About The Vangkekans
(Excerpt from Book 1)
Five hundred kilometers north of Orlando City is the Province of Orstia. In Orstia, a remote town known as Forest Green is renowned for its remarkably rich Spanish heritage.
However, by the mountainous northeast of Forest Green, there is a mystic wilderness they called the forbidden Forest of Evergreen. The people, at one point in the distant past, believed that creatures of utmost peculiarity existed there. They have heard of the stories from their forefathers, stories of terrifying deeds and darkness. But as the lengthy years went by, such stories became mere folktales and went unheeded as time embraced modernity, and such anecdotes are, by now, deemed of no account.
There in the vastness and thickness of the dark forest was the world of the Vangkekans.
The Vangkekans were outlandish creatures, fractioned into five tribes: the Kravena, the Fegratu, the Sulabun, the Asuldan, and the Kumanggi.
The Kravenas were distinguished by their gigantic and bright feathered wings; the Fegratus, their lustrous and reddish wings; the Sulabuns, their frail yet fear-provoking dusky ones; the Asuldans, their serene olive greens; and the Kumanggis, their velvety browns.
The Kravena Tribe was the realm of Datu Ilak. The Kravenas lived in the foothills of Yandal near the Pacific Ocean, and to their west is the deep River of Samo that passes through the other tribes and ends as estuary. North of the tribe lies the magnificent Falls of Harem.
Up north was the Sulabun Tribe, led by Datu Karok. They had smaller wings than the Kravenas and they preferred to dwell in flat lands rather than highlands.
Across the Samo River was the Fegratu Tribe, headed by Datu Saak. They were smaller ones but fast and vigilant. They lingered by the banks of the river, and fishing became their primary source of food.
Not too distant from the Fegratus was the Asuldan Tribe, ruled by Datu Intal. The Asuldans were friendly Vangkekans and were fond of hunting wild animals. Their wings had the same size as the Sulabuns but appeared to be much weaker. They were lovers of woodlands and they preferred to live in the highlands.
Right next to the Asuldan was the Kumanggi Tribe, guided by Datu Uliman. The Kumanggis had the smallest size of wings but they were the tallest Vangkekans. They were lovers of trees and woodlands, and the hillsides became their habitation.
The Vangkekans were once immortals. However, it was discovered that they could be killed by the strike of an arrow dipped in the hot spring secreted by the Mountains of Yandal. But only those who were brave enough could go through it. At the other side of Yandal Mountains lies the magical Falls of Ovaweh in which water served as the antidote for the deadly arrows.
The Vangkekans’ immortality vanished when Ovaweh Falls ran out of water.
To represent ideas and sounds, the Vangkekans used picture symbols. Primarily, they used stone monuments but sometimes, banana leaves were used as writing sheets and permanent plant pigments as ink. The inscriptions were written or carved by highly trained ones called suratos, but as time passed by, every Vangkekan learned to write and read them.
The male Vangkekans wore wide and thick breechclothes, or wang-gis. These were made from flayed tree bark, brown in color with red ocher, but some were woven of cotton thread by the female Vangkekans. Likewise, the male Vangkekans were topless to reveal their masculine bodies.
On the other hand, the female Vangkekans wore bark-fiber skirts called kul-pas, which were worn after putting on a tight girdle. Their skirts were also brownish but with red stripes down each side and through the middle. Their skirts were extended from below the navel to near the knees which opened on the sides, and were frequently so scant and narrow that one leg was exposed when walking. Also, a series of woven bands of about five inches wide—passing through beneath their wings at the back—were wrapped around their bodies to cover their breasts.
To make a distinction from an ordinary Vangkekan, the five tribe datus wore a basket-work hat known as sukdalang. It was worn on the back of the head that was held in place by a cord attached at both sides and passing across the forehead. More prominently, the spearheads had tattoos on their upper left arms based on the heavenly body that first fascinated them: the bright sun for Datu Ilak, the twinkling star for Datu Saak, the half-moon for Datu Karok, the C-shaped moon for Datu Intal, and the full moon for Datu Uliman.
When it came to hair, male Vangkekans only possessed a hair cut just above their ears. It was indecent for them to have a long one. But for the females, long hair was necessary.
The five Vangkekan tribes co-existed peacefully until the Battle of Yandal was fought when the Kravena tribe went to war. It was all started by the ambitious Banaak.
Banaak was the sagigilid of the Kravena Tribe and now, the ruler of Sulabun Tribe, after he succeeded Datu Karok (who passed away mysteriously). Banaak married Datu Karok’s only descendant, Sesa Ebasa, and had a son with her. They named him, Kalib.