The Tapihas rise to leadership

Assassinations in Whare Maona

The Age of Destruction was a grim time. Destruction ruled the lands and almost all creation was smothered. The few things created offered no hope. Whares were grim, menacing fortresses. Their dark and somber forms marked the landscapes. Their rulers often were cruel, their means regularely dark. This also was the case for Whare Moana.
Power shifted through different, often brutal, means. Murdurous coups were one of these means. Most of the stories about such events were lost through time. But not the story of the Tapiha's.

The myth

The Tapiha Family

Kaita Tapiha, the matriarch of the Tapiha family once was a strong and respected soldier. He rose through the ranks of the army of destruction, which was lead by general Whanuï, from which he stepped into a colonel role for whare Moana. But with his increased age, his strength withered and he couldn't lead the troops anymore. Reducing his autorithy in the army. This would usually lead to hard menial jobs and worthless lives outside the walls. But due to his strategic warfare skills, Kaita maintained status as consultant for Porang Pukuri, the Ariki of Whare Moana.
Kaita Tapiha lived withing the confinds of the walls of Whare Moana with his three children, Aric, Kristella en Zylnala. Each of them with their own focus and skillsets. Aric, born from a Goliath mother was strong as a lion, wieldy with a set of swords and a soldier like his father was. Kristella, begotten by a gnomis woman, had some skills with regular weapons, but focussed on booksmartness and spellcasting, with a specialisation in fire based casting. Zylnala, the half elf and the youngest of the three, moved through the shadows, being stealthy, quick as a flash and attacking with quarterstaff and her hands. The Tapiha's lived a relative comfortable live in the Whare. They had time to train, to study. They had food to eat and water to drink. They weren't condemmed to the harsh live outside the wall, and were generally less concerned about surviving just one other day.

The message

They relative comfort lasted, until a person from the past caught up with Kaita. General Whanuï rememberd Kaita's skills and prowess from the past. During an Ariki counsel, Porang Pukuri, the ruler of Whare Moana, defied the wishes of General Whanuï. A transgression that held severe consequences during these perilous times. Not long after, a loyal envoy from the General delivered a simple but ominous message—Kaita was to eliminate Porang, seize the throne, and rule according to Whanuï's desires. When you recieve a task from Whanuï, it is not a choice if you want to follow this task, it is an order, and disobidience or failure leads to dead for you an your family.
This task was a perilous mission, and for an old man like Kaita an impossible one, but as the fate of him and his ofspring was tied to this, his children had no choice but to comply, for only death or worse would follow.

The assassinations

Upon receiving Whanuï's orders, Kaita Tapiha and his children, Aric, Kristella, and Zylnala, understood the gravity of the mission that had been bestowed upon them. The father decided to venture into the tent camps outside the formidable walls to rally his old comrades. The siblings, meanwhile, hatched a daring plan to infiltrate the Pukuri stronghold. In silenci they hoped.
Zylnala, known for her uncanny ability to move silently as if one with the shadows, took point. As the gate opened, she swiftly vanished within the fortification, concealed in the darkness. Aric and Kristella, on the other hand, scoured the perimeter, seeking an alternate path of entry. Unsuccessful in their quest, they resorted to scaling the walls, but this approach inadvertently alerted the guards. Swiftly, Aric followed Kristella towards the top of the walls, initiating a skirmish with the guards on the western side of the stronghold. The clamor echoed throughout, drawing the attention of the Pukuri defenders. Captain of the Guards, Ihara Pukuri, Porang's son, emerged to join the fray, accompanied by additional guards.
It was at this critical juncture that Zylnala emerged from the shadows, catching her adversaries unprepared. A fierce struggle unfolded. Fiery spells tore through the air, while blades sliced through armor. The confrontation also pitted two former lovers, Ihara and Zylnala, in a cataclysmic clash, resulting in a temporary incapacitation of Zylnala. But luckily for her, while she lay unconscious, her older siblings valiantly defeated Ihara, ultimately reviving Zylnala to continue the fight.
Once the exterior was secure, the siblings ventured into the heart of the Pukuri residence. They contended with a multiple traps, either avoiding or neutralizing them. Their odyssey brought them to the pinnacle of the building, where Porang Pukuri, together with an imposing giant spider, awaited. Within this chamber, an epic clash erupted, with the siblings confronting the tough Ariki, who retaliated with magical chain attacks. Meanwhile, a lethal gas filled the chamber, pressuring the Tapihas to intensify their assault. The battle raged on until both sides were gravely wounded. In a final, desperate gambit, Porang summoned a powerful necrotic circle that drained the life force from Aric and Kristella. Unconscious and near death, Zylnala emerged from the shadows, delivering precise strikes that brought Porang to the ground, vanquishing the Pukuri matriarch.
The siblings swiftly secured the Pukuri residence, ensuring its security. A euphoric chant of "Tapiha! Tapiha! Tapiha!" grew louder, heralding the arrival of Kaita and his loyal comrades, who had successfully cleared the premises. The Tapihas prepared for the inevitable return of the Pukuri sisters, unbeknownst to what fate awaited them.
The following day, the Pukuri sisters reappeared, bolstered by reinforcements and a determination to reclaim the Whare. Meanwhile, the Tapiha siblings breakfasted, discussing their next course of action. Yet, an unexpected calamity struck, as Zylnala's condition rapidly deteriorated. A dark, ominous spot began to spread across her throat, paralyzing her and impeding her breathing. A loyalist among the Tapihas recognized the symptoms as the result of Uru Pukuri's notorious poison. It was likely that Ihara had poisoned Zylnala with a weapon laced with his sister's lethal toxins. Aric hastily hoisted his ailing sister onto his back and, with Kristella's assistance, commenced their hurried journey.
Once outside, a loyalist informed Aric that he and his companions would handle the impending onslaught of Pukuri soldiers. Unfortunately, they were unprepared for the arrival of fresh reinforcements – two enormous ogres accompanied by a Pukuri officer. Kristella quickly positioned herself on higher ground, and the two of them, with Zylnala's safety in mind, sought to confront the daunting adversaries.In a daring skirmish, Kristella unleashed twin green fireballs, significantly scorching the ogres. This provided Aric the opportunity to deliver the decisive blows. Their lethal efficiency vanquished the two ogres and quickly after that, their officer. With their foes defeated the siblings raced through the tent camp, their cries instilling terror in those who witnessed the frenzied scene. As they sprinted ahead, Aric unknowingly ventured too far in advance, and he was ambushed by Athaa, who delivered a powerful blow nearly incapacitating him. Determined and resolute, Aric withstood the onslaught, knowing his crucial role in saving his sister. With great resilience, he counterattacked and forced Athaa into a stalemate. However, the balance of the skirmish swiftly shifted when Uru emerged from a nearby tent and wielded her dark arts against Aric. Providentially, Kristella re-entered the fray, and the two siblings together repelled the Pukuri sisters. Although Athaa managed to bring Aric to the brink of defeat, a tenacious counterattack from the siblings allowed them to outmatch the sisters. Despite moments of vulnerability, the Tapihas emerged triumphant.
Their conquest culminated with Aric quickly retrieving the antidote from Uru's lifeless body and administering it to Zylnala, saving her from the clutches of the poison. With the Pukuri sisters defeated and the Pukuri dynasty dismantled, the revolt swiftly subsided. While many had fallen and others stood their ground, the Pukuris were no more, and the Tapiha family now ruled over Whare Maona.

