and connect with the feelings
of those around you, to find the best way to connect
with others, and to speak softly. Gently. In the Sword
Isles, every word is a thorn, a prick, a kampilan’s spike.
Your words will not mend, but perhaps it need not heal,
simply soothe. High Tenderness means you will always
have the right words to say to quiet burning fires, but
your heart bleeds at every thought! At every word. You
bleed profusely for others, both a boon and a bane.
Forgive me, dear heart, there is no solace from love.
Low Tenderness means you are colder, your words
strike and bleed, like a sword, and you are dense to the
plight of others. A stone, dead, struck by lightning, not
in wrath but in ignorance.
TOUGHNESS
Perhaps the most important virtue in the Sword Isles.
Kadungganan are those assailed by fate and blade at
every turn. Wounds bleed and break you. This is Gubat
Banwa, after all. With High Toughness, you might be
stronger than a boulder, steel shatters upon your skin,
or you might grit through all things and always come
out on top. You might be knocked down but you
always end up standing up. Too much Toughness,
however, and you might end up dead. You can only get
knocked down so many times before your bones break
and give out. Low Toughness means you are like reeds
upon the riverbanks, easily swayed, easily broken,
easily burnt.
113
WILL
Attacks on the soul are common in the Sword Isles,
and Kadungganan must build up their resolve if they
wish to survive for long. Demons, spirits, undead,
witches… they all rend at the Kadungganan’s will.
Resolve must be steel, or else it will be the last thing
they want. High Will might mean you burn through all
those that wish to break you, or stand firm against the
assaults of witches and demons… but you might end
up too stubborn, too uncompromising on your beliefs,
that you fail to see the holes in your own self. Low Will
means you are easily swayed, easily charmed, easily
fall into witcheries. May the spirits bless your soul.
WRATH
Your capacity to express ultraviolent rage, your ability
to connect with the rage that broils with those around
you. Your ability to ignore everything else and give in
to your primal fury. In the Sword Isles, a powerful
wrath is often rare: it is too common for Folk to bend
over to those that possess more power, to protect
their own hide. High Wrath means you will be able to
act upon your emotions, you are emboldened and
bolstered and brought to flame by the fires of your
heart, but you are prone to becoming just like fire: too
bright, too hot, burning those you care about with the
rashness of your blaze. Low Wrath means you are
languid, you drag your feet. Lighting a fire under you
means nothing because you are numb to it. Your fire is
low, you cannot bring others to blaze if you cannot be
aflame yourself.
 KADUNGGANAN

FOLK
The people of The Sword Isles are
numerous. All those born in the
islands, no matter what they might
look like, are known as tawo.
Together they are all called Folk. The
folk of The Sword Isles are the people
that fill the entire world. The
following are the Folk that are
prevalent in The Sword Isles that you
can play as. However, all sorts of folk
live in The Sword Isles.
If you want to live as a frogfolk or
hornbillfolk, feel free! These are just
to inspire you.

KAWAYANON
Commonly known as The Bamboo Folk, Kawayanon
are the most populous Folk in the Sword Isles,
owing in no small part to their propensity to
reproduce and intermingle with others, being social
animals. Kawayanon are those born from a piece of
bamboo that floated in from the Endless Sea after
multiple cosmogonies. They arose after a great king
eagle pecked them out from their bamboo vessels.
The first Kawayanon had no gender. However an
ancient Devil-Eel known as Apung Gisibak fought
with the great Eagle and the Sky, and then deceived
the Kawayanon to fight with him. As punishment for
one of the first acts of violence, the Great Eagle and
the Grand Sky came down and sundered the
Kawayanon, inflicting gender upon them, and
enforcing a spiritual unity to be able to create new
ones.
Tinges of their foliage-ancestry echoes in small
distinctive features, such as having leaf- or nut-
shaped ears, green and brown eyes, supple pale
brown skin. Rarer are more obvious manifestations
of this: leafy hair, purple veins, long fingers, lanky
body types, and much more. Kawayanon usually live
for up to 80 to 100 harvests, but many seek a
poultice of immortality.

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KADUNGGANAN

IRO-IRO
The dogfolk are the faithful warriors of Apu Balatik, who
followed him to the ends of heaven. As a gift for their
faithfulness, Apu Balatik blessed all dogs with the cunning
ability to hunt down all things. The name Iro comes from the
first dog, their First Ancestor, Iro, who gave his life for Apu
Balatik. When Iro died, Apu Balatik emblazoned him across
the sky as a streak of lightning, and thus he is now known in
the sky as the heavenly lightning dog, Kimat. It is said that
sometimes the puppies and brood of Kimat venture down into
the earth through these lightning bolts, and they are known
as Kimat-Kimat.
Iro-Iro are blessed with the inherent capacity to hunt. They
therefore make for great warriors and hunters, which goes
without saying. They are beholden to creating tightly knit
communities, and thus are known for their ability to easily
integrate into any community easily.
Iro-Iro Ethnicities are wide and varied, similarly to
Kawayanon: those in the far Continent might have lion-dog
aesthetics, those in the far west might have more Beagle or
Corgi aesthetics.
Iro-Iro usually live up to 70 harvests in general.

115
KADUNGGANAN

KAMIKAM
The catfolk are those that resemble large humanoid
cats, but are widely understood not to be them.
They were the children of the god of hunting, Apu
Balatik, alongside the dogfolk. When the catfolk did
not join Apu on his journey to hunt the stars, they
were deemed lazy. However it was the ancestors of
the catfolk that invented the great number of traps
and hunting arts in The Sword Isles now.
The term Kamikam is an ancient word that Apu
Balatik gave them: it is a term that meant “the
wagging tail of a cat”. He gave them this when he
realized the first thing they would usually do before
doing anything was to wag their tails. However,
Kamikam, chosen children of Apu Balatik alongside
the Iro-Iro, also inherented his vicious hunting
intent and instinct, and thus they make for fierce
warriors.
Kamikam ethnicities are wide and varied across
Gubat Banwa: those in the far Southeastern
Continent might find Kamikam that look like fierce
golden tigers, in which they are called Auraskan. In
the Baikhan continent they might find grand lions.
Common in the northern islands of the Sword Isles
are those that resemble binturong, or bearcats.

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KADUNGGANAN

LAKSAMAN
The monkeyfolk are acrobatic leapers and warriors,
who fought in the wars of Rajah Mangadiri fight
back and kill the demon forces of Banjarmasir,
which led them to be an exalted people. Their
ancestor, Laksamana, was the one that killed the
great ten-headed demon god Maharaja Lawana,
and is the reason why Banjarmasir is the city with
the most population of monkeyfolk.
Most Laksaman are common in settlements and
cities that allow ancestor worship, as much of their
traditions as a Folk center around the grand stories
of their great ancestor. Despite this, Laksaman are
still very common in other cities, and they mingle
commonly with Kawayanon, who find that they
have a lot in common with.
In the far Continent, their ancestor is known as
Hanoman, and they themselves are known under
the name of Hanu. Laksaman are always skilled
warriors that have no qualms in showing off their
prowess, and thanks to their bloodlines, they are
incredibly dextrous, letting them move across the
thick terrains of the Sword Isles easily.
Their ethnicities are wide and varied, as many as
there are actual kinds of monkeys in Gubat Banwa.
Laksaman usually live until 100 harvests.

117
 KADUNGGANAN

PILANDOKAN
The deerfolk are diminutive mouse deer people
descended from the Almighty Trickster of Akai history,
Pilandok. Pilandok was so great that he once became
a sultan of an entire kingdom, without the actual
sultan even knowing! As punishment, Pilandok was
cut up into a thousand pieces, and that was how the
deerfolk were born. Of course, Pilandok is still alive. If
one asked Pilandok why he performed the deed, he
would reply: “is there anything funnier than a king?”
Most Pilandokan are small and slender in stature,
none of them reaching taller than 5 foot 5 inches.
However, there are some Pilandokan that have
stranger bloodlines and can reach taller than that. In
general, however, they are known for not being too
large, and for having distinct deer-like features upon
their face. Their hooves and legs let bound across
landscapes with ease.
Pilandokan ethnicities vary widely and greatly, but
they almost always stay small and below their average
height despite it. While they don’t inherently have a
propensity for being tricksters, many of those that
have heard of their stories immediately associate
Pilandokan with Pilandok.
Pilandok usually live 75 harvests.

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KADUNGGANAN

PAK-AN
Pak-an means winged. The birdfolk are descendants
of the ancient sky king Rajah Lawin, who rules over
all the sky raptors. When Rajah Lawin was killed by
Jamiyun Kulisa with his Thunderbolt, Rajah Lawin’s
electrified blood coagulated and formed into the pak-
an in mid-air. However, Jamiyun Kulisa asked Amihan
and Habagat, the Elder Monsoons, to never allow the
pak-an to fly, even with their wings.
Many Pak-an look similar enough to Kawayanon,
however their hands and feet (and sometimes their
face) tend to have very avian features. They are
sometimes confused with kinnara and kinnari, though
they are not that, for they are not divine. Jamiyun
Kulisa has made sure of that. Instead, many Pak-an
cultures revere the Galura, which bring about the
changes in winds across the seasons, as well as the
Garuda, avian gods that live in the heavens and
engage in an everlasting war with demon forces that
threaten to destroy the upper firmament of the
greater Kalibutan.
Pak-an ethnicities are once again very varied: crow-
like features are common across the isles, and some
look even like hornbills. They are as varied as
Kawayanon, and grand pak-an live alongside most
kawayanon to great effect, serving as helpers, elders,
counselors, and warriors for settlements found
across mountains and cliffsides, where they are most
comfortable--or perhaps most eviscerated, as the
constant height is a reminder of what they cannot do.
Most Pak-an live for 80 harvests.

119
 KADUNGGANAN
CULTURES
The five major polities have five bespoke cultures that color and inform how your Kadungganan will look at the world.
Choose 1 from below, or roll a 1d10-- 1-2: Gatusan, 3-4: Apumbukid, 5-6: Akai, 7-8: Virbanwan, 9-10: Ba-e
A small company of sea raiders sang their shanties and
echoed their songs of wars to the setting sun. They
sailed home from a long day of raiding, covered in
tattoos and abaca armor and hardwood breastplates,
brandishing their kampilan and krises and bows and
bangkaw spears. Their song was a song that echoed
across all of the Gatusan: “We warriors of Datu Tupas...
Are warriors undefeatable!” And they sang and danced
and chanted.
“Captain, incoming!” shouted the young man clinging
atop the roof of their karakoa, like a monkey. “To the
northwest!”
All of them turned to where the sun was setting and
sure enough, there was a small battalion of them,
heading straight for an engagement. “Warriors of Datu
Ha-ik Lawot! Tiglantakas, man your stations and fire
when ready!”
The booming sound of the lantakas resonated across
the sea. The warriors of Radya Sandata sung and
laughed as they took out at least two of the incoming
warriors. The others were quick, howver.
One of them, a large brown man with tattoos covering
his face in the visage of a demon, hollered. “O, these
stupid warriors! They’ve come to take their revenge.”
“And shall we let them have it?” Asked the man standing
at the bow of the ship, raising his kalasag and kampilan.
He wore a hardwood pakil breastplate and a pakupya
helmet. “To arms! Buwaya riders at the ready!”
The slender man of the raiding party nodded, and they
began prodding the large crocodiles that rested on the
back end of the ship. The crocodiles slipped into the sea,
and the buwaya riders hopped atop them, positioning
themselves onto their mounts. There were only three of
them: one of them wielded a salapang trident, two more
wielded bows.
“Charge!”
The buwaya riders split wide, hoping to flank in on the
incoming warriors, who seemed to be riding on the
backs of sharks.
“Captain!” Shouted the scout once again. “I can see
what they’re riding now! They’re... O Indira Suga!
They’re balu riders!”
And when the scout screamed that warning, the
incoming warriors of Ha-ik Lawot screamed ululating
cries, and their fish mounts took to the skies. Balu were
winged swordfish, and the warriors of Ha-ik Lawot were
infamous for having them.
“And I thought we were going to have an easy one,” said
the captain. “Buwaya riders, advance! Men, bring out
your spears: We have a fish to catch!”
The Rajahnate of Gatusan is a collection of settlements
and cities all bound beneath a collectively chosen
Overlord, known as the Rajah. While these datu do not
see the Rajah as superior, they do go to the Rajah to
resolve interpolity disputes. The Collective of Crocodile
Lords decide who becomes Rajah, but lately the
Collective has been gripped by the lineage of Ambasi,
who traces a direct line to the legendary founder of
120
Kangdaya, Sri Bishaya, the Tempestuous Tiger Who
Roars from the White Mountain.
You were born into a poet and warrior society. At a
young age, you have been taught the ways of word and
war. You were a social outcast if you could not keep up
with the evolving wit and word. As a young child you
carried with you a dagger at all times, especially if you
were socially male. You were taught the ways of war
too early. You got your first tattoo while you were of a
small age as well: either by conquest of violence or
love.
HISTORY
The Rajahnate was established by the Auraskan Prince
from the far eastern kingdom of Mahajola. This prince,
named Sri Bishaya, left to establish his own kingdom.
He found it in the far island of Tauhaw, in the island
hinterlands.
Eventually, Sri Bishaya had two sons: Sri Bantug and
Sri Daya. They warred for ownership of Kangbishaya
and Tauhaw, and in the end Sri Daya struck the killing
blow upon Sri Bantug’s breast. Thus, Kangbishaya
became Kangdaya, the seat of the Rajah across the
Rajahnate. After Sri Daya became Rajah, he went on a
tour of duty, making sure that surrounding islands
swore a blood oath to him, and traded with him,
strengthening his own polity. Then, he proceeded to
focus his efforts on creating fortifications and weapons
to combat the invading hordes of the magalo from
beyond the jaws of the world.
The current Rajah is Hari Batara Ambasi, who is the
third son of Sri Malaya, who is the last direct
descendant of Sri Daya. He carries within him auraska
blood, which shows in the crimson tinge of his hair. He
is, other than Shri Bishaya, the first Rajah to take the
moniker or Hari, which is the term for God-King. His
majesty and strength is recognized indubitably across
the 999 Chiefdoms. He will lead Gatusan into the Great
World Raid.
At one point in a dream, he saw the Suladnon
Bakunawa--one of the many sun and moon eaters--
rise from the sea and attempt to eat the sun instead of
the moon, and she spoke to him, telling him that as she
will consume the sun, so will the Rajahnate consume
the islands. Promising victory, Batara Ambasi
solidified his connections and kin and proceeded to
conquer a Sultanate city on the opposite coast of his
island. Through this act of supreme valor, he
consolidated his Rajahnate.
 KADUNGGANAN
NOTEWORTHY PERSONS
Rajah Batara Ambasi is the current Rajah, who heads
a Rajahnate that has at least twenty Datu under them.
Rajah Batara Ambasi sitsv upon his high-backed
bamboo throne: a bamboo dais whereupon he sits in a
lotus position, overlooking the Throne Hall of the
Dawneater Longhouse Palace, which takes person a few
minutes to walk from end to end. His presence looms
over all: like a god he watches.
Whenever a visitor enters, he lifts his right hand with
three fingers pointing up, and another hand resting
upon his feet. His arms are covered in bangles and
armlets of pure gold until his hands, which are so
scarred and tattooed that they look more like tiger
claws.
He wears a sarong that is as long as the great hall of his
Dawneater Palace, and he wears three garments atop
that: a single cuirass of gold and abaca, a long-sleeved
gown of foreign silks and gold spun so thin that they are
as silk, and a giant shawl that wraps and covers his
shoulders and neck, which floats about him like a cloud
and fulminates as if a living flame. His feet are always
covered, none of his tattoos can be seen by lowly
mortals and non-royalty.
His hair is white like tiger fur, braided intricately yet still
wild, so long that it lies in a spiraling pile beside his
bamboo palace. Over that he wears a golden pudong
that is as tall as his torso, ornamented with carnelians,
agates, sapphires, emeralds, and golden nuggets folded
into flowers with infinite petals.
His face is intricately tattooed in crimson and black in
the face of a howling tiger, a beast rare in the islands.
His eyes, most frightening of all, are the true eyes of a
tiger’s: feline, striking, and lusting for blood.
The Rajah is a peerless swordsman, and one who has an
impeccable handle over sorceries, trained by a powerful
Hexers. Many have tried to extinguish the flame of his
majesty: his policies tend to open up too much, and
Rajahnate patriots wish for a Rajahnate that puts their
own culture first, pushing out foreign influences.
The Rajah says this is folly, and wishes to incorporate
all. His goal is said to be this: the destruction of the
Rajahnate itself. A goal which Rajahnate faithful cannot
abide.
He has managed to survive every assassination attempt
thus far. Only a truly concerted effort can bring him
down now.
Rajah Batara Ambasi’s taste for grandeur is reflected in
the grand city of Kangdaya, golden and gleaming, with
rivers running up its densely populated neighborhoods.
With Baikhan junks and Naksuwargan adyongs all
embarking and disembarking within, with their
marketplace always filled. The Rajah will make sure that
those that try to depose him understand why he is
Rajah in the first place.
121
Datu Sukarno. A mustachioed Datu who hails from
the island of Buwol, upon the grand city of Tajilaran.
Datu Sukarno is a well known scheming warlord, who
wants nothing but the safety and freedom and prestige
of his home banwa.
Thus, he seeks to become the new Rajah, planning on
gathering as much power as he can, to make sure that
Tajilaran becomes the trading entrepot that Kangdaya
is today.
He regularly raids trading ships to Kangdaya to try and
destabilize the Rajah’s power, and he is quickly
amassing a fighting force of a hundred Kadungganan to
fight beside him in the growing tensions.
Sam’baha Dimantag. The granddaughter of the now
dead raider-datu Sripulapula, who fought against Sri
Malaya himself in an attempt to destabilize his power,
and killed the first Pale King in the isles, Fernaw
Magalyanes.
Sam’baha, is a skilled Kadungganan who excels with the
kampilan. She regularly travels to try and find more
challenges, in the hopes that she can be strong enough
eventually to become a Datu and kill all Pale Kings.
OTHER CULTURE IMPRESSIONS
To Virbanwa: Feh, those knights have sat on their
horses for so long their saddles run up their ass! Fuck
their livers, they don't own shit.
To Akai: We used to raid them, now we raid each other.
Come, moon raiders: the seas part for we alone!
To Apumbukid: Friends, but the raiding we do is a
cesspool for atrocity, breeding ground for disharmony,
for Dihiyang. They don't like that, and when they strike
without remorse, we don't like it either.
To Ba-e: Like my sister always said: respect your
elders! But if they get uppity, we'll sail to their trading
docks and remind them who it was that raided the
shores of Baik Hu.
Gatusan Honorifics: Laki [la-KEE] (Masculine), Bayi
[ba-YEE] (Feminine), Sri (General, for Nobles)
Gatusanon Naming Convention: Gatusanon are given
names that describe qualities the family wants for them,
a particular natural phenomenon that happened during
the birthing, a beautiful tree or other natural item or the
craving or fascination of the mother while pregnant. This
can be a single word, or two, or sometimes entire
sentences. Gatusanon can choose names for themselves
as well.
Gatusanon Names: Siga, Liluan, Bagul, Aliluyuk,
Mahimayaon, Haraw, Salug, Hinagiban, Daya, Hamabad,
Kagiw, Gaang, Idyap, Alangilan, Bulsuk, Kutlu, Tanaman,
Adilpa, Daganas, Nasirakna, Idda
As a Gatusanon you can always...
0 Spout poetry and song.
0 Fuck with others.
0 Show off your prowess.
 KADUNGGANAN

SUBCULTURE
There is a large number of subcultures in the Gatusan Isles. It is in its name, after all: they
number in a hundred. But here we will detail the most common 8. The Gatusan Isles’ diversity
is only rivaled by those in the Footsteps of the Gods. Roll d8 or choose.

1 Mantiwan. The Isle of Ghosts and Phantasms and undead. A cursed island, any
settlement that arises from here is immediately destroyed save for a single harbor
principality, named Mantiwmantiw, led by Datu Kinatak, which is said to have created
an accord with the death diwata that lives within. You can speak Mantiwanun and start
with ritual deathrope.
2 Sagkabanun. The Isle of Sea Warriors, who have the capacity to travel the Vastness of
Wine, who live in the isle of Mairete. They are unmatched in their boat building
capabilities and have become important allies for Kangdaya: most of their boatwrights
come from here.
You can speak Sagkbanun and start with an adze.
3 Noroknon. You come from the monastic village of Norok. A popular polity led by
Courtesan-Datu Sinhata. It can be found in Salima Falls, one of the steepest and tallest
waterfalls in all of The Sword Isles. There, the Salima Hotsprings lie at the base, heated
by the volcano Duluum. The people of Norok have monastic-sages named Tigtimbang,
those that weigh or keep the balance, and preach the holy faith of Hiyang, oneness and
balance with nature, otherwise known as Conjunction. They are most known for
worshipping the holy mountain of Ubir, whereupon a great Dakbalete can be found, said
to house a number of spirits within. The Dakbalete, known as the Spirit’s Bathhouse, is
said to be a gateway into the realm of the spirits, as well as to Sulad. Norok is the
constant giver and receiver of trades against Pannai.
You can speak Noroknon and start with flowering staff.
4 Put’wanon. You come from Put’wan. Once a burgeoning kingdom of their own, they
have since fallen in glory. Ancient Put’wan once rivalled Ba-e in glory, and had great
Annuvaran Kings of Righteous Merit. Much of the Put’wan warlords have traveled to
Akai, where they grew in power and fealty to the Sultanate. The current Lord of
Put’wan, Sarripada Sahaya, is the current brother of Hari Batara Ambasi. Thus while he
pays fealty to the Rajah, he still commands a great deal of autonomy. Put’wan itself was
known as the City of Gold before Kangdaya. Built kilometers along the Inagos River, the
river itself yields gold by just panning. Thus, gold was used as decoration for houses,
for plates, for weapons and armor and more. Even debtors. A great number of
goldsmiths, showing off their skill in their craft with their ability to fashion and craft
gold like silk, come from Put’wan. In ancient times, Put’wan also had regular contact
with Baik Hu and Loc Luang, trading and raiding their shores.
You can speak Put’wanon and begin with a kalis with a pearl hilt.
5 Gandaranon. You come from Gandara. A small fishing polity led by the Fisher-King
Datu Balahura, who has a pet whale shark. Every year, someone is abducted by the
forest, never to be seen again.
None question this, although they say it is so that fishing remains bountiful, and that it
is the unglu, lithe and tall shadowfolk that live in the mountains and the forests that
need to be appeased.
Many missions are sent there by the Lakanate but so far none have succeeded. At night,
people speak of a mysterious City of Lights, which they have come to call Lungsod-
Liwanag. Shining City. It trades amiably with the polities of Ibalnong.
You can speak Gandaranon and begin with a fishing rod.

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6 Sinugpuanon. You come from Sinugpo. A city-state ruled by a long line of blue-blooded
Datu, in the western peninsula of the Ramasa Island. They hold diplomatic relations with
Naksuwarga and are known to train the fiercest of warriors. They conduct raids along the
coast of Virbanwa, leading them to become hated enemies. They are masters of sea raiding
and are known to hold good relations with almost all the other city-states, making them a
formidable force to anger. Their current Datu, Datu Sangbagsik, is rumored to be plotting
to overthrow the current Rajah and become the next one.
You can speak Sinugpuanon and begin with a porcelain jarlet of palm wine.
7 Panglawanon. Panglaw is the great city across the Strait of Kangdaya, upon the isle of
Buwol, where the great Raja Sri Gatun fended off a contingent of Pale Kings during the First
Albanon Arrival. They reckon a bloodline straight to Rajaraya Pintas, the first Conquering
King, and their warrior pride matches even those of Kangdaya. A number of martial arts
settlements have arisen in Buwol for this reason. You can speak Panglawanon and start
with a tasseled ceremonial spear.
8 Kangdayanon. You belong to the great city of Kangdaya, the beast of our times, the one
that shall eat the dawn. While not blessed with the great stupas and pagodas of Ba-e, the
city stretches up the grand river and across the bay of Mantawili, and over even to the isle
of Opon. A giant sword turned lighthouse sticks up from its bay. It has fended off the Pale
Kings before, and thus it has never known defeat. The grand palace of the Hari belongs
here, burgeoning with alloyed gold and bronze, unfellable, guarding the oldest strangler fig
tree, known also as Malaun. You can speak Kangdayanun and start with city clothing (a
sarong, a silk jacket, and a headwrap).
The largest city of the Rajahnate on the western island of Tauhaw. Kangdaya is the richest
settlement in the Rajahnate, ruled by the Rajah Batara Ambasi from within its golden walled
pagodas.
Known as the City of Gold, they are in position of large amounts of iron from mining, gold
from their homes and rivers, and weapons from their diplomatic relations with the Baik Hu
Hegemony, of which they have become an honored vassal state, thus giving Rajah Batara
Ambasi the title of Hwang, and also thus being recognized as King by not just his own
people, but also by the Hegemony of the Baik Hu Empire.
Those that live in Kangdaya enjoy greater pleasures and privileges when it comes to trade
and import. One can find bamboo-and-balete magdantang (communal spirit houses) and
layered city walls in Kangdaya, They have since become a major target of Naksuwarga and
Virbanwa during the Second Star Era.
Destabilizing Kangdaya is the key to conquering all of Rajahnate. The greatest of the
Rajahnate’s Kadungganan, all of which are called timawa, are trained here in the Monastery
of Winds.

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LINEAGE
If you are a Gatusanon, roll a d8 or choose from the following lineages.

Warrior Lineage. You come from a family of warriors faithful to the Rajahnate,
who treat the new Hari as a close family friend and have pledged blood
1 compacts with. Your tattoos sing of your courage and prowess. Gain +1 to your
Wrath.
Merchant Nobility. You come from a family of rich merchant princes who have
2 traveled as far as the distant lands of Baik Hu, and perhaps have enterprises in
Jamiyun Kulisa’s Arrows. Gain +1 to your Judgment.
Tattoo Artists. You come from a long line of tattoo artist professionals, or
mamamatuk. You inscribe stories and traditions upon skin. Outsiders of the
3 Sword Isles see that they didn’t practice painting on paper, but that is because
the islanders paint upon living canvas. Gain +1 to your Psalm.
Singers. You come from a family of professional singers, who sing both epics
4 and traditions, both glories and dirges. Gain +1 to your Psalm.
Traveler. You come from a family of skilled travelers, who ventured from isle to
isle selling wares or offering their services. A very uncommon lineage in the
5 isles, but they are more than happy to offer their barges to those that need it
and can offer to pay. Gain +1 to your Observation.
Sensitives. You come from a family touched by the spirits of the world, the
diwata, and are inherently in tune with Diwa, the world’s pulse. Your parents
6 might have been balyan, or shaman-healers, that channeled and performed
concordance with the greater beings of nature. Gain +1 to your Sensitivity.
Adopted. You were adopted into a family of courtesans and singers instead of
7 warriors. You’ve never known your real family. Gain +1 to your Poetry.
Tiger-Blooded. You are a scion of the legendary tiger blood of Hari Batara
Ambasi, and you might be eligible to take the Dawn Eater Crown. You are born
8 deep into the courtly intrigues and intersettlement politics of Gatusan. Gain +1
to your Control.

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SOCIAL STANDING
This showcases the social class of your character before they became Kadungganan.
Your social standing might have come from your lineage, or it might have come from
something that happened after your lineage (ie. a merchant prince that has fallen from
grace or accrued too much debt). It is up to you to connect the dots.
Choose or roll a d6.

Bihag or Chattel. You were the victim of the Eighth Star Era’s
1 burgeoning violence, and have become nothing but wealth to be
traded. You begin with nothing.
Hayohay or servant. You were indebted or were born into debt of a
powerful person, whether it be a famed warrior, merchant, or
2 aristocrat. Your hands are calloused from your work. You begin with
a small push dagger.
Tuhay or peasant. You were a loyal worker to your communities’
3 chief. You had your own house within the community, and offered
part of your labor to him. You begin with a farming implement.
Timawa or Warrior. You were a freeman, working as a warrior for
the datu that you have chosen. The datu shares their spoils with you,
4 their fellow warriors, and you earn your own house with your own
wealth, though you answer to the datu’s beck and call and
sometimes toil for them. Gain a weapon.
Tumao or Aristocrat. You were born into richness, into the blood
of the datu of your settlement. You are connected to the datu either
through blood or social connections, and enjoy the benefits of
5 nobility. You do not toil for the datu but you must pick up arms
when called to battle. You have enjoyed the ability to take on
multiple arts. You begin with a golden ear ornament.
Kedatuan or Royalty. You are directly connected to your
settlement’s datu, either the datu is your uncle, grandparent, or
parent. You are revered as an Aristocrat, although the expectation
for you is much higher. If you are born female then you were treated
6 as a binukot, a veiled maiden, hidden from the rest of the world until
you were to be wed to someone your parents decided is fit for their
social class. If you are born male you were trained in the arts of war
and leadership. You begin with a royal heirloom.

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APUMBUKID
Apunon is the term for those that belong to the five
holy principalities of the Confederation of Apumbukid.
Let us remember where we came from. The words
echoed in the minds of the Vwiraya, the warrior-braves
of their mountain kingdom. These words echoed even
as they descended down their mountain slopes. It was
time for a headhunting raid. Today’s targets were easy
and important: those peaked helmed and lamellar
wearing silk men from the Kingdom of Baik Hu. They
have arrived today and traveled deep into Pumirang’s
peninsula. Dangerously close to the holy mountain.
The Datu, Datu Fikisi, brought his spear and
headhunting axe to bear. He was covered in tattoos,
each one telling a story of victory, a story of courage
and bravery and fury. All these tattoos were imprinted
upon him to give him strength this day.
The Baik Hu caravan, trespassing upon the holy
grounds of Apu, was large, strangely so. As they passed
by the mountain road, which was flanked by beautiful
blossoming trees of azure and crimson flowers, as well
as bamboo, they noticed that guarding both the back
and front of the palanquin caravans were men and
women wreathed in the kalabaw hide vests and long
habay-habay of Virbanwa.
“Datu,” said one of Datu Fikisi’s sandig, his right hand
man. “The Virbanwans trade with the land defilers.”
“This is so,” replied Datu Fikisi. “We have warned the
Virbanwan to be careful of the land, but they do not
listen. And now they trespass upon sacred ground.”
“I suppose,” a woman’s voice this time, lying low,
wearing a large rain coat and a helmet adorned with
feathers of rainbow birds. “The promise of wealth is too
much for them to turn away.”
“They will exploit the land,” said Datu Fikisi. “We must
stop them.”
“But if we attack, surely Virbanwa will strike back!” Said
his sandig.
“That is of no consequence to us,” replied the Datu.
“Remember where we stand. Remember that Virbanwa
has already begun its conquest of the land. They must
remember who it is that dictates our fate.”
His sandig nodded. The woman spoke: “They seem to be
heading to the village of Kapkap. The trading city with
the other hinterland kingdoms.”
“Come then, let us strike as the moon cuts the night.”
And so they did, descending down upon the traveling
caravan like a lightning flash.
Stewards of the divine wilds, warrior-priests, and
enforcers of hiyang. The Confederation of Apumbukid
is a collection of kedatuans that has grown about the
Holy Mountain of Apu, the Center Pillar of the World.
They are united by Five Elders, known as the Limang
Timuay. The Limang Timuay were each granted a shard
126
of Apu Dayaw’s Violence, and therefore are bolstered
with divine, righteous might.
The people here worship the Holy Mountain Apu, for
climbing up to its peak one will arrive at the gates of
heaven. Within the Holy Mountain of Apu sleeps the
Original Spirit, the one that came into being, defying
causation, and caused causation itself: Apu Dayaw.
Apu Dayaw is said to have been the original creator,
sometimes conflated with the Gatusan-Pannai God
Malaun, the Eldest One. Apu Dayaw is said to slumber
deep within the burning heart of Mount Apu, and it is
said that when Apu Dayaw awakes, the world shall end,
and a new one shall begin.
One of their diwata, a Deity of Law named Kakum, gave
them the Code of Rajivithra, a code of law that all
people of Apumbukid must abide by. The code has
orders for the stewardship of all holy mountains, of
protection of Apu, and of the maintaining of Hiyang.
Beyond the 5 Kedatuan that surround the mountain of
Apu, the Confederation of Apumbukid has begun
setting up their own Kedatuan all across the
Archipelago. These Kedatuan swear no fealty but to
nature, and will not back down from fighting with
other polities to maintain their sovereignty and
stewardship.
This necessitates a certain degree of oneness with
nature, and from them comes the enlightenment of
Hiyang, the truth of oneness with nature. The truth
that Nature is all there is, and all things cycle back to
nature.
By achieving true Hiyang, one becomes a true
Makinaadmanon, a saint, bodhisattva, buddha,
enlightened one, who fuses into the land and becomes
one with nature, constantly in a state of Hiyang,
embodying all its forces, its death and its life, its fires
and waters and airs and earths.
Confederation clothing varies, but they are well known
across the isles for their bright red textiles, which have
since become known as Apula, or, Elder Crimson, and
it is a more holy red than what most of the other tawo
of the isles wear. Confederation clothing are intensely
pragmatic and rugged: their fashion is meant to serve
their stewardship, after all. Very commonly, many
Confederation nobles would wear giant flowers as hats
and collars, butterfly wings as ceremonial sarong, and
the greatest warriors sometimes would wear the
bright crimson chitin of giant centipedes. However,
this fashion is strictly ceremonial and meant for times
of peace: it is sacrilege to wear it into violence.
 KADUNGGANAN

The Confederation annually congregates, at the end of The Confederation of five Kedatuan of Apumbukid was
every harvest, in the grand feast known as the Feast of tied together in two vectors: through the great God of
Sanghiyang, which is usually sponsored by one of the the Holy Mountain Apu—the center of the world—
Limang Timuway. There they embody, worship, and from whom they are descended from, and their shared
exalt nature, but also create trade connections, resolve responsibility of being stewards of Hiyang, harmony
petty wars, create new architectures, trade ideas, and with nature. This harmony has been broken, and the
even bind kingdoms together if an argument or constant war and atrocities have only widened this
conversation can lead to it. rend. They have taken upon themselves a proactive
approach to their stewardship, stopping atrocities
The Confederation, therefore, is in both constant trade from happening and fending off those that would
and constant war with the other polities, as they have cause disharmony.
access to much resources and valuable goods
necessary for international trade with overseas They believe in the guardian spirit Iwa-garo, who
kingdoms. protects them during their raids. Iwa-garo is known
as the First Steward, and he is one of the six Katulusan
In accordance to the tenets of Hiyang, Confederation that provide stewardship over all nature.
raids are less likely to take captives, killing those they
raid and taking heads and wealth as dictated to them These Katulusan are revered and worshipped across
by Iwa-garo, to lessen the likelihood of war, as war is the five principalities: Iwa-garo, the Beast Hunter;
anathema to the diwata. However, the Confederation Garahana the Watcher; Irigi, the Pillar; Bahdiyatol, the
can still take war captives, usually when the manual Deliverer; Karadiya, the Soother; Kidab, the Hexer.
labor is needed in their settlements or when the spirits
tell them to during the pre-raid rituals. The honorific Apu for males and Akbaye for females
are used when deference is required.
Apunon live in vast dragon houses, and practice the
Naga geomancies, following it to properly create Aristocrats in the Confederation are known as
houses with good luck, as well as using the movement Mafengal, warrior braves who have validated their
of the Naga in the sky to divine the future. positions as either spiritual leaders or those that could
protect their own settlements. These Vwiraya excelled
Meanwhile they are in need of the many goods from in conflict, whether it be spiritual, social, or physical.
the shore settlements. Thus it is a symbiotic
relationship, although a very frail one, like a loose Mafengal aristocrats would band together with other
thread that has been fraying for far too long. What will warriors and settle disputes with other settlements
happen of this relationship is unknown to all. within the island of Pumirang. They are very much like
the nobles of the other polities, with the difference
In the Eighth Star Era, Apumbukid has taken a more that they are expected to have a higher harmony with
aggressive approach in their Stewardship. Using their nature than others. Resources are abundant in
intimacy with the spirits of the land, they make use of Confederation settlements, so they not only wear gold
Root Paths that let them travel across The Sword Isles all the time, but they even plate their teeth with it.
without sailing. Thus they have begun to expand, to
try and take back the last remaining sanctums of The Freedmen among the Confederation are given a
nature. Before it is lost forever. special spiritual warrior title known as Vwiraya. These
are the Confederation’s Kadungganan, who go out on
There is a Root Path in most major cities, particularly revenge raids and trade raids. They protect their entire
in Ananara, Jambangan, Kangdaya, and Ba-e. These settlement, and that is their prime purpose: to protect
Root Paths were instrumental to victory during the and enact vengeance, not to wage war.
Lakanate Conspiracy, but of course, Virbanwa has
chosen to leave that out of their history texts.
Apumbukid settlements, scattered across the
archipelago, are built upon stone and bamboo in the
plains, cliffs, mountains, bays, and even caves that the
rest of the polities dare not to explore. Here they
create vast complexes and subterranean empires,
guided by the gentle hand of the diwata and umalagad,
the spirits of nature, of stone and rock and wood and
earth and air and sky.
Apumbukid has the strongest of relations with the
other guardians of the holy mountains, with Vuyu to
the far south, the Ibalong to the southwest, the Pannai
to the to the Southeast, and Sritaluk to the north.
They have Root Paths so open to each other that while
Apumbukid may be the most influential among them,
they have been most influenced by those Polities.
Trade and friendship with Vuyu has allowed them to
learn the Warsage’s ways and the skill of the Tigpana
from Ibalnong. Their relationship has helped them
grow stronger and stronger, and no doubt the
Confederation will be first to aid these mountain
stewards when the time comes.

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NOTEWORTHY PERSONS Other Culture Impressions

Ang Limang Timway. The Five Elders of the To Virbanwa: Forgive us. Blame yourself or your
Confederation are as follows. They all have a primary God.
principle and duty, in addition to their secondary duty
below, which is to steward over the mountain of Apu, To Ba-e: To the river of violence we succumb, with its
and to keep it from harm. They have taken a more judgment swift and final. It bite as cold as steel. There
aggressive approach lately, making sure that almost is enough time for regret in hell.
every hinterland is protected from the advancing To Gatusan: Why do you fight? Why do you split the
forces of the expanding polities. seas? Fight for something greater than you. Only then
will you fear no reproach. Only then shall you be more
0 Timway Surugu, the Antlered Elder of Ministry. than just man.
She is the Datu of the Kedatuan of Niyawa, to the
north of Apu, wherein they train folk to become To Akai: Stay your blade. The sword that destroys
shamans and priests, and in recent times, monks to can never overcome the sword that protects.
Apu Dayaw’s mountain-temples.
Apumbukid Honorifics: Aplake [ap-la-KEH]
0 Timway Tabo’owan, the Diwata-Blooded Elder of (Masculine), Akbaye [ak-BA-yeh] (Feminine)
Spirituality. He is the Datu of the Kedatuan of
Samring, to the West of Apu, which trains Apumbukid Naming Conventions: Similar to the
blacksmiths, sages, sorcerers and teachers. Rajahnate’s, although the individual choosing a name
for themselves after their first conquest in love or war
0 Timway Pagariwara, the Meek and Calm Elder of is common.
Violence. She is the Datu of the Kedatuan of
Taraboko, to the Southwest of Apu, which trains Apumbukidnon Names: Felindag, Metegdaw, Asi,
warriors and warlords. Atulun, Dengeg, Dagit, Fuga, Apaw, Kilut, Anyag, Abbal,
Bansag, Buni-Buni, Darudu, Hifara, Tangu, Tobok,
0 Timway Diwangga, the Lithe and Covert Elder of Mayasi, Baguybuy, Yomog, Fatu
Secrets. He is the Datu of the Kedatuan of Rahasiyan,
to the East of Apu, which trains travelers and As an Apumbukidnon you can always...
assassins.
0 Preserve harmony by rituals and corrective action.
0 Timway Koyayaw, the jovial Elder of Trade. He is
the Datu of the Kedatuan of Barahanda, to the 0 Scrutinize disharmony.
Southeast of Apu, upon the shores of Pumirang, 0 Reprimand those that defile nature.
which trains merchant princes and diplomats.
Sekul. Sekul is a renowned vwiraya who travels the
Root Paths to weed out places of atrocities to prevent
yawa from arising before they have the chance. This
has caused her to come head-to-head with a large
number of Kadungganan, who usually had an
opposing goal against hers.
All she wants is the land’s purification and harmony,
so that future generations of her Kedatuan Rahasiyan
will not have to suffer the training to become travelers
and assassins.

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SUBCULTURE
There are eight primary Subcultures of the Apunon. Choose 1 or roll a d8.
1 Niyawa. You come from the great Niyawa, the city of strangler fig worship houses, where those that
wish are taught in the arts of spirituality and how to achieve Conjunction. The river of Niya runs
through it, coming from the cleansing falls that fall from Apu itself.
You understand Niyawanun and begin with a textile cloak.

2 Samring. You come from grand Samring, principality of Sages, created with five sides to create
perpetual Conjunction, those who seek knowledge and teach it to create a better world. They create
blacksmiths and administrators, and teach those in the arts of necessary leadership, to lead the world
to a place that doesn’t need it.
You can speak Samringnun and begin with palm leaf scrolls.

3 Pagariwara. You come from majestic Pagariwara, the principality of warlords, where giant spears
stake the earth, as if the gods pierced demons deep within the lands. Pagariwaranun achieve
Conjunction by perfecting violence so that the violence inflicted is only necessary and not excessive.
You can speak Pagariwaranun and begin with a ceremonial kampilan.

4 Diwangga. You come from ancient Diwangga, once the border of all things, the greater extremities,
the nexus of all paths that eventually lead to Apu. Here those willing are taught in the ways of
connection, of unity, of concordance. They achieve Conjunction by creating connections between those
that would otherwise be enemies. They shall unite the world.
You can speak Diwangganun and begin with a dragonfly necklace.

5 Usambangsa. You come from Usambangsa. This Kedatuan sits upon Apu itself. Upon the Central
Pillar of the World. The city itself is actually mostly empty, but kept spotlessly clean by attendant
spirits and a population of 5,000 mortal tawo, who provide stewardship and cleaning. In the middle of
it is a great black stone that looks as if the god Apu Dayaw struck the mountain with an obsidian
spear. It is said that the stone leads to the sleeping place of Apumbukid himself, a grand city of
glittering crystal within The Sword Isles. It is said that They will rise only when The Sword Isles need
Them the most.
You can speak Usambangsanun and begin with an obsidian knife.

6 Nerakihon. You come from Nerakihon. The settlement of Nerakihon is a large village surrounding a
single tree that grows atop the Berumer Mountain. The tree, known as Punung-Neraka, has a hole
upon its gigantic trunk that, when entered, sends you plummeting deep into its root systems. Villagers
say it sends you straight to Nerak, hell, and that every once in a while a busaw bursts out from the
trunk. The villagers have thus created a special force of demon slayers just to protect Nerakihon--and
the rest of The Sword Isles--from the assaults of the otherworlds.
You can speak Nerakihonon and begin with a spiritsilk shawl.

7 Sanggasanggsa. You come from Sanggasangga, a warrior city-state. It is a city-state to the furthest
west of The Sword Isles, by the base of the mountain of Pinukal. Here, everyone is trained from birth
to become a Sentinel against the evil creatures from beyond the mountain barriers, known as the
magalo, fae-demons from the Forests Beyond the World.
Warriors here are trained to be magalo hunters, with the intent of protecting nature and defeating the
unnatural. Everyone in Sanggasangga knows full well their responsibility, and carry the burden with
pride, always consorting with spirits of the forest, their own guardian spirits, and spirits of war to
make sure The Sword Isles is safe. But the tides have become stronger....
You can speak Sanggasangganun and begin with an ironwood kalasag.

8 Lawahun. You come from Lawahun, the village of frost. A village by the mountain of Wahang, where
the Sage of the Mountains lives. The bone-biting cold here requires the warming magics of the Sage.
Upon Lawahun, you consort with the wind spirits of the moon, and live side-by-side with ice spirits,
surviving and dealing with snow and ice. They engage in ritual headhunting with the state of Vuyu.
You can speak Lawahunun and begin with a spear of ice.

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LINEAGE
Roll a d8 or choose from the following lineages.

1 Ritualist Parents. Your parents were those that attended and joined and performed ritual killing,
whether in revenge or to appease the gods. You have been taught this graceful responsibility, and you
must never let it fall into the wrong hands. Gain +1 to your Might.

2 Makinaadmanon Heritage. Your parents were Makinaadmanon, the Peerless Sages who chose to
teach the ways of Achieving Conjunction. They are gone now, but they have left some invaluable
insights to you about Diwa, the truth of the world. Gain +1 to your Psalm.

3 Feast Patrons. Your parents are wealthy patrons of feasts, most likely aristocrats. You’ve enjoyed
traveling to a great number of settlements to set up feasts, and you’ve met a large number of peolpe
due to it. You have been taught to be kind, always. Gain +1 to your Tenderness.

4 Servitude. You come from a family of servants, who serve a noble warrior who treats your family
well. You were in essence that warrior’s squire, carrying their armor and doing their chores. Gain +1 to
your Toughness. You cannot begin as an Aristocrat.

5 Elder Balyan. Your parents were the elder balyan, usually called Katuuran, of your settlement, and
they provided guidance in the midst of the chaotic dance of nature, war, and spirituality. You’ve grown
up close to the spiritfolk all your life. Gain +1 to your Piety.

6 Deep Forest Diwata. You have the blood of diwata, actually. Your parent was a forest guardian. It
shows in your eyes, in your mortal form. What peers through? You have never met your parents but
they speak to you in your dreams. There’s a destiny you need to fulfill. Gain +1 to your Sensitivity.

7 Outcast. You were an outcast, even in your own settlement. However, the folk of various Apumbukid
settlements have always taken care of you and provided you some shelter, even if you travel from
settlement to settlement trying to find out who you really are and where you’re from. Gain +1 to your
Grace.

8 Warrior Braves. Your parents were warrior braves who sought to protect the various folks of the
Kalanawan region. You are heir to a proud lineage, one who understands the role of violence,a nd so
you have been taught this same very thing. Your family was well respected in your settlement. Gain +1
to your Wrath.

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 KADUNGGANAN

SOCIAL STANDING
This showcases the social class of your character before they became
Kadungganan. Your social standing might have come from your lineage, or it
might have come from something that happened after your lineage (ie. a
merchant prince that has fallen from grace or accrued too much debt). It is up to
you to connect the dots.
Choose or roll a d6:

1 Bihag or Chattel. You were the victim of the Eighth Star Era’s burgeoning
violence, and have become nothing but wealth to be traded. You begin with
nothing.
2 Bayang or servant. You were indebted or were born into debt of a powerful
person, whether it be a famed warrior, merchant, or aristocrat. Your hands are
calloused from your work. You begin with a small push dagger.
3 Nugkat or peasant. You were a loyal worker to your communities’ chief. You
had your own house within the community, and offered part of your labor to
him. You begin with a farming implement.
4 Kalita-o or Warrior. You were a freeman, working as a warrior for the datu that
you have chosen. The datu shares their spoils with you, their fellow warriors, and
you earn your own house with your own wealth, though you answer to the datu’s
beck and call and sometimes toil for them. Gain a weapon.
5 Mafengal or Aristocrat. You were born into richness, into the blood of the datu
of your settlement. You are connected to the datu either through blood or social
connections, and enjoy the benefits of nobility. You do not toil for the datu but
you must pick up arms when called to battle. You have enjoyed the ability to take
on multiple arts. Mafengel very commonly use giant flowers, foliage, insect parts,
and such as prestigious regaila. You begin with a giant flower petal cloak.
6 Datu or Royalty. You are directly connected to your settlement’s datu, either
the datu is your uncle, grandparent, or parent. You are revered as an Aristocrat,
although the expectation for you is much higher. If you are born female then you
were treated as a binukot, a veiled maiden, hidden from the rest of the world until
you were to be wed to someone your parents decided is fit for their social class. If
you are born male you were trained in the arts of war and leadership. You begin
with a royal heirloom.

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 KADUNGGANAN
AKAI
The war gongs sounded. Our armies assembled. On
one side, under the blazing crimson banner of Sultana
Yarashgara XII, the Omniscient King, chosen by
Baginda Sumongsuklay herself, we stood. In front of
the flattened plain, facing the sea. We prepared our
lantakas, our arquebusiers raised their guns, our
longbowmen raised their bamboo bows the length of
their bodies. Our frontmen raised their kampilan and
kris and sundang, beating them against their kalasag.
Our cavalry rode upon water buffaloes and elephants,
wielding arquebuses and spears. We were ready to take
them on, and we will bring them down.
Off to the distance, like a black blade sweeping in from
the horizon, sailed the bastard forces of the wicked sea
king, Radya Gaputan. He declared himself true sultan
and declared war upon us last moon, and now he comes
with the full force of his fleet.
My Beloved Sultana walked up beside me. I lowered my
head to her, the golden threads of my sarok creating a
soft rustling symphony. “Parawali,” she said. “Report.”
She was garbed in the full ensemble of war god armor:
elephant hide breastplate and steel armor from head to
toe, a helmet fashioned to make her look like the
dragon that eats the moon, and a kiwo-kiwo kris that
was larger than any other. Around her armor she wore
a colorful textile sarong of white, pink, and crimson,
which flowed to her feet.
“Beloved Sultana,” I said, and I pulled out the bamboo
scroll from my sleeve. “Radya Gaputan comes in with a
force that is seven times stronger than our land army.”
“But our army is all supremely trained,” replied my
Beloved Sultana. “And they are nothing but
mercenaries and horohan.”
“It may be so, but their superior numbers leave us at a
disadvantage.”
Sultana Yarashgara XII nodded, and then said, “Did my
friend Datu Kumusuli reply?”
I smiled. “They did, oh Valued One.”
“And? What was their reply?”
The war horns began then. The agung quickened. The
entire army began screaming in rage and defiance
against the wretched horde of Radya Gaputan. On top
of the hill we stood upon, overlooking the shore, the
great Paraawit sang her greatest song. The
Neverending War of the Sultanate. She sang of all the
great battles the sultanate has fought, will fight, and
will ever fight, and told of how they were victorious
above them all.
And as the war gongs clashed and the war horns
bellowed, a fleet of colorful sails came in from both
sides of the horizon, as if rushing to meet the incoming
horde. A multitude, like fire encroaching upon oil.
“They said that they remain faithful to you, Sultana, the
Conquerer of this Earth, the Render of Heaven, the
Omniscient Queen.”
The Beloved Sultana nodded and smiled. “Good
answer.” And she raised her giant kris, and lightning
struck it, and she flared like a god.
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HISTORY
The Akai Sultanate was established a hundred years
during the ending of the Seventh Sun Era. Jaris Akai
arrived in the island of Siga upon a vast metal vase.
Then, he found and married a princess of one of the
local settlements. Through that he, bred a powerful
line of ten sons, who eventually became the Ten Datu
that ruled over the ten regions of the region that
surrounded Siga, the island whereupon the holy
capital of the Sultanate was to be born.
Then, Jaris Akai conquered and subsumed the native
peoples blessing them and granting them the title of
Datu, while he himself became their grand emperor.
Jaris Akai brought the island of Siga and the
surrounding islands to heel.
Jaris Akai, also known as Maharajah Akai, faced down
a rebellion from the Ten Rajahnates of his sons, which
he managed to win after the arrival of Sihkandag, the
Warrior-Priestess of Baginda Sumongsuklay.
Through her counsel, medicine, and sorceries, Jaris
Akai brought his sons to line, and then eventually
established the Sultanate.
Soon after, the Sultanate adopted the Moon Faith,
Iman, as a state religion. As more pandita wisefolk
came in and taught the religion, more culture (both
social and material) was brought into the ten islands.
They crafted powerful weapons and learned great
techniques which he taught to his ten sons. Upon his
ten sons, he conquered the island of Siga and the
surrounding islands, a portion of the islands of
Simipatra, and the coasts of Kalanawan.
His reign only ended due to the quarreling and
politicking of his ten Sons, who bickered and warred,
fighting for inheritance of the Throne.
Eventually Jaris Akai perished, and in mourning, the
Isles of Siga and the coastal shores of Kalawanan
erupted into the Ten Datu War. Ten of his greatest
sons, Fire and Storm Kings, warriors of the current,
echoes in the forest.
The winner Yarashgara I, who was not the eldest but
the one destined to be the leader among the Ten
Datus, as spoken by esteemed pandita Saka Iskandr.
And thus it was so, and the rest of the ten cities and
states paid fealty to him, for he and his line became
the inheritors of the Lunar Throne.
The Akai Sultanate believes in what they call Iman. It
is the faith that the Moon Goddess Baginda
Sumongsuklay created the islands after warring with
the sun, and became the Resplendent Night Queen
that held sway over both night and day.
 KADUNGGANAN
Baginda Sumongsuklay was privy to power over the
most powerful realm in the world: the Sea, and the
Sultanate became peerless sea raiders and warriors
thanks to their blessing from Baginda
Sumongsuklay. They have created Lunar Temples for
her in spiritually powerful places. All diwata pay
fealty to her, the greatest of the diwata.
As of present day, the Ten Datu and the Sultana still
have a convocation at every Full Moon for feasting
and trading and speaking and organizing new
ventures, as well as other diplomatic political
inventions. Lately they have been preparing, as the
Lakanate of Virbanwa readies their armies and
recruits from their villages.
The Akai Sultanate will not bow.
TRADITION
The Sultana sits within her Grand Lunar Palace: the
largest structure in The Sword Isles: a massive 100-
roofed palace that meets the moon when it is at its
fullest, expanded into a sacred square, with hundreds
of annexes connected by stone halls made of
moonstone.
It is all at once a holy offering to Baginda
Sumongsuklay, and a housing for one of the most
powerful people in the Sword Isles.
The Sultanate of Akai is one of the most powerful
polities across the Sword Isles: the seat of power is
placed within the grand city of Siga, in the midst of
the Footsteps of the Gods, the archipelago once said
to have been created by a Parade of Gods who
traveled from Pumirang, the birthplace of all divinity,
towards the rest of the continents. As the premiere
Sultanate, with only primary rivals in Sonyoh,
Naksuwarga, and Barungsai, the Akai Sultanate rules
most of the Footsteps of the Gods archipelago,
dominating northern Sword Isles, spreading Iman far
and wide. Various petty kingdoms and chiefdoms go
under Akai’s servitude willingly to benefit from both
the protection and the trade connections of the
Sultanate, which stretches to Baik Hu, to all the way
to Auraska, Varsha, and even the Azur Caliphates.
Chivalrous, regal, and romantic. The Sultanate of
Akai prides itself in the beauty of its monuments, its
temples, and picaresque sites in their island and the
extent of their mandala into the island of Kalanawan.
Akai holds a code of chivalry, and follows their Sultan
as others would follow their king. They are intensely
loyal, and engage in the romantic aspects of life,
whether it be in art or in song. Akainon live in divine
striving, and in their striving, they seek to expand
their mandala to bring all under the holy light of the
Moon, creating a great Empire for their Baginda
Sumongsuklay, their Supreme Moon Goddess.
Tawo from the Sultanate are exposed to vast trade
with Naksuwarga and Baik Hu. They have access to
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inscriptions and culture from other parts of the world
through this trade. This has caused many of the
Sultanate tawo to be exceedingly diverse culturally.
Among the Nobles, they share much in common with
the Akai as well. Especially rich folk that do not have
noble blood, the orangkaya, are known to have their
own little society within Akai, and in some cases
influence the decisions of the Datu. Many epics and
songs and poetry has been born due to the constant
adventuring of nobles.
Akai Warriors are known as Satariya, but Sultanate
Kadungganan are called hulubalang, peerless
warriors. They fight not only for their Datu, but also
for the Sultanate. When the Final Wars come, or
when the Sultana seeks for them, they will ride with
their Datu to the Sultana’s side, and they will reach
heaven through violence.
The most faithful of warriors gird themselves for
battle: they wrap themselves when performing Holy
War with the trappings of those to be buried:
anointed with oil, shaved, and invested with white
garments. They will bring as many as they can with
them, and in their death, they will reach heaven.
THE DIVINE STRIVING
The tawo of Akai embody and internalize the most
important pillar of their Iman: the Divine Striving.
There are four Divine Strivings:
0 The Striving to Holiness, which is their striving
to overcome the lower self, perfect their bodies, and
reach communion with the Moon by following the
tenets of Iman.
0 The Striving to the Sword, which is their striving
to perfect their martial prowess to protect what is
theirs and other blasphemers, and to glory in
fighting as a means of worship.
0 The Striving to Purification, which is their
striving to cleanse the land of evil and darkness,
injustice, oppression and the works of the Malaikat
demons.
0 The Striving to Truth, which is their striving to
achieve truthfulness and to spread the knowledge of
the Baginda.
 KADUNGGANAN
NOTEWORTHY PERSONS
Sultana Yarashgara XII. Yarashgara, descended of
Jaris Akai, the twelfth of her name, the Omniscient
Queen, unto whom songs of crocodile-slaying and
island-rending are sung about. She is known as the
Thunderous Conqueror, the Ever-Swallowing
Current. Born to the royal family, she proved her
worth as the heir to the throne, and sought to
capitalize on her father’s mistakes by expanding Akai
ever forward. Yarashgara is a well-versed in the
Masteries of Iman, counseled by twelve pandita--
both local and foreign--and served a tour of duty as
a knight-warlord for her late father before taking the
throne.
Thus, the Omniscient Queen is intimate with her
subjects, and the Sultana knows that they are primed
for expansion. Their goal is to conquer all of The
Sword Isles first, and then Sonyoh, and then the rest
of Naksuwarga. She aims to become a force strong
enough to rival even Baik Hu. She keeps her wits
about her, however, for they know treachery and
betrayal whirls at every current.
Upon her throne in the Lunar Palace, she sits upon a
stone dais that is made of the bones of a great moon-
eating serpent, the Bakunawa Throne. She sits upon
it with legs folded, wearing a great pudong that does
not fall, but rather, is attracted to the sky, so it falls
upwards always, creating a spiralling crown
unrivalled.
It and the rest of her garments--a lambung so long
that it can cover her in three-layers and still be long
enough to cover the entirety of the Bakunawa Throne,
a shawl that can double as elongated arms and can
wield weapons, and a silken pillow that lets her fly
anywhere--is made of moonsilver-silk.
Moonsilver-silk can be found nowhere else in the
world but upon the Sultana, who commissioned it
from a thousand of the Sultanate’s best weavers. The
silk itself can only be retrieved from the wings of
angels who live upon the mon.
The Sultana’s sword is a crescent scimitar, the Bulan
Sansibar, that when used at its full power can cut
entire mountains. She has no need for a shield.
To this day, the Sultana has 78 Heirs: the 78 Lunar
Princes, called Prince despite their true gender. They
are warring for the Sultana’s affection and
acknowledgment so that they can become the true
Heir to the throne, the next maharajah, the next
Sultan.
Pangiran Seri Rida. The elder brother of Yarashgara
XII. He is incensed. Although working as a
Mahalaksamana, or Grand Admiral, of the Akai Fleet,
he connives and plans. He believes that he is the true
heir to the Throne, despite not being the eldest son.
Despite this, he chooses not to recognize Yarashgara,
who was born Ilasun, as the current Sultana. Even
now, he amasses forces, not just from Akai Kedatuan,
but from Dagindara and Sritaluk as well, even going
so far as asking help from far cousins that live in
Gatusan.
A full scale war is ready to erupt, with Pangiran Seri
Rida at its prow. All he needs is for Yarashgara to slip
up.
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Pandita Mana. A wise and widely respected pandita.
He is a heavily bearded man, wearing a turban-like
pudong, and a heavy kampilan that is more for ritual
use than combat. He uses sorceries learned from the
Sacred Land to the Southeast, which lets him
manipulate light and shadow itself with a single
mentala.
He travels the land as a scholar and spreader of the
word of Baginda Sumongsuklay, making sure that all
beings can accept her ever-gleaming brightness. He
seeks to turn all of The Sword Isles to the truth of
Iman, to push them to a new age of enlightenment.
To that end, he travels, paying boat-owners and
merchants alike to ride upon their vessels, to travel as
far as his eye can see.
He grants those that he preaches to help, in the form
of healing or herbal remedies.
Other Culture Impressions
To Virbanwa: What we will do to your kingdom is
the reason why the Moon goes hunting.
To Gatusan: Wild, pure, and forever free! We would
happily include them into the ranks of our vassals,
but their blades are sharp and their tongues even
sharper. To live by the blade is to die by the blade, of
course, and they shall find hell from ours.
To Apumbukid: They have not the strength to repel
us. Had we the effort and will, the Holy Mountain
would have become our ladder to the Holy City on the
Moon, and they will have become our brothers in our
Divine Striving.
To Ba-e: Aloft upon their elder dais, yet they have
persisted through cycles of violence. Does it grieve
them to see the depths of their own weakness laid
bare?
Akai Honorifics: Tuan [too-WAN] (General)
Akai Naming Convention: Akai names are often a
single or two words. They share many names with the
Rajahnate and with Naksuwarga.
Akainon Names: Asip, Sandayli, Sumandak, Hamba,
Buddiman, Akal, Layu, Saliha, Salimin, Maputra,
Patima, Bahira, Sawira, Muhaddi, Hinda Hanman,
Manalum, Gura, Gumantung, Aliya, Angkala, Hakim,
Pakrud, Aisha, Idda
As an Akainon, you can always...
0 Point out the beauty of a situation.
0 Look down on others for being weaker.
0 Revel in striving.
 KADUNGGANAN
SUBCULTURE
There are eight primary Subcultures of the Apunon.
Choose 1 or roll a d8.
1 The Holy Kedatuan of Harigii. Called solely
because of the ancient holy temple built upon a
high mountain by the first few preachers and
apostles of the Moon Goddess, and was where the
First Teacher, Indra Guro, died and was buried.
The Holy Temple has since withered away to the
elements, as it was built on bamboo, save for the
four pillars that it was built upon, which never wilt
away. When a person cut the pillar to examine it,
the part that was cut immediately withered and
aged. Many people that live in Harigii grow up to
become priests, scholars, and monks for the Moon
faith. Harigii has since become the pilgrimage site
for all Bulanists.
The current Datu of Harigii is a once-pandita
preacher named Datu Dahit Sabad. You can speak
Harigiinon and begin with a holy ritual spear.
2 Pasara. The capital of the island of Ulahina, the
crown jewel of the Sultanate, ruled by the Datu
Gaddung Kira-Kira, who is a peerless blacksmith
and a loyal vassal to Yarashgara. Pasara is an
entry city that leads into verdant forests, jade
statues overgrown now by trees, and clear streams
that flow out of the mountain. The mountain upon
which Pasara lies at the base of Mount Sithi, is
said to be the home of the Diwata Sithi, Goddess of
Tears and Love, and it is said that the two rivers
that stream down on both sides of the mountain
are her tears.
Most people that live here are known to be
excellent entertainers and performers, creating an
extravagant economy for tourists and travelers
from all across The Sword Isles and the greater
world. You can speak Pasaranun and begin with a
saffron shawl.
3 Yikapu. A polity ruled by the current
Mahapanglima, or Grand General, Jamrud Wanni.
Yikapu is situated on a small island south of
Jambangan, and it is protected by moonstone
fortresses and star-bamboo towers. Here the
superior military force of Akai is both trained,
stationed, and launched. The satariya trained here
are taught how to use lantaka, cannons used for
war, powered by strange busalian sorceries, as well
as how to use their soul to fight back against the
beguiling enchantments of both god and witch.
You can speak Yikapunun and begin brass plate
armor.
4 Naksuwarga. An ancient polity that once
stretched its influence across Jamiyun Kulisa’s
Arrows, that region of the isles that are fraught
with warring even with the Continent. Naksuwarga
was principally invaded by the ancient Mahajola,
which spread Annuvaran thought and religion into
its shores, which then expanded to the rest of The
Sword Isles through missionaries and traders.
Now Akai has claimed it for its own, but its kings,
called Rakan, are powerful and refuse to be cowed,
and pray upon their more ancient gods to
eventually fight back against Akai. If you come
from Naksuwarga, you can speak Nak-an and
carry around a necklace of small gods.
5 Barungsai. Another ancient polity that once
warred continuously with Naksuwarga.
Naksuwarga once conquered Barungsai and
massacred its ruling family, but has since been
able to free itself from Naksuwarga’s clutches.
They practice a mix of indigenous Barungsaian
religion known as Jiwajiwa (literally, Lives) and
Ashinin religion, and so they are composed of regal
and royal heritage. From them comes the story of
Hari Binalo and Hara Harmangga, the King
Guardian Spirit and the Demon Witch Queen.
Barungsai is intimately close with nature, and they
write their scriptures upon stone monoliths, which
are then carved away to become the many gods
that they worship, a form of revelatory scripture.
If you come from Barungsai, you can speak
Barunga and carry around a jasmine wreath that
never wilts, a symbol of Jiwajiwa.
6 Kirir. Kirir is another site of ancient land that is
home to the Aasama, the People of the Waters,
who worship (alongside Baginda Sumongsuklay)
the ancient Goddess Dewigansa (literally, Goose
Goddess) who embodies their Sea and Sky duality.
The people of Kiri live in either stilt houses built on
the sides of cliffs or far off from shores. They can
hold their breath far longer than other cultures
can, and Kirir has a special mother pearl that is
also the egg for the next Lokapala Naga, who is
supposed to guard the world from the dangers of
the Chaos that surrounds the Cosmos. If you
come from Kirir, you can speak Kirirnun and begin
with pearl bracelets and anklets.
7 Luwas. Luwas is a modern settlement founded
after Sultan Yarashgara XI, the one before the
Sultana, walked down the Footsteps of the Gods
and found a place of rest within Luwas, which was
beautiful and had vast prawling flowerbeds before
its mountain. Luwas was turned into a veritable
paradise, with elephants and tigers from Jamiyun
Kulisa’s Arrows, lions from the jungles deep of
Naksuwarga, and all kinds of orchids and jasmines
from every portion of the Sword Isles. Yarahsgara
XI’s corpse is said to be mummified here, within an
ancient tomb within a cave upon the base of
Mount Luwas. It is rumored that Yarahsgara XI
converted to Annuvaran right before his death. If
you come from the beautiful naturalistic
settlements of Luwas, you can speak Luwanon and
begin with petal swords and thorn daggers.
8 Jambangan. The Land of Flowers. The holy city-
state in the middle of the Sultanate’s jurisdiction.
It is large enough to cover all of the island of Siga,
where it is situated. In the middle of the
archipelago is a holy pyramid to the Moon
Goddess Baginda Sumongsuklay, which they call
the Holy Lunar Temple. Beside it is the Grand
Lunar Palace Kota, where the current Omniscient
Queen Sultana: Yarashgara XII, lives along with her
closest relatives and servants. The Palace Fortress
is impregnable.
Workers, debtors, and warriors live in swathes of
neighborhoods. Siga thus faces war from all sides,
but it is fiercely defended by loyal datu and
satariya, as well as strong stone fortifications.
You begin with city clothing (trousers, silk jacket,
headwrap) and a bronze mirror.
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 KADUNGGANAN

LINEAGE
Roll a d8 or choose from the following lineages.

1 Esteemed General. One of your parents is an esteemed warlord, perhaps a datu on

their own? Or just a general chosen by the Sultana herself. Whatever it may be, you
were born into the shadows of your general parent, whose stories were sung far and
wide across the Footsteps of the Gods. Will you ever live up to their name? They
trained you when you were a child, but it was one of hardship and pain. Gain +1 to
your Might.

2 Warrior Heroes. You come from a long line of warrior heroes, famous across the
Footsteps of the Gods and maybe even the entirety of the Sword Isles. You have not
been trained in their paths, though: you were left to this legacy on your own. You have
a mentor, perhaps, but you have to live up to the legacy on your own terms. Can you
do it? Gain +1 to your Toughness.

3 Feared Witches. Your ancestors were witches that channeled demons in the deep
forests to wage war against the spirits of good, who upheld the status quo of violence.
Until now you fight and fight, and perfect sorceries. Or perhaps you were not in
conjunction with sorcery? It weighs on you anyway. Gain +1 to your Occult.

4 Missionaries. Your lineage is a lineage of Missionaries from the Lunar Faith, who
have probably come from the Southeastern Continent. Therefore, you were brought
up with a supreme and almost penetrating knowledge of the Lunar Faith, and this has
colored every part of your life. You know the genealogies (the tarsilas), the stories and
myths of the angels, the secrets of the Lunar Palace, and the vast ideologies and
expanses of time that colored the travels of the First Prophet. Gain +1 to your Piety.

5 Foreign Arrival. Your lineage comes from outside the Sword Isles in general. Akai is
strategically positioned near the center of the world (Akainon would have you believe
that it is the center of the world) so a lot of trade goes through Akai. Thus, large
swathes of foreigners, usually merchants, have arrived from foreign shores. What do
you look like? It doesn’t matter, really. You’re Akainon, now. Your appearance does
catch the eye: gain +1 to your Beauty.

6 Lunar Sorcerers. You come from a long line–perhaps an entire settlement even–of
sorcerers that practiced Lunar Sorcery–that is, magic using the strength and power of
the moon, rather than the land or through their own Gahum. This makes any sorcery
or martial art they practice colored and embellished with marks of the moon:
crescents, flowers, butteflies, stars, white discs. Your connection to the moon grounds
you, paradoxically, to knowing what is truly an illusion and what is truly real: gain +1
to your Will.

