Kaia-Heoa, the Warrior

Blood in the Deep

Just because you can kill something doesn't mean you should...

— Haranha, Kaia-Heoa

Kaia-Heoa are the warriors and the tacticians of the Kaia team, skilled at dealing death at any range with any number of weapons. When battle calls, the other Kaia look to the Kaia-Heoa to advice and lead them. The best Kaia-Heoa know that the best battle is one avoided.

Responsibilities

Warriors, tacticians and arms-masters, the Kaia-Heoa are the martial experts of the Kaia. They are normally the best combatant in the team, but more emphasis is put on their tactical sense and ability to direct the rest of the team during battle. The Kaia's goal is rarely to seek battle and so they chose their engagements very carefully. Kaia-Heoa can be cautious by nature but brutally quick when action is required.
The Kaia-Heoa are also good at ways of avoiding battle, skilled at stealth and camouflage. Together with the other Kaia, the Kaia-Heoa have many ways to misdirect an enemy and avoid them. As a result, most Kaia-Heoa do not favor heavy armor or weapons but favor mobility and speed. When conventional weaponry is inadequate, the Kaia-Heoa know other tricks to win the day. They know what poisons can be extracted from wild animals or which mushrooms can be used as poisonous projectile.
Outside of battle, the Kaia-Heoa are responsible for the logistics related to weapons and armor. They inspect the equipment of their team mates as they set camp and make sure enough crossbow bolts are packed to last through the expedition. Though they are rarely experts, they know enough to knock a dent out of an armor, fix a busted crossbow or sharpen a dull edge. When they are not on expedition, it is the Kaia-Heoa who organize and lead the martial training of the rest of the team. Many Kaia-Heoa are former mercenaries or professional soldiers and know the value of discipline in practice.

...But I will kill you if you reach for that sword.

— Haranha, Kaia-Heoa

Explorers of the Deep
Kaia are explorers and adventurers, daring to go where others fear to tread. Even with all the time that humanity have spent in the caverns, most of Araea is still shrouded in mystery and darkness. It is the Kaia-Heoa who decide when to fight and when to flee.
Read more about the Kaia - The Explorers of the Deep

Example Kaia: Harahna

Harahna's journey from drunken vagabond to honorable Kaia have not been an easy one. She wears the marks still, from a crooked nose broken one too many times and a rough demeanor. She has become an examplary Kaia-Heoa, having learned restraint that most would think her incapable of.
Read more about Haranha, the Kaia

Arms & Armor

No matter how difficult it is to wage war in the cramped and twisted tunnels of Araea, humanity have invented a thousand ways and more to inflict pain, dismemberment and death. Kaia-Heoa know enough to have something for every situation, favoring a mix of ranged and close-quarter weapons.
Read more about Ranged Weapons in Araea
Read more about Melee Weapons in Araea