Alternative stories

Some storytellers add a subtle whisper that suggests Whanuï, the formidable general, dispatched a specialist from his ranks—a fire-wielding druid—to offer clandestine support to the Tapiha family in their perilous undertaking. The druid, a master of subterfuge, is rumored to have stealthily infiltrated the residence of Raweni, known as the Master of Whispers, and compelled her to flee, with the hope of escaping to freedom. However, the winds of fate did not favor Raweni's escape, as she unwittingly sought refuge directly with the Pukuri sisters. It is said that the second encounter between the druid and the Master of Whispers ended tragically, with the druid extinguishing her life to ensure she would never interfere again. Subsequently, the druid lent invaluable assistance to the Tapihas in their confrontation with the Pukuri sisters, further entangling this tale of shadows, secrets, and shifting allegiances.

The aftermath

Grabbing power is not the same as controlling power. Whanuï informed Kaita about the stance of every one of Moana's Masters. Some where very loyal towards the Pukuri, while were hostile towards WHanuï or even, as you know, towards the Tapiha Family. To secure a position of leadership, choices needed to be made. Introducing new masters, loyal to the Pukuri's and preferable also Whanuï into these roles. 
Kaita stayed in control of the Whare until his dead, 13 years into his reign. During his reign he followed the orders of General Whanuï whenever it was needed, resulting in a seed of trust within General Whanuï. This small seed of trust had results. Whanuï did not bother with micromanaging his puppetstate. Giving Kaita first, and after him his succesors, the space they needed to evaluate and change things around the Whare. Changes for the better of the commonfolk. Not perfect, but better. 

Tapiha Family Tree

Value of Life

During the Age of Destruction, the moral compass had a grim hue. Life was a commodity, and the worth of an individual was diminished. The prevalent atmosphere was one where death, betrayal, and suffering were normalized and expected, rather than exceptional. The populace, regarded by the ruling elite as expendable resources, fulfilled various roles:

For the military, they represented power, as the common people were conscripted into the ranks of the fighting forces.

In the realms of industry and agriculture, their purpose became production, where forced labor and heavy taxation were the norm.

Entertaining the privileged became another function, but the entertainment wass often laced with cruelty and callousness, emphasizing the devaluation of life in this harsh era.

Constant threat

Life in Whare Moana and its environs was a precarious existence, marked by unrelenting danger. Not only did the inhabitants face a constant menace from the upper echelons of society, but nature itself had embraced destruction. Ferocious wild creatures prowled the arid landscapes surrounding the Whare, preying on the vulnerable. To make matters worse, marauding tribes posed an ever-present threat, perpetually seeking to plunder the limited food stores that ware key to survival for these beleaguered people.