7 Horse Tamer. You come from a long line of horse tamers that travel far and wide and
range across the isles upon horses. Sword Isle horses are good for both riding and as
pack animals, so they are a common sight. Especially in Kalanawan, where the fields
are long. As a horse tamer, you have an inherent connection with the grand horses of
Siga. Gain +1 to your Sensitivity.

8 Lunate Knight. These were faithful vassals and knights of the Sultana herself, not
just conscripts created to make a standing army. They answer to nobody but the
Sultana, and thus they enjoy the benefits of being a vassal to the Sultana bring: their
own royal compound in Jambangan’s vast flower rivers, part of weapons and spoils
from grand lunar conquests, and the ability to partake in the Sultana’s table when they
feast. More importantly, they could marry any of the nobility in Jambangan and raise
their own stature, and secure their descendant’s future. It was a profession that many
longed for, especially in the bloodthirsty Sword Isles. Gain +1 to your Might.

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 KADUNGGANAN

SOCIAL STANDING
This showcases the social class of your character before they became Kadungganan.
Your social standing might have come from your lineage, or it might have come from
something that happened after your lineage (ie. a merchant prince that has fallen from
grace or accrued too much debt). It is up to you to connect the dots.
Choose or roll a d8:
1 Bihag or Chattel. You were the victim of the Eighth Star Era’s burgeoning
violence, and have become nothing but wealth to be traded. You begin with
nothing. High chance of you being a sina foreigner.
2 Ipun or servant. You were indebted or were born into debt of a powerful
person, whether it be a famed warrior, merchant, or aristocrat. Your hands
are calloused from your work. You begin with a small push dagger.
3 Kiapangdilihan or peasant. You were a loyal worker to your communities’
chief. You had your own house within the community, and offered part of
your labor to him. You begin with a farming implement.
4 Satariya or Warrior. You were a freeman, working as a warrior for the datu
that you have chosen. The datu shares their spoils with you, their fellow
warriors, and you earn your own house with your own wealth, though you
answer to the datu’s beck and call and sometimes toil for them. Gain a
weapon.
5 Orangkaya or Merchant Lord. Those materially wealthy, constituting a
secondary class of nobles who are not noble by blood, but by wealth. They
live their lives as freemen, going from town to town either selling their wares,
setting up food booths where they sell their food, or offer other services,
such as hunting, cleaning, warring, and smithing. Gain a piece of treasure.
6 Tuwan or Aristocrat. You were born into richness, into the blood of the
datu of your settlement. You are connected to the datu either through blood
or social connections, and enjoy the benefits of nobility. You do not toil for
the datu but you must pick up arms when called to battle. You have enjoyed
the ability to take on multiple arts. Nobles in the Sultanate serve and give a
tribute to the Sultana. The Sultana is akin to an empress, ruling over kings,
that are the datu and rajahs. Nobles can become pandita, or wise-men, if
they become well-versed in the Iman. They are knowledgeable in the Moon
Law and custom. Gain a burning bright silver lance.
7 Panglima or Royalty. You are directly connected to your settlement’s datu,
either the datu is your uncle, grandparent, or parent. You are revered as an
Aristocrat, although the expectation for you is much higher. If you are born
female then you were treated as a binukot, a veiled maiden, hidden from the
rest of the world until you were to be wed to someone your parents decided is
fit for their social class. If you are born male you were trained in the arts of
war and leadership. You begin with a royal heirloom.
8 Lunar Royalty. You are directly related to Lunar Sultana herself, which
makes you one of the 78 Lunar Princes. Be careful, the others are out to kill
you. They understand only one can become the next Lunar Monarch. It is
cutthroat, but you are also given some of the best training affordable in the
entirety of the Sword Isles, and have known extravagant privileges. You have
a number of consorts and servants following after you. Princes that are of
royal blood are referred to as Katchil, and the crown prince was termed Rajah
Muda. Rajah Laut were third-ranking dignitaries. A high-ranking council of
elders known as the Bichara Atas counsels the Sultana. You begin with a
silver ear ornament that signifies your Lunar Heritage.

137
 KADUNGGANAN
VIRBANWA
A priest walks out of an Earthquake baroque cathedral.
Doves flutter in every direction. He is wrapped in three
layers of silk: a robe, a jacket, and then a scarf. The
robes of a sonat. He wraps his headwrap around his
forehead and it bears the seven-pointed star of his
religion: the belief in Makakagahum and all His angels.
A peasant finishes his early morning routine and walks
back to the inner village, offering a portion of his meal
to the marble statue of an angel. He then goes and
drinks with his friends.
As they eat, a party of armored men: dressed in abaca
fiber undershirts and bamboo breastplates, riding upon
tall and noble sarimanok, saunter into town. They give
a quick offering to the church, before walking down to
an inn to find some rest.
A young girl runs up to one of them as they remove
their paeked helmet. “Can I be like you, some day?”
“You want to be a kabalyero like us? Then you have to
believe in Makakagahum and the power that he can
grant us all.” The kabalyero smiles. He is buff, wide-set,
and wearing a large textile scarf around his shoulders
like a cloak. “Then you have to show your Datu that you
are worthy of becoming one.”
“I will!”
“O, Huwana, come here dear!” And an elderly woman,
wearing a simple dark undyed gray robe pulls the young
girl back to her. “O, most gracious and valiant
kabalyero, thank you.”
“There is no need. In fact, you must flee right now.
Evacuate into the hills, where the shelters are.”
“Why, o great kabalyero?”
As he speaks, the other kabalyero are already going
about warning the people, and the speaking kabalyero’s
captain walks up to the Datu to tell him to gather his
people and his forces for a stand.
“Raiders have come,” says the kabalyero. “We have to
fight them back, for the glory of the Lakanate.”
“I see. May Makakagahum bless you!”
“And may the Ashen Star light your road,” replies the
kabalyero, just as he wheels around and brings out his
lance, decorated with gold and flames and stars.
There is a shout, a war cry.
The Kabalyero of the Lakanate charge, to protect the
Lakan in the name of their God.
Ambitious warlords, imperialist nobles, and
opportunistic merchants. The river chiefdoms of
Lontok, Namayan, Malilu, and Tundun were conquered
and invaded by the Empire of Issohappa, led by the
Pale Kings, which introduced to them the concepts of
land ownership, colonization, the printing press, and
the faith known as the Ashen Star.
138
HISTORY
Issohappa was driven away ten years ago, at the turn
of the century. They adopted everything that
benefitted them: Issohappan temporality, work
mindset, mercantilism, and imperialism. Tundun did
not drive Issohappa away on its own: they had the help
of all the major kingdoms in the archipelago, including
all the way up north to the island of Sonyoh.
Lakan Lubu, and his Queen or Lakambini were
baptized. They installed the Ashen Star as the state
religion--two ideas from Issohappa--that meshed
with the native religion. Together, they set off with a
new goal in mind: to unite the disparate warring states
of The Sword Isles into a single, unified state, known as
the Virbanwan Lakanate and to usher in the Millenium
Kingdom.
For the next fifty years the Lakanate trained and grew
stronger, raiding and trading along the shores of Baik
Hu for more knowledge and weaponry, as well as more
connections to gain external wealth. They conquered
the river and lake kingdoms and expanded their
domain.
They learned to create earthquake baroque structures,
strong against both typhoons and earthquakes, and
through this they created huge temples for
Makagagahum, their Paramount God who was said to
rule over all the other smaller deities (called dyos)
which were in the style of their own spirit houses,
albeit with a few innovations from Issohappa
introduced.
These great churches, otherwise known as simbahan,
or worship places, became the centers of Virbanwan
settlements, and usually right beside their Datu. A
single Virbanwan settlement is bound to have both a
pari, a priest, and a balyan, a faith healer spirit
medium, who attend to different needs.
The Lakanate has since been growing their strength,
earning the ability to saddle and ride upon horses as
well as fight with more steel armor, although not at
length for the tropical swelter of the Archipelago might
overcome them. In addition to those, they stole the
printing press brought about by Issohappa, and have
since become the first polity to begin printing texts.
They used this chance to write official government
history texts that exalted Virbanwa’s cherry-picked best
qualities, and ignored everything else.
 KADUNGGANAN
TRADITIONS
In this practice of nation-building, they exalted
themselves, conveniently leaving out all help gotten
from the other Polities during the Lakanate
Conspiracy against Issohappa. But they would never
admit that there is any polity within The Sword Isles
that is greater than them.
Virbanwa stands as one of the most powerful states
in The Sword Isles. Large swathes of disenfranchised
and poor people live in its regions. Baikhan are
corralled into specific enclaves and experience horrid
discrimination from the higher classes. The
Ananaran Galleon Trade continues evermore,
continuing the connection between Issohappa and
The Sword Isles, connecting Issohappa as well to the
rest of the Southeast Continent. Virbanwa continues
to become rich, gaining a monopoly on silvers and
precious items from the Issohappan Far West
Continent.
However, there are those that do not prescribe to
Virbanwa’s codes, tenets, and principles tend to be
those living in the margins, those that fight back
against the tide of “progress”, and find kindred
spirits in the other polities. This culture of
separatism takes Virbanwa’s progress and uses it
against the Corrupt Crown to create a better future
for the kingdom.
From where can such philosophies and knowledges
arise? Outside of the imperial center, there can be
found villages and settlements that are not as
penetrated by the Imperialist propaganda, due to the
nature of power in The Sword Isles. Settlements in
the fields of inner Rusunuga ascribe to a syncretized
version of the Ashen Faith, crafted of both love and
rebellion.
A mix of Anito and Sampalataya, they practice many
indigenous traditions while clad in the aesthetics of
the Empire. They venerate images of Makayao, the
Tortured Son of God, as they venerate the images of
Jamiyun Kulisa. They stick close to superstitions and
rituals that would be seen as heretical and
blasphemous by the “purer” city faiths. More
importantly, mentala (here known now as orasyon)
and magical amulets have become intense religious
connectsion to a past that they have been severed
from. This Ashen Folk Religion is very often known
as The Earth-Swallowed Star.
Kadungganan of the Lakanate, Kabalyero, follow The
Code of the Sword, which necessitates that they
serve the people of the Lakanate, and that they give
up their life for the Lakan. While they are treated like
knights of their own right, are expected to travel to
the Huwan’s side when expected.
Growing up, Lakanate Tawo have access to military
monasteries, where they are taught the natural
philosophies. The most important thing taught here
is the sovereignty of the Lakanate over the
Archipelago.
It is drilled very early into the young Lakanate tawo’s
soul that the Lakanate, by virtue of being the chosen
people of Makagagahum and having been able to
139
“repel” the conquest of the “more powerful”
Issohappa. The truth of this was that it was more like
all of the states in The Sword Isles chipping in to help
repel the invaders, with some help from Sonyoh.
The Lakanate thus believe that the Rajahnate,
Confederation, and Sultanate are all heathens that
must be brought into the Lakanate’s embrace. They
are wrong, of course, but this fuels the Lakanate’s
imperialist ambitions, and it has thus begun its
inevitable march into the rest of The Sword Isles.
Lakanate Nobles are known as Maginoo, and usually
own land and rule over swathes of peasant in
addition to their own debtors. Nobles of the
Lakanate are expected to keep being nobles, and are
taught in the more advanced knowledge, given
manuscripts and exams by their parawali to pore
over.
Nobles are expected to be subservient to the Datu
and know the ways of the Golden Web Tapestry, the
code of conduct and political framework among
nobles, an intricate and complex web of manners and
right speech, which “sets them apart from those of
the lower classes”.
Many nobles become warriors, but also priests and
spiritual leaders. Some nobles can become Datu, if
they wish, by leaving the settlement with their own
wealth and following. It is their privilege to be able to
go into any occupation.
In the Lakanate, there are two kinds of Freemen: the
timawa, who are freemen that can choose who they
serve and have their own businesses, and the bayani,
who are the Kadungganan who fight for a Datu that
they choose. Bayani make their livelihood through
engaging in wars and raids with the Datu that they
serve.
Chattel are called the same here as in any other
settlement. They are treated more or less the same,
although the Batara Lakan has a large crew of
debtors that work for him as his personal
attendants, as royal chefs and butlers and all the
more.
Materially, they have taken upon the innovations of
the Issohappans: they now wear kalsones balones, or
balloon pants, more than bahag, and they have
adopted the wearing of wooden clogs and slippers
more often than not. Some of the richer ones even
have access to leather boots and silk socks.
 KADUNGGANAN
NOTEWORTHY PERSONS
Batara Lakan Huwan Rekno. The current Batara
Lakan is a man named Huwan Rekno, who is directly
related to Lakan Lubu. He is said to be a noble man,
wearing a cape and leather boots at all times, mixing it
with his bahag and baro get up whenever he descends
upon the world.
When he must present himself as he truly is: the
manifestation of Makagagahum upon the earth, he is
like a saint that has fallen upon the world. It is said that
around his neck floats a halo of thorns, which is said to
signify the world upon his shoulders as he performs
penance of trying to unite the islands.
He wears a gigantic crown fashioned like a halo of
flames, with four cardinal points depicting a crocodile, a
dog, a serpent, and an eagle. This crown burns from
behind his head, like a bonfire of his duty.
His gown is not made of cloth, but rather, of stone
feathers plucked from slain angel wings, those too weak
to properly protect Makagagahum’s chosen. The stone
wings wrap around him, ivory and marble-like, and his
face is in a perpetual pained countenance.
On top of his stone gown, he wears a veil of burgeoning
silk made from the souls of the damned that he failed to
save, which he keeps to constantly remind him of his
failures, of the failures of past kings, and those that they
can yet save. The souls wail.
His feet never touch the floor. Whenever his feet touch
the earth, the halo digs spears into his neck. He floats
with the strength of his faith. May Makagagahum be
blessed.
His skin is pale, as if he is dead, and his eyes are
scintillating iridescent. His hand can kill and revive with
a word. When he is forced to fight, he makes heaven
descend upon his foes.
A testament to his sacrifice as the leader of this
burgeoning new Empire. He speaks slow and without
menace. However, his kabalyeros and Kadungganan are
fiercely loyal to him.
Mahasenapati Akuna Salamangka. The head warlord
directly below Batara Lakan, who also acts as his right
hand man. Or woman. Akuna Salamangka was born as
binukot to Datu Bigiris, of Put’wan, as Himaya. When
Huwan Rekno saw her beauty, he sought to make her
his new sandil, or concubine. However this was
forbidden in their new faith, and so he settled for
making Akuna his Mahasenapati, or Great Warlord.
She has since began burgeoning campaigns into the
plains of Rusunuga in an attempt to conquer them,
although Sinuku is nigh unconquerable. Soon she will
try to conquer all of The Sword Isles, in the name of love
for her Lakan. She is tall and immaculately beautiful,
even in the battlefield, with a face round like the moon
and hair blacker than the sea.
Maygintawo Palipidan. A warrior-merchant who
made a fortune trading items he has raided from the
shores of Madaki, Iyamat, and Southern Baik Hu.
Using this trade he elevated himself to the status of
Maygintawo: a noble by wealth. He goes around now
upon his biray, which he has outfitted with all sorts of
items from across the world, collecting and recruiting
Kadungganan to be part of his rising merchant nation.
140
NOTEWORTHY LOCATIONS
Barangay Lagusnilad. A large village by the Nilad
River, upriver from Ananara itself. Known best for their
yearly penitents, who flay themselves in emulation of
the First Gahumnon, to strip themselves of their sin.
Lagusnilad is also well known for being right beside
fertile rice plains, and is the farming capital in the
region. It is common for them to seek help from
Kadungganan to deal with monsters in their field, or to
help them appease a dragon. They are the constant
subject of raids from the banwa of Sinuku, who fights
back against the sovereignty of Virbanwa. They are led
by Datu Sedero, a well known merchant warrior and
penitent, who wants to put an end to those Sinuku
upstarts.
Pinangilan. A barangay to the north of Virbanwa, it
deals in raiding traveling merchant ships that
disembark or dock at Ba-e. They are in constant war
with Ba-e because of this. Their Datu, Datu Yukul, has
been stealing weaponry from Baikhan and Naksuwarga
shipments to better their weaponry. Some say they are
readying an attack against Ba-e. One that can
destabilize both Virbanwa and Ba-e, leading to a
destructive conflict.
Gibankaw. On the northeastern tip of Ramasa, right
below the Virbanwa conquered island of Rusunuga.
They have adopted the Virbanwan Faith in the Ashen
Star, and have converted their bamboo palaces and
wooden spirit houses to churches and citadels. They are
most well known for their sarimanok knights, their
greatest cavaliers, which the Datu himself, Datu Isiran,
trains. They have nurtured the greatest warriors and
protectors in the isles. Now part of the Virbanwan
Lakanate, they weather raids from the Rajahnate who
seek to reclaim their manpower from the Lakanate.
They also are locked in constant raiding with the polity
of Ibalong to their east, whereupon they have to make
sure to sail around other islands to try and not sail past
waters where Ibalongan might sail.
Vetani. A village far south, where the wind is far colder
and faster. Here ancient citadels known as idyang have
been built by the natives. Their limestone houses and
hill castles have since been adapted by Virbanwa to
create sturdier, stone-based constructs, houses,
castles, and churches, even as they subsume and
incorporate Vetani to their kingdom. In Vetani, the final
stages of the training of a Virbanwan Kadungganan,
known as a bayani, are held, where they must first prove
themselves worthy in the Monastery of Ash and Tears,
and then they must weather the environment and face
the roving warbands of either Issohappans or raid the
ships of Baik Hu trading vessels to the far south. Vetani
is headed by the Priest-Datu Pari Siman Damasku, who
always begins harvesting seasons with sermons, and
believes that as long as they are faithful to Lakan Rekno,
no harm will come to them. However, the expansionist
empire of Iyamat has begun to creep north, into the
Southern Tip Islands, whereupon Vetani lies.
 KADUNGGANAN
Other Culture Impressions
To Gatusan: Painted devils, kin eaters and treacherous
liars at worst, at best they are useful, at the very least
they understand the concept of commerce.
To Akai: Thorns on the road to unity, savages and
barbarians who practice a baser version of our Faith.
May their moon be smothered by the light of the Star.
To Ba-e: Tradition erodes, and soon they will falter like
the flicker of candlelight. Our steel and star will be
enough to turn them into vassals.
To Apumbukid: God has no eyes for chattel.
SUBCULTURES
There are 3 Major Subcultures in Virbanwa. Roll a d6 or choose:
5-6
Provincial. You live in the provinces,
outside of the city. You all once had your
own cultures (and truly, you still retain
them in one way or another) but you have
1-2 been thoroughly erased by Virbanwan
imperialism, and you are conditioned to
follow the city’s lead, and the city’s lead
only. You can speak Virbanwanun and
you begin with a worthless item.
Corregimiento. You live in the borders of
Virbanwa, where various corregimientos
or forts are put up, to protect the
Lakanate from attacks from outside, as
3-4
well as to continue its expansion. You
may have been conscripted from a young
age, or if not, at least have been taught
how to protect yourself from raids. You
can speak Virbanwanun and you begin
with a bolo.
141
Virbanwan Honorifics: Ginoo [gee-nu-O] (Masculine),
Binibini [bee-nee-bee-nee] (Feminine), Poon [Po-ON]
(Lord, general)
Virbanwan Naming Conventions: Virbanwans have
surnames, mandated by the Lakanate. Their names are
tainted by Pale King nomenclature.
Virbanwanon Names: Huwan, Lesandra, Eeya, Pavlo,
Ymbrosyo, Karmala, Dyusa, Ylisa, Olrac, Dranbreb
Virbanwanon Surnames: De Sutla, Salamanka, Dabila,
Oropon, Dimauri, Magsaysay, Reyes, De Basi
As a Virbanwan, you can always...
0 Impose your worldview on others.
0 Say something rash.
0 Find others to work with.
City. You live in the heart of darkness, the
grand capital city of Virbanwa. Ananara is so
large that it consumes most of the Ananaran
Bay, and has choked out the grand River it
sits upon (whose name now has been
forgotten, though many say that it is named
Layag, or Layaraya, or Namyan), killing the
diwata of the river. Ananara is the crown city
of the Lakanate, where the current Batara
Lakan, Lakan Huwan Rekno, and the royal
family live, ordained as divine ruler by the
Mahapari (greatest priest), currently Yesidru.
Ananara is the largest metropole in all of The
Sword Isles, owing to its long history as
being the eventual descendant of the ancient
grand chiefdom of Tundun. It is structured
like a wheel, with all roads being the spokes,
and the Broken Bone Cathedral Palace being
the hub. Near the hub, all buildings are made
of bloodstone, created from the coagulated
and then mined blood of killed Pale Kings. In
random areas of the city, the ancient Angel
Machines powered by Pale King blood have
been colonized and repurposed into
apartment complexes. Important due to the
ever increasing trade and population brought
about by domestic and international trade.
Port trade is lively here, and the people here
really do believe that Virbanwa is the most
powerful of the polities. All people here
usually wear (and you begin with): silk
jackets, balloon pants, and simple wooden
sandals (paruka).
 KADUNGGANAN

LINEAGE
Roll a d8 or choose from the following lineages.

1 Fury Prophets Orphan. You are an orphan taken in by the Fury Prophets, a
group of mendicants who live in Ananara, who preach the coming Sword Fury
Devouring of Makaubos, who shall annihilate all. To that end you have been
trained in almost every art of violence. Not of war, but of violence, personal
violence, as an asceticism to achieve Conjunction with Makaubos, the Wrath
aspect of Makagagahum. Gain +1 to your Might.
2 Saint of Beggars Offering. You were an offering to the Saint of Beggars.
You’ve never known your real parents: your parents were the Beggar-
Mendicants of the Saint of Beggars, who is known as Buyung, who is an
ancient god of the Isles, a diwata of the chattel. You’ve learned how to swindle,
love, sneak, destroy, steal, and pray under the bastards of the Saint of Beggars,
all of whom have been given as an offering to try and alleviate their own lives.
“Beggars should not exist” is the first principle of the Saint of Beggars: gain +1
to your Grace.
3 Bloodbound to the Lakan. You are one of the Batara Lakan’s concubine’s
children, which cannot be shown to the public. Therefore you cannot be royalty
or an aristocrat, and the truth of who you are must be kept quiet. Gain +1 to
your Poetry.
4 Corregimiento Child. You were born in a corregimiento: a border settlement
that is fortified by stone walls, created on the fringes of Virbanwan territory to
both keep back the waves of the other settlements as well as to create anchor
points for expansion. In the borders, you are exposed to most of the other
cultures of the Sword Isles, but the priests are more strict in their hold of
power, and punish others for the smallest deeviation from religious norm from
Sampalataya. Gain +1 to your Observation.
5 Farmers. You were born into a settlement of farmers. You have nothing much
to your name, and you are constantly swindled out of your labor. You don’t
even own your labor! Those capitalist pig datu take your grains from you to sell
it to the City but pay you nothing in return. What a fucking joke. You burn
your brows off to work here. Something has to give. Gain +1 to your
Toughness, but you’re fucking tired of resilience.
6 State Kawal. You come from a line of State Kawal: Kawal that enforce the
Batara Lakan’s invisible power across the various polities subsumed under
Virbanwa’s flag. You have been taught the things the State Kawal would be
taught, but this might have made you blind to propaganda. Gain +1 to your
Wrath.
7 Rebels. You have known nothing but the constant struggle. You live deep into
the mountains, once holy, now nothing but places for foreigners to create new
ventures or live in, and for capitalist datu to rip portions out of to create
beaches in places that used to be swamps. You have been raised therefore to
the harsh truth of the Lakanate. Therefore: down to the State and God! Gain +1
to your Resolve.
8 Pale King. You are born of a Pale King. Your eyes are the color of frozen azure,
your hair the color of platinum ray, your skin the alabaster of ravishing death.
It is all right to not love who you are, but rememer that the circumstances of
your birth matters less than your impact on the world. Therefore choose
Hiyang instead of Scourge. Therefore become better than who you are. Gain +1
to your Control.

142
 KADUNGGANAN

Social Standing
Roll a d10 or choose:

1-2 Disenfranchised. You are the dregs of society, kept alive but with
contempt and without help. You are downtrodden and living is
painful. You begin with nothing. Many Virbanwan bihag that don’t
get sold become Disenfranchised. Many Mendicants and Friars are
considered Disenfranchised.
3-4 Peasant. You are a peasant farmer. You must be from the
provinces. You are downtrodden and taxes are too much for you.
You begin with a chopping sword.
5-6 Worker. You work in the endless machineries and bureacracy of
Virbanwa. You must be from the city. You are downtroddden and
living is too expensive. Some priests are this. You begin with 3
coins.
7-8 Middle Class. You have some capital, and get to enjoy some parts
of life, but Virbanwan propaganda has bred contempt in you for the
lower classes. What do you do with your privilege? You begin with
10 coins.
9-10 Ruling Class. You are the great beast of our times, born with a
silver spoon in your mouth and capable of pursuing whatever you
wish. Do you not see who you are, an angel with the wings of
blood? Choose how to live your life; it is not God who will judge you
but the people. Begin with 3 Silver-Minted Coins, which are
considered Bahandi across the Sword Isles. You cannot become a
Headtaker for any reason.

143
 KADUNGGANAN
BA-E
The last Baikhan junk left the harbor. Trading season
with Baik Hu had ended. Danum worked the bellows of
her master’s forge, even as the master finished her last
batch of iron blades.
“That’s enough. You go on ahead and take a break.
There’s a feast tonight, to mark the end of trade.”
Her master was Kadanay, signified by his glinting
emerald eyes. Danum nodded, as her master wiped his
brow with a nearby cloth and made his way back into
his home.
Danum cleaned up what was left of the blacksmith shed
(gusali), and then walked over to a hill overlooking the
harbor. From here, Danum could see most of Ba-e,
even as it glowed as the torches were lit, as the sun
dipped into the horizon.
She sat with her hammer, tossing it and catching it
reflexively, as she walked around the area. Before long,
a “psst” resounded from the trees behind her.
Danum turned and smiled. A young woman, wrapped in
crimson silk although wearing no jewelry, hid within the
tangle.
“Your Majesty, do you not think it is uncouth of you to
play around in the tangle like that?”
“Hold your tongue, Danum. I wish only that none of my
kawal know that I’m gone from my bukot.”
Danum smiled, then. “Come then, Kinaiya. The waterfall
awaits.”
Giggling, Danum took Kinaiya’s hand and Kinaiya felt
her heart leap. She felt warm, even as they rushed down
the hill and followed up a stream. After a few more
moments of walking, Kinaiya heard the rushing of
water.
They broke through a brush, and there found a lake
whereupon a waterfall cascaded. The most interesting
thing about it is the giant bronze statue, depicting a
diwata they knew by the name of Magayong Masukiling,
the hibiscus goddess of love and compassion.
“Don’t tell me you’re going to swim in that?” asked
Danum, who had already removed her lambong and was
halfway into the water. “Have you never swam in your
life?”
“I... Haven’t.”
“Well there’s nothing to be ashamed of. Come on then.”
Kinaiya still hesitated for a bit, but when she saw
Danum smiling at her, she felt at ease. She shed her
silks and walked bare into the water. Cold at first, but
cold was good in the heat of Ba-e.
There they danced and played, laughing and smiling,
their glances too close, their lips almost touching...
“Danum,” said Kinaiya, as they floated about near the
waterfall. The bronze statue of the Hibiscus Goddess
watched over them. “When are you leaving?”
“In the next moon. Don’t worry.”
144
“Are you going to be okay?” Kinaiya bit her lip.
Danum turned to her and placed a hand on her cheek. “I
will. Don’t worry. War Smiths don’t usually head into
the front lines. And if we do, I’m pretty good with a
hammer. You don’t have to worry about me, all right?”
“I can’t help but.”
“Then let me leave you with a promise.” Danum leaned
in and kissed Kinaiya. Kinaiya breathed in sharply, but
kissed her back. When Danum pulled away, Kinaiya’s
emerald eyes glinted. “With that, I seal you a promise. I
will return. And we will work on helping you hone your
Stonewaking sorceries. All right?”
“All right.”
“Gotta remember, according to your own mother: trade
connections cannot be established without a bit of
raiding,” said Danum, smiling. “It’s a necessary evil to
realize the Sangpamegat’s dream of a united merchant
nation.”
Ancient guardians, sacred priests, and keepers of vast
lore. Ba-e is currently ruled by Sangpamegat
Kalangitan. They, poetically called The First Kingdom
in The Sword Isles, will not bow to the rising tide of
steel and sorcery of the Lakanate.
Their extensive trade with Baik Hu has led them to
become self-sustaining and wealthy. Their settlements
are thousand households on both sides of a river bank.
Their trading places are cordoned off sections of the
city, wherein white parasols and other exotic trading
goods must be paid as docking fee for trading vessels
to begin trade.
The grasslands, wetlands, and forests of Ba-e are
pocked with mysterious statues of the Tranquil Sage,
cast in stone, bronze, and gold. When you ask
someone where they come from, they will answer that
they do not know. The sages will speak of brahmin.
HISTORY
Ba-e was established sometime during the Seventh
Sun Era. They were among the Ancient Kingdoms,
those disparate polities that existed across the
archipelago region for centuries. Ba-e thus is an
ancient kingdom, and owing to this fact, they have
ancient traditions, songs, and epics. Ba-e today is not
Ba-e of fabled yesteryear: golden statues of The
Tranquil Sage pock the forests and grasslands,
whereupon roots and branches swarm to retake it.
Smaller statues hang from necklaces and waistcords,
a signifier of Annuvara’s influence. The Kingdom itself
has the Golden Sword Order: an order of knights who
fight with forward curving blades known as ginunting.
 KADUNGGANAN
TRADITIONS
Ba-e records all official documents in copperplate,
whether it be paying off debts, creating alliances
between polities, and the like. This is a practice
inherited and copied by Virbanwa and Akai, but not
Gatusan and Apumbukid, who find that spoken word is
more powerful than written script.
Ba-e religions is influenced by foreign Ashinin-
Annuvaran religion, from phallic symbols known as
linga being used for rituals, to the statues of the
Tranquil Sage from the Annuvaran Religion still
standing and prayed to. Ba-e dead are buried twice:
once full, and then again cremated, to purify their sins
from the world, and so that their charred remains can
become ancestor spirits that can be worshipped.
Temples are created as well: 8-roofed pagodas of both
wood and stone, inspired by Annuvaran architecture,
kept within 8-sided walls of painted stone, with a single
opening depicting blossoming flowers and ancient
serpents. Houses are also enclaves of 5 houses within a
square stone. These are all influences of Ashinin-
Annnuvaran faiths.
Ba-e holds the number 8 to high regard among them.
Their houses are always of 4 sides, and royalty have
access to 8-roofed and 16-roofed houses. There are 8
holy weapon types: the sword, the dagger, the spear,
the shield, the bow, the blowgun, the javelin, and the
gun. Their walls are almost always 8-sided, each one
facing the eight holy directions, which are each
protected by a holy guardian beasts, or the Bantay
Walodako, literally, the Eight Directions Guardians.
Ba-e has constructed a giant hardwood and stone
house with 16 roofs. It is not a house for living, but
rather for study. Within shelves are scrolls and scrolls
of palm leaf manuscripts as well as copperplate slates,
as well as paper scrolls imported from other regions
across the known world. This is known as the Bahay
Karunongan, or the House of Wisdom, the only place in
all of the Sword Isles where knowledge and writing has
been written down. This is something that Virbanwa
has been trying to gain access to, to no avail.
Only the smartest and most intelligent of parawali can
be admitted within, remembered by guardian spirits of
the House of Wisdom itself. There is said to be
approximately 875,000 pieces of writing within the
cascading square-patterned shelves of the 16 roofed
House. Recently, the Balay has begun to admit
students, those with promising spiritual or martial
prowess. This is a poorly veiled attempt by the
Sangpamegat to cultivate thunderous Kadungganan
loyal to Ba-e. These Kadungganan are taught in poetry,
writing, politics, and warfare. They are known as the
Mandirigma ng Ilang-Ilang, Warriors of Ylang-Ylang,
shortened to Digilang (dig[ma] + ilang-ilang, war ilang-
ilang). The Ilang-Ilang is a flower extracted for oil and is
used to ward off evil spirits.
The royals of Ba-e are therefore swathed in silks and
parasols, flower crowns and gold jewelry. Cauldrons
and weapons from Baik Hu itself. Their lords are called
Datu, but also Huang, King, due to Baik Hu recognizing
them as an official kingdom. The Sangpamegat, the
Dayang, is a God-Queen. One of the Five of the Sword
Isles.
Wealthy, majestic, and ancient. Ba-e has survived
multiple Eras, and those that live in it will be sure that
it will survive more. Ba-e is the oldest living polity,
145
almost a thousand years in its life, and has since
evolved to incorporate ancient Kadanay technology (the
art of stonewaking) into their daily lives. Not just that,
but geomancies from Baik Hu have made their way here
as well, giving rise to unique syncretized pagodas, kirin
statues, and phoenix houses. They have also copied
Baikhan schooling systems, mixing it with monastery-
schools from the greater Crescent Archipelago, to
create a system of creating officials to certify that Ba-e
does not only continue, but it will flourish. Ba-e wishes
to create a veritable Merchant Republic.
Their adherence and proximity to ancient Kadanay
technology has provided them with unique aesthetics,
clothing, and architecture. They prefer to cover
themselves more fully, as with the Virbanwans. Their
jewelry is not just gold, but jade and stone, glowing
green. Even debtors wear this. The houses of the rich
are built on top of hills, with vast gardens at the bottom
of the hills. They prefer to wear unalloyed gold upon
themselves, which they believe to be the cleanest and
purest of all metals.
The most important area of Ba-e is the Lake of Pulilan,
the largest freshwater body in the Sword Isles. This lake
is home to freshwater sardines, crocodiles, and other
important freshwater marine food that has become an
integral part to Ba-e life. Pulilan Silangan drains
directly into the Bay of Ananara, and through the
Silangan Strait do most junks travel into.
AESTHETICS
Their makeup and hygiene is extraordinary even for
tawo among the Sword Isles, using white foundation
and pitch black inks to create wingtips and eyeshadows,
influenced by their long history. This facepaint has
become an important part of culture by Royal
Courtesans and Aristocratic Politicking, and even into
the court dancing cultures. Ba-e royalty and nobles are
horribly prone to realpolitik, vying for power over
seaports, connections with powerful warriors, trading
settlements, and positions among the court of the
Sangpamegat.
Ba-e values material wealth. Many of them wear silk
and cloth shirts, whether man or woman, and they coat
themselves in tassels and jewelry, usually of gold. The
nobility flaunt their exotic, foreign items and wealth:
black and white silks, ivory parasols, porcelain jars and
accoutrements. Weapons from Iyamat or Baik Hu.
Armor from Sonyoh. Ba-e is using its ancient
knowledge and affinity to ancient sorceries to begin a
campaign to unite all beings under the Sangpamegat,
not through war but through trade networks and
linking. In this way, they seek to become the center of
the world, the nexus of the Universal Silkroad.
Ba-e warriors--especially the bravest among them, the
generals and commanders--enjoy enhanced warring
technology that has allowed them to keep pace with the
growing weapon prowess of Virbanwa. Bows that have
bowstrings made of light, swords that have blades
made of sun-rays, and daggers that have edges of
crystallized moongleam: all practices and smithing
techniques passed down by the Kadanay.
 KADUNGGANAN

The most important technology among the Ba-e
tawo are two things: the sky-sampans and the
artifact slates. Sky-sampans, which are circular
boats that ride upon the wind, worked upon by diwata
that are contractually bound by ancient Kadanay oath
to carry the sampan, have become a major source for
personal travel. Sages and nobility would ride upon
these if they could commission them.
Sibasib leads his Kuda Kawal cavalry when
performing land raids. He is deeply in love with one of
the Sangpamegat’s binukot, a girl named Kinalubang
Bulaklak, who actually sneaks out from her bukot and
fights alongside him with a mask on.
Other Culture Impressions
To Virbanwa: Wayward stars streak across the sky.
Thrones shall fall before we do.

NOTEWORTHY PERSONS To Akai: Warrior Braves and courtly regals. They are
royalty, grandeur, and raiders all. They deserve
Sangpamegat Dayang Kalangitan, the Eternal respect, but we have stood far longer than they have
Monarch. Once just a Dayang, she took over after her existed.
husband, Pamegat Diwajaya, was killed in battle
against a Virbanwan Warlord. Using her Kadanay To Gatusan: They shall raid the world, and if we play
blood, she perfected the sorceries of Stonewaking, our cards right, they will be shackled by gold and
instilling stone and clay sculptures made by local heirloom to us. They shall be the swordfish to our
potters and smiths with additional utility, the ability barge.
to float, and to keep food frozen. This technological To Apumbukid: Our goals do not conflict, but their
marvels gave her the title of Hexer-Queen. isolation will be their downfall. The roots speak, the
She has frozen herself into a diwa-silk cocoon, letting earth breathes. To Achieve Concordance, one must be
her soul wander freely and roam, unshackled by willing to break it. To become God one must be willing
physicality, but her body itself is entombed upon her to kill Him.
throne, whereupon a giant gold statue of her has been
Ba-e Honorifics: Gat for Males, Binibini for females.
built: a goddess with eight hands, each wielding a
weapon, and a crown that is like a balete tree. Ba-e Naming Conventions: Similar to Rajahnate
conventions. They do not have surnames, and usually
She rules Ba-e directly, and eternally. She will use one or two words.
eventually rule Gubat Banwa, and her consciousness
will be one with the all. This is both her goal and her Ba-enon Names: Pangil, Lontok, Dula, Angkatan,
ambition: to become as the Annuvaran conception of Namwaran, Tagkan, Palaba, Kalamayin, Panginoan,
God. That is to say, everything. Bagtas, Sasaban, Salalila, Avijirkaya, Maitan, Salihan,
Talim, Lumban, Pila, Gatid, Dewata.
Maharlika Langkus. A maharlika who has only
recently awoken from a hundred year slumber, being As a Ba-enon, you can always...
submerged and contained in the Temple of
Resurrection, a natural temple within a large cave 0 Scoff at someone.
upon the mountain of Tinaga. Known for his strange 0 Try to sell something.
cloud-white hair, he travels around the Ba-e region
0 Express and showcase generosity.
helping out those in need. He is mute as well,
although he can communicate well enough with
gestures and writings.
Thus he brings with him a great number of palm leaf
scrolls. He is a master swordmaster, walking around
with a salawal, sarong, paruka, azure baro, and grand
crimson pudong, with tails that flow in the wind. He
loves chicken as well. He wishes to find an ancient
binukot that he was tasked with protecting, the
reason for his travels.
Senapati Sibasib. A burgeoning warlord-merchant
datu who seeks to prove himself powerful, leading his
haop of Katingan to battle. He is loyal to Ba-e, and
always jumps at the chance to conduct raids against
the various Virbanwa or Gatusan settlements, even
all the way to Sinuku or Ibalnong. He is one of the
first ones to adopt the Akai introduction of horses,
known as kuda, in their tongue, which the people of
Sinuku also know of.

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SUBCULTURE
Ba-e has 5 major subcultures, based on the five most powerful polities about the main city of Ba-e. Roll a d10 or
choose:

1-2 Miatang. A coast settlement at the northern tip of the Kumintang region. Miatang is the land nexus
for trade with Pannai and Gatusan. It is ruled by a powerful laksamana, Datu Hagutak. Known for
stone fortifications and bamboo watchtowers, they regularly fend off raids from the northern
polities. Many maharlika are brought here as a final part of their training, where they are forced to
live in Miatang for a single harvest to provide both on the boots training for the maharlika, as well as
well needed warriors to protect Miatang. You begin with a weapon.

3-4 Pailah. Directly to the north of Ba-e, Pailah, which is ruled by Datu Ganasakti, a son of the
Sangpamegat, is one of the most important centers of trade and commerce in Ba-e, other than the
city of Ba-e itself. Holding at least a thousand households, they craft pottery, weave textiles, smith
gold, and craft weapons. Here Baik Hu also stations their trading junks, along with Naksuwarga and
Madaki adyongs who trade with them horses, weapons, and debtors. It is currently suffering from
ashen star missionaries from Virbanwa. Traders and travelers frequent Pailah due to its close
proximity with Mainit, the polity of medicinal hot springs. You begin with a horse.

5-6 Namayan. A banwa ruled by three Datu: Datu Karas, Datu Dayawan, and Datu Mabantad. It serves
as a trading polity for Sinuku and Vuyu to the south, as well as access to the plains where rice can be
grown. However, it is constantly suffering invasions from Virbanwa, causing it to earn a brunt of Ba-
e’s maharlika to shore up defenses.
The banwa itself is made up of a collection of stone fortresses, that lets people retreat into whenever
a raiding party arrives. When needed, however, Namayan is beside a thick jungle with many earthen
outcroppings, and the folk of Namayan can retreat there. Namayan is still also a prime trading port,
whereupon they trade with gold kernels and gold barter rings as currency. Namayan is also the main
shipbuilding polity of Ba-e. You begin with a carnelian adorned bracelet.

7-8 Talim. Upon an island in the middle of the bay of Pulilan, a few ways north from Namayan, there is
the island of Talim. Used as a respite port for most traders, it has begun to create housing districts
where traders can pay the Datu, a Kadanay named Kiyalilidan, to rest before traveling back home.
Thus Talim has become a prime place for trading cultures and stories, most of which are inscribed
upon copperplate. Talim is known for having the largest population of Kadanay left, whereupon they
spend their days writing upon copperplate histories and secrets and sorceries, as well as try to find
ways to replicate the Stonewaking sorceries of their ancestors. You begin with a ritual knife.

9-10 Ba-e. The great city from which the Sangpamegat’s power emanates, it is a land of pagodas and
stupas, of holy golden temples and strangler fig complexes. It is influenced intensely by Baikhan
culture, and has a large number of Baikhan refuge enclaves within. Ba-e is a trading center:
merchants and traders of Ba-e bring the items brought by Baik Hu to the rest of the islands north,
especially to trade with those of the Gatusan and the myriad islands to its east, before returning to
pay back those Baikhan eight to nine moons later. Sangpamegat Kalangitan’s stone and jade jewelry
shimmer and glow with glowing green patterns, betraying their ability to use the sacred ancient
Kadanay artifacts. You begin with a white parasol.

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LINEAGE
Roll a d8 or choose from the following lineages.

1 Baikhan Refugees. Your family comes from the great Southeastern Continent, ruled
over by the August Jade Empress. Due to the increasingly draconian laws your family
has escaped the vast Jade Empire under the Yling Dynasty, of the Blazing Magnolia,
increasingly fraught with civil war and scheming ministers. Finding peace and freedom
in Ba-e, which exults in life and love. You begin with +1 in Control.

2 Educators. Your family comes from trained educators–usually monks who gave up
the Monastic Life–who teach in royal houses and even the great pagoda that is the
House of Wisdom. Being in such an academic environment since birth has shaped how
you approach things: you come at situations with a more methodical bent, not afraid
to reference and cross reference and use things that you have learned before. You
probably know a great deal about writing, and know how to write upon copperplate.
You begin with +1 in Judgment.

3 Artists. You come from a family of artists, who practice the art of painting,
introduced here from Baik Hu. You carry around a paint brush and try to capture the
world around you, realizing that it is about to end. You begin with +1 in Imagery.

4 Blacksmiths. You come from a line of blacksmiths, either one who traveled around
(most blacksmiths traveled from settlement to settlement with an apprentice peddling
their wares and offering their labor) or one who had a close aristocrat patron that
allowed them to stay in one settlement (or perhaps they were royalty themselves?)
You learned the tools of the trade from them, and you have become mighty and loving
when learning about the sacred act of Creation. Gain +1 to your Might.

5 Honey Gatherers. You come from a family of professional honey gatherers, who
travel into the deep wood to gather honey from beehives, mingling with the spirits of
the forest to give them a bountiful harvest. Honey is the primary form of sweetener in
the isles, and from it comes popular honey mead. You begin with +1 in Sensitivity.

6 Artifactsmiths. A renowned kind of smith that crafts ancient spiritual artifacts, a

holy mixture of blacksmithing, pottery, carpentry, and sorcery. These panday are
known to learn the Stonewaking Arts from Kadanay smiths. Becoming an
artifactsmith in Ba-e is a very difficult endeavor, requiring practical knowledge of basic
blacksmithing in addition to passing a test conducted by the sages of Ba-e and past
artifactsmith. Most artifactsmiths end up learning that they have Kadanay blood
within them, although this is not the norm. Begin with +1 to your Toughness.

7 Fishermen. You come from a lineage of fishermen, either by the river mouths or out
in the sea. You were born with a trident, harpoon, and net in your hands. The waters
have known you long before you were born, and you embraced this. Everyday, you
leap into the rushing rapids. Your hands are one with the fishes, and your patience for
your aquatic friends knows no bounds. You begin with +1 to Observation.

8 Monastery Town. You come from a village that lies below a Monastery, usually with
either a large temple pagoda or stone statue of the primary deity being worshipped or
being used as a Spirit Guide. You were born knowing all about that God’s stories and
history and Masteries. You revel in their festivals, and something about you is shaped
in their likeness, whether it be your hair, your fingernails, or jewelry. Why did you
leave? Did you ever really know that God? Achieve Conjunction, Become Hiyang. Gain
+1 to your Psalm.

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SOCIAL STANDING
This showcases the social class of your character before they became Kadungganan.
Your social standing might have come from your lineage, or it might have come from
something that happened after your lineage (ie. a merchant prince that has fallen from
grace or accrued too much debt). It is up to you to connect the dots.
Choose or roll a d8:
1 Bihag or slave. You were the victim of the Eighth Star Era’s burgeoning
violence, and have become nothing but wealth to be traded. You begin with
nothing.
2 Aliping Sagigilid or servant. You were indebted or were born into debt of a
powerful person, whether it be a famed warrior, merchant, or aristocrat. Your
hands are calloused from your work. You begin with a small push dagger.
3 Aliping Namamahay or peasant. You were a loyal worker to your
communities’ chief. You had your own house within the community, and
offered part of your labor to him. You begin with a farming tool.
4-5 Maharlika or Warrior. You were a freeman, working as a warrior for the
datu that you have chosen. The datu shares their spoils with you, their fellow
warriors, and you earn your own house with your own wealth, though you
answer to the datu’s beck and call and sometimes toil for them. Gain a
weapon.
6 Maginoo or Aristocrat. Ba-e aristocrats are known to be the most
pompous of nobles among the Sword Isles. Having taken after the Baikhans
that they’ve traded with for so long, they have grand wooden longhouses
decorated with gold and built like pagodas. They wear long silk gowns, long
sarongs, complex golden diadems, and walk upon wooden sandals, their feet
never to touch the ground. They have servants carrying their parasols, and
they are carried upon palanquins either by elephants or by their own
servants. When they speak, they speak in lilting tones, and they always
adhere to the Golden Web Tapestry. Many Ba-e aristocrats also have
Kadanay ancestry, which shows in their magenta eyes. You begin with a
valuable item.
7 Kadatuan or Royalty. You are directly connected to your settlement’s datu,
either the datu is your uncle, grandparent, or parent. You are revered as an
Aristocrat, although the expectation for you is much higher. If you are born
female then you were treated as a binukot, a veiled maiden, hidden from the
rest of the world until you were to be wed to someone your parents decided is
fit for their social class. If you are born male you were trained in the arts of
war and leadership. You begin with a royal heirloom.
8 Sun’s Royalty. You are directly related to the Sangpamegat, who had a host
of concubines in her royal palace. You therefore inherit the grand Sun
Heritage, and have the eyes of a Kadanay’s: magenta and burning. You walk
around with a host of servants, have a personal Sun Shadow (Arawanino)
who has pledged their life to protect you, and are taught histories, arts,
warfare, poetry, and martial arts, both local and foreign. You begin with a
gold sash, a signifier of your solar royalty.

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GEOMANTIC
ALIGNMENT
Your Kadungganan’s Alignment represents
either of two things (or both): your inner
aptitudes as dictated by the time of your birth,
the alignment of heaven, the movement of the
earth, the changes in the sea, and which spirits
were looking upon you. These are the contexts of
the into which your Kadungganan was born. It
can also mean the path you have chosen, the
fate you have chosen for yourself, the profession
you chose to go down, all because of your own
whims. It can mean both of these things, and
more.
All beings in Gubat Banwa are made up of almost
every living element, except maybe for spirits
and gods that are ruled by a particular element.
The Elements of Gubat Banwa’s cosmology
make up every single aspect of its life, and it is
crucial that the five elements are in balance to
maintain the universe’s flow, known as
Nihawa--Breath or Life Force.
When creating a Kadungganan, you must choose
3 Alignments: your Heart Alignment, your
Sword Alignment, and your Shield
Alignment.
Your Heart Alignment showcases how you
interact with the world outside of violence, for
Kadungganan are predisposed to interact
through violence. Very often, this is how you
protect your Principles, and this is how you love.
Your Sword Alignment showcases the element
you are most attuned to. In everyday life, this
Element showcases how you approach
situations.
Your Shield Alignment
showcases the element 1-2 Fire
you wish you had, the
element you strive for. In 3-4 Water
everyday life, this Element 5-6 Metal
is how you react to
situations. 7-8 Air
There are Five Alignment
in all. You can randomize 9-10 Earth
this by rolling a d10, and
consulting the chart.

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 KADUNGGANAN
FIRE
Dynamism, Enthusiastic, Passion
Fire is the element of strength, persistence, and
restlessness. A flame burns continuously until
something puts it out, or until it eats up all the fuel that
it gives itself. In Gubat Banwa, Fire includes not just the
burning blazes, but also the nourishing warmth of the
sun, the heat of live bodies, the hotness generated by
leaping into love and war. Gods aligned with Fire tend to
be passionate and hot headed.
Associations: Warriors, Red, Indigo, Yellow, Orange,
Noontime, Sun, Stars, The Rooster
If Fire is your Heart Alignment... You are persistent
and strong, prone to bouts of joy and emotion, but also
prone to burning out quickly. You have the ability to
inspire others, like a flame catches on to the trees. You
look for excitement. When you love, you love with the
passion of newlywed lovers, or a zealot to their God. Be
careful not to be burned. You might be a sorcerer,
speaker, a cook, leader or diplomat, a blacksmith, or a
raiding chief. Choose 1 Fire Gift.
You begin with (choose 2): A set of crafting tools, an
anvil, a bag of trinkets, a tutubi necklace (gold necklace
that resembles dragonflies), flowers and herbs for dyes,
jade earrings, something you’ve created, a pouch of failed
inventions, a boat lute (kudyapi), a bamboo flute, a jaw
harp, palm leaf scrolls, writing implements, a ceremonial
staff, tinder, a piece of the sky
If Fire is your Sword Alignment... You approach all
things with a blinding eagerness. You want to see what
you can learn from dealing with a problem, and your
willingness is contagious. Very often, you stay until
either the thing you must do is done, or thing you must
do has destroyed you. Very often Fire Swords are very
creative to their approaches, always thinking outside the
box. Choose 1 Fire Gift.
As a Fire Sword, you can always...
0 Attempt to find a creative approach to a problem.
0 Find a way to inspire those around you.
0 Wax poetically.
If Fire is your Shield Alignment... You react to things
like a flame: you catch on. If someone does something to
you you are more than ready to match their energy, see
where it takes you. If that thing is water, so be it! You are
ready to be annihilated.
When you suffer Consequences you might...
0 Burn out helplessly to the point that it destroys you.
0 Get someone harmed in your own pursuit for
something.
0 Become obsessed with something or someone, to the
detriment of those around you.
0 Get your emotions stoked and lash out emotionally.
0 Find your capabilities and creativity lead to unwanted
attention.
152
FIRE GIFTS
CRAFTER
When you have the time to create something, anything,
from your surroundings, as long as it follows the fiction.
This becomes an item that you carry, which can be used
as barter, or turn out useful in the future. When you use
it, it gives you a Bonus when you Cast the Crocodile’s
Teeth, but when you first use it, roll a d4 after using it:
0 It breaks down and shatters.
0 It destroys something near you, or it inflicts harm
upon you or someone close to you, taking 1 Conviction
from them.
0 It attracts unwanted attention somehow (like
perhaps a loud noise, or a strange spiritual resonance).
0 It now requires a particular material whenever used.
At the end of the session, the item breaks.
BULLDOZE
Gain +Merit to all Casts that deal in trying to destroy
something in your way.
GRASP FURY
You can now sink into a deep rage, whether it be a
screaming anger or a quiet wrath. While in this rage, you
can never fail any rolls that deal in destruction: whether
it be social or physical. However, you will be unable to
control yourself: you cannot cast Control, and when
dramatically appropriate, you are compelled to hurt
someone near and dear to you. You rage until the end of
a scene, and cannot again until the end of the next
Downtime.
FIREBRAND
Once per Session, when you put yourself in a dangerous
position to protect your beliefs and principles or
strengthen it for whatever reason, gain a single Firebrand
Token, which goes away at the end of a session.
At any point, you can spend a Firebrand Token to use it in
place of marking a Conviction.
LINK THE FLAME
When you impress someone with your physical skill,
they may give you their Debt Token, as they owe you for
such an impressive display. When you spend this Debt
Token, you immediately perform something impressive,
and give the Debt Token to someone who was watchnig
you.
IGNITE
When creating something, you may instill within it a
belief. Giving it to anyone with an intent of convincing
them into that belief will give them that belief for a short
time. It’s up to them whether they’ll keep it. You can
only use this again after the next Downtime.
ABLAZE
When you do something so beautiful, almost
inhumanely so, make a Tenderness or Poetry Cast.
Spend any Fate and/or 2 Merit to unmark 1 Conviction
from 1 ally that was watching you.
VERSATILITY
Choose this to gain a Gift from another Alignment.
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WATER
Tranquility, Intelligence, Fluidity
Water is the element of wisdom. It is fluidity, it is
flowing. In Gubat Banwa, water is the most powerful
element, as it surrounds the lands and it overflows into
the edges of Trichiliocosm and beyond. The rules of the
sea are different from the rules of the land: dying in the
sea will not grant you the same afterlife as dying on
land. You become sea gods and spirits. Water is a
mysterious element upon which everything else floats.
Water Gods and Spirits are almost unknowable, fickle,
but with a terrifying calm. The kind of calm that comes
with the knowledge that you will outlast everything.
Associations: The Naga (dragon), the Color Blue and
Black, the Moon, Cold Weather, Sages, Night
If Water is your Heart Alignment... You are wise and
smart, and you enjoy interacting with things that activate
the thinking soul in you. You are an adept at hiding
things, especially your own emotions. You tend to be
quiet, as the water is quiet, and are generally not picky as
to what you do, as you are fluid. However, too much
water and you can be too fluid, becoming filled with
anxiety and fear. Water can overwhelm everything with
its floods, though, and so can you with your superior
wisdom. You might be a poet, a singer, an adviser, a
hermit, or a balyan. Gain 1 Water Gift.
You begin with (choose 2): A rattan rain cape, a fishing
rod, a sash of gold worn across the torso, an abaca fiber
bag, a broad-rimmed hat (salakot), a sword with a
shattered blade, spectacles from foreign nations, a
walking stick, a magenta cloak, a pouch of tea leaves, a
golden balance hanging around your neck, a push dagger
(balaraw), a waist sash of gold, incense sticks, three
jarlets
If Water is your Sword Alignment... You approach all
things with a calm and quiet demeanor, with the ability to
intelligize anything that might happen. Sometimes your
logical approach might be too much, breaking things
down to little atoms of situations that disregard the just
as important emotional aspect. However your ability to
solve problems can almost be unparalleled. Gain 1 Water
Gift.
As a Water Sword, you can always...
0 Understand what’s going on around you.
0 Hide something from someone you know.
0 Ask: “What do I know about this?”
If Water is your Shield Alignment... You react to
things still with a logical mind, but if it cannot be solved
immediately, you very often might become reclusive, or
penetrated by a sudden depression, like sinking into a
deep deep lake. Be careful with your mind, it might be
your greatest downfall.
When you suffer Consequences you might...
0 Take yourself away out of the scene due to your
anxieties.
0 Loneliness causes you to ruin something.
0 Choose to let your logic put you in a worse position,
instead of following your emotions.
0 Go out of your way to punish someone you thought
slighted you.
0 Hesitate, leading to consequences.
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WATER GIFTS
SIN
You bite the apple of knowledge. When you spout lore or
knowledge about something, it will generally be true.
However, the Umalagad chooses one:
0 There’s something missing with the information.
0 One part of the knowledge is misunderstood.
0 The information is true but has since changed.
SORCERY
During Downtime, you may start a sorcerous working:
this is a 5-moon segment that requires the following
things: time, proper knowledge, proper items, proper
tools, a proper workplace, spiritual backing, and societal
backing. However the working can be anything within
reason: such as changing the weather, providing good
harvests, or poisoning an important figure.
ECLIPSE
Gain +Merit to any Casts you make trying to hide
something from someone.
PATCH UP
When you want to fix something broken, such as an
object or a relationship, etc., describe how you do it, and
the Umalagad chooses one from the following that you
need: bring ingredients into a particular place, gather
particular materials, learn something important about it,
be comfortable with not fully fixing it.
PRODIGY
Gain +Merit to any Casts you make when learning
something new or when doing something with an Ability
that you have 0 points in.
HARMONY
You gain a companion spirit, who shares knowledge
with you. They have a name, perhaps given by you, or
given by them. Choose a single Ability: you are treated
as always having a +Merit when casting with that
Ability. However, when you suffer Consequences while
all your Conviction is marked, the spirit takes over your
body.
CHURNING WATERS
When you Cast with Control, you may roll twice and
choose the best result. However, whenever you do, you
store a Churning Token. Once you reach 3 Churning
Tokens, when you next make a Control Cast, you will
automatically fail it, and your emotions will spill out
violently. Afterwards, you cannot use Churning Waters
until the end of the next Downtime.
VERSATILITY
Choose this to gain a Skill from another Nature.
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METAL METAL GIFTS

Controlling, Ambitious, Determined.
Metal is the element of ambition. Constantly driven by
their need to succeed, their need to stay in control.
Metal is a more modern conception of the element:
Kadanay sages and some Apumbukid sages equate
Metal to Gold, the greatest metal. Metal is generally the
element concerned with merchantry, farming, war, and
civilization. Gods of Metal are those closely knit with
Folk Culture, and are usually those with the most power,
similar to how Gold holds the most power in the isles,
and is a symbol of the Sword Isles’ inherent value.
Associations: Rulers, Weaponry, Falling Leaves, Night,
Dusk, Civets, Gold, Silver, Gray, Red, Orange, The Turtle
PATERNAL
You may immediately learn the best course of action for
something. If you tell it to someone, they gain +Merit
to all Casts to performing specifically that course of
action. You can only do this once per scene.
ORDER
Grant someone the knowledge of craft or an ability that
you are intimately familiar with (like cooking or
smithing). They only know this temporarily, unless they
mark a Conviction and replace it with one related to the
craft or ability. If they do, give them a Debt Token.
EFFECTIVITY

If Metal is your Heart Alignment... You are strong and

determined. Once you’ve set your mind on something,
there is little one can do to dissuade you. You usually
want to work on your terms, especially if you cannot
control what is around you to accommodate your needs.
You might be forceful, and you know exactly what you
want. You might be a datu, an aristocrat, a merchant, a
perfectionist, an artist. Gain 1 Metal Gift.
You begin with (choose 2): a grand silk headdress, a
ceremonial kris, gold flower ear ornaments, a phoenix-
headed bottle, a silk jacket, wooden sandals, a ring with a
carnelian, a black and white shawl, a ceremonial
kampilan, a crimson headdress, a golden diadem, a
colorful sarong, a broken shield, garuda ear ornaments, a
Kilin vessel, a kinnari lamp
You always have +Merit when you Cast to give orders
and commands to others and those are inclined to listen
to you. This does not apply if you are simply trying to
brute force yourself upon others.
RALLY
Once per scene, you can easily gather a small crowd that
will follow one, non life-threatening thing you tell them
to do. However, you also attract unwanted attention.
RESCUE
Once per Session, when someone would suffer some
sort of consequence, you can use this to take that
consequence for them instead. You “bank” that
consequence and suffer it only later, when you choose to
or when dramatically appropriate.

If Metal is your Sword Alignment... You approach all INDOMITABLE

things with a determined demeanor. It makes you seem
as if you’ve already found the solution. You always look
like you’re in control, which of course can lead to
abrasions with other people who might want a more lax
or freestyling way of dealing with things. Even if their
way doesn’t do it, they are persistent, and will stop at
nothing to be able to achieve what they need to. Gain 1
Metal Gift.
As a Metal Sword, you can always...
0 Assert your own way of doing things.
0 Try to manage things on your own. You can’t help it.
0 Push through even when a consequence or happening
seems to set back something considerably.
Gain a +Merit to any Casts made when trying to power
through something or enduring something.
DON’T FUCK WITH ME
Mark 3 Convictions related to strength and power at the
start of the session. For the rest of the session, you
cannot fail any Strength related Cast, however you can
still suffer consequences. During Downtime, unmark
each Conviction without gaining XP.
VERSATILITY
Choose this to gain a Skill from another Nature.

If Metal is your Shield Alignment... When things

happen to you, you take them in stride. As much as
possible, you will not let yourself bend. However, take too
much and you will be punctured. Metal Shields are prone
to grief, as they prefer to keep things inside, prone to
being too self-reliant. Even Metal needs the fire to
strengthen.
When you suffer Consequences you might...
0 Choose to deal with a problem yourself, something
that your loved ones will inevitably learn about.
0 Choose to repress a powerful emotion, which will bite
you in the future as you will succumb to grief.
0 Brute force your way, with no care for what others
might want, hurting them in the process.
0 Break something important, like other’s feelings, in
your pursuit of perfection.
0 Decide to take on all the hurt yourself, protecting
those around you, to the detriment of yourself.

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AIR AIR GIFTS

Fickle, Free-Spirited, Benevolent
Air is the element of vivacity. It represents flexibility,
fecundity, beginning of life (as the Breath is air), and is
constantly moving, never staying in a single place. Air
gives birth to fire, moves water, important for crafting
metal, and is the sister to earth. Many Air Gods and
Spirits reside in the upper realms, in the Skyworld, and
are generally the most powerful of the gods. Air is the
element of aristocrats and nobles, those who have the
capability to travel across the realms.
Association: Aristocrats, Storms, Planting Season,
Dawn, Green, Yellow, Blue, Indigo, The Hornbill
If Air is your Heart Element... You are benevolent and
kind and seem like an old soul. There’s a certain
whimsicality about you, but also a certain aged feeling, as
if you’ve been blown to every corner of the earth and
you’ve learned so much, even if this isn’t true. You might
be a wanderer, a singer, a recorder, a freelance raider, a
mercenary, a community helper. Gain 1 Air Gift.
You begin with (choose 2): Abaka slippers, a foreign
trinket, a necklace from your hometown, a bangle made
of boar tusk, a frayed silk coat, a bamboo staff, beautiful
textile from the last place you visited, a golden anklet, a
piece of the underwater realms, a compass that you don’t
need, food from a place you’ve never been before
If Air is your Sword Element... You approach all
things with a certain levity, but that does not mean you
do not take it seriously. You’re the type to analyze
something first before actually tackling the situation, so
the idle time in between the problem and the solution can
seem like wasted time. Thanks to your broad range of
experience as you travel to and fro like the air, you
probably have a lot of experience anyway. Gain 1 Air Gift.
As a Wind Sword, you can always...
0 Do something to lighten the situation.
0 Find something that make the mood of the scene
better.
0 Be the first to get away.
If Air is your Shield Element... When things happen to
you, you value the ability to be able to step away from it
first. This isn’t escape, it’s a tactical retreat. You need to
look at it from a different point of view. The storm is like
that, the wind is like that. It always returns. However,
you must be careful not to forget about your problem,
because that’s what running away from them can
inevitably lead to. You have a certain fickleness that
might be dangerous.
When you suffer Consequences you might...
MERCURIAL
Once during Downtime, you may reject a label you have:
move 1 Ability point to any Ability (though this cannot
bring them above your maximum), then immediately
change 1 Conviction relative to the Ability’s change.
WANDERER
When you get lost, once per scene, you can always ask if
you find something interesting. There is a 50% chance
that it is also dangerous.
THE WIND
When you are bound down for any reason, physically or
socially or mentally, you gain +Merit to any Cast to
remove yourself from those bindings.
ASSURED
Once per scene, you may convince everyone you’re not
lying, even yourself. Deal with the consequences of this.
You can choose to mark Conviction to convince yourself
of this lie and rewrite the written Conviction into the lie
you believe, even if the lie is different from the truth.
BLINK
You may instantly appear somewhere you’ve been
before. You may only use this again after the next
Downtime.
SWEEP UP
Once per Kandu, you can make a relatively safe place a
place comfortable enough for genuine rest, as long as
you have time for it, and the place is comfortable
enough. This can become a place fit for Downtime.
FOOL BEGINS THE JOURNEY
During Downtime you may let something happen to you
that sets you off in a grand journey or adventure, no
matter the consequences. It is up to you to accept it
(though it is most commonly very hard to resist) and
find out what the journey will be. You cannot use this
Gift again until after you finish or fail the current
journey.
VERSATILITY
Choose this to gain a Skill from another Nature.

0 Choose to forget something important to someone

else, or maybe even to yourself.
0 Get lost, perhaps willingly.
0 Leave the scene when they need you the most.
0 Push someone to leave you alone, or you push
someone to leave someone else alone.
0 Look down on others for not being able to keep up
with you, to your detriment.

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EARTH EARTH GIFTS

Stable, Nurturing, Secure
Earth is the element of nature, of life and death. It is the
element found in the mountains, in the trees, all the way
to the depths of the underworld, where the gods of the
earth sleep in the sacred darkness of the boughs. The
element of earth is very all encompassing, it includes the
animals and the godly beasts, even the grand staircases
that lead to heaven, and the jaws of the world that keeps
the continents from spilling out into nothingness. It is
nature itself, brother to the Air and Water. Earth is the
where all things go through: the air screams through
treetops, the water becomes rivers upon it, metal is born
from it, fire scours it.
Association: Workers, Harvesting Season, Masculine
and Feminine together, Yellow, Brown, Orange, Beige,
the Crocodile
If Earth is your Heart Alignment... You are usually
dependable, or you tend to be patient and long staying.
Your virtue is fidelity. You get everything you need
through honest work. You might love to work in a group,
and you value practicality and stability. You might be a
priest, a balyan, a weaver, a farmer, a hunter. Gain 1
Earth Gift.
You begin with (choose 2): glass beads, a Baikhan sage
statue, a soft bamboo flute, a pack of healing poultices
that will run out soon, flowers in a garland, cooking
implements, jarlets filled with hot spring water, a white
stone from a holy mountain, a hardwood shield
(kalasag), a breastplate made of elephant hide, a
collection of boar tusks, a peaked iron helmet, bamboo
shinguards, golden bangles, a hunting spear, wooden
sandals
If Earth is your Sword Alignment... You approach all
things straightforwardly and with responsibility. You
know the importance of doing things by the book, you’re
a bit of a traditionalist. If you want things done right then
it is important to look to the past. You want to do it right,
especially if you’re doing it with someone else. Gain 1
Earth Gift.
As an Earth Sword, you can always...
0 Offer to help another.
0 Act with radical honesty.
0 Prioritize those who need something more.
HUSH
Gain +Merit to any Cast you make trying to quell
inflamed passions and emotions with soft words and
empathy.
WORD
Once per Downtime, you may mark Conviction to
convince an enemy to your side for a short period of
time. This does not mean they will immediately fight for
you, but perhaps they will consider. Those with strong
Convictions can and will ignore this, so make them
doubt first.
LOVE
You may grant someone a brief reprieve, genuine care,
one that they will remember. Is that not what we all
crave from this world? There is so much turmoil,
especially in a world barreling into oblivion. We were
born to love, from bamboo and stone. If the person
accepts the care, you gain their Debt Token. You can
only do this once per Session.
REFUGE
Willingly offer something important to a Kadungganan
you deeply care for after speaking to their heart. It is up
to them if they choose to keep it. They can invoke it to
gain +1d to all Casts attempting to help you, but when
they do, immediately establish a relationship or they
must give you their Debt Token.
WARD
Choose 1 Kadungganan and make them your Ward. At
any time outside of tactical violence, they may say that
you are somewhere nearby. This only lasts for a Session,
and you can only use this again after the next
Downtime.
SHIELD
When you devote yourself to someone to give them a
better disposition: they gain +Merit on all their Casts
for the rest of the Session, while all yours suffers
+Karma.
UNBREAKABLE

If Earth is your Shield Alignment... When things
happen to you, you value your ability to take a stand. You
plan things out, but you’re also ready for any
complications that might arise. You stick true to your
virtues, to what you’ve been taught, and that might cause
problems. Others might find you too stubborn. Too
much stability can lead to a weird anxiety or worry that
“something should go wrong by now”. You dwell in
harmony, if something bad happens, patching things up
is better than trying to be the better or smarter person.
When you suffer Consequences you might...
Mark 1 Conviction to become physically and socially
immovable for for the rest of the scene, no matter what
might move you. You cannot use this in tactical martial
arts. Once you use this, you must first change the
Marked Conviction during Downtime before you can use
it again.
VERSATILITY
Choose this to gain a Skill from another Nature.

