Maunga Matāuli (ˈmaʊŋ.ɡa maˈtaː.u.li)
Maunga Matāuli is the highest point on the island of Matamata. The name translates to "Red Mountain", despite the fact that the upper third of the mountain is the color of charcoal. The Mu'o'a call it red because it is where the red lightning of the Lagi Mūmū first strikes the island during a Mālamalama Taimi. When this happens, the entire mountain becomes a part of the aurora, and emits a bright and bloody radiance. It is these events that have scorched the mountaintop so severely that it is jet black. Nothing grows upon the burned slopes of Maunga Matāuli, and the stone there is always warm to the touch.
According to the Mu'o'a of Matamata, when the Lagi Mūmū touches Maunga Matāuli, the paths of death and life are joined, allowing traffic between them in unnatural ways. People and animals exposed to the light grow ill and die, while some creatures that are normally inert emerge and take on the semblance of life. The most common of these are the Lautisitā, metal insects that are sometimes found buried a foot or so below the earth. During a Mālamalama Taimi, the Lautisitā crawl out of the soil and take flight in great swarms that draw the lighting down, to dance from one metallic carpace to another. When the events ends, the Lautisitā die once again, and are found to be nothing but empty shells.
Notable Spirits
The mountain is the home of the Fanau a Ma'afi, malevolent Aku who are the children and subjects of Ma'afi, the moemoe'aku who is the god of Matamata itself. The Fanau a Ma'afi are born when a Mālamalama Taimi claims a life of one of the Mu'o'a. Their death provides a spark that becomes one of the Fanau a Ma'afi. This the origin of their alternate name, the Aita Matāuli, or Red Ghosts. The Fanau a Ma'afi can imitate the person who catalyzed their formation, but only as a red-limned phantom that cannot speak, only gesture to the living. They delight in leading the living into danger, and following one of the Fanau a Ma'afi is considered extremely unwise, no matter who they look like. Over time the spirit will shrink and lose the ability to imitate a living person, eventually becoming one of the insects that surround manifestations of Ma'afi themself.
Geography
Located at the highest point of the ridge that divides the northern swamps from the southern hills, Maunga Matāuli is visible from much of Matamata. Its upper slopes have turned black and glassy from the direct contact with the Lagi Mūmū, and climbing to the summit is both difficult and dangerous. No plants or animals live on the black stone, and it seems to repel many creatures, particularly birds. The lower slopes are more hospitable, and have a forest similar to that found across the rest of the ridge. Sometimes monsters will appear from the vicinity of Maunga Matāuli and endanger the Mu'o'a communities nearby - these are believed to be born in the forests closest to the blackened summit.
Geographic Details
Location: Southern RegionLatitude: 11.25 degrees South
Longitude: 1.79 degrees West
Elevation: 3,220 ft
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