Bestiary

The quintessential team player, Namaka shares the waves with Kanaloa. Like Kanaloa, the majority of Namaka’s team­ work goes unnoticed, which is a shame because millions owe

their lives to her. As Pele’s oldest sister, Namaka routinely nudges her younger sibling away from volcanic apocalypse, and it was her soothing touch that cooled the lava and created the islands her people now call home.

Unlike the rest of the Polynesian gods, Namaka makes herself easy to find, partly because she believes that cultivat­ ing a middle ground between the various cultures vying for control of the Pacific is not only possible, but also the right and pragmatic thing to do. The fact that everyone knows how essential Namaka is to survival on the islands doesn’t hurt her optimism; so long as Pele lives, no one’s going to hurt Namaka. And so, while she may seek peaceful resolutions above all others, Namaka’s not above playing hardball in negotiations.

A vibrant Polynesian woman with a cool touch but divine strength, Namaka appears in a young, mature, or elder aspect, depending upon what age she feels would be most effective at the time. Equally at home in either traditional or modern Hawai’ian dress, she trusts the people of the islands, whom she views more broadly and generously than most Oceanic deities do. Anyone who lives on the islands enjoys her protection: Native Hawai’ian, Asian, white Americans, whatever — the islands and those who dwell upon them have always changed. She doesn’t see any point in preserving homogeneity, which is good news for a lot of mages interested in exploring Polynesia.

This doesn’t mean, however, that she doesn’t value tradi­ tion. She considers the continuation of Polynesian culture to be her kuleana. Where Pele sees commercialization of the hula as sacrilege, Namaka welcomes the idea of new people taking the dance into their souls. If you’re willing to help the islands, or think of yourself as an islander, then Namaka’s willing to listen to you. The odds of you having to prove yourself to her before she’ll stick her neck out for you are high, but anyone willing to cut a deal with a goddess already knew there’ll be a price. The skin colors of her islanders may change, but they damn well better keep up the hula.