Breath of Tiki
Chantry of Minute Meditation
Minute Meditation remains open to all Traditions and even some Crafts. It lies far from the heart of the Ascension War’s clashes and intrigues. But here in Hawai’i it faces other dangers. The power of the Kopa Loei overshadows their every step and the hunger of the Technocracy looms at the door. Though it seems as though it would make sense for the Chantry of Minute Meditation to join forces with the native mysticks, the Kopa Loei dislike some of the Traditions, considering them no better than the Technocracy. Only Dreamspeakers have had any luck connecting with the Kopa Loei.
So the chantry knows it stands alone. To that end, it keeps its activities quiet, bent towards internal explorations and scholarly research. Mages looking for a fight are not encouraged to join this chantry, and are better off going elsewhere before they bring unwanted troubles to the chantry’s granite block porch.
Chantryhouse
A temple, which was built from the same blocks from which ancient Polynesian temples were constructed, was raised up fifty-five years ago. It was founded atop Mount Lana’ihale, the highest point on the island of Lana’i. Unlike other Hawai’ian temples, however, this place – called Aolanilanaihale (“the heavenly cloud upon Mt. Lana’ihale”) – was made to represent all the religions of the world. There are chambers devoted to each religion throughout the expansive structure, made mostly of that firm granite. At the least, Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, and animists can all worship alongside one another, with enough wall to reverently separate the faiths.
Of course, the place is not just a big multi-cultural church. There are rooms devoted to libraries and learning centers. Most people assume there is only theology to learn here, and few Sleepers come to visit. But rooms devoted to the rest of the temple’s “monks and scholars” lie above the worshipping and learning chambers. The temple stands three stories, but only two are enclosed. Its roof boasts only a single stone tower, from which one can look out and view almost all of the other islands of Hawai'i, as well as all of Lana’i.
Nodes
Looking down one can view the Kanepu’u Preserve, a natural conservation point. Northwest of the preserve lies the Garden of the Gods. This unusual piling of multi-colored boulders actually shifts hues during the periods of the sun’s rise and descent. The rainbow of colors is quite something to see, and contains mighty magic thanks to the clever arrangement. Indeed, meditating upon these rocks during dawn or dusk recharges a sorcerer’s magical reserves!
Defenses
All of Aolanilanaihale is screened against unwanted meddling through Correspondence and Spirit magicks. Furthermore, a sense of serenity so profound that it proves infectious pervades the entire temple. Few find the will to bring violence to the temple grounds. And the power of the Garden of the Gods is concealed with a Prime-based illusion, shielding its magical potential.
Backgrounds & Characters
All characters gain the Chantry Background **. All other Backgrounds must be purchased and acquired normally. The chantry commands a communal Level 2 Node of dynamic Beauty; the exact Resonance varies by dawn or dusk. By dawn, it is more accurately “Splendor”, while by dusk it can be described as “Marvel”.
Custos
Approval of Consors is rare, and limited normally to allied spirits. Acolytes are no more common, although the seminary students that sometimes make special trips to visit the temple can be considered Acolytes if they choose to stay at the temple. (Most hike out to the temple from their hotel in Lana’i City).
Temple of the Blood of Lono
Scattered throughout Hawai’i and indeed all of Polynesia are the Kopa Loei, an ancient mystickal tradition that harkens back to the old ways of the kanaka maoli – “the people”. While some mages compare the Kopa Loei to Dreamspeakers, they are not nearly so openhearted to the malihini (Traditions), viewing most of them with suspicion or downright hostility. And in their native land, despite the rise of the Technocracy, they still keep enough power that they do not have to tolerate undesirable allies. Every major island in Hawai’i is home to at least a small kadugo (cabal) of Kopa Loei. But on the largest island, closest to Pele herself, stands the largest and strongest collection in the state – and maybe all the world. Here the Kopa Loei form their most decisive plans and, more commonly, observe their most ancient rituals – including luakini (human sacrifice) as punishment for breaking kapu.
