The world
People
Nine people so far: six on the island who teach, and three on the mainland who trade, forge and keep the harbour.
Tok Mat
Resting grandfather
- Where
- undefined
- Does
- undefined
undefinedTok Mat
Resting grandfather.
Nek Piah
Grandmother at the stove
- Where
- undefined
- Does
- undefined
undefinedNek Piah
Grandmother at the stove.
Mak Timah
Neighbour sewing at home
- Where
- undefined
- Does
- undefined
undefinedMak Timah
Neighbour sewing at home.
Pak Daud
Woodworker at home
- Where
- undefined
- Does
- undefined
undefinedPak Daud
Woodworker at home.
Pak Hasan
Fisherman mending a net
- Where
- undefined
- Does
- undefined
undefinedPak Hasan
Fisherman mending a net.
Kak Noriah
Neighbour folding washing
- Where
- undefined
- Does
- undefined
undefinedKak Noriah
Neighbour folding washing.
Tok Din
Neighbour reading at home
- Where
- undefined
- Does
- undefined
undefinedTok Din
Neighbour reading at home.
Mak Munah
Neighbour preparing lunch
- Where
- undefined
- Does
- undefined
undefinedMak Munah
Neighbour preparing lunch.
Pak Karim
Neighbour checking his accounts
- Where
- undefined
- Does
- undefined
undefinedPak Karim
Neighbour checking his accounts.
Abang Fikri
Neighbour carving wood
- Where
- undefined
- Does
- undefined
undefinedAbang Fikri
Neighbour carving wood.
Mak Jaharah
Neighbour repairing a fishing net
- Where
- undefined
- Does
- undefined
undefinedMak Jaharah
Neighbour repairing a fishing net.
Kak Lina
Neighbour sewing clothes
- Where
- undefined
- Does
- undefined
undefinedKak Lina
Neighbour sewing clothes.
Pak Hamzah
Neighbour resting with a fan
- Where
- undefined
- Does
- undefined
undefinedPak Hamzah
Neighbour resting with a fan.
Abang Jo
Abang Jo, travelling food seller
- Where
- undefined
- Does
- undefined
undefinedAbang Jo
Abang Jo, travelling food seller.
Kak Ros
Kak Ros, keropok lekor seller
- Where
- undefined
- Does
- undefined
undefinedKak Ros
Kak Ros, keropok lekor seller.
Abang Zaki
Abang Zaki, air kelapa seller
- Where
- undefined
- Does
- undefined
undefinedAbang Zaki
Abang Zaki, air kelapa seller.
Pak Baim
Pak Baim, shore fisherman
- Where
- undefined
- Does
- undefined
undefinedPak Baim
Pak Baim, shore fisherman.
Pak Osman
Pak Osman, shore fisherman
- Where
- undefined
- Does
- undefined
undefinedPak Osman
Pak Osman, shore fisherman.
Mak Rohani
Mak Rohani, kitchen gardener
- Where
- undefined
- Does
- undefined
undefinedMak Rohani
She brings coconuts from her kitchen garden to the pasar.
Pak Wan
Pak Wan, fishing tackle seller
- Where
- undefined
- Does
- undefined
undefinedPak Wan
A basket maker selling fishing lines, traps and squid jigs at the pasar.
Kak Zaiton
Kak Zaiton, market neighbour
- Where
- undefined
- Does
- undefined
undefinedKak Zaiton
She is sorting baskets for the morning market.
Abang Rashid
Abang Rashid, trail guide
- Where
- undefined
- Does
- undefined
undefinedAbang Rashid
He watches the southern path, checking the tracks in the soil.
Cik Aminah
Cik Aminah, surau keeper
- Where
- undefined
- Does
- undefined
undefinedCik Aminah
She cares for the neighbourhood surau and welcomes visitors.
Kak Salmah
Kak Salmah, neighbour
- Where
- undefined
- Does
- undefined
undefinedKak Salmah
A neighbour drying the surau’s borrowed mats by her veranda.
Pegawai Idris
Registration officer
- Where
- undefined
- Does
- undefined
undefinedPegawai Idris
The town register and a fresh ink pad sit before him.