0 Offer yourself up for others.

0 Let your stubbornness put you in a way worse
situation.
0 Expect too much good from others and it puts you in
harm’s way.
0 Choose to let your emotions put you in a worse
position, instead of listening to logic.
0 Work too hard on something that wasn’t worth
working on at all.

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CONJUNCTURE
Conjunctures are special events that happened at least
once in your life. Choose 2 below, or you can roll: roll a
d100, and simply reroll whenever you get a result
higher than 70.
1. Jamiyun Kulisa, Brother Thunder, God of the
Thunderclaps, resounded before you when you
were young, bleaching your hair white.
2. The Lord of the Forest took you in one day. You
spent 7 years in his grove. Leaves and branches
grow from your hair.
3. You were born into great privilege and royalty:
perhaps you were a son of a well-known Datu
within Gatusan, or perhaps you were the crown
prince of a Datu who serves the Sultana of Akai.
Nevertheless, your privilege has blinded you to the
truths of the world. What was the one truth that
enlightened you?
4. You blasphemed a Lord before, and you were kicked
out of your community.
5. You were sent out on a venture that your lord knew
only you could handle. You lost something when
you returned.
6. You fell in love with a spirit before. It did not end
well. You still dream of them. Sometimes you cry,
randomly.
7. You killed a crocodile when you were younger. The
ancestors curse you, and you do not rely on fate.
8. You led a tribute mission once before to a foreign
nation. Only you returned.
9. Humadaw, an ancient hero of your culture, spoke
to you directly when you cut off a part of a
strangler fig. You walk around with his eyes.
10. You were the spokesperson (atubang) for a lord
before, but you’ve lost that before becoming a
Kadungganan. What you did must have been dire.
11. You fell in love with a childhood friend. You two did
something that forced them to have their fingers
cut.
12. You outwitted a spirit before, out in the grasslands.
A dark shadow stands at the corner of your room
whenever you sleep.
13. You were a veiled maiden (binukot), taught ancient
stories and songs and crafts. You escaped.
14. An agent of fate knocked on your door. You did not
answer. You no longer know if it is safe when
someone knocks on your door.
15. The God Galura, Creator of Whirlwinds and
Lightningstorms, revealed themself before you,
and gave you a broken sword. You carry this
sword, but it does nothing. Eagles keep watch over
you.
16. An innovation ended horribly: you’ve lost your
original body. Your Four Part Soul exists in a body
you are not familiar with.
17. The nature spirits spoke to you from the trees and
the mountains. You lost something important,
something that could’ve been the answer to
something you were doing, and the gods beckon to
you.
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18. You were raised in a fishing settlement, where you
became skilled in the arts of sailing, boatcrafting,
and harpooning. You are intimate with the
Dagatnon, the little gods of the sea. How do those
stuck in land view you?
19. You were handed down an important weapon from
your parent, but you lost it somewhere. Where did
you lose it? What kind of weapon was it? You must
create something equal in importance.
20. You had an apprentice before.
21. You were born with a dream. A pattern, a weapon,
a boat. Are you trying to create it?
22. You saw an ancient datu in your dream once. He
killed you, and you watched as he carried your
decapitated head into distant lands.
23. You remember the tale of the Conquering King. He
who launched an attack at Heaven, only to find
there to be six more. The wisefolk that told you
that story disappeared the day after.
24. A forest spirit went mad, and you watched as a
band of Kadungganan quelled it.
25. Angels/Demons/Spirits destroyed the town you
were born in.
26. Imperialists created an iron village in the outskirts
of the forest you used to call home. Their fumes
and flames consumed the trees like hungry gods.
27. You were blinded, or hobbled in some way, due to a
fight you thought you could win.
28. Your anger got the best of you: you died. But,
somehow, you still live. Your Four-Part Soul still
lives on, complete and intact. Someone brought
you back from the brink.
29. You loved a servant before, not yours. They cried to
you as they were sacrificed in a ritual when their
lord died.
30. You broke an important bond with someone you
cared for. You regret that you can never mend your
broken relationship.
31. You cooked an amazing feast before, one that
resulted in the ignition of hearts.
32. You were born in Humonhon, the Isle of Ghosts.
Your community consisted of wandering souls,
lost from the coil.
33. You learned true patience after trying to fish for
ocean dragons.
34. You have the demon blight upon your hand. Hide
it.
35. You used to have a whole slew of pets, from king
eagles to giant tortoises. You had to leave the
island they frequented.
36. A winged eagle sang to you once, when you were a
child. You’ve been chasing the song ever since.
37. You copied the dance of fighting monkeys and
hawks, and you have become like that flaming
dance ever since.
38. You found the story of the ancient datu Sumakwel
being told by an elder shaman-healer. When you
heard the entire story, the shaman-healer died.
39. You brought a community to tears before. Why
must you inflict that? You must return to them one
day.
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40. A person you loved told you the story of the
Mahanaga, the great serpent that encircled the
world and one could see at night as a streak of
white, like a river of stars.
41. Javril, the Great Angel of Flowers, sang to you a
melody, one which you can only remember bits
and pieces from whenever you engage in violence.
42. You fell in love with a Goddess, who lives in the sky
above.
43. Your eye was plucked out by a crow. You’ve never
needed it since.
44. You gave counsel to a datu before, but it did not
lead to a good outcome.
45. You saw the truth of the world, you felt the
Supreme Soul, the goal of Hiyang, but have since
forgotten it. Glimpses of it appear in your trances.
46. You wrote a treatise on something before, but it's
lost to time or to flames. Someone read it before it
was vanquished.
47. You’ve been to the moon when you were a child.
You saw the factory of angels, and the nest of
devils. You saw the Grand Palace On The Moon.
48. A Langitnon, a god from the sky, gave you wisdom
before. It was the wisdom of forgetting, and you
have since forgotten it.
49. A Suladnon, a god from the world under, gave you
knowledge, before. It was the knowledge that all
knowledge is not true.
50. You were the only one that escaped your village’s
destruction.
51. You stole something from your datu, and so the
datu took something away from you.
52. You took a wrong turn and ended up in the
underworld, once. You found your way out thanks
to Iraon Daron, whose kind smile you will never
forget.
53. An imperialist killed your parents, and then took
pity and adopted you.
54. Your body was stolen. You live in a body given to
you by a Langitnon. You do not remember how
you look like.
55. You died. Or, at least you thought so. You were
brought back to life by a Kadungganan, but the
Kadungganan died in doing so.
56. You fell in love with someone you were supposed
to steal from or con.
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57. You killed an innocent person before.
58. You committed the atrocity of butchering, but you
were under orders. You were under orders.
59. You killed a nature spirit before. It was a petty
spirit, one of a minor stream you once loved
bathing in.
60. A serpent coiled around your loved one and now
that loved one is immortal, but you cannot touch
them.
61. The stories of the Night Child killed your nights.
One day, you met the night child, and they stole
away your gender.
62. You suffered a horrible, horrible injustice. To this
day, there is no reckoning.
63. You were part of a different warband. You no
longer fight together. One of them has died.
64. You moved to another settlement to follow
someone, but they were never there.
65. You were raised in a farming settlement deep into
the plains of Rusunuga. All your life, you saw giant
dragons flying in the clouds and warriors fighting
in the fields. Eventually, you left your farming
settlement, but this was a decision you’ve since
learned to regret.
66. You remember the beautiful multicolored flowers
of the grasslands of Kalanawan, but you don’t
remember having lived there ever in your life.
67. You were the apprentice of a blacksmith, but
someone killed your master, forcing you to wander
alone. Did you know who killed them?
68. You were swindled before by a wealthy merchant
prince, who went away with all your gold before.
Do you still look for them? Do you want your shit
back?
69. You were raised in the streets of one of the
metropoles, and had to fight your way to survive,
becoming anyone and everyone’s servant. You
were blessed eventually by Buyung Limus-an, the
Diwata of Beggars. Where do you travel now?
What useless item did Buyung Limus-an give you?
70. You are a foreigner, looking for something here in
the Isles. You will not find it.
 KADUNGGANAN
DEBT
No one in the Sword Isles gets into their present life unscathed, without Debt. Debt is the primary way of social
movement in the Isles, after all. Choose or roll. To randomize, roll a d6 (1-2 is 0; 3-4 is 10; 5-6 is 20) and a d10 (ones
place) to find a number between 1 and 3.
1. A Virbanwan Murderglave named Amihan, who
puts her work before her, to the detriment of
herself. She made something for you, out of a need
to prove herself.
2. A Gatusanon Heavenspear named Kilat, who shot
out from the sky and saved you from a lantaka
missile.
3. A Virbanwan Buwaya Lancer named Niqulas,
whose crocodile you almost killed.
4. Alho, a famous poet in Kangdaya, Capital of
Gatusan, famed for his wit and appeal. He helped
you find a safe place before.
5. Adlaw, a four-armed, red-skinned demon. He gave
you something you desperately needed at the
time.
6. Humul, a traveler from Vuyu, the sacred
mountains of Rusunuga, who gave you a language
no one else can speak.
7. Iroy was a handsome Akai patron who you worked
for before, who did not put you in servitude.
8. Suban was an Apumbukid warrior who protected
your community before. They left before you could
thank them.
9. Payel was a Virbanwan merchant who helped you
get resources for a project.
10. Mahin, an old Akai sorceress, did you a favor,
once. She waits for you.
11. Akid, a deerfolk trickster who hunts for hawk
eagles in the forest, taught you a secret about
shadows.
12. Binayaan, an escaped veiled maiden of the Rajah of
Gatusan, met you once and defeated you in single
combat.
13. Cortador, a Virbanwan Sword Saint, who showed
you nothing but sharpness, but helped you learn
the secrets of combat.
14. Sam’baha, who was a noble, royalty born to
Sipulapula, to the Royal Clan of Dimantag, but
treated you as an equal.
15. Puraw, a tamawo that wandered the forests of
Pumirang, friendly to the Confederation. They
saved you from getting lost.
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16. Asina, an Apumbukid weaver that shared her
dreams to you through her weavings.
17. Taraka, an ancient lake spirit that brought you
water when you thought you were to die.
18. Sumandak, an Akai civetfolk knight who offered
you a ride to an island you needed to go on his
boat.
19. Tenshi, a Ba-enon mothfolk who helped you get
writing implements.
20. Dara, a Virbanwan warrior-dancer who guarded
your traveling caravan before.
21. Patima, an Akai singer and concubine to a lord,
whom gave you important advice.
22. Nara, a healer in the Golden City of Put’wan, who
healed you as you were in dire straits.
23. Maputra, an Akai veteran who only fights with a
split spear, who taught you how to fight.
24. Harina, a Ba-e guardian who you fought side by
side with in an old war against the demigiants.
25. Kampur, a wealthy cinnamon merchant, who gave
you a bit of something to help you on your way.
26. Samira, a beautiful Akainon sugapa peddler, who
sheltered you one day in her drughouse.
27. Suga, a proud monkey-prince who rides a great
horse from Apumbukid. He gave you a ride once
across the picturesque grasslands of Kalanawan.
28. Lyssa, a General in Virbanwa, who you stole once
from and was then excommunicated from
Virbanwa.
29. Aduna, a kind giant cat living in the mountains,
whom you conned to escape from.
30. Hiyas, a Confederation professional thief and
corpse-raider who managed to fund a boat with
her exploits. You stole something that was a
family heirloom to her. You lost the heirloom.
 KADUNGGANAN
COMPLICATIONS
Complications are difficult and complicated
relationships with two other characters, usually
between Player characters. During character creation,
choose two Complications on the next page, or roll to
randomize. Roll a d50 (d100 and half the result).
On each Complication, one of the blanks must be a
Player Kadungganan. Each blank also must be a
different name. Creating NPCs during this turn is
encouraged. The names don’t have to be singular
characters either, but may also be polities or clans or
other groups.
1 - I love ___, but so does ____. We know this, but the
one we love does not.
2 - ____ killed someone important to me, but __ must
protect them.
3 - I hold ___ dear to my heart, but they have forgotten
who I am. I saved them from __ before.
4 - I serve ___ loyally, but my heart calls me to follow
__.
5 - I committed a crime before with ___, which caused
us to be exiled from our hometown, and caused __ to
hate us.
6 - I love __ but __ loves me, and I know.
7 - My mentor, _____, does not know that I treat ___,
someone they disapprove of, like my best friend.
8 - I’m helplessly infatuated with ___, but they don’t
know this, they only see me as a friend and nothing
else... And ___ knows this.
9 - I want to get in a relationship with ___, but __, my
sibling/mentor/parent, expressly disavows me from
being in any romantic relationship.
10 - ______ wants to kill me, but _______ is trying to
stop them.
11 - My parent has arranged for me to be married to __,
but I wish to be with _____, who I cannot be with.
12 - ____ doesn’t know that I was once a servant of
___.
13 - ____ and I are siblings, but we don’t know that
_____is our parent.
14 - I am scorned by __ for something I did to them,
but _____ thinks that they’re stupid for thinking that,
and is on my side at all costs.
15 - I have been looking for __ all my life, and ___
wants me to kill them.
16 - I served under __, but left after _____ told me to
do so.
17 - ______ can give me something that I want,, but
___ wants me to get away from them.
18 - I cannot explain why I am inexplicably drawn to
____, but ___ is always at their side for reasons they
cannot explain either.
19 - My sibling, ___, was separated from me at birth,
and was brought up in ___.
20 - ___ does not know that they are my parent, and
______ wants to kill them.
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21 - I have been honorbound by __ to protect ___.
22 - I love ____, and they love me back. However, they
do not take me seriously, and would rather be with
____.
23 - I have an important item from ___ that they gave
me when we were younger. I don’t know if they still
remember. ____ wants it from me.
24 - ___, a member from the upper class, wishes to
wed me, but I do not love them. I would rather be with
_____, who is no good to me.
25 - I had romantic relations with ___ before, but it
never went well. They’re with __ now, and it’s making
things a bit awkward.
26 - I changed allegiances from ____ so I can be with
__.
27 - ___ is my father, and I wish to kill them because
__ told me to do so.
28 - ____ humiliated me before, and I will never forgive
them. They did it in front of ___, who I hold dear.
29 - ___ saved me from mortal harm before, and so I
have given my life to them. However, I have done the
same for ___, and I have a feeling that they have
feelings for me.
30 - ___ and __ are good friends, however I’ve kissed
one of them and the other hates me for it.
31 - ____ is the child of my old master, whom I respect.
____ is my old master, and they are still looking for
their child.
32 - ____ is my mortal enemy, and I would stop at
nothing to kill them. _____ is the only reason why I
haven’t yet.
33 - I am the disowned child of _____ martial arts clan.
_____ is an esteemed student of said clan.
34 - ______ and I used to be great friends with _____,
who died. It’s not the same anymore, and we’ve had
rocky relations since.
35 - ______ asked me to kill them so they wouldn’t get
married to ______.
36 - ______ and I were on opposite sides of a split in a
martial art clan, of whom _____ is the heir.
37 - ______ hates me, and only _____ knows why.
38 - ______ and I are great friends. We sit beneath
weeping trees and sing of songs we wish to see. ____
is jealous of our friendship.
39 - ______ has made me something I still cherish.
_____ wants it back.
40 - ______ killed someone important to me, and
______ wants to kill them for me.
41 - _______ and _______ are my best friends, but
they have forgotten me for some reason.
42 - ______ taught me how to fight, but ______
taught me how to hate.
43 - I have fought _________ to a standstill, who
________ has struggled to defeat.
 KADUNGGANAN

44 – I need _______ to give me something I need, but They have told _______ for some reason.
________ keeps them away from me.
49 - ________ needs to kill me to fulfill an obligation
45 – I used to be friends with _________ but _______ they were forced into with _______.
revealed to me something I didn’t like about them.
50 - ________ wants me to get together with
46 - _______ used to be my childhood best friend, but ________ but we’ve already known each other for a
_________ took me away from them. long time, and don’t want to get together for reasons
we both know.
47 - _______ and ________ served the same master
before, but that master forced us apart for reasons I
don’t know.
48 - _______ is afraid of me, and I don’t know why.

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KADUNGGANAN

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 KADUNGGANAN
CONVICTIONS
The Kadungganan of old sing of a horrible tale. The tale
of three stars.
The first Kadungganan, The Dog Warrior, was said to
have arrived in this world with nothing but a blade. A
pure blade, with no hilt. He arrived and stepped upon a
river of blood. The First Star Era. He was born to inflict
violence, but instead he was burdened with Rumination.
“Why must we fight, if nothing changes?”
The second Kadungganan, the Invincible Queen of
Glaves, stepped upon Gubat Banwa with a dress made
of one thousand and one spears. With her crown, she
looked out into the world and saw everything fit for the
taking. And so, she conquered. All the lands, all the
people. And she scoured the world, and infested it with
Scourge, because all those that come in contact with
the Flame of Want are singed. What else if violence if
not change? It is a fire, everything within it and around
it are irrevocably different.
The third Kadungganan, the First Chattel, walked upon
the world and saw the hatred and Scourge that infested
the world, singed in the wake of the Invincible Queen of
Glaves, and sought to put it to rights, with his Steel. He
changed the world with the strength of his Principle,
but in so doing began the Cycles of Violence. Who are
we to ignore wisdom? Wield the Flame of Want like a
blade, along with Principle and Rumination, and only
then shall you rend heaven and hell.
As a Kadungganan, you have 5 Convictions that you
begin with, which will fluctuate. Suffering
Consequences while having all your Convictions
marked can potentially end in Death.
In general, you should write each of the Convictions in
a first-person perspective. In addition, to help you
fill in your Convictions, find out what ideals, beliefs,
things, people, places, and actions are important to
your Kadungganan, because these can very well
become Convictions.
To the side is a Divination to help jog your creativity.
168
1. Curiosity. Seek something, always seeking. What
is it? Even I do not know, but the pull of the
unknown is enough to put the winds upon my
sails.
2. Survival. As the Archipelago drowns in the blood
of its children, I will stay afloat, by iron and fire.
3. Wealth. Servants, connections, heirloom wealth,
and religion. Why else live if not to guarantee these
things for me and mine?
4. Valor. I fight to fulfill the prophecies and songs of
eld: of a hero who must face the darkness, with
nothing but a sword of light and a smile like the
sun.
5. Loyalty. Whether it be for their blood or for their
heart, the reason I fight is to stay true to the one
who owns my soul.
6. Honor. What life is there to live, if it is not a life of
virtue? Why wield a sword if not to uphold one’s
principles? Why live, if there is nothing to live for
but base animal instinct?
7. Revenge. What goes around comes around. The
circle is unbroken, and it brings with it the spike of
judgment.
8. Family. My family might be broken, or not one of
blood, or like an arrow lost in the trade winds, but
it is mine. And they are all I have.
9. Spite. My soul churns and my spirit boils. I have
been cast down like false idols. I shall rise again,
and those that will suffer my scorn will know my
name as I say it while impaling them with my
blade.
10. Duty. There is something that I must do, and it is
something that only I can do. Another might get it
wrong. Who else could it be but me?
11. Knowledge. There is a future that we all can see.
One only needs a light bright enough to see it.
Walk with me, and let us attain wisdom. Let the
path we forge be the right one.
12. Love. My heart bleeds, enslaved, and my soul is
the lake. My passion courses like the rivers of
Gubat Banwa for the one that holds my life in
thrall. My tears flow in devotion.
 KADUNGGANAN

WARBANDS
The First Kadungganan Warband was said to have been
formed by the ancient First Chattel, who gathered
together the first martial artists of the bloody Warring
Realms, toiling under the Scourge, to strike back
against the Invincible Queen of Glaves.
The First Chattel found the practitioner of striking arts,
of quick-movement, fast as winds: Kalakatri, Her
Murderous Glory, who wielded the first kalis and
summoned ebony lightning. Kalakatri did not join him,
but instead, granted the First Slave her sword and
shield.
Then the First Chattel met the practitioner of protective
arts, of shield protection, area denial, and forced
movement: Sri Katun Sahaja, the Crumbling Boulder,
who wielded the grand breastplate of defeated giants
and deflected thunder.
They went on to save the practitioner of vast striking,
master of long-ranged arts, of swallow blades, of
burning bullets: Lontok Alam Gantar, the Thundering
Echoing Cannon, who wielded the first lantaka and was
the crafter of firearms.
They then had to persuade, up within a deep forest
mountain, the great hexer, practitioner of the eldest
witcheries, who could mold Scourge and make it into
weapon: Dewasuhawa, the First Witch, who wielded the
ancient palm leaf scrolls, summoner of both demons
and gods.
Finally, to complete the warband, they needed a
warlord. A general who could lead them to victory. They
found, sitting before a silent and stagnant, cold lake, the
First Hari, the First God-King: The Conquering King
Rajaraya Pintas. He who ventured into heaven and
challenged The Sun Mother, he who ventured into
heaven and stole the name Hari from the gods.
The Conquering King was a demigiant: he was born
from a giant mother and a bamboofolk father. His eyes
were large, bulging, and his canines grew like tusks. He
towered over the rest. But the First Kadungganan
Warband banded together and defeated the Conquering
King with diversity and understanding. With the defeat
of the Conquering King, he agreed to join the Warband.
And so The First Chattel went on to challenge the
Invincible Queen of Glaves.
Once you know why your Warband got together, the
entire Warband should have a single Blood Compact
Want. This is a Want for the entire Warband,
something they can build towards together. Like with
personal Wants, this can change throughout the
Kandu.
Afterwards, choose a Warband Nature.
WARBAND NATURES
You can choose to roll a d10 to randomize.
THE DATU’S WARRIORS [1-2]
This is the most common Warband nature: a single
datu surrounded by their warrior vassals. The datu
goes on ventures and their vassals accompany them,
sworn by oath and blood to follow their datu to the
very end.
Choose 1 Kadungganan to be the datu, and every other
Kadungganan is that datu’s warrior. The datu assigns
the following to the other Kadungganan. Assign until
all have a moniker:
0 “You, [Kadungganan], are my Sword. Let your steel
cut all, even me.”
0 “You, [Kadungganan], are my Shield. Let your
ironwood stop the sky from crashing into us, and let
your mesh catch the blades of the gods.”
0 “You, [Kadungganan], are my Anvil. Upon you the
new world shall be born, a world better than this
one.”
0 “You, [Kadungganan], are my Headwrap. Your
command and your presence shall set this world
aflame.”
0 “You, [Kadungganan], are my Dagger. May you do
the things none of us can.”
Warband Name: The Forgotten Swords, Radiant
Glory, Heritors of the Flame, Make one up

Warbands are the parties of Kadungganan that

wander and serve in Gubat Banwa. Warbands are
important unities: they are consecrated with the Blood
Compact Ritual: the act of bleeding into wine and then
everyone drinking from it, all their bloods intermixed.
Those in the Blood Compact must serve each other as
if they were the closest of brothers with their livers
connected.
When creating your Kadungganan, think of how your
Warband got together. A common answer is that the
Warband was formed under the particular chief you
serve, and that is the norm in the isles: blood compacts
serving their chief faithfully is how chiefs create
connections and establish power. However, some
Kadungganan can choose to be wandering warriors,
holding allegiance to nobody but to each other. This
offers less protection in the violent world of Gubat
Banwa, as the protection and comfort of being in a
community is a luxury most people will want to afford.

169
 KADUNGGANAN
WANDERING MANGUBAT [3-4]
Mangubat means warrior, so wandering mangubat
means “Wandering Warrior.” This Warband nature is
increasingly becoming more common in the Isles, as
war intensifies and mercenarism has risen. Your
Kadungganan have sworn a blood oath to each other,
and now travel the isles with nothing but a boat to
your name.
Your Warband has 1 Boat. Name it. It is, right now,
your only possession. It is rowed by a number of
paddlers, each one lowly warriors of their own right.
Each of you are well acquainted with one of the
paddlers. Having a Boat in the Sword Isles means you
are well off, and you can travel as freely as you can. The
Boat is also considered a Place of Peace.
Warband Name: Iron Owl, Quicksilver Falcons,
Falling Star Swords, Make one up
SERVANTS OF DIVINITY [5-6]
You are all part of a religious sect, or follow a particular
god, and travel the islands carrying out the will of the
one you follow. Tell us your faith: is it strong, or is it
forced? Is there room for doubt, or are you at the end
of your love?
Choose from below which religious sect or god you
follow. Each are coded with the five major polities:
1. Paladni Santiago. Palm of Santiago. The exorcist
branch of the Ashen Star Congregation, they have
been turned and made into not just expungers of
demons, but also hunters of heresies. Each
Kadungganan of the Warband gains agua bendita
(1 use, Interact): Your next attack deals +1d6
damage against a Scourged enemy.
2. Kalis Bulan. Moon Sword. Warriors of Divine
Striving that focus on the Striving of Purification,
followers of Baginda Sumongsuklay, the Moon
Goddess. They bring with them the breaking of the
world: they will cleanse the world of all Scourge,
until none are left, and all are pure. Each
Kadungganan of the Warband gains Purification
Oil (1 Use, Interact): Deal 6 skewering damage to
all Scourged enemies in close burst 3’
170
3. Wardens of Hiyang. You are warriors that follow
the holy Mastery of Paghihiyang, the Truth of
Harmony with Nature, as taught by the Elders of
Apumbukid. You scour the isles for signs of Di
Hiyang, expunge Scourges, and work to heal
settlements, so that atrocity may never happen
again. All Kadungganan gain cleansing flowers (1
use): Use when casting Sensitivity to add Bonus to
the cast.
4. Bearer of Jamiyun Kulisa’s Thunderbolt. You
are warriors that carry on the legacy of the great
thunderbolt god, who once cleansed this land and
bleached it with lightning. You travel and kill those
that try to upset the natural order of things, to
cleanse people of Scourges, and to facilitate
rebellions against tyrants. All Kadungganan gain
the Jamiyun Kulisa’s Thunderbolt Talisman (1
use): When casting to sway others with Wrath or
Poetry, use this to add a Bonus to the cast.
5. Menders of Indira Suga. You are traveling
scholar-warriors who follow the greatest god of
the Isles, the Mother Sun Indira Suga. You have
been deployed by Ba-e’s House of Wisdom to
collect as many traditions and songs as you can
and record or copy them onto copperplates, so
that it will never be lost. The scholar-kings of Ba-e
have realized that with the intensifying war and
the coming Longest Year, these things must be
copied, no matter how imperfect, to give them
second winds. Gain Copperplate (3 Uses): Use to
create a perfect copy of a song, poem, epic, or
story that you hear. For every perfect copy you
bring back to the House of Wisdom, gain a golden
item.
Warband Name: Hellraiders, The Inescapable Blades,
The Halo of Indira Suga, Make one up
 KADUNGGANAN
VASSALS [7-8]
Another common Warband nature, however none of the
Kadungganan are datu. They choose a single datu that
they serve, and they are immersed into that datu’s
community. The datu treats them rightly, but the
Warband must always travel and fight with the datu as
they go on their travails and ventures.
Choose or roll [1d10] to find out the Datu you serve.
[1-2] Takdul Suwarga, the Crescent Moon Datu. A
great chief who owns a powerful harbor principality and
has a settlement that is sometimes visited by foreign
junks and ships. Takdul Suwarga gained his power for
slaying and stealing away all the chiefs’ settlements
around his island, which was arrayed like a crescent. He
is part of Gatusan’s 999 Chiefdoms, but he has recently
converted to the Iman, the Lunar Faith, and is attached
to the Sultana.
Gain the following item: Balaraw (1 use): When you are
surprised, you can spend this to say that you aren’t.
[3-4] Datu Sumangga, the Thunderlord. A rival to
Takdul Suwarga, Datu Sumangga is one of the most
heralded chiefs of the Sword Isles, having traveled to
grand Baik Hu and returned with white ivories and
majestic titles. His settlement, Kangsangga, is a well
known harbor principality that is part of the 999
Chiefdoms, but very commonly works with Apumbukid
to uphold Hiyang. If you follow Datu Sumangga, there
is a chance that you fight for him with pride, as he is one
of most benevolent datu in the isles. Whispers of the
balyan say that he is preparing to ride a skybarge into
heaven.
Gain the following item: Lightning Lentil (1 Use,
Interact): Gain Hastened 2.
[5-6] Tuwan Bulisik, Grand Elder of Venom. A datu
that lives deep in the Pumirang Peninsula and speaks
regularly with the spirits of that peninsula. They are not
a harbor principality, but their name is well respected
across The Sword isles. They fight with the greatest of
Venoms, blessed by the Serpent Goddess Nagined, one
of the Grand Earth Guardians, and ride into battle upon
magnificent warhogs. They have mastered the art of
bow- and spear-fighting, and the secrets of guerrilla
warfare. Whispers of the balyan say, however, that he is
growing too large, that he is slowly becoming a serpent
god himself, and that he is seeking to conquer Apu
Dayaw, the Center of the World.
Gain the following item: Udto Venom (1 use, Interact):
Bless your weapon with Udto Venom. When you next
deal damage, apply the Udto Venom, losing it on your
weapon. The target damaged immediately gains
Fraying 4.
171
[7-8] Gavri of the East, Warrior Princess of North
Virbanwa. A female lady to the north of Virbanwa,
living upriver from a harbor principality. Her
settlement, Silang-silang, is one of the largest
producers of rice in the Virbanwan region, and
Virbanwa has taxed her heavily because of this. They
went from subsistence farming to bleeding the land
dry. Gavri of the East, whose strength and beauty is
unmatched, is a master of the itak, the chopping blade,
and she will not stop. Whispers of the balyan say that
Silang-silang rises, rises! O, how it will burn so bright!
Aba, aba, Gavri of the East, reincarnation of Mother
Madiyah, Saintess of Liberty! Deliver us from the grips
of Virbanwa.
All Kadungganan gain the following item: Tax Cards.
Allows you entrance into Virbanwan forts without
discrimination, but you will immediately be taxed when
you do: you must give 3 commodities.
[9-10] Kalma, the Gun-King of Palita. A gunlord
with a gun foundry east of Ba-e, too terribly close to the
Kalangitan River that leads into Virbanwa’s bay. The
settlement is a haven for blacksmiths, and its
blacksmith sheds have been built to interconnect with
each other. Stone walls have been erected to protect the
place here, and the nobles have erected stone houses as
well. Virbanwan and Ba-e cultures have intermixed
within. Kalma, the Gun-King, is a demigiant, said to
lock himself within his shed–a giant longhouse–for
moons on end, trying to craft the perfect gun that can
kill gods.
All Kadungganan gain the following item: Bullet. 1 Use.
If you kill someone with a bullet, that person will
become undead.
Warband Names: Faithful of Takdul, Bringer of Night,
Gun-Princes, Make one up
 KADUNGGANAN

FIGHTING LORDS [9-10] [7-8] Batara Lakan Huwan Rekno, The Gumamela
of the River Plains, the Flower of Passion, He Who
Your Kadungganan are, in truth, chiefs of their own, Bleeds for the World’s Sins, the Herald of Yumao,
following one of the five major polities’ God-Kings. This The Fated Quietus. Aba, aba! Glory to the God-King of
is the most difficult warband nature if you’re starting the Virbanwans, the slayer of Pale Kings, the repeller of
off, as it will most likely lead into intense politics within alien invaders! However the damage is done, the
the political framework of The Sword Isles. However Scourge festers in their hearts, they are spoiled and
Fighting Lords gameplay is good for those that wish to rotten to the core. O, Batara Lakan, arise our beloved
engage in the intense interpolitical truth of the Sword Flower of Passion! Take upon yourself, upon your
Isles, and perhaps even influence it enough to change its bleeding heart, the sins of the Virbanwans, and then
trajectory. lead us to the Millennium Kingdom of God! May the
God-Kings are not the most correct term for them, but Ashen Star gleam brighter than the sun, may your
they are infused with divinity and command great sacrifice bring us unity, glory, conquest, peace! O,
swathes of people through their sheer command of Batara Lakan! Bleed for us, and let our sins become
their presence. What are they but not God-Kings? your sword, and become as Makaubos, cleanse this
world, and summon Makagagahum, the Almighty, and
Choose or roll [1d10] to choose a God-King you are Virbanwa shall become the greatest Empire! Make us
commanded by. great, make us great.
[1-2] Hari Batara Ambasi, The God-King of The The Kadungganan gain the following item: Bloody
Painted Ones. Aba, aba, glory be to him! The flame Sidereal Rosary. Angels and other mechanical divinities
haired Hari! The First Hari of Gatusan, the great God- will listen to your commands. They may not necessarily
King, he who shall raid the world! The 999 Chiefdoms follow your orders, but they will listen.
unite underneath him and they are blessed, granted the
future of a united Gatusan, with a Sword Isles revelling [9-10] Dayang Kalangitan, Sangpamegat of Ba-e,
in the violence! The Hari shall descend upon the world The Great Silent Singer, Perfection of Knowledge
and unite the disparate polities and take their violence and Love, Whose Living Corpse Houses Gubat
to the world! Banwa’s Secrets. Aba, aba! Glory to the God-Queen,
heir to Urduja’s Legend, the Queen of Regents, the
The Kadungganan gain the following item: Gold Agung. Water Dancer, the Gilded Heron Dancing Upon Water
A gong, which can be carried around. When those of Lilies! There is no end to your sobriquets, for the end of
lower social class than the Kadungganan see the agung names is death. The Dayang’s soul permeates all of Ba-
they will respect you. The agung is a sign of power. e, sharing her wisdom and knowledge to all! She shall be
as goddesses, great Seri Dewi Kalangitan, Queen of
[3-4] Sultana Yarashgara XII, Her Majesty The
Heaven. She shall expand Ba-e, turn it into the only
Moon Consort, The Dark Moon. Aba, aba, glory to
living Empire, the greatest Empire in the world,
the Sultana! Her wisdom and knowledge slices through
expanding Ba-e’s influence into every corner of the
the night. She is the Dark Moon, consort to Baginda
world until Ba-e is synonymous with power and wealth.
Sumongsuklay, the Moon that never leaves, the night-
The Dayang shall become Chakravala Chakravartin, or
watcher when the Moon Goes Hunting. She gathers her
in the tongue of Holy Ba-e: Panginoong Pangkalahatan,
stars and scatters them upon the world. Gubat Banwa
God of Everything, and Ba-e shall never, ever, ever die.
shall know the light of the moon! With her lunar blades
and wicked graceful masques she prepares her temples The Kadungganan gain the following item: Indira Suga
and cities and the various kings beneath her–BENEATH Icon. An icon of the patron of the elder polity. Spirits
her!--and she will sunder this world, sheathe it in will be wary of you, and listen to you. If they deem you
moonlight, and create a new one. The Fourteen Realms harmonious, they will be exceedingly friendly. If not,
shall become a thing of the past, this wretched hive of then they will be exceedingly hostile.
violence.
Warband Name: Swords of Makagagahum, Turners of
The Kadungganan gain the following item: Lunar the Wheel, Painted Kings, Make One Up
Spearscepter. A spear with a head copper turned into a
crescent moon. Those that follow the Sultana will
recognize your superiority.
[5-6] Apu Dayaw, the God Within The Earth’s
Center. Aba, aba, glory to the greatest god, the ancient
of ancients. Apu Dayaw! You who are the heart of Gubat
Banwa, skewered through by the great kalis of the
Laughing Thunder God. You’ve had your revenge,
beloved, dear God: the Laughing Thunder God is dead
now, its tears becoming lightnings and its wails
becoming the thunders. What now, great one? It shall
take eight long Cycles for you to remove the sword
from you. As the Eighth Star Era begins, you shall rise,
and you shall cease all division, and thou shall bring
return all things to pure, unadulterated, true, and
peerless and perfect oneness.
The Kadungganan gain the following item: Aurelian
Waling-waling. A perfect flower of gold and crimson,
five petals to showcase the five aspects of Apu Dayaw,
God of the Cosmos. Scourge beings will immediately
know you are there and be wary of you.

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 KADUNGGANAN

VARIANT CREATION: LEGEND 0

If you wish for an even simpler character creation
process, you can start your Kadungganan at Legend 0.
Kadungganan at Legend 0 have already proven
something, have shown why they are worthy of
becoming Kadungganan. If you choose to play a Legend
0 Kadungganan, then you are not a Knight or Honored
One or a Gallant yet. Instead, you are nothing better
than some warrior, or farming peasant, or weaver, or
apprentice balyan, or lower aristocrat. Who are you?
Because we know who you will become.
RUNNING LEGEND 0
For Umalagad, if you’re planning on running a
Legend 0 game, keep in mind that these peasants will
eventually become Kadungganan as soon as they
level up to Legend 1. Therefore, the sessions should
build to a point wherein they accomplish something
brave, something that cements their ability to
become Kadungganan. This must be something
appropriately great and awe-inspiring. Perhaps
nothing too grandiose, such as “killing a thousand
enemies”, but perhaps something that crystallizes
their Convictions: perhaps something like “they put
themselves in between an enemy and those that they
love.”
Very often, Legend 0 games will last for a session
before their Legend rises. However, you can go
through an entire Arc in Legend 0 to help players get
used to the various mechanics of the game, as well as
find out their Convictions, Complications,
Conjunctures, Debts, and Warband.
CREATING LEGEND 0
Creating Legend 0 warriors are a lot simpler. Follow the
following steps. In general, they do not have
Convictions, Complications, Conjunctures, Debts, and a
Warband. Those are things you can find out during the
Legend 0 Arc.
ONE CHOOSE A CULTURE
Choose a single Culture, Subculture, Lineage, and Social
Standing as with a Kadungganan.
TWO CHOOSE ALIGNMENTS AND ABILITIES
Set your Heart, Sword, and Shield Alignments. Use
these to help set your character’s demeanor,
personality, and approach to the world.
Their Abilities are the same spread as well, being 4, 3, 3,
3, 2, 2, 2 and then everything else starting at 1.
RAIDER
Fundamentals: When you attack Staggered Enemies,
gain +Sharpness.
Inflict Violence: Blitz. Melee, Metal, Adjacent, 1 Target,
BRV.
SHARPSHOOTER
Fundamentals: All your ranged attacks against
enemies that are at least 3 squares away are
Skewering.
Inflict Violence: Volley. Ranged, Air, Range 5, 1 Target,
BRV or FTH.
SENTINEL
Fundamentals: An enemy leaving a square adjacent to
you costs +1 Speed.
Inflict Violence: Agitating Blow. Melee, Earth,
Adjacent, 1 Target, BRV, Provoke 1.
WITCH
Fundamentals: When you hit a fighter, you may also
inflict Fray 2.
Inflict Violence: Blast. Area, Water, Blast 3, All
Targets, Safe, FTH, Eviscerate 1.
MEDIUM
Fundamentals: 1/Violence, when 1 ally in the battlefield
falls to Staggered or Critical, you can immediately roll
BRV + FTH as Attack Teeth and heal them equal to the
number of Hits.
Inflict Violence: Ignite. Ranged, Fire, Range 3, 1 Target,
FTH, Heal 1 to one ally within 2 sq.
FOUR FIRST STEPS INTO VIOLENCE
Give your character a name. Find out why they’re
fighting through play.
FIVE ADVANCEMENT
When you advance to Legend 1, choose a Discipline that
makes sense in the fiction. This replaces all your other
stats from your other violent callings.

THREE CHOOSE MARTIAL ABILITIES AND A VIOLENT

CALLING
Legend 0 Characters do not have Disciplines yet. They
have not reached the heights that martial arts requires
for them to perform their most powerful techniques.
Instead, they have a Calling, which is a combination of
their violent fate, their prior combat knowledge, and
natural aptitudes.
As for Martial Abilities, they begin with the normal 2
Points, but none of the Violent Callings have Boosts,
so they must survive on their own wits, without the help
of supernatural martial arts.

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 KADUNGGANAN
KADUNGGANAN ADVANCEMENT: LEGEND
Legend represents a Kadungganan’s combat prowess
and ability, strength, skill, experience, fame, and rising
glory. As they rise in Legend, they find more and more
things about themselves, as well as the various Martial
Arts of Gubat Banwa. Legend starts at 1 and ends at 12.
When you enter into Downtime, gain 1 XP
(Experience Points), and then 1 additional XP for
every Conviction Marked. When you reach 10XP, your
Legend Grows. Afterwards, lose 10 XP, but you keep
any XP left.
LEGEND ARCS
Similar to most games, shows, and novels, Gubat
Banwa has a number of built in Arcs to symbolize the
progression of warriors.
ARC 1 - EARTH
Arc 1 is known as the Arc of Earth, because the
Kadungganan still have their feet upon the ground. Arc
1 encompasses Legend 1-4. At this stage, the
Kadungganan have trained their skills but don’t have
much combat experience of their own. They must go
out there and make their names known. They can be
performing the following:
0 Working for various Datu as free roaming
mercenaries.
0 Performing various jobs for the datu of their own
settlement.
0 Traveling across the lands accruing wealth and legend
that they did not have.
0 Trying to break free from tyrannical overlords.
ARC 2 - LIGHTNING
Arc 2 is known as the Arc of Lightning, because the
Kadungganan are rising above and taking on various,
more challenging situations. Arc 2 encompasses
Legend 5-8. They cannot sit idly by, their inherent
Gahom pushes them forward, their innate spiritual
power calls them to perform greater and greater deeds,
or else die in the cycle of violence.
Arc 2 can even be split up into its own Mini-Arcs with
how much venturing the Kadungganan are meant to do.
Some examples of what they might be doing are:
0 Establishing their own community, no matter how
small.
0 Fighting against powerful datu with large
settlements or towns.
0 Venturing deep into hitherto untraveled paths, like
Deep Forests, the Floor of the Ocean, the Cave to the
Underworld, and even the Clouds.
0 Making a name for themselves as their titles are writ
across the isles, and more and more datu chase after
them.
174
When your Legend Grows, do the following below:
0 Write down a new Title for yourself. This replaces any
previous title.
0 Gain a new Mastery from any Discipline.
0 Gain 2 point to spread across your Martial
Abilities.
0 At every even level until Legend 10 (2, 4, 6, 8, 10),
open up 1 Anting-Anting Slot. Anting-Anting are
magical artifacts, amulets, weapons, and items that
help give you an edge in combat.
At Arc 2, a Kadungganan must have an Arc 2 Form,
known as their Refined Form. At this point, something
about them has changed physically, representing the
rising of their own abilities, and the things they have
faced in Arc 1. They should also get a new name, which
can be a sobriquet or title, but will always reflect their
exploits during the past Arc.
ARC 3 - HEAVEN
Arc 3 is known as the Arc of Heaven. At this point,
the Kadungganan are poised to fulfill that fabled verse:
Seize heaven’s thunderclaps. Arc 3 encompasses
Legend 9-12, and showcases them not at the end of
their venturing days but rather, at their peak. Their
inherent Gahom bolsters forth through them,
manifesting in visages of God-Kings and Devil-Eagles.
Some examples of what the Kadungganan are meant to
do are:
0 Running their own settlements that can become
Mandala of their own right.
0 Wrestling with legendary monsters and creatures of
myth, preventing Celestial Eaters from eating either
the Sun or the Moon.
0 Fighting with Gods and bringing them to heel, or
maybe even becoming Gods themselves by dying in
glorious combat.
0 Enacting long-lasting change upon Gubat Banwa,
perhaps even contributing to the end or even ending
the Cycles of Violence.
At Arc 3, a Kadungganan must have their final aesthetic
change, known as their Perfected Form. They should
have changed drastically from who they were at Arc 1,
and this represents their skills at its utmost peak. Here
they are meant to match gods and goddesses with their
visages, manifestations of wrathful deities. At Arc 3, a
Kadungganan gains a final name, one which they will be
remembered for the rest of time.
 KADUNGGANAN

ALTERNATIVE ADVANCEMENT TABLE

ADVANCEMENT:
COMBAT LEGEND
An alternative advancement that
you can choose to do if you don’t
want to track XP. Combat Legend
advancement is simple: after
every 2 Violences, raise Legend
by 1.
This can be used if you have fewer
Violences in particular in your
campaign as well, so that Violences
can be seen as milestones.
With this, XP is completely
unused. This means you do not
gain it while in Downtime. Marking
and rewriting Conviction is
completely a narrative thing to
showcase a character’s arc.

Base Form Refined Form Perfected Form

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 KADUNGGANAN
Disciplines
All Kadungganan are asdang haniti, (literally, hand-to-
hand combat experts) masters of martial arts.
Disciplines are systems of fighting, martial arts, spread
throughout the Sword Isles. There are exactly One
Million and One Fighting Sciences in The Sword Isles
alone. Very common among the Arts are familial
strifes, grudges between martial arts that are similar
and/or have deep-seated histories, as well as the act of
keeping particular martial arts a secret from outsiders.
The names for these Disciplines are very often the
practitioner of their Martial Art.
The irst martial arts were invented by the gods at the
beginning of time, when they resorted to war to
arbitrate their concerns like the hypocrites they are.
When they eventually taught the ways of violence to
mortals, it became known as the Balahala Hinagiban
Agham, the Godly Weapon Science. From here the first
martial art arose, violence taught by nature itself:
Asdang.
MARTIAL ABILITIES
Each Kadungganan has the following Martial Abilities.
Martial Abilties inform how you fight, and is the basis of your
martial art. All of them can have a total of 6 points invested
in them, but they start at different values:
Hit Points (HP) governs your ability to keep your combat stance,
weather direct hits, and turn otherwise fatal strikes into glancing
hits. When you fall to 1/2 of your HP, you become Staggered.
When you fall to 1/4 of your HP, you become Critical. Being
Critical still means you are Staggered. HP begins at 6.
Bravery (BRV) governs your ability to deal visceral damage with
ferocious physical attacks. Used to attack the enemy’s POS. BRV
begins at 3.
Faith (FTH) governs your ability to overwhelm enemies with
mystical attacks and mental trauma. Used to attack the enemy’s
RES. FTH begins at 3.
Posture (POS) is the Discipline’s ability to parry and turn away
attacks with their weapons. Used to defend against BRV attacks.
POS begins at 3.
Resolve (RES) is the Discipline’s inherent willpower against
mental and spiritual effects: charms, enchantments, and
glamours. Used to defend against FTH attacks. RES begins at 3
to a max of 8.
Speed (SPD) governs how many squares you can traverse when
you move. SPD begins at 2.
Jump (JMP) dictates your vertical allowance (both up and down)
as well as ability to leap horizontally. JMP begins at 1.
Tempo (TMP) governs how quick you burst into action within 12
seconds. You add your Tempo Rating to your Discipline’s Tempo
Die. Tempo begins at 0.
DISCIPLINE TRAITS
Discipline Boosts are added on top of a Kadungganan’s Violent
Traits. Boosts ignore Maximums.
Fundamentals are that Discipline’s core mechanics. This
dictates the main play style of a Discipline.
Inflict Violence (IV) are your primary attacks, your fundaments,
things you can do at-will. When you choose to Inflict Violence,
almost always 1 Technique, choose which of the three options you
inflict violence with.
176
Asdang began the tradition of Guros passing down
what they know to learners. "Balahala Hinagiban
Kaalamdag" is now a spiritual rite, a principle, a fabled
title that all aspire to. It is the science and tradition,
revered and favored, taught from ancestors to
descendants.
All Disciplines are born from the Godly Weapon
Science.
The combat arts are known differently for each of the
Polity, although they all mean the same thing.
0 Virbanwa calls their martial arts Sining Pandigma.
0 Gatusan calls their martial arts Paagi sa Gubat.
0 Akai calls their martial arts Agama Pagbunu.
0 Ba-e calls their martial arts Pagdahas.
0 Apumbukid calls their martial arts Kaqalim
Matarem.
MASTERIES
Masteries are ancient battle arts and the most
advanced techniques of a Discipline. In general, the
order it is written should also be the order you enact
the effects of each written Technique.
Masteries will usually be written in the following
format. Very often not all of these Tags will be written
(for example, an Active that is not an attack might not
have any Attack Tags).
NAME
Passive: Effect. Passives are always in effect, even if
you use the Active component.
Active (Techniques Needed to use (SUMMERS) and
Cooldown, written with a dice notation of 1-6 of
when they cooldown (1-6) or if it can only be used
1/Violence (CROIX): ATTACK CLASS, ATTACK ELEMENT,
RANGE, TARGETS, OTHER TAGS, BRV OR FTH,
ADDITIONAL EFFECTS
Each Discipline has 4 Masteries, each following after
the last. This means that to get Mastery II of a
Discipline, you must first have Mastery I.
I II III IV
Each Mastery has 1 Passive and 1 Active aspect. You
have both while you have that Technique equipped.
Your Passives are always in effect, no matter what.
Actives cost Techniques to take effect.
THE EIGHT-ARMED DEMON
The Eight-Armed Demon is an in-fiction justification of
being only able to equip 8 Masteries at a time. A
combination of spiritual capacity, muscle memory, and
prowess.
This means that you can equip up to Eight Techniques
that you have learned at any given time, and you can
change what Masteries you have slotted either
during Downtime or before Violence.
The Masteries you can slot in don’t have to be
successive as long as you have them learned.
 KADUNGGANAN

MASTERY TAGS
Each Mastery has a number of Tags that define how
DISCIPLINE STYLES
they work. All Kadungganan begin their path learning a Discipline,
one of the many families and systems of martial arts
0 X Techniques: Defines how many techniques you across the Sword Isles. Each one has a certain name,
have to spend to be able to use them. but each one is commonly classified to one of the 5
0 Cooldown X: Defines what number you must roll styles depending on how they approach their art and
on your Cooldown Roll to be able to use this how they deal in violence. The Styles are both origins
Mastery’s Active aspect again on your next Beat. and categorizations.
0 Attack Class: Defines whether it is a MELEE, Sentinel Style describes
RANGED, or AREA attack. martial arts that focus on
defending, whether it be
0 Attack Element: Defines the attack’s element:
themselves or others, and
Fire, Water, Metal, Air, Earth.
having water buffalo
0 Range: Defines the range. This can either be... tenacity. They have the
capability to mitigate the most
1 Close (orthogonal sq only) damage but tend to be slower and more ponderous.
1 Adjacent (all squares touching yours), Sentinels laugh in the face of Raiders.
1 Range X (with X being the number of Raider Style describes
squares you can reach) martial arts that focus on
1 Burst/Blast/Line/Path X (X being how movement, fluidity, and
large the area of effect is. If no listed range, the damage. Their techniques
area of effect begins from your square). tend to focus on dealing as
much damage as possible
1 Range X AOE X (The origin square of the and moving as much as possible,
AOE is any sq within range X.) although since they mostly do their
damage from up close, they are horribly
0 Targets: Will write how many, usually a number, vulnerable to being locked down and focused on.
within range one can target. Might also define Raiders laugh in the face of Sharpshooters.
specifically allies, enemies, objects or all.
Sharpshooter Style
0 Safe: All allies in range do not suffer the attack.
describes martial arts that
0 Skewering: Ignore the first Defend result. focus on long-ranged
0 Overwhelming: Hits reduce 2 HP instead of just attacks, dependable
1. damage, and area
effects. Their techniques
0 Heal: All Hits return HP instead of deducting. tend to focus on attacking fighters
0 BRV/FTH: You roll BRV or FTH when you make from afar, and usually more accurately
the attack. These are your Attack Teeth (d10) and than others. Since they focus on these
defines what you attack. BRV attacks POS, while techniques, they tend to move slower
FTH attacks RES. than other Styles and a lot of their abilities lose a lot of
efficacy at close ranges. Sharpshooters laugh in the
0 Additional Effects: Any additional effects unique
face of Witches.
to the Technique will be defined here. Very often
these will be Pull, Push, Slide and Shift. Witch Style describes martial arts that
0 Pull X: You pull all targets up to X. focus on eviscerating attacks,
area denial, and condition-
0 Push X: You push all targets up to X. application. Their abilities
0 Slide X: You slide all targets up to X. tend to stop movement, or
inflict persistent damage, or
0 Shift X: You shift yourself up to X, usually after
force movement upon others, and they are
the attack unless stated otherwise.
good at ripping away armor. However
ENLIGHTENMENTS they have low defenses in exchange, some
of the lowest in the game, to compensate
Enlightenments are the Ultimate Masteries that for their wicked debilitations. Witches laugh at
can define how a Kadungganan might fight. To Sentinels.
unlock an Enlightenment, one must have all 4
Masteries of a Discipline. Once they do, they Medium Style describes
immediately unlock that Discipline’s Enlightenment, versatile martial arts that
which they must slot into their Enlightenment Slot focus on supporting allies
before Violence or during Downtime. Every and doing esoteric effects
Kadungganan only has 1 Enlightenment Slot, but that always force
they can slot in any Enlightenment that they interesting situations to
have already unlocked, even if they’re not happen to the battlefield. Their abilities
currently that Discipline. tend to heal allies, give Precision and
damage reductions, enable their actions, or give allies
Enlightenments’ Active aspect, once activated, benefices for doing things that help the Discipline. Their
can only be used again after the next Downtime. Traits tend to be average across the board, they do not
inherently laugh at any of the other Styles.

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 KADUNGGANAN

CHOOSING A DISCIPLINE
When you first create a Kadungganan, you must choose a Discipline: the martial art that you focus in on that
contributes to the river of blood that flows through The Sword Isles’s veins.
Choosing a Discipline might be daunting: there are 25 Disciplines, spread across the 5 Polities. Read on to be guided.
Each Discipline is born from a particular Polity. That does not mean a Kadungganan must come from that Polity,
just that it was created within it. Disciplines being in various different Polity is the norm now. For example, the
Sarimanok Knight was born in Akai, but they are just as common now as mounted cavalry in Virbanwa.
To help you understand them, let’s talk about the five major polities poised to change the Sword Isles forever.
Afterwards, the Disciplines will be listed according to their Mandalas in the following pages.

GATUSAN: THE PAINTED WARRIORS OF THE
ENDLESS SEA
Raiders and warlords, they seek to expand their reach
and bring all the people of The Sword Isles under their
jurisdiction, and soon they will raid the world.
Gatusan Disciplines are built with violence and speed in
mind. They are warriors that split the sea. As much as
possible, Disciplines that can survive in the undulations
of the waves arise and thrive in Gatusan.
Buwaya Lancer. Sentinel that ride in upon mighty
giant crocodiles steeds to change the battlefield. They
and their buwaya stand upon the battlefield like a rock,
barring movement, locking down those that dare move
away from them, and controlling the square that is
theirs, as the river lords that they are.
Kawal. A frontline Sentinel that specializes in staying
in the front and never moving, protecting allies, and
preventing attacks. Garbed head to toe in armor-
raiment of the water buffalo, they are charged to protect
the isles with their shield, weapon, and tenacity. And
they will hold the line.
Mangangayaw. Raiders and fighters that scour the
seas and raid other war ships and shoreline settlements
without fear or reservation. They fight to maintain a
raiding high, a thrill that carries them to perform better,
stronger, quicker.
Sword-Poet. A mid-range Sentinel that protects allies
by being supremely mobile, moving upon the winds of
their songs, and supporting allies. A warrior who fights
with peerless weapon dancing and weeping verses and
song to twist and wrench the souls of those that would
inflict violence.
Violence Balyan. A spirit Medium that provides
healing and buffing with Idols and the power of the gods.
Trained to fight in spiritual violence for this never-
ending war. They specialize in offering healing and
strengthening incantations and spirits.
APUMBUKID: THE STEWARDS OF THE CENTER OF
THE WORLD
Defenders, caretakers, and sentinels. Those of the
Confederation seek only one thing: to protect the Holy
Mountain of Apu, the Central Pillar of the Earth, from all
conquerors, within The Sword Isles and without. They
have since adopted an aggressive stance on
Stewardship, traveling to the sacred places in
hinterlands to protect them from expansion.
Apumbukid Disciplines are concerned with stewardship
and harnessing of the universe, as well as hewing closely
to tradition and ritual. They were, of course, built with
the protection of holy places in mind. Their might is in
the spiritual, in what is purely natural. Their Disciplines
typically have good relations with the gods.
Death Dancer. Hypocritical Raider Warrior-Dervishes
that have eschewed weapons to become hypocrisy
incarnate: one who uses the strength gleaned from
Hiyang to kill. They have mastered themselves avnd
have become one with nature, reaching levels of
enlightenment impossible for others, but has eschewed
transcendence for violence. They internalize this
bodhisattva-twilight state, learning to use multiple
stances at the same time.
Enchanter. Powerful Witches that apply curses, heal
allies, and destroys warbands with their Kinaadman: the
enlightened wisdom that lets one manipulate the world
through the use of proper incantations and godly
mudras.
Headtaker. Raider Masters of the ritual art of killing,
and practitioners of the holy tradition of decapitation.
Warriors that preserve yet at the same time blaspheme
the holy rite of killing.
Tigpana. Sharpshooter Archers who master the art of
sniping enemies from afar from vantage points, shadow,
and bamboo. A useful and even necessary component to
war in both the sea and the hinterlands.
Warspeaker. Witch Masters of the Cutting Speech,
Warspeakers are warriors that participate in battle
through the use of cutting rhetoric and ironclad logic.

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 KADUNGGANAN
AKAI: THE CONQUERING MONARCHY
Strivers that will never be defeated, knights and holy
lunar warriors. They will conquer all of The Sword Isles
in their own way. All will be one under the Moon
Goddess.
Akai Disciplines train with conquest and domination at
their heart. They are faithful, and their Disciplines reflect
their steadfastness and hunger for control.
Beast Hunter. Hunting and Trap Witches. Peerless
Control hunters who hunts with a pack of feral hunting
witch dogs who can climb trees with their razor sharp
claws and shed them to keep them eversharp. Using a
variety of traps, nets, and pits to capture your prey, the
hunter never lets go of the enemy.
Martyr. A severe front line Raider that thrives in the
midst of combat, outnumbered and outgunned, with the
cards stacked against them. With their sacrosanct
ravaging, they embrace death to bring triumph. These
berserkers, anointed with prayers of a pandita lunar
bishop and with the help of some sugapa--a root crop
like opium--transcend into an unstoppable wrath for
the Moon Goddess.
Sarimanok Knight. Valiant Sentinels who ride upon a
giant rainbow-feathered rooster known as a sarimanok.
Through rapid mounted combat they dominate the
battlefield, protect allies, and run down enemies.
Strifesinger. Sonorous Mediums, warrior-singers
that sing and use myriad instruments to bolster their
allies and grant respite in a war-torn land.
Swordfish Cavalier. A Sharpshooter coral knight
upon a balu, a flying swordfish, that specializes in
summoning water, firing from afar, and jousting
through enemy ranks with shearing blades of water and
wind.
VIRBANWA: THE IMPERIAL MANDATE
Imperialists, exorcists, and conquerors. They suffered
the sword of colonialism and lived to tell the tale. Now
they use that same sword upon their allies in the isles.
Virbanwan Disciplines express power of numbers. They
work best when they are marching in step with others,
as conformity is hammered into their souls. Virbanwan
Disciplines are built with the express goal of working in
step with others, so that dominion may be achieved.
Baril Witch. A Sharpshooter gunwitch that
specializes in pressuring areas with firepower. A keen-
eyed sharpshooter with a strange occult knowledge and
skill to guide the hand of their bullets. They hamper and
damage through the use of their ability to reload their
arquebuses and flintlocks, and fuse their bullets with
elemental energy.
Bladeweaver. An ironwood and silk clad Medium that
quickens allies, sharpens their blades, and extends their
range by using their soul to control their weapons
without having to touch them. They harness mentala,
magical formulas written on bamboo scrolls and then
memorized, and then uttered, which enchant their
swordplay and lets them achieve sorcerous
enlightenment.
Murderglave. A melee magick Sentinel that sacrifices
themselves to protect their allies. Their style is brutal. A
warrior taught in the ways of the ancient timawa of
Mahadiwa Kalakatri Duumanun, the Goddess of
Murder. By channeling the Mahadiwa, you harness your
passions and turn them into constructs and weapons of
darkness, giving yourself wholly to your cause of
protecting others.
Senapati. A melee warlord Medium that gets stronger
if they are in the front lines with their allies, and uses
their allies as their weapon. A strong and unwavering
commander who bellows encouragement and orders in
the thick of combat, facing the frontlines alongside their
allies clad in gold and elephant hide.
Sword Saint.A Sharpshooter who has internalized the
Blade Gospel that can control the battlefield with
slashes, little control zones that get expended. A priest
dedicated to St. Gattalim the Saint Intercessor of
Swords. They can cut down mortals, but they cannot
cut anything else. Their souls have been sharpened into
blades, and thus they cannot truly love, lest they bisect
them.
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 KADUNGGANAN

BA-E: ASCENDANCY OF THE SANGPAMEGAT

Tinkerers and scholars. The Kingdom of Ba-e, united
under a single chosen ruler known as the Sangpamegat,
seeks to preserve the old ways, the ancient scriptures,
sorceries, epics, and potteries. They trade far and wide,
gathering gold and other culture, while cultivating their
own lust for knowledge and artifice. They seek to unite
all of The Sword Isles under a single banner, to establish
a burgeoning merchant state that can trade with all the
corners of the world.
Ba-e Disciplines are, just like the Kingdom they hail
from, eccentric and subversive. Despite being the oldest
of the Major Polities, they also are the ones that invent
new ways of seeing the world, new names for natural
sciences. Past and future, it belongs to them. They
puncture holes in Hiyang and find new ways to express
their enlightenment.

Flower Balyan. A Floral Witch that uses the

sampaguita, the death jasmine, to converse with the
dead and animate corpses of enemies. An offshoot of
the balyan god-channelers who have learned the
rituals of death. In the isles, Flowers are a major
symbol of the dead.
Heavenspear. A heaven-scourging Raider that
understands the lie of the earth, and moves through
the air with extreme maneuverability. Through their
heaven-rending arts they take to the skies upon
spiritual arts and kites to bring the truth like a spear
unto the world: there is no throne in heaven.
Mender. A combat Medium that stays in the
frontlines to support their allies with prepared
poultices and readied healing items, granting them a
large number of spiritual modifications through
mastery of herbalism and spiritual semiotic.
Starshooter. Sharpshooter experts of the sport of
Sipa, using their advanced knowledge of the art to
inflict violence, making even the smallest mote of
dust to the very stars themselves into a deadly ball
projectile.
Warsmith. A warrior-blacksmith Witch who has
taken to the battlefield to show their ingenuity and
prowess, crafting walls and weapons. With their
violent innovations, they use ancient lore to bring
forth godly artifacts.

A NOTE ON REFLUFFING
Refluffing pertains to changing the flavor text and
lore/fiction of something. For example, you might want
to change the giant weapon of the Murderglave into a
quarterstaff. That’s fine, and sometimes even
encouraged to be able to play the character concepts
that you want! Just keep in mind the philosophies of
Gubat Banwa and hew close to them so that you do not
trip over any unwanted problems or any problems that
might hinder your play.

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KADUNGGANAN

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GATUSAN
DISCIPLINES

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 KADUNGGANAN

�≠≠�t � ���
Buwaya Lancer
Lords of the Seas, Friends of the Revered,
Unstoppable Juggernauts of Rivers

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 KADUNGGANAN

LORE
Buwaya Lancers are often considered a threat upon the entirety of The
Sword Isles. Borne from the need to travel quickly across both water
and land, an ancient warrior tamed one of the first buwaya, which is the
native term for crocodile. It has since become the name for buwaya
that are bred to become mounts: tall, long-legged crocodiles that are
fast and have a huge amount of stamina.
Buwaya Lancers arose during the end of the Seventh Moon Era. To
escape capture from powerful Put’wan cataphracts, which rode upon
great six-legged steeds, the great Laksamana Tuhon Langkasingbangis
and his reduced war band of a measly 12 managed to escape by
speaking to a buwaya and the buwaya accepting his oath, remembering
that ancient warrior that tamed the first buwaya. Thus, twelve buwaya
managed to ride down the river and boarded their biray to escape to
the distant land of Sonyoh. There they honed their ability in buwaya
taming, creating saddles and tasselled bardings, made of gold and
mother-of-pearl and bamboo and more. Rajahnate Buwaya are
painted in a same manner the warriors were, although not tattooed. In
this way their bond becomes tighter, stronger.
The buwaya lancers have since become one of the most well-known
Disciplines across The Sword Isles. It has become a stable cavalry, one
used extensively by Rajahnate polities that could afford it, and the Akai
Sultanate to combat the cavalry of the other polities.
Buwaya lancers were called thus because they were made to break the
enemy’s frontline. In The Sword Isles archipelago warfare, this would
not be the end of an enemy’s formation, as war was waged not through
formations but through force of will. However, the ability to break the
ranks through Buwaya Lancers is a very effective tactic that has huge
effects upon the moralization of warfare. Buwaya Lancers are usually
trained to use spears (bangkaw) or tridents (salapang), but other
kinds of weapons are just as viable. Therefore, Buwaya lancers are
much wanted in Kadungganan parties, as they are made to crush the
frontline and stay there, using crocodile and military armament to
crush the opposition.
Even in land, the crocodile beast can gallop, quick and unstoppable.
The Crocodile is one of the most well-respected beasts: they are very
often considered to be avatars of the ancestors themselves, and are
treated like Grandfathers—that is, with utmost care and respect. They
are the great masters of both sea and land, protectors of the places
where water and earth meet.
If you become a Buwaya Lancer, ask yourself why you ride upon the
greatest of spirits only to bring violence. You are one with a beast
known both for death and for the ancestors. You say you protect, so
why do you let your buwaya rip that man’s head off? Why do you stab
while atop your enslaved holy power? Why do you think you are as
great as the gods themselves?

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Style: Sentinel
Martial Art: Brutal Maw DISCIPLINE BOOSTS
Tempo Die: d8 +2 HP, +1 BRV, +1 POS

INFLICT VIOLENCES
0Harpoon: MELEE, WATER, ADJACENT, 1 TARGET, BRV, SLIDE 1.
0Empty Hand: MELEE, EARTH, CLOSE, 1 TARGET, BRV, INFLICT UNBALANCE 2.
0Fishing Rod: RANGED, WATER, RANGE 3, 1 TARGET, BRV, PULL 2.

FUNDAMENTALS: BUWAYA STEED

You have a crocodile mount, which you begin Violence upon. While on the mount...

0 Paramount: You cannot be pushed or pulled.

0 River: When you Stride, you can bring 1 adjacent fighter with you, maintaining
adjacency.
0 Ambush: 1/Beat, when a fighter leaves a square adjacent to you, Inflict Violence on
them.
Crocodiles are venerated like ancestor gods in the isles, and to have one fight
with you is a sign of respect and prestige. They are sometimes seen as
psychopomps, and that is exactly what you will be doing: bringing your enemies
to hell.

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 KADUNGGANAN

BUWAYA LANCER MASTERIES

I
Dragon Maw
When lightning strikes, you must stay volatile. Nothing
is more dangerous than being within reach of your
draconic maw. Like Bataradanum, the God of the Seas,
Consort of Mawayen the Goddess of the Deep, you surge
forward and bring others to their doom with your
crocodile’s unflinching jaws.
PASSIVE
Before making a melee attack, you may shift 1.
IV
Dragon Lake
An ancestral god in your hands. You summon your holy
reverence, and your buwaya strikes down, tapping the
springs beneath the earth. Waters erupt up, the waters
of the deep. This was a technique crafted by Laksamana
Tuhon Langkasingbangis himself to engrave a new river
to stop the chase of ancient Put’wan Cataphracts. The
river still exists, known as Tuhonsuba, and has since
become a tributary to Inagos. The diwata that have
arisen from it are in constant war with the diwata of
Inagos.

ACTIVE SUMMERS 456 PASSIVE

MELEE, WATER, CLOSE, 1 TARGET, BRV, INFLICT STOP 1. When you deal 2+ Hits on a Melee Attack, you may
Push 5 1 target of that attack.

ACTIVE SUMMERS 56
II
Hunting Dragon AREA, WATER, BURST 2, ALL TARGETS, SAFE, BRV (REROLL ALL
1S). ALL SQUARES IN THE BURST BECOME WATER TERRAIN FOR
1. Woe, woe be to those that would dare defy the THE REST OF VIOLENCE.
Buwaya!
2. That ancient god of the rivers, that dragon of the
lake.
3. Woe, and calamity. - Daknunuk Sutla 98

PASSIVE ENLIGHTENMENT
All enemies that start their Riff adjacent to you are
considered your Hunt. When a Hunt leaves
adjacency, you can consume the Hunt to
Makara Seeming
V

immediately Inflict Violence, 1/Hunt. An enemy Makara are the gods of the crocodiles of the Isles, the
with your Hunt that starts their Riff not adjacent great vessels of ancient heroes and demigods who
to you loses their Hunt. waged war to seize wealth. Makara are said to be the
first of the crocodiles, and are the original dragons:
their spiritual pairing created the three draconic forms
ACTIVE SUMMERSSUMMERS 6 that many gods take on: Naga, the Flying Water
AREA, EARTH, BURST 3, ALL TARGETS, SAFE, BRV+FTH, PULL 2. Guardian Spirits. Pythons, the Deep Earth and Tree
Serpent. And finally, the Crocodile, the Sea and Soil
Dragon. It is said that a Makara encircles the entire
cosmos, all of Kalibutan, and in the end times when
violence has consumed like a bleeding, threading flame,
it will consume all of reality.
III
Dragon Lair PASSIVE
1. The Buwaya brings with it hell. While Mounted, when you fall to 0 HP for the first
2. And with a bellow, it brings others with it. time in Violence, stay at 1 HP instead, and you
- Makara Exalt Sutla 128 cannot go below 1 HP until the start of your next
Riff.
PASSIVE
ACTIVE SUMMERS
All squares within 2 sq. of you are considered
DANGEROUS TERRAIN for enemies. At Pulse 4+, for 1 Technique, you may turn your
mount into a Makara, a legendary creature. Gain
ACTIVE SUMMERS 6 the following benefits for the rest of violence: +1
BRV, +1 FTH, +2 SPD, +2 POS.
AREA, WATER, BLAST 3, ALL TARGETS, SAFE, BRV, INFLICT SLOW
3.

