The Vangavaye-ve

The Vangavaye-ve is an archipelago in the middle of the Wide Seas on Zunidh. Its capital, Gorjo City, is built mostly on floating docks between Mama Ituri and Mama Ituri's Son.

History
The history of the Vangavaye-ve and its people is contained in their oral epics, the Lays of the Wide Seas.

The Vangavaye-ve voluntarily joined the Empire of Astandalas during the reign of Aurelius Magnus, when he came to the islands after hearing rumor of the Islanders' great navigational skills. Elonoa'a, the last Paramount Chief, was the representative of the Islanders and became the greatest friend of Aurelius Magnus.

Geography
The Ring of reefs and islands and volcanoes is the remnants of an ancient supervolcano. The Gates of the Sea seems to be the only entrance to the inner bay.

Loaloa
Loaloa is the ancestral island of the Mdangs.

Mama Ituri and Mama Ituri's Son
A volcano.

Lesuia
The island where Cliopher takes His Radiancy on holiday. Has a house, Navikiani (which means "The Meeting Place of Iki and Ani"). Medium-sized island, Has five or six villages, including Ikialo, Ikiano, Ikiava.

Pau'lo'en'lai (or Pau'en'lo'ai)
The Isle of the Dead, a high island. Has a stone ngali staff 20 feet high and 8 feet wide, made of twelve bands spiraling around a hollow center to represent the twelve lineages.

Tepekanui
Has a single ancient ti palm; significant to Buru Tovo, who has encountered Vou'a there "once or twice." White sand beaches, slopes up to black stone. The skyline of the island looks like a giant's teeth. Located towards the outside of the Ring. Has caves just below the ti palm where a certain kind of barnacle grow, out of which can be made an efela bead of a deep lustrous blue, "the color of the sky after sunset."

The Tirigilis
One of which, Iruzayë, is where Elonoa'a was from.

Orukiana
the northernmost island, high island, has a jungle. On the north side is The Leaping Place, where yet-to-be-born spirits enter the Ring.

The Outer Ring Landmarks of the Outer Ring: Viluoa The Pirimiris The Epalos Pauo and Paua The Eastern Efela (a chain of 15 small islands) Tepekarua (where shell divers go for warokainë) The Isolates (discovered by Elonoa'a Looenna
 * The Gates of the Sea
 * The Bay of the Waters
 * The Five Sisters

Lineages
According to the histories told in the Lays of the Wide Seas, the Wide Seas were explored and settled by twelve ships and twelve lineages, from whom are descended the the Wide Seas Islanders. Each family has a dance, a lorekeeper, a traditional role or area of knowledge/culture, and an ancestral ship. During the Singing of the Waters festival every year, one Greater Dance is performed on each of the twelve days. (Note: Not all of these have yet been mentioned for all twelve. Information that has been presumed based on extant patterns of construction is marked with "(?)")

Language
Within Gorjo City, Zunidh's common tongue, Shaian, seems to be the dominant language. The Islander tongue remains in regular use, however, though it is unclear how widespread fluency is within the capital city.

Glossary of Islander Words

 * ahalo (cloth, made from sea silk threads)
 * buru (a title for a revered elder)
 * casao (knife, also a type of shell that can be used as a knife)
 * efela (necklace)
 * efelauni (mystical purveyors of efela)
 * efetana (necklace of fire coral)
 * efevoa (sundrop cowrie, or an efela made of them)
 * hani (kinship by blood)
 * ivani (revered elder)
 * kava (some kind of drink)
 * ke'ea (a road, a way guided by the stars and the Lays between one island and the next)
 * nava (meeting place)
 * nefalo (a large clam whose pearls are used in efela)
 * noua (bird, white tern)
 * parahë (large double hulled ship which can hold thirty crew)
 * perioi (strangers/guests)
 * posao (trader of shells and efela)
 * ta (life)
 * tana (fire)
 * tanà (person who holds the Lays)
 * tana-tai (tanà for the Outer Ring)
 * tanaea (striking rock, hearth-fire)
 * tananē (fire for cooking and company)
 * tanapē (fire for cooking)
 * ti palm
 * tovo (rock used in lighting a fire)
 * tui (tree and flower)
 * vaha (a canoe)
 * velioi (foreigners)
 * warokainë (a purple and green shell)
 * wontok (someone who speaks the same language, comes from the same people)


 * Tē ke’e’vina-tē zēnava parahë’ala (Traditional greeting after long absence, roughly ‘How splendid that the star-paths of our voyages meet here!’)
 * Tō mo’ea-tō avivayë o rai’ivayë (Traditional response to greeting, roughly ‘New islands and old islands are ours to discover now we are together again.’)

Notable Characters
Cliopher "Kip" Mdang Buru Tovo Elonoa'a