Gaetan

Gaetan lies to the south of Tympania, beyond the marshes of Orsinia. Geographically, it is divided into several regions:

Yaakni Payyatha, the Coast Region, and the Coast Hills are all traditionally viewed as backwaters, although Yaakni’ Páyyatha has recently been promoted to being a rebellious trouble spot. Capital Island and the Inner Channel make up the heart of Gaetan, while the Marches are the militarized border with the ever-troublesome Ulveg. Gaetani high culture is organized around two major axis: perpetual war with the Ulveg and veneration of the Celestial Gods, as represented by the Protector King and the Preisthoods of the White Moon, the Green Moon and the Red Moon. Gaetani high culture is viewed by Tympanians as distinctly theocratic, and the King of Gaetan is believed to descend from the Preist King of Gaetan. Gaetani low culture is focused around service to the King, sex, gambling, drinking, gathering berries and salmon, a little agriculture, and avoiding the monsters that live in the wilderness. All of these activities are organized into , to which almost everyone belongs.

1 Comment

#1 | February 06 05 1:57 pm  
Kip Manley writes:

Proposed place-names.

Thought I might take some time while running some database updates to coin some Gætani place-names. Let’s start at the top of the map:


  • The Marches would translate most literally as Tanówana. —I’d also like to propose a noble distinction in Gætani society based on prowess in battle: the Talip’abi, or Hundred-Killer. The more bellicose might refer to this area held against the Ulveg as the Talip’abi Lhafa, the Hundred-Killer Line, or Lhafa for short.

  • Since the best analog for Gætan I could come up with was Kaytiyan, or, very loosely, the uncountable number of people who live here, I thought Capital Island might best be named Ittibaakaachi, or Ittabaakaachit: where they gather, the come-together. Appropriate for both the large number of people there and the fact that it’s at the mouth or confluence of all the channels of the great inland fjord-thingie. Or the town on the island might be named that, and the island Chaffa Tali’, the one rock.

Running down the peninsula:


  • First, we have maybe the Ononna, the lands which run on till dawn from Ittibaakaachi.

  • The coast would be the far side, the Tannap; also, maybe, due to the storms and tides, Basak Basak Aachi, wood-breaking.

  • The hills along the spine are collectively known as the Husbands, Ihattak or Hattakat.

  • The valleys to either side away from the coasts would be the hollow lands, or hollers: Cholok’fi. They’re also known as Nishob’cholok: wolf-hollowed, or wolf-den.

There’s a lot of words and possible place-names for the Inner Channel. Some might apply to specific places; others to conditions that flux throughout.


  • Oshcháhali, Oshcháhha’li, Oshchilochi, Oshchilohóli: the crest, the curl

  • Iha’li: the spill

  • Okhakshish: oceanroot

  • Ittaaboknohli: tangled

  • Hashi’ilbak, Ninakilbak: sunfingers, moonfingers

  • Payo’kalhchi: rippling water

  • Yolhoka’: slack water

  • Yaaknoka’: open water

  • Mankhaksichi: monkey-puzzle, monkey-trap

Finally, the large mountains twilishward are known as the Okti’shki’ni, or the Tobhi’shki’ni: the Snow Mothers, the Silver Mothers, the White Mothers.

Oh, and Tympanians are Naahollo.

posted by Kip Manley | Feb 06 2005 1:57 pm | Reply

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