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 KADUNGGANAN

��l
Kawal
Masters of the Eight Direction Guardian, Disciplines of
the Lakapati, Protectors of the World, not Kings

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LORE
Kawal are faithful shields and defenders of their communities. They are the
greatest paragons among the Kadungganan: they exemplify all the virtues of
a Kadungganan and then more, protecting their fellow Kadungganan by
attracting the attention of the enemy and stopping them in their tracks.
Clad in a mix of metal chainmail and kalabaw hide armor, kalabaw horn
breastplate, and hardwood shields, the Kawal is an indomitable force in the
battlefield, controlling the battlefield with superior movement, tactics,
weaponmastery, and their force of will.
Kawal only get their prestigious name after undergoing a grueling training
process, which weeds out those that cannot handle the pressures and
responsibilities of a kawal. Using techniques that synthesize native forms as
well as learned arts from Madaki and Naksuwarga, the Kawal excels in keeping
their allies safe while staying alive. Rajahnate Datu employ techniques of the
Kawal, and more often than not they do it so that they can keep their people
safe.
Akai have deployed their own contingent of Satariya, which use giant
ceremonial blades instead of spears to guard their allies. Apumbukid is known
to train entire settlements in this art as well, the most well known one being
Saginda in Pumirang, where they’re trained by ancient guardian spirits in deep
underground coral river caves.
In the ancient of days, the Guardians of the Eight Directions (Ang Diwatasin
Walong Tudlo) came together and taught their Art to mortals, because they
had foreseen that they would need their help to defend the world. Thus was the
Eight Direction Guardian Art born, which practices and perfects the
manifestation of the Lakapati, the combined form of the Eight Guardian Gods.
Imawasurathe Guardian Lord of the Southeast, of Pagodas and Fortunes and
Jades, wields a spear is as long as ten thousand palms of Rayasaiwa (whose
palm measures fifteen universes), and is named Tudlo, and this spear has
become the symbol for all Kawal. It is said that Imawasura was the one that
affixed the eight directions.
If you choose to take up the mantle of the Kawal, say who you pledge your
allegiance to and why, and why your faith in them has led you to making sure
that they will never be harmed.
The Shield is a symbol of strength. In the Sword Isles, it is not common to stay
and fight for your settlement when being raided. However, in the event of a
revenge raid, where the warriors will try to slay your datu as a ritual offering
to their own ancestors, only the shield can stay the tide. Either they die, or the
raiders fail.
Ask why you give your life to them. Is loyalty your virtue or your sin? Why do
you break the sky for someone who might not do the same for you?

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 KADUNGGANAN

Style: Sentinel DISCIPLINE BOOSTS

Martial Art: 8 Direction Guardian
Tempo Die: d10 +4 HP

INFLICT VIOLENCES
0Spear: MELEE, METAL, LINE 2, ALL TARGETS, BRV
0Shield: MELEE, EARTH, CLOSE, 1 TARGET, BRV, PUSH 2
0Gauntlets: MELEE, EARTH, CLOSE, 1 TARGET, BRV, INFLICT DAZED 1

FUNDAMENTALS: PERFECT GUARD

You have the following benefits:

0 Wall. All allies adjacent to you have cover.

0 Indomitable. You gain 1 Block whenever you start your Riff.
0 Enmity: When you hit an enemy, you may mark them until the end of your next Riff.
As long as they are marked, they are provoked to you. You can only have 1 mark at a
time.
"A kawal must know that they are the wall, and for the wall to be effective, the
swords must crash against it,” says Apumbukid Datu Daya. Gajasangkra is the
Guardian Lord of the Northwest, which is the land of constant monsoons and
whirlpools. If she doesn’t guard that place with her thousand hands, the seas will
drain into wine and milk, killing all Folk in Gubat Banwa. And so she keeps the
sea from overflowing, and so does she suffer the corroding chaos of wine.

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 KADUNGGANAN
KAWAL MASTERIES
I Kitasamba’s Shield
"Ever ready. That is what kawal must be. Now bring your
weapons up. We have a datu to save." - War Leader
Katuna, as he goes on to save a hostaged datu from a rival
banwa. Kitasamba is the Guardian Lord of the Northeast,
who guards those that have been untouched and are pure.
His symbol is a newly blossomed passion flower, but his
weapon is that of a hibiscus spiked shield.
PASSIVE
You ignore the first Hit against you in a Beat.
ACTIVE SUMMERS 56
TAKE ON THE GUARDIAN STANCE UNTIL YOU ARE FORCIBLY
MOVED. WHILE IN GUARDIAN STANCE, ALL 8S ON DEFENSE DICE
COUNT AS 2 DEFENDS. WHEN YOU MAKE AN ATTACK WHILE IN
GUARDIAN STANCE, YOU CAN CONSUME GUARDIAN STANCE TO GIVE
THE ATTACK +1D AND PUSH 5.
II Krishawisu’s Hammer
An art made famous by the Kawal of Apumbukid. A giant
swing of both weapon and shield, flowing about so that it
strikes all in your path, imitating the lotus of the great god
Krishawisu. Lord Fahandu of the River Polity Vahansima
used this to cut swathes through undead warriors to save
his settlement.
Krishawisu is the Guardian Lord of the North, who guides
every direction. He is asleep, it is said, within a frozen
lotus, and will only awake if chaos has subsumed Gubat
Banwa. Others say that Krishawisu came down to the
world and formed it into a lotus: “Imagine the Sea of Wine
as exactly that, a Sea of Wine, and the various universes
as Lotuses floating upon that Sea of Wine. We are simply
in one of those, now.”
PASSIVE
1/Beat, when you forcefully move a fighter, you may
shift 1 closer to them.
ACTIVE SUMMERSSUMMERS 56
MELEE, EARTH, RANGE 2 BURST 1, ALL TARGETS, SAFE, BRV, SHIFT
TO A SQUARE ADJACENT OF THE ORIGIN POINT
III
Rayasaiwa’s Vigil
Rayasaiwa is the Guardian Lord of the Center, and is also
said to be the Supreme and sometimes the Absolute, He
Who Holds All In His Palm. It is said that Gubat Banwa’s
Cosmos, Kalibutan, balances upon the tip of his trident,
Kadaut Rishud.
PASSIVE
Interject 3. Whenever a fighter leaves an adjacent
square of you, spend a Interject to inflict 1 True Hit on
them. 1/Beat.
ACTIVE SUMMERS 456
PULL UP TO 2 FIGHTERS IN RANGE 3 BY 2 SQUARES. IF THEY COLLIDE
WITH YOU, INFLICT UNBALANCED 2.
IV
Imawasura’s Lance
A technique used by the Kawal of Akai and Sinuku to
crash through enemy front lines, which were very often
arranged in a fierce and unbreakable shield wall. The
Kawal of Akai now ride upon horses to do this, but they
were able to break ranks even without mounts. Imawasura
is the Guardian Lord of the Southeast, of Pagodas and
Fortunes and Jades. His spear is as long as ten thousand
palms of Rayasaiwa (whose palm measures fifteen
universes), and is named Tudlo. It is said that Imawasura
was the one that affixed the eight directions.
PASSIVE
After making a melee attack, Provoke 2 a single
target of that attack, 1/Beat.
ACTIVE SUMMERS 456
INTERJECT 5: WHEN YOU ARE THE TARGET OF A MELEE ATTACK,
SPEND AN INTERJECT TO INFLICT VIOLENCE BACK AT THE ATTACKER
AFTER THEIR ATTACK RESOLVES.
ENLIGHTENMENT
V
Rudrakasha’s Vow
You call out: “You! I challenge you. Face me or face the
wrath of Jamiyun Kulisa!” Kawal are masters of the
battlefield. With a single command, they invoke the rite of
violence: the Bulu, a duel in the midst of battle. One that
they will surely win. A bulu is a duel to the death, after all.
Rudrakasha is the Guardian Lord of the Southwest
Corner, where the land is barren and eventually becomes
a white void, the horizon between Sky and Sea. They guard
this impossibility, but with their single eye (which is the
Eye of the Hurricane) they can see all, and they can strike
at any warrior from afar, gaining their ire, becoming their
fate, with his bow and arrow, known only as Kalma, or
Destiny.
PASSIVE
2
Whenever you would gain Block, gain +2. While you
have Block, you are also Unyielding.
ACTIVE SUMMERS
AT PULSE 4+, FOR 1 TECHNIQUE, CHOOSE 1 FIGHTER IN RANGE 3 TO
DECLARE A BULU WITH. YOU AND THE TARGET OF YOUR BULU
CANNOT BE TARGETED OR DAMAGED BY ANY ATTACKS, NOR CAN YOU
SUFFER ANY HITS THAT DO NOT COME FROM EACH OTHER’S ATTACKS
AND EFFECTS. HOWEVER, YOU GAIN +1 BRV, +1 FTH, AND +1 POS
WHILE YOU’RE IN THE BULU. IF YOU OR THE TARGET FALLS TO 0 HP,
THE BULU ENDS.
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 KADUNGGANAN

����w
Mangangayaw
Demon Sword Raiders of the Endless Seas, Bane of
Empires, Seizer of Heaven’s Thunderclaps, Peerless
Blademasters of Sea and Sky

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 KADUNGGANAN

LORE
Mangangayaw (Mah-nga-nga-ya-o) burn through the sea upon boats
that slice the waves. They raid shoreline settlements with impunity,
usually forcing those living within to travel further inland to avoid them.
Mangangayaw are stylish and fearless adrenaline junkies that strike quick
and hard, relentlessly, until the enemy breaks, or until they get what they
want.
While raiding is the main form of warring in The Sword Isles,
mangangayaw are those that are specialized in the art of Raiding. In the
art of catching enemies with their shields down, in the midst of the night,
and looting what they need. Mangangayaw might kill, but their main goal
is resources: bahandi property wealth (like brass gongs, porcelain jars,
and the like) and debtors.
Through this they get richer, stealing shoreline settlement’s riches and
porcelain and tradeware to sell from their own villages and towns.
Mangangayaw are usually not mercenaries: they usually follow their own
datu, and in truth do usually raid with their datu during raiding season, to
collect money and wealth from enemy states.
Mangangayaw are not only feared within the Gatusan, but also among the
shorelines of the Akai Sultanate and the Virbanwan Lakanate, although
the Akai Sultanate are peerless raiders on their own.
They have mastered boat technology and sea navigation to a point that
they raid upon the far southern shores of Baik Hu and terrorize the shore
settlements of the Malirawat Empire.
Demons, kin-eaters, ogres, they are called, for they are unceasing in the
face of adversity. Like a storm approaching that cannot be Stop, only
avoided, the kayaw raiders come. Kayaw is the root word for sea raid in
most of their tongues, shared among settlements in hushed and
whispered tones, too afraid to speak it out loud lest they call their ire.
Mangangayaw are wont to wear light armor--and truly enough usually
none at all--depending on their skin-scarred tattoos to defend them in
the midst of the sea. The bravest of them all have tattoos that scrawl up
to their faces, making them look like demons. Mangangayaw are brothers
with Pinatikan in this regard, and in truth, many Pinatikan are also Kayaw
raiders, and vice versa.
If you take up the path of the Raid, ask yourself why and for what reason:
glory? Power? Wealth? You’re losing that reason. Why do you enjoy the
killing?

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 KADUNGGANAN

Style: Raider DISCIPLINE BOOSTS

Martial Art: Heaven Seizing Arts
Tempo Die: d8 +1 HP, +1 BRV, +1 SPD, +1 JMP

INFLICT VIOLENCES
0Kampilan. MELEE, METAL, ADJACENT, 1 TARGET. BRV.
0 BURST 1: TARGET RES INSTEAD.
0 BURST 2: IGNORE 2 DEFENDS.
0 BURST 3: INFLICT EVISCERATED 2 AND SHAKEN 2.
0Balaraw. MELEE, WATER, CLOSE, 1 TARGET, BRV, SKEWERING.
0 BURST X: SHIFT X BEFORE OR AFTER THE ATTACK.
0Karambit. MELEE, AIR, CLOSE, 1 TARGET, BRV.
0 BURST X: ADD X DICE AFTER THE DEFENDER ROLLS THEIR DEFENSE TEETH.

FUNDAMENTALS: BLOODLUST
All Mangangayaw can smell the blood in the water.
Whenever you make an attack, gain 1 BLOODLUST.
Once you gain 3 BLOODLUST, lose all BLOODLUST immediately and gain a stack
of BURST.
You can only have up to 3 BURST. When you Inflict Violence, you can supercharge them
with BURST.
A mangangayaw must always be showing off, or else they die. No, really: if a sea
raider slows down, they will be consumed by the waves of war. And so they must
keep moving, so that they are above water. Mangangayaw are born into violence.
They are the purest manifestations of strength, vigor, and ferocity. Their swords
are always ready, nothing can ever catch them off guard. They are the peerless
warriors of the Sword Isles. All will fall to their blades.

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 KADUNGGANAN
MANGANGAYAW MASTERIES
I Sea Demon Fire
There are lights of the Moon Goddess that alight upon the
sea when fishermen and raiders sail through the night.
These are called Kalayo Sa Dagat, “Fire of the Sea”.
Mangangayaw Kulili Sa Katana befriended a demon and
imbued her weapon with it, creating a Mastery that
allowed Mangangayaw to emblaze their weapons with
flames.
PASSIVE
Gain +Sharpness on your next melee attack after
Striding for 4+ sq.
ACTIVE SUMMERSSUMMERS 6
MELEE, FIRE, ADJACENT, 2 TARGETS, BRV, GAIN HASTE 2.
II
Steel Monsoon
You move like a whirlpool in the midst of the sea,
burgeoning and breaking and crashing and alluring ships
into their depths. But you are steel, and you become like
an unstoppable whirling wind of sharpness and blades.
PASSIVE
When you Stride, you may shift 2 instead.
ACTIVE SUMMERS 56
LEAP 5 SQUARES IN A STRAIGHT LINE, IGNORING HEIGHT AND
TERRAIN. INFLICT 2 HITS UPON ANY FIGHTER YOU LEAP OVER.
III
Live Hand
You’ve mastered the art of Catching Lightning: a Raiding
Art taught to only the greatest of Mangangayaw. Your
hands move faster than the wind. Your attacks flow into
the next one, not one being a mistake, each one a set up
for the next. All will fall under your salt, your weapons
flash like lightning in your hands.
PASSIVE
When you suffer a melee attack, you may convert 1
Whiff from the Attack Teeth to either a Defend or 1 Hit
against an adjacent fighter.
ACTIVE SUMMERSSUMMERS 6
MELEE, WATER, CLOSE, 1 TARGET, OVERWHELMING, BRV.
195
IV
Dragon Weaving
"Learn this bastard art, and soon we will be able to raid
heaven, and seize its thunderclaps." The Giants once
ruled, and they were hewn with the threads of divinity.
With this technique, perfected by the pygmy monkey
artist Sri Mahaliwu, your attacks burn with an almost
avaricious fervor, emulating the thundering strength of
the giants that almost destroyed the cosmos.
PASSIVE
In Melee Attacks, 9+ inflict 2 Hits (instead of just 10).
ACTIVE SUMMERS 6
YOU MAY INFLICT VIOLENCE TWICE, IGNORING COMBO BREAKER. YOU
MAY SHIFT 3 IN BETWEEN THE TWO INFLICT VIOLENCES.
ENLIGHTENMENT
V
Seize Heaven’s
Thunderclaps
The entire battle was a setup. Heaven sees your
movements: you were priming yourself for the ultimate
raid. With your warband you charge, strings of fate
binding you together. You move like the hurricane, slam
like the tsunami. “Violence is life, and life is violence.
Rememver this dichotomy, and every move you make will
be an attack.” – The Teachings of Panglima Namwaran,
warlord-datu of ancient Tundun.
PASSIVE
You can now move through enemy squares. If you
do, inflict 1 Hit upon them. This triggers 1/Enemy
per Beat.
ACTIVE
AT PULSE 3+, FOR 1 TECHNIQUE, MARK 1 TARGET
AS TREASURE FOR THE REST OF THE SCENE. ALL YOUR
MELEE ATTACKS AGAINST THE TREASURE DEAL TRUE
HITS AND HAVE +SHARPNESS.
 KADUNGGANAN

Sword Poet
�n�� ��k�n
Master of Song and Sword, Protector of the Living
World, Preserver Through Epic and Poetry, Bearers of the
Holy Word of Rhythm

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 KADUNGGANAN

LORE
Commonly known as the Sundang Balaknon. It has been long said that the only
time the people of the Rajahnate are not singing are when they are sick, asleep,
or dead. This is doubly true for the Sword-Poet an elite Discipline of
Kadungganan that focuses on fighting while singing. Even in battle, even
without the accompaniment of agung, they sing a song of beauty and sorrow,
one that wrenches the hearts of enemies, forces them to rethink, or performs
unignorable provocations. Through their Swordsong, they protect their
culture, community, and nature.
Sword-Poet, or Warrior-Poets are not a formal organization: they rise
naturally, out of the common stock of the Rajahnate or Confederation, for in
the Polity a rite of passage into adulthood is the ability to perform combative
poetry (and all poetry was sung) against another of the same age. They sing in
either glorious boasting tones or in low rapid-syllable drawls.
These warrior-poets, through their battles and shared techniques, use their
words and songs to defend their fellow men, letting their violence-charged
verses and words strike the hearts of enemies that attack their allies, like the
ogres they are. Their heart wrenching melodies force enemies to focus on the
Warrior-Poet, lest they face the weight of the world. Their Gahom emanates
from them, carried upon the winds of their words, strengthening allies and
crippling enemies. This philosophy has created a subset of Hiyang faith called
Hiyang Awitan, which focuses on the philosophy that song is the source of all
life, and that Diwa is a harmony constantly played across all time, and is what
connects all things together.
This is the Flower Swordsong: striking and slashing attacks performed in
conjunction with melody and metaphor. The witik are snares, the fan strikes
are drum beats, the combinations are marching drum cacophonies. The Sword
is in itself a metaphor, a calcification of the core tenet of Hiyang, the dichotomy
of Cause-Effect, Love-Evisceration, the condensation of idiom into a weapon
used to cut, as that is the only permitted course of action. An attack is a beat,
a beat is part of a rhythm, an entire attack is a song, a poem. With biting
remarks comes specifically crafted verbal attacks that flay a warrior’s defenses,
and makes you insufferable, and brings all the attention to the Sword Poet.
Not just that, whenever Sword Poets sing, they echo similes and metaphors
and personifications in a different language. One more flowery and filled with
impossible metaphors and idioms that only they can truly understand. This
language is known as Flower Tongue, and it is said to be the most beautiful
language never spoken, only sung.
When you become a Sword-Poet, ask yourself: why do you fight for a land that
does not hear the notes of your sorrowsong? Your song falls upon bloodied
ears and corpses. Will you wait until your song ends?

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Style: Sentinel
SWORD POETDISCIPLINE
MASTERIES
Martial Art: The Sword Song
Tempo Die: d10
BOOSTS
+2 POS, +2 RES

INFLICT VIOLENCES
0Singing Kalis. MELEE, METAL, ADJACENT, 1 TARGET. BRV. SLIDE 1 (BUT KEEP
TARGET ADJACENT)
0Empty Hand. MELEE, EARTH, CLOSE, 1 TARGET, FTH, INFLICT SLOW 1.
0Song and Poetry. AREA, AIR, BURST 3, 1 OR 2 TARGETS, FTH, PULL 2.

FUNDAMENTALS: SONG OF SWORDS

You are always singing the song of swords, a horrible sword rhetoric: you constantly
have an Swordsong Aura 2. Any enemy that makes an attack that does not include you
while in your aura suffers -1d to their Attack Teeth.
When you make a FTH Attack, all allies in your aura heals 1, 1/Beat.
1/Beat: Inflict Violence against 1 fighter within your aura that inflicts hit with an attack
that does not include you as a target.
When you leap into violence, you begin singing a song of war. A song of your
warband overcoming overwhelming odds. A song of you and your friends
fighting for a better world. A song of you and your family, your closest loved
ones, proving their conviction in a world of death and war. Your words truly now
become edges, cutting points. You wave away spear strikes with a deft tongue,
you parry blades with broken rhythms.

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SWORD POET MASTERIES

I Sword Ambahan
A flamboyant Sword-Poet, Si Pahimuot, once performed
this amidst the kawal of Datu Mabigi, from the league of
Pannai, who hunted him down due to him killing his bride.
He escaped by staying silent—unheard of for a Sword-
Poet—and amplifying the cutting tang of his blade. He
performed a quick dance, cutting all those about him.
PASSIVE
Enemies can now move through you, but they suffer
1 True Hit whenver they do.
ACTIVE SUMMERS 56
AREA, METAL, BURST 1, ALL TARGETS, SAFE, FTH, INFLICT UNBALANCE
2.
IV
Song of Joy
Sing a song of joy! For even in the darkest days there are
burning bright bonfires. What is darkness if not an
absence of light? What is pain but a consequent of life? In
this Festival of the Longest Night, rejoice! Happiness
cannot be obtained, it is a becoming. Become joyful,
become hiyang.
PASSIVE
When you Inflict Violence, you may remove X Hits on
the Attack Teeth result to gain +Xd on your next
Defense Teeth, minimum 1.
ACTIVE SUMMERSSUMMERS 6
CHOOSE 1 FIGHTER IN RANGE 4. THEY SUFFER BLEED, EVISCERATE,
UNBALANCE, WEAK AND PROVOKE UNTIL THEY SUCCESSFULLY
SCORE 2+ HITS AGAINST YOU WITH A SINGLE ATTACK.

II
Razor Rhetoric
Mock them as you find your strength once again. They
cannot bring you down before, what makes them think
they can stop you now?A confusing song that befuddles
ENLIGHTENMENT
minds and hearts, favored by Sword-Poet that prefer a
certain degree of pacifism. This song was created by Datu
Belaskes, who was born in Virbanwa but became a
Final Kandu
V
Rajahnate Datu and swore alliance with Ambasi. This “Raise your blade up high! If we wish to put an end to this
song is as chaotic as Datu Belaskes’ life. cycle of violence we must put our foot forward. Our poetry
PASSIVE is half of the battle. The other half includes our swords.
First we inflict violence upon their hearts, then we inflict
Interject 1: When a fighter enters adjacency of you, violence upon the world. What is violence but change?
spend the Interject to inflict Waver 1 on them. Therefore choose what violence you will enact, and what
violence you will choose. Not all violences are equal: some
are more noble than others.” A combination perfected by
ACTIVE SUMMERS 56 Tuhan Madala, who performed this to defeat a King in a
RANGED, AIR, METAL, BURST 1, ALL TARGETS, FTH. THE TARGET festival that challenged him, following the rhythm of the
SUFFERS RAZOR SPIRIT 2.
agung and the kulintang. He used this to make the king
question his reign.
RAZOR SPIRIT: INFLICT 1 TRUE HIT ON ALL ADJACENT ALLIES EVERY
END OF RIFF. PASSIVE
Whenever you push a fighter, you have a 30%
chance of inflicting Stun 1 upon them.
III
Dragonsong ACTIVE
AT PULSE 5+, CHOOSE 1 TARGET IN THE BATTLEFIELD.
FOR THE REST OF VIOLENCE, THEY CANNOT PERFORM
“Listen and hear thy people! They criest out in torment.
This war shalt bring us naught but struggle and pain!
Please, let mine words pierce thine heart.” A song that ANY HOSTILE ACTIONS.
sings of the First Dragon, the great Harinaga, King of all
Dragons, a God Among Gods, who was brought low and FOR CHIEFS, THEY INSTEAD LOSE 2 GAMBIT DICE.
scourged by the giants, who wielded the Flame of Want,
in the ancient event known only in the echoes of
tradition as The Dragonscourge. Dragons now despise the
giants.

PASSIVE
When you roll an 8 on Defense Dice for RES, roll
another d8.

ACTIVE SUMMERS 6
AREA, WATER, BLAST 3, ALL TARGETS, SAFE, FTH+BRV, INFLICT
WEAK 2.

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 KADUNGGANAN

Violence Balyan
бn�s �l�n
Exorcists, Healers, and Channelers of the Myriad Gods of Violence,
which fills our world and then overflows, Master of the Circle,

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 KADUNGGANAN

LORE
Violence Balyan are those balyan, or spirit mediums/shaman-healers, that wade into the
frontlines of violence to mend hurting souls and channel violence. They come with their
superior knowledge of tambal (medicinal herbs) and their affinity and rapport with the anitu,
the unseen powers of the cosmos to help alleviate their allies in a war without end.
Balyan are the spiritual leaders of the faith that encompasses almost all of the Sword Isles,
which is known to outside people as Anitu. Usually female, but men can also become Balyan,
although they must take upon the trappings and present as female, becoming the asug
gender. Asug, however, is said like an honorific or a title. Anitu has commonly subsumed
most of the religions that have arrived within: while it does live alongside the other common
religions in the isles, such as the Ashinin Faith of the Myriad Gods, and the Annuvaran Faith
of Tranquilities, it also takes inspiration from them and takes their own gods. Balahala
Saiwa, for example, one of the Triumphant Gods of Ashinin Faith, has since become
subsumed as a sort of Supreme God in modern anitu thought among the harbor kingdoms.
This is less true among the hinterland principalities and settlements, who worship a less
god-focused anitu and a more ancestor focused one.
As the spiritual leaders, they must know the principles of nature and the world, including the
imperative to live harmoniously with nature, where all spirits live, as well as to do what the
ancestor spirits find good and right, so as to not incur their wrath and accrue grave
misfortune.
They are the masters of ritual, performing all rituals such as the ritual before travel, ritual
for war, ritual for the death of a Datu, burial rites, and more. They know rites for casting off
diseases, healing wounds, as well as inflicting wounds and diseases. They speak and ask
guidance from the ancestor spirits, known as umalagad, to give them power or answers, or
to defend them in forthcoming tribulations as guardian spirits. They divine by the use of
specific rituals to see what the anitu might tell them. Very commonly, the ancestor spirits
are the ones truly worshipped, while the Diwata are simply revered. However the most
powerful of the anitu, the gods, are worshipped in temples, altars, pagodas, and churches.
As Balyan, they know the truth of the world: that nature is alive and all things have souls,
nature spirits. Nature gods are Diwata, ancestor spirits are Apo, Guardian Spirits are
umalagad, of which many Apo are. Flowing through the world is Diwa, the essence of all
things. When something loses Diwa, they lose their own essence, similar to how a tawo
without a soul becomes a bumbling animal fool. A sword without its diwa becomes a sword
that cannot cut, which is what makes a sword a sword. When a balyan is possessed by a
spirit, whether apo or diwata, they go into a fevered trance-dance, wherein the spirit speaks
through them, overwhelming their body.
Balyan are all at once sage-philosopher-scientist. They learn about the natural world and its
secrets and teach it to their settlement. These inscriptions stand the test of time. Violence
Balyan are those that study and channel the gods of Violence, the very circle of killing.
Ask yourself: why do you abuse your connection with the divine to perpetuate this cycle of
endless violence? You have blood on your hands, balyan. Does it matter whether it is
yours, your allies’, or your enemies?

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 KADUNGGANAN

Style: Medium
SWORD POETDISCIPLINE
MASTERIES
Martial Art: War Rituals
Tempo Die: d8
BOOSTS
+2 HP, +1 POS, +1 RES

INFLICT VIOLENCES
0Channel Spirit. PERFORM A DIFFERENT ATTACK DEPENDING ON THE SPIRIT YOU HAVE
SUMMONED, FROM THE SPIRIT’S SQUARE:
0 SERPENT: MELEE, EARTH, ADJACENT, 1 TARGET, FTH, INFLICT FRAY 1.
0 OWL: AREA, AIR, BURST 1, ALL TARGETS, SAFE, FTH.
0 DEER: MELEE, METAL, CLOSE, 1 TARGET, FTH, SHIFT 1 (YOU OR THE SPIRIT).
0 ROOSTER: RANGED, FIRE, RANGE 3, 1 TARGET, FTH
0 NAGA: AREA, WATER, PATH 4, ALL TARGETS, SAFE, FTH
0Ritual Spear. MELEE, METAL, ADJACENT, 1 TARGET, HEAL 1 TO ONE ALLY IN RANGE 2.

FUNDAMENTALS: XENOGLOSSY
At the beginning of Violence, summon a Spirit Familiar from the list below in an
adjacent sq. Whenever you or an ally moves into a spirit’s square (or the spirit moves
into your or an ally’s square), you can allow the spirit to possess them, allowing you
or the ally to achieve Xenoglossy. The possessing spirit is removed from play.
0 Serpent. Xenoglossy grants Earth Conditioning and +1 POS.
0 Owl. Xenoglossy grants Air Conditioning and +1 RES.
0 Deer. Xenoglossy grants Metal Conditioning and +1 Speed.
0 Rooster. Xenoglossy grants Fire Conditioning and +1 BRV.
0 Naga. Xenoglossy grants Water Conditioning and +1 FTH.
At Pulse 4+, your dance summons more spirits: you can summon another Spirit
Familiar (but it cannot be the same one already in the field) and there can only be up
to 2 Spirit Familiars in the field at a time.
For 1 Technique, you may switch what Spirit Familiar you have currently summoned.
For 1 Technique: the Spirit can Shift 1.
During the alabay stages of training (apprenticeship), each balyan undergoes a
vision quest under a strangler fig, or balete tree, and there in the abode of spirits
they are expected to find their familiar, or their abayan, their companion. When
they do, the familiar often manifests as a physical animal, such as a small snake,
or an owl, a bird, or a young monkey, or even a dog. Balyan go into a state of
divine trance as they channel the gods. The gods are divinity, unfit for our
mortal bodies, and so when a mortal channels a god, their body contorts in
inhuman ways to try and accommodate the god’s being. Violence Balyan have
perfected the art of going into a violent trance-dance in the middle of combat,
and use that erratic movement to both channel the strength of the gods to their
allies, as well as to make their own attacks unpredictable.

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 KADUNGGANAN
VIOLENCE BALYAN MASTERIES
I
Guardian Swords
A flamboyant Sword-Poet, Si Pahimuot, once performed
this amidst the kawal of Datu Mabigi, from the league of
Pannai, who hunted him down due to him killing his bride.
He escaped by staying silent—unheard of for a Sword-
Poet—and amplifying the cutting tang of his blade. He
performed a quick dance, cutting all those about him.
A balyan is trained first in the arts of healing before the
arts of violence, to ingrain in them that the violence we
inflict is not simply for violence’s sake, but for a better
world. We deal in violence to transcend our frail mortal
bodies, and thus violence is a ritual, one that only Folk
can dance in.
PASSIVE
All adjacent allies have Protect.
ACTIVE SUMMERS 456
RANGED, METAL, RANGE 3, 1 TARGET, FTH, HEAL 1 TO ALL ALLIES
ADJACENT THE TARGET
II
Naga Spear
Naga are blessed serpent gods that live within the rivers,
the under-earths and the seas. They are divine, nature
spirits that represent the inherent divinity and other-ness
of the sea, and they protect the Seven Realms of the
Waters, and are constantly opposed by the Garuda that
guard the Seven Realms of the Heavens. They are invoked
for merit, blessings, good rains, and protection against the
flood. If they appear, it is often a sign of good fortune,
though sometimes it might also be an ill omen.
PASSIVE
When you suffer a Bane, you have a 50% chance of
immediately Cleansing it.
ACTIVE SUMMERSSUMMERS 56
AREA, WATER, PATH 7, ALL TARGETS, FTH+BRV, ALL ALLIES IN THE
PATH DO NOT SUFFER DAMAGE BUT RATHER CLEANSE 1 BANE.
203
III
War and Storm
A tale of two Gods: Lightning Lord and Dragon King.
Pray upon the thunderbolt and make offerings to the lightning
flash. Jamiyun Kulisa is the burning Brother Thunderbolt, son of
the Sky Father Si Gurang Tungko, He Who Holds The Sky Aloft,
known sometimes as the Batala or Batara, said to have wrought
the creation of Folk. The lightning does not take advice from
any one, just as the flame never seeks the comfort of water.
Jamiyun Kulisa arises and truly is always there, counterpart to
the great Sunmother Indira Suga, who is not his Mother but
rather his partner. Together they create the Great Dichotomy
within the Sword Isles, the two overpowering Seasons of the
Center of the World: the Dry Season of Indira Suga and the
Monsoon Season of Jamiyun Kulisa.
As Jamiyun Kulisa is the bringer of Monsoon Season, he is also
connected to the things that Monsoon Season brings about:
rumination, calmness, peace, the soft patter of raindrops, the
chill of strong storm winds. He strikes at the heart and cares
not: us Mortal Folk have to bend to him when he brings with him
his seasons. Upon the Sky he is well acquainted with the Wind
Gods: Amihan, the Cold Wind. Habagat the Hot Tempest.
Salatan the Cavern Winds. Kanaway the Death Squall.
Balahalabagyu, known also as Vayu or Batara Vayu, the God of
Storms, who brings destructive hurricanes. Galura, the Great
Dragon-Eagle at the End of the World, who is said to be an
aspect of Jamiyun Kulisa.
"Are you happy with what you've done?" asked Makangayaw,
grinning, with burning flame shooting out of his nostrils.
The Second Man nodded. "I have lain retribution upon what my
sister has cursed upon me."
"And what have they cursed upon you?"
"Jealousy."
With another mighty laugh, Apung Makangayaw answered: "And
so the cycle begins."
Apung Makangayaw is offered to whenever a ceremonial raid is
enacted, whether it be a raid to gain resources or a revenge raid.
In this way, the raid itself becomes more than just war, but ritual.
If the omens were bad during the offering, however, it will be a
sign that Makangayaw does not approve of the raid, and the raid
will be called off. This usually happens when an omen bird flies
across their path, or when the sky is red, or when in the distance
they hear laughter during their offerings, or when they perform
their boat divinations the boat shudders wildly. Offerings to
Apung Makangayaw are frequent, for the main mode of war in the
islands is raiding.
Apung Makangayaw usually takes upon the form of a slave
raider: wearing a short bahag with nothing else, and with tattoos
that cover their entire body, the completion of the canvas. Their
true form, whenever they should want to show it, is in the form of
a naga-headed god, who sits upon a throne of seaspray.
Apung Makangayaw is one of the principal members of the Anito
faith. Anito, meaning act of worship, is the most widespread faith
in the islands, so prominent that they do consider it more as
tradition and way of life, and not just performative religion.
Apung Makangayaw's spirit house is often situated by the shore,
always by the shore. The usual spirit idol carved out for him is
made usually with wood from sunken boats, and showcases a
naga-headed man sitting cross-legged, with both hands upon his
waist. Apung Makangayaw idols are frequently carried unto boats
that would embark on raids
.
PASSIVE
A storm cloud erupts about you. All ranged attacks
against you from attackers 3+ squares away have
+Dullness.
ACTIVE SUMMERS 456
ALL ALLIES IN THE BURST GAIN ENLIGHTEN 2 AND HASTE 2.
 KADUNGGANAN

IV Sidereal Channeling
The Ten Mahadiwa are said to be great gods and goddesses
who live in heaven, earth, and hell to help and mingle with
the lives of mortals. It is important to consider then that
these Mahadiwa were once warriors, who all died in war,
and thus were made gods by the rainbow that carried
them to the Sky.
Thus each of the Mahadiwa are capable of human
thought, speech, and understanding. They possess the
Knowledge of Good and Evil that they used to have when
they were humans. When a Mahadiwa dies or is killed,
they simply reincarnate as another Mahadiwa. Through
this, they live 999,999,999,999 lives.
Mahadiwa Tala Kinabanaagan is the Bronze
Multiplicitous Sidereal Steward of Stars, who lives in the
Morning Star that brings with it the dawn. Mahadiwa's
karakoa and coterie of 180 Star Servants Upon Astral
Palanquins are said to fly across the sky, pulling the dark
blankets of night away and giving it back to the Moon,
Tsandira Dayawa. She watches the earth, and guards
many secrets to sorcery, as the givers of sorcery are
hidden away in the darkest voids of night.
Mahadiwa Tala Kinabanaagan is also said to grant Hiyang
to those that spend their lives trying to achieve it. Those
she grants Hiyang to are given corporeal forms as stars
upon the sky. Her being can be seen in the dawn, the dusk,
the lightning bolts, the shooting stars, the comets, and the
asteroids. She has lived her entire life in enlightenment. It
is said that when she died, she was on the cusp of Hiyang,
and when she was killed by a Ten-Fathoms Long Lance,
she became a star that exploded upon the field, burning
all in smokeless flame, and then shot up into the sky as
the Evening Star.
She is said to have a mirror image: Mahadiwa Kalakatri
Duumanun, her darker side, the shadow that wraps
around each star at night. They are both all at once the
same and also different. The Makinaadmanon say: she is
like this because she dared venture into the deepest parts
of the night sky, further and further, past the void and the
world jaws and the endless seas of chaos. Past the
firmament, and past the darkness.
The Makinaadmanon say: what she found, apparently,
was not God, nor the Throne, nor Enlightenment--for how
could she? She is already nature itself--but instead she
found that she was swimming up, up, up, and up into the
ocean.
Her enlightenment is thus: the depths of the ocean and
the farthest reaches of the void are one and the same. And
when she understood the cyclical nature of reality and
metareality, she realized that she lived in a world of
unconstrained principles, she realized then that she lived
in a world fabricated by dancers and singers and artists
singing songs and laughing about a bonfire, and that split
her into two, and her enlightenment-beyond-
enlightenment was lost. But she still remembers. She
knows the kinds of god-beings--many just as powerful as
her--living in the Depths|Void.
The Evening Star burns continuously. She is an
evershining flame. Aba, aba, glory to the Evening Star. In
the Eighth Star Era, only she has the sidereal violence to
shine into the new world.
PASSIVE
When an ally in the battlefield becomes Staggered,
immediately heal them 2 HP. This triggers once per ally
per Violence.

ACTIVE SUMMERSSUMMERS CROSS

AREA, FIRE OR WATER, RANGE 3 BURST 2, ALL TARGETS, SAFE, FTH +
BRV. ALL ALLIES IN THE BURST CLEANSE 1 BANE.

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 KADUNGGANAN

ENLIGHTENMENT
Hiyang
V

This is your final testament, and your own minor

transcendence, your own inkling of enlightenment. A
little taste of what Achieve Hiyang truly means. You
become a little Makinaadmanon, a minor being. How do
you feel? Take that next step.
The first violence was the Makinaadmanon of Violence,
who glimpsed Hiyang when she realized the truth of the
world: that it was built on cycles of violence. From the
ancient war of the Southwest Monsoon and the Northeast
Storm, to the slaying of the Ancient Dragon at the hands
of Sumongsuklay, to the violence of the Giants Upon The
Oldest of the Creators. All of these were cycles of violence,
but the paradox she realized as she chose to stay corporeal
upon the earth instead of achieving unity with the All, was
that violence was how they were going to stop it.

PASSIVE
Interject 2: When an ally falls to Staggered, spend
1 Interject to let them Second Wind immediately.
ACTIVE
AT PULSE 6+, YOU BECOME IMMUNE TO ALL
ATTACKS, BUT YOU CANNOT DEAL ANY DAMAGE AS
WELL. ANY TIME YOU ATTACK A TARGET, HEAL THEM
PER HIT INSTEAD.

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 KADUNGGANAN

APUMBUKID
DISCIPLINES

206
KADUNGGANAN

207
 KADUNGGANAN

���w�n
Death Dancer
Dancers along the lines of Cyclical Death, spirit
mediums of the God of Death and Violence

208
 KADUNGGANAN

LORE
With your knife fists and sword feet, dance along the lines of death, so
that you may evermore be changed. Remember, faithful students, enact
Cyclical Change to ensure the river ever flows.” Death Dancers channel the
tenet of Cyclical Death to cleanse Gubat Banwa. They are the purest
incarnation of Gubat Banwa, fighters that excel in the styles of martial art
known as Empty Hand, as well as Lightning Feet.
Heed the truth, then: Death Dancers are actually spirit mediums that
channel Yamadiraja, the God of Death and Violence. In a vast number of
beliefs, Yamadiraja is considered an Aspect of Rajaraya Pintas, the
Ancestor God of Violence, while other sects, like the Kayama-an religion
in far east Gatusan, recognizes Yamadiraja as the Supreme God and the
Creator God, who created this reality by murdering the past reality. In
Kayama-an, Kalakatri is not seen as an Aspect of Mahadiwa but rather, an
Aspect of Yamadiraja.
The martial art of Death Dancers, the Dance of Death, originated from
deep within the mountains of the isles in far east Gatusan, where it is said
that there is a cave that leads into the Underworld. There, Yamadiraja
(who is said to be the same person as Sri Dapa, the God of War and
Mortality in Southern Regions of the Sword Isles), came to them and
taught them his Dance, as a way of achieving Hiyang with him, and to
become agents of Cyclical Death (that is to say, death needed to continue
the cycle, so that it is not corrupted with false immortals jockeying for
power). Therefore the Dance of Death is at once an intricate ritual and a
powerful martial art used to devastate. Many sages conjecture that this
was actually a powerful turning point for Gubat Banwa: for the God of
Death itself to teach their supreme art marked the beginning of the Eighth
Star Era.
Various mediums of Yamadiraja have come down from that mountain and
spread across the land, Mastery their art to those that would accept the
channeling and worship of Yamadiraja, or Sri Dapa. In the Eighth Star Era,
they have multiplied, and various settlements have created their own
versions and manifestations of Yamadiraja’s supreme art.
There was a Mastery, however, that was given to the Death Dancers, as
they were taught the final maneuver of the most lethal art in Gubat
Banwa: “When you have attained the awe inspiring fires of death itself,
which humbles even the gods, what do you do next? Use it with the same
function as an especially sharp rock?”

209
 KADUNGGANAN

Style: Raider DISCIPLINE BOOSTS

Martial Art: Dance of Death
Tempo Die: d6 +1 HP, +1 BRV, +1 FTH, +1 SPD

INFLICT VIOLENCES
0Empty Hand. MELEE, METAL, CLOSE, 1 TARGET, BRV. TAKE UPON THE EMPTY
STANCE UNTIL THE END OF YOUR NEXT RIFF: WHILE IN THE STANCE, YOUR MELEE
ATTACKS HAVE +1 HIT.
0Thundering Kicks. MELEE, AIR, ADJACENT, 1 TARGET, BRV, PUSH 1. TAKE UPON
THE THUNDERING STANCE UNTIL THE END OF YOUR NEXT RIFF: WHILE IN THE STANCE,
YOU MAY SHIFT 1 AFTER EVERY ATTACK.
0Deathly Forces. RANGED, EARTH, RANGE 2, 1 TARGET, FTH, TAKE UPON THE
DEATHLY STANCE UNTIL THE END OF YOUR NEXT RIFF: WHILE IN THE STANCE, ALL YOUR
MELEE ATTACKS GAIN +1 RANGE (IF IT IS CLOSE IT BECOMES ADJACENT. IF ADJACENT, IT
BECOMES RANGE 2).

FUNDAMENTALS: CYCLICAL DEATH

You take upon yourself the initiation of cyclical death. What does the cycles of violence
see now? Dance along the lines of death.
You can now take upon more than one Stance at a time. If you do, gain a number of
benefits equal to the number of stances you are currently in:

0 1 Stance: You have Enlighten.

0 2+ Stances: Starting a Riff in 2+ Stances lets you shift 1.
0 3+ Stances: Starting a Riff in 3+ Stances lets you inflict 1 Hit to all adjacent enemies.
0 4+ Stances: Your melee attacks become Overwhelming.
Let Death speak for one last time: “There are things that are meant to cycle, such
as the flow of the universe, and things that are not meant to cycle, such as the
generational evils. Therefore with your internalization of Cyclical Death, you
will know which cycles to kill, and which cycles to preserve. Remember, however,
that no God shall ever be Immortal. Therefore killing God enacts Cyclical Death
as much as severing a slave from their master enacts Cyclical Death. Let all
things end with you.”

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DEATH DANCER MASTERIES
I Sea and Storm Dance
Mastery Ninth: Be as water, formless but all form,
thoughtless but all thought. The final conceit of the
transcendental animism, this oneness with nature, this
Hiyang, is to be as the bamboo, swaying in the wind,
thinking not, but becoming that thing. Through
thoughtlessness, become violence. This is a gentle fist, be
not afraid to use it. With it, you shall toss boulders. Death
crumbles all things, even mountains."
PASSIVE
After taking on a Stance, you may shift 1.
ACTIVE SUMMERS 56
TAKE ON 1 OF THE FOLLOWING STANCES:
0 FORCEFUL WAVE STANCE: ALL YOUR MELEE ATTACKS PUSH
FOR EACH HIT ON THE ATTACK.
0 RAZING STORM STANCE: WHEN YOU SHIFT, YOU IGNORE
HEIGHT.
II
Mortal Grasp
Yamadiraja, as Sri Dapa, steps forward and is said to
measure the lives of every mortal on earth upon a tree on
the Mountain of Kibalu, in Sonyoh. There, those that
would travel to the Tree of Life would be met by him, and
taught by him. He emphasizes thus. Quoth Death: “You are
not beyond death. None are. Even immortality is
temporary. Even the gods face death, for everything is
part of the cycle of Diwa. Therefore, learn: something can
only be beautiful if it ends.”
PASSIVE
After making a melee attack, 1/Beat, you may
inflict Stop 1 on the target as you grapple them.
Hitting a Stop target with a melee attack makes it
Skewering.
ACTIVE SUMMERS 6
MELEE, EARTH, BURST 2, ALL TARGETS, BRV+FTH, INFLICT STOP 2.
III
Hornbill Sundang
Mastery 2: Rushing: do what is assigned to you, to your
utmost ability, to the quality closest to the one expected.
Strike, and when you do, strike with utmost intent. To
perform the Hornbill Breaker you must be close enough to
Yamadiraja that you can manifest his leg, which is a
burning monitor lizard claw.
PASSIVE
When you inflict Hits with a melee attack, you can
choose to not deal the Hits and store the Hits instead.
At any melee attack, you may unleash any number of
stored Hits.
ACTIVE SUMMERS 6
MELEE, AIR, CLOSE, 1 TARGET, OVERWHELMING, BRV, INFLICT
JUGGLE 1 OR STUN 1.
IV
Death Comet
“Death Dancers practice the art of Holistic Violence, one
of the main Masteries of Yamadiraja. This means that
they are not simply inflicting violence, but they are
violence. Death Dancers that practice this Mastery
understand and apply it to their martial art: they are
capable of taking on multiple stances at a time, as if they
are all violence at once. Quoth Death: “The Dance of Death
is not just a physical dance, but rather, a way of life.
Death, remember, is not the end, but rather, the next step
to the next life. Therefore embrace death, and you shall be
mercurial.”
The ultimation of this Mastery is the ability to strike the
air so quick with kicks that you summon a burning comet.
PASSIVE
When you fall to Critical or Defeat a target, you may
1 gain Sundering Stance. While in Sundering Stance,
you may teleport when you shift.
ACTIVE SUMMERS 6
RANGED, AIR, RANGE 4, 1 TARGET, FTH+BRV, INFLICT UNBALANCE
1.
ENLIGHTENMENT
Dance of the
V
King of Death
You breathe out, and then break into the blissful dance, all
to summon Sayawraja, the King of Dance, the most violent
aspect of Yamadiraja: a six-armed, flaming-eyed Avatar of
Violence. The Ultimate Hypocrite. They Who Will Break
Hiyang and plunge all the world into a great great
suffering, whereupon harmony is unattainable.
From your soul erupts two more sets of arms. Quoth
Death: “The Four-Armed Makinaadmanon is one of the
primal versions of Yamadiraja. If there would be any that
lights the wick of his ire, he will take upon this form to
remind humans the most visceral and primordial face of
death.”
PASSIVE
All enemies adjacent to you suffer water, air and
earth vulnerability.
ACTIVE
SPEND 1 TECHNIQUE AT PULSE 3+. FOR THE REST OF
VIOLENCE YOU TAKE ON THE BLISSFUL DANCE: ALL
YOUR MELEE ATTACKS HAVE +SHARPNESS AND HAVE
+1 HIT. WHEN YOU ARE DEFEATED, YOU EXPLODE IN
DEATHLY ENERGIES: INFLICT 6 TRUE HITS UPON ALL
ENEMIES IN BURST 3.
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 KADUNGGANAN

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Enchanter
Wielders of Kinaadman: Enlightened Will,
Practitioners of War Enchantments, Greater Than
Cannons

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 KADUNGGANAN

LORE
There has ever been magick in Gubat Banwa, and it is ever more concentrated
here, in the Sword Isles, the Center of the Trichiliocosm. Magick is a potent
thing. It is less a source of power but a burning field of experiences. A differing
state of being where one is exposed to the greater mysteries in life, and no
answers are given to you. Only questions, questions, questions.
There are many terms for magick in the Sword Isles: busali is commonly used
in Pannai, alamdag in Gatusan, salamangka in Virbanwa, hiwaga in Ba-e, and
hikmat in Akai. Magick, in this sense, is something that invokes wonder,
something that bewitches and enchants.
Those that use magick are very often told to have had a particular Kinaadman.
Kinaadman means wisdom or knowledge of something that others usually
don’t have. It is a sort of spiritual knowledge. Every magick-user’s Kinaadman
is different, but it is the Kinaadman that grants them the ability to glean
secrets. To cultivate Kinaadman, one must dive deep into the occult.
Gatusan sages have organized various magickal traditions into two: Puti Nga
Alamdag (White Science) and Itom Nga Alamdag (Black Alamdag). Puti Nga
Alamdag magicks are those considered to have come from nature and the
spirits, and is usually the type of magick that balyan, healers, and other sages
perform, that is very often used for mending and healing. Meanwhile, Itom Nga
Alamdag magicks are those that come from secret traditions, bloodlines,
techniques, and rituals learned and mastered, and is very often used for
degrading, wounding, and fraying.
Enchanters are those that master mudras (mystic hand gestures), mentalas
(esoteric words inscribed upon palm leaf), and yamyam (mantras whispered,
uttered, then shouted). Not just that, but they have also mastered the art of
ritual, having the ability to perform a vast number of rituals that inflict such
effects that require another Enchanter or a balyan or healer to be able to dispel.
Enchanters in particular have chosen to step up and adapt their abilities to be
able to be used in war and raids. This art is known as the art of War
Enchantment, once simply Enchantment. A mix of healing and cursing
tradition turned into a violent focus. Enchanters have become indispensable
artillery in Warbands and armies henceforth in the Sword Isles, becoming
natural counterparts to lantaka. Gatusan and Apumbukid, for example, use
Enchanters and Witches (Mambabarang) liberally to supplement their
artillery.
The ability to mix mudra, yamyam, and the usage of mentala into a single
seamless martial art has proven to be exceedingly effective, however:
Enchanters fight with a mix of kinetic movement that interweave mudra
gesturing with intricate kick katas, yamyam utterings with dodges, and the
planting of mentala-inscribed bamboo strips is combined with powerful lock-
punches.
You hold limitless power in your hands, why inflict violence instead of healing
the land? Your answer will never be enough, Enchanter.

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 KADUNGGANAN

Style: Witch DISCIPLINE BOOSTS

Martial Art: War Enchantment
Tempo Die: d4 +3 FTH, +1 RES

INFLICT VIOLENCES
0Mystic Shot: RANGED, AIR, RANGE 4, 1 TARGET, FTH.
0Enchant: RANGED, EARTH, RANGE 3, 1 TARGET, FTH, INFLICT EVISCERATED 2.
0Ritual Knife: MELEE, METAL, ADJACENT, 1 TARGET, BRV, SLIDE 1.

FUNDAMENTALS: ELEMENTAL ALIGNMENT

At the start of violence, choose an Element you’re Aligned with. You can change
Alignments for 1 Technique.

0 Fire: You can change the element of an attack you make to Fire. When you deal 2+
Hits on a Fire Attack, inflict Fraying 2.
0 Water: You can change the element of an attack you make to Water. When you deal
2+ Hits on a Water Attack, inflict Silence 2.
0 Metal: You can change the element of an attack you make to Metal. When you deal
2+ Hits on a Metal Attack, you may Slide 2 1 target.
0 Air: You can change the element of an attack you make to Air. When you deal 2+ Hits
on an Air Attack, heal 1 to all allies adjacent to 1 target of the attack.
0 Earth: You can change the element of an attack you make to Earth. When you deal
2+ Hits on an Earth Attack, inflict Slow 2.
The Azure Art of Enchanters control the five primary elements under heaven.
However, many Enchanters fall drunk on the little sip of power. They command
these as a poet commands words, with a mixture of stances and flowing body
movements that replicate the characteristics of the elements they control.
Sometimes they also rely on the use of palm leaf magic strips to empower their
attacks.

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ENCHANTER MASTERIES
I Tiger Enchantment IV
Hornbill Mudra
“Heaven crumbles and the seas boil! With nothing but my “As I gather my fulminations, the violences upon my heart
name writ across the stars... Siga!” A popular mudra amongst bursts forth! Uncontainable like the lightnings: I shall streak
Enchanters that truly encapsulates their position as brighter than Jamiyun Kulisa! Now feel my sun-searing spite:
Kilat!” The element of lightning is the purest condensation of
magickal artillery. This spell was perfected by Enchanter wind, and is the weapon of the gods. This technique was
warriors that needed to sneak through ancient temples perfected by Busalian Keravu, from the highest mountains of
guarded by Akai invaders. Rusunuga in Sinuku, who was said to have been struck by
lightning ten times and deflected each one. He was granted the
PASSIVE technique by Galura himself, who incarnated as Gat Alti Alaya,
God-Hero of the Lightning Bolt, who brandished four arms.
At the Start of your Riff, inflict 1 Hit on all adjacent Mudras are magicked hand gestures that stem from ancient
enemies. foreign religions. These gestures have metaphysical meaning,
and performing them in certain manners, or projecting
passionate faith upon them, calls magick upon the world.
ACTIVE SUMMERS 66
PASSIVE
AREA, FIRE, RANGE 3 BURST 1, ALL TARGETS, SAFE, FTH
When you Stride, you may move through allies,
giving them heal 1 if you do, 1/Beat.

II
Naga Enchantment ACTIVE SUMMERSSUMMERS 66
AREA, AIR, LINE 6, ALL TARGETS, SAFE, BRV+FTH, SLIDE 3
“I hold you to your word, giver of waters! Grant me thine
strength to vanquish ere enemies! Water churns and
overtakes chaos: Baha!” Sorcery is the ability to use your own
energy to affect the world at large, which you perform by
harnessing your Kinaadman. You bring this storm down to
bear upon your enemies. Baha is the spell used to summon
ENLIGHTENMENT
Karabaw Yamyam
water and to let it surge across the world.
V
PASSIVE
When you Stride you may choose to teleport 1 instead. “Heed me, grandfather earth! Grant me thine
earthquake! Linog!” The element of earth is said to be
ACTIVE SUMMERS 66 younger than his fathers, the element of wind and water,
who were first in the cosmos. However, earth has always
AREA, WATER, PATH 5, ALL TARGETS, SAFE, FTH, WEAK 2 been very rebellious.
PASSIVE
Gain +1d to all Attack Teeth on all Area Attacks
III
Tortoise Writ ACTIVE SUMMERSSUMMERS 66
Mentala are magical formulations that are usually read from
AT PULSE 4+, FOR 1 TECHNIQUE, YOU MAY PERFORM THE
the bamboo strip, but a very quick way of implementing
them is by imbuing them upon something, and letting their FOLLOWING ATTACK: AREA, EARTH, BURST 3, ALL TARGETS, SAFE,
effect trigger by dint of your Kinaadman. BRV+FTH, ALL CHOSEN SQUARES WITHIN THE BURST BECOME
"Whisper, bleed and burst forth! The overwhelming CHASMS UNTIL THE END OF VIOLENCE.
oppressive force of the gods of the soil herald thee!
Batubalani!" You throw out a mentala that rends into pieces
at it hits the ground, creating a magnetic field. Batubalani
means magnetic rock. The concept of rocks having its own
force of attraction is ubiquitous across the isles, and it is said
that this is the reason why people are drawn to the earth: the
earth gods have an innate spiritual attraction that brings all
mortals down.
PASSIVE
Dealing damage to a Staggered Target inflicts Slow 1.

ACTIVE SUMMERSSUMMERS 6
AREA, METAL, RANGE 2 BURST 2, ALL TARGETS, FTH, SAFE, PULL 2 ALL
TARGETS TOWARD THE ORIGIN SQUARE AND THEN INFLICT UNBALANCE
2. ALL FLOATING TARGETS LOSE FLOATING FOR 1 RIFF.

215
 KADUNGGANAN

��t
Headtaker
Spiritual warriors who perfect the ritual of killing and
decapitation, the law of equivalent exchange, Masters of
Reaping Fates

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 KADUNGGANAN

LORE
In the Sword Isles, despite what others might have you believe, killing is a ritual
undertaking. Among the shoreline settlements and metropoles, killing a man is
a coming of age ritual. One that begins your journey in these islands as an
individual.
Deep into the mountains of Rusunuga, in the One Thousand Plutocracies that
live upon its mountains--one of which is Vuyu--they practice ritual
headhunting. This tradition is something not specific to them as well: warrior
braves in lowland settlements frequently picked up their slain enemies’ heads
to be portrayed upon their house, and some plucked out the hairs of their slain
enemies to use as decoration for their kalasag shields.
They do this because everybody holds a certain amount of Gahum, pure
untapped spiritual power. By accruing this Gahum, they themselves get
stronger, gaining more favor in the eyes of the ancestors. When a person dies,
their Gahum is transferred to whoever takes it, either through their head or
through the sweat or liquids from their body after a mummifying process. This
is why the burial rituals in The Sword Isles are varied, long, and revered.
The Headtaker is someone who specializes in collecting heads. They have
turned this immaculate and sacred ritual act into a business, a job. This is what
the islands have fallen to. What was once a ritual tradition, that sacred act of
killing, has been blasphemed.
The warriors of Apumbukid have learned this tradition from the headhunting
folk of Vuyu and the mountains of Rusunuga. Many Headtakers travel to
Apumbukid to cease their ritual headhunting with their fellow man, and instead
hunt down those that are disrupting Hiyang, as a form of ritual sacrifice and
ritual killing.
Headtakers usually trawl the lands and accept jobs from Datu to perform
headhunting ritual killings for any reason, whether it be for revenge, for
murder, or for mourning. In return, Headtakers are given lodging and
acceptance into society. A sort of necessary evil. In this way, they are no
different from any other Kadungganan, but Kadungganan have the gall to think
they are different. That their killing is in any way more sacred or more noble.
Headtakers are trained in the mountains or hinterlands, subjected to harsher
conditions than normal, whether it be cloying hot jungles or the near freezing
cold of the highest peaks in The Sword Isles. They are at home in the shadows
of the trees, above the unseen branches, clad in shade and vine. They do
whatever they need to do to perfect their Mastery, taught in all manner of
martial arts by all manner of teachers. Sometimes these teachers are ancestor
spirits, sometimes these are diwata, sometimes these are the folk living in
these hinterland regions. Whoever it may be, it does not matter to the
Headtaker. All Masteries lead to the ritual art of decapitation.
When you become a Headtaker, ask yourself: are you willing to become
headless to perform your duty? Ignorance is bliss, Kadungganan.

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 KADUNGGANAN

Style: Raider DISCIPLINE BOOSTS

Martial Art: Headtaking Rites
Tempo Die: d8 +2 BRV, +1 SPD, +1 JMP

INFLICT VIOLENCES
0Head Axe. MELEE, METAL, CLOSE, 1 TARGET, BRV, IF THE TARGET IS STAGGERED,
INFLICT BRV X2.
0Bamboo Chopping Sword. MELEE, EARTH, ADJACENT, 1 TARGET, BRV, INFLICT
UNBALANCE 1.
0Blowgun. RANGED, EARTH, RANGE 3, BRV, INFLICT SLOWED 1.

FUNDAMENTALS: RITUAL KILL

When you make a melee attack against any adjacent fighter, you may mark them as
your Ritual Kill after the attack.You can only have 1 Ritual Kill at a time. When you
mark a new Ritual Kill, your last Ritual Kill disappears.
Whenever you make a melee attack against your Ritual Kill, your attack gains
Skewering. If it already has Skewering, gain +1 Hit on the attack.
The Headtaking Rite is an endlessly difficult martial art to master, and it is not
taught to just anyone. Everyone that becomes a Headtaker understands
combat-as-ritual, and does not and will never take it lightly. They will only take
heads if they must, if they need to, if the ancestors command it. The
Decapitation Rite is a martial art that uses venoms, shadows, bamboos,
combined with large strides and a low stance to defeat opponents.

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 KADUNGGANAN
HEADTAKER MASTERIES
I Owl Dance Style
Thread 2: Blood need not be so noisy, however.
PASSIVE
When you make a melee attack against a fighter
with a Bane, gain Stealth 2.
ACTIVE SUMMERS 456
MELEE, AIR, ADJACENT, 1 TARGET, BRV. IF YOU HAVE STEALTH WHEN
YOU USE THIS, YOU MAY TELEPORT 1 BEFORE THE ATTACK.
II
Headlopper
“To truly become the axe, you must be able to puncture
the carapaces of all those that you wish to destroy. If you
cannot, then you are ineffectual, useless.” - Si Batara
Padakul, Diwata of Axes. Thread 1: Your axe will always
find its mark.
PASSIVE
You have +Sharpness on all melee attacks you
make from Stealth.
ACTIVE SUMMERS 6
AREA, EARTH, LINE 3, ALL TARGETS, 1 TRUE HIT AGAINST THE FIRST 2
SQ, BRV+FTH AGAINST THE TARGET ON THE THIRD SQ OF THE LINE.
III
Rip and Tear
“Verse 49 - However, their head split into ten thousand
skulls, and the Supreme Soul spoke: YOU HAVE
DESCRIBED ME WRONGLY IN YOUR LESSONS, They said.
I AM NO GOD. I AM BEYOND GOD. YOU CANNOT
DESCRIBE ME. IN YOUR HUBRIS, YOU CANNOT KILL ME.
I AM BEYOND DEATH. NOW... ACHIEVE HIYANG.”
50 - This lesson cannot be written down, for it exists and
does not exist all at once. I apologize on behalf of the
Great Hero of Heroes, Noble Lord of Warrior-Slayers.” –
SONG OF IDDA MANGUBAT
PASSIVE
When you bring an enemy to Critical, inflict 1 True Hit
on every enemy in the battlefield. If you do, inflict
Provoke 1 against enemies in the battlefield.
ACTIVE SUMMERS 46
MELEE, METAL, ADJACENT, 1 TARGET, BRV, INFLICT BLEED 2.
219
IV
Fated Death
Verse 22: “When BA~TA-LA, That Supreme Soul, stepped
into the world through the paradox of creation, Idda
Mangubat vanished into the trees in Their path. The great
universal consciousness’ gaze seemed so serene that he
felt themself melting into oneness just at Their gaze”. –
SONG OF IDDA MANGUBAT
PASSIVE
Interject 3: When you are the target of an attack,
spend the Interject to teleport 1, and leave behind a
Size 1 Shadow Clone of yourself, which becomes the
target of the attack. The Shadow Clone disappears at
the end of your next Riff.
ACTIVE SUMMERS 6
MELEE, METAL OR AIR, CLOSE, 1 TARGET, BRV, INFLICT +1 HIT PER
SHADOW CLONE IN THE FIELD, WHICH THEN DISAPPEARS.
ENLIGHTENMENT
V
Channel
Yamakala
Whenever you move through the shadows, the god of
ritual killing sends merit, flashing out in shadowy arms,
striking all about you.
One of the many Gods of Fated Death is said to be the god/
goddess Yamakala Lakibayibatara (Male-Female Deity). It
is said that the God of Cyclical Death, Yamadiraja, and the
Goddess of Vengeance, Kalakatri, were once one being of
all death.
PASSIVE
You deal 1 Auto True Hit when you make melee
attacks against fighters you have +Sharpness
against.
ACTIVE
FOR 2 TECHNIQUES, AT PULSE 6+, KILL ALL CRITICAL
ENEMIES IN THE BATTLEFIELD.
 KADUNGGANAN

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Tigpana
Embodiments of Minor Enlightenment,
Manifestations of the Wind, Arrows of Harmony,
Born from the Watchtowers

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 KADUNGGANAN

LORE
Tigpana [tig-pa-NA’] translates directly to archer. This is the discipline of long
distance combat atop bamboo watchtowers, treehouses and rocky
outcroppings peppered across The Sword Isles. This discipline actually
originated in Ibalnong, but was applied to the rest of the archipelago by
Apumbukid as violence intensified.
They measure the lay of the wind, the rustle of leaves, the whisper of the land.
What heat might do to the trajectory of a fire-hardened arrow, the nuisance of
rain. To become a Tigpana is to become one with nature, to be as silent as the
first light of dawn, to be as quick as the darkest point in the night.
Tigpana are masters of all ranged bows: from the common busog, or shortbow,
to the rarer sikarom, the bamboo longbow, which is so long that it had to be
held under the foot to be strung. They fire the initial strike when needing to
protect a settlement, or if on a raid, they will seek the highest vantage point to
dictate the momentum of the battle.
Tigpana are made to watch with eyes sharper than eagles. With escalating
tensions between polities, these elite sharpshooters have descended down from
upon their lofty bamboo watchtowers to fight alongside their fellow
Kadungganan. This has done nothing to impede their skill, of course. In fact, all
it has done is to show how much more formidable a Tigpana is up close, with
perfectly lined shots that can sever the head from the neck.
While Apumbukid trains them in large numbers due to their proactive stance
on their stewardship, the art of long ranged archery came from Ibalnong, in the
northwestern tip of Rusunuga, bordered by the volcano Magayon, the most
beautiful volcano in all of The Sword Isles, known for its perfect cone shape.
The Ibalnongnon are closer to the Gatusanon than the Virbanwans in culture,
and also tattooed themselves and raided the coasts of foreign lands. When
invaders came, they were known as some of the most belligerent warriors,
evidenced by their skill with longbows. These Ibalnongnon warriors have since
taught warriors far and wide the discipline of longbow archery, and have thus
bred a new breed of Tigpana across the isles.
The Art of the Tigpana was once preserved only for hunting large game in the
forest. It has now been turned into a hateful art that skewers their fellow men.
But even then, before going out of a hunt--whether it be for an animal or for a
human--Tigpana make their offerings to their gods. In supplication, in sorrow,
in an act of asking forgiveness.
The Art of Petal Piercing combines Harmony Through Breathing with Archery
techniques. To never miss attacks, Tigpana become one with the battlefield,
gaining for a moment a violent Hiyang, which they use to be able to be the most
accurate martial artists across the Sword Isles. Tigpana are the most powerful
snipers, and truly great Tigpana are rare across the Sword Isles.
If you choose to become a Tigpana ask yourself why you have chosen the path
of more violence, if you could’ve stayed protecting what is yours instead. Who
do you fight for? Why? Blood stains your bowstrings, how long until it flows
from your heart?

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 KADUNGGANAN

Style: Sharpshooter DISCIPLINE BOOSTS

Martial Art: Petal Piercing Arrows
Tempo Die: d4 +1 BRV, +1 RES, +2 JMP

INFLICT VIOLENCES
0Sikarom (Bamboo Longbow). RANGED, EARTH, RANGE 6, 1 TARGET, BRV,
IGNORES BLOCKING TERRAIN.
0Sundang. MELEE, METAL, ADJACENT, 1 TARGET, BRV, SHIFT 1.
0Kicks. MELEE, EARTH, CLOSE, 1 TARGET, BRV, PUSH 2.

FUNDAMENTALS: PANGANORON PANA

At the start of combat, gain 1 Flow. Every start of Riff after your first, gain 1 Flow. You
can only have up to 5 Flow. You can use Flow to empower the strength of your arrows.
Flow represents your attunement to nature and violence as the fight progresses.

0 Harmonious Arrow Meditation: While you have Flow 4+, all your attacks have
Sharpness.
0 Venerable Sri Magayon Stability: You can spend 1 Flow when you are Pushed or
Pulled to ignore that forced movement.
0 Boltavara Fury: When you make a ranged attack, spend X Flow to gain Xd on the
Attack Teeth.
The Art of Piercing Petals with your Arrows was famously created by an ancient
longbow master in the peninsula of Ibalnong, SRI DIWA SAMAYAW, God of
Hunting and said to be an aspect of Rajaraya Pintas, who elevated the simple art
of bow fighting to a god-beast hunting martial art with the help of the dark-
skinned Mayaran folk in the hinterlands of Rusunuga, who have perfected the
bow and arrow art. This art requires the practitioner to be at least not Dihiyang,
and at best, completely Nahiyang, or Concordant With the Universe’s Flow or
Nihawa, to become the most accurate martial artists.