Mak Teh
Storage keeper
- Where
- undefined
- Does
- undefined
undefinedMak Teh
She keeps the numbered chests and your belongings in order.
Kak Suri
Kak Suri, tailor
- Where
- undefined
- Does
- undefined
undefinedKak Suri
Cloth, colour and a careful eye. Ask her about your next outfit.
Guru
Guru
- Where
- Perhentian, beside where you wash up
- Does
- Runs Castaway's Training: food, fighting, a boat. Gives you your first staff.
Welcome, young one. The tide has left you on Perhentian Island. I am Guru, which means teacher.Guru
A silat teacher with a calm eye and a straight back.
Pak Salleh
Pak Salleh
- Where
- undefined
- Does
- undefined
undefinedPak Salleh
Pak Salleh keeps the surau by the river: the mats, the lamps, the drum. Nothing on the river gets past him.
Yusof
Yusof, boatman
- Where
- undefined
- Does
- undefined
undefinedYusof
Yusof, a young boatman with a bandaged head. He swam a long way in the dark.
Mak Yam
Mak Yam
- Where
- undefined
- Does
- undefined
undefinedMak Yam
Yusof's mother. She has not slept since he came home.
Fisherman
Pak Deris, fisherman
- Where
- undefined
- Does
- undefined
undefinedFisherman
A fisherman with a net over his shoulder, watching the path south more than the river.
Pak Belang
Pak Belang, hunter
- Where
- undefined
- Does
- undefined
undefinedPak Belang
A hunter with a blowpipe across his back and a monitor-lizard skin over one shoulder. He knows every track on the far bank.
Captive
Abang Din, boatman
- Where
- undefined
- Does
- undefined
undefinedCaptive
A boatman from the supply boat, tied to a post. Rope marks on his wrists.
Mariam
Mariam, boatbuilder
- Where
- undefined
- Does
- undefined
undefinedMariam
Mariam builds boats in the shed by the landing. Sawdust in her tudung, an adze in her belt.
Tok Penghulu
Tok Penghulu Hassan
- Where
- undefined
- Does
- undefined
undefinedTok Penghulu
The headman of Kampung Setiu. He looks at the empty landing more than at you.
Ismail
Ismail, fisherman
- Where
- undefined
- Does
- undefined
undefinedIsmail
Mariam's brother, in a cage of poles on the raiders' platform. He would not give up his boat.
Boatman
A boatman of Setiu
- Where
- undefined
- Does
- undefined
undefinedBoatman
One of the crews from Kampung Setiu, taken with his boat.
Pak Seman
Pak Seman, ferryman
- Where
- undefined
- Does
- undefined
undefinedPak Seman
An old ferryman with a sculling oar over his shoulder. He has crossed this river more times than he can count.
Pak Usop
Pak Usop, tekong
- Where
- undefined
- Does
- undefined
undefinedPak Usop
The tekong of Kampung Setiu: the man who steers, and knows every channel and shoal on this coast.
Abang Lah
Abang Lah, tekong
- Where
- undefined
- Does
- undefined
undefinedAbang Lah
A young tekong with a fast perahu, waiting at the harbour jetty for anyone who wants to go up or down the coast.
Mat Kilat
Mat Kilat, tekong
- Where
- undefined
- Does
- undefined
undefinedMat Kilat
A tekong who keeps his perahu on the beach below the stockade, and his oars where he can reach them.
Mak Bedah
Mak Bedah, wakaf keeper
- Where
- undefined
- Does
- undefined
undefinedMak Bedah
Mak Bedah keeps the wakaf at the junction swept and the kettle warm. Every traveller on the road stops, and every one of them tells her something.
Pak Ghani
Pak Ghani, rattan cutter
- Where
- undefined
- Does
- undefined
undefinedPak Ghani
The foreman of the rattan cutters on Denai Hulu: forearms scored by thorns, and a cane bent into a hoop over his shoulder.
Tok Kadir
Tok Kadir, honey gatherer
- Where
- undefined
- Does
- undefined
undefinedTok Kadir
Tok Kadir climbs the tualang trees at night for their honey, as his father did. He talks to the bees, and he says they listen.
Pak Long Dollah
Pak Long Dollah, charcoal burner
- Where
- undefined
- Does
- undefined
undefinedPak Long Dollah
Pak Long Dollah burns charcoal in an earth kiln by the old tin workings. The soot never quite washes off.
