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 coastal cities of Meklaw.
Geography, flora, and fauna
The tall peaks of the Ancas Mountains that dominate the landscape of the island of Meklaw can be seen quite far out to sea. Pleasantly cool, the oceanic location of the island prevents the peaks from getting too cold, though some of the largest do possess persistent snowcaps. 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 sites in the mountains provide perfect refuges for the tengu and animals that call it home.
Three rivers, the Pikawas, Paro, and Coria, run through the warm lowlands, fed by seasonal rainfall in the mountains. These 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 they mostly remain near their nests in the Isles of Paria, rumors of thunderbird sightings pass quickly amongst the tengu, who revere the massive birds as messengers of the Great Storyteller.
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, 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 are famously beautiful, though the roughness and shallowness of the seabed around the reef 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.
Demographics
The population of Meklaw is overwhelmingly tengu, especially in the inland cities. The coastal cities, meanwhile, are popular resting places for sailors and visitors of all ancestries. 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. Tengu usually see her as much like themselves, frequently depicting the goddess as a tengu in the appearance and garb of a mundane traveler. In addition to her other roles as a goddess of travel, storms, and stories, 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 strongly emphasized in Meklaw. 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 other Meklovians, if sometimes with some aspects of the deities or their associated ceremonies lost or changed along the way.
Traditions
Meklovian traditions are a fusion of their own ancient practices and those adopted from other lands. The tengu of the island 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 and wonder 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 interior Meklaw mostly speak Tengu primarily and Common or Hellean secondarily, a great number of languages can be encountered in the coastal cities. Regional tongues like Telan and Thadrian, as well as many dialects of ancestral languages, abound both among the visitors and the tengu. It is extremely common for Meklovian tengu to be highly multilingual, sometimes learning up to a dozen languages they have been exposed to over the course of their lifetime. Some effortlessly switch between languages, occasionally even without realizing, and also frequently mix the vocabulary of one language with the structure of another.
Society
Meklovian 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 to settle elsewhere. 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 on board. While most tengu try hard to prove themselves, these crew members 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 - Meklovian 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).
Traders from elsewhere who are left in the unfortunate position of needing to offload excess inventory know that they will likely have eager buyers in Meklaw - especially if their goods are shiny. Many Meklovian tengu amass large collections of items throughout their life, even if the items do not have much monetary value. These collections are viewed as a physical history of the individual’s travels and experiences and are therefore highly prized.
Architecture and urbanization
The cities of Meklaw are almost completely unplanned, resembling little more than expansive slums. 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 as they run out of space on the shore. In the older mountain cities, elevated and away from the more bustling seaside settlements, 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.
Food and cuisine
Much like the rest of their culture, Meklovian food is highly adaptive, incorporating ingredients and techniques from across the world. As a matter of practicality, however, native foodstuffs remain staples. Legumes like lentils and chickpeas are commonly eaten, as are olives, chilies, fish, squid, shellfish, small rodent, and fruits such as mulberries and apricots. Strong divides exist between coastal diets, which is heavily seafood-based, and those of the interior, which tend to involve far less meat.
Travel
Caravans frequently ply the routes between Meklovian cities, both by land and sea. Roads, however, are almost nonexistent, and instead the tengu of the island travel by whatever route is fastest and easiest at the time.
Medicine
Named for its blood red sap, the dragon blood trees of Meklaw are used for a variety of purposes by the inhabitants of the island. Many uses are mundane - it is extensively employed as a dye for clothes or to decorate one’s feathers, and some tengu believe it has medicinal properties as well. 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.
Notable figures
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.
Government
Though lacking a formal government structure, the tengu of Meklaw follow the guidance of the elders of their families, communities, and neighborhoods. However, a sense of uncontrolled lawlessness pervades the coastal cities, where the tengu elders are frequently unable to control the rowdy pirate crews that make port.
Economy
The tengu of Meklaw support themselves in many ways. 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.