Ngofa (ŋo.fa)
"Respect the avatars of Opu Ngamutu, the Crocodile King, lest they devour you for your insolence."
Ngofa is the the third largest island in the Mangimoi Archipelago. It is the center of the Kingdom of Kodu, and is well known for the fierce crocodiles that live there. The largest settlement on the island is Bunam, the capital of Kodu. The Kingdom has turned Bunam into a showplace for their wealth, attempting to outshine Tobel in their longstanding rivalry with the Kingdom of Pagi.
About a third of the population is Pulawan, while the remainder is Ngofangare who migrated south from Golowu. The Kingdom of Kodu treats the Pulawan minority as second class citizens, and severely restricts their freedom in comparison to the Ngofangare population. Over the last several centuries, they have implemented policies aimed at shrinking the Pulawan population, including harsher punishments for crimes, forced labor requirements, and steeper taxes. Many of the Pulawan communities outside Kodu were formed by refugees fleeing the Kingdom, and those who remain are subject to increasing discrimination every year.
Notable Spirits
The Hyang of Ngofa is Opu Ngamutu, the Crocodile King. Images of this god can be found in every Ngofangare home, and the Kingdom considers Opu Ngamutu as their patron. The temple to the Crocodile King is the largest building in Bunam, and boasts an artificial swamp with a hundred crocodiles who carry the blessing of the god. These Avatars of Opu Ngamutu are pampered by the kingdom and fed the finest food. They also have a place in Kodu's justice system. When a person has been accused of a crime, they can demand a trial by crocodile rather than man. The accused is then placed within the temple swamp for a day and a night, and if they emerge unharmed they are deemed justified in whatever they did and free from further punishments or penalties. Very few people choose a trial by crocodile, and even fewer survive one.
Geography
Ngofa is an oval-shaped island, measuing a little over eighty miles from east to west, and about fifty miles across its widest point. It is extremely hilly and mountainous, especially in the central and western regions. The majority of the interior is covered in rain forest, except for the cultivated lowlands in the eastern third of the island. The great river called the Likoko Ngamutu winds out of the highlands and across the eastern part of the island, and is heavily populated by the crocodiles revered by the Ngofangare.
Geographic Details
Location: Southern RegionLatitude: 3.04 degrees South
Longitude: 15.34 degrees West
Average Elevation: 902 ft
Highest Point: 7,966 ft (Gunung Palamata)
Lowest Point: 0 ft
Area: 4,886.35 sq mi
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This article was originally written for Spooktober 2024. You can find all of my Spooktober Articles at Spooktober Central.
This article was originally written for Spooktober 2023. You can find all of my Spooktober Articles at Spooktober Central.
Trial by Crocodile sounds like a wretched way to die; I'll take getting decapitated by a human foe, thanks :) I imagine the rare survivors of such a Trial are regarded with some level of awe.
The priests stack the deck. Whether or not you survive depends on how well fed the crocodiles were before you went in.