Ah Seng
Ah Seng, kepala of the mine
- Where
- undefined
- Does
- undefined
undefinedAh Seng
The kepala of Lombong Timah, who reopened the old pit. He keeps the furnace, the books and the peace, and he weighs every bar twice.
Mak Bidah
Mak Bidah, dulang washer
- Where
- undefined
- Does
- undefined
undefinedMak Bidah
Mak Bidah has panned this pool since she was a girl, a wooden dulang turning in her hands. Her eye picks out a grain of tin from a handful of sand.
Ah Kow
Ah Kow, miner
- Where
- undefined
- Does
- undefined
undefinedAh Kow
A young miner with a pick on his shoulder and grey mud to the knee. He sings while he digs, and the walls of the pit sing it back.
Mamat
Mamat, miner
- Where
- undefined
- Does
- undefined
undefinedMamat
Mamat came from Kampung Setiu for the wages. He digs the hard face at the bottom of the pit, and goes home every Thursday with his pay tied in his headcloth.
Nek Kiah
Nek Kiah, the oldest in the kampung
- Where
- undefined
- Does
- undefined
undefinedNek Kiah
Nek Kiah sits at the foot of her house steps most of the day, a tray of sirih at her side, watching the river path. She remembers everything that ever happened on this river, and most of what happened before.
Encik Rahman
Encik Rahman, harbourmaster
- Where
- undefined
- Does
- undefined
undefinedEncik Rahman
Encik Rahman, a long way from his office, his white cap pulled low. The watch of Kuala Besut came with him.
Encik Rahman
Encik Rahman, harbourmaster
- Where
- undefined
- Does
- undefined
undefinedEncik Rahman
Encik Rahman, holding the courtyard with his watchmen.
Watchman
A watchman of Kuala Besut
- Where
- undefined
- Does
- undefined
undefinedWatchman
One of Encik Rahman's harbour watch, a spear over his shoulder.
Watchman
A watchman of Kuala Besut
- Where
- undefined
- Does
- undefined
undefinedWatchman
One of Encik Rahman's harbour watch, holding the courtyard.
Mariam
Mariam, boatbuilder
- Where
- undefined
- Does
- undefined
undefinedMariam
Mariam, at the water's edge with her boat, watching the stockade.
Mariam
Mariam, boatbuilder
- Where
- undefined
- Does
- undefined
undefinedMariam
Mariam has brought Kampung Setiu's boats down the coast.
Boatman
A boatman held at Kubu Kuala
- Where
- undefined
- Does
- undefined
undefinedBoatman
A boatman from a village down the coast, held in Bakar's pen.
Boatman
A boatman held at Kubu Kuala
- Where
- undefined
- Does
- undefined
undefinedBoatman
A boatman from a village down the coast, held in Bakar's pen.
Zainal
Zainal, clerk
- Where
- undefined
- Does
- undefined
undefinedZainal
Zainal the clerk, tied up in the yard of Gudang Muara, his spectacles cracked.
Encik Kamal
Encik Kamal, port officer
- Where
- undefined
- Does
- undefined
undefinedEncik Kamal
The port officer: a ledger under his arm, a pencil behind his ear, and every boat in the river mouth in his head.
Saudagar Hamid
Saudagar Hamid, merchant
- Where
- undefined
- Does
- undefined
undefinedSaudagar Hamid
A merchant in fine deep red, a songket sampin, a gold chain across his chest and rings on his fingers. The whole market knows his name, and he gives to every village on the coast.
Zainal
Zainal, clerk
- Where
- undefined
- Does
- undefined
undefinedZainal
A thin young clerk in a white shirt and spectacles, ink on his fingers. He keeps the shipping books for half the merchants in town.
Tauke Lim
Tauke Lim, goldsmith
- Where
- undefined
- Does
- undefined
undefinedTauke Lim
The goldsmith of Kampung Cina. His scales can weigh a grain of rice, and so, they say, can his eye.
Pak Abu
Pak Abu, coffee shop
- Where
- undefined
- Does
- undefined
undefinedPak Abu
Pak Abu pulls coffee through a cloth sock, from one pot to the other and back, a full arm's length each way.
