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| - Kailani Pele, or Kai, was born into a farming family on Abalone. She was raised by her mother as well as her father’s other two wives. Her father was more often than not away at sea. Her older half-brother, Doku, split his time between helping on the farm and joining his father on trips. From a very young age, Kai helped around the farm a great deal, though she caused some consternation among her family when she refused to allow them to eat her favorite hen, Constance. When Kai was twelve years of age, while her father was home visiting with his wives, her brother took her to visit the city of Seahaven. When they returned home, they found that the farm had been destroyed by lava flow from the eruption of a nearby volcano. The rest of their family was dead. The two were fraught with grief. Though he was unsure how to both make a living and take care of his younger sister, Doku was determined to try. However, Kai was even more determined to both take care of herself, and to prevent a similar tragedy from befalling other families. Thus, she decided to become a volcano priestess. Though Kai was relatively young, one of the senior priestesses, Charin, appreciated the orphan’s enthusiasm and maturity, and accepted her as a novice. Kai traveled with Charin for about a year, until she was deemed ready for consecration to the volcano gods. For a day and a night, Kai prayed at the brink of the very volcano that had taken her family. In the night, a strange creature attacked, but she managed to defend herself, killing the beast. She sustained a deep wound in the process, but she merely wrapped part of her skirt around her bleeding shoulder and continued praying until dawn. Charin was impressed, and Kai became a priestess at the Black Temple by Mount Hamoji. Her mentor also presented her with a beautiful brown floor-length coat, which had apparently been in the older woman’s family for generations. Honored by the gift, Kai always wore the coat, despite some of her fellow priestesses’ disapproval. At the temple, Kai made friends with many of the priestesses, including an older girl, Ferra, who would become her best friend. However, the two of them also managed to make enemies of one of the senior priestesses, Thezeria. When Charin was ill and on her death bed, Kai was determined to sit with her. Ferra, too, wanted to make sure the older woman was comfortable and loved. Thezeria, however, was irritated with any time the two spent away from their duties, despite the fact that the volcano gods were not neglected in that time. She assigned them extra responsibilities, which they managed to complete and still have time to sit with their dying friend. Charin chided Thezeria for her harsh treatment, but the two senior priestesses had never gotten along, and the feud continued. Even after Charin passed on, Thezeria saved the most demanding tasks for Kai and Ferra. The years passed. Kailani worked and prayed dutifully, but was not as enthusiastic about the occasional sacrifices they made to Hamoji. Most of the criminals seemed hard and cruel, but most of the time there was fear in their eyes in the moments before their imminent demise. Her brother Doku, who was working as a fisherman near Seahaven, visited the temple occasionally. He began visiting more often later, and spending as much time alone with Ferra as he did with his sister. Kai occasionally took men as lovers, but was not as close to any of them as Doku and Ferra seemed to be. Thus, she began to worry about her friend when Ferra became pregnant. Though she didn’t say anything, knowing it would be impossible, Ferra wanted to keep the child. Kai knew this, and tried to talk to her friend about it, but the older girl did not want to discuss it. Kai was even more worried when she realized Thezeria was watching the events closely. The senior priestess would make certain that, at the slightest indication Ferra might attempt to keep her baby, that mother and child would be cast into the volcano. Loving her friend too much to allow this to happen, Kai explained the situation to her brother on his next visit. On the day of the child’s birth, before Ferra had recovered from labor, Doku took their son (for it was almost certainly his) away to a wealthy, childless family on Halcyon. Knowing exactly what had happened, Ferra was furious with both Kai and Doku, but eventually forgave them, accepting that their actions were probably for the best.
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