Chantryhouse
Beneath the Hawai’ian Volcanoes National Park on the island of Hawai’i proper lies a number of different networks of caves bored out by underground lava flows. The grandest and least known for fear of fresh lava is found near the southeast coast of the island. Here lava flows sluggishly but regularly, carving out fresh canals of molten rock. And alongside this underground river of lava stands several granite temples, built on the underground shores, promised safety from the wrath of Pele with ancient rites and observed kapu. Here is the grandest of the temples, or he’iau, of the Kopa Loei, called Manalonohe’iau.
These stone platforms have few walls and no roofs. There are ten such temples at Manalonohe’iau in close proximity to one another. Eight of them represent the eight islands of Hawai’i, although one is still bereft of Kopa Loei (and life in general) thanks to its use as an ordnance testing ground by the U.S. military. The island of Kaho’olawe is still forsaken and therefore so is its representative temple here. Each temple is offered for respective mysticks to perform their holy rites on home ground (since the stones are from their respective isles).
The other two temples are set aside for the magic of Manalonohe’iau itself, one for celebration and the other for law. Behind the temples were built enclosed sleeping quarters separated by stone walls. The basalt walls are etched with countless petroglyphs, inked from berries and blood. The heat down here can be unbearable at times, but a single word from one of the ali’i (high priests) can fill all of Manalonohe’iau with a soft breeze borne from the rainforest on the surface above.
Nodes
No greater Node could be had than Pele. In fact, the crater of Pele is so massive a Node that it overwhelms all common methods of magickal detection, and the Awakened view only a land of preserved wonder, lightly aglow with mana (Quintessence). Not even the Kopa Loei can fully harness the power of Pele, and instead drink from Her generous waters in smaller amounts. Of course, they don’t literally drink the lava that flows by Manalonohe’iau. Instead, they honor it, and with proper rituals tame some of it for their own use. A tiny chip of cooled lava from that underground stream can fuel a kahuna’s Arts for days. Few Kopa Loei have the power to acquire that kind of Tass, of course. Only the handful of ali’i priests at the Temple of the Blood of Lono can do so, and they divvy up Pele’s gifts appropriately, always observing kapu of moderation.
Defenses
The petroglyphs painted throughout Manalonohe’iau and on the walls of the caves nearby are sources of magickal power for the Kopa Loei. Skilled kahuna (mages) of various specialties draw up these petroglyphs to protect their temple. Some ward against scrying or intrusion by harmful and dangerous spirits. Others are deadly traps that trigger cave-ins or even an onrush of lava! The most important petroglyphs masquerade as harmless old sigils that Sleepers believe are old fertility rites. In fact, they are illusions to keep outsiders’ interest away from the deeper chambers.
Backgrounds & Characters
All characters gain the Chantry Background ****. All other Backgrounds must be purchased and acquired normally. The chantry commands a communal Level 5 Node of entropic Renewal: the very nature and purpose of volcanoes.
Custos
The only Custos permitted into Manalonohe’iau are natives who share the complete mindset with the Kopa Loei. Some very trusted Sleepers are permitted, as are certain Consors (namely Menehune fae). They are treated as honored guests and such Custos well know the importance of keeping secrets. Kopa Loei refer to all Custos as mu.
Symposium #PO0012
In Hawai’i, the Technocracy faces an uphill battle. While it wins when it plays the familiar games of real estate and politics, even the Void Engineers’ avid affection for aquatic and terrestrial exploration proves difficult. As natives (with reality deviant backers, it is suspected) rally for restoration of rights to their original culture, the Union finds its influence shrinking faster and faster. Put on the defensive, the agents of Symposium #PO0012 content themselves with taking what they can, while they can. And they hope one day the Council will wizen up and allocate greater importance to this locality.
Construct
In the heart of Honolulu’s financial district stands the tallest building in the state, giving it a unique perspective across the island of Oahu and beyond. Forty-five stories of glass, steel, plaster, and wood make up the tower of the Welcome Planners Associated corporation. Based on the wealthy field of analysis and development of real estate, WPA has stood as a beacon of the future for Hawai