Meklaw (pronounced MEHK-law) is the ancestral homeland of the tengu. The island has a vibrant culture, an amalgamation of all others the tengu have encountered. Pirates commonly make port in the hectic port cities of Meklaw.
Geography, flora, and fauna
The tall peaks of the Ancas Mountains can be seen quite far out to sea, and dominate the landscape of the island of Meklaw. Pleasantly cool, the oceanic location of the island prevents the peaks from getting cold. The Ancas Mountains stretch northwest to southeast along the western side of Meklaw, alongside the smaller Ayavin Range to the northeast.The many valleys and hidden locations in the mountains provide a perfect refuge for the tengu that call it home.
Three rivers, the Pikawas, Paro, and Coria, run through the warm lowlands, fed by seasonal rainfall in the mountains. The lowlands are sparsely populated, and a great variety of wild creatures thrive within. Mostly grasslands interspersed with the occasional grove of bottle trees, the region is dry half the year, and even when the rivers flow it tends to be in a torrential flood that quickly passes.
The Naka Forest stretches across the southern coast of Meklaw. Mostly a low density forest of dragon blood trees, this is the only place in the world where these unique plants are found. Low shrubs grow between, a perfect home for small animals.
The tengu are not the only large avians that call Meklaw home. Rocs perch in the mountain peaks, and are often tamed and used as mounts by daring tengu. Though mostly remaining near their nests in the Isles of Paria, tales of sightings of thunderbirds pass quickly among the tengu, who revere the massive birds as aspects of Hei Feng.
A long history of maritime contact has brought a number of invasive species to Meklaw. Feral boars in particular are quite a nuisance in the lowlands, though the native monitor lizards find them quite the feast. Most other animal life on Meklaw is generally small, including invasive rabbits and other rodents and native skvaders.
A staggering variety of aquatic life is present on and around the coasts of Meklaw. The coral and fish of the Irenaka Reef is famously beautiful, though the roughness and shallowness of the seabed has made sailing through the Irenaka Bay quite difficult. All around the islands a huge variety of both magical and mundane fishes, octopi, and crustaceans can be found.
History
Between Y9760* and Y9777*, the legendary tengu pirate Andan Cuyucha made his base in Raychuara, from which he captured ships across the Sea of Khoros and the Chaska Sea. Though tales vary and are almost certainly exaggerated, many tengu will claim Cuyucha had a fleet of over two hundred ships under his control at his height. Cuyucha vanished in Y9777*, heading west with a small number of his ships. He has since become a folklore hero to many tengu, and some occasionally even set off after him, never to return.
Demographics
Meklaw is overwhelmingly tengu, especially in the inland cities. The coastal cities are popular resting places for sailors, and individuals of many ancestries can be found. Most merely stay for a short time, but some choose to remain behind when their ships depart.
Culture
Religion
The tengu of Meklaw primarily worship the Great Storyteller, a goddess widely associated with Taliash. Tengu usually see her as much like themselves, frequently depicting the goddess in the appearance and garb of a mundane traveler. In addition to her other roles as a goddess of travel, storms, and storytellers, the Great Storyteller encourages her followers to collect trinkets and other baubles, as they help in remembering the many places one has been. Her aspect as a storm deity is far more emphasized in the Tengu pantheons than with other variations of the goddess. Tengu venerate the thunderbirds that live on the islands within the Bay of Huansan as physical embodiments of the Great Storyteller, and hold strong taboos against harming them or their nests.
Tengu travelers returning from far away places bring back stories of other gods, who are readily adopted by the tengu, if sometimes with some aspects of the deities or their associated ceremonies lost along the way.
Traditions
Tengu have elaborate cultural traditions, a fusion of their own ancient practices and those adopted from other lands. Tengu are perfectly happy to repurpose the customs and observances of other peoples, adjusting and fitting them neatly into their own. On more than one occasion, travelers from as far away as Kea Racha and Rovakhit have written with astonishment about encountering Meklovian communities celebrating the holy days of their homelands. This easygoing and adaptive nature has helped the tengu of Meklaw both in their continual migrations to other lands and in drawing others to their island.