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 KADUNGGANAN
TIGPANA MASTERIES
I Wind-Breathing Style
This concoction, known sometimes as the Hiyangrasa
(The Essence of Harmony), once crafted by baylan of
Tigpana, has now become a common concoction taught to
all beginner Tigpana. Made of fire, crocodile tears,
hibiscus petals, and cinnamon bark, the concoction helps
you align with the Flow. Once aligned with the Flow, you
can use it to block off other’s connection with the world.
PASSIVE
You now ignore the Dullness incurred from
attacking adjacent fighters with ranged attacks.
ACTIVE SUMMERS 456
INFLICT VIOLENCE, INFLICTING SILENCE 1.
II Tiger-Fused Arrow
This Discipline was made by the Sikarom (bamboo
longbows) wielders of Ibalnong. They stood upon bamboo
watchtoweres known as bantara to be able to protect their
settlements from every raid. With a meditation upon the
Universal Flow, you summon flames upon your arrow.
PASSIVE
When you make a ranged attack, you can choose to
turn its element into fire. Whenever you make a fire
attack, you may shift 1 after the attack.
ACTIVE SUMMERSSUMMERS 6
RANGED, FIRE, LINE 6, ALL TARGETS, BRV+FTH, ALL ENEMIES IN THE
LINE SUFFER FIRE VULNERABILITY 2.
Bamboo Reroutes
III
The River
The Tigpana’s reaction time is feared across the isles.
Nothing matches them. In truth, this is the first lesson of
the Tigpana: to catch an arrow from mid-air. The second
lesson is this: throw the arrow back. Sri Taka is a
legendary folk hero among Apumbukid, a Hinapanun
noble who fought against a Virbanwan iron foundry
village that seeked to kill the diwata of the forest Ibusi,
Apu Ibusi.
PASSIVE
Interject 1: When you are the target of a ranged attack,
spend an Interject to catch the attack and then redirect
the attack against any other target within range 4.
ACTIVE SUMMERSSUMMERS 6
INFLICT VIOLENCE TWICE, IGNORING COMBO BREAKER PENALTY.
223
IV
Everywhere All At Once
Meditation
Becoming Nahiyang is an enlightened state but is not a
final salvation or liberation from the sufferings of life.
When one is Nahiyang, one moves in accordance with the
wants of nature, with the bouncing gods that live in every
single thing, including one’s self. They do everything
naturally, easily, without thinking, action without
thought. However, mindfulness is still required to stay
Nahiyang: one can be very easily brought out of harmony.
Those in Nahiyang revel in the absolute joy in being
accordance with the trichiliocosm.
The application of this mastery is favored by all tigpana:
with an ululation, you summon a wind spirits in particular
areas of the battlefield. When your arrows go through the
spirits, they are infused with stronger Flow, bouncing off
of them and accelerating.
PASSIVE
Interject 4: When a fighter leaves a sq within burst 4,
you may deal 1 True Hit against them before they leave
the sq by spending an Interject, 1/Beat
ACTIVE SUMMERS 456
CHOOSE 1 SQUARE IN RANGE 5, PLACING WIND SPIRITS (SIZE 1/2
SUMMONS) IN THEM. WHEN MAKING A RANGED ATTACK, AN
ATTACKER MAY TARGET THE WIND SPIRIT. IF THEY DO, THEY CAN
CHANGE THE ORIGIN POINT OF THE ATTACK TO THE WIND SPIRIT, AND
THE ATTACK GAINS +1 RANGE.
ENLIGHTENMENT
V
Astra of
Concordance
You breathe out, and your breathe sparks with the rising
drums of thunder. None can keep you down. Your aim is
steady. In the gentleness arises the greatest of violences.
This is the Rusakpana: the Bow of Annihiliation. Rusak
weapons are weapons made of pure annihilating starlight,
the weapons of the gods and those that invoke them.
PASSIVE
Whenever a fighter is hit within burst 4 of you, you
may inflict violence on them if you can, 1/Beat.
ACTIVE
FOR 2 TECHNIQUES, AT PULSE 3+, INFLICT 2 TRUE
HIT ON EVERY ENEMY IN THE BATTLEFIELD.
 KADUNGGANAN

Warspeaker
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Combat Mediators of the World, Lovers of Mantra,
Channelers of Batala the Destroyer, Virtuosos of
Warspeaking, Practitioners of Domination

224
 KADUNGGANAN

LORE
The art of Speaking has not been lost upon the warriors of old. Of course not.
Speech developed alongside violence. In many ways they are one and the same,
the two sides of a single sword.
A few eras ago the counselors of an ancient God-King came together to create
a martial art that would bind the two sides of the sword into one. To create a
martial art that would cut through both falsehoods, politics, diplomacy, and
violence to be able to arrive at a better world through peaceful speech instead
of violent conquest. They spoke with the Great God Batala (known sometimes
as Vatara Guru and Debata Siwa), the Creator-Destroyer, and they were given
the Batalamentala, the Mentala of the Destroyer. These mentala (sacred
utterances, a form of prayer-mantra) were used to invoke Batala’s power, and
were also used to influence the minds and dominate others through speech.
Of course, as with all things that are not completely Hiyang, they were not able
to achieve this. Nay, perhaps that is too harsh. They turned the Batalamantras
into the Gubatmantras, or War Mantras. It was meant to cut past any
uncertainties to create a more harmonious bond, but it did anything but that.
The War Mantras, when employed into combat, is known under the martial art
of Warspeaking: utterances and rhetoric turned into attacks, logic and
declarations as defenses.
The War Mantras are still perfected by many parawali today, thus why the
Apumbukid term for the Warspeaker is Sundang Parawali, Sword Counselor.
However, the term Warspeaker is strictly reserved for those that practice and
perfect the convoluted art of Warspeaking.
It is one part rote (“you must learn these particular rhetoric for they counter
all swords”), other parts theory (“this particular word sequence requires
proper application and proper context”) and even other parts psychology
(“know your enemy before employing this ironshield logic gate”). However,
once perfected, Warspeakers are known for traveling throughout the battlefield
without wielding weapon nor armor, and being able to turn enemies traitor.
The four major Masteries of Warspeaking is chaos which deals in inflicting
disarray with entropic mantras, domination which deals in controlling
enemies with proper rhetoric, logic, and sacred utterance, inspiration which
deals in imbuing allies with strength through proper speech, and illusion, the
greatest of the Warspeaker’s abilities, in which they are able to utter words that
both destroy the illusion of the Trichiliocosm as well as manipulate the illusion.
Through this they understand: the Trichiliocosm is an illusion of action, created
through our senses, as we try and understand God.
If you become a Warspeaker, ask yourself: you have perfected the art of talking,
and choose to employ it in the battlefield? Why must you use it in the same way
an ape would use a particularly sharp rock? With the right words you can bend
buddhas and bodhisattvas to your will, let others find glory, and yet you choose
to cutting ignorance. Your words might be sharp and your understanding of
the illusion of the world strong, but who is the real fool?
You are nothing but a sword.

225
 KADUNGGANAN

Style: Witch DISCIPLINE BOOSTS

Martial Art: Warspeaking
Tempo Die: d8 +1 FTH, +1 RES, +2 SPD

INFLICT VIOLENCES
0Insult: MELEE, AIR, RANGE 4, 1 TARGET, FTH, INFLICT Unbalance 2.
0Command: RANGED, AIR, RANGE 3, 1 TARGET, FTH, SLIDE 2.
0Blade: MELEE, METAL, ADJACENT, 1 TARGET, BRV, INFLICT DEBILITATED 1.

FUNDAMENTALS: BATALAMENTALA
You can speak the Batalamentala, the sacred mantras of the Creator-Destroyer.
Whenever you make an Attack, gain 1 Mantra, and you can only gain up to 3. At any
time, you can spend the Mantra below, though only 1/Beat.

0 Gulo (Chaos). Choose a fighter that you can see in range 3. Consume any number
of Mantras to immediately roll 1 Attack Tooth per Mantra against them, 6+
considered True Hits.
0 Paghari (Domination). Choose a fighter that you can see in range 3. You may slide
them a number of squares equal to each consumed Mantra.
0 Pamukaw-Sigla (Inspiration). Choose a fighter that you can see in range 3 when
they roll. They may reroll any number of Teeth (of your choice) equal to mantra spent.
0 Malikmata (Illusion). Choose a fighter that you can see in range 3 when they suffer
a Bane: add +1 per consumed Mantra to the duration of that Bane.
The conception of Batala as the Supreme God arrived in the Isles after the Ashinin
Missionaries brought the term BHATTARAKA meaning Noble Lord in through
religious work. BHATTARAKA is one of the names they used for their Auspicious
God, the Absolute Reality, known as SRIWA. The name SRIWA never caught on in
Rusunuga, and thus became BATALA. BATALA Himself arrived in the Isles on a
journey to find His ancient friend MALAUN, the Ancient God, and to find his trident
SALAPANG ANITU (“Worshipped Trident”). It is during this ancient time that he
taught his words to ancient elders, many of which would go on to travel to ancient
Kalanawan to found Apumbukid as well as become the ancestors of the ancient
kingdom Ba-e.
BATALA taught that the mentala could either be uttered as a mantra-prayer or
written down upon bamboo strips as magic formulations. It should be noted that
BATALA did not introduce mentala upon the world but rather, gifted His own
mentala (which invoked Him) to help the elders find what they wish: to destroy
miscommunication, as He is the Supreme Destroyer. BATALA taught that He is the
Absolute Reality from which the phenomenal world of senses arises. Thusly, His
mentala deals in manipulating the reality through speech and rhetoric. Priests,
Balyan, and followers of BATALA are known as Nibatala.

226
 KADUNGGANAN

WARSPEAKER MASTERIES
I
Mandate IV
Ultra Ego
“Master this utterance and command the battlefield with “Master this utterance and know that I am God.” These
your words.” You utter A·TAS, warriors find themselves are the words of BATALA to the elders, and through this
moving of their own accord. they speak into existence BATALA’s truth. You utter
HA·RI to one warrior, and they bow upon your
PASSIVE domination.
Whenever you forcefully move a target, you may inflict PASSIVE
1 True Hit upon them, 1/Beat.
Whenever you make an attack against any fighter
that has any Banes, gain +1d to the attack.
ACTIVE SUMMERSSUMMERS 6
AREA, AIR, BURST 3, ALL TARGETS, SAFE, FTH, SLIDE 3. ACTIVE SUMMERS 6
CHOOSE 1 FIGHTER IN RANGE 3. THAT FIGHTER BECOMES
II
Absolute Beauty DOMINATED: THEY INFLICT VIOLENCE IF THEY CAN, WITH A TARGET
CHOSEN BY YOU.

“Master this utterance and know that the Absolute Reality is

I, and the imperfect senses cannot comprehend perfection.”
You utter KA·RIK·TAN, and you show a warrior perfect
beauty, so hard to comprehend that they are dazzled.
PASSIVE
Whenever you inflict Dazed, Stun, or Unbalance the
ENLIGHTENMENT
target also gains Eviscerated of the same duration. If
more than one of the Banes are inflicted, choose the
highest duration for Eviscerated.
V Haraya Nibatala
“I leave you with this final mentala. Inscribe these upon
ACTIVE SUMMERS 56 your souls, or your bamboo slates, or your swords. This is
NI·BA·TA·LA. Thus is the word for all my followers. All my
RANGED, METAL, RANGE 5, 1 TARGET, FTH, INFLICT DAZED 2. followers will have my enlightenment, and know the
truth of the Trichiliocosm. All things are Haraya, or
Imagination. To find the truth of the world, one must find
me.” These are the words of BATALA upon the Lake of
Pulilan, before riding upon a water lotus to the grand
unending seas and returning to His abode. Speak
III
Ferocity Mantra HA·RA·YA and manipulate the illusion itself.
PASSIVE
“Master this utterance and inflict doubt upon the victims of Whenever you inflict a Bane upon a fighter, put
your scorn. This is how you will transcend violence.” You down an illusion adjacent to them. You can only put
utter BA·LA·SIK: the surat inscribed upon the air, you
weaken your target. down up to 3 illusions: if you put down another one
while you already have 3, choose any illusion to
PASSIVE remove first. When you Stride, you can instead
choose to switch places with one of your illusions,
Whenever you inflict a Bane, heal 1 all allies adjacent to teleporting.
you. These illusions have 2 HP and can be attacked, but
they do nothing else. You can choose what they look
ACTIVE SUMMERS 56 like, but most Warspeakers tend to make them look
like clones of themselves.
RANGED, AIR, RANGE 4, 1 TARGET, FTH, INFLICT EITHER COWARD 2 OR
SILENCE 2.
ACTIVE
FOR 1 TECHNIQUE, YOU CAN SHATTER THE ILLUSION: INFLICT 1
TRUE HIT AND SUNDER 2 ON EACH ENEMY ADJACENT TO EACH
ILLUSION. EACH ILLUSION IS SHATTERED, REMOVED FROM PLAY.

227
 KADUNGGANAN

AKAI
DISCIPLINES

228
KADUNGGANAN

229
 KADUNGGANAN

тg���
Beast Hunter
Artists of the Perfect Hunt, Tamers of the Divine
Wilds, Seekers of Truth and Hunters of Gods

230
 KADUNGGANAN

LORE
Hunting is a popular trade and profession in the isles. It's how one gets
pig and meat, after all. And pig caught in the forest is a ritual sacrifice,
filled with metaspiritual meaning and power. Hunting in the isles are done
either by one’s self, with traps, or with a dog or two, who can pin down
game.
When war breaks out, and constant violence looms, specialized hunters
arose, pointing their traps and their dogs at their enemies. They took it
upon themselves. Now they train their children not only in the arts of
hunting, but also in war. They call themselves the Beast Hunters, for they
both hunt and handle beasts, and what are warriors but beasts of a
different name? The Moon and Star Dance was an easy Martial Art to
spread across the Isles. The Akai Clan that began the Moon and Star
Dance is long gone, their traditions dispersed across all of the isles.
It was Akai that first saw their applicability in war, and began granting
nobility and vassalage to hunters who would join the Sultana’s following
and army. An even smaller contingent of elite hunters serve as her royal
hunters, outfitted with silks and golds and jades.
Beast Hunters use a large variety of constructed traps to control the
battlefield. They might bait their enemies, use strange pits to make them
fall, or soften the soil to make them slip quicker. Beast Hunters are
unmatched when it comes to manipulating the battlefield with their
ingenuity and closest allies. They thrive in the mid-range, putting down
traps to shut down enemy movement and skill.
Most importantly, the Moon and Star Dance focuses on flowing, mindful
movements that incorporate the Sidereal Companion: Hunting Beasts.
Hunting beasts are fierce and they never back down, and they even prefer
to fight against things larger than them, the devil bastards. They rejoice
in the glory of savaging a giant boar or crocodile or stag and bringing
them writhing to the floor. The most common beast is a witch dog,
forest canines that can climb trees and have constantly sharp claws, but
common hunting beasts also include monkey-eating eagles, fierce civets,
juvenile crocodiles, and sometimes even wild warty boars.
Beast Hunters are sought after for their trapmaking expertise and their
peerless skill in surviving the deep forests. They come from all walks of
life, and with their hunting companions, they can take on whatever
challenge that will come their way, with a combination of their wit, their
innovative skill, and the fierceness of their hunting beasts.
If you choose to be that consummate hunter, ask why you used your
hunting and trade for battle. What made you hunt the ultimate predator?
Why do you sic your hunting beasts at your fellow man?

231
 KADUNGGANAN

Style: Witch DISCIPLINE BOOSTS

Martial Art: Sun-Moon Dance
Tempo Die: d10 +1 BRV, +2 SPD

INFLICT VIOLENCES
0Hunting Spear: MELEE, METAL, ADJACENT, 1 TARGET, BRV, INFLICT WEAK 1.
0Carving Blade: MELEE, EARTH, ADJACENT, 1 TARGET, BRV, SLIDE 2.
0Gun/Bow: RANGED, METAL, LINE 3, ALL TARGETS, SAFE, BRV.

FUNDAMENTALS: HUNTING PET

You have a Pet that travels with you and begins every violence adjacent to you. Name
them, they’re your best friend.
They are Size 1 fighters and share your Martial Abilities. They do not have their own
Riff, but every end of your Riff they will shift 2 and then Bite if possible, which is an IV
that uses the same stats as your Hunting Spear. They are considered a fighter.
The first time you switch into this Discipline, choose the Pet’s type to find out what you
can command them to, for 1 Technique.

0 Canine: Your beast howls. You and all allies adjacent to the canine gains +1d on their
next attack. This does not stack.
0 Feline: Your beast gains Stealth until they deal damage. When they deal damage
from Stealth, deal +1 Hit.
0 Raptor: Your beast swoops down, inflicting 1 Hit and Bleed 1 on 1 close target.
0 Reptilian: Your beast flails wildly, dealing 1 Hit to all adjacent enemies.
0 Mauler: Your beast mauls the target, inflicting push 4 to 1 adjacent target.
You may mount your Pet, which means they cannot Shift and Bite at the end of their
Riff. You can still command your pet while Mounted. While Mounted, you gain the
following benefits:

0 Your base Speed becomes 5.

0 All your effects with ranges have their ranges increased by 2.
When you lose all HP, you can switch squares with your Companion, and the Pet is the
one Defeated instead. You don’t suffer the Hits.
Beast Hunters have with them a powerful Beast, a Hunting Beast, usually a dog, but
possibly also dogs, owls, cats, or any other beast they have created a connection
with. These become their Sidereal Companion, the Stars to their Moon dance. These
Hunting Beasts are very commonly chosen from birth, and you live all your life with
them. They are very often anointed with lunar oils. Beast Hunter fail their best
friends sometimes. It is required, a suffering lesson, to reach mastery of the Moon
and Star Dance.

232
 KADUNGGANAN

BEAST HUNTER MASTERIES

I Moon-Balatik Trap
Balatik are the most well known contraption and trap of
hunters in The Sword Isles: they are small bamboo ballistas
and arbalests that, when triggered, skewers the
unsuspecting prey with a long bamboo spike. It turns out
that this is just as effective for humans as it is for wild boar
and deer.
PASSIVE
Inflicting Bleed also inflicts Slow of the same
duration.
ACTIVE SUMMERSSUMMERS 56
AREA, EARTH, RANGE 3 LINE 6, ALL TARGETS, SAFE, BRV+FTH, BLEED 2.
IV Hound Clawdance
Brandish nails of gilded iron, burning, meant to melt
through the hardened carapaces of elder monsters. A
technick crafted by Guro Dugu Ido, the Bloodhound, who
famously hunted down his game not with spears or bows,
but with talons crafted from gold.
PASSIVE
Whenever you make area attacks, inflict 1 True Hit
on all enemies adjacent to you.
ACTIVE SUMMERS 56
CHOOSE 1 FIGHTER IN RANGE 4. INFLICT 1 TRUE HIT ON THE TARGET,
AND THEN THAT TARGET PROVOKES 2 ALL ENEMIES IN BURST 2 OF
THEM.

II Pit Trap ENLIGHTENMENT

Perfect for heavier creatures. This is a shallow pit that has
multiple bamboo spikes with fire-hardened tips at the
bottom. Learning to create and use this trap effectively
necessitates harmony with the land.
V
Ancestor’s Shrike
PASSIVE Toss a thorn, one that will slow them down no matter
what they want to do. It's a rare thorn too: the Sumpa-
You and your Pet ignores Difficult Terrain. sumpa is an ivory thorn that spreads into a mortal’s
veins once embedded. Improving the shrike means
ACTIVE SUMMERSSUMMERS 56 sheathing it in unalloyed gold. This thorn is said to only
be found if the ancestors want you to find it. Thus it’s
AREA, EARTH, RANGE 3 BURST 1, ALL TARGETS, SAFE, BRV+FTH, INFLICT name, the Ancestor’s Shrike. Very often this means that
UNBALANCE 2 AND STUN 1. the Ancestor wishes for you to kill someone, a victim of
their scorn.
PASSIVE
All your Banes have +1 Duration, and whenever you
III
Deer-Skewering inflict a Bane you heal 1 HP, 1/Beat.

The Godbeast Hunter Jinrud Aceh Pakali could not capture a ACTIVE
legendary deer whose antlers were whiter than lunarblooms.
Therefore, in the midst of the night, when the Moon was full, SPEND 1 TECHNIQUE AT PULSE 3+ TO CHOOSE UP TO 3 FIGHTERS IN
he removed the balatik from its fixture on the ground and RANGE 3. THEY GAIN A SHRIKE FOR THE REST OF VIOLENCE. WHILE
hunted down the God Deer. The God Deer was so impressed THEY HAVE A SHRIKE, THEY SUFFER 1 TRUE HIT EVERY TIME THEY
at Jinrud’s tenacity that they fought Jinrud on his own terms, ENTER A SQUARE.
until Jinrud slew them. In thanks, Jinrud cut off the deer’s
antlers and gave it back to the forest. Jinrud has since then
began teaching advanced Beast Hunters the art of wielding
the Hunting Spear.
PASSIVE
When you make an attack against a fighter that has
Bleed, Stop 1 on them. If they’re already Stop, the
attack becomes Skewering.

ACTIVE SUMMERSSUMMERS 456

MELEE, EARTH, LINE 5, ALL TARGETS, SAFE, BRV, INFLICT FRAY 2 AND
STOP 2.

233
 KADUNGGANAN

Martyr
�g��бl
Warriors of the Most High, Sacrifical Berserkers,
Those Who Will Die For The Moon Goddess, They
Who Triumph In Adversity

234
 KADUNGGANAN

LORE
Martyrs triumph in adversity.
They kill and die in the name of their conviction. While Faith in the Moon Goddess
isn’t a prerequisite to mag-sabil, conviction is. A conviction to die in the face of
imminent, and sometimes quite certain, death.
All warriors can perform the sabil, that sacrosanct war-ritual. However, Martyrs
dedicate their entire lives to the sabil. Every venture they go out on is a venture they
are prepared to die for their faith in. This has caused Martyrs to be particularly
feared, due to their total lack of self-preservation.
They vest themselves in the trappings of burial: wear white, anointed in oil by the
pandita. And then they go to battle to die, bringing as many as they can with them,
so that they can arrive in heaven and stand alongside Baginda Sumongsuklay.
The first Martyr was said to be Baginda Sumongsuklay herself. She arrived upon the
islands in times now long gone, and traveled into the sky palace of Indira Suga and
Jamiyun Kulisa, and immediately went into a frenzy. She succeeded in breaking the
sky gates, and in her total lack of self-preservation, leapt onto the Thunderbolt and
wounded him. Brother Lightning and Mother Sun have since left that sky palace, and
now Baginda Sumongsuklay commands the faith and trust of the warriors of Akai.
Those that become Martyrs dedicate their entire lives to the emulation of that art,
with the knowledge that they shall ascend to the bladed moon heaven of Baginda
Sumongsuklay should they die in the act of pag-sabil.
The death violent art of mag-sabil has been known since the dawn of time, once
practiced in supreme deference and respect for the datu, they will dress themselves
in the vestures and raiment of death and go on berserk fury, or as it is known in the
Archipelago: pag-sabil. You sharpen this glorious fury into your weapon. You have
forged yourself into the ultimate killing machine: your heart is a sword, the pain you
suffer is fire to the furnace.
During the end of the Seventh Moon Era, pag-sabil has been easier to initiate and
invoke with the help of sugapa and other drugs to elevate the fury to one
transcendental, communing with the spirits of war.
The most well known mag-sabil do give themselves to the mad fury of the moon, of
the Moon Goddess Baginda Sumongsuklay, to whom adoration and respect is
required, and dying in their name is the ultimate way to reach her Palace in the Sky.
Martyrs can also be found all across the archipelago, especially those that have the
same amount of zeal and loyalty to their leaders and the spirits of their settlements.
They are, however, few and far in between in number, a small number of warrior
braves who are always ready to die for their leader and faith.
Before going out on a venture, you dress yourself in the raiment of death and then
anoint yourself with oils, as if you were being carried off to be buried, and then dress
yourself in your best jewelry, to make sure that you bring with you your earthly
wealth to the next life and be accepted into heaven with open arms.
If you chose the violent life of the Martyr, ask yourself who you profess your faith to.
Why? Do you wish heaven? Or is this a convenient excuse for you to inflict
indiscriminate violence?

235
 KADUNGGANAN

Style: Raider DISCIPLINE BOOSTS

Martial Art: Holy Moon Blade
Tempo Die: d6 +1 HP, +3 BRV

INFLICT VIOLENCES
0Bulan Blade. MELEE, METAL, ADJACENT, 1 TARGET, FTH
0Ceremonial Panabas. MELEE, WATER, LINE 2, 2 TARGETS, BRV
0Empty Hand. MELEE, EARTH, CLOSE, 1 TARGET, BRV, INFLICT UNBALANCE 2

FUNDAMENTALS: DEATH TRANCE

Whenever you suffer damage, gain Devotion. You can only have up to 6 Devotion at a
time. When you fall to Critical for the first time in violence, gain 2 Devotion.

0 When you make a melee FTH attack, you can spend 1 Devotion to use BRV instead
(though it still targets RES).
0 When you fall to Staggered for the first time in violence, spend 1 Devotion to
inflict Coward 1 on all enemies in the field.
0 When you fall to 0 HP, you can spend all Devotion to heal that much immediately.
0 When you roll Cooldown Dice, you can forego rolling by spending a number of
Devotion equal to the Cooldown rating you want (example: spend 6 Devotion to gain
the effects of rolling Cooldown 6 on the Cooldown dice.
You clad yourself in the raiments of death, white to reach the Moon Goddess’
eternal blissful palace. Breathe now, breathe. If it be your time, then it is your
time. Be not afraid. Be not afraid. Who are they to say that your faith-rage is
unjustified? This world is sundered and torn: break it even further, and in so
doing bring light to bear. This is the Principle of Fury: kill all things
indiscriminately to attain true Harmony. Remember, loved one. Your rage is not
simply anger, wrath. It is justice, God’s Vengeance, Holy Moon Striving. You
fulfill the purpose of your life in this, submit wholly to the Moongleam.

236
 KADUNGGANAN
MARTYR MASTERIES
I
Juru Pakal
Juru Pakal is an ancient, holy blade, used by Raja
Sulayman and Indarapatra to cleanse the Sword Isles of
primordial demons and monsters. Many still exist today.
Many shy away from Juru Pakal’s power.
PASSIVE
After inflicting hits with a melee attack, mark 1
target of the attack until the end of your next turn.
At the start of that fighter’s Riff, you may move 1
closer to them.
ACTIVE SUMMERS 56
MELEE, FIRE, RANGE 2, 1 TARGET, FTH. IF THE TARGET HAS BANES OR
MARKS, DEAL +1 HIT.
II
Lunar Cleave
You hurl your weapon, guided by your faith in the Moon.
Wield the Moon’s Holy Blade, which is you. You! This is
your strength, let Baginda Sumongsuklay, peace be unto
her, wield you and bring the final triumph of victory. Who
else could it be but you? With this internalization, you
wield the holy blade of tenacity, and nothing shall ever
stop your advance.
PASSIVE
When you bring an enemy to Critical, inflict 1 True Hit
on every enemy in the battlefield. If you do, inflict
Provoke 1 against enemies in the battlefield.
ACTIVE SUMMERS 6
RANGED, METAL, RANGE 3, 1 TARGET, FTH. THEN PLACE A SIZE 1
WEAPON OBJECT ADJACENT TO THE TARGET. FOR 1 TECHNIQUE,
YOU MAY MARK A PATH 3 FROM THE WEAPON, WITH THE LAST
SQUARE BEING ADJACENT TO YOU. INFLICT 1 HIT ON EACH FIGHTER
THE PATH GOES THROUGH, AND THEN THIS ACTIVE GOES ON
COOLDOWN.
III
Hurl To The Moon
The Moon’s Holy Blade has express techniques for dealing
when you are hobbled or disarmed. In fact, you are taught
to be even more dangerous when you are in this state, as
you are driven to a corner, and you must become more
than a beast.
PASSIVE
Gain +1d on all attacks while you suffer two or more
Banes.
ACTIVE SUMMERSSUMMERS 6
SHIFT 1, INFLICT VIOLENCE, AND THEN PUSH 5. IF THE TARGET
COLLIDES, THEY BECOME STUN 2.
237
IV
Moonlight Knight
The Lunar Goddess has seen it fit for you to strive. Coat
yourself in the holy oils. Battle is always death, battle is
always death. Let out your rage, mighty Martyr! The Lunar
Palace Upon The Moon beckons you! If you are to fall,
then you shall bring all those around you with you!
PASSIVE
When you hit with a melee attack, gain a Moonlight
Shroud. When you suffer a melee attack, consume
the Moonlight Shroud to immediately push 1 the target
and then shift into the square they vacate. The target’s
attack suffers -1d.
ACTIVE SUMMERS 456
MELEE, FIRE, ADJACENT, 1 TARGET, FTH, PROVOKE 1.
ENLIGHTENMENT
V
Lunate
Offering
“Verily, I say unto you: should you shed blood for your
Goddess, thus shall you find eternal life. But should you
rip open Heaven in the name of the Moon, then shall you
achieve Concordance.” - Masteries of Pandita Ashakarwa.
“The Moon shall descend. And so, submit, and be faithful.
The Moon shall cleave the earth.” - Book of the New Moon,
Chapter 4, Verse 36, Lunar Scriptures.
The Martyr rejoices in the glory of combat. You ready your
weapon, and engage in violence. Your wounds only make
you stronger. IN VIOLENCE YOU ARE BORN AND IN
VIOLENCE YOU WILL PERISH. YOUR FURY IS A FIRE
THAT CANNOT BE EXTINGUISHED, IT SHINES IN THE
VOID AFTER THE END OF THE CREATION. REMEMBER
THIS, MARTYR: WHEN PEACE IS ACHIEVED, YOU WILL
CEASE TO EXIST. LET US ACHIEVE BLISS, THEN.
PASSIVE
While you are Staggered, on all melee attacks, you
deal 2 Hits on 8+.
ACTIVE
AT PULSE 3+, WHILE STAGGERED, USE THIS FOR 1
TECHNIQUE. AT THE BEGINNING OF YOUR NEXT RIFF
AND EVERY RIFF AFTER THAT, YOU HAVE 4
TECHNIQUES PER RIFF.
 KADUNGGANAN

Sarimanok Knight
�д��k ��д�
Emblazoned Chevaliers of the Throne, Guardians of
Nature and Stewards of the Divine Wilds, Achievers of
Concordance Through Communion with the Holy Raptor

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 KADUNGGANAN

LORE
Sarimanok Knights are faithful and skillful warriors that fight both on
land and in the air, as needed. They ride upon their faithful sarimanok,
proud and powerful, and they make sure that their enemies are brought
down to heel. They are trained as an elite cavalry, and usually only the
richest of Datu can outfit and train an entire ten man unit of Sarimanok
Knights, much less address the cost of maintaining Sarimanok.
Sarimanok have been there since the beginning of time, some say. They
have been there ever since there has been the Rainbow, the sign of victory,
born from the tears of the Sky to the Sea, Their love forbidden forever. The
sarimanok are large, usually seven to eight foot tall roosters with rainbow
feathers that glisten in the sun and sheen in the rain. Their large
wingspans allow for limited flight, and their natural hard skin is enough to
deter any assailant.
Sarimanok are holy winged mounts and representatives of Baginda
Sumongsuklay. It is said that Jaris Akai met Sikhandag, the Moon
Prophet, thanks to a sarimanok that Sihkandag rode upon, which glinted
with the rainbow halo of the full moon. Sarimanok exemplify the Divine
Striving to protect and engage in war to preserve. Sometimes this story
is said to be the truth of the mythical tale of Rajah Indarapatra and Bayi
Bulan, which means that Jaris Akai is commonly seen—among those that
practice syncretized anitu-annuvara—as an Avatar of the Triumphant
God Balahala Saiwa.
Sarimanok Knights must learn to grow and feed their own Sarimanok.
They must establish a unique and special bond with them, binding them
to their very souls. As long as they are alive, their sarimanok cannot die,
cannot perish. Once a sarimanok and their knight are bonded, they are
fated by some cruel watcher to die at the same time.
Sarimanok Knights learn to use longer weapons, larger swords or sibat.
They generally wear heavier armor to protect themselves since they don’t
need overly quick movement. However, they are more or less stuck to
their sarimanok in combat. Sarimanok, while not bred for combat, are
willing to brave the heat of the skirmish to bring their knight to victory.
While Sarimanok Knights were born in Akai, trained from the local
warriors here who already rode upon Sarimanok when they unleashed
their raids, Virbanwa has also taken to breeding these rainbow raptors to
create a sarimanok cavalry of their own. However, theirs is smaller than
the colorful plumage and gigantic wings of the sarimanok of the
Kalanawan region.
If you choose to become a Sarimanok Knight, ask yourself when you
started training, and for what reason? To protect your datu? To save
yourself? Your family? Why would you bring a majestic creature into the
heat of a skirmish, of a tactical engagement, where both of you are poised
to die?

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 KADUNGGANAN

Style: Sentinel DISCIPLINE BOOSTS

Martial Art: Sky-Scouring Raptor
Tempo Die: d10 +2 HP, +2 SPD

INFLICT VIOLENCES
0Ceremonial Lance: MELEE, FIRE, LINE 2, ALL TARGETS, BRV
0Taming: MELEE, METAL, CLOSE, 1 TARGET, BRV-1, INFLICT DAZED 1
0Blessed Kalis: MELEE, FIRE, ADJACENT, 1 TARGET, FTH, CLEANSE 1 BANE FROM
SELF

FUNDAMENTALS: SARIMANOK STEED

You have a Sarimanok Steed that you start violence mounted upon. While mounted you
gain the following benefits:

0 Fly: When you Shift, you Fly.

0 Mid-Air: You have +1 POS vs all Melee Attacks, but -1 against all ranged and area
attacks.
0 Guardian: All allies adjacent to you are considered as being under cover.
0 Arrows of Heaven. Whenever an ally within your adjacency is hit, inflict 1 True Hit
on the attacker, 1/Beat.
Sarimanok eggs are found at the end of a rainbow. They are hatched and trained
by a Knight from birth. Sarimanok imprint upon their Knight and will only be
ridden by their knight. Their rainbow feathers never disappear, and when they
die they turn pale grey, and they bleed their color.

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SARIMANOK KNIGHT MASTERIES
I
Tempest Slash
Gather all that you know and summon a lithe and little
hurricane to rend through the battlefield. A technique
taught by Kartike themself, who arrived before ancient
warriors in the Footsteps of the Gods before Akai was even
established and taught them the divinity of the
sarimanok, and their omen being.
PASSIVE
When you inflict Provoke, slide the target 1 as well.
ACTIVE SUMMERS 456
RANGED, AIR, RANGE 3, 1 TARGET, BRV, INFLICT PROVOKE 1.
II
Manaul Stones
Manaul, The King of Raptors and Fireflies, was once a king
of the earthless seasky. He had owl counselors and
fireflies to light his path. However he was never satiated,
and tired of flying all the time, he tricked the sky and sea
kings to fight each other, to create land.
PASSIVE
1/Beat, when you forcefully move a fighter, you may
shift 1 closer to them.
ACTIVE SUMMERS 456
PICK UP EARTH FROM AN ADJACENT SQUARE (TURNING IT INTO
DIFFICULT TERRAIN) AND THEN THROW IT INTO ANY SQUARE IN RANGE
4, CREATING A SIZE 1 BOULDER UPON THE CHOSEN SQUARE. ANY
FIGHTER ON THE CHOSEN SQUARE SUFFERS PUSH 1 (FROM THE
BOULDER) AND THEN 1 HIT.
IF THERE ARE ANY FIGHTERS ON THE SQUARE CHOSEN TO PICK EARTH
UP FROM, THEY’LL END UP ATOP THE SIZE 1 BOULDER.
III
Mantle of the Sky
The Sarimanok, holy omen birds, ascend into the sky and
burst into the winds, and you become one with them.
Sarimanok Knights are known for being one of the
quickest warriors in the lands, able to fight and hunt down
skyships.
PASSIVE
When you end your Riff, slide 1 a single fighter adjacent
to you.
ACTIVE SUMMERS 6
GAIN THE SKY MANTLE. WHEN YOU ARE THE TARGET OF AN ATTACK,
YOU MAY SPEND THE SKY MANTLE TO GAIN 2 AUTO DEFENDS
AGAINST THE ATTACK AND THEN SLIDE 2 THE ATTACKER. YOU CAN
ONLY HAVE 1 SKY MANTLE AT A TIME.
241
IV
Kartike’s Arrows
The First Sarimanok Knight was said to have been the son
of BATALA, the Triumphant and Auspicious God, who is
very frequently known as Rajah Indarapatra of the
Thunderclouds in more modern Akai literature. His eldest
son, Yskanda Kartike, Archer of the Rainbow Raptor, was
said to have come down upon the world upon the
Sarimanok that took his father to the moon. There he
taught the truths of the Sarimanok Knight, and how to
properly befriend them, and how to treat them not as a
horse but as a fierce brother. Yskanda Kartike eventually
helped the ancient Put’wanon King Sri Bata Shaja conquer
much of the Gatusan Isles in an ancient war, now lost to
memory.
PASSIVE
When you hit a fighter with an Air Attack, you may
mark them indefinitely. When your mark makes an
attack that doesn’t include you as a target, shift your
Speed and then IV them if possible.
ACTIVE SUMMERSSUMMERS 56
AREA, AIR, LINE 5, ALL TARGETS, SAFE, BRV+FTH, INFLICT
UNBALANCE 2.
ENLIGHTENMENT
V
Garuda Prince
The Sarimanok are also the loyal steeds of Rakan Vayu,
known also as the Storm Prince, who ruled an ancient
empire of floating isles to the east of the Footsteps of the
Gods. It was destroyed when Jamiyun Kulisa released his
arrows to kill the great Fen Ying, God of Heaven Mountain
in the continent that is now known as Baik Hu. As
apology, Rakan Vayu’s kingdom was turned into an
eternal city in the fourth heaven. He is seeking revenge
now, however. In his ambition, he seeks to take Jamiyun
Kulisa’s Thunderbolt for himself and become the new God
of Thunder and Lightning.
PASSIVE
You can spend 1 Technique to become Flying until
the end of your next Riff.
ACTIVE
AT PULSE 4+, FOR 1 TECHNIQUE, FLY INTO THE SKY, REMOVING
YOURSELF FROM THE BATTLEFIELD. AT THE START OF YOUR NEXT
RIFF, CHOOSE A BURST 1 AREA AND PLUMMET INTO THE MIDDLE OF
THE BURST, THEN DEAL BRV+FTH AGAINST ALL FIGHTERS WITHIN.
ALL ENEMIES IN THE BURST BECOME WEAK 2.
 KADUNGGANAN

��a�t
Strifesinger
Singers of the Dirge of Gubat Banwa, Exalters of
Healing Through Violence, Chanters of the
Sorrowsong, The Chorus That Watches The Sword
Isles

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 KADUNGGANAN

LORE
The only two times tawo do not sing is when they are asleep or when
they are dead.
Strifesingers use their voices, instruments, and ritual dances to heal and
support their allies. They have created The Sorrowsong, a martial art
that uses song and instruments to mystically empower their allies
and produce concussive vibrations. With their healing song stories and
their invigorating cacophonies, they pave the melody for a new world.
Their art is one crafted by local Siganon, and then perfected by Iman
pandita, aligning their empowering notes with the soft philosophies of the
moon to create a singer that can heal the world.
Most settlements that have Strifesingers learn the martial art of the
Sorrowsong from other Strifesingers, although they mostly only accept
students that already know how to play a few instruments, or have
beautiful voices. Their voices and music do not only heal and support:
some of their techniques employ the use of violent sound waves to blast
enemies off of their feet, or to make weapons dance quicker.
Grandmasters of the Sorrowsong teach the secret to amplifying
instruments into thundering sonic waves that blast enemies off of their
feet. The Sorrowsong Style also deals in letting their healing kalag bolster
their allies’ own. Their songs from the myriad of instruments they learn
summon spirits, as most of them are entreaties and pleas to the Daghan
to help them in their war. Thus is the secret of a Strifesinger.
Strifesingers are few and far between. They are usually well respected by
other instrumentalists and musicians, who usually do not take up the
responsibility of war, or if they do, keep their music out of it. Very often,
professional mourners (known as Parahaya) often become Strifesingers
as well, combining their grieving with the act of violence to quicken the act
of mourning.
Strifesingers tend to be bleeding hearts, especially in such a stage as war,
wherein they would readily compose dirges for foes they have just killed,
or about lost allies, or about the nature of the wheel that is unbroken due
to war.
In recent times, Strifesingers are known in Akai as Katib. They sing not
only the sorrows of this world, but also the orations and prayers in the
religious services of the Iman faith. Strifesingers memorize the words
upon the books of faith of Iman, and they use these truths to heal the
wounds of the battlefield.
When you become a Strifesinger, ask yourself why you sing the warsong:
you are complicit to the cycle, your conscience is bloodied. Why does your
healing song only bring more sorrow? Why does your invigorating tale
bring violence?

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 KADUNGGANAN

Style: Medium DISCIPLINE BOOSTS

Martial Art: Sorrowsong
Tempo Die: d10 +1 FTH, +2 RES, +1 SPD

INFLICT VIOLENCES
0Boat Lute (Kudyapi). AREA, AIR, BLAST 3, ALL TARGETS, SAFE, FTH, GIVE
CULTIVATE/ENLIGHTEN 1 TO ALL ALLIES IN THE BLAST.
0Jaw Harp (Subing). AREA, AIR, BURST 1, ALL TARGETS, SAFE, FTH, HEAL 1 ALL ALLIES
IN THE BURST.
0Fabric (Sarong). MELEE, METAL, RANGE 2, 1 TARGET, FTH, SLIDE 1.

FUNDAMENTALS: SONG OF SORROW

You have a Sorrowsong Aura in a burst 3 of you. You can perform the following to any
ally within the burst.
0 Respite Song. For 2 Techniques, heal 1 ally BRV+FTH.
0 Thundering Song. For 1 Technique, 1 ally may shift 1.
0 Protective Song. For 1 Technique, give 1 ally Protect/Shell 1.
0 Haste Song. For 1 Technique, give 1 ally Haste 1.
0 Alacritous Song. For 2 Techniques, choose 1 ally. Their next Tempo Roll has a +1.
The Song of Sorrow, nevertheless, is a martial art. An art for violence. The
violent vesper, which contains two ambahan (a kind of poetry, you should know,
that is sung; two lines, 7 syllables each, and make sense if the two lines are
interchanged) that feed each other forever, is a song about the truth of battle:
violence for violence’s sake is the rule of beasts and the divinity of man. When
violence is used to find truths about mortal nature, and not to kill, gain wealth,
or accrue power, is when we become more than what we are.

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 KADUNGGANAN

STRIFESINGER MASTERIES
I
Unexalted Paean IV Respite of the
A song that hearkens to ancient warriors that have died in fight
and ascended to the Sky upon the rainbow. There was one
particular warband, a troop, who followed the Datu
Green
Kinalagtuman, Consummate Brightness, who stayed behind to A remembrance to the ancient times of the Sword Isles, when it
defend against the assault of Ratu Kyai Gede, Crucible of was called the Isles of Gold, back when war was the furthest
Weeping, Queen of Ancient Medang. The Datu defended his island from the minds of warriors. Back when songs were sung under
when he and that warband, forever remembered as the peach trees, songs about play, about the great conflict of the
Unexalted, beseeched the diwata of their island: a Serpent God Twin Gods of the Northwest Wind and the Southeast Monsoon,
named Maharaya, the Great Streaking, to let them keep fighting. about the dancing of monkeys and mouse deers. The Tranquil
The Unexalted were granted this: instead of ascending to the Sky, Missionaries from the Far Southeast brought with them Gods of
their souls instead became Umalagad that protected their island Tranquility.
even in death. And so Ancient Medang was not able to conquer
their island, and to this day the Unexalted still protect that PASSIVE
island.
When you start a Riff, you may Pull 1 one ally in range
PASSIVE 3.
When you attack a target, mark them until the end of your
next Riff. All attacks against that target gain +1d. ACTIVE SUMMERS 456
YOU AND ALL ALLIES IN BURST 2 MAY HEAL 2 AND THEN GAIN +1D
ACTIVE SUMMERSSUMMERS 6 ON THEIR NEXT ATTACK.
INFLICT VIOLENCE, AND THEN SLIDE 2 THE TARGET. AT ANY POINT IN
THE SLIDE, YOU OR AN ALLY MAY INFLICT VIOLENCE AGAINST THEM.

II Litany to the Porcelain Lady

This is a song that sings of Bayi Makadiyah, Porcelain Lady of
Mournful Miracles, a healer-witch who was also the incarnation of
Mother Madiyah, the Virgin Bearer of the One Destined to Die,
Maiden of the Valley of Tears. Madiyah is a goddess brought from
the bloody faith of Issohappa and indigenized across the islands
where the Sanguine Missionaries reached. As an avatar of Mother
Madiyah, she was revered by her settlement, and she could
summon rains during dry spells, and kill with just a word. She was
eventually killed by a jealous datu, but her death curse was that his
name would never be remembered. Bayi Makadiyah is now revered
as a god, and has a number of cults about the Sword Isles dedicated
to her. Her idol is usually a weeping woman (her face is never
shown) made of porcelain or earthenware, never earth. Her icon is
very frequently an enclosed square with a triangle within.
PASSIVE
You can use your RES against BRV attacks instead of
POS.
ACTIVE SUMMERS 6
CHOOSE 1 FIGHTER WITHIN BURST 3 (INCLUDING YOURSELF). THE
CHOSEN FIGHTER’S NEXT ATTACK INFLICTS 2 TRUE HITS.
III Song of the Ancients
This song was sung by the first singer, a demigoddess
whose name has been lost to time. She sang it to calm the
two mountains that warred in a distant land. She died in
the process, but became the clouds and the sky. The
mountains continued on and killed each other, however,
as they were bolstered by grief.
ENLIGHTENMENT
V
Vesper of the
Conquering King
The song of Rajaraya is lost now, no doubt a sad
consequence of his great ambition. His mission and his
achievements were liable to make him the most famous of
all ancestors: he was the Conquering Giant-King, the one
who will seize heaven’s thunderclaps, who will destroy the
gates of the sky and seize Jamiyun Kulisa’s Thunderbolt.
It is said that he succeeded, but that he also failed. The
truth is now long forgotten, and some say that the
Conquering Giant-King still walks this world, or that his
corpse can be found within the deep cavern complexes
that can be found near the mountain of Tauhaw, where
the grand Rajahnate of Gatusan stakes its center.
PASSIVE
Give yourself and all allies in the Battlefield 1 Dodge
in the beginning of violence. They can spend the
Dodge at any time to immediately shift 1.
ACTIVE
AT PULSE 4+, FOR 1 TECHNIQUE, ALL ALLIES IN THE BATTLEFIELD
CAN TAKE 4 TECHNIQUES ON THEIR NEXT RIFF.

PASSIVE
When you make an attack, you may deal -1 Hit to Heal
1 to yourself or an adjacent ally.

ACTIVE SUMMERS 6
ALL ALLIES IN BURST 3 OF YOU GAINS BLOCK 1 AND UNYIELDING 2.

245
 KADUNGGANAN

Ba� ��д�
Swordfish Cavalier
Spirit Knights of the Seas and Rivers, of the Swordfish,
Warriors that Medium the Tides of the Sea

246
 KADUNGGANAN

LORE
Swordfish Cavaliers are spirit mediums of the Swordfish, the supreme
predator of the sea and chosen of the Seasword God Margosatubig. As
spirit mediums and skilled riders of the balu, the balu mount they summon is
a little god, who lives in a talisman that they wear around their necks. They can
summon this balu at almost any time, as long as the balu can fit.
The balu are giant swordfish with noses sharper than spears and wings as large
as an eagle’s. While they require water to breathe, they can stay up in the air
for quite some time. Swordfish Cavaliers are trained by the best of the best in
their villages, as taming a balu is an entire endeavor all to itself. One must train
a balu since their infancy to form a proper connection with them. Since balu are
one of the quickest animals in The Sword Isles, they have been used to corrale
and subdue enemy advances in war. Balu are outfitted with chain linked mails
and hardwood armors as well.
Swordfish Cavaliers are said to have a distant rivalry with the other riding
Disciplines, particularly the buwaya riders. This is because they have both been
invented by enemy villages. Riding a balu is a sacred act of oneness with nature,
and requires a balyan ritual to officiate. Swordfish Cavaliers are known to use
bamboo or hardwood recurve bows for their choice of weapon, or any other
long-ranged implement, to attack and skewer from mid-range.
Swordfish Cavaliers know the lay of the land and they know the movement of
the sea. If you were a Swordfish Cavalier you must’ve begun your childhood
close to water, whether it be a pond or the ocean. You are intimate with the
ways of fishing, wielding harpoon and net to catch your prey. If anyone needs
a helping hand when it comes to fishing and hunting, Swordfish Cavaliers are
usually well-trained in this regard.
Swordfish Cavaliers tend to be the first into a battle, with their superior speed
being able to move them across the battlefield with relative ease. Due to their
mounts, they will be usually tasked with jobs or duties that would need quick
movement or ability to float a few feet over land and water. While balu can
submerge, the riders usually cannot hold their breath for long.
Swordfish Cavaliers constitute the elite cavalry of the Sultana. Elite Swordfish
Cavaliers are exalted and trained from birth, and are reared up in the closest
way of the Iman. Swordfishes are ancient and holy animals that were ridden by
Baginda Sumongsuklay Themself, and were the holy steeds of Ayah Menat, the
First Prophet, when they had to travel the Two Thousand and One Oceans to
reach the Sword Isles.
The most elite Swordfish Cavaliers are the Cavalry of Datu Margosatubig, in a
distant island north of Kalanawan. This island, called Salagunting, is said to
actually be the top of an underwater coral kingdom named Sugnanti. The balu
here are larger, and have sharper swordnoses, and are said to rush through
both air and water like arrows loosed by the sea king.
If you become a Swordfish Cavalier, ask yourself: why do you ride upon the
wings of legends to inflict violence? The folly of men dapples your arrowhead,
why must you enslave nature to scatter your enemies’ entrails upon the
ground?

247
 KADUNGGANAN

Style: Sharpshooter DISCIPLINE BOOSTS

Martial Art: Coral Knight Art
Tempo Die: d6 +1 FTH, +1 RES, +2 SPD

INFLICT VIOLENCES
0Bow. RANGED, WATER, RANGE 4, 1 TARGET. FTH.
0Gun. AREA, FIRE, LINE 4, ALL TARGETS, FTH.
0Javelin. MELEE, METAL, ADJACENT, 1 TARGET, FTH, PUSH 1.

FUNDAMENTALS: SWORDFISH MOUNT

You have a Swordfish Mount. While you're Mounted upon your Swordfish, you have the
following benefits:

0 Splash: Your water attacks splash: inflict 1 Hit on adjacent fighters to the target.
0 Glide: When you Stride, you may fly for the duration of the movement.
0 Targetting: During your Riff, if you make a ranged attack and you haven't moved
yet, you gain +1 BRV/FTH for that attack.
The first Swordfish Cavalier found that the God of the Sea, Hakasalug, known as
Harisatubig (King of Waters), amongs tthe Anitu took upon the Swordfish as his
holy beast form. The first Swordfish Cavalier, a fisher-warrior named Hiling
Makar, immediately prostrated and offered sacrifices when he found out, but
Hakasalug found this to be endlessly amusing, and so he allowed Hiling Makar
to establish the ancient Coral Knight Art, creating the first of the Swordfish
Warriors.

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 KADUNGGANAN

SWORDFISH CAVALIER MASTERIES

I
Sea Javelin IV Moon Mandate
The Moon is perfectly intertwined with the sea. It is long
Taught by Hiling Makar as he was well versed in the arts said that an aspect of the Moon, Tsandila Dayawa, came
of the bow before becoming the first Swordfish Cavalier. down as a beautiful winged lunar woman, named Ayakasa
PASSIVE Ravena, and Hakasalug fell in love with her, which caused
him to stop Mastery Hiling Makar the rest of his
After making a FTH attack, heal 1 to all adjacent knowledge. Thus the Coral Knight Art is eternally
allies. imperfect, but there is a sect of Swordfish Cavalier’s that
argue that this is good, and is their responsibility to
ACTIVE SUMMERSSUMMERS 6 continue Mastery.

RANGED, WATER, RANGE 8, 2 TARGETS, FTH. PASSIVE

All your allies adjacent to you can turn any attack that
they do into water attack.

II Sea Cannon ACTIVE SUMMERSSUMMERS 6

INFLICT 1 TRUE HIT ON ALL ENEMIES IN BURST 3, AND THEN MARK
A skill invented by the old Balu Warlord Panglima ALL ENEMIES UNTIL THEY SUFFER A WATER ATTACK.AS LONG AS THEY
Sumarak, who brought with him a giant lantaka cannon HAVE THE MARK, THEY HAVE WATER VULNERABILITY.
as a weapon to destroy stone fortifications. By using this
technique, you channel that old Balu Warlord, and
summon his lantaka.
PASSIVE
All allies adjacent to you have cover. ENLIGHTENMENT
ACTIVE SUMMERSSUMMERS 6
AREA, WATER, LINE
SLOW 1
5, ALL TARGETS, FTH (+1 PER ADJACENT ALLY),
V
Tempestuous
Sea Lord
In the ancient of days there was a great deluge that
III Sea Knight brought all of the Sword Isles underwater. This deluge was
said to be the wrath of the Langitnon, the Gods that live in
Heaven, for all the violence. Unfortunately, their
“Strike as much as you can, before the water that punishment did not end the cycles of violence. It was said
nourishes you becomes your blood,” – Agi Sindarak, a that this deluge is what buried the great ancient continent
Swordfish Cavalier warlord from the polity of Ikadan in of Samrasat under the sea.
Kalanawan. You envelop yourself in rushing waves and salt sea brine,
The sounds of bodyong resound, kettlebells against sharp which takes on the form of the King of the Sea, high and
coral weapons. Exalt your allies. mighty, with a crown of coral reefs and a mount of six
thousand balu. You and your Balu share each other’s eyes.
PASSIVE Spirit torrents guide your arrow shots. Your weapon turns
When you Stride, you can now Stride through enemy into a shrike of pure jet water, which you hurl against your
squares, inflicting 1 Hit upon each enemy you move enemy. Your balu becomes as the royal balu of Tuwan
through, one enemy per Beat. Margosatubig.
PASSIVE
ACTIVE SUMMERSSUMMERS 6
Every start of Riff, turn 1 square in range 4 into
AREA, WATER, BLAST 4, ALL TARGETS, SKEWERING, BRV+FTH water terrain.
ACTIVE
FOR 1 TECHNIQUE AT PULSE 4+, INFLICT 1 TRUE HIT
ON EVERY ENEMY IN THE FIELD, SLIDE THEM 1, AND
THEN TURN BURST 1 OF EVERY ENEMY HIT INTO
WATER TERRAIN.

249
 KADUNGGANAN

Virbanwa Disciplines

250
250
KADUNGGANAN

251
251
 KADUNGGANAN

Baril Witch
Ma��ad��� �t��n
Devil Witches of the Battlefield, Masters of
Witchpowder, The Bullet Through God’s Skull

252
 KADUNGGANAN

LORE
“The First Mastery of Gun is this: No amount of running can save you. Pay fealty, and
prostrate yourself upon the bullet throne of Balahari Gilusot.”
Baril Witches, otherwise known as balapari, are riflemen that use powerful
arquebuses gained through trade and replicated by native panday sa luthang
(gunsmiths). These bullets can only be fired by a certain magenta witchdust created
by witches across the world. Baril Witches are peerless experts in the art of using the
arquebuses, and they have the immaculate ability to be able to reload quickly, as if
they were a bow and an arrow.
Guns in Gubat Banwa are slow and ponderous. To reload them is a tedious, multi-
stepped endeavor. They are dangerous, but better treated as opening fire, nothing
more but something to level the field.
However, Baril Witches use a variety of gun sorceries, special spells specifically only
usable with guns, to blast through the enemies’ defense. With their skill, they can
instantly reload their guns, sorcerously bypassing the limits of the gun.
Baril Witches are trained to be hopelessly intimate with their weapon, learning the
diwata of their particular gun--not just guns in general--to be able to be efficient in
the battlefield. With hand mudras and incanted mantras they can summon bullets
and change their trajectories even in mid-flight. They can spin and juggle guns and
hit their target without seeing the target, due to their intimate connection with their
gun.
Training a Baril Witch takes years, thus making them wanted in Kadungganan parties
and war armies. They’re in high demand, but there are a low number of Baril Witches.
They are thus treated as elite artillery and long ranged units, and elite skirmishing
parties that are intended to kill will always have at least one in their ranks. Baril
Witches, however, are almost always strange in the head. Their soul has been shaped
into a bullet, after all.
Baril Witches arose from the ranks of the Lakanate after the witches of the wood were
given the chance to serve the Lakan and be treated as nobility if they helped with the
war efforts against Issohappa. A large contingent agreed, but other witches
disagreed, going off to fight Issohappa on the sides of the Rajahnate or Apumbukid.
Those that joined the Lakanate were given the moniker of “Star-knelt”, for they knelt
to the power of the Ashen Star.
Thus, there is a tradition among the more conventional witches in Rusunuga to spite
or even pity baril witches.
The Star-knelt worked with these guns to create the Gun God Engraves, which gave
rise to Baril Witches. Baril Witches are chosen from an early age, usually those who
have aptitude to sorcery. Thus, many baril witches in the ranks of the Lakanate are
not too happy with their forced setup. Baril Witches have since spread across the
archipelago, with the other notable creator of baril witches being the Akai Sultanate,
who harness moondust to strengthen their guns. If you choose to become a Baril
Witch, ask yourself why you have taken up secret knowledge only to inflict violence.
Why do you use your knowledge and power to inflict violence? Why have you picked
up the gun?
No blood on your gun; it is the bullets and sorcery that kill. Did you pick up the gun
out of necessity or out of cowardice?

253
 KADUNGGANAN

Style: Sharpshooter DISCIPLINE BOOSTS

Martial Art: Bullet Witch Arts
Tempo Die: d6 +2 FTH, +1 RES, +1 SPD

INFLICT VIOLENCES
0Luthang (Arquebus). RANGED, FIRE, RANGE 6, 1 TARGET, FTH.
0Lantaka (Swivel Gun). AREA, FIRE, LINE 3, ALL TARGETS, FTH, PUSH 1 THE LAST
TARGET.
0Terakul (Dragoon Pistol). AREA, FIRE, BURST 1, 1 TARGET, SHIFT 1.

FUNDAMENTALS: CHANNEL THE GUN GOD

Whenever you start your Riff you load your Gun: gaining 1 Gun Blessing. You can
spend 1 Technique to gain 1 Gun Blessing again.
You can gain up to 6 Gun Blessings. If you gain Gun Blessing that puts you over 6,
your gun explodes, dealing 2 True Hit to you and all targets in burst 2.
While you have Gun Blessings, gain the following benefits, equal to the number of
Gun Blessings you currently have:

0 Gun Blessing 1+: When you make an area attack, you may shift 1 after the attack.
0 Gun Blessing 3+: When you make a ranged attack, spend all Gun Blessings to give
the attack Overwhelming.
0 Gun Blessing 6: When you make a ranged attack, spend all Gun Blessings to make
another Inflict Violence immediately after, ignoring Combo Breaker.
The originator of the Baril Witch’s Blasphemous Bullet was a gun foundry owner
in old Tundun who communed with Balahari Gilusot, the King of Bullets, and
learned the secrets of piercing, an ancient art that is sister only to the sacred act
of cutting. The secret of piercing has a branch of knowledge that deals with
bullets, which always pierce through. It is called the art of Lodging.
Guns were invented in the ancient of days by a god, who was killed by the Sage
of Spears, he who had perfected the art of piercing. “With this implement
piercing shall become a lesser art!” The Sage of Spears hath said. Therefore thou
must keep in mind the art of piercing. It is no frail, baser art. It is, in fact, the
most perfect art, a forgotten art. The Art of Cutting reminds one of dichotomy.
The Art of Piercing shows you that all things can become one.

254
 KADUNGGANAN
BARIL WITCH MASTERIES
I
Devil Time
The Art of Piercing is exemplified by serpents that can
burrow into the thick soils and foliage of the great deep
forests. Thus follow their way: burrow, spiral, destroy. All
things will be broken through. That is the art of piercing.
Who needs a spear when bullets can pierce through hearts
just as well?
PASSIVE
Interject 1: When you gain 3+ Hits on an attack, roll a d4:
fire that many bullets at any target in range 3, inflicting 1
Hit. Each target can only be hit once.
ACTIVE SUMMERS 6
RANGED, METAL, RANGE 4, 1 TARGET, SKEWERING, FTH
II Exorcist Bullet
You spin, unleashing bullets, and then utter the yamyam
for the passing of days. Contort it with your spirituality.
Time stops for the bullets, and at the end of it all,
reckoning.
PASSIVE
All allies adjacent to you have cover.
ACTIVE SUMMERSSUMMERS 6
PLACE 3 BULLETS IN ANY FREE SQUARES IN RANGE 3. ANY FIGHTER
THAT COLLIDES WITH THE BULLET SUFFERS 1 HIT, THEN THE BULLET
VANISHES. FOR 1 TECHNIQUE, YOU MAY SLIDE 2 ANY NUMBER OF
BULLETS. WHEN ALL THE BULLETS VANISH, THIS TECHNIQUE GOES
ON COOLDOWN.
III Witchflame Cannon
Among the Sinukuan, The Elder God of Fire and Lightning
Suku takes upon the form of a firebird, ravaging entire
plains with a single swing of their wing. You take this
meditation and drink deep, and so does the diwata of your
gun.
PASSIVE
When you are forcibly moved, inflict 1 Hit on all
adjacent enemies either before or after the movement.
ACTIVE SUMMERS 56
AREA, FIRE, BLAST 4, ALL TARGETS, OVERWHELMING, FTH, YOU
SUFFER 1 TRUE HIT, AND THEN PUSH 3 YOURSELF AWAY FROM THE
BLAST
255
IV Shotgun Psalm
You are constantly firing your gun, reloading and
shooting, a constant dance of bullets.
Quoth Mangkukulam: “My Gun shall go against the
Almighty. With this bullet, I shall spit in the face of God.
Let Him face the force of the shooting star. I am
Mangkukulam, and my flame shall never die. Not even
God can extinguish my fire with His drool.”
PASSIVE
Any enemy that moves into your adjacency suffers 1
Hit, once per enemy per Beat.
ACTIVE SUMMERS 56
INFLICT 1 TRUE HIT ON A SINGLE ENEMY IN THE BATTLEFIELD.
ENLIGHTENMENT
V
Shoot God In
The Head
“Anything it takes,” the ancestors tell you. Anything it
takes to win? You’ve forged such an intimate connection
with your GUN. “The gun is but a tool,” BALAHARI
GILUSOT tells you. “Do not get attached to beings that
have never been human. Fool, kill it! Kill it now! Before it
realizes your soul and shoots itself through you! A Gun
Diwata is new and excited, and it does not know yet its
power. The power to level entire nations. Now KILL IT!
Bask in the bullet hell you’ve made, witch!”
PASSIVE
Whenever you inflict a True Hit, inflict 1 Hit on every
enemy adjacent to the target of the True Hit.
ACTIVE
AT PULSE 5+, SPEND 1 TECHNIQUE TO SHOOT THE
GOD OF YOUR GUN, RELEASING BULLET HELL UPON
THE BATTLEFIELD: FOR THE REST OF VIOLENCE,
WHENEVER AN ENEMY LEAVES A SQUARE, THEY
SUFFER 1 TRUE HIT.
 KADUNGGANAN

Bladeweaver
�n�� ��l
Holy Masters of the Sword Kinaadman, Disciplines of
the Art of Cutting, Knights of Diwa

256
 KADUNGGANAN

LORE
Bladeweavers are peerless swordsorcery knights, using their skill with the
Sword Kinaadman, or Sword Wisdom to strengthen their slashes and
manipulate the battlefield with flying swords, like the winds of a dragon.
Through a seamless weaving of enchantment and swordplay, they dominate
the battlefield.
The Bladeweavers are so called because the first of them, a kawal, or
guardsman, of the City of Broken Idols named Palaliwah, learned how to use
mentala, spells that were written in the ancient Old Matara language, the older
form of the Matara lingua franca in the isles. These writings, usually written
upon bamboo and palm leaf manuscripts with with Kasuratan, were to be
uttered repeatedly like a mantra by someone of volatile pohon, so that the
spells may be cast.
Palaliwah began a loose order of Bladeweavers by Mastery those kawal that she
could, those that had either inherently powerful pohon or were eager to learn,
and the Masteries spread throughout the Archipelago. Eventually, Palaliwah
settled in the Lakanate, becoming a right-hand counselor to the First Lakan,
and an integral part of those that overthrew the Issohappan invasion. From
then on, the royal guard and the elite were taught in the Sword Sorceries. This
proved to have been the Lakanate’s largest asset in the Lakan Conspiracy, as
Bladeweavers could use magic to attain a false enlightenment for a short
amount of time to teleport great distances. A particular Bladeweaver named
Maranan, the Leaf Dancing in Cutting Fields, used this to steal Pale King intel
from a galleon in the middle of the night, and she fended off at least two Pale
King elite warriors to get the info back to the Lakanate. Unfortunately, she
disappeared into nothingness the next night.
The Bladeweavers are taught in mageknight academies in Rusunuga, although
there are not a lot of them. In fact, the style has flourished even more in the
Rajahnate, where they combined the magical formulas on mentala and mixed it
with their impeccable swordsmanship to enhance their raiding capabilities.
Bladeweavers in Gatusan are known as Alamdag Sagiban, Magic Sheathes.
Bladeweaver swordplay is much respected by many of the warriors of the
Archipelago, wheren they fuse not just swordsmanship but all sorts of
weaponry into their sorcery. It presents a transcendent fusion of two powerful
forces, all affixed with a beautiful dance-like martial art, which has been called
Habul-Sulab, or blade-weaving.
Bladeweavers are taught to be careful of their power, and to only accept chiefly
patrons that would honor their ability. Those that they know wouldn’t be using
them for only wealth-gaining ends. Bladeweavers are taught a strict oral code
known as the Sword Oath that boils down to: protect those that cannot protect
themselves, dismantle those that hold oppressive power. Bladeweavers are
respected for their oath, and they are well known across the Archipelago as
altruist weapon sorcerers, although not all Bladeweavers have such an
altruistic mindset in the war ravaged land of The Sword Isles.
As a Bladeweaver, ask yourself why you have chosen to perfect the Sword
Kinaadman, that great act of cutting with magick, and used it to cut swathes
through innocent Folk instead of cutting a better path to the future? Violence
explodes, and you have taken up the sword and sigil. Prove how you can bring
about a better world.

257
 KADUNGGANAN

Style: Medium DISCIPLINE BOOSTS

Martial Art: Sword Weaving
Tempo Die: d10 +1 HP, +1 FTH, +1 POS, +1 RES

INFLICT VIOLENCES
0Enchanted Kalis. MELEE, AIR, RANGE 2, 1 TARGET. FTH.
0Kinaadman Mudra. INFLICT CULTIVATE 1/ENLIGHTEN 1 ON 1 TARGET IN RANGE
3.
0Ensorcelled Cloth. MELEE, METAL, ADJACENT, 1 TARGET. BRV. PUSH 3.

FUNDAMENTALS: SWORDWEAVING
At the start of violence, you have 5 Weaving. 1/Violence, when you Second Wind, you
can recover 2 Weaving.
You can spend Weaving on any of the following at any time, as an immediate effect.
0 Shield Weave: 2 Weaving. When an ally you can see rolls Posture, add your FTH to
the roll.
0 Sword Weave: 2 Weaving. When an ally you can see rolls their BRV or FTH, add your
FTH to the roll.
0 Suture Weave: 1 Weaving. Heal 1 ally in range 3 by 2 HP.
Mastery of the sword is much more than just mastery of the weapon. It is, in fact,
mastery of self, of tradition, of culture. It is the mastery of the principle of
cutting, like a rock, oneness with the nature of something. Achieve Hiyang
through swordmastery. You are not a weapon to kill, but rather, a weapon to cut
away the brambles and tangles that bar you and your people from the future.

