Tabi Tabi Po
Here in the Kirinal Concordance Zone, more than any other place in the known world, the spirits live among us. The Kirinal Pit opens to a new world in the multiverse every morning. It opens to the Fey and the Shadow once a week. Our wards and walls keep out the mighty, but the small things always sneak through. We have found that the best way to deal with minor spirits is etiquette.
Instructor of Recruits
It don't matter how much garlic you eat, silver you wear, or cold iron horseshoes you put up, annoying little bogies are everywhere here in the KCZ. The good news is, they're more scared of you and they just need a little encouragement to get going. I can't tell you how many times I've had a muffin dive off the table after I gave my meal the requisite "tabi tabi po."
"Tabi tabi po" roughly translates to "excuse me, ma'am/sir." It's a common phrase used in the Kirinal Concordance Zone to warn spirits that you're coming through. Kirinalos say it when they're walking through a dark area so that they don't step on invisible spirits. They say it when they're entering a room so that they don't scare anything hiding in the shadows. They say it when they're about to eat a meal just in case a passing spirit has entered their food.
If a typical mortal makes the mistake of stepping on, peeing on, or biting a minor spirit, they can find themselves cursed by that spirit. The curse can range anywhere from a skin rash, to unsightly hair growth, or slow transformation into a small helpless animal. At that point, it takes intervention from a Druid or Cleric to either remove the curse or appease the spirit.
The phrase originates from the dense population of Talinos who brought the custom from the Talin Islands. Their homeland was also full of spirits and the residents of those islands found that a simple "tabi tabi po" before going to the bathroom or walking a jungle path was enough to avoid curses from the anito.
Saying "excuse me" in common, or elvish, or orcish only works on spirits that understand those languages. For some reason "tabi tabi po" works on all spirits regardless of their origin.
An Infestation of Spirits
As new dimensions Manifest in the Kirinal Pit, small creatures and plants float over the wall or down the Kirinal River. Along with them come minor spirits from other worlds and dimensions. On Faerie fairies, chingwa, animas and other benign to benevolent spirits come into the world. On Shadow boggles, haints, the mischievous, and the malevolent sneak through the cracks in the Pit Wall's wards. Many of them wait the week to return home on the next Faerie or Shadow. Others leave on Bifrost to travel the multiverse or migrate to Heaven or another Prime world.
Many of these spirit visitors remain in the Zone, making their home amongst the mortal cities and fortresses around the edge of the Pit. Others settle in the Anomalous Forest or escape out to the Kirinal Wastes. As a result, the mortals living in the Zone deal with minor spirits on a daily basis.
HEHEHE, I never heard that until 2 weeks ago when I moved to the Philippines. The first time I heard my wife say it I thought she was calling a cat....
Cool to have you experience it firsthand!
Take a look at my Institutions of Learning challenge article.
Learn about the World of Wizard's Peak and check out my award winning article about the Ghost Boy of Kirinal!