Languages
While the tengu of the interior mostly speak Tengu primarily and Common or Hellean secondarily, a great number of languages can be encountered in the coastal cities. Regional languages like Telan and Thadrian, as well as many dialects of racial languages, abound both among the visitors and the tengu. It is extremely common for tengu to be highly multilingual, sometimes learning up to a dozen languages they have been exposed to over the course of their lifetime. Some tengus can be heard switching effortlessly between languages, sometimes without realizing, and also frequently mix the vocabulary of one language with the structure of another.
Society
Tengu traditionally eschew formal social hierarchies but hold a great respect for their elders or those who are greatly experienced. Social or interpersonal issues are generally resolved through mediation directed by the elders. Tengu on naval vessels generally fit quite well, as long as their captains are well-traveled and responsible.
A significant proportion of tengu leave Meklaw at some point in their lives, whether temporarily to join a ship or permanently. Among those who leave only for a time, pirate crews are quite popular. Many pirates view it as good luck to have at least one tengu, referred to as a jinx eater, on board. While most tengu try hard to prove themselves, jinx eaters are often treated as glorified mascots and insulated from the worst aspects of life at sea. Some tengu choose to leave these crews after a time and form their own instead - tengu pirate captains are notorious for their impulsiveness, frequently taking on much stronger ships or navies (and, if the merchant captains of the Chaska and Khoros are to be believed, winning a disproportionate amount of the time).
Tengu who permanently leave their homelands settle throughout the world, in any community they can reach that will have them. Diaspora tengu generally do not hold particularly strongly to their ancestral traditions, and instead enthusiastically attempt to ingratiate themselves with local populations by adopting the same practices and beliefs of those around them.
Traders from elsewhere who are left in the unfortunate position of offloading cheap junk know that they will likely have eager buyers in the tengu of Meklaw - especially if the junk in question is shiny. Many tengu amass large collections of items throughout their life, even if the items do not have much value. These collections are viewed as a physical history of the individual’s travels and experiences and are highly prized.
Architecture and urbanization
The cities of Meklaw are almost completely unplanned, resembling expansive slums more than anything else. Buildings are rarely more than a couple stories tall, and as a result cities tend to cover a large surface area. Streets wind erratically through settlements, often suddenly stopping or turning in odd angles. Coastal communities are frequently built up on stilts over the water, expanding outwards in every direction. In the older mountain cities, elaborate if unplanned systems of terraces increase the amount of usable space on the mountainsides.
A number of hanging monasteries can be found in the Ancas Mountains, open structures precariously suspended by networks of rope and wood beams. The monks who reside in these monasteries greatly respect the strength and power of the wind and the mountains.
Food and cuisine
Much like the rest of their culture, tengu food is highly adaptive, introducing ingredients and techniques from across the world. As a matter of practicality, however, native foodstuffs remain their staples. In particular, potatoes, avocado, quinoa, chilis, and small rodents such as guinea pigs are widely eaten and used as ingredients in the mountains, while the coastal settlements are heavily reliant on their catches from the sea.
Travel
Caravans frequently ply the routes between Meklovite cities, both by land and sea. Roads are not really an idea native to the tengu, and instead they travel by whatever route is fastest and easiest at the time. As such, caravans tend to employ guards to protect themselves from wild animals or the occasional bandit.
Medicine
Named for its blood red sap, the dragon blood trees of Meklaw are used for a variety of purposes by the tengu. Many uses are mundane - it sees extensive use as a dye or to decorate one’s feathers, and some tengu believe it has medicinal properties. The sap is also used as an alchemical ingredient and in ritual magic. Though not well known abroad, the dragon’s blood is valued by tengu alchemists for a great number of applications.
Government
Though lacking a formal government structure, the tengu of Meklaw follow the wise guidance of the elders of their families, communities, or neighborhoods. However, an uncontrolled lawlessness pervades the coastal cities, where the tengu elders are unable to control the rowdy pirate crews that stop by.
Economy
The tengu of Meklaw support themselves in whatever means is easiest. The plentiful aquatic life around Meklaw means that food is rarely a concern, and many tengu choose to join ship crews to seek their fortunes or just out of boredom. Treasures from foreign lands, or even perfectly ordinary items that simply cannot be found on the island, are greatly prized by the tengu.
Relations
Tirione and some of the Hellean states view Meklaw unfavorably, considering it merely a refuge for the pirates that harass their ships.