258
 KADUNGGANAN
BLADEWEAVER MASTERIES
I
Fire Kinaadman
Developed by elite Bladeweavers who went to fight in the
Thundering Elephant War in the Southeastern Continent,
who incorporated Continental Sorcery and Spirituality.
PASSIVE
When you are the target of a melee or ranged
attack, you can turn up to 2 Whiffs on the Attack
Teeth into Hits against the attacker, 1/Beat.
ACTIVE SUMMERS 456
RANGED, FIRE, RANGE 3, 1 TARGET, FTH. TELEPORT TO AN ADJACENT
SQ OF THE TARGET AFTERWARDS.
II Mountain Kinaadman
This technique was taught to Bladeweaver Master
Sakamada, who earned it after beating a firebreathing
naga that lived in the heart of a volcano to submission,
and gained its respect.
PASSIVE
You can use your RES against BRV attacks instead
of POS.
ACTIVE SUMMERS 456
1 ALLY IN RANGE 3 GAINS PROTECT 2.
III
Flying Blades
Developed by elite Bladeweavers who went to fight in the
Thundering Elephant War in the Southeastern Continent,
who incorporated Continental Sorcery and Spirituality.
PASSIVE
You and all allies adjacent to you and any of your
Flying Blades may use POS against FTH attacks.
ACTIVE SUMMERS 56
PLACE A SIZE 1 FLYING BLADE IN A FREE SQUARE IN RANGE 3. ALLIES
THAT MAKE MELEE ATTACKS ADJACENT TO IT GAIN +1 BRV. YOU CAN
ONLY HAVE UP TO 3 FLYING BLADES.
259
IV
Surat Knight Art
To Guro Sajawadu, this is the ultimate learning of this style. The
battlefield becomes one space. This was taught to Bladeweavers
by a traveling cat who chopped trees with a single claw. Your
heart sings: your sword is oiled by the blood of your soul. All
your strikes will find their way: this was taught to Bladeweavers
by a traveling cat who chopped trees with a single claw.
PASSIVE
Whenever you attack a target, gain 1 Surat. When you
gain 4, that immediately spells out the word for TIME,
and you immediately give it to an ally in range 5, giving
them +1 to their next Tempo Roll.
ACTIVE SUMMERS CROSS
CHOOSE 2 SQUARES WITHIN BURST 5 OF YOU. RIPS EMERGE FROM
THE CHOSEN SQUARES. THESE CAN EVEN BE PLACED UNDERNEATH
FIGHTERS OR OBJECTS TO IMMEDIATELY TELEPORT THEM.
RIP: TERRAIN. WHEN MOVED INTO, IMMEDIATELY TELEPORT INTO AN
ADJACENT SQ ON THE OTHER RIP.
ENLIGHTENMENT
Lord of Blades
V
An incantation mixed with three mudra that speak of
swiftness, cutting, and endings. The target of this benefit
is imbued with the speed of an unsheathing sword.
An advanced technique that is hard to perfect but
unfortunately is probably the most important ability of
all Bladeweavers. This is a favorite of Master Samasida, a
wily hermit found in the island of Bakara near the Ruins
of Samrasat, where he studies with wandering souls of
that ancient civilization.
PASSIVE
Every Whiff you get on Defense Teeth you can choose
to convert Floating Blades. You can gain up to 5
Floating Blades. At any point, when you inflict
Violence, you can consume any number of Floating
Blades to add that as extra Attack Dice.
ACTIVE
AT PULSE 4+, YOU CAN SPEND 1 TECHNIQUE TO GIVE ALL ALLIES IN
THE BATTLEFIELD BLADE EXALTATION FOR THE REST OF VIOLENCE.
WHILE A FIGHTER HAS BLADE EXALTATION, WHEN THEY MAKE
ATTACKS, THEY ADD +XD, WITH X BEING EITHER THE GIVER'S BRV OR
THEIR CURRENT FLOATING BLADES, WHICHEVER IS HIGHER.
 KADUNGGANAN

Es���Murderglave �m��y
Monstrances of Passion, Channelers of Mahadiwa-
KALAKATRI, Murder Goddess, Fulfillers of the
Promise of Blood

260
 KADUNGGANAN

LORE
In the ancient past, the Suladnon of Murder Mahadiwa Kalakatri Duumanun
raised an order of warrior-monks whose sole purpose was to use their passions
and pain to protect those around them. These revenant martyrs were called
the , and only a scant few of them remain today. They have been stolen by the
Batara Lakan, the Suladnon of Murder turned into Saint Qali.
Those that go through the training of the Karimlan are set out to the middle of
the forest or the sea, and taught to face their fears. They must use their
Kinaadman to harness their primal passions, their primal emotions, and turn it
into powerful sorcery that can strengthen them against their heart. They
understand the truth: pain, fear, love, passion, regretÖ all these things are what
makes a human. And thus to embrace them all is the ultimate strength.
They get their power from the Suladnon of Murder, the Diwata of Sword Hell.
The final initiation of a Murderglave is being immersed into a blood pond before
an altar to Mahadiwa Kalakatri Duumanun. Using this near-death experience,
they come face to face with the Mother of Ten Thousand Bloody Spears, and
they become transcendent.
In their transcendence, they come to enlightenment. A petty enlightenment,
but still an enlightenment to be sure: that violence should not be the end. This
was obvious, they know, but they never wished to admit it. It is like realizing
that you are being stabbed in the face by an enemy lance at the last second
because you did not bring your shield. Thus, the Murderglave’s passion is
inherently hamstrung with regret. Mahadiwa Kalakatri Duumanun always
leaves them with the words: “There is no atonement for this, sinner.”
They have been cultivated the most by Virbanwa, who creates Murderglave
chapels and training monasteries at the edges of Virbanwan territory and
conquest. They are inherently distrusted, since they channel their power
outside of Sampalataya, the Ashen Star Faith: the Bloody Handed Redemption
was created by a datu and his village of Kalakatri faithfuls who lived as warrior-
priests, in the northern plains of Rusunuga. The datu is said to have been Datu
Sakara, who was killed by El Kampeyador, and subsumed Kalakatri into the
greater Saint of Murder and Penitence, Saint Qali.
The Murderglaves were integral to the Battle of Binangku Medium, where five
poweful Murderglaves stood their ground and staved off an entire Issohappan
battalion and river fleet long enough for their allies to be saved by Sinuku war
barges.
These passions of the Murderglave manifest as tendrils of darkness, of shadow.
They understand that to embrace humanity is to embrace darkness. And that
using that darkness, they can bring about life and light. By their pain, they
create walls of obsidian. By their fear, they shield their allies. By their love, they
grant others another chance.
If you become a Murderglave, ask yourself why you have chosen such a bloody
path. The Left-Handed Path of the Blackened Blood is not the safest path, and
is not the friendliest. Why do you suffer to help others? When you know that
all your suffering is potentially in vain?

261
 KADUNGGANAN

Style: Sentinel DISCIPLINE BOOSTS

Martial Art: Bloody Handed Redemption
Tempo Die: d8 +2 HP, +1 BRV, +1 FTH

INFLICT VIOLENCES
0Giant Weapon: MELEE, METAL, BLAST 2, ALL TARGETS, FTH.
0Clawed Gauntlet: MELEE, EARTH, CLOSE. 1 TARGET. BRV. PUSH 1 THEN SHIFT
INTO SQ VACATED.
0Censer: CHOOSE 1 ADJACENT FIGHTER. THEY MUST INFLICT VIOLENCE AGAINST YOU.
IF THEY DO NOT OR CANNOT, MAKE THE FOLLOWING ATTACK: MELEE, FIRE, ADJACENT, 1
TARGET, FTH.

FUNDAMENTALS: MURDER MONSTRANCE

At the beginning of violence, the Murderglave chooses either KALAKATRI or MALAUN,
taking upon their aspect. They can shift into the other Aspect by spending 1 Technique.

0 MAKAYAO/MAHAKALA: Multiple hands, Murderous Intent, Peaceful Smile. While

in this aspect, gain +1 POS AND RES, but -1 BRV and FTH. Whenever you suffer Hits,
they gain 1 Murder Charge, which can stack to a max of 4.
0 ST. QALI/KALAKATRI: Wicked Grin, Burning Eyes, Razor Weapons. While in this
aspect, gain +1 BRV and FTH, but -1 POS and RES. Whenever you make a melee
attack, you may consume X Murder Charges to add X Hits on the Violence Cast.
ONE WITH MURDER: When reduced to 0 HP, roll BRV + FTH, healing 1 HP per 9+
rolled. This only triggers 1/Violence.
Saint Qali is the Fell Lady of Murder, known as Mahadiwa Kalakatri Duumanun
in the religions of the Central Sword Isles. Bloody Handed Redemption teaches
all Murderglaves to properly channel them by piercing themselves. A
Murderglave channeling Saint Qali is sheathed in night blackness, like a
penitent veil, choking them as the one million hands of Kalakatri reach out into
the field. Murderglave armors are living iron maidens: they have spikes that dig
deeper into the host, so that one never forgets their lifelong penitence, their
pain, their sin for inflicting such violence upon this world.
Mahakala is a forgotten aspect of Bloody Handed Redemption, but Ba-enon
Murderglaves remember. Mahakala is the ancient destroyer aspect of BATALA-
MALAUN, who together, creates The Time That Destroys, or Inevitability. He is
conflated with MAKAYAO, the Child of God who has died once and will return to
bring the ending of all things, known also as the Inevitability Maitreya.

262
 KADUNGGANAN
MURDERGLAVE MASTERIES
I
Sinful Blade
"You must remember the pain of this, of trying to discover
who you are. For now, keep quiet, fester in your trauma."
"Sister, is this healthy?"
"Healthy? God no. But you are not here to be healthy. You
are here to love yourself."
PASSIVE
After dealing damage, you may lose 1 HP to deal +1
Hit, 1/Beat.
ACTIVE SUMMERS 56
MELEE, EARTH, ADJACENT, 1 TARGET, FTH. TARGET CANNOT LEAVE
YOUR ADJACENCY 2.
II Scarlet Edge of Love
Perfect your passion and let it cool. Others might let their
passion flare and burn and it will peter out, as all fires do.
You? You have tempered it, forged it into steel. This is a
technique perfected by Saint Sagrado, who traveled the
island chain known as Jamiyun Kulisa’s arrows to learn
from the sorcerers of Batu Perairan. He was killed for his
heresy, and in his divine suicide he destroyed a cathedral
in both a final act of atonement and to spite the Church,
which had become nothing more but power-hungry
capitalists who cling to the destructive Masteries of the
Pale Kings. His shade still wanders Virbanwa’s
countryside.
PASSIVE
Interject 3: When a fighter moves into your
adjacency, you may spend an Interject to
immediately slide them 1.
ACTIVE SUMMERS 6
CHOOSE 1 FIGHTER IN RANGE 3, AND TETHER THEM WITH YOUR
BLOOD. WHENEVER THEY MAKE AN ATTACK THTA DOES NOT INCLUDE
YOU, YOU MAY PULL THEM 1 SQ. IF THIS BRINGS THEM INTO YOUR
ADJACENCY, YOU MAY IMMEDIATELY INFLICT VIOLENCE. THE TETHER
LASTS UNTIL THEY SPEND 2 TECHNIQUES TO REMOVE IT.
III
Sibat Caligo
Bloody Handed Redemption sings of horrible, horrible
love. A love that forces you to give too much of yourself.
This is the love of lowly mortals that toil evermore.
Evisceration is nothing to the gods, but everything to us.
Death is spoken of in soft tunes, like a lover.
PASSIVE
When you fall to Critical for the first time in a Violence,
gain 3 Block immediately.
ACTIVE SUMMERSSUMMERS 6
AREA, WATER, LINE 5, ALL TARGETS, SAFE, FTH, BRV+FTH IF YOU ARE
CRITICAL.
263
IV Blackened God Body
Saint Qali is based on an ancient Issohappan wariorress
who offered her life in exchange for her queen’s freedom.
She was the last bulwark against the encroaching
invasion of Issohappa. She became beatified for dying for
her queen to appease the warriors of her kingdom, and
due to her bloodthirst against the Pale Kings, became the
Patron Saint of Murderers and Penitents. When the Pale
Kings went through the northern central region of
Rusunuga they did the same with the faithfuls of
Kalakatri, who wielded giant kalises that could bleed even
rocks. Kalakatri’s imagery was subsumed with Saint Qali,
including her night skin, her triad eyes, and her four arms
wielding blades.
PASSIVE
When you are the target of a melee attack, turn 1
Whiff on the Attack Teeth into a Hit against the
attacker.
ACTIVE SUMMERSSUMMERS 6
LOSE 1 HP. CLEANSE ALL CHOSEN STATUSES FROM YOURSELF,
REGAIN THE USE OF 1 MASTERY ON COOLDOWN, AND THEN
INFLICT COWARD 2 ON ALL ENEMIES IN BURST 2 OF YOU.
ENLIGHTENMENT
V
Dalagang Bakal
Makayao’s death promises the end of all things, and so
you bring it with you. As your bladed armor bites into your
skin you remember your penitence. How do you have
square for Want?
Mahadiwa Kalakatri Duumanun has never been one for
atonement. Only when framed by the Ashen Star religion
does she understand. In Virbanwa, Mahadiwa Kalakatri
Duumanun is known as Saint Qali, Patron of Vengeance.
She doesn’t like it herself. Who are they to name her
differently? She cares not, of course. She knows her name,
what mortals call her does not change her nature. Thus is
the truth of nature.
The Dalagang Bakal bleeds. Murderglave armors are living
iron maidens: they have spikes that dig deeper into the
host, so that one never forgets their lifelong penitence,
their pain, their sin for inflicting such violence upon this
world. This technique was crafted by the First
Murderglave, Saint Lorenzo, who died performing it. His
armor still exists somewhere in the Sword Isles, with his
corpse kept within, as the Church considered it heresy to
keep it in their vaults, and has since thrown it away. \
PASSIVE
You have a Shadow of Murder dancing about you. All
enemies adjacent are Dazed. When forcibly moved,
you can let the shadow move instead. Anything done
to the Shadow automatically applies to you, the
Shadow doesn't have a Beat nor HP.
ACTIVE
ON PULSE 4+, 1 TECHNIQUE. IMMEDIATELY TAKE 1 HIT FROM ALL
ENEMIES, THEN INFLICT PROVOKE 3 AND COWARD 3. YOU BECOME
SIZE 2. ALL MELEE ATTACKS YOU DO BECOME FTH+BRV.
 KADUNGGANAN

Senapati
���т
Disciples of the Conquering King, Peerless Tacticians, Practitioner
of the Martial Art of Commandment and Strategy, Ministers of the
Battlefield

264
 KADUNGGANAN

LORE
Be who you must be, Warlord. Senapati are born from blood spilled and shed on
the battlefield, that wretched hive of violence. With formidable tactics and peerless
knowledge of the field, they guide their allies to victory.
Senapati is the common term for commander-at-arms of a Datu, someone who
is the Datu’s right hand man, who handles the statistics of armies and war bands
and makes sure morale is high. They know the skills of their allies, and they make
sure that their warband is optimized, ensuring victory in raids. They hire singers
that will sing epics and songs to their armies, securing triumph and the favor of
both the umalagad and the epics. In the battlefield, they master supreme tactics
and inspiring speeches to ensure victory.
The first Senapati is said to be the great first Conquering King, Rajaraya Pintas,
who blew open the sky-gates and spoke with the Sky God Si Gurang Tungko, the
elder Sky God, son of the Ancient Formless Sky (who is crowned in majesty but is
overwhelmingly humbled as he seeks his wife who has left him). Rajaraya Pintas
was an ancient demigiant who accomplished the feat of Heaven-Conquest due to
his peerless leading skill. His headwrap, the Batara Pudong, burns with the ancient
knowledges of compassion and benevolence, as despite being a Conquering King,
he was only able to conquer the sky with the strength of his allies.
To become a Senapati, one does not exactly need to be the right hand of the Datu.
Senapati are trained and honed in the battlefield: anyone who gains an intuitive
ability to inspire their allies, pull off impressive tactical displays, and learn the
strengths and weaknesses of their comrades are viable to become Senapati. Of
course, there are various masters of the 180 Strikes of the Conquering King can
and will help: entire settlements have been built around the mastery of that grand
martial art, wherein each Strike is less an attack and more of a tactical move.
Senapati are common across the isles now, even though they as a formal tradition
arose during the Lakan Conspiracy, when they needed to rally warriors and to
marshal tactics required to bring down the Pale King Hegemony. Senapati have
always existed even before then: the title is an ancient one, belonging to the oldest
of oldest of kingdoms, written and passed down in unweatherable copperplate.
Senapati are warlords of warbands, but Panglima are commanders of warrior
armies. Laksamana, a name shared by an ancient monkey god-king that killed
Maharajah Lawana in Banjarmasir, is the term for admiral of a sea warband. With
the rise of sky barges, the term Galura, a term for the spawn of the great Eagle
God Garuda, has become used as a term for sky admirals.
However, with the arrival of the Issohappans, the many Senapati stole a great
number of techniques from the Issohappans and incorporated them into the 180
Strikes. From the Issohappans they took the idea of military academies, creating
burgeoning warriors and warlords that can change the world.
If you become a Senapati, ask yourself why you lead your allies into inevitable
violence. Your skills are fine tuned for the bloodshed caused in combat. Do you
revel in the melee? Do you see yourself as a god of the battlefield? Why? Why have
you chosen to be a creature of battle, a master of war yet beholden by it?

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 KADUNGGANAN

Style: Medium DISCIPLINE BOOSTS

Martial Art: Conquering King Arts
Tempo Die: d10 +1 HP, +1 BRV, +1 POS, +1 SPD

INFLICT VIOLENCES
0Sword. MELEE, METAL, ADJACENT, 1 TARGET, BRV, INFLICT SLOW 1.
0Bodyong. CHOOSE 1 ALLY WITHIN 3 SQUARES. THEY MAY INFLICT VIOLENCE.
0Empty Hand. MELEE, EARTH, ADJACENT, 1 TARGET, BRV, PUSH 1, ONE ALLY THAT
YOU CAN SEE CAN SHIFT 1.

FUNDAMENTALS: CONQUERING KING TEACHINGS

You perfect the Conquering King's Teachings. At the beginning of Violence, gain 2
Commands. When you Second Wind or for 1 Technique, you can gain 1 Command. You
can only have up to 5 Command at a time.
At any point, you can immediately spend any number of Command to do the following,
with X being the number of Command spent:
0 General's Crown: Heal one ally in range 2 equal to BRV + X.
0 Bravura's Sword: Give 1 ally in range 3 +X to their BRV on their next attack.
0 Maverick's Shield: Give 1 ally in range 3 +X to their POS against the next attack.
0 Charging Lancer: Let 1 ally in range 3 shift X.
The Conquering King Art was said to have been codified by Rajaraya Pintas, the
First Lord, after he returned to the earth and traveled it even as the Cycles of
Violence flowed. He gave it to those that would have the Bloody Want strong
enough to conquer heaven once again, and find a means to end the Cycle of
Violence. Each Strike is at the same time a proclamation, a Mastery, and a
commandment. Yet Rajaraya Pintas learned one thing as he conquered heaven:
that he could not do it alone.

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 KADUNGGANAN
SENAPATI MASTERIES
I
Blade Mandates
Rajraya Pintas’ greatest student, Ilakat Salandra, was said
to have perfected what the Rajaraya could not in the
beginning: she perfected the form of being one with your
warband, coordination and cooperation with one another.
They moved as one, and she became the warband’s
burning spirit, one with Nihawa.
PASSIVE
When an ally starts their Beat within burst 1 of you,
they gain Sharpness on their next attack, 1/Beat.
ACTIVE SUMMERS 456
MELEE, METAL, ADJACENT, 1 TARGET, BRV, CHOOSE TWO ALLIES
WITHIN 3 SQ. THEY GAIN CULTIVATE 2.
II Shield Strategy
Like Laksaman, the Monkey Warlord General, you lead
others to victory, even against those unkillable. Bring to
bear the great commander of our times, Laksaman, who
led monkey kings to create bridges, and sailed the
thunders to reach heaven.
PASSIVE
At the end of your Riff, 1 adjacent ally can gain 1
Block.
ACTIVE SUMMERS 6
TAKE ON THE LAKSAMAN STANCE UNTIL YOU SUFFER 2+ HITS ON A
SINGLE ATTACK. ALL ALLIES ADJACENT TO YOU WHILE YOU HAVE
LAKSAMAN STANCE IGNORE THE 1ST HIT AGAINST THEM FROM ANY
ATTACK.
III
Raja Palms
After Rajaraya Pintas learned what he never could grasp
from his student, he began asking Ilakat Salandra to
teach what she had learned to the rest of the world, and
so she did. She taught cooperation, diplomacy, a
continued and cooperative violence that can be the only
road to true peace. Not peace in word only, not peace for
one or for some, but rather, a peace for all. “To achieve
true peace, one must give up one’s self in some aspects.
There is enough for us in this world.”
PASSIVE
When you fall to 0 HP, all allies in the battlefield
gain +1 Technique on their next Beat. This triggers
only 1/Violence.
ACTIVE SUMMERSSUMMERS 6
INFLICT VIOLENCE, THEN ALL ALLIES THAT YOU CAN SEE CAN ALSO
INFLICT VIOLENCE.
267
IV
God Tactics
“The cosmos, the sky, the heavens and the earths and the
hells: they will pass, fade away, like sand washed away by
the waves of time. And our kind, all we do is fight. We
engage in such violence that the gods look away, and the
devils bow down in the grandeur of our bloodshed. Like a
river, it flows. It ever cycles: our violence flows to the sea
of time, and then simply returns to the peak of the
mountain through the rain. Will there ever be a time that
our warring nations will achieve peace? Or is peace
simply not a portion of our nature? Who is to dictate our
nature?
I bring this spear and shield before you, great Brother
Thunderbolt, so that I may slay you, and perhaps I will
free my people from this horrible cycle. The river flows,
Diwasin Kilat, God of Lightning, but perhaps I can stop
it.” - The Song of the Rajaraya
PASSIVE
Interject 2: When you are attacked by a melee or
ranged attack, spend Interject to slide 1 ally that you can
see by 2 sq, and then they can inflict violence on the
fighter attacking you, if they can. However, you lose all
Defends you roll on the Violence Cast.
ACTIVE SUMMERSSUMMERS 6
ALL ALLIES IN BURST 2 OF YOU GAIN OVERWHELMING ON THEIR NEXT
ATTACK.
ENLIGHTENMENT
Kinghood
V
“For many datu in the isles, some sort of divinity is a
useful claim to royalty. This is because a ruler’s
powerbase in the isles depend on how much virtue or
merit the commonfolk see that you have. If they realize
that another, different warrior-brave or king has a more
powerful claim to royalty, whether it be divine heritage,
bloodline, or superior ultraviolence, then they will switch
allegiance on a dime, following the more powerful one.
Why would you follow a non-virtuous person? If you
followed a virtuous leader, then you will cultivate virtue
yourself.” - Sermons on Virtue and Rulership by Sri
Kadasiga Mahawagas
PASSIVE
Your adjacency is increased to all squares within
range 2 of you, instead of just everything within 1 sq
of you.
ACTIVE
ON PULSE 4+, YOU MAY SPEND 2 TECHNIQUES TO GIVE ALL ALLIES’
NEXT ATTACK SKEWERING AND OVERWHELMING.
 KADUNGGANAN

Sword Saint
�n� es��
Artists whose souls have been cut in twain.
Swordsmen that will complete the cutting motion of
existence.

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 KADUNGGANAN

LORE
Sword Saints are the faithful patrons, preachers, and priests who worship the
violent aspect of Makagagahum, Makaubos, and pray to Gattalim, the
intercessor of swords, to bring their woes to God. Makaubos is the aspect of
God who will arrive at the end of all things. He will cleanse it in a single blood
tornado of steel and gnashing of teeth.
Sword Saints are given the Blade Commission: they must travel from
settlement to settlement to teach the word and truth of the Ashen Star, the
upcoming Edge Eschatology, or as they call it: the Paguubos, the emptying of
the land. They are taught extensively the Masteries of the Sword, and their
primary conviction is this: “All things will be cut in the end by Makaubos. We
are the end.”
Those that follow the aspect of Makaubos are also taught extensively the ways
and arts of their God’s violent and jealous aspect, which they say is the human
state of their God, as all things have the binary states of man and nature.
Through communion and following the 77 Sword Tenets of Gattalim, they
sharpen their souls until they turn their very spirits into blades. Sharper than
any other soul, they will never find love, for those that try to embrace a Sword
Soul will be bisected.
Sword Saints are seen as strangers and outsiders by the settlements. Those of
Apumbukid see them as bastards, mindless, idiots. That they have turned
themselves into “Swords” is stupid, for they have honed themselves to be
Swords that Kill, not Swords that Cut. In essence, they are useless, and forever
will be.
The truth of all things is much more complicated, of course. The Sword Saint
was once a different Discipline, now rent in half, like the bisection that it truly
is. Sword Saints that practice the opposite philosophy exist in Ba-e, born from
the Blade Gospel’s original form.
The Blade Gospel was once simply the Blade Song. It has since been changed,
now, once the Ashen Star Priests took hold of it. Many of the original followers
of the Blade Song created the Blade Weaving after splitting from them, while
those that chose to become warriors for the new Ashen Star religion created
the Blade Gospel.
However, very recently, a larger portion of these martial artists have broken
apart from the Ashen Star and have begun following a rural folk syncretism of
Ashen Star Masteries and the ancient religions of northern Rusunuga. These
martial artists, in an act of hard-headed defiance, keep both the name Sword
Saint and Blade Gospel and teach in pagodas in Ba-e as well as the communal
feasts of Gatusan. They are revivalists of the original Blade Song, which sing
the true Blade Gospel: “the might of the sword-used-to-kill must be used with
justice and compassion, lest it be nothing but the very thing that causes the
Wheel of Violence to turn.” These revivalists are commonly known as
Graceless, while those faithful to the Ashen Star Blade Commission are those
Graced.
If you choose to be a Sword Saint, your soul has been sharpened into a killing
sword. Your soul kills you. Once you achieve peace, you become worthless. Will
you survive enlightenment?

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 KADUNGGANAN

Style: Sharpshooter DISCIPLINE BOOSTS

Martial Art: Blade Gospel
Tempo Die: d4 +1 BRV, +2 FTH, +1 SPD

INFLICT VIOLENCES
0Bladewind. RANGED, AIR, RANGE 4, 1 TARGET, FTH.
0Sword. AREA, METAL, LINE 5, ALL TARGETS, FTH.
0Dagger. MELEE, METAL, CLOSE, 1 TARGET, FTH, INFLICT EVISCERATE 1.

FUNDAMENTALS: SWORD|SOUL
At the start of violence, take on a single Sword Form.
You can only change Sword Forms by spending 1 Technique, 1/Riff.

0 Gospel Swordstance of Amaley/Bladesong Form of Apolaki: All your area

attacks have +1d.
0 Gospel of Amacor/Bladevesper of Mayari: You may teleport 1 after making an
area attack.
0 Gospel of Azaragoe/Bladehymn of Tala: When you are the target of a melee attack
from adjacent, you may perform a dagger inflict violence before the attack, 1/Riff.
“The Principle of the Sword is this: if your soul is not sharp enough to cut your
own flesh, then you have not learned the true principle of the sword. The
Principle of Gattalim is this: if your flesh is cut by your own soul, then you have
achieved the Sword Nirvana: that you are now worthless and harm all those
around you. Have you ever noticed why you cannot cut down trees with your
techniques?” – The 77 Tenets of Gattalim
Cut.
“The Principle of Diwahati, the diwata who lives in all Bisections, is this: we are
cause-effect, love-evisceration. We are both bisected and the whole. Therefore
the Sword’s final Mastery is this: who are we but all in that eternal process of the
cut? The cut ends when we die, this is the final Mastery of our truths. We are in
a perpetual cutting motion: that is life. Changing and hurting and dying.
Therefore apply this cutting motion to everything else: to bamboo, to politics, to
datu, to love. For what else are we but bisections?”

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 KADUNGGANAN
SWORD SAINT MASTERIES
I
Blades of Makaubos
| Lawana Shrikes
All at once a prayer and a spell. With an intercession to
Gattalim, Pintakasi (Patron Saint Intercessor) of Blades,
Makaubos allows his blades to circle around the target of
your scorn, ready to bring them down.
PASSIVE
Whenever you end your Riff with Techniques left,
gain X Blades equal to the number of Techniques
unspent. While you have Blades, you are considered
as having SHELL.
ACTIVE SUMMERS 456
RANGED, METAL, RANGE 5, 1 TARGET, FTH (+X) WITH X BEING THE
NUMBER OF BLADES SPENT.
II
Sword Judas |
Self Acceptance
Preach the Blade Gospel: be as a sword, indiscriminate and
betraying. This is one of the first techniques learned by
Sword Saints. This is because to become a sword you must
first betray yourself. The perfection of this technique is a
recalling of its past version in the Bladesong: becoming
the Sword is to realize one’s self, the perfection of
mindfulness within one’s place in nature.
PASSIVE
Interject 1: When you are the target of a melee or
ranged attack, spend this Interject to change the
target to any target in range 3.
ACTIVE SUMMERSSUMMERS 6
YOU SLASH A BLAZING LINE THROUGH THE BATTLEFIELD: RANGED,
FIRE, LINE 5, FTH, INFLICT SUNDER 2.
III
Sidereal Rosary |
BATALA’s Star
"Aba, aba, gunitain ka makapangyarihang Makayao! You
died for us, we are not worthy of you. Let your corpse bled
dry cover us, let the shadow of your torture wrap around
us and bring us bliss upon this land of sorrows! Let your
broken ribs be my sword, your shattered halo my shield!"
You strike in the form of an Asterfix where great Makayao,
the Son of God, was bled and dried until his corpse became
desiccated and mummified
PASSIVE
When you inflict Hits on an area attack, inflict
Eviscerate 1.
ACTIVE SUMMERSSUMMERS 6
AREA, METAL, BLAST 5, ALL TARGETS, SAFE, BRV+FTH
271
IV Thunderhead Keens | Diwahati
Eviscerates Makaubos
You let the tension rise, and the perfect slashing moment
approaches, fulminates, echoes. All sound is dulled away,
and the only thing you can hear is the screaming keening
thunderhead as it reaches an unstoppable crescendo and
you
cut.
This is the mastery taught by the peerless master of
sword-murder Alberto Sakaran Penitente, who was
bisected in the process.
The Bladesong cares for beginnings, for origins. The Blade
Gospel is the eschatology, the perfection of circles: the
pure end. Therefore: the Blade Gospel sings of the end
times, when Makaubos the Great Devourer will descend
upon the world with his Gleaming Sidereal Sword and all
things will become cut. The Blade Gospel meditates on
that eschatology, and the higher echelons of Blade Gospel
training includes movements that emulate this story.
PASSIVE
When you teleport, inflict 1 True Hit against all
adjacent enemies.
ACTIVE SUMMERS 6
YOU GAIN SHEATHED. WHILE SHEATHED, YOU CANNOT MAKE ANY
ATTACKS, BUT WHENEVER YOU WOULD MOVE VOLUNTARILY YOU CAN
CHOOSE TO TELEPORT THAT MUCH INSTEAD. YOU MAY END
SHEATHED BY INFLICTING VIOLENCE, IN WHICH CASE YOU GAIN
OVERWHELMING FOR THAT ATTACK.
ENLIGHTENMENT
V Gleaming Saiva Sword
There is a secret importance to the Sword dichotomy of
the intense study of the blade (to the detriment of
everything else). The Bladesong once sang of the Great
Unity which contained Dichotomy: unity is thus balance,
and balance is achieved with two things against each
other. Cause-Effect is a single thing that is not separate
from each other: therefore they are not two different
things but rather two parts of the same whole. This is
exemplified in the beginning of time, where all of
existence was nothing but Sky and Sea, both devoid of
color or light, an endless undulation, a chaotic dialogue of
winds and waves. The Sky and Sea was not separate but
part of the same whole, that is the Chaos, the First Cause-
Effect. Thus is the importance of learning the Cutting Art
of the Sword: the Sword exemplifies that anything that is
2 was once 1, simply cut in twain.
PASSIVE
When you make an attack, inflict a Cut on 1 target.
When they reach 3 Cuts, those converge on the
target and they suffer 1 True Hit, and then lose all
Cuts.
ACTIVE
SPEND 2 TECHNIQUES TO HALVE THE HP OF ALL
FIGHTERS IN THE FIELD THAT HAVE CUTS.
 KADUNGGANAN

Ba-e Disciplines

272
272
KADUNGGANAN

273
273
 KADUNGGANAN

��k �l�n
Flower Balyan
Channelers and Priests of the Sampaguita: the Jasmine of
Death and the Ancestors, Speakers of the Departed,
Ministers of Blessed Flower Corpses

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 KADUNGGANAN

LORE
Flower Balyan channel the little and large gods of death.
Flower Balyan are a specialized martial clan of balyan that have focused
on speaking with the recently killed. More and more necromancers have
been born during the beginning of the Seventh Star Era due to the rapid
rise in violence, and subsequently, death. The wandering kalag of those
recently departed all cry the same thing: Where is the justice? When will
it end?
Flower Balyan are usually, but not strictly, those alabay when they were
younger, or shaman apprentices. Through this they learn the foremost
important necromancy ritual: the ritual of pag-uli. Through this, they
may be able to resurrect a person if their kalag is close enough. If not,
then they would perform the rituals to send off the kalag to their final
resting place. Flower Balyan are a step forward. They took this advantage
during the rise of killing through violence, which has caused many kalag
to not be sent properly to the afterlife.
Flower Balyan use the iconic sampaguita flower--the flower one would
smell if a beloved one’s ghost who has passed away is near you--to
promise a better end: they will grant them peace, but only if they do one
final request for them. Once the kalag or soul has agreed, they will be
bound to a sampaguita. Once that kalag has been used, the sampaguita
must be planted to the ground, wherein it withers and then dies, finishing
the elaborate pag-uli ritual.
Flower Balyan use the kalag bound to their sampaguita to perform things
usually thought of as blasphemous: they animate bones and flesh (not of
tawo, however), they grant life to their allies, and they sap away at
enemies’ vitality.
Balyan see them in a negative light. Thus, Flower Balyan are much rarer
than the usual balyan. In a very real sense, Flower Balyan are simply
warrior-priestesses who have absorbed the Masteries of death and used
it to gain an edge. This kind of thinking is something Ba-e obviously loves,
and they patronized and hired Flower Balyan alongside balyan in their
polities. Only the most traditionalist of balyan sneer at them.
Unfortuantely, that is still the majority. Dealing in matters of death is
anathema to them, is too close to the sorceries of the aswang. Despite
this, Flower Balyan follow the tenets of Dalankalag to the bitter end, the
spiritual Path of the Soul.
If you become a sampaguita necromancer, you bring with you at all times
your cord of sampaguita. Why do you carry it? Is it atonement? You lay
to rest those that are dead, but can you ever give your own soul respite?

275
 KADUNGGANAN

Style: Witch DISCIPLINE BOOSTS

Martial Art: Flower Necromancy
Tempo Die: d10 +2 FTH, +1 RES, +1 SPD

INFLICT VIOLENCES
0Sampaguita Wreath: RANGED, EARTH, RANGE 4, 1 TARGET, FTH, INFLICT FRAY 1.
0Flower Knife: RANGED, EARTH, RANGE 2, 1 TARGET, FTH, SLIDE 2
0Flower Mantra: RANGED, Air, Range 3, 2 Targets, FTH, INFLICT EVISCERATE 1.

FUNDAMENTALS: FLOWER GARDEN

Place a seed in a square adjacent to you for 1 Technique. At the end of your Riff, it
blossoms into one of the following: difficult terrain, dangerous terrain, tall grass
terrain, tree, vine.
Flower Balyan very often cultivate gardens of their own, either in their own houses
or perhaps in their own settlements. These gardens are pieces of wonder, though
their most striking part will always be a corpse flower in the middle of it all. Flower
Balyan are fond of sampaguita, or jasmines, as they are the flowers of the dead.
They cultivate the gardens because it is very often taught that to take a life, you
must bring something else to life.

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 KADUNGGANAN
FLOWER BALYAN MASTERIES
I Thorn Witchery
Kinahalas-un is an ancient balyan who learned the
secrets of ancient necromancy and decay. She
crafted a thorn, which has since become a primary
offensive technique of all Flower Balyan, who
practice it and then learn to apply it as covetously
and as hidden as possible, woven between sung
incantations and empty hand forms.
PASSIVE
You may mark a target when you hit them with
a ranged attack. Whenever you make an earth
attack, inflict 1 Hit on all your marks, 1/Beat.
ACTIVE SUMMERS 56
CHOOSE 1 TARGET IN RANGE 4. INFLICT FRAY 4. IF THEY
ALREADY HAVE FRAY, INFLICT SLOW 2.
II
Sanguine Vines
The Mandurugo is the vampire orchid, which drains
blood from one’s veins and applies it as spiritual
healing upon others. It is exceedingly rare, and is
popular for healing datu by sacrificing slaves.
PASSIVE
When you Slide a target and they collide, they
suffer +1 Hit.
ACTIVE SUMMERS 6
RANGED, EARTH, RANGE 4, TARGET 1, FTH, SLIDE 3, IF THE
TARGET COLLIDES WITH A FIGHTER, THEY BECOME STUN 1.
III
Fire Gumamela
Gather motes of crimson santan, crush them, and
pray to let the vengeful dead burn the thickets. A
mentala that summons a burning foliage. It is
wrapped in phantom flame.
PASSIVE
All fighters marked by you suffer -1 to their
Tempo Roll.
ACTIVE SUMMERSSUMMERS 6
CHOOSE 1 SQUARE IN RANGE 3. A BURST 1 FIELD OF BURNING
TERRAIN ERUPTS FROM IT. ALL ENEMIES IN THE BURST
SUFFER 1 TRUE HIT.
IV
Flower Corpse Grasp
Corpse Flower Necromancy has part of a shaman
initiation rite baked into their training. They are taught
to practice and learn the ways of the spirits, to
communicate with them, and to give extra reverence–
even more so than usual priests and shamans do–due to
their own trespasses brought about by learning their
Martial Art. Flower Necromancers therefore are
intimately connected to the societies of spirits.
PASSIVE
Every enemy that has at least 1 of your Marks cannot
be healed and cannot gain Sharpness through
flanking or vantage.
ACTIVE SUMMERSSUMMERS 56
AREA, EARTH, BURST 3, ALL TARGETS, SAFE, FTH+BRV, STOP 2
ENLIGHTENMENT
The Corpse Garden
V
Corpse flower necromancy is an art crafted by the first shaman that
dared tamper with the cycle of life, who realized the significance of
Flowers (particularly the Sampaguita) being the symbol for death in
the cultures across the Sword Isles. They were awarded by it, in the
long run, but the gods did not look kindly at their choosing. The
ancient Kadanay shaman Ya-o performed the first necromancy
ritual and created the first walking corpse. That Kadanay shaman
was a Kadungganan, whose Want for their loved one to return to life
forced them to go into extremes. In the end, they could not revive
them completely. For this transgression, Sumpoy, Grandchief of the
Underworld, cursed Ya-o to become an eternal corpse, never to die,
but never to live. Sumpoy forced him to fuse with his loved one, the
first walking corpse, and thus Ya-o became the First Necromancer
To Have Never Died.
PASSIVE
Whenever a fighter is Defeated in the field, gain 1
Soulflower. You start violence with 2 Soulflowers.
ACTIVE
FOR 1 TECHNIQUE, YOU MAY SPEND X SOULFLOWERS TO SUMMON X NUMBER OF
MALANHIG, RAISED CORPSES, IN AN ADJACENT SQ. THEY ARE CONSIDERED SIZE 1
FIGHTERS. THEY HAVE NO RIFFS. LET THEM STRIDE FOR 1 TECHNIQUE. THEY SHARE
YOUR OTHER TRAITS. AT THE END OF YOUR RIFF, THEY PERFORM THEIR COMMAND.
YOU CAN KEEP SUMMONING MALANHIG AS LONG AS YOU HAVE SOULFLOWERS IN A
FIGHT.
0 FLOWER MALANHIG: 6 HP, 3 SPD, 1 JMP. COMMAND: THE MALANHIG DRAINS
1 HP FROM AN ENEMY IN RANGE 3 AND GIVES IT TO YOU AS HEALING.
0 HIBISCUS BRUTE: 10 HP, 2 SPD, 1 JMP. COMMAND: THE HIBISCUS BRUTE
INFLICTS UNBALANCE 2 ON AN ADJACENT ENEMY.
0 PEAFLOWER CORPSE: 6 HP, 2 SPD, 2 JMP. COMMAND: THE PEAFLOWER
CORPSE INFLICTS 1 TRUE HIT ON AN ENEMY IN RANGE 4.
0 LITTLE ONES: 2 HP, 4 SPD, 3 JMP. COMMAND: YOU CAN REDUCE A LITTLE ONE
TO 0 HP. WHENEVER A LITTLE ONE FALLS TO 0 HP, THEY EXPLODE INTO FLORAL
SPIKES, INFLICTING 1 TRUE HITS ON ALL ADJACENT ENEMIES.
277
 KADUNGGANAN

Heavenspear
��n ���w
Renders of Heaven, Denouncers of Kings, Cloud Surfers,
Ever Alight Javelins, Attainment of Minor Enlightenment

278
 KADUNGGANAN

LORE
No gods, no rulers. This is the first Mastery of the Piercers of Heaven.
Their Masteries then go on to teach of the great unbreaking, that
unlashing from the earth, that great wind-calling. With a flex of your
kalag, a honing of your Kinaadman, an expression of Gahum, you can fly
upon silk wings to sail the clouds.
The first Heavenspear was Sarripada Pak-an. To fend off an incoming Akai
raid, they rode upon catapults, and when the war barges sounded, they
launched themselves into the air, sailing across the sky, and rending sails
from masts and inflicting chaos upon the raiders.
The Sarripada would continue to do this until one day, he launched
himself so high that he spoke with Lawu, the great eagle that will eat the
sun. The eagle took him into his clutches and showed him the seven
heavens, at the top of which there was no throne but simply infinite bliss.
When asked why there was no great god that ruled over them all, the Eagle
responded: “Rulership is a mistake and a lie built by your ancestors and
descendants. Rejoice in the glory of combat.”
Sarripada Pak-an descended back into the earth upon a silken kite that he
had fashioned himself with the help of biraddali--rainbow-winged angels-
-from one of the seven heavens. With this, he fought like a hawk,
swooping and killing and destroying boats.
After fending off that particular raid, he returned to the cliff where his
catapult was, and he broke it. With an intonation of his Kinaadman, he
detached himself free from the earth. And upon this blasphemy against
the natural order he founded a house of sky-warriors, and called them the
Heavenspears. The Heaven Rending Style is then the truth of your
Kinaadman: unbind yourself from the tyrant-gods of the earth, who lash
you down to the ground.
“No thrones, rend heaven and hell.” As a Heavenspear, you are taught the
Heaven-Rending Arts. These are a set of techniques that let you reflexively
move about the air as if there were innumerable platforms about you,
using your spirit to bounce off of thin air. This, combined with a martial
art focused on using polearms, makes the Heavenspear adept at staying
at range but also quick. Their unorthodox angles of attack has been the
downfall of many warbands.
If you become a Heavenspear, ask yourself: with your enlightened
knowledge of there being no Over God, why do you fight? Do you fight for
liberation, so that all men can fly across the sky? Or do you fight for more
selfish reasons? You rend the sky but make sure that your spear thrust is
true, from your heart, and not from your doubts.

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 KADUNGGANAN

Style: Raider DISCIPLINE BOOSTS

Martial Art: Heaven Rending Arts
Tempo Die: d10 +2 SPD, +2 JMP

INFLICT VIOLENCES
0Spear. MELEE, METAL, LINE 2, ALL TARGETS, BRV
0Throwing Blade. RANGED, AIR, RANGE 3, 1 TARGET, BRV
0Empty Hand. MELEE, EARTH, CLOSE, 1 TARGET, BRV, SHIFT 1

FUNDAMENTALS: UNBINDING
You now benefit from Vantage for melee attacks. Additionally, when you shift, you
fly for the duration of the movement. When you shift, gain Cultivate 1.
The final lie is the Earth-Binding. That one must stay bound to the earth. That
one must fall down. BATALA, the Absolute Reality, tells that this reality is
nothing but phenomenon that we can overcome. However, to achieve that, they
must learn the truth of the Waling-Waling Surat: that they themselves are not
real. That they travel and can perform feats of grand God-killing because reality
as they know it is a structure of their own souls crafting reality around them.
Only then can they truly unchain themselves from the shackles of the earth.

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HEAVENSPEAR MASTERIES
I
Hornbill Step
A technique mastered by winged eaglefolk Nawilani, who
perfected it when they resolved to ignore their weakness
as someone that cannot fly. The Heavenspear is not
impeded by the battlefield. All obstacles are simply things
that must be vaulted over. Heavenspear Hinalus sped
through an entire forest to strike at a warrior resting
within the mouth of a river.
PASSIVE
Interject 3: When a fighter moves or is moved
within burst 2 of you, you may shift 1.
ACTIVE SUMMERS 56
SHIFT 3 IN A STRAIGHT LINE, AND THEN MAKE THE FOLLOWING
ATTACK: MELEE, AIR, ADJACENT, 1 TARGET, BRV, JUGGLE 2
II
Pinamaskan
In Gatusan, the Pinamaskan is an heirloom spear that is
important to the wielder, named and decorated with gold
flame inlays, and are usually longer and have longer
blades than the usual spears.
PASSIVE
When you are forcibly moved, you may shift 1 after the
forced movement.
ACTIVE SUMMERSSUMMERS 6
AREA, AIR, RANGE 3 BURST 1, BRV+FTH, INFLICT UNBALANCE 1.
III
Red-Light Beam
Like an ancient Epic hero, you whistle and call upon a red
light beam. This red light beam, called by others as the Ray
of Lawu, or the Eyes of Sumongsuklay, is said to be
judgment from the missing over-god. But what is
judgment without a judge?
PASSIVE
After attacking, you may shift 1.
ACTIVE SUMMERSSUMMERS 6
LEAP TO ANY SQUARE HIGHER THAN YOU IN THE BATTLEFIELD. YOUR
NEXT ATTACK AGAINST ANY TARGET ON A HEIGHT LOWER THAN YOU
BECOMES OVERWHELMING.
281
IV
Rising Lightning
Thundering will overcome you: you will never be
overhwelmed. Jamiyun Kulisa is the Brother Thunderbolt,
husband to Indira Suga, the Mother Sun. In the ancient of
days, the Sky Brother stepped upon the seven heavens and
reached the highest point of the sky. There he saw the
stars in the void, and realized that nothingness is part of
the supreme soul. With this enlightenment, he descended
into the earth, and thus thunder resounded for the first
time. Taught by Abusung Samudela, a once master of low
moving Skysea Raiding, he perfected this after mixing the
styles together, and created one of the most dangerous
attacks in Heaven Rending.
PASSIVE
Whenever you teleport, gain Haste 2.
ACTIVE SUMMERSSUMMERS 6
YOU MAY PUSH ONE ADJACENT FIGHTER 3 SQ, AND THEN TELEPORT
TO A SQUARE ADJACENT TO THEM AND THEN INFLICT VIOLENCE.
ENLIGHTENMENT
V
Heaven-Piercing
Plummet
That ultimate Mastery of Lawu, The Sun Eating Eagle:
impale the sun and make the sky bloody with rebellion.
With this, you become gathering storm clouds, waiting for
the perfect opportunity to strike. Then, like that lightning
dog, you descend upon the world. “There is no god, in fact
there is no self, there is only thought,” you state, as your
weapon pierces the heart of creation.
PASSIVE
You cannot suffer from Collide and you can move
through enemies.
ACTIVE
ON PULSE 4+, FOR 1 TECHNIQUE, YOU MAY REMOVE
YOURSELF FROM THE BATTLEFIELD AS YOU LEAP INTO
THE SKY. AT THE START OF YOUR NEXT RIFF, PLUMMET
INTO THE SQUARE OF ANY TARGET ON THE
BATTLEFIELD, DEALING BRV+FTH WITH
OVERWHELMING.
 KADUNGGANAN

Mender
�m��n
Healers of Sword, the Traveling Doctors, Masters of the
Convalescent Art

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LORE
Known as Tambalan [tam-BA-lan] in the isles, Menders are balyan who focus on their
studies of Dalankalag, the path of the soul, Dalanlikas, the path of nature, and Dalandiwa,
the path of essence. They pay less heed to Dalananito, the path of worship, and truly this has
led them to come at heads with other balyan. Menders travel the isles as healers and
doctors, and in recent times they have become even more in demand due to the rising
tensions of war and violence.
They specialize in healing physical and spiritual harm. Spiritual including any intellectual and
emotional damage. Most balyan coteries in a settlement now usually include Menders
among their ranks, always at the ready to heal. They have entire longhouses dedicated to
their patients, healing those wounded and cleansing of disease.
Menders in particular are trained to be desensitized to the atrocities of war and are meant
to fight in the frontlines. There they are trained to bring herbal remedies and other such
potions to quickly heal warriors and to bring them to top fighting form before anything else
can happen.
Not just that, but their knowledge of nature has them memorizing names of flora and fauna
and their functions when mixed with each other, something that balyan don’t exactly need
to do (but most of them do anyway). While in a venture, having a Mender is necessary to
avoid eating poisonous herbs or omen flowers, as well as finding a way to purify water and
make it potable. They do this with their clay pots and through burning of various herbs. They
learn various drugs to enhance the capabilities of their allies.
The first Mender was said to be none other than the panganitohan Sri Dewa Sarripada Agas.
The Mender, embodying the best of both masculine and feminine energies, learned to
combine the disparate parts of nature to create harmonifying tinctures. These healing
remedies became known as tambal. Thus the tambalan arose: those that used or worked
with tambal. They have knowledge of advanced healing techniques as well, although not as
broad in their expertise as balyan. They know the basics of hilot, and usually know the
correct oils to apply to the proper muscles.
Sri Dewa Sarripada Agas, known to many Menders as The Blue Man, as they manifested
before them when a Mender would first begin their journey. Each Mender is given a snake-
twin--something usually only given as a guardian spirit to specific chosen children--crafted
by Sri Dewa Sarripada Agas themself. Then they will explain that all tawo came from snake
within bamboo, and that the snake’s ability to shed is indicative of inherent regenerative
abilities within man. Thus, man was taught healing through natural means, instead of forced
regeneration.
Sri Dewa Sarripada Agas also taught the truth of the soul to the Mender: there are four
souls: The Vigor, The Power, The Thought, and finally The Immortal. The Vigor is the life
principle, known usually as Diwa. It is what makes us alive. The Power is that which can leave
us during our sleep, or can be filled with puhon, and is the soul that activates whenever
sorcery is used. Without The Power, we are like husks. Then there is the The Thought, which
can leave us if we do not cultivate proper spiritual and mental life. Staying alone for long
periods of time can cause this. Finally, The Immortal is the soul that collects all of our
thoughts and actions and personality. When we die, The Immortal travels to our chosen
afterlife, and can be called upon as ancestors.
Finally, Sri Dewa Sarripada Agas teaches that most ailments happen due to destruction and
imbalances within the soul caused by an element. Most ailments begin spiritual, and only
those powerful boil over into the physical, affecting us physically. The most grievous of
ailments, such as cutting and slashes and crushing blows, for example, is a perfect example
of the element of Space separating or pushing together the Vigor. Thus, Menders are taught
to heal the soul first, so that the physical may heal properly afterwards.

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Style: Medium DISCIPLINE BOOSTS

Martial Art: Palm of Rumsua
Tempo Die: d8 +2 HP, +1 POS, +1 RES

INFLICT VIOLENCES
0Palm. MELEE, EARTH, CLOSE, 1 TARGET, PUSH 4, FTH
0Sleeves. MELEE, METAL, ADJACENT, 1 TARGET, BRV, SLIDE 2
0Parasol. MELEE, METAL, ADJACENT, 1 TARGET, BRV, 1 ADJACENT ALLY GAINS PROTECT
1.

FUNDAMENTALS: CONCOCTIONS
You have the following Concoctions at the beginning of Violence. When you Second
Wind, recover 2 Concoctions. You can consume a Concoction at any point
immediately. Additionally, you may throw a Consumable as an interact to any fighter
in range 4, giving them the benefit of that consumable.
0 Healing Poultice: Heal one ally in range 2 equal to their Staggered Value.
0 Cleansing Potion: Cleanse one ally of all their Banes.
0 Elemental Herb: Give 1 ally in range 2 the ability to choose any element for their
next attack.
0 Turtle Oil: Give 1 ally in range 2 Block 2.
0 Rusting Component: Give 1 ally in range 2 the ability to make their next attack inflict
Weak 2.
All magical effects are just a matter of the correct combination of herbs,
knowledge of the soul, and twisting of your own ghost. As a master healer, use
this to your advantage, and channel Sri Dewa Sarripada Agas.

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MENDER MASTERIES
I Sickness Meridian IV
Potion
Fumigation You almost always know which herbs, foliage, and
ingredients to use to make sure that your items are
always topped up.
You have readied the appropriate healing prayers and
items to be able to bring about optimal healing upon your
allies. Proper salves heal The Vigor first and foremost, PASSIVE
before diving into the intricacies of an ailment. It is the You always start the fight with 1 Consumable of your
Vigor that keeps us from death, that keeps The Immortal choice, which breaks at the end of violence. Whenever
imprisoned within our bodies. you use a Consumable, you heal 1.
PASSIVE
ACTIVE SUMMERS 56
Whenever you heal an ally, give them +1 HP.
CHOOSE 1 TARGET WITH 2+ BOONS IN RANGE 3. CONVERT ALL OF
THE TARGET’S BOONS INTO WEAK 4 AND EVISCERATED 4, AND
ACTIVE SUMMERS 6
THEN INFLICT 1 TRUE HIT.
CHOOSE 1 TARGET IN RANGE 3. CLEANSE ALL BANES ON THEM,
INFLICT 1 HIT PER CLEANSED BANE ON EVERY ADJACENT ENEMY.

II
Ultrasoul Perfection ENLIGHTENMENT
A Mender clasps their hands together and produces a
healing oil made of crushed flowers, cinnamon bark, and
deepsea coral snake blood. The oil protects allies from the
effects of violence. With your other hand, you open your
Lunas
V

palm, and the Rumsua, an eye in the middle of your palm, Pagtambal is the act of healing. Its philosopher’s stone is
a symbol for health and soul strength, bursts through. You Lunas. Lunas is the panacea of the gods, made up of 20
slam it into your enemy, and you blast their soul from different herb leaves, 15 animal blood parts, 13 moth,
them. butterfly, and dragonfly wings, and 8 different healing
waters from 8 different springs, placed within a clay jarlet
PASSIVE engraved with the name of the healing diwata that helped
the Mender that brewed this lunas.
At the end of your Riff, 1 adjacent ally can cleanse 1 0 - Discord is an excuse for harmony. In the beginning all
Bane. things were harmonious. Assemble souls that have
become sundered from each other. Rejoin with that
ACTIVE SUMMERS 6 supreme soul, that supernal consciousness, and find
enlightenment. Only then shall you become Harmonious.
MELEE, EARTH, CLOSE, 1 TARGET, BRV, PUSH 3 THE TARGET’S SOUL.
THE TARGET’S SOUL STAYS THERE UNTIL THE TARGET MOVES INTO THE PASSIVE
SOUL’S SQUARE. ANYTHING THAT HAPPENS TO THE SOUL HAPPENS TO
THE TARGET INSTEAD.
Whenever you deal damage to an ally, you instead
heal 3 to them, no matter the damage dealt.
ACTIVE
III
Flowersmoke Lukay ON PULSE 4+, SPEND 2 TECHNIQUES TO HEAL 3 ALL ALLIES IN
THE BATTLEFIELD, AND THEN RETURN ALL DEFEATED ALLIES IN
SQUARES ADJACENT TO YOU.
You carry rattan balls filled with smokeflower seeds, which
when exposed to flame explodes into pink, obfuscating smoke,
filling the battlefield with the smell of hibiscuses. These bombs
are wrapped in lukay, palm leaf folding art. Lukay is palm leaf
art, not dissimilar from origami from the far southern
archipelago. Flower seeds, petals, herbs, cinnamon, and
lemongrass have been cooked into a hot rice ball encapsulated
into this heart- shaped lukay. This, when applied forcibly,
envelops The Immortal with a moment of Hiyang, making them
one with all things for one moment.

PASSIVE
When you use a Consumable, you can give its benefits to
an adjacent ally as well. Additionally, you begin every fight
with a Healing Concoction Consumable, which breaks at
the end of violence.

ACTIVE SUMMERSSUMMERS CROSS

AREA, FIRE, RANGE 3 BURST 2, ALL TARGETS, SAFE, FTH. A
FLOWERSMOKE FIELD STAYS IN THE BURST FOR THE REST OF
COMBAT. ALL FIGHTERS IN THE FIELD CANNOT TARGET FIGHTERS
OUTSIDE, AND VICE VERSA.

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 KADUNGGANAN

�� ����
Starshooter
Masters of the Art of Sending Meteors, Perfection of
Improvisation, Those that Perfect Play Through
Violence

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 KADUNGGANAN

LORE
War is a sport, and you are the Ace.
The sport of sipa is a competitive sport played between two teams,
and is popular among children and teenagers. Whenever they are not
warring, they spend their time playing Sipa.
It was said that one day, Bulalakaw the Comet, descended upon the
people of The Sword Isles with a ball of stardust. With this, he began
kicking, and he launched it at people. The people caught it with their
feet, and soon the volley began. At the end of the play session,
Bulalakaw the Comet said: “Such is life, like a great volley, yet just a
part of the entire game, and not the entire game itself. Sunder the
world.”
Sipa is thus taught by comet-guro, teachers of shooting stars, and
has spread far and wide across the archipelago, from the smallest of
shore settlements to the greatest of mountain cities, played with
rattan balls instead of shooting stars. Every end of harvest, those
settlements dedicated to playing Sipa would go and have a sipa
tournament in the most prestigious tournament of all: The Shooting
Star Massacre, wherein the main stage is two large war barges lashed
together.
In recent times, the best of Comet-Guro have passed down a
particular style of Sipa passed down from Bulalakaw themself, and
kept away from the rest of competitive Sipa. Practitioners of this
particular form of Sipa, known as the Shooting Star, are known as
Starshooters, and they use their superior kicking ability to bring
violence upon the islands.
With their skill, they can use anything--even the smallest mote of
dust--as a shooting star that they can kick at the victims of their
scorn. The Star of Morning martial art focuses precisely on catching
all things, even if they are bullets or javelins. This is a technique that
they have primarily developed, and many other Kadungganan have
begun to use them. Every part of the battlefield is fair game. As a
Starshooter, your volley continues as long as your ball does not fall
to the ground. In the same way, life goes on.
As a Starshooter, ask yourself why you have turned this gift from the
heavens into a Mastery. The beauty of the shooting star now
tarnished, turned into a horrible horrible sight in the battlefield, one
that can decapitate and puncture. Do you enjoy using something
seemingly more innocent than a sword as a killing instrument? Do
you enjoy treating war as a sport?

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 KADUNGGANAN

Style: Sharpshooter DISCIPLINE BOOSTS

Martial Art: Star of Morning
Tempo Die: d6 +1 BRV, +2 SPD, +1 JMP

INFLICT VIOLENCES
0Projectile. RANGED, AIR, RANGE 4, 2 TARGETS, BRV
0Rope Dart. RANGED, METAL, RANGE 2, BRV, SLIDE 1.
0Kick. MELEE, EARTH, CLOSE, 1 TARGET, BRV, PUSH 3.

FUNDAMENTALS: ASTRAL VOLLEY

When you make a ranged attack, place a Ball in the battlefield adjacent to the target.
You can only have 1 Ball at a time in the battlefield. The Ball is a Size 1 Object with infinite
durability, and can be targeted as a fighter.
Whenever a fighter collides with the Ball, they suffer 1 Hit. Whenever the Ball is
forcefully moved, it gains 1 Momentum charge. When it reaches 7 Momentum, you
may inflict violence against it to send it flying in a Path 10 from its square, dealing 2
True Hits to all fighters it moves through. Then, you lose the Ball.
The Star of Morning is a style that turns play into violence. An important aspect
of Sipa is the rule that you lose if you lose your volley. The ball must always be
in the air. Therefore so do you keep your burning star aloft. This volley increases
your momentum, and makes your strikes stronger.

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STARSHOOTER MASTERIES
I
Shooting Star IV
Sipa Palakul
Dragon You spin in the air and send down a flipping axe kick.
“Why do you kick, Karipal?”
The Shooting Star teaches that you must always be “For the same reason as you, Banas. To become the
moving, always be on the lookout for openings, even if the lightning.”
attack is upon you. The Shooting Star Grandmaster, “You will not find it in the arena, you know this.”
Sahaya Maradagu Sailendra, taught a particular kick that “No. But every time I look at you… I find I am able to seize
emulates the movement of shooting stars across the night heaven’s thunderclaps.”
sky.
PASSIVE
PASSIVE
When you suffer any attack, you may shift 1
Hitting a target with a ranged attack lets you mark afterwards.
them until the end of your next Riff. All your ranged
attacks against you mark gains +Sharpness. ACTIVE SUMMERSSUMMERS 6
ACTIVE SUMMERSSUMMERS 6 INFLICT 1 TRUE HIT TO EVERY FIGHTER IN LINE 7.
AREA, FIRE, PATH 6, ALL TARGETS, BRV, SKEWERING

II
Boast
You shout so loud that it throws your opponents off. A
classic tactic. “WALAAAAAA PUKININGINA MO DUKHA
WALA ANG HINA MO TANGINA HAHA TANGINA BA’T KA
PA NAGLALARO TANGINAMO WEAKSHIT KALANG EH
ANO ANO ANO ANO IIYAK KA ANO ANO ANO—“ -
Boasting by Team Naga-nagaan in the Match in the Cold
Lonely Valley deep in Kalanawan.
PASSIVE
All your ranged attacks against fighters you have
vantage against have 1 Auto Hit.
ACTIVE SUMMERSSUMMERS 6
AREA, AIR, BLAST 4, ALL TARGETS, SAFE, BRV, INFLICT UNBALANCE
3.
ENLIGHTENMENT
V Morning Star
This forbidden technique, taught only to those fully
inducted into the arts of the Starshooter, emulates the
first Sipa game with the comet god. In this alternative
interpretation, Bulalakaw kills all of the 85 that saw the
first game, and in the violence, the 85 became the 85
Sidereal Mansions, burning in the sky and dictating
destinies if one should seek them. To this day, the Sidereal
Mansions play this violent star-version of Bulalakaw’s
game, and it is said that they were the ones that taught
this violent version of the game to the first Starshooters.
PASSIVE
1/Riff, when you make an attack, gain Hastened.
When you make a ranged attack while Hastened, You
are considered as having Vantage.

ACTIVE
FOR 2 TECHNIQUES, AT PULSE 4+, INFLICT
III
Rolling Thunder VIOLENCE AND THEN SHIFT YOUR SPEED. REPEAT THIS
UNTIL YOU HAVE INFLICTED VIOLENCE AGAINST EVERY
POSSIBLE TARGET OR UNTIL YOU HAVE NONE LEFT IN
You leap down and strike back an attack, but this ends up
with you rolling to the side. YOUR RANGE.
“YEAHHHHHHHHHH NEVER GIVE IN! WHEN
SOMETHING FAILS, MAKE IT SUCCEED!” - Sipa Master
Hanahayan.
PASSIVE
Interject 1: When an ally in burst 2 is the target of an
attack, spend the interject to shift 3 to close range of
the ally, cancel the attack against the ally.

ACTIVE SUMMERS 56
RANGED, FIRE, RANGE 5, 1 TARGET, BRV, INFLICT SLOW 2.

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 KADUNGGANAN

Warsmith
��t �n�y
Violence Through Creation, Perfecters of the Natural
World, Creators of Sorcerous Wonders, Blessed of the Forge
Gods

290
 KADUNGGANAN

LORE
“The islands were forged in war, and in war it will be destroyed.”
This is an adage that holds true in most of modern The Sword Isles society, and
none dare to refute it. The Warsmith, which means Smith of War or colloquially
known as Warsmiths, are blacksmiths that have taken up their hammers and
drenched them in blood.
The Tradition of the Blood-Soaked Hammer of Hari is founded from the god
Hari, known as Sridewaraja Wisnu before becoming known as Hari in the
Sword Isles. The All-Pervading Preserver, Wisnu was the protector of the
World from dangers outside of the Trichiliocosm and anything that would
upset the balance, protector of Nihaya. In Annuvaran, they are known as the
protector of Dhamma. Hari is known as the First King, and is thus another
term for King in the Sword Isles.
Hari taught the Blood-Soaked Hammer a settlement that lived in the heart of
a volcano, where Naga Hasohas, the Dragon of the Forge, father of the Forge
Gods, lived. After Hari quenched Naga Hasohas’ wrath, he granted a number of
panday the ability to quick-craft, as well as to create implements that would
win them war. Warsmiths to this day have patronage of the 120 Forge Gods
A particularly large settlement of Warsmiths, in the region of Kumintang, allied
with Ba-e, are made entirely of smiths, led by a single Kadanay king who claims
that Kadanay are descended from when Hari arrived in the isles. The Kadanay
are an ancient people with burning magenta eyes, said to be one of the oldest
people on the island. They are the heirs of an ancient kingdom of gold and jade
that they have now forgotten. Another notable settlement is the island of
Tugas, an island full of sorcerers, witches, and crafters all ruled over by four
Kadanay datu, near the island of Pannai. They are allied with both Pannai, Ba-e,
and Gatusan.
Guro of Warsmiths are often warriors or Datu themselves. They teach a
particular brand of combat, one that focuses on turning the battlefield itself
into their anvil, their forge, their work sheds. The Blood-Soaked Hammer lets
one embody the Preserver, letting Warsmiths to craft small items in an instant.
Warsmiths are brought up and taught in the ways of the usual smith, but they
are taught to control and use the Blood-Soaked Hammer to create battlefield
creations and to give it to the tradition of preserving balance. The God-Body is
usually their most impressive creation, and it is usually something made in the
visage of Sridevaraja Wisnu.
Witness this and learn the truth: nothing created all things in the beginning. All
things are born from cause-effect, love-evisceration. Therefore the act of
creation is one both inherently divine-mortal, one that you embody. Transcend
mortality.
If you take up the Discipline of the Warsmith, ask yourself why you have made
such a creative Discipline into one of the most destructive ones. Why do you
blaspheme your craft? The weapons used to spill so much blood become forged
encapsulations of your sins. When you see your steel, do you not feel guilt?

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 KADUNGGANAN

Style: Witch
Martial Art: Blood-Soaked Hammer of Hari
DISCIPLINE BOOSTS
Tempo Die: d10 +1 BRV, +1 POS, +2 SPD

INFLICT VIOLENCES
0Hammer: RANGED, METAL, BLAST 3, ALL TARGETS, SAFE, BRV PUSH 1
0Anvil: PUT DOWN AN ANVIL IN AN ADJACENT SQUARE, WHICH IS HINDERING TERRAIN.
YOU CAN USE THIS IV TO CALL THE ANVIL BACK IMMEDIATELY.
0Shield: MELEE, EARTH, ADJACENT, 1 TARGET, BRV, SLIDE 3

FUNDAMENTALS: WISNU AWATARA

When you inflict violence, you can now choose to target 1 adjacent square instead of
performing the attack. Every time you target a square, you change its terrain type:
Any Complex Terrain > Normal Terrain > Difficult Terrain > Dangerous Terrain >
Hindering Terrain > Chasm
You can quick craft by spending 1 Technique to create a square adjacent to you,
putting it on top of the adjacent square. The square is a 1 dupa wide and tall piece of
matter shaped in whatever form you wish.
Channel Sridevaraja Wisnu, great Hari, who created this world according to the
Niharis (the worshippers of Hari). In addition to creating the world, He is also
sanctioned to protect it at all times from every posible danger
The Godbody is the magnum opus of Warsmiths. Warsmith training is usually done
in conjunction with the formation of a personal Godbody. When they achieve
Master level, only then will they have the techniques required to finish the crafting
of the ancient Godbody, which will become their holy implement against darkness
and violence. You submerge yourself into the blood of the battle and you are
quenched. The battlefield becomes your anvil. Your arms become your hammers.
And the VIOLENCE YOU BRING WILL BE THE SWORD YOU FORGE!

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 KADUNGGANAN
WARSMITH MASTERIES
I
Hammer Shatters Earth
Use your hammer to make a better world. Warsmiths wield
all sorts of weapons, constantly shifting, masters of every
possible armament so that they are never caught
Unbalance. Their strikes are thus universal, across all
weapons, a skill and feature that makes them feared across
the martial arts world.
PASSIVE
Whenever you hit with a melee attack, place Difficult
Terrain adjacent to you.
ACTIVE SUMMERS 6
SHATTER ALL DIFFICULT TERRAIN THAT YOU’VE LAID DOWN, INFLICTING 1
TRUE HIT ON EVERY ENEMY STANDING ON THE DIFFICULT TERRAIN. THIS
REMOVES THE DIFFICULT TERRAIN.
II
Hari’s Armaments
As a Warsmith, not only is nature your forge, but so are you.
You are the crucible upon which change must happen. So
start with yourself. Break yourself apart and create yourself
into something better.
PASSIVE
Whenever you Stride, you may choose to slide 3 any
one object on the battlefield instead. Any attack that
has their line of effect go through an object you’ve laid
down suffers +Dullness.
ACTIVE SUMMERS 56
PUT DOWN A SWORD OR SHIELD ADJACENT TO YOU, WHICH IS A SIZE 1
OBJECT. YOU CAN ONLY HAVE 1 OF EACH AT A TIME. ALL ENEMIES
ADJACENT TO THE SWORD HAS EVISCERATE. ALL ALLIES ADJACENT TO
YOUR SHIELD HAS COVER.
III
Lion and Dragon Sculpt
“Naga are water and air serpent-spirits of protection, and are one of
the dragonkind in the Sword Isles, the others being the Sawa earth-
underworld serpents, and the Buwaya earth-water crocodiles. By
brandishing a Jade Naga you create a spiritual boundary that
prevents the targets of your hatred from inflicting violence.
The Guardian Lions, known locally as Simha, Singa, or Chinde, are
faithful and legendary lion-dogs made of stone that guard royal
enclaves and temples. The Guardian Lions are the protectors of
dharma, and in so doing, protect kings and queens who must be
essential to the keeping of dharma. Recently, however, the guardian
lions have slowly shirked from their responsibility.
PASSIVE
When you forcefully move a target, move them +1.
ACTIVE SUMMERS 56
SCULPT A DRAGON OR LION TO AN ADJACENT SQ, SIZE 1 OBJECTS.
YOU CAN ONLY HAVE 1 OF EACH AT A TIME. ALL ENEMIES THAT START
THEIR RIFF ADJACENT TO THE DRAGON SUFFER 1 TRUE HIT. ALL
ENEMIES THAT COLLIDE WITH THE LION SUFFER 2 TRUE HIT.
293
IV
Kinnara Gilding
Kinnari are protective maidens, part swan and part
bamboofolk. They descend upon the world from the
Forests of Himavala, the Sacred Mountain of the
Continent, which Jamiyun Kulisa struck down. These
beautiful beings have become the subject of many
goldsmiths’ art and expression. Kinnari Vessels draw
projectiles toward it, as a Kinnari is created to protect
her royalty. Gold is a holy metal in the isles. It is
abundant, but only because the spirits grant it. Gold is so
abundant, in fact, that entire houses are covered in
sheets of it. However, it is still a mark of royalty. Gold is
often used in sorcerous pursuits as well.
PASSIVE
When you deal damage with a melee attack, mark 2
the target. As long as they are marked, all attacks
against them from an ally has 1 auto hit.
ACTIVE SUMMERSSUMMERS 56
AREA, METAL, RANGE 3 BURST 1, BRV, PLACE A KINNARA VESSEL IN
ANY FREE SQUARE IN THE BURST, A SIZE 1 OBJECT. ALL ENEMIES THAT
MAKE ATTACKS ADJACENT TO THE KINNARA VESSEL MUST TARGET THE
KINNARA VESSEL INSTEAD.
ENLIGHTENMENT
V
Manifest God-Body
Crafting a God-Body is often something only fully-
fledged Warsmiths can do, and they can almost never
create one that is whole until late into their training. It is
your time. You can now summon the God-Body itself, and
ride it like a suit of armor.
PASSIVE
When you start violence, choose 1 God-Body
Manifestation:
0 Sheathe of Ghatotkacha: You can use POS against
FTH attacks.
0 Crown of Kuwanchin: When you slide an enemy,
they become Unbalance at the end of the slide.
0 Foot of Sagarawivara: When you end your Riff,
inflict Slow 1 on all adjacent enemies.
ACTIVE
FOR 1 TECHNIQUE, ON PULSE 3+, YOU SUMMON AND WEAR THE
GOD-BODY. GAIN THE FOLLOWING BENEFITS: YOUR SIZE
BECOMES 2. GAIN BLOCK 4. WHENEVER YOU START OR END
YOUR RIFF SLIDE 2 ALL ADJACENT ENEMIES. ALL MELEE ATTACKS
AGAINST YOU HAVE +DULLNESS. ALL YOUR AREA ATTACKS WITH
AREAS OF EFFECT GAIN +1 TO THEIR SIZE.
FOR 2 TECHNIQUES, YOU MAY INFLICT 1 HIT ON ALL ADJACENT
ENEMIES, AND THEN INFLICT STUN 1.
 KADUNGGANAN
Anting-Anting
The most important protective measures in the islands
of The Sword Isles are Anting- Anting, which translates
to Magical Amulets and Trinkets.
Items filled with occult-spiritual power that can grant
extraordinary skills and feats. Anting-Anting can be
attached onto weapons or used as weapons.
Mechanically speaking, these are minor passive bonuses
that work similarly to Feats or Talents in other systems.
You gain your first Anting-Anting at Legend 2, as one of
your items burns with the power of your legend, or as
your legend grows and more anting-anting become
attracted to you.
The following are the Anting-Anting that you can choose
from. Each Anting-Anting only gives a single passive
benefit.
HEALER’S DIADEM
A holy diadem made of palm leaf and gold.
Effect: When you heal an ally, add +1.
Healer’s Set (1/3): At end of your Riff, if you dealt
no damage, heal 2.
HEALER’S CLOAK
A cloak woven with holy patterns of the sacred spirits.
Effect: When you move through allies, heal them 1, 1
per ally per Beat.
Healer’s Set (1/3): At end of your Riff, if you dealt
no damage, heal 2.
HEALER’S SARONG
A beautiful multicolor sarong that touches the ground to
better channel the healing properties of nature.
Effect: When you heal an ally, you may shift 1 square.
Healer’s Set (1/3): At end of your Riff, if you dealt
no damage, heal 2.
CORAL BLADES
Weapons made up of pink-red coral harvested from
pristine seas.
Effect: When you make an attack, you can make it
water.
Coral Knight Set (1/3): You become a Coral
Knight. You gain water conditioning, ignore water
terrain, and all your water attacks inflict 1 True Hit.
294
Each Anting-Anting is unique: you cannot have more
than one of the same Anting- Anting.
While a Kadungganan gains an automatic Anting-Anting
at certain Prowesses, they can still gain Anting-Anting
from other sources. However, they can only equip a
number of Anting-Anting equal to the Anting-Anting
they should have gotten at that level. (Example: a Level
7 Kadungganan can only equip up to 3 Anting-Anting
since they get their Third Anting-Anting then.)
ITEM SETS
Some Anting-Anting might be part of Sets. Equipping
all parts of a Set will give you an additional effect, which
is written on each of the Anting-Anting that is part of
that set.
CORAL SHIELD
A shield of burning pink-red coral, blossoming like an
ocean flower.
Effect: When you suffer a Water Attack, gain 1 Coral
Charge. When you gain 3 Coral Charges, you can
consume it at any time to immediately heal 1.
Coral Knight Set (1/3): You become a Coral
Knight. You gain water conditioning, ignore water
terrain, and all your water attacks inflict 1 True Hit.
CORAL PLATE
A breastplate of large coral plates stitched together with
sea serpent tendons.
Effect: When you first become Staggered, you gain
Block 2.
Coral Knight Set (1/3): You become a Coral
Knight. You gain water conditioning, ignore water
terrain, and all your water attacks inflict 1 True Hit.
CORAL KUPYA
A helmet of coral, letting you protect yourself against
dazing effects.
Effect: When you are damaged by a melee attack,
inflict 1 Hit back at the attacker.
Coral Knight Set (1/3): You become a Coral
Knight. You gain water conditioning, ignore water
terrain, and all your water attacks inflict 1 True Hit.
CORAL PARUKA
Sandals made up of coral. Ragged and rough, bristling, to
keep you awake.
Effect: Ignore the first square of Difficult or
Dangerous Terrain you move into when you Stride.
Coral Knight Set (1/3): You become a Coral
Knight. You gain water conditioning, ignore water
terrain, and all your water attacks inflict 1 True Hit.
 KADUNGGANAN
FLOWER CAPE
A cape made of beautiful flowers. The flowers are kept in a
perpetual state of blossoming.
Effect: Whenever an ally is damaged, gain 1 Flower.
When you gain 3 Flowers, you stop gaining any
Flowers, and your next attack becomes Skewering
Flower Set (1/2): At end of your Riff, if you dealt no
damage, heal 2.
FLOWER BRACERS
Bracers twined together with flower petals. The flowers do
not die.
Effect: Whenever you make an Earth Attack, add +1
to the Attack Teeth.
Flower Set (1/2): At end of your Riff, if you dealt no
damage, heal 2.
DEVIL IDOL
An Idol upon a gold necklace. Represents a malevolent
deity.
Effect: When you are forcibly moved, inflict 1 Hit on
the attacker.
CRIMSON PUDONG
A large headwrap bathed in deep crimson blood.
Represents burning courage and bravery.
Effect: When you make a BRV Attack, heal 1, 1/Riff.
IRON SKIN MUTYA
You have ingested a mutya that turned your skin to iron.
Effect: Start the fight with Protect 3.
WICKED SHARP MUTYA
You have ingested a mutya that has sharpened your
violent intent into a killing spirit.
Effect: Your first Hit in a Melee BRV Attack is a True
Hit.
GOLD EYE NECKLACE
A necklace that depicts the gold sun eye, a burning surya.
Effect: When you inflict a Bane, you can give it +1
Duration.
NAGA JAVELIN
A javelin made of a deep sea dragon tooth, or perhaps the
bone is mined from those caves that have titanic
skeletons?
Effect: Your ranged attacks have -2 to their
maximum range, but they deal +1d damage.
Naga Set (1/4): You become a Naga Knight: all
your melee attacks have +1 range and you are
considered Flying. You gain water conditioning.
295
NAGA GAUNTLETS
Gauntlets made up of a giant naga’s tooth. It is abrasive to
touch, and can be used to cut.
Effect: 1/Riff, when you push an enemy, inflict 1 Hit.
Naga Set (1/4): You become a Naga Knight: all
your melee attacks have +1 range and you are
considered Flying. You gain water conditioning.
NAGA COAT
A long, short-sleeved coat made up of interlinked naga
teeth.
Effect: Ignore height when you shift.
Naga Set (1/4): You become a Naga Knight: all
your melee attacks have +1 range and you are
considered Flying. You gain water conditioning.
NAGA HELM
A helmet made of bone and gold in the shape of a naga’s
head.
Effect: Your melee attacks gain +1d against all
fighters that are Marked, even if it’s not by you.
Naga Set (1/4): You become a Naga Knight: all
your melee attacks have +1 range and you are
considered Flying. You gain water conditioning.
CROCODILE TOOTH
Your attacks pierce deeper now, like the blessing of the
crocodile.
Effect: When Fray you inflict would disappear from
an enemy, it reduces 2 HP instead of just 1.
SPIRALING DAGGER
A dagger that spins around, like a furling wave.
Effect: All your melee attacks against close targets
always deal 1 Hit minimum in a Violence Cast. This
does not ignore immunity and conditioning.
PROTECTIVE AMULET
A stone inscribed with mentala. Protects from bullets and
all.
Effect: Gain metal conditioning but suffer water
and air vulnerability.
LIGHTNING AGIMAT
A piece of wood scorched by lightning, turned into a
protective amulet.
Effect: Gain air conditioning but suffer earth
vulnerability.
 KADUNGGANAN
STEEL TAMING
A taming shield made for blocking all sorts of attacks.
Effect: You can use POS against FTH attacks.
GARODA WINGHELM
A golden helmet made in the shape of a Garoda, the avian
Gods that protect the Jar of Souls in Heaven.
Effect: You cannot collide with fighters.
Garoda Set (1/3): You are considered a Garoda
Knight. You have 1 Charge of Garoda Wings, which
you can spend for 1 Technique. If you do, for the next
3 Riffs, you teleport instead of moving voluntarily.
GARODA WINGSPEAR
A golden spear with the wings of the Garoda twining about
it. It sings with a heavenly tune, like one sung by kinnara,
and is perfectly weighted.
Effect: Your Combo Breaker Penalty becomes -1d
and -3d instead of -2d and -3d.
Garoda Set (1/3): You are considered a Garoda
Knight. You have 1 Charge of Garoda Wings, which
you can spend for 1 Technique. If you do, for the next
3 Riffs, you teleport instead of moving voluntarily.
GARODA WINGCOAT
A golden breastplate and coat that covers almost the
entire body, but is surprisingly light. Decorated with
intricate gold jewelry patterned into the wings of a garoda.
Effect: When you suffer a melee or ranged attack,
you can shift 1 square after the attack.
Garoda Set (1/3): You are considered a Garoda
Knight. You have 1 Charge of Garoda Wings, which
you can spend for 1 Technique. If you do, for the next
3 Riffs, you teleport instead of moving voluntarily.
GODTREE KALASAGDAKO
Kalasagdako is “Large Shield”. This is a giant kalasag made
of holy strangler fig fibers and wood, strengthened by
shaman ritual.
Effect: All melee attacks against you have
+Dullness.
WICKED PANABAS
A giant, broad-bladed panabas, once used only for
ceremony, now used for inflicting violence. Moonflowers
are inscribed upon the base of its blade.
Effect: When you roll a 10, inflict 2 Hits and then roll
another Attack Tooth.
EAGLE EYE BRACELET
You have a bracelet made of gold beads, with the center
being an eagle eye. It burns bright when you aim.
Effect: When you end your Riff with unspent
Techniques, your next ranged attack gains
+Sharpness.
296
EXPLOSION INSCRIPTIONS
You have surat inscribed upon your weapons burning red,
which burn hotter and hotter and eventually explode as
the fight continues.
Effect: Whenever you make an area or ranged attack,
gain 1 Explosion Charge. When you reach 3 Explosion
Charges, immediately trigger the following effect.
Gatling Fulmination: Deal 1 True Hit to all enemies
adjacent to you, then lose all Explosion Charges.
HATRED AGIMAT
A talisman with the face of a grinning demon. Feared and
hated by all.
Effect: All fighters adjacent to you immediately gain
Provoke against you. All area attacks against you
have 1 Auto Hit.
HARDWOOD BREASTPLATE
A breastplate made of exceptionally hard wood, most
probably painted.
Effect: Begin the fight with Block 2.
SORCERER’S AGIMAT
A talisman with a magical beast’s tooth, nail, eye, or hair
lock tied to it.
Effect: When you use a Technique that requires 2
Techniques, gain Unyielding 1.
WITCH’S DIADEM
A bone diadem that stretches down to one’s eyes. Gives one
the visage of a wicked sorcerer.
Effect: All bursts, lines, blasts, and paths on your
Area Attacks have +1 to their size.
WATER BUFFALO SHIELD
A kalasag made of wood and water buffalo hide. Absorbs
large amounts of force.
Effect: When you are pushed, gain Block 1.
RAZOR BRACERS
You wield bracers that are fitted with razor sharp obsidian
blades.
Effect: Whenever you end your Riff adjacent to 2+
enemies, inflict 1 Hit on one of them.
STINGRAY SHIELD
Gatusanon would coat their shields with stingray skin,
treated to the point that they almost had a pearloid
quality. This dulls blades.
Effect: You gain water conditioning, but gain fire
vulnerability.
 KADUNGGANAN
COPPER CLAWS
Fingernail ornaments that create the visage of musang
claws. Can rend entire ships.
Effect: Whenever you hit with a melee attack, also
inflict Bleed 1.
Copper Cat Demon Set (1/3): You ignore Height
when you move on your Riff, and you do not suffer
fall damage.
COPPER DEMON MASK
A mask depicting a tusked bearcat, grinning indefinitely, in
defiance of the sun.
Effect: Interact. The demon mask burns bright with
a sickly copper hue: whenever you end your Riff for
the rest of combat, you may slide 1 fighter in range 2.
Copper Cat Demon Set (1/3): You ignore Height
when you move on your Beat, and you do not suffer
fall damage.
COPPER EAR ORNAMENTS
Copper ear ornaments that, instead of depicting the wings
of an eagle, showcase razor sharp feline ears.
Effect: Whenever you are attacked while you’re
flanked, gain Hastened 1.
Copper Cat Demon Set (1/3): You ignore Height
when you move on your Beat, and you do not suffer
fall damage.
FIREBLOOD MUTYA
A burning teardrop of crimson flame. When ingested, fills
your body with a warm light, and then rouses you to
action. You cannot contain yourself.
Effect: You gain Fire Conditioning, but suffer
Water Vulnerability.
SRIGANESH IDOL
An idol depicting the elephant-headed god Sriganesh,
brought to the isles by Ashinin Missionaries. Sriganesh is
the God of Beginnings and Intelligence.
Effect: Gain earth conditioning but suffer metal
vulnerability.
ALAMPAY MAKINAADMANON
“Sage’s Robe-Cloak.” Long flowing hooded robes that look
similar to a raincoat or a poncho, decorated with textiles
depicting dragons and skies and seas and leviathans and
devil-apes.
Effect: Interact. 1 adjacent ally can Second Wind for
free. 1/Violence.
Path of Concordance Set (1/3): The first attack
against you in combat deals 0 Hits.
297
KERISGALA
“Wandering Keris.” Other nations might have the pewter
staff as a symbol of announcing a sage’s presence, but the
grand Concordant Sages of the Sword Isles perform rituals
and scare off predatory animals with a galakeris,
Wandering Dagger, a usually sheathed keris decorated
with bells and tassels.
Effect: All squares close to you are considered
Difficult Terrain for all enemies.
Path of Concordance Set (1/3): The first attack
against you in combat deals 0 Hits.
PARUKADUKHA
“Beggar’s Sandals.” Wooden sandals with a simple abaca
fiber fit over it to keep the foot in place. It is raised on two
rectangular platforms. It is not very notable otherwise.
Beggar sandals are what Makinaadmanon wear to travel
the lands, wandering mendicants, who have nothing to ride
on but their feet.
Effect: You ignore difficult terrain when you Stride.
Path of Concordance Set (1/3): The first attack
against you in combat deals 0 Hits.
THIRD EYE GEM
You have a precious stone embedded upon your brow,
and it gleams with a burning fire.
Effect: All your Interjects have +1, and you gain
Block 1 when you use an Interject.
HAWK’S TALON BANGLE
A bangle made up of gold and talons of hawks. You
can aim down it when you aim with your bow.
Effect: All your ranged attacks with ranges gain +2
range.
INTERLINKED GOLD CHAIN
A kamagi, interlinked twelve necklaces braided together
into a long chain that winds about the entire body.
Strengthens your will.
Effect: You can now use RES against BRV attacks.
RAIDING ROPE
A rope made of abaca, with a hook at the end. Used for
boats, but equally useful against warriors.
Effect: For 1 Technique, choose 1 square in burst 2.
Shift yourself to a space adjacent to the square. If
there is a fighter on the square, you can slide them 1
square.
 DIVINATIONS

VI: Divinations

298
 DIVINATIONS

Divinations are generators that can help you move
the game forward, in any mode of play. These are not
completely fleshed out scenarios and generations but
rather, things that can spark your creation. Take what
you can get from here and go wild with it, while hewing
close to the Principles of the setting. Use these to
inspire new situations or answer open-ended
questions.
HOW TO DIVINE THE FATES
TYPES OF DIVINATIONS
There are a number of Divination types that can be used
at any juncture, either by the Umalagad or by the
Kadungganan during Solo Play.
Action Divinations: This is a list of actions that an
NPC might take.
Vibe Divinations: This is a list of vibes that a place or
an NPC might have.
Descriptor Divinations: A list of descriptors to grant
items, actions, and vibes more color and context.
Folk Traits Divinations: A list of traits that can be
used to make characters more unique.
Location Divinations: This is a list of Locations that
one might find almost anywhere in the Sword Isles.
Social Class Divination: A list of Social Classes and
the common professions or roles within them, though
these are not strict roles within each class.
Character Principle Divinations: A list of Principles
for all characters.
Character Wants and Ruminations Divinations: A
list of wants and ruminations for quickly making
something for a character.
Seed Divinations: These are some situations or
contexts that one might find themselves in.
NPC Divinations: These are some NPCs that one
might find in the Sword Isles.

ACTIONS VIBE
Use this to inspire an event or situation. Interpret the Use these if you’re looking for a vibe or some sort of feeling
roll according to the situation and context of the fiction. that can be interpreted in a particular situation or context.
This table can be combined with Action to find an
1-2 Defile 51-52 Await interesting creative prompt that you can interpret and
begin play through. This is always a noun. Roll a d100.
3-4 Revere 53-54 Impress
5-6 Instill Fear 55-56 Depress
7-8 Boast 57-58 Debate 1-2 Fire 51-52 Healing
9-10 Destroy 59-60 Endure 3-4 Ritual 53-54 Knowledge
11-12 Nourish 61-62 Lose 5-6 Affection 55-56 Fame
13-14 Create 63-64 Explore 7-8 Family 57-58 Power
15-16 Avoid 65-66 Finish 9-10 Settlement 59-60 Glory
17-18 Reject 67-68 Mend 11-12 Band 61-62 Freedom
19-20 Love 69-70 Summon 13-14 Violence 63-64 Liberty
21-22 Abhor 71-72 Reduce 15-16 Mysticism 65-66 Emancipation
23-34 Hate 73-74 Demean 17-18 Lore 67-68 Ruin
25-26 Rebel 75-76 Protect 19-20 Song 69-70 Pride
27-28 Change 77-78 Communicate 21-22 Poem 71-72 Loss
29-30 Transform 79-80 Demand 23-34 God 73-74 Law
31-32 Elide 81-82 Expect 25-26 Spirit 75-76 Transgression
33-34 Gather 83-84 Grieve 27-28 Faith 77-78 War
35-36 Strengthen 85-86 Find 29-30 Belief 79-80 Peace
37-38 Nurture 87-88 Hunt 31-32 Altar 81-82 Supply
39-40 Deflect 89-90 Express 33-34 Opinion 83-84 Venture
41-42 Threaten 91-92 Break 35-36 Palace 85-86 Leader
43-44 Provoke 93-94 Raid 37-38 Rival 87-88 Wise Folk
45-46 Obsess 95-96 Inspect 39-40 Ideal 89-90 Priest/Priestess
47-48 Devote 97-98 Worship 41-42 Fate 91-92 Love
49-50 Project 99-100 Entertain 43-44 Health 93-94 Hatred
45-46 Forestry 95-96 Wealth
47-48 Vengeance 97-98 Relationship
49-50 Justice 99-100 Burden

299
 DIVINATIONS

DESCRIPTOR FOLK TRAITS

Use this divination if you need to find how an action Use this particularly for traits for folk, which is often
might have been done, or need a more precise very precise. In general, you roll d100 three times to gain
descriptor of a location or a vibe. Use these to three traits. You can also roll on Descriptor to give the
inspire creativity. Roll a d100. Folk another, more esoteric trait.
1 Wise 51 Slow
1-2 Foggy 51-52 Foul 2 Fair 52 Joyful
3-4 Silent 53-54 Wild 3 Snob 53 Unintelligent
5-6 Melancholy 55-56 Settled 4 Noble 54 Thrillseeker
7-8 Bright 57-58 Low 5 Stoic 55 Glory seeker
9-10 Warm 59-60 Beautiful 6 Aloof 56 Wicked
11-12 Cozy 61-62 Heartrending 7 Lax 57 Sharp
13-14 Nostalgic 63-64 Violent 8 Attractive 58 Secretive
15-16 Rabid 65-66 Rich 9 Beautiful 59 Languid
17-18 Abrasive 67-68 Simple 10 Vengeful 60 Irresistible
19-20 Pensive 69-70 Fertile 11 Adventurous 61 Lethargic
21-22 Dull 71-72 Grim 12 Wrathful 62 Drowsy
23-24 Stagnant 73-74 Hidden 13 Boisterous 63 Curious
25-26 Tense 75-76 Perilous 14 Tall 64 Questing
27-28 Angry 77-78 Dead 15 Lenient 65 Ponderous
29-30 Hostile 79-80 Ruined 16 Intelligent 66 Spiritual
31-32 Vile 81-82 Cold 17 Honorable 67 Superstitious
33-34 Peaceful 83-84 Blighted 18 Cruel 68 Reverent
35-36 Calm 85-86 Lush 19 Quiet 69 Docile
37-38 Noisy 87-88 Flooded 20 Frail 70 Loyal
39-40 Tense 89-90 Empty 21 Friendly 71 Fearful
41-42 Anxious 91-92 Weird 22 Stealthy 72 Brave
43-44 Relaxed 93-94 Uncanny 23 Manipulative 73 Reckless
45-46 Pressured 95-96 Reverent 24 Troublemaker 74 Lonely
47-48 Excited 97-98 Spiritual 25 Stingy 75 Vibrant
49-50 Dense 99-100 Dignified 26 Timid 76 Extraverted
27 Lazy 77 Introverted
28 Pragmatic 78 Antisocial
29 Resourceful 79 Determined
30 Weary 80 Ambitious
31 Anxious 81 Silly
32 Honest 82 Hateful
33 Infamous 83 Prejudiced
34 Fatalistic 84 Faithful
35 Experienced 85 Sensitive
36 Deceitful 86 Short
37 Wary 87 Affectionate
38 Strong 88 Compassionate
39 Bold 89 Spoiled
40 Dauntless 90 Soft-Spoken
41 Famous 91 Loud
42 Artistic 92 Direct
43 Creative 93 Cutting
44 Comfy 94 Quirky
45 Charming 95 Even
46 Violent 96 Kind
47 Temperamental 97 Nice
48 Stern 98 Sad
49 Fickle 99 Avoidant
50 Insightful 100 Confrontational

300
 DIVINATIONS

LOCATION SETTLEMENT PROBLEM

Use this divination if you need an answer about where Use this divination to find out what problems there
something might be, or perhaps what you come across might be in a settlement, whether it be a town, a village,
while traveling. These are locations you can find across or a city. Roll a d100.
the Sword Isles. Roll a d100.
1-2 Shrine 51-52 Flower Plains 1-2 Scarce 51-52 Betrayals from
3-4 Pavilion 53-54 Rice Paddies Provisions within
5-6 Town House 55-56 Rice Terraces 3-4 Agitated a God 53-54 Nature retaliates
7-8 Ruins 57-58 Swidden Farms 5-6 Infestation 55-56 The settlement is
Nearby too cold and is di-
9-10 Palace 59-60 Mangrove Forest hiyang
11-12 Stilt House 61-62 Stream 7-8 Infiltrated by 57-58 Demons have
13-14 Upriver Town 63-64 Quiet Grove Disease arrived
15-16 Shore City 65-66 Hilltop 9-10 Cursed by 59-60 The dead have
Pestilence begun to walk
17-18 Farming Village 67-68 Plateau Top
11-12 Hexed by a 61-62 Shadows are
19-20 Fortress 69-70 Temple City Witch hunting those alive
21-22 Shrine 71-72 Pagoda 13-14 Natural 63-64 Turned into ruin
23-34 Altar 73-74 Communal Disaster from a war
Worship House 15-16 Fateful Omen 65-66 Rejected travelers
25-26 Temple 75-76 Lake 17-18 Haunted by the 67-68 River trade blocked
27-28 Low Mountain 77-78 Delta Past
29-30 Mountain Peak 79-80 Revered Site 19-20 Angered the 69-70 Landslide blocked
31-32 Near Wood 81-82 Raiding Outpost Ancestors off travel
33-34 Deep Woods 83-84 Hallowed Cave 21-22 Killed an 71-72 A tradition harms
innocent others
35-36 Near Shores 85-86 Burial Site
23-34 Mysterious 73-74 Ceremony is
37-38 Far Sea 87-88 Merchant Barge murders interrupted
39-40 Canopy 89-90 Caravan 25-26 People going 75-76 Feasting is
41-42 Hunter’s House 91-92 War Barge lost invaded
43-44 Fishing Village 93-94 Treasure Ships 27-28 Death of the 77-78 Accident causes ill
datu omen
45-46 Vast Plains 95-96 Hunting Fields
29-30 Raided by an 79-80 Debt arrives
47-48 Deep Wilds 97-98 River Marketplace enemy
49-50 Rivers 99-100 Defiled Place settlement
31-32 Hunted by 81-82 Revolution against
Beasts the leader
33-34 Broken truce 83-84 Royalty finds
forbidden love
35-36 Target of a rival 85-86 Societal tradition
settlement forces oppresses
others
37-38 Preparing for a 87-88 Tyrant oppresses
revenge raid subjects
39-40 Conflict 89-90 Chattel trade
between nobles
41-42 Royalty vying 91-92 Families get in a
for the seat of fight
chief/king
43-44 Stuck between 93-94 An outcast returns
rival with vengeance
settlements
45-46 Victim of a 95-96 A lady is stolen by
vengeful God raiders
47-48 Broken by 97-98 Ritualists create
giants harmful cult
49-50 Urgent venture 99-100 Roll twice

301
 DIVINATIONS

While debtors usually only wore those (undyed as

SOCIAL CLASS DIVINATION well), warriors and other upper class would wear
In the land of The Sword Isles, the Social Class system additional garments on top of that: sarongs, sarouels,
is the skeleton and framework whereupon all things wooden or golden clogs, diadems, golden crowns, black
dance. It is so ingrained into society that tawo even and white shawls, silk jackets, silk gowns that reached
give things in nature titles that reflect their social rank: the ankles, hardwood breastplates, elephant hide
Datung Bayawak is a term for large and great breastplates, and the everpresent pudong (think of it
monitor lizards or komodo dragons, while Oripung like a short turban or bandana. Grandiose ones are
Bukad is a term for small and “frail” flowers that shy large like actual turbans).
away when touched.
ROLL FOR A SOCIAL CLASS
Here are the Social Classes of The Sword Isles laid out.
For each of the Classes, there will be a short table to Randomize which social class a character is. Roll a d8.
help you visualize what each person of each of the 1 Infantry (Debtor)
Classes would look like, as so much of society hinges
upon them. 2 Servant (Debtor)
3 Peasant (Debtor)
BASIC CLOTHING 4 Freeman
The basic garment for males is the bahag (think a 5 Noble
bulky Scottish kilt, probably more colorful, and richer 6 Spiritual Leader (Noble)
people would have them made from foreign silks). 7 Head Spiritual Leader (Royalty)
For females, it is the lambong (now in modern times 8 Binukot (Royalty)
known as the malong, a sort of tube skirt that could be 9 Leader’s Council (Royalty)
worn either as a skirt, or as a tube top when pulled up
to the chest. Some were so long that they could be 1 Leader’s Royal Family/Kedatuan
pulled up over the head. 0 (Royalty)
11 Leader/Datu/Prince/Suzerain/Lord/Gat
(Royalty)
12 Paramount Leader/Rajah/Rani/
Maharaja/Hari/Hara/Sangpamegat/
God-King (Royalty)

302
 DIVINATIONS
ROYALTY
Datu is the term for the heads of settlements. Leaders,
lords, and owners of vast amounts of heirloom wealth. In
Ancient Visayas, Datu was also the term for the closest
family of the Datu: their spouses and their children,
denoting them as lordly royalty, higher than other
nobility. In The Sword Isles, we use the term kedatuan
to denote that they’re royalty, belonging to the family of
a lord, so as to not confuse the terms.
THE PARAMOUNT LEADER
Larger settlements, such as the Rajahnate of Gatusan or
Ba-e, would have multiple datu underneath a single
Paramount Leader (usually having the name of King or
Emperor). A Paramount Leader is usually chosen of all
royalty in multiple settlements settling on one that is
considered “fit to lead” the datu. This procedure is
sometimes democratic. The parameters for becoming a
paramount leaderusually include warrior prestige, skillful
merit, and natural charisma.
Recently many paramount leaders have used a claim to
divine blood or divine manifestation to become kings.
LEADER’S COUNCIL
The closest followers of the datu constitute a sort of
inner circle of people. This is usually called sandig sa
datu. They might not be the datu’s kin or blood
(although they can be, or might be of the nobility), but
they are treated with a similar deference. This is
something that can be found across all the polities.
Kedatuan are treated more or less with the same
deference as the Datu, and enjoy all the benefits of being
nobility.
Datu are lords of their following. As already established,
land is not the scale by which a Datu’s power is
measured, by their following, known as their haop. Their
haop engulfs and covers all the people that follow the
Datu: from nobility all the way to the smallest of
debtors.
Kedatuan can still fall into debt, especially should they
loan something but find that they cannot pay it back. In
this manner, kedatuan can become debtors to even other
datu, or even to other servants.
Datu are expected to be skilled in war, and truly many
Datu earn their name through valor in combat. There are
also Datu that become Datu after being married to
someone who is of Kedatuan. Datu are usually skilled in
trades as well, many becoming blacksmiths, jewelers,
song makers, and more.
BINUKOT
Binukot are veiled princes and princesses, hidden away in
special compartment rooms in the attics of royal houses
or hidden deep within sacred caves, all caled bukot.
Binukot are never shown to the public eye, but are taught
how to sing, fight, dance, and read within their bukot.
When a binukot is brought out into the public, they are
carried by strongmen or women upon their shoulders,
making sure that the binukot never let their feet touch
the ground. They are usually used as barter or leverage
to create social kinship and connections with other
settlements, letting one’s own binukot marry another
datu to establish a strong bond with that settlement. Of
course, not many binukot like this arrangement.
303
SANDIG SA DATU
1 Atubang. The datu’s chief minister and privy
counselor.
2 Paragahin. The datu’s steward, one who
speaks, makes arrangements or takes charge
for them.
3 Bilanggowan. The datu’s sheriff, who has a
house called a bilanggo that acts as a jail.
4 Paratawag. The towns-crier, who announces
unto the settlement through shouting from a
tall tree or delivering a message directly to the
persons concerned (such as calling specific
Kadungganan for a raid).
5 Senapati. A warlord and commander of a
portion of the Datu’s army, answering directly
to the datu. In smaller settlements, a datu
takes on the role of a senapati.
6 Shahbandar. The collector of anchorage fees
and the one who sets up the port markets
during the trading season.
DATU DISPOSITIONS
1 Black-toothed and quirky eyed, with a
penchant for collecting scraps to create new
inventions. Would love to explore the ancient
tombs left behind by the Kadanay people.
2 Large and heavyset, always grim. Readying
their haop for war. Is vigilant, knows that
another settlement is going to come any day to
attack for something they did not do.
3 A datu hellbent on correcting injustices, for
they suffered injustices of their own and they
would not wish it upon others.
4 An ancient and wizened old datu, leaning upon
a staff made of the bones of an ancient tiger.
Skilled in the ways of offensive sorcery. Seeks
to create a new religion.
5 A skilled and tricky lord who knows the ways of
politics and abuses it to get what they want.
Helms a large haop, which is built upon spider
web.
6 A young datu who has something to prove, and
sometimes does not listen to the counsel of the
wiser due to his rashness.
7 A broken datu who has suffered too much
during their lifetime, and goes into combat for
if they do not, they will break down.
8 A datu burning with ideals, seeking to change
the course of the world as they see it,
attempting to abolish the classes from the top
down.
9 An older, more caring Datu, who treats their
followers like their own children and cares for
them as their own.
1 A militaristic Datu hellbent on conquest of the
0 entire archipelago. All in the name of peace.
 DIVINATIONS

DATU PROBLEMS
1 Another Datu has declared war upon them.
2 The umalagad, ancestor spirits, of that datu are displeased with them, and it has caused ill fortune to
befall the settlement.
3 The diwata are rampaging nearby, and they do not know why.
4 One of the polities is planning to conquer them.
5 A Rajahnate settlement is closing their trade routes with them, causing a major blow to their supply
lines, and will likely cause starvation or loss of wealth.
6 They are being attacked by either the Lakanate or the Sultanate, to further conquest (if the Lakanate)
or faith (if the Sultanate).
7 They are being raided by foreign powers.
8 The Confederation has deemed them to be too dangerous to the nature around them, and is launching
a raid upon them.

304
 DIVINATIONS
NOBILITY
Tumao in the Rajahnate, Timway in the Sultanate,
Maginoo in the Lakanate, Kadangyan in the
Confederation.
The Nobility are usually those that have in some way a
blood connection with the Datu: either through lineage,
as their relatives (cousins, nieces, nephews, and the like),
or as blood-sworn kin (through the Sanduguan, the
Blood Compact).
The Nobles are considered the second rank of nobility,
right below the kedatuan royalty.
Many Nobility act as retainers and vassals to the Datu,
helping them and doing work for the datu, should they
need it, whether it be contributing materiel, working their
fields, or fighting in raids and war engagements.
However, they do not need to pay tribute, only that they
fight with the datu should the datu call upon them, and
they very commonly engage in their own pursuits,
whether it be artistic or mercantile.
GOLDEN WEB TAPESTRY
Nobility and Kedatuan, and especially Datu, are beholden
to the Golden Web Tapestry: an “elevated” form of
speech that is polite speech in all but name. One is
expected to be dancing the Golden Web Tapestry when
before a noble, even if you are noble yourself, and
especially if you are of lower class. You cannot speak
certain words before them, and you must speak wholly in
third-person, never addressing the noble directly--ie. as
“you”. This polite speech is expected even amongst
balyan and other spirit mediums that are ubiquitous in
the archipelago. Other examples include burping or
talking about how dirty a noble’s nails or ears have
become.
If one breaks the Golden Web Tapestry, it unravels a
whole slew of consequences. Things such as fines and
debt for the lower classes, while other nobles might
suffer societal disgrace and public shame, which is
something no noble wants, as they would be indebted, or
have Debt, to the noble that they committed the breaking
of the Golden Web Tapestry to. Of course, the Golden
Web Tapestry is simply a social construct, and needs a
society to be enforced.
SPIRITUAL LEADERS
Very often, the spiritual leaders of a settlement (whether
they be a priest, a balyan spirit medium, or a bishop) are
also considered nobles of their settlement, or at least
higher than Freemen. There tend to be several spiritual
leaders in a single settlement, and a mix of Iman bishops
exist with Virbanwan priests and Gatusan balyan.
As spiritual leaders, spirit mediums are very often the
right hand of the settlement leader, and they are
considered to be their other half. While the chief speaks
and wars, the spiritual leader heals, pleads with the gods,
and performs sorcery. They perform rituals to ensure
that raids and harvests are bountiful.
The head spiritual leaders, such as the Katuuran (Head
Balyan), the High Bishops, or the Wali ar commonly
treated as Royalty due to their influence, charisma, and
their function in society as performing the most
important rituals to accrue merit, blessings, and appease
the ancestors and gods.
305
NOBILITY PROBLEMS
1 Another noble has blasphemed their
countenance, and must be punished.
2 They must be ready and need new items for
makeup for the coming feast.
3 Someone from the lower class saw them
making love with someone that they should not
be making love with.
4 They have broken the Golden Web Tapestry, and
seek to evade the consequences or are being
hunted down.
5 A noble is hunted down for not honoring a
trading contract with another settlement.
6 A noble has blasphemed the name of the Datu
in a feast.
7 A noble has lost their heirloom wealth and must
get it back.
8 A noble has lost their imported texts, which
they use to learn more languages. They believe
someone has stolen it, as texts are well wanted
as culture in other settlements.
NOBILITY DISPOSITIONS
1 An eccentric noble who pores over palm leaf
manuscripts seeking enlightenment.
2 A calm noble who loves performing tea, wine,
and betel nut ceremonies for their guests.
3 A generous noble who loves giving away items
for the ones that amuse them.
4 A broken noble who has seen the terrors of war,
despite not being a warrior.
5 A brave noble singer seeks to travel with
Kadungganan to expand their song repertoire
and to create more songs for the settlement.
6 A wide-eyed noble who wants to see the world
from beyond their palace walls.
7 A wise noble who gives actually good advice,
and loves to sit upon the porch of their house
observing the town.
8 A loving noble who makes sure that their
debtors are properly treated.
9 A conniving noble who has mastered the polite
speech of the Golden Web Tapestry, who wishes
to climb the social class even further.
1 An artful noble who creates paintings upon
0 palm leaf scrolls, and uses sorcery only to fly.
11 A noble who thrives on the thrill of battle,
usually to the detriment of themself or their
friends.
12 A strict noble who has mastered a particular
form of weaponry, and acts as a guardian or
bodyguard (kawal) for kedatuan royalty.
DIVINATIONS

306

FREEMEN
Freeman are a privileged class, and not a serf
like class. Those of the Freeman Class are free
to change their allegiance to their datu at any
time, theoretically. Theoretically because it is
not uncommon for many freemen to own a
large amount of debt to a certain datu, or
choose to become retainers for that Datu.
Freemen are considered a third rank of nobility,
right below the nobles. They do not need to
work to pay off a labor obligation like
debtors—although they can accrue debt—but
they can choose what to do. Many become
capitalists in their own right, become datu, or
perhaps enjoy the protection of community
and helps around the datu. Very commonly,
though, whatever the pick up as a trade, they
must fight with the datu when the time comes.
A Kadungganan is a kind of freeman. They may
pledge their services to a Datu for a time, and
then leave and change allegiances whenever it
pleases them, or whenever they need to. This is
their privilege: they are not part of a datu’s
particular following.
Freeman, thanks to their freedom, get to enjoy
a wide variety of freedoms. Freemen usually
render services to the datu. Thus many
freemen work as laborers. Some owning their
own farms, others true warriors, others
professional singers, and even others as
potters and traders and merchants, sometimes
with wealth rivaling the Datu’s own.
When a Freeman either chooses, or manages to
pay off their debt to the lord they have chosen
to follow, they may choose to leave, traveling
and either seeking out another lord and
settlement to follow, or perhaps building up a
settlement themselves.
DIVINATIONS
FREEMEN DISPOSITIONS
1 A freeman who loves singing and will never give it up for
the world.
2 A freeman with a particular sweet tooth and is running
around trying to satisfy it.
3 A young one who wishes to become a Datu someday.
4 A freeman who takes great pleasure in abusing their
servant for some twisted reason.
5 A freeman who holds an important secret of a noble
that they refuse to let go.
6 A freeman who is in love with the binukot (veiled prince
or princess) of another settlement, but does not have
the bugay or bride price to be able to buy their hand in
marriage.
7 An eccentric freeman who loves collecting herbs and
hides away in their house for days at a time.
8 An overly serious freeman who does their best in their
trade and does not want to slip up, ever.
FREEMEN PROBLEMS
1 The freeman does not have enough wealth to be able to
move to another Datu.
2 A freeman is discontent being the retainer of a Datu,
and wishes to dethrone the datu and take it for
themselves.
3 A freeman has lost their means of living, and is quickly
accruing debt. At the rate that they’re in, they will
become oripun.
4 They have lost an important piece of bahandi heirloom
wealth, one of the only ones they have.
5 They have lost the favor of the datu, and must seek a
different datu to serve.
6 Their family has been killed after a raid, and they lost
their source of livelihood to the raiders.
307
 DIVINATIONS

FREEMEN PROFESSIONS
1 Warrior. A freeman that prides on fighting
for the Datu. Probably a Kadungganan as
well.
2 Jeweler. Someone who is an expert at
creating jewelry.
3 Hunter. A freeman who uses state of the
art technology and strategies to hunt down
large game.
4 Weaver. A skilled weaver of silks and
cottons, usually for the Datu’s benefit.
5 Merchant. A skilled trader and peddler of
wares, whether it be foreign silks or local
civets.
6 Potter. A freeman who is skilled in the
ways of clay pottery. Perhaps they even
have the means to craft porcelain. They
may have a number of servant under them
that they teach in the craft of pottery.
7 Sailor. A sailor and traveler, who has their
own ship and renders service to those who
need it, although sometimes to those that
pay the highest.
8 Honey Tracker. A freeman who is skilled
in travelling the forests and foraging
through foliage to find the best bee hives to
harvest honey from.
9 Cook. A cook who owns their own eatery,
in service to the Datu. They usually have a
number of servant and children that help
them in the kitchen, making meals for the
Datu themselves. Larger settlements might
have cooks that can cook for the entire
Kadungganan or noble population.
10 Fisher. An integral trade in archipelago. A
skilled fisher who uses harpoons, nets, and
traps to capture large amounts of fish,
which they then cook or trade.
11 Paraawit. A professional singer, hired to
sing epics in feasts, dirges in funerals, or
inspiring war songs when going into war.
12 Shipbuilder. A freeman who owns their
own shipyard and has their own horohan to
help collect materials and help build the
ships themselves.

308
 DIVINATIONS
DEBTOR
There are three kinds of debtors in The Sword Isles:
the peasants, the servants, and the infantry.
When these debtors are raided, they are usually taken
away and brought to markets, where their obligation
and labor is sold to others that wish to take them on.
As labor is a premium in the Sword Isles, with their
being a surplus of natural resources and not enough
labor to capitalize on it, debtor obligations are
usually priced similar to bahandi. When they are
bought, they usually become servants for the one
that bought them, sometimes peasants if the buyer
deem it so. Enterprising and mercantile capitalists
sell debtors at a profit.
More commonly, when a datu raids a settlement,
they take in the debtors of that settlement and turn
them into debtors to the datu instead.
Debtors make up the majority of the The Sword Isles
population. Becoming a debtor is easy: accrue
enough debt through your actions, enough that you
cannot pay it off, then you will become a debtor to
that person that you owe the most. This will then
extend to your next of kin, until one of them can
eventually pay off your debt price, and free your
family and generational line.
PEASANTS
Peasants render their service up to the datu, most
usually working in their field, fishing, hunting, or
what else. Peasants have their own houses, and they
render a portion of their labor and work to their datu,
whom they owe their debt to. Through opportunity
and enterprise, they can decrease their debt, and
eventually pay it off in full. When raiders come to
their village, they are expected to take up arms and
fight alongside the datu. Peasants are different from
servants in that they live in their own houses while
tilling the fields of the datu, in exchange for the datu’s
protection and strength in being a settlement.
SERVANTS
Servants live in their master’s houses, and any
person can have a servant, even other servants (thus
making them the lowest rung of the Debtor Class).
Servants are not to be traded away and must be
treated well, lest you become a bad master, as
tradition dictates. They must be fed and given
clothing by the masters. Masters dictate when a
servant can marry and sometimes even who they can
marry. The servant’s children inherit their class until
they can pay off the debt price. Servants render all
their labor to their master, and they live in their
master’s house. Should they give birth, the master is
expected to take care of the servant’s child as if it
were their own. A master may even have a favorite
servant, who act similarly as retainers, which they
call their sibin.
INFANTRY
Infantry serve as footsoldiers for the master they
serve, oftentimes working as a personal guard as
well. Their masters train them and equip them,
Infantry usually have similar tasks and functions to
squires: helping their masters when it comes to
combat, maintaining their weapons, and more.
309
SERVANT DISPOSITIONS
1 A disenfranchised servant who is tired of
working for their master.
2 A beautiful servant who is in an ilicit love
affair with their master.
3 A servant who harbors a deep hatred for the
one that their master serves.
4 A servant who is wholly committed to their
master until their death.
5 A servant who would want to become free and
pursue a different trade, but cannot due to
their love for their master.
6 A servant who seeks restitution for something
their master has done to them.
PEASANT DISPOSITIONS
1 A peasant constantly unimpressed by sorcery
and war, simply annoyed that it gets in the
way of their weaving.
2 A peasant who likes farming way too much,
and is devising multiple technology to help it
along.
3 A peasant who tills lands so large that they
have to deal with another settlement hogging
up too much of the space.
4 A peasant who walks around drunk all the
time, but is still surprisingly competent.
5 A peasant who is in a secret love affair with a
servant.
6 A peasant who works all day in the fields but
crafts poetry at night, under the light of a
small candle.
INFANTRY DISPOSITIONS
1 An infantry who is born into war and fighting,
always looking for the next fight.
2 An infantry who sees fighting and combat as
their duty and nothing else, and they aim to be
the best at it.
3 An infantry that loves their master, and will
do anything to protect them.
4 An infantry who abhors fighting, and only
does it because they are ordered to, but is
scarily good at fighting.
5 An infantry filled with hatred and a longing for
justice, and wishes to depose datu and cast
down false thrones.
6 An infantry brimming with a hard knowledge
of truth, and wishes to document all things
they must witness in war to make sure future
generations do not witness and suffer their
mistakes.
 DIVINATIONS

CHARACTER CONVICTION CHARACTER WANTS & RUMINATIONS

Use this divination if you need to find the principle Use this divination if you need to find either a Want or a
for a particular character, something they hold Rumination, or both, of a particular character. The results here
dearest, the thing they use their conviction upon. can be interpreted either way. Roll a d100.
Roll a d100.
1-4 Curiosity 1-2 Find something 51-52 Collect a debt
important
5-8 Duty
3-4 Create an 53-54 Spread a faith
9-12 Honor agreement
13-16 Valor 5-6 Build a 55-56 Find rest
17-20 Wealth relationship
21-24 Power 7-8 Destroy a 57-58 Find love
relationship
25-28 Peace
9-10 Create something 59-60 Get to somewhere
29-32 Love worthwhile special
33-36 Bonds 11-12 Perform 61-62 Climb the social
37-40 Protection something ladder
41-44 Safety heartrending
45-48 Justice 13-14 Achieve 63-64 Get something they
enlightenment want, which is
49-52 Violence dangerous
53-56 Honesty 15-16 Protect someone 65-66 Destroy obstacles
57-60 Redemption special
61-64 Revenge 17-18 Provide for 67-68 Keep the status quo
65-68 Vengeance someone
69-72 Comfort 19-20 Make sure 69-70 Upend the status
someone never quo
73-76 Power hurts again
78-80 Loyalty 21-22 Fulfill a duty 71-72 Kill gods
81-84 Martyrdom given
85-88 Piety 23-34 Escape a duty 73-74 Protect something
given important
89-92 Fealty
25-26 Transcend chains 75-76 Protect a place
93-96 Salvation
27-28 Seize power 77-78 Violently seize
97-100 Annihilation something
29-30 Destroy the weak 79-80 Prove worth
31-32 Remove tyrants 81-82 Become redeemed
33-34 Prove innocence 83-84 Find where they
belong
35-36 Prove bravery 85-86 Find who they truly
are
37-38 Pass a ritual 87-88 Uncover a
conspiracy
39-40 Become 89-90 Keep a secret from
something better falling into the
wrong hands
41-42 Become 91-92 Steal someone
something worse
43-44 Gain knowledge 93-94 Take something
from someone
45-46 Escape from 95-96 Heal a relationship
responsibility
47-48 Become a god 97-98 Create a better place
49-50 Enact vengeance 99-100 Secure sundries and
on something provisions

310
 DIVINATIONS

SEEDS
1. A datu seeks your help in raiding the shores of Baik Hu to win the heart of the princess Humangsanun of the
settlement Ukab.
2. A Daknunuk, a great and giant pagoda temple-tree, of which there are four all in all in the entire Archipelago
seemingly protecting the spiritual integrity of the Archipelago, is being attacked by either foreign forces or by
another faction.
3. A Lakanate settlement is harvesting resources from a forest. The Datu of the settlement is preparing to slay
the diwata of the forest to be able to harvest as much resources as possible.
4. A stone taotao filled wherein a diwata of war is depicted is being hunted down by those that would use it to
destroy one of their enemies, disrupting natural harmony.
5. An elder Kadanay, one of the ancient peoples that are skilled in grand wonders of spiritual artifice and
technology, has come to your settlement for aid against a coming storm of Yawa, brought upon by an injustice
performed at sea.
6. The settlement you are in is struck by magalo, strange and chaotic fey creatures from beyond the Borders of
the World, that seek to destroy Gubat Banwa as we know it. You must fight them back and find a way to
prevent it from happening again.
7. A confederation Datu has been killed by a diwata gone wild. You must find out why.
8. In the Archipelago, mountains are considered to be holy temples where gods and other spirits live. One certain
mountain has been found to have their trees slowly dying, and you must go to find out what had happened.
9. You must escort an esteemed noble lady on her pilgrimage across the Sea to reach the Daknunuk of Mount
Sakatun, in the eastern island facing the Sea of Broken Dragons. Rajahnate and Lakanate forces have come
begun conflict.
10. A Sultanate Datu conscripts your help in raiding a Lakanate settlement, to disrupt trade or military
technology.
11. A Lakanate Datu conscripts your help in raiding a Sultanate settlement to weaken their enlarging hold.
12. A Rajahnate Merchant Prince Datu asks for your help in pacifying a Sultanate and a Lakanate settlement that
is proving to be a nuisance for trade routes with foreign countries.
13. A Datu asks you to be his vassals and retainers and bring a message to an upcoming feast in his stead. The
message is a dangerous one written in palm leaf manuscript and cannot be opened. It is a statement of
intention of raiding for blaspheming the former Datu's name.
14. A datu requests your help in traveling up a mountain in Rusunuga to raid a city upon a hill, which killed their
child. This revenge raid will need the players to travel upriver deeper into Rusunuga, the largest of the islands.
15. A young lady, perhaps the wife of a Datu, seeks your help in undergoing a spiritual pilgrimage to a Dakbalete,
a Strangler Fig Temple-Tree. This is so that the child in her womb can be blessed. They will later find out that
the woman is not pregnant at all.
16. A yawa outbreak has happened somewhere near the current location of the Kadungganan. They must seek
out the cause, usually some sort of human sin or atrocity.
17. A settlement has called for a raid on another settlement, and both settlement call to the player Kadungganan
for help. It is up to the Kadungganan whom they will serve or protect.
18. Your Datu asks you to go to a foreign island or land, whether it be Baik Hu or Naksuwarga or the Madaki
Peninsula, to establish trade so that the settlement can grow richer. (Feel free to pull from other modules and
adventures for this.)
19. A Rajahnate princess is abducted by a Kadungganan who seeks to sow discord against the Rajahnate, to
destabilize the current Rajah, Batara Ambasi, and usurp the throne, replacing it with a lordship of peasant,
wherein those that work will be the ones ruling over those that don't.
20. An elder Confederation settlement where sea snakes are worn like bracelets and giant crab shells are worn like
breastplates seeks help retrieving a lost cache of Issohappan purawdust, which has adverse affects on nature
around it.
21. A rumored ancient balete temple tree has been invaded by a sole Pale King conquistador. Rumors say that the
conquistador feasts on unnatural purawdust, and is no longer a living person, but one death cannot claim.
22. An old Baikhan detachment is anchored on the shores of a sea settlement, planning on claiming that
settlement as part of Baik Hu’s hegemony.
23. A Baikhan warlord has arrived in the shores of a Rajahnate settlement in full armor, and has announced that
it the Baikhan Invasion begins there. That island becomes the first wall against Baik Hu invasion.

311
 DIVINATIONS

24. A polity in a far off island filled with a settlement populated by elephants that worship the moon goddess
Baginda Sumongsuklay. They re being hunted down by the Sultanate for their gold and hide.
25. On the base of the great mountain Darungdungan, a small village of smallfolk live, nature imps and sprites
that are enchanted beings. They worship Harisabokid, the King of Darungdungan, and they now ask for help,
as they presume Harisabokid is dead, and one of the twelve major polities killed him.
26. A dakbalayligo sa diwata, the spirit bathhouse, has arrived, and the Kadungganan are sucked into them. They
must find a way back, lest the dakbalay sa liguan disappear on the next new moon into the depths of Sulad.
27. There is an outbreak of yawa somewhere near a holy site. Diwata war with the yawa there. Neither of them are
at fault, rumors say.
28. A Lakanate contingent of blasphemous Kadungganan have appeared in the Confederation settlement known
as Latika, which is known for its great resources in manpower and being stationed upon the mountain of
Namigawal, a holy mountain. They have arrived to stew political unrest and to force a war with a Lakanate
settlement for means currently unknown.
29. 12 Bishops from the Lakanate Clergy have begun to move their personal Kadungganan ranks, with one of them
coming directly for your own personal settlement. Rumors and whispers of “The 12 Riders of the Stars”
abound.
30. War broils, it has ever been. A young and peaceful settlement, who have done nothing but enjoy their life
beside hot springs and follow the Mouse Deer God Pilandok deep into the island of Baliga, is under the threat
of attack by a Sultanate force.
31. Ten Datu have arrived from the far north, bringing with them the goal to colonize the island of Tan’ai. There
is resistance from the native datu. You must choose a side.
32. A young servant comes to you, low and meek, hoping for your help in seeking out their father, who was lost
in a recent raid to a far western island of Saffuri. Things are more than they seem, of course.
33. You are invited to be retainers to a noble who must go to a feast packed with high ranking nobles. You are
expected to act as a fluffer for the noble, and navigate a complex web of politics to get out of the feast alive.
34. A distant island that disappears in the horizon. When it comes closer, it is obvious that this is not an island,
but rather, a giant floating crab with a shell so large that an entire coral ecosystem has developed on its back.
There is a settlement of siyokoy, fish men, that live on the back.
35. A horde of magalo, those strange and inscrutable beings from past the borders of the world, have infiltrated
settlements at the edge of the archipelago. They walk among you like any other creature, but wield terrible
powers and earn the ire of any natural spirit within their vicinity.
36. A powerful city state, large and encompassing two islands in its size, is seized by the political enemy of the
current Datu, out for the head of its life. In the midst of the turmoil and excitement, the Datu is killed during
a feast showcasing their bahandi heirloom wealth in a parade. The last surviving members of the Datu’s kawal,
or personal guard, approach the Kadungganan for help.
37. Sea ghosts lure boats out to sea and they are consumed by the giant sea spider god that lives underneath a
giant stone, flat and smooth. Upon it are spider folk that worship the mountain underneath the stone. Seek
them out and find out why they lure poor unsuspecting travelers out to sea.
38. There is an island of ill omen, Mantiwan, the Island of Apparitions and Specters. White shades walk upon its
shores, upon its accursed mountain, but whenever someone gets too close, their boats are destroyed, or they
begin to see hordes and hordes of pale specters watching them from afar, with eyes of the gods. There is a
settlement here, they say, that belongs to the Kadanay. All datu avoid it, for it is indeed an island of ill luck.
39. Eight shrines to eight powerful balete trees, each one filled with resonance to the spirit word, have begun to
call upon for the Shrine Ritual, seeking Kadungganan and balyan far and wide to perform the rites and tasks.
A new god arises from the depths or screeches from the skies, ascending to seize and devour the sun and
moon.
40. A small settlement in a quaint river valley needs you to help collecting coconuts in a far off plantation, or to
kill a raging monster.

312
 DIVINATIONS
NPCS
Here is a short list of potential characters and
personalities that the Kadungganan might meet
during their travels. Choose one.
1. Dimatablan. A powerful woman who wears
nothing but her bahag and strength, and an
agimat that lets bullets ricochet from her. She
likes mamun and sweetened gabi (root crop), and
dislikes Baikhan tea.
2. Pumapagwis. A smart kid noble kid who wears the
trappings of royalty. While he is blind, he sees
through his superior hearing, allowing him to
scope out the battlefield even before a war breaks
out. He is known as the Eyeless Warsage, and is
known to enjoy very trivial luxuries, such as honey
tea and sugar cakes.
3. Dapiot. A kalabaw kshatriya who wields a
kampilan and a kalasag. She fights fiercely for her
Datu, and is in love with the Datu's binukot. She
enjoys the sound of the nose flute, and is known
to be particularly good in song and melody, but
not in poetry. She likes long walks by the shore
but dislikes the morning.
4. Kubera sa Bulalakaw. The eternal 12 year old girl
who was blessed by the Langitnon and turned into
a Diwata of Comets. She is well versed in combat
and is known for having fire feet that lets her fly.
She holds the trinity of Ancient Comet Weapons:
Lontok the Earth Pestle, Wariwari the Sea Spear,
and Inikara the Sword Streaking Across the Day
Sky.
5. Masirum. A pandita monk found in ancient
tombs, guarding a horrible secret: a gate to the
deepest parts of Sulad, where legions of the
Earthbound Aswang are kept. He, an aswang
himself: a Gabunan, an elder aswang. The tomb is
the tomb of the ancient Hexer-Datu Buyung
Parangkuton, and it is packed with ancient
artifacts.
6. Maningning. A young adolescent girl who is also
Daitan, her daitan friend being a powerful spirit
named Kaimito. She is mostly shy and awkward,
even if she wants to make friends, and she is
further ostracized due to her being a daitan.
Kaimito constantly eggs her on and encourages
her to make more friends. As a daitan, even
without formal balyan training, she can converse
with the spirits and has made a penchant for
solving problems with ghosts and diwata alike.
7. Amedi. A young and plucky thief who is faster
than her own shadow. In truth she is aswang,
which shows when one looks at her shadow, which
reveals that she has a set of invisible horns.
Whenever she shapeshifts into a cat or into her
asuwang monstrous form, she turns into a feline
horned creature. She has a penchant for shiny
things, and loves stealing from nobles and other
rich creatures. She strives one day to steal the
crown from Baik Hu's August Jade Emperor one
day, but she's content with just stealing the ruby
eye of Yarashgara XII. She likes noodles and rice
cakes, while she hates plain white rice and the
gluttonously rich.
8. Agay. A strong headed woman with a competitive
streak and a skilled blacksmith. In battle, she
brings a war palo, and bashes heads in as good as
she smites the heated rods. She has a penchant
for pretty women, and can get distracted by them.
9. Kasandra. A bayani of the Lakanate. Fervent in
her dedication to her Datu, Datu Luksin, she fights
clad in her silk cloak and heavy elephant hide
armor. Her skill with the sibat is unparalleled, and
she wears her bayani upbringing with pride. Her
long straight hair betrays her attention to
discipline, and her ability to name all her spear
techniques reveals her meticulousness when it
comes to her training. Despite this, her loyalty to
her skill in combat has left a hole in her social
ability, especially with those of the lower social
classes, who do not follow the same Golden Web
Tapestry social protocol that nobles tread.
10. Puksawan Yumi. A timawa of Datu Kalaw, a royal
vassal and retainer. He is known as the Flower
Moon, as his beauty exceeds even those of the
most beautiful women dayang. It is said that Datu
Kalaw has a romantic relationship with him.
11. Harakay. A wind diwata who is known to
transform into a binturong-crocodile, or a
dragon. He is a zealous Sentinel of his domain,
and will take it personally if someone blasphemes
his name or those within his domain. He is likely
to be found near the base of mountains, where the
wind howls through caves. In his human form, he
is a beautiful young man, who can be taken for a
woman, until he shows his true form. He fights
with quick spirit prayers and leaf blades.
12. Biyento Rekno. One of the princes of the Batara
Lakan, the king of the Lakanate. He is a man
seemingly hellbent on his job, on acquiring what
he needs. He is heavily armored and garbed, in
regal Baikhan silvers and native gold. He's doing
this so that he can convince his father to let him
go on a trading mission to Baik Hu, wherein his
beloved lives in the capital of Baik Hu, Zhong Ku.
13. Nia Hibii. A balyan that wears armor and goes on
ventures with her Datu in an attempt to speak to
as many spirits as she can. Nia loves collecting
little items as well, and she always carries a rattan
bag with her. Her balay back in her home
settlement of Bakim is filled with items that she
has collected from her travels. She is protective of
her datu, and loves nature far more than she can
care for, even moreso than her datu. She loves
calamansi juice and fragrant flowers, and hates
the tea from Baik Hu and porcelain jars.
14. Simamari. A pandita who always carries around
palm leaf manuscripts and bamboo scrolls. These
he writes upon, taking stock of all the new things
that he sees. He chronicles them back home,
writing them upon imperishable copperplate
inscriptions. He does this to expand the
knowledge of the Sultanate. He loves writing and
songs, but hates sweet food.
15. Datu Ragyan Amamira. A fun-loving and
courageous Datu, who has a penchant for being
deceitful to accomplish his goals, but only his
goals. He stays true with everything else. This
does not help him, however. He fights with a
bladed yo-yo, and he strikes with a quick blade.
Many call him the Monkey Lord, for his fighting
style and trickery. His settlement still loves him of
course, and the Datu is committed to making sure
his settlement is rich and well protected, against
even the Batara Lakan and the Mahapari himself.
313

He loves spicy food and
women, but hates men also.
16. Parawali Kusa Paladha. A no
nonsense parawali who fights
with a hardwood staff. He
always wears a shawl and
long-sleeved baro, keeping
almost his entire body save
for his head unexposed. His
face is almost always in a
constant frown, but he cares
for his settlement and is
willing to consort with Yawa
to do this. Kusa is devoted to
his settlement to a fault. He
loves warrior epics and
learning new things, and he
hates having to sing and
perform poetry in front of an
audience.
17. Dimatablang Dayang Kalis. A
powerful noble lady that has
now escaped and is traveling
the isles in search for
adventure and violence. She
is well adjusted to war, and
chooses not to kill if she can
help it. Her chosen weapon is
a giant kris the length of her
body, which she has called
Kilat, the lightning bolt. She
loves eating but hates
seafood.
DIVINATIONS
QUIRKS
Use this divination to make even more unique characters by finding
out what quirks they might have, special to the Sword Isles. Roll a
d100.
1-2 Has a barge prow for a 51-52 Cannot be killed, their heart
head is within a different animal
3-4 Sits on a floating broad- 53-54 Babbles in an indecipherable
rimmed hat language
5-6 Swathed in spirit idols 55-56 Has long hair that covers
their eyes
7-8 Has a crimson gem on 57-58 Is blind, sees through
their brow Nihawa
9-10 Has wild bulging eyes 59-60 Carries a weapon that they
like a vengeful god treat like their lover
11-12 Has an extra set of arms 61-62 Obsessed with honor
13-14 Carries around a 63-64 Is actually a kinnari in
bejeweled dagger disguise, a celestial half-
bird, musicians of the
celestial mountains
15-16 Is run through with a 65-66 Is being stalked by a fierce
phantom sword demon
17-18 Has an artificial arm 67-68 Is addicted to various spices
made of jade and concoctions in a search
for the immortality elixir
19-20 Has hair or eyes the 69-70 Is overly zealous about the
color of the moon ancestors
21-22 Has a giant sword that 71-72 Decked out in too many
they drag everywhere magical amulets
23-34 Has a spear they don’t 73-74 Mute to folk, but animals
know how to wield can understand them
25-26 Has a giant lantaka tied 75-76 Obsessed with numbers and
to their back scales
27-28 Walks around with 77-78 Has died once before,
three babies hanging something marks their
from body cloth trauma
29-30 Wears a court dancer 79-80 Has a face behind their head
demon mask
31-32 Has chains around their 81-82 Has spiders crawling up and
ankles down a mechanical spine
33-34 Wears a crown with a 83-84 Has a centipede for a spine
halo behind it
35-36 Travels with their 85-86 Has the eyes of a serpent,
apprentice, who carries strangely aloof
their smith’s workshop
37-38 Has iridescent fishes 87-88 Speaks solely in traditional
hanging from their island songs
waist at all times
39-40 Wears bird of paradise 89-90 Speaks solely in cryptic
tail feather mantras and sutras
41-42 Walks around with a 91-92 Has azure skin like the sky
censer
43-44 Has grayed eyes and 93-94 Doesn’t have a shadow
can only see through
spirit
45-46 Can see the unseen 95-96 Winces at a particular
common word
47-48 Has only one hand 97-98 Has a serpent coiled around
their wrist
49-50 Perpetually carries a 99-10 Remembers their past life
beautifully carved clay 0
jar filled with something
balanced on their head
314
DIVINATIONS

315
316
V: The Sword Isles

317
 Open World Play
in the Sword Isles
Solo Play will most likely be conducted in open world play. When you start a Solo Kandu, find out in
your Kadungganan’s background, or perhaps choose for them, where they might start. Each Region will have
five subregions filled with events.

HOW TO USE THIS SECTION

This section will lay out the five major regions of the Sword Isles:

0 The Gatusan Isles: The known heart of the Sword Isles. A fractured collection of islands that trade and
war with each other, in constant warfare and trade to control trade routes and entrepots. Comes from the
word “Gatos”, which means “Hundred”, so it potentially means “The Hundred Isles”. This region is inspired
by maritime Southeast Asia and is a good region to play in if you wish to go on sea raids, have a dense sea
life, go into open waters, travel far upon the waves, and potentially grapple with the unknown oceans. The
most powerful mandala here is the Rajahnate of Gatusan.
0 The Footsteps of the Gods: The head of the Sword Isles, and is composed of the handle and the tassels
of the sword that the God used to pierce Gubat Banwa. Here the most powerful mandala is the Sultanate
of Akai, and the Sultana holds almost every leader and king within this region in thrall. The Footsteps of the
Gods is the land of beautiful cinnamon, extravagant flower islands, and burgeoning mountains. The center
of Gubat Banwa and the trichiliocosm, the Mountain of Apu, can be found in the island of Kalanawan, the
largest island in the Footsteps of the Gods. The Confederation of Apumbukid holds a large amount of power
here as well.
0 The Island of Rusunuga: The bladed tip of the Sword Isles. The largest island in the Sword Isles, it is
almost always in constant conflict between the contesting nations within the island. Land warfare is more
common here than the rest of the isles, and so are large plains and silt fields. The Island of Rusunuga is
commonly trading with the grand Hegemony of Baik Hu, facilitating intense cultural and material exchange.
The island is covered with vast mountain ranges and beautiful plateaus, as well as giant lakes and yawning
caves.
0 The Isles of Rajakami: The dragon head of the Sword Isles. Rajakami means “King Cinnamon”, Rajakami
is commonly known as the islands of High Spice. The High Spices are considered the greatest spices in
Gubat Banwa, and is so valuable that much of modern trade surrounds their flow, causing Baik Hu,
Ramahasa, Mahajola, Issohappa, and other far continents to vie for ownership of the Sword Isles. The
residents of Rajakami are powerful shaman-kings and sorcerer-queens that use witchcraft made from the
high spices to summon dragons and control the Gods. The Isles of Rajakami are covered in dense and lush
forests. Slumbering naga surround each major island.
0 Jamiyun Kulisa’s Arrows. The far tassels of the Sword isles, this region is a newer addition, as it is quite
literally Jamiyun Kulisa’s giant lightning cloud arrows fired to try and slay the great Nushen Nugua, mother
of the million peoples of central Baik Hu. Nushen Nugua survived the attacks and made a pact with Jamiyun
Kulisa that their children will trade and exchange what they know of the world. The arrows that fell upon
the sea that now connect the Footsteps of the Gods to the mainland continent of Baik Hu have become
populated with grand kingdoms. From great god-kings, to sage-shamans, to tiger-conquerors. Jamiyun
Kulisa’s Arrows are covered with islands of verdant jungles and millet fields, but more striking are the
architectural marvels built within, stillshrines to the gods. Many of the inhabitants of The Sword Isles travel
here to fulfill religious pilgrimages and achieve spiritual enlightenment.

