Everything

In the days before the pristine white sands of

Waikiki were ever dimmed with the shadows

of resort hotels or dirtied with the cigarette butts and garbage of millions of tourists, the land of Hawai’i and the far-flung islands of the Polynesian peoples belonged to the Kopa Loei. These wizard-priests, called kanakakahuna, used their Arts to bind themselves to the land and ensure its fertility through rituals meant to honor the native gods, preserving the balance between the natural world and the needs of the people. Some amongst them used their powers to navigate the vast expanses of the Pacific, connecting the islands and their people into one large extended family. Above all, the sacred laws of kapu ensured that the land thrived… and that the Kopa Loei retained their power.

When mages from the mainlands – now called ha’ole kahuna, or “chiefs of Those-Not-Us” –invited the Kopa Loei to join in their pale Council, they were politely rebuffed. What had the kahuna to fear from these Tupa Nui, the Great Builders from across the seas? Much more than they realized. Advance scouts from the Odyssean branch of the Daedalean Explorators sent back reports of rich paradises inhabited by (as they saw it) primitive savages. Using an age-old trick, these haka’uhane (“empty souls”) impersonated the Polynesian god, Lono, whose

standard was a tall cross-pole hung with long banners of white cloth. The rest, as they say, is history.

As with so many civilizations that got “civilized” by their invaders, the Polynesians and their cousins throughout the islands fell to disease, servitude, and cultural conquest. Old ways retreated before convenience and Christianity. Today’s Kopa Loei – what few of them remain – are no longer the kings and nobles of the past, nor are they the rulers and keepers of island life. Centuries of Technocratic rule have seen to that. However, those handfuls of kanakahuna and their kin who still live in the Hawai’ian archipelago have managed to keep a strong grasp upon the traditions and rituals that sustained them for centuries before the arrivals of the ha’oles (Those-Not-Us, derived from a word meaning “those without breath”). Although the tourist and military trades have ravaged some of the most sacred and beautiful portions of the islands, modern Kopa Loei still manage to carve out places of their own, free from ha’ole developers and New Age tourists. There, they work to replenish and rebalance the mana, preserve the flora and wildlife, and create communities where kanaka – Sleeping and Awakened alike – can live as they did in the times before. Such communities, and the laws of kapu that govern them, are essential to the future of the people. As Ke aka nui (“the Great Shadows,” a.k.a. Nephandi) spread their poison across

To fight sharks, you must breathe

the water without drowning first.

Stereotypes

The Traditions: No wonder the ha’ole kahuna are scattered, divided, and struggling to survive. With no kapu to guide their war with the Tupa Nui, they fight with blunted weapons.

the world, the Kopa Loei, guided by the resurgence of their Kahuna-nui oracles and seers, prepare for battle… not only with the Tupa Nui usurpers, but with the Great Shadows whose shark-like hungers will end only with oblivion.

Organization: Kopa Loei gather into loose collections of kadugos (groupings of blood-kin) with anywhere from two to 20 members in a given group. A kupuna (elder or mentor) teaches his or her keiki (child), and while these aren’t “official” titles, those terms are recognized as primary foundations of Kopa Loei hierarchy. Within the group, all kanaka receive respect. The Kopa Loei don’t acknowledge nonsense about “awakening”; certain kanakakahunas are simply more attuned and powerful than others are.

Kopa Loei follow three traditional specialities: the ali’i, wizard-priests who bond with the Land and specialize in Prime; the kahuna, mage-shamans who work with a variety of Arts; and the often-female he ho’okele moana (“wayfinders”), who navigate the open oceans and connect the various islands and underwater strongholds of the kanaka maoli. In the past, the ali’i commanded the greatest respect, with a system of religious rules (kapu) to maintain the fertility and prosperity of the land and to underscore the deference due to these leaders. Kahuna, also, were treated with reverence, and wayfinders (Awakened or not) occupied the lowest level of respect. These days, however, those he ho’okele moana command far more respect, thanks to their abilities to find unspoiled islands in the heavily exploited Pacific.

Initiation: Unlike other Traditions or Disparate groups, the Kopa Loei treat the initiation of their new ho’omaka as a private affair between each individual kupuna and keiki. Potential students and initiates are exclusively native islanders – no ha’oles allowed! – who’ve been selected through their participation in political events, islander social media, and recommendations by other members of their kadugo. Whatever her origins, a potential candidate must be able to sing her kanaenae (adulation prayer to the gods), proving her connections to the Polynesian people.

Affinity Spheres: Kopa Loei don’t believe in spheres. Game-wise, their Sphere Traits depend on the things they do, not on training given by the group.

Organization

Kopa Loei gather into loose collections of kadugos (groupings of blood-kin) with anywhere from two to 20 members in a given group. A kupuna (elder or mentor) teaches his or her keiki (child), and while these aren’t “official” titles, those terms are recognized as primary foundations of Kopa Loei hierarchy. Within the group, all kanaka receive respect. The Kopa Loei don’t acknowledge nonsense about “awakening”; certain kanakakahunas are simply more attuned and powerful than others are.

Focus

Ho’omana flows through connection with nature, sacred intentions, and purity of self. For this reason, Kopa Loei do not, for any reason, use what they would consider unnatural or technological tools to work their magic. Creation’s Divine and Alive, split between Divine Order and Earthly Chaos. Careless, flashy magic disrupts and harms the balance of the natural pathways – kapuhuna – and it often angers the gods. In all things, balance with nature and blessings from the gods are essential.