Mak Som
Mak Som, fish seller
- Where
- undefined
- Does
- undefined
undefinedMak Som
Mak Som sells fish in the market hall. She has been shouting prices since before the sun came up.
Awi
Awi, porter
- Where
- undefined
- Does
- undefined
undefinedAwi
A porter from the warehouses, shoulders like a door. He carries sacks from dawn till the boats are loaded.
Pak Jusoh
Pak Jusoh, gate watchman
- Where
- undefined
- Does
- undefined
undefinedPak Jusoh
The town's gate watchman, a spear he has never used against anyone leaning by the gate.
Harbourmaster
Encik Rahman, harbourmaster
- Where
- Kuala Besut, outside his office by the jetty
- Does
- Runs Landfall at Kuala Besut. Keeps the ledger of every boat on the river.
Ho there! A new boat at my jetty. I am Encik Rahman, the harbourmaster.Harbourmaster
Encik Rahman, the harbourmaster. In the old days the post was called syahbandar.
Kak Yah
Kak Yah
- Where
- Kuala Besut, outside her shop on the main road
- Does
- Buys and sells: food, clothes, arrows, a horn bow and tools.
- Live · Tools I, v0.38
- Sells an iron hatchet, a squid jig, a prawn trap and a hand-line. Won't buy back the starter tools.
Selamat datang, welcome! I am Kak Yah. Kak means big sister, and on this road everyone calls me that, even the old men.Kak Yah
Kak Yah runs the sundry shop. She remembers every price and every face.
Tok Ali
Tok Ali, archer
- Where
- Perhentian, at the archery range
- Does
- Teaches archery. Gives you a bamboo bow and arrows.
- Lesson
- hit the archery target → archery, with a bow and arrows of your own
Assalamualaikum. I am Tok Ali. Tok is what we call our elders, and I am old enough to be called it twice.Tok Ali
Tok Ali, an old archer. His bow is older than you are.
Mak Long Esah
Mak Long Esah, fisherwoman
- Where
- Perhentian, on the beach by the nearest reef
- Does
- Teaches fishing.
- Lesson
- net 5 fish → you fish faster
- Live · Tools I, v0.38
- Gives you your first cast net, another if you lose it, and a squid jig when you finish her lesson.
You are Guru's new student? I am Mak Long Esah. Mak Long means eldest aunt, and on this island everyone has been my nephew at some point.Mak Long Esah
Mak Long Esah, mending a net with fingers faster than your eyes.
Pak Mat
Pak Mat, boatwright
- Where
- Perhentian, at the boatyard
- Does
- Teaches woodwork. Builds and mends boats.
- Lesson
- cut 5 timber → you cut timber faster
- Live · Tools I, v0.38
- Gives you your first hatchet, and another if you lose it.
Careful of the shavings. I am Pak Mat. I build boats, and I mend the ones Guru's students break.Pak Mat
Pak Mat, the boatwright. There is sawdust in his moustache.
Mak Jah
Mak Jah, cook
- Where
- Perhentian, at the campfire
- Does
- Teaches cooking.
- Lesson
- cook 4 fish without burning them → you burn less food
Hungry already? I am Mak Jah. I cook for Guru, for Pak Mat, and for anyone who smells the smoke.Mak Jah
Mak Jah, the island cook. She smells of smoke and lemongrass.
Abang Zul
Abang Zul, silat fighter
- Where
- Perhentian, by the training post
- Does
- Teaches defence by sparring.
- Lesson
- dodge 8 of his strikes → +1 armour, wherever you go
Oi, new student! Abang Zul. Abang means big brother. Guru taught me too, a long time ago.Abang Zul
Abang Zul, one of Guru's old students, with a rattan stick and a grin.
Pak Leh
Pak Leh, blacksmith
- Where
- Kuala Besut, at his forge on the main road by the river bridge
- Does
- Sells an iron hatchet and a parang, and forges a steel hatchet onto a meranti handle you bring him. He buys nothing.
Iron I have. Good wood for a handle, that you bring me. Kak Yah charges five ringgit more for the same hatchet, and she knows it.Pak Leh
Pak Leh, the blacksmith. His forearms are freckled with old burns.