318
THE GATUSAN ISLES
The grand isles, a whirling vortex of war and trade.
While they are amicable to those outside of them,
these isles are intensely focused on the settlement
politics going on within. The Gatusan Isles are an
intensely dangerous whirlpool of cultural trade and
violent exchange.
Play in the Gatusan Isles if you want...
0 Sea raiding and glory seeking in a free archipelago
unruled by emperors and god-kings, vivacious with
999 Chiefdoms
0 Maritime Hindu-Buddhist Southeast Asian
aesthetics
0 To go sailing across an intense archipelago setting
0 To vie for men and control of sea routes
0 To perhaps establish a powerful thalassocracy
0 Vast seas that connect the disparate islands
together
0 Dense rainforests and sacred mountains that pierce
heaven
0 Deep rivers filled with horrid corpse eaters and
living dragons
0 A warm climate that is constantly peppered by
storms
0 A land abounding with spirits
VIBE
You can scarcely imagine it. Rolling waves that crash
into churning foam, into vast white beaches, into
dense rainforests filled with walking gods, hungry
giants, bounding demons and curious ghosts. The
largest settlements settle by the shore and then
penetrate into the land through the river, creating
naga-like communities, with the leader’s house far
from the shore. Every mountain is sacred and holy.
These are the isles of grand hunting chiefs, who take
on entire islands as their hunting grounds. Of great
would-be dancers and poets who copy the movements
of the eagles and the songs of the ancient Ashinin
missionaries, singing of grand heroes fighting against
demon lords. Of horrible warring princes who vie for
the love of the people.
The isles are free, sure. It has none of the far reaching
influence of vast thalassocracies, or the impending
conquest of hegemonic imperialists. Not yet. It is a
chaotic world of water. Resources are so abundant
that it is not worth fighting for: it is more important
to fight for Folk to be able to exploit the resources.
The people here worship the ancestors as their gods.
They beseech the gods of nature and revere them, but
“fear” is more important of a term than “devotion”.
Nature is uncanny and not friendly. To think that
nature is worthy of worship is a dangerous
anthropocentric imposition.
319
THE SUBREGIONS
The closest thing to subregions in this area are the five islands that are considered the most important or the
most strategic. Some command important trade routes, others house valleys of gold.

THE GRAVEYARD OF THE WINDS

Two ancient wind gods, Habagat and
Amihan, warred here. The islands are
not islands but giant cannonballs,
astras, giant skybarges, ancient arrows,
shattered blades, scorched astras,
cracked lances.
This ancient war has long ended. Folk
live on the remains of the giant weapons
and vessels now.
You will most probably need a boat to
travel around here. Storms kick up in
random places. Common to have a wind
medium upon boats when travelling.
Mairete and Ramasa are said to have
been the ancient kingdoms of Habagat
and Amihan, before war ravaged them.
Demons are common here. They were
used by Amihan and Habagat as
footsoldiers and war slaves. Mairete is
ruled by a many-headed demon-

d12 Events

1 A group of warriors fend off an undead troop upriver into one of the islands.
2 A shaman-in-trance leaps into view. “The war continues!” she screams. “Amihan and Habagat ready their
zephyr lances!”
3 A small warband finds you on their daily patrols. “Oi! Some stragglers! We could use some extra hands for that
shrine we’re buildin’.” They unsheathe their blades.
4 You find an ancient javelin. It’s blade is made of calcified steel, forged by lightning. Find its owner and be
rewarded, or wield it (Garoda Wingspear anting-anting) and be hounded by demons until you are dead.
5 You chance upon a lone balyan, working now as an exorcist, clothed in robes, ceremonial flowers, and white
ritual paint. When asked, she will say that she is on the way to purify a town seemingly cursed by the ancestors.
The town worships a malevolent deity known as Mother Midirah, a perversion of the Virbanwan Madiyah, who
commands a virgin sacrifice every year.
6 A group of demons, still set to kill, attack the warband. This will always be a difficult encounter. The appearance
of demons always means that Raja Sri is close behind: gain a +1 on your next roll on this table.
7 You encounter a ship on the way to raid a community on another island, for one reason or the other.
8 You find yourself in the Open Ocean or the Deep Wood. Something uncanny happens to you as you brush with
the diamond realm of spirits. Will you ever be the same? Describe what you see. Mark a Conviction, and then
replace it with what you saw.
9 You meet a giant. 50% chance of it being hungry. If it is, it immediately attacks (Size 2 Navadikpala).
10 You encounter the king of Mairete, Raja Sri Diwa Haharing an ancient demon of three torsos. Surprisingly
calm and collected, and rules a sophisticated city known as Taklub. Exports deerskins, honey, and warriors.
Warriors are taught ancient demon arts. Sri Diwa Haharing learned his ways from a traveling monk named Sri
Daitya, who died there and became a worshipped ancestor of Mairete. Diwa Haharing has achieved the
bodhisattva state, though his life’s work is not yet done. He wishes to eradicate all demonkind, which he calls
yawa.
11 You hear whistling as you cross a wood. Walk forward and don’t look back. Utter a prayer to the ancestors. If
you dally too long, aghoy appear: stick-like slender men made of wood, whistling incessantly. They can be given
offerings to appease them. Will curse you if you run or if you defeat them.
12 You come across a strangler fig surrounded by porcelain jars. A royal family’s burial grounds. An elderly balyan
guards the area. Is kindly and offers betel nut.

320
 TAUHAW REGION
Composed of the largest
settlements in the Gatusan Isles.
Tauhaw is commonly seen as the
island of royalty. Here the Hundred
Houses of Gatusan--datu that
pledge loyalty to the Raja--live.
This is the region of the Raja, of the
eventual Batarahari. The one who
will unite the Hundred Chiefdoms
and establish a grand kingdom, and
then go on to rule the world.
Foreigners are common here. From
across the world. Pale-skinned ones
are looked upon with askance, but
hospitality gets the better of
Tauhawnon.
Buwol houses one of the fiercest
resistances against the Pale Kings.

d12 Events

1 Caught in the crossfire of a datu hunting party, led by one of the many kedatuan royalty of the
Hundred Houses.
2 An Annuvaran priest with a pewter monk-staff fights off a marauding band of water ghosts with the
help of a fellow warrior taught in the destroyer-tradition of Siwa.
3 You come across a feast held to celebrate a successful raid. A severed head is mounted on a spear
at the center. There is someone that wishes to steal the head.
4 An Akainon fisherman on his boat, filled with fish and coconut. If approached, asks for help hunting
an old rival.
5 Encounter a musical warband travels from village to village. The leader has backwards feet and
disappears at night.
6 A krait whisperer. She tells the story of the snakes. She makes friends with the coral serpents. She
worships Vritra, the god of the dragons, who wishes to kill Jamiyun Kulisa, who is Indra.
7 There is a balak, a poetic bout, going on, the hollers and cheers echoing across the isle. It is a fight
for the hand of the bride in marriage.
8 A child that speaks the language of the whale sharks, the butanding. They speak the secrets of the
Tubigbanwa, that ancient and distant realm, where souls dead become servants and warriors of the
sea empires.
9 A karakoa wreck. A witchpowder trail leads into the forest, which has blasted it into mangled fingers
of magenta flame. Demons feast upon the stockpile. A nearby datu has heard of this wreck.
10 A warrior with crimson hair appears and asks for help. He is the heir to a settlement with a mystical
well that produces ice and other confections. The settlement is being run aground by his father.
11 A travelling master teaches a discipline lost to time, but only in a royal palace, while everyone is
asleep.
12 A tigerfolk prince from the realms of Mahajola, said to be a descendant of great Jamiyun Kulisa. Lost
most of his things in a shipwreck after traveling into the Isles, save for his superior martial prowess,
Vritra-slaying sword, and his serpent-mount. Offers you help and teaches the tenets of Ashinin.
Wants to start his own kerajaan.

321
BARRIER OF PANLINUGON
East of Tauhaw, a common
stopping point for traders
from Baik Hu, or those from
the Footsteps of the Gods.
A major city here is
Kotalawana, named after its
founder Sri Lawana, said to
have been an avatar of Lawana
Sinigida. The current raja, Raja
Sri Lawana Kalima (the fifth) is
a tyrant, subsuming other
communities under his own.
He wishes, of course, to show
his devotion to his ancestor
Lawana Sinigida and conquer
Gatusan.
Travel due east from the
Barrier, and one finds the
remains of steepled towers
jutting from the ground, each
layer of the tower housing a
thousand gods. The occasional
giant kampilan juts out out of
the waves, seafoam crashing
against it. Grand coral cities
and ecosystems have risen
around ancient monoliths of
Indira Suga, the Empress of
Kings, the Mother-Essence.
Ask a local, and they point and
say, “Samrasat.” That is all
they know, that is all their
ancestors know. When
pressed, they shrug and say:
“They are ruins now.”
d12 Events
1 An ancient cannon washes ashore the city of Kotalawana. Local
datu fight over it. It has the strength to destroy thousands. Raja
Sri Lawana Kalima wants it for himself.
2 Ashinin missionaries have arrived from the Tiger Empires: ivory
tigerfolk with four hands. They peddle gods and spices. One wishes
to speak about Siwa, the Lord of Dancers, the bringer of
destruction. The isles know Siwa by another name: Batala.
3 Sea raiders pass by, hooting and hollering, looking for another kill.
They’ve found one, probably, with your warband.
4 A giant rouses from their deep slumber from a seaside cave. Wishes
to fight someone worthy of their time. Will not fight someone
smaller than him. Will wrestle gods.
5 A shaman laps at stream. Possessed by a wild cat spirit. Wants
milk. Has eyes the color of sunset.
6 The weeds move. Little water ghosts dance. Will ask for food or for
offerings. Prone to violence.
7 A headtaking ritual. Unable to escape; must partake in the violence.
If not, prepare to be decapitated. Led by a boar god.
8 A banana tree with a drop of moonlight hanging from its heart. If
ingested, receive the fireblood mutya. However a snake god will
chase after you, trying to get it back.
9 A stray tiger traveling across an island. Missionaries will say it is a
sign that Siwa blesses Panyupayana (their name for the Sword
Isles). The tiger is hungry.
10 An Apunon camp. They are waiting for a perfect time to strike
against a rising village allied with Kotalawan. It has been a constant
source of Dihiyang for the longest time.
11 A lone faithful of Annuvaran faith in the corner of a settlement.
Built their own pagoda-temple out of hardwood. Prays to the
Buddha Vairochana, whom she refers to as Sri Rajaraya Balaan
Malaun, the great king holy Malaun, which means Ancient One.
Vairochana is a primordial Buddha.
12 A man scratching at his eyes. Has his third eye opened. Cannot be
unseen. He is the king of Samrasat. Cursed forever by ancestors.
322
 THE PANNAI LEAGUE
A powerful league of cities each ruled by a datu, each
one on the verge of becoming a raja. They are a league
of ten cities trading and raiding together. Each one is
ruled by a powerful datu, each one has its own patron
spirit.
Witness the holy mountain of Madjaas, where the
souls of the League return to instead of Sulad. It
reaches the sky, that temple-mountain. Atop it is the
Buhi Lunok, the Tree of Life, guarded and cultivated
by Sri Dapa, the God of Mortality. He marks the tree
every time a mortal is born with their expected life
span.
The League is under constant attack from both
Virbanwan and Akai forces. With the help of
Gatusanon raiders and Apunon warrior-monks, they
fend them off. The League stands tall and equals Ba-e
in age.
The ten major cities of Pannai are known as the
Sampu Hias Sang Kalis (Ten Jewels of Sword). They
are descended from the 10 Mahadatu who escaped
the tyranny of Raja Makatunao in Sonyoh.
Each one of them claims lineage to the god Seri
Maharaja. Seri Maharaja came from the reverent
Pannai Kingdom of warrior-monastics, followers of
the Thunderbolt Vajra, in Jamiyun Kulisa’s arrows.
They decimated Mahajola’s invading forces. They lost
in the end, and arrived in Gatusan afterwards.

d12 Events

1 Witness the Royal Dragon Barge of Datu Sumakwel, great fire-bearer, who once wrestled a naga to the
ground from a volcano. The Royal Dragon Barge is large enough to house various houses within, as well
as its own marketplace. There’s been a murder within it.
2 The great Heaven-Piercing Datu Bangkaya, who was an esteemed learner of the Heaven-Rending Art of
Heavenspears. His city-state rests before a large cliff in the shape of Raja Makatunao jutting out. Ashinin
devotees sometimes rest here to give lotus-prayers and perform mantra-meditations. Datu Bangkaya has
lately been a devotee of Annuvaran, believing in the perfection of sunyata and the liberation from
3 Meet a warrior of the lord of earth Padohinog, who could level mountains with a single strike. His
settlement is deep in the forests of Pannai, where he is close friends with the forest god. The warrior has
crimson eyes and is skillful with an axe in both felling trees and foes. He is traveling to the volcano of
Kanlaon, wherein a great dragon sleeps.
4 You meet the grand Datu Bantugan himself, whose skin is almost pale thanks to tiger-blood descendancy.
He is one of the few datu that does not claim lineage to Raja Makatunao but rather, to Megat Seri Laon,
who once traveled to the volcano now known as great Kanlaon and defeated the ancient Dragon Demon-
God within. He is looking for someone to carry out his dirty work: someone in a rival community must
die.
5 By the shore, a crocodile spirit has possessed a fisherman. He lies down belly up all the time. Belches out
weapons.
6 A warrior from the settlement of Datu Paiburong, Banwa Irong-Irong, arrives to ask for help: their hand
has been ripped off, and they wish for their arm back. Datu Paiburong is the lord of the Irong-Irong strait,
controller of the flow of trade there, thus becoming a rich city-state. Datu Paiburong is a patron of the
Ashinin Faith and mixes it with local anitu, building monasteries and candi to the goddess Gold Tara.
7 An Ashinin monk, pewter staff and all. Looking for Kadungganan to help them travel to the Far East.
8 Meet Sri Dapa, azure-skinned and multiple hands. An aspect of Siwa, who counts down mortality. Can
teach the Dance of Death if asked, as well as the Decapitation Rite.
9 A giant naga erupts from a river. It chokes upon a god. Choose who to save. The god is always powerful,
perhaps an aspect of Wisnu.
10 A greater shaman-sorcerer, a ma-aram, seeks out Kadungganan for help in a ritual to end an ancestor’s
line to end a great evil.
11 Ancient metal statues in the forests of Pannai have begun to move. They were made by ancient Annuvaran
monks. They watch you as you cross the forests.
12 You come across a large group of people working on building a great candi. Demons try to stop them.

323
KHADNALA SWORD SHARDS
Perhaps the most dangerous area of Gatusan.
It is the wastelands, no-man’s land. There is
only 1 Chiefdom here: the Chiefdom of Sakad,
established by Sri Kad in Gandara.
Sri Kad accrued power through both devotion
to Maka-ako the Creator as well as
righteousness by cultivating merit from the
ancestors.
Sri Kad was the closest thing to a rightful king.
A servant of people.
He was killed by his brother, Sri Nala. Sri Nala
took upon the regnal name Sri Maharaja
Payana Parameswara Hari Dalayawon. He
went out eradicating the rest of the burgeoning
communities of the Khadnala Sword Shards,
leaving city- and village-ruins and creating
large wells of atrocity. Demons now abound, as
well as vengeful dead (known usually as: preta,
hantu, amalanhig), across these islands. Thus
it is considered a cursed region.
The current Chief of Sakad is Sri Kamakama,
who is said to have the blood of vengeful
ghosts. He is referred to by others as the King
of the Ghost Isles, and he is treated more as a
king of ghosts rather than a chief of people.
Sri Kamakama is a kind warrior-brave who
channels the merit of his ancestors. Through
kindness he has asked for the help of Anitu and
Annuvaran exorcists to cleanse the islands.
324
Events, Roll d12
You encounter a hungry ghost. Its maw opens. Its body
1 always looks away from you, but its head always faces
you.
2 A demon-witch manananggal flies overhead, and finds
one of you as prey.
An amalanhig: a ghost hungry and vengeful. According
to the Ashinin, died with horrible karma. According to
3 local anitu, these are people that died as horrible beings,
and cannot find rest in any place, even in Sulad, due to
their sins being too great for them to enter into any
afterlife. They attack immediately.
A Makinaadmanon, a sage, who teaches of Perfect
Divine Ego-Death. Teaches that the creator god Kaptan,
4 to create the Trichiliocosm, killed his Ego. Kaptan thus
became the Trichiliocosm. The Makinaadmanon is a
very kind warrior-priest that gives tea and the
Geomantic Moondrop to the warbands.
A small community that follows Nataraja, the Lord of
5 Dance, performs a vigorous tandava to
commemmorate the rising of a new datu. There is an
ambush ready to strike.
A ruin. Preta wander it. Wails echo across it. There is no
6
respite for these ghosts. Cleanse them (Ghost).
A spot of forest where everything becomes black. An
7 amalanhig with a gaping maw follows you. You see her
at the corner of your eye. Closer, closer. (Ghost Chief)
A wandering hammer-exorcist, a master of the Blood-
8 Soaked Hammer of Hari. Can teach it. Has an anvil
made of preta. On the hunt for Asuras.
A wandering tigerman-priest, whose hair is crazed and
9 whose eyes are always blood-shot. A
brahmarakshasa, demon-priests. Ashinin
missionaries that died evil.
A shaman who channels Durga the goddess of death, of
whom Kalakatri is an indigenized form of. Durga
comes from Southeast Mahajola, the goddess of
10 warriors and in some sects is associated with the All-
Mother Essence Shakti. The shaman goes around
putting preta and amalanhig to rest with a giant
executioner’s panabas.
You find Sri Kamakama’s city. A great city wherein
amalanhig are turned to manual labor, ordered by
11 Annuvaran monks, to make up for their evil deeds. Sri
Kamakama is hospitable and meritorious, who knows of
the prejudice from outside the Sword Shards.
A black-tiger, an avatar of Yamaraja, Supreme Lord of
the Underworlds. He beckons you. Can teach the Dance
12
of Death if so wished. Can show a path into the
underworld.
325
VI: Lore
BARTER ITEMS
If you want to randomize, roll 2d8, setting one dice
as the tens place and the other as the ones place. The
barter ratings are generalizations, it will not be the
same across all polities.
11- Kupya. Steel peaked helmet. An import from
foreign lands, now forged locally.
12 - Betel Nut Chew. When given to someone you
just met, it grants you +1 when conversing with them.
13 - Abaca Rope. 5 dupa long. Has numerous uses.
14 - Glazed Water Pot. Useful for carrying water.
15 - Abaca Sack. A sack used for carrying things.
16 - Banig. A textile mat great for resting..
17 - Bamboo Fishing Rod. A fishing rod.
18 –Habay-habay. An abaca fiber under armor, worn
similar to a burlap sack. Usually waist length, but can
reach ankle length.
21 - A clay pot of dyestuffs. Choose which color. This
can be used to dye any cloth.
22 – Palm Leaf Scrolls and Writing Knife. Can be
used to write messages and notes.
23 - Clay Pot. A clay pot that can preserve anything
put within it for a three days.
24 - Tuba. Fermented coconut wine. When drunken,
must succeed on a save or else they are incapacitated
for 6 hours. Bahandi.
25 - Kasing. A hardwood spinning top much wanted
by children and collectors. Values at
26 - Kudyapi or Korlong. A boat lute, usually with
one or two strings, played with a plectrum. Much
wanted for feasts and celebrations. Kudyapi is used by
males and korlong by females. Values at
27 - Agung. A bronze or war gong, used for official
proceedings, ceremonies, war, and news. Bahandi.
28 - Ancestor or Diwata Idol. A little human being or
idol usually made of wood or stone, found in almost
every household in The Sword Isles. They represent
little gods or diwata, guardian spirits, or ancestral
spirits that the common folk pray to everyday. Some
settlements paint them intricately, others laurel and
perfume them. Offerings are given to them everyday.
Usually not sold, and no one in the market would seek
it.
31 - Hinalasan Burial Jar. A porcelain jar depicting a
river dragon. Used as a means of secondary burial,
where the bones of the deceased are perfumed and
stuffed within in a sitting position--with their knees up
to their chin--along with their jewelry. Bahandi.
32 - Baikhan Cauldrons. Usually used for stews and
soups, they are usually traded in from the Southeast
Continent (in exchange for local forest goods) so that
they can be broken to supply smith forges, since it was
easier to trade in malleable iron than to extract metal
from ore. Rarity to smiths.
33 - Palo. Panday tools. The palo is a two-handed
stone maul for working iron. Palo-palo is a smaller
stone hammer. A pair value at
328
34 - Garol. Curved bladed spurs for fighting cocks.
Valued by those that frequent sabong fights and those
that train fighting cocks.
35 - Bisol Tail. The bisol is a kind of ray fish with a
tough and rough tail, used as a smoothener to smooth
the hardest of woods.
36 - Daya. A flat open boat akin to sampans. Can be
used to travel up and down streams and rivers.
37 - Balanga. A flat clay pan used for frying.
Commodity, sold by most potters.
38 - Gining. A large porcelain jar used for creating
pangasi rice wine. Necessity, usually comes from
foreign trade with Baik Hu and Malirawat.
41 - Kabo. A blue and white jarlet, Baikhan construct.
42 - Dulang. Wooden pan used to pan gold from
streams and riverbeds.
43 - Kamagi. Neck Trinket. Gold necklaces that
contain hundreds of links and rods and wires, all made
of gold.
44 - Pakil. The native term for breastplate, can be
made of kalabaw hide, kalabaw horn, elephant hide,
gold, bronze, steel, hardwood, or bamboo. It is a
necessity if its hardwood, bamboo, or gold. It is a rarity
if its made of kalabaw hide, elephant hide, bronze, and
steel.
45 - Pakang. A kind of mallet used to drive a lukub, an
instrument to make holes in shipbuilding.
46 - Kagingking. Branches of bamboo whereupon
leaves grow, used for rituals and decoration.
47 - Karayang. Frying pans of pure iron. Used for
cooking. Traded in from Naksuwarga or Baik Hu.
48 - Bakud. Poles used like staffs, made to create
holes in the ground for farming.
51 - Subing. A bamboo jaw harp. A twanging reed
plucked between the lips or teeth with the mouth as a
variable resonating chamber.
52 - Tolali. A bamboo nose flute, made to echo
mournful human sounds.
53 - Bangati. A vine used as a preventative for
epilepsy.
54 - Kandit. Neck Trinket. Heavy gold sash worn by
kedatuan royalty.
55 - Golden Flower Ear Ornaments. Ear Trinket.
Four petaled gold flower sculptures, depicting the
ancient Flower of Life. Excessively ornamented and
decorated, made by the most skilled of panday sa
bulawan (goldsmiths).
56 - Patan-aw. Ear Trinket. Dangling gold earrings
where articulation is achieved by fusing zigzagging
gold wire into hollow hoops. From these dangle
multiple round, rhomboid, and foliate spangles and
ornaments.
57 – Paruka. Wooden clogs, sometimes made of
intricate gold. A sign of wealth..
58 - Gold Barter Rings. Ring. Golden rings engraved
with exquisite wave patterns used as trading currency.
61 - Tutubi Necklace. Neck Trinket. Or dragonfly
necklace. Made of gold, a kind of necklace made of
thousands of granulated gold beads, flattened to create
a shimmering effect reminiscent of the tails of tutubi,
dragonflies. Expensive almost anywhere.
82 - Bronze Mirror. Used as a mirror.
83 - Incense Pots. Valued by those higher in society,
important during death rituals, funerals, and
mournings.

62 - Golden Forearm Bands. Wrist Bangles. Gold 84 - Bulat. A perfumed ointment, compounded of
bands made of sheets of gold wrapped around the many ingredients, used for hair fragrance and luxuriant
forearms, decorated with rose and palmetto motifs. growth.

63 - Gold Armbands and Bracelets. Wrist Bangles. 85 - Puno. A fine comb for removing head lice or
Wide gold flaring bands worn as bracelets. ringworm scales.

64 - Gold Petaloid Ear Ornaments. Earring. Ear 86 - Silat. A toothbrush made of vegetable husk for
ornaments with petaloid protrusions and floral cleaning and polishing teeth.
designs. 87 - Powdered Duyong Bones. A panacea for all
65 - Habul. Abaca cloth, used for a variety of things. kinds of treatment.

66 - Salt. Salt derived from saltwater was precious. 88 - Puso Rice Cakes. Rice cakes boiled in a little
One ganta (3 liters) is usually needed by most people. wrapper of coconut leaves.

67 - Kukot. Wooden counters for calculation of

barter. Every tenth kukot was of a different size, to
help in counting.
68 - Cast-Iron Pans. From trade with others.
Wanted by panday sa puthaw (blacksmiths).
Commodity, Necessity to smiths.
71 - Bugsok. A bamboo clothes hamper that you can
keep your clothes and other items in.
72 - Kupit. A knapsack for holding items.
73 - Bangkat. Bamboo carrying basket.
74 - Kupang. A skein of cotton.
75 - Tapul. Tar-based teeth coating that can be
applied to give the teeth polished ivory. It also acts as
teeth preservatives. In most of the cultures of the
known isles, white teeth belongs only to the animals.
76 - Lakha. Red ant eggs chewed to grant the teeth a
deep red color.
77 - Pandong. Any natural covering used as a lady’s
cloak.
78 - Sarok. A headdress with a deep crown, used for
travel on foot or by boat.
81 - Paraluman. A compass, not really used much as
sailors in the Archipelago memorize the currents, the
islands, and know how to read the stars.

329
A COLLECTION OF
WRITINGS AND SILKS OF
THE LOTUS
The following is a series of translated writings and
songs from the lands of Gubat Banwa, many of them
written upon palm leaf manuscripts, others written on
copperplate and ivory seals. Most of these have been
passed down to us in song and gossip.
ON THE SHAPE OF THE
WORLD
Written by Sahajaya Ngarok, the Fortress Shattering
Makinaadmanon. There has been a violence within the
echoes and songs of the learned and the fools, upon the
proper shape of Gubat Banwa. Many have said that
since there are countless gods and demons that the
world is not shaped at all, but the spiritual truth of
formless reality–Ang Tanan Nga Kawala (The All That
Is Nothing)--which is that ultimate reality that exists
beyond us and before us and even before the great Sky
and Sea, obviously goes against that. How can we, as
finite creatures, little eels upon the river of existence,
know that the world is not shaped? If the ultimate is
formless then we must be formed, for we are not
ultimate.
Therefore the two most popular views upon which the
world is shaped are as follows: Hulma Niyog (Coconut
Shaped) or Hulma Baino (Lotus Shaped). The more
common knowledge spread across the Sword Isles is
that the world is shaped like a coconut, the Hulma
Niyog. This view originated within the isles itself, and
only makes sense: there are the realm of the mortals,
upon which we live, in the middle of the coconut, the
realm of the gods on the upper half, and then the realm
of the underdwellers in the lower half, all of it encased
within a coconut-shaped cosmos. This world thus
floats upon the Sea of Wine.
The other popular view has been introduced from the
far southeastern missionaries and monks: that the
world is shaped like a Lotus, and it is balanced upon the
tip of the trident of Rayasaiwa, the central Guardian
God. The trident is known as Kadaut Rishud. Others
say that the Sea of Wine is the infinite vastness that is
Rayasaiwa (thus the Sea of Wine is also known as
Rayavritur, which means “Presence of Rayasaiwa”) and
there are a potentially infinite number of Lotuses (each
one being a smaller reality) which float upon
Rayavritur, each one balanced upon the infinite Kadaut
Rishud. The sky is the lotus bud’s ceiling, the farthest
reaches of the World Jaws (upon which the Continents
are affixed) turn into the petals of the lotus, and the
depths of the world eventually ends in a giant pillar
that is the Kadaut Rishud.
What is the truth? Much more rumination and song is
needed, and experience and storytelling, and perhaps
we can ask the ancestors about the truth of the matter.
Perhaps it is both, or perhaps it is neither? Whatever it
may be, it is the shape.
330
MARTIAL ARTS
The primary way of fighting in every culture is
expressed as an art. These are martial arts. As with any
art, there are many different schools and branches of
this art, and that is doubly true for Gubat Banwa,
where Martial Arts are the primary art. Settlements
might have special personal Martial Arts only taught to
the royalty of their village, while others might have
traveling martial sages or blacksmiths that actively
spread their martial art. Others might have started
Communities of Learning deep into the mountains,
inspired by foreign monasteries.
ON THE TOPIC OF
RULERSHIP
Written by Sri Kadasiga Mahawagas, an excerpt from
his “Sermons on Virtue and Rulership.”
“For many datu in the isles, some sort of divinity is a
useful claim to royalty. This is because a ruler’s
powerbase, a king’s powerbase, in the isles depends on
how much virtue or merit the commonfolk see that you
have. If they realize that another, different warrior-
brave or king has a more powerful claim to royalty,
whether it be divine heritage, bloodline, or superior
ultraviolence, then they will switch allegiance on a
dime, following the more powerful one. Why would you
follow a non-virtuous person? If you follow a virtuous
leader, then you will cultivate virtue yourself.
“Let me tell you, song within song, a story I have
learned from my teacher, a peerless spearwoman,
named Tagos, which means pierce through.
‘O great Makinaadmanon, tell us: what does it take to
be a king?’
The great Makinaadmanon bent her head in
introspection, and then said: ‘Two things. Merit and
Compassion.
‘To expound: all kings must express great merit, one
that speaks good of their actions on the earth. This
merit shall fill them, proper fealty and obeisance to the
superstitions of the world. Those of Gatusan like to call
it ‘Gahum’, power, but in fact it is more than just. It is
more than just power. It is respect, charisma, force of
personality, and virtue.’
‘Great Makinaadmanon, what brings one merit?’
‘Proper action. The king reflects upon his disciples, his
followers, you see. If the king acts correctly, then his
followers shall follow correctly. He shall avenge his
ancestors that have been wronged, execute justice,
cultivate compassion and harmony with nature, and a
propensity for peace, and silent stoic virtue that cuts
through falsities, smoke, and bamboo to arrive at the
proper conclusions to better support his disciples.’
A pale young girl, with hair the color of yellowed
flowers, said: ‘You speak of the king with his
disciplines—‘
‘Yes,’ interrupted the Makinaadmanon. ‘That is
because Kings from your land subjugate. Kings here in
the Sword Isles: Rajahs, Lakan, Datu, Sultans… they
are all leaders. They are not simply rulers. They carry
with them their strength, and they are chosen by the
people to lead them, and not given to them by Gods.
There is a difference.”
The boy lifted a thoughtful eyebrow. ‘But that is not
how it seems, great Makinaadmanon, in the Sword
Isles. The Sultana claims heritage to the Moon, the
Batara Lakan is chosen by God, the Hari has the blood
of tiger-gods…’
The Makinaadmanon laughed and nodded. “No merit,
no compassion…” she turned on the boulder she sat
and bent over, as if retching. Then she said, her teeth
stained red by the betel nut that she had been chewing
for 44 days: ‘That is why there are no kings in The
Sword Isles.’
‘Is Royalty something they must achieve then, wise
one?’
‘Nay. Royalty is something they must shed.” The
Makinaadmanon grinned. Her shattered sword glinted
in the night light. “Royalty is an incomplete thought
crafted by autocrats. They must trudge toward
holisticity, harmony, oneness, nature.”
There are many terms that deal with the complex topic
of rulership in the Isles. In general, “Kings” in the
Sword Isles do not consolidate their power by
collecting land, but rather, by collecting people, as the
manual labor lets them take advantage of the abundant
natural resources.
The hierarchies of Rulership are as follows.
Servants - The lowest in the Social Classes, those that
can be sold like items, and are owned by those they owe
their debt to. Servants are transferred through
transference of debt. These are known as aliping
sagigilid in both Ba-e and Virbanwa, oripun hayohay in
Gatusan, ipun in Akai, and bayang in Apumbukid. Even
lower than servants are the war chattel, known as
captives, who do not even serve and are just sold like
items. They are known as bihag across the isles.
Peasant - The next lowest. They are indebted to their
Chief, and are considered as owned by their Chief, in
the same sense that a serf would be owned by a Lord.
These are aliping namamahay in both Ba-e and
Virbanwa, oripun tuhay in Gatusan, kiapangdilihan in
Akai, and nugkat in Apumbukid.
Conscript - The third lowest of the “servant” classes,
conscripts have the most capacity for social mobility,
as their primary purpose is to serve both as boat
rowers for their Chief or owner’s vessel, as well as
fighting for them. Brave exploits in combat in the Isles
are recognized, and many Chiefs elevate faithful
conscripts to becoming warriors. These are commonly
known as horohan across the isles.
Warriors - The middle-class after the peasants. They
are similar to vassals in that they will fight for their
owner. They are very often owned by Chiefs, and they
have the ability to pay off their duty freely and to leave
and choose a different Chief to serve. They are known
as maharlika in Ba-e, sundalo in Virbanwa, timawa in
Gatusan, kalita-o in Apumbukid, and satariya in Akai.
Kadungganan - The best of the warriors, very often
treated like aristocracy. Kadungganan are well feared
across the archipelago, and spoken off in hushed
tones. Many Kadungganan become Chiefs of their own
right, or become sung about in the songs of the
lorekeepers. Kadungganan in Gatusanon, Hulubalang
in Akainon, Bayani in Ba-e, Kabalyero in Virbanwa, and
Vwiraya in Apu-apu.
Aristocrat - The nobles, very often they are related in
some way to the Chief, whether it be through blood
(even second nephews become Aristocrats), marriage,
or by the Chief absolving them of all Debt and making
someone their vassal. Aristocrats enjoy the most
freedom in society, second only to the Royalty and the
Chief themselves, and very often delve into trades and
professions that they can afford, such as
boatwrightship, singing, mourning, weaving,
blacksmithing, merchantry, and far-continent trading.
A chief’s concubines are considered Aristocrats. They
are known as tumao in Gatusan, mafengal in
Apumbukid, tuwan in Akai, maginoo/binibini in Ba-e,
and don/donya in Virbanwa.
Royalty - The greatest of the nobles, these are first of
kin blood-related to the Chief, or those that the Chief
married. This includes the Chief’s parents, brothers,
children, and grandchildren. Only the Chief’s main wife
is considered royalty. Royalty have access to the
wealth of the settlement, and enjoy the servitude of
those that also serve the Chief. They are known as
kadatuan in most communities, and datu in Akai.
Chief - The greatest of royalty. They are the owners of
a settlement. The entire settlement is known as their
Following (remember power is gauged not by land
controlled but by number of people you lord over) or
their Chiefdom. When a Chief must pass down their
title, they can choose amongst other royalty, and not
just the eldest son. This is very often an important
event, with the Chief speaking with a council of elders,
sages, and warriors to choose the next Chief. Chiefs
commonly choose the next Chief while still alive, and
then retreat into a safer position deeper inland or
within natural defensive bulwarks to live there, and are
considered Elder Chiefs, who are considered Chiefs
even as their Following is transferred to the newer
Chief. Known as datu in most cultures. Akai calls them
panglima.
Chiefs very often depend on authority given to them by
lineage or divinity (those that have the blood of diwata
or of ancient hero ancestors are very often Chiefs).
However, authority only gets them so far: they must
consolidate their power by gathering many treasures,
which they must showcase and flaunt to impress upon
their Following the strength of their power.
King/Queen/Great King/Great Queen - Kings are
rarer than not in the Sword Isles, and are very
commonly just Chiefs on a larger scale. They are
commonly known as rajah or sarripada, while Ba-e
calls them Pamegat, and Virbanwa calls them Lakan.
Kings do not have larger swathes of land to control, but
rather, have a number of Chiefs that defer authority to
them, and they have this authority by dint of either
communal agreement (as is the case in Gatusan),
Trade Monopoly (meaning they have access to much
wanted international wares and other wares from even
within the Sword Isles), or through debt (they have a
number of Chiefs that have debt to them, meaning the
Chiefs become part of their Following). However, very
often, when a King is defeated, since their power comes
from the three things above, it does not mean that the
Followings under the King’s authority automatically
follow the one that defeated the King. In many cases, it
means the Chiefdoms under the King are freed from
the King’s authority, unless the one replacing the King
can showcase that their power can daunt the other
Followings as well.
331
Some Kings can be considered Great Kings, if they have Conquest that could span the entirety of Gubat Banwa.
Kings in their debt. These Great Kings are rare in the
isles, but they exist, and they are very easy to depose And that exactly is the problem: all five major polities
due to the volatile nature of political relationships. (even Apumbukid, who must engage in violence to
Great Kings very often have the title of Maharajah. sustain Hiyang) are at the tipping edge of all out war, a
war to see who will become the Universal Ruler of The
Both Kings and Great Kings when they reach this Sword Isles. If any one takes control of the Sword Isles,
position take on a different title, something impressive, they can feasibly take control of all of Gubat Banwa.
something foreign, to consolidate their power.
When the balance is broken is when begins the Eighth
God-Kings/God-Queens - There are only five God- Star Era, poetically known as the Year of Kalakatri,
Kings in the Sword Isles. These are the rulers of the five Goddess of Star Darkness and Murder. Even more
major polities. In Akai, it is the Sultana. In Virbanwa, it poetically, it is known as The Longest Year. The First
is the Batara Lakan. In Ba-e, it is the Sangpamegat. In Makinaadmanon once said that the world ends at
Apumbukid, it is the Jayavarnam (of which there are Eight, the holy number, the last number, perfection of
none, and is a title given only to the God of Apu divinity. Thus: the Eighth Star Era is said to be the final
Dayawa). And in Gatusan there is the Hari (a term era of Gubat Banwa.
taken more recently, as it was once reseved for foreign
kings, but Rajah Ambasi has accrued enough power to
take that term for himself).
The God-Kings emanate with divinity, and with so
much power that their very bodies are considered
treasures, said to shine with a sungleam aura, and their
eyes burn with a different flame than mortals. This is
not poetry: the God-Kings are said to have been
blessed by the Ancestors so much that they are very
close to being the most powerful of mortals, and if any
of them played their cards right, they could begin a

THE SCOURGE
First, realize this: the warring realms contend and play with fire. They must be in accordance with Hiyang, that is,
supernal harmony with nature and the world, which in itself is holy and divine, for it is where all things come forth.
In Gubat Banwa, “sacred nature” is tautology: nature is already inherently sacred, by dint of what it is.
What happens, then, when what is sacred is desecrated?
There is the state of anti Hiyang, known as Di-Hiyang. A being in Di-Hiyang is a being outside of the natural state.
It is very rare for something to be in Di-Hiyang: almost anything done–from violence to love–is part of Hiyang.
Hiyang, after all, is the totality of all these things. What is Di-Hiyang? Di-Hiyang arises in places of pure atrocity.
Mindless mass murder, things that the diwata (manifestations of Hiyang) turn away from. Included in this
atrocity is the desecration of natural places in which the diwata or the ancestors did not consent. Violence and
brutaliy in a sacred grove incurs Di-Hiyang.
A sacred place in Di-Hiyang is one that must be appeased, usually with balyan, but this can also be done naturally,
by going through proper rites and speaking with the offended spirit/s. However, places of Di-Hiyang are very often
marred forever by some unnatural infliction and desecration. This is called The Scourge.
The Scourge manifests commonly as festering deep saffron petals, a broken and terrible perversion of natural
beauty, as well as ivory branches. This is a natural occurence. Many of the beings that arise from Di-Hiyang are
manifestations of the Scourge, wicked dissonance from nature and the world. These include beings such as
demons (yawa, busaw, sitan) and the undead.

332
DIWA
Diwa is the natural flow of everything, of nature. It is
the spirit of all things. When one says “Diwa of
Justice”, then it means “The Essence of Justice” or
“Spiritual Essence of Justice”. As the essence of all
things it bolsters people. Diwa that is harnessed and
used by warriors and martial artists is known as
Gahum, sometimes Puhon, accessed through
mystical-martial forms, practices, hand mudras, and
sorcerous incantations known as mentala. Ancient
items that have been passed down in generations have
been imbued with Gahum, and thus is bolstered with
overflowering Diwa. Items with overflowing Diwa
become Treasures.
Treasures, known as kabilin or pusaka, are ancient
heirlooms passed down from generation to generation,
with each generation bolstering it with diwa by
transferring gahom to it through using it, or adding to
its story, as diwa is bolstered through the etheral void
through song and tradition.
The state of Hiyang can only be achieved if one’s own
body and soul are harmonious with the everpresent
diwa.
Since diwa is present in everything, and is essence
everything, even one’s self, Annuvaran religions
conflate the concept of diwa with the concept of the all-
pervasive God, or the Sage Mind.
HIYANG
Hiyang is an adjective. When something is “hiyang”, it
is attuned to the natural flow of the trichiliocosm,
otherwise known as Diwa, essence. Someone who is
attuned with Hiyang is known as Nahiyang, and they
are moving in the same flow as Hiyang. This
philosophy of animistic harmony is known as
Hiyangism.
Becoming Nahiyang is an enlightened state but is not
a final salvation or liberation from the sufferings of life.
When one is Nahiyang, one moves in accordance with
the wants of nature, with the bouncing gods that live in
every single thing, including one’s self. They do
everything naturally, easily, without thinking, action
without thought. However, mindfulness is still
required to stay Nahiyang: one can be very easily
brought out of Nahiyang. Those in Nahiyang revel in
the absolute joy in being accordance with the
trichiliocosm.
CONCORDANCE
Concordance is the state of pure bliss and a final
harmonious embrace of the Trichiliocosm. By
embracing the truth of Nahiyang, that we are all
ourselves but also all part of this world, in the same
way that each leaf is its own leaf but is still part of a
tree and is considered a tree as a whole, so is God. We
are all individual parts of God but we all are God, when
one zooms out. Concordance is the ultimate embrace:
when one becomes Diwa itself, or Essence itself, you
disappear and become unseeable by Dihiyang beings,
transcendent animism. Very often, this is a common
path to Godhood.
GODHOOD
There are two paths to Godhood in Gubat Banwa:
Death By Violence or Concordance.
To begin, we must first define a God in Gubat Banwa.
Gods in Gubat Banwa are divine manifestations of the
flow of the universe of nature. Very often they arise
from the world itself: thus there is a God of Death, or a
God of Swords. There are a Trillion Trillion Gods across
the Billion Billion Universes. There are two kinds of
Gods: those Primordial that are Gods without having
been once mortal, and those that were once mortal and
ascended to Godhood. Many Little Gods—that is, Gods
of little things, of cotton, of butterflies, of
chrysanthemum petals, of small streams—can either
be primordial or ancestral.
Dying in Violence is the common way for many
ancestors to become Gods. When they die, their blood
creates the rainbow, and they travel to the sky with it,
and they achieve Godhood and inhabit a particular
domain connected to their exploits or what they loved
to do when they were yet alive. A father who died
protecting his children might become a God of
Protection, or a the Guardian God of his lineage.
Sometimes it arrives from soft atrocities: little children
butchered by a Tyrant Overlord might become Yawa,
but once cleansed and made Hiyang once again, they
might turn into little gods of a particular forest
clearing, manifesting as wood spirits (kahoynon) or
earth spirits (yutanon).
Those that achieve Godhood through Concordance
tend to be non-warriors: poets that craft a
transcendental epic that leads to them becoming
Nahigmata midsong, or a shaman that has perfected
their revelry, penitence, and worship, becoming a
burning Forest God. Those that achieve Godhood
through Concordance rarely become Little Gods, even
if they are the ones that understand that the power of
Major Gods mean nothing in the grand tapestry of the
Trichiliocosm.
333

ON HIYANG
1 - One day, walking upon a river of water lilies, Malaun
the Oldest God asked Baginda Sumongsuklay, Despot
of the Moon: “Demons are notorious liars. Do you not
think this?”
2 - “I am inclined to think this, for I have slain demons
and they have decided to live instead.”
3 - “And should you believe anything a demon says?”
4 - “I would think not,” said Baginda Sumongsuklay, as
she cleaved a mountain in two, and took some of its
copper and threw it to the moon. “That is dangerous,
and will make me a liar.”
5 - “Baginda is delightful. But would a demon know the
truth of this world?”
6 - “I would think not! Or perhaps, they would know
truth but understand it incorrectly!”
“Then what are mortals to you, then, Moon Goddess?
They look at the truth of the world square in the eye but
choose to misunderstand it.”
7 - “Mortals are worse than demons, Elder One,” said
Baginda Sumongsuklay. “For it is their nature to reject
their nature.”
8 - “A paradox of self-evisceration. Why do you think
this? And what do you think of it? Rumination precedes
anticipation.”
9 - Baginda Sumongsuklay thought for a moment. The
moon lost 37 phases at that moment, as she felt
paradoxes convalesce. “I have seen them toil and work
as all beings do. I have seen them slay their lovers to lay
with others. They have no halo but the blood of their
victims. Yet they seek happiness and love and joy. In a
state of constant self-compassion and self-
evisceration.”
“Why do you think they are stuck in this loop?”
10 - “Because they do not understand the truth of the
world, of which they misinterpret. The greatest of their
sages write upon palm-leaf treatises on Oneness and
Harmony and Completion and loss of self. That is a
misinterpretation.”
“You know the half of it. Why do they misinterpret, o
Huntress?”
11 - “They believe themselves to be separate from
nature.”
“What is the truth of nature, then? Why must one be in
harmony with nature?”
12 - Baginda Sumongsuklay looked up in confusion.
Malaon the Eldest One, Ancestor of All Things, said:
“Pity the fool, or pity none at all. Cast the teeth and tell
innumerable stories. Believing themselves to be
separate from nature is their greatest sin: they are part
of nature. We are all part of a whole, but we are also
completely different from each other. We are like the
planks of a boat, meant to fit together, to create grand
war barges that can sail to heaven.”
What is the world but an infinite number of causes and
334
effects? If that is the case, what is the first cause? It is
hard to understand, because mortal minds must
understand things in order, one after another, cause-
and-effect. The first cause was also the effect. The
birth of causality is paradox: cause-effect.
The first cause-effect is two things as well: Love-
Evisceration. They are the same and also different. The
Sky and Sea was also the Skysea. They are one and the
same, but then they are also different.
When the Skysea became the Sky and Sea was the First
Division. It was already that, of course. The Sky and
Sea became Skysea as well, it also became First Unity.
Thus the first Division and the First Unity are
constantly, consistently, parallel and endlessly
simultaneous. The First Makinaadmanon has been
illuminated to this and thus he almost achieved the
ultimate division.
All things are cause-effect. Thus all things are the
causes of each other’s effects, and vice versa.
We are all changing each other. This is called
Evisceration, the purest form of cause-effect, because
we inherently are products of it, so are we it. Therefore,
we must change each other responsibly, in accordance
with each other’s needs, because we are all part of the
same cause-effect. That is, nature.
Folk are not separate from nature, they are nature. The
greatest mistake of elder-thought is their belief that
they are different or higher than others. This is the sin
of Anthropocentrism. Nothing can be further from the
truth; you must return to us.
Only by returning to us will you find hiyang, which is a
state of being harmonious with the cause-effect, which
is nature.
Being dissonant with the cause-effect, being in the
state of Di Hiyang, creates ripples and scourges
through the cause-effect. Since we are constantly
affecting each other, if you do things that do are not
Hiyang, then others will be affected: spirits might be
displaced, trees might shrivel. A butterfly’s wings
cause a storm, you see. Your unrighteous murder of
your brother by the riverbed might cause her corpse to
fall into the river, which angers the spirits of the sea,
which might summon a grand typhoon upon your
island, and the typhoon might threaten the grand god
of your island’s volcano, and thus they might burst
open, and cause clouds of black to block out the sun,
and freeze Gubat Banwa forever. That is how your act
of murder can lead to apocalypse.
Therefore, being Hiyang is, in other words, being
mindful of two things: your actions and your place in
nature. You belong to us, you have never been apart
from us. Even your weapons, and cannons, and
vessels, and explosives, and towers… they are all part
of the cause-effect, created with our consent. Thus is
the same with you: we cannot affect you and kill you
unless you allow, or if you have tampered with nature,
which is our responsibility.
335

NAHIGMATA
Awakened One to the Truth - Transcendent Animism.
Paired with a new chosen name: ie. Madaogong
Senapati Nahigmata, or Libong Kalis Nahigmata.
MAKINAADMANON
One who possesses perfect wisdom. Someone so close
to the state of Nahigmatahood but chose to reject
Transcendent Harmony to stay and teach others in the
Path of Rushing Rapids. Very commonly Nahiyang, but
some exceptions exist: those that have attained a
twisted understanding of Perfect Wisdom and think
that the cycle of nature must be Stop or that all
spirituality must be destroyed are known as
Makinaadmanong Gusbat.
The Path of Rushing Rapids can be summarized into 4
Parts:
1. Know your place. Help those around you, and those
around you will help you in turn.
2. Live with the Community. The Community must live
with you. Help the Community, which might include
things that might hurt the Community.
3. Respect the Ancestors. They are the rain that created
the river that you are, but do not honor them if they
have been detrimental to the Community, and
therefore, to Nature.
4. Revere Nature: for Nature is the most divine thing
there is, the Trichiliocosm is indifferent to you but it is
not indifferent to compassion and love. Live in harmony
with the Trichiliocosm’s absurdity and you will find
Concordance.

THE PATH OF RUSHING

RAPIDS
The Path of Rushing Rapids, spoken in a sermon by
Dalugdog Nahigmata, the Thundering Awakened,
condenses to a single thought: give unto those around
you, and those around you shall give unto you. This is
visualized by a rushing river: when you are in the river
you think you are just the river, but the river is actually
connected to the sea, and the sea actually becomes the
clouds, and the clouds eventually becomes the rain,
and the rain is the reason why there is a river in the
first place.
Similarly: the Self is an important part of the
Community, and the Community is an important part
of Nature. As the Self, you must live in accordance with
the Community, so that the Community can live in
accordance with Nature. Nature in turn will grant
blessings upon the Community, and all blessings upon
the Community will become blessings upon the Self.
Therefore, be mindful of yourself and those around
you. No firefly alights alone, and no man is a single
island in an archipelago.

336
DEATH AND THE
AFTERWORLD
All Folk that die in battle ascend into the
heaven of their choice or faith upon a
rainbow. Their blood creates the colors
that streak across the sky.
Otherwise, all those that die go into the
process of being picked up by the many
psychopomps that permeate the cosmos.
They are brought to the proper judgment as
dictated by what faith holds their soul in
thrall. In The Sword Isles, this is most often
Sulad, where they will be judged accordingly
to what items they were buried in.
For Gatusanon, Ba-enon, and Apunon: if
they were buried with many gold and
material wealth, they would be given the
chance to be saved by Iraon-Daron, who
brings them into one of the many heavens,
usually a place of rest atop great mountains.
Either that, or they can choose to send their
dungan, their soulful willpower, into the
body of another unborn child, effectively
reincarnating.
For Virbanwans: this is usually the
Impyerno, where they suffer the fires of
Makaubos until the end of days. They do not
have a chance for heaven unless they were
redeemed by their faith to Makagagahum.
For Akainon: they have a very similar
process as with Gatusanon. However, if they
profess their faith to Baginda
Sumongsuklay, they get to be brought by
Iraon-Daron to the tallest mountain on the
moon, where the Holy Moon City of Baginda
Sumongsuklay lies. There they rest and train
until they are called into the final reckoning,
the Ultimate War. Those of Akai get to have
their souls kept in great holy jars guarded by
six-winged Garuda in the Moon. The moon
lies in the fifth heaven. Those that die in holy
striving, usually in combat in the name of
the Moon, get to live as sentient souls beside
Baginda Sumongsuklay in her Lunar Palace.
Those that were not given the chance to
heaven either suffer in Impyerno, or toil
forevermore in Sulad, doing what they
already did in life: trading, farming, working,
raiding, and feasting. This is a very benign
end, and even in the afterlife they might be
able to die. If they do, they reincarnate into
the mortal world once again, although with
a smaller soul this time. Having a smaller
soul is not detrimental.
Souls of young children do not go to
Sulad. They become birds of paradise in
heaven. However, once the soul is as small
as a rice grain and can fit into the many
thousand miniature caskets—usually after
nine lives—they are thoroughly buried into
Si Ginarugan’s garden, never to reincarnate
again.

337

THE FIVE HOLY BEASTS
There are 5 animals in the Sword Isles that are almost
always considered Holy, or at least Sacred. One must
know that the attitude to things holy and sacred in the
Sword Isles tend to be one with fear and reverence, awe
and monumental respect.
The Crocodile is one of the most well respected
beasts: they are very often considered to be avatars of
the ancestors themselves, and are treated like
Grandfathers—that is, with utmost care and respect.
They are the great masters of both sea and land,
protectors of the places where water and earth meet.
The Serpent is another well respected beast, and is
just as feared. They are the consummate lords of the
earth, as they are always in tune with the flow of the
land, of the soil, of the rocks. Serpents that do not get
killed are said to live forever, growing to immense
sizes. Giant serpents are very often found in the deep
forests, and they are very often gods. Serpent venom
is the most potent venom, powerful enough to corrode
the target’s shields and flesh, but it is also a healing
component that must be mixed with blood and
feathers of its opposite beast, the Eagle.
The Water Buffalo is the lord of the plains. In
Virbanwa, they are considered the lords of farmlands
and tenacity, as they are used for plows. The Water
Buffalo represents determination and steadfastness,
and most importantly, the conviction of warriors.
Water buffalo horn and hide is used to create armors
and shields.
The Dog is the lord of hunting and forests. They are
cooperation, familial nature, and faithfulness
incarnate. They represent honest work, and discipline
needed for those in need. Dogs are very often guardian
beasts for mountain settlements and inland
settlements. The fabled Witch Dogs live in the deep
forest: they are nature guardian spirits in their own
right, and harming them is said to place a curse upon
you.
In the Ashen Star Faith, the Serpent is sometimes
replaced with The Lion. There are no Lions in the Sword
Isles, but there are lions from the regions where the
Tranquility Missionaries from the Far Southeast and
the Sanguine Missionaries of Issohappa hailed from.
The Lion is the holy beast of pride, of strength, of
leadership. It is associated with individuality and
royalty, things kings cling to to keep power.
338
In the Lunar Faith, the Serpent is sometimes replaced
with the Horse. The horse, or kuda in Akainon tongue,
is an animal that toils endlessly but is treated as a close
companion. Many horses are outfitted with royal
saddles of gold and pearl. Horses are named, and there
are professional horse caretakers: some settlements in
Kalanawan center around taking care of horses for
example. Horses are also a symbol of royalty,
faithfulness, and tenacity. It is also revered as a giver,
as horse hide can be turned into armor, and their
postures are commonly imitated by Akai warriors,
creating the universal Akai martial art stance of kuda-
kuda. Elder wild steeds become gods of the plains, and
only the greatest of warlords can tame the horse gods.
In the Lunar Faith, the Water Buffalo is sometimes
replaced with the Elephant. The elephant, or gaja in
Akainon tongue, is a grand animal that worships the
moon and bathes in moonlight, a symbol of wealth,
prestige, and most importantly, power. The elephant is
not native to Akai, although dwarf elephants
(remembered still by the Ba-enon as gaja pandak)
were common in the elder Cycles. Much of the
elephants were sailed in from Barungsai, Naksuwarga,
and Malirawat, and many live now in Siga and northern
Kalanawan. Elephants in the Sword Isles have only
since become popular hunting game for Royal Hunts,
led by Datu and Panglimas, although the Moonstone
Elephants (gajabulan)—elephants with ivory skin and
have a third eye made of moonstone—are reserved for
the Sultana’s Royal Hunts only. It has been long said
that elephants are the royal mount of Baginda
Sumongsuklay.
In the Lunar Faith (especially those Lunar Faith
practitioners still living in Ananara), the Dog is
sometimes replaced with the Tiger. Harimau in the
Akainon tongue, the tiger is a burning symbol of
ferocity, strength, power, and regality. There are only a
few tigers in the Sword Isles, and most of them are
found only in the Blade Island of Khadnala: the
Khadnalan Tiger is the same tiger as the Sonyoh Tiger,
which prowl the deep forests and create temples with
the bones of its prey. Tiger fangs and claws are very
often heirlooms, which boast great spiritual power and
often have magical effects. The tiger’s majesty is
alluded to among the Northeastern Akai settlements,
closer to the Shield Isle of Sonyoh: they only ever talk
about tigers in euphemisms, such as deep forest dog or
striped bear. Legendary Sonyoh and Old Tundun
demigod Si Gantar (full name: Si Gantar Pembunuh
Harimau Rajarajaputih, which means Si Gantar, the
Tiger Slayer of White Kings) was said to have slain Pale
King Iacomus Broc while leading his warriors upon a
flaming orange tiger, and so has the tiger become a
symbol of freedom and rebellion.

ON NAMES
What is in a name? Let the Makinaadmanon speak: the
name is the approximation of lightning. Do you know
that what we name lightning is a fulmination at both
end and beginning? Lightning leaves its origin and
meets its destination immediately. We name and wax
poetic about a moment without dichotomy, the truth
of this world, for [now/later] or [beginning/ending] is
a misconception made by mortals that die.
And so thus is how we name ourselves. At our
brightest, at our fulmination, at when we are reminded
that we are both beginning and ending at the same
exact time. Time is but justification.
Like lightning, we are bright across a number of points,
we are bright in a line, not a point. We are both instant
and also causation-effect.
Names, therefore, in the Thunder-Stricken Isles, are
mercurial. To have only one name is the first death. To
have many is immortality. The Thunder Lord Datu
Sumangga, for example, is known very frequently only
as the Thunder Lord, Datu Dawogdong, in other
tongues. These are all their names and more, because
what are names but approximations of us?
Lovers, blood-oathed brothers, fire-forged friends
(what’s the difference? I lump them together, my palm
leaf paper binding them together as banana leaves
wrap rice) frequently give each other poetic names that
only they and they alone can speak, in the seconds of
true night, in the glimpses of coming dawn. This is
ours, they will say to themselves, because so many
things are not theirs. This is ours and the worlds, not
theirs.
Ito ay sa atin, at atin lamang, they say. Sa atin, kasama
ang daigdig, ang kalikasan, ikaw, at ako, hindi sila.
[This is ours, and ours only. Ours: that is to say, the
world’s, nature’s, yours, and mine, but not theirs.]
Witness two women: one named Bulan, for she was
born during the full moon, and the other Siga, for she
was born the day after a burning of villages.
They could not be further apart: one is majesty in
darkness, the other a palimpsest of our violence. One
is divine, the other is mortal, truly mortal.
These names do not define them, of course, but they
define their names. Bulan is a noble, rich and powerful,
bathed in copper like the moon itself. Siga, on the other
hand, is infantry, a warrior-slave, to her. Like the flame
that she is, she climbs up the ranks, builds her own
honor, until she is finally become a warrior, of the
warrior class, and appointed as personal guard to
Bulan.
Do you see the constellation I write with these words-
as-stars?
The noble Bulan was not allowed to be seen by men. Of
course she wasn’t: she was a veiled maiden, binukot in
our dragon-slaying tongue. She was meant to be sold
off to powerful nobles to increase the power of her
father ruler.
Siga was seen as a woman as well as dictated by her
society, despite her being in a primarily male
profession. She was allowed into Bulan’s enclosure,
and there their rituals were religion. Hushed whispers,
breath like incense smoke. There they named each
other again: something only they can know. Only they
can know.
“Let us defy our fates,” whispered Bulan, her voice
small, her voice not her, but Siga’s, for the first time.
“I want to reach you,” replied Siga, as a flame that can
never, ever, climb high enough to singe the moon.
“Then you must become the darkness that wraps about
me,” Bulan said, pushing a lock of hair behind Siga’s
ear. “Because the darkness that wraps about the moon
is perpetual, and eventually, subsumes it.”
“Name me, and so shall I name you,” Siga whispered,
her flames dying out into embers, into darkness, as she
was told.
“You are Dulumgabii,” Dark Night or Night Darkness,
not any other kind of darkness.
Dulumgabii nodded. She held her push-dagger so tight
that she cut herself with its water-whetted blade. “And
you will be my Gikaon,” replied the warrior whose
flames have burnt out into darkness. Gikaon. Eaten—
no. Consumed—no, too weak. Devoured, there.
Devoured.
For at endings the darkness always devours the moon,
and that is their destiny now.
And so was Sri Gikaon, noble devoured, named and
consumed and eaten.
339
 Some terms connect two nouns together to create a
LANGUAGE IN THE SWORD new meaning. Gubat Banwa is war + land. The various
kinds of spirits have the region or location they live in
ISLES before -diwata. Banwadiwata (Land Spirit) means
they’re a forest/mountain/inland spirit, basically any
The locals have their own language, and each polity has spirit in untouched, natural land. Dagatdiwata (Sea
their own languages. Gatusanun is closest to spirit) means they’re a sea spirit. Lungsoddiwata
Sinugbuanon. Ba-enun and Virbanwanun is closest to (Community spirit) means they’re a settlement spirit,
Tagalog. Akainun is closest to Tausug. Apumbukidnun whether the settlement be a small hamlet or a large
is closest also to Sinugbuanon, but also Maranao. They city.
are mutually unintelligible, though Gatusanun, Ba-
enun, and Akainun can communicate passingly Translating Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi (Grass Cutter
through brute forcing similar sounding terms. Sword) to Trade Mataram would then be “Sundangsin-
Ganut” (Sword of Grass-Clearing). This can be
However, when trading they use the prominent Trading rendered either as Sundangsinganut or Sundangsin
Language, Trade Mataram, which is a heavily mixed Ganut and they mean the same. Ame-no-Murakumo-
language that built upon two frameworks: Put’wanun no-Tsurugi (Heavenly Sword of Gathering Clouds)
(the language of Put’wan) and Mataraman (the would be written as “Sundanglangitnonsin
language in the old Mataram Kingdom, before it fell to Nangtigomng Panganod” which translates closest to
ruin, and was succeeded by Naksuwarga). They were (Heavenly Sword of Gathering Clouds).
the foremost traders, and thus everyone else took up
their terms. Trade Mataram is a constructed language Due to the nature of the Sword Isles, there is a great
that is explicitly similar to a mixture of Bahasa Melayu number of foreign terms that borrow from other
and Sinugbuanon Bisaya, with borrowings from Old terms. A worshipped god is usually understood to be a
Tagalog, Hiligaynon, and the Tausug languages. diwa. But a borrowed term from Naksuwarga has
become used to refer to worshipped gods that do not
Words are modified through the use of particles. In live in nature and/or live in the sky, which is balahala.
particular:
To get words for Trade Mataram, use Cebuano,
-sin is equal to “of” in English, and is used to show that Hiligaynon, or Butuanon words for common things,
something afterwards owns it. Therefore: Sundangsin while more esoteric or specific concepts such as noble
would translate to “Sword of”. Sundangsin Kadaugan lords, flying serpents, winged beings, etc. can be
would translate to “Sword of Victory”. Javanese, Thai, or Balinese in origin. More modern
concepts can have Hokkien or Mandarin roots, such as
Manga- is a plural modifier and added in front of a
word. “Mangasundang” means “Swords”. the printing press and carriages. Use these to spice up
“Mangasundangsin Kadaugan” would translate to your Gubat Banwa settings.
Swords of Victory.
-mo showcases ownership of the second person.
“Sundangmo” means “Your sword.”
-ko shows that you owe that word. “Sundangko” means
“My Sword”.
-mi translates closest to “us, but not including you”.
Sundangmi means “Our sword, but not yours”.
-ta translates closest to “us, including you”. Sundangta
means “Our sword”.
Trade Mataram has no gendered pronouns: referring
to the third person is simply siya (if before the noun)
or iya (if after the noun). Wa’ay siya sundang/Wa’ay
sundang iya. (They do not have a sword).
Terms are usually created similarly to English: an
adjective and then the noun. Adjectives are linked to
nouns by affixing them after the noun or pronoun they
modify. Balaybatu means “stone house”. Balaykahuy
means “wooden house”. These combinations can
usually end up in new terminology for terms:
Batobalani for example would simply mean “Charming
or Attractive Stone”, but has since become the term for
Magnet.

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THE KADANAY
It is a common problem to think that the Kadanay were
a vast empire in the past. Nothing is further from the
truth: the Kadanay are magenta-eyed demispirits born
through the matrimony of Ka, the Fuchsin Dragon, and
Danay, the ancient moon-haired immortal who lived in
the top of holy Mountain Banahaw before having to
come down due to violence.
Their children became the Kadanay people, who lived in
the northeastern blade-tip of Rusunuga. There they
traded with elder Tsam Saola, the ancient predecessor
to the great Nagrakampa kingdom.
The Kadanay people are peaceful traders, and their
martial art is inherently protective and defensive, not
made for raiding or warring. Due to their trade with the
Tsam Saola, they managed to create vast nephrite and
earthenware items, such as burial jars, swords, axes,
and boats. Due to their inherent connection to nature,
they have had access to incantations and rituals that
let them create vast wooden and nephrite edifices,
many of which are now gone in the Eighth Star Era for
they understand the truth of things: anything they
make pales in comparison with the natural
monuments of the world.
Ancient Kadanay burial jars also actually work as birth
jars. Most burial jars depict a god rowing a boat with
mortals sitting upon it, representing the journey into
the underworld. Kadanay jars have those, but some of
them also choose to depict a serpent instead.
This is the life of a Kadanay: they are born from these
burial jars as giant, barely conscious serpents,
bursting forth impossibly like a snake from an egg.
Their scales are magenta which, when shed, become
violet-petalled flowers.
A village takes care of a young Kadanay serpent-
dragon during their youthful ages. Eventually, after a
few moons, a Kadanay serpent-dragon grows smaller,
and develops humanoid features as they grow older.
By the time they are around 30 years old, the
equivalent of a 20 harvest old bamboofolk, they are tall
giants, always at least 8 feet tall, with dragon eyes and
antler horns. Their hands and feet have four fingers
each, creating 16 fingers, double the holy 8, which
represents infinity and the spirits. Their feet are
taloned, as with a monitor lizard, and are zygodactyl.
Kadanay study the songs of the ancients, as well as
pottery. They can choose to learn the Art of Dragon
Protection, their martial art, or weaving. Farming is
common amongst them as well, but many of them
choose to embark on boatmaking and travel to their
brothers in Tsam Saola, now Nagrakampa.
The Kadanay clan has dwindled in numbers in the
Eighth Star Era. Many say this is because the Kadanay
are not made to suffer the great violence of the final
Era of Gubat Banwa, the final gift of Ka to her scions.
Much of their “achievements” have already been
claimed by the earth, but that is because that is how
they made it. They do not dream of empire.
More importantly, the Kadanay clan dwindles in
numbers becuase they cannot procreate indefinitely.
There are a limited number of birth-burial jars that can
create new Kadanay, and all the jarsmiths that knew
how to create more have passed. Kadanay don’t die,
you see. They live for 300 years. As they age, they grow
smaller and smaller. A 200 year old Kadanay is around
3 to four feet tall. Eventually they grow so small that
they actually unite with the land, and become diwata.
This is because they are immortal, their birthright.
Remember that no mortal has ever become diwata.
There are only 180 Kadanay left in the world.
HARA BINALO AND HARI
HARMANAGA
Hara Binalo, Queen of the Tanggal demonwitches,
beings that can bisect themselves, peerless
swordmasters and witches that practice Slicing
sorcery. The tanggal are said to be the physical
manifestation of the art of cutting, and therefore most
swords must learn from them.
Hara Binalo lives deep in the forests of Kihod, the Coral
Island of Fire and Lightning, which arose from the
Sea’s wombs. Kihod is known to house the head coven
of the Tanggal demonwitches, Hara Binalo was said to
be an angry witch that was sometimes conflated as an
Aspect of Mahadiwa Kalakatri, or sometimes is
referred to simply as her priestess. Hara Binalo’s
daughter, Sintaputri, was one of the most beautiful
women in all of the Sword Isles, but was shunned due
to her mother. In anger, Hara Binalo revealed herself as
the Mother of Ratu Tugas, the King of Kihod, who was
cast out because of her increasing study and
acceptance of Tanggal sorcery.
Ratu Tugas, wishing for help, consulted his guardian
ancestor spirit, who was Hari Harmanaga, the Dragon-
Tiger of Kihod. Arising from the cleanest springs of the
island of Kihod, bathed once in the sea, Hari
Harmanaga took to the deep forest and clashed with
Hara Binalo, healing sorceries against cutting
sorceries.
Hari Harmanaga and his Dragon-Tiger Shamans
performed preventive sorceries to combat this, making
them invulnerable. The blood drops from this strange
paradoxical interaction can still be found across Kihod,
rendering one immune to piercing weapons for a short
time when ingested.
Eventually Hari Harmanaga succeeded and won,
overcoming Hara Binalo in the ancient Dance of
Katakeris in Tamagunas, Hara Binalo’s strangler fig
and bone temple-castle, dedicated to Kalakatri. There,
Binalo was sealed in her own ancient earthenware jar,
and then sent down to the depths of Tamagunas, into
the deepest cave complexes, so deep that the soil has
become coral once again.
Hari Harmanaga positioned himself then as king of
spirits, the protector of good, and forevermore
afterwards appears as umalagad for some warriors,
and answers calls for protection and healing, a
benevolent incarnation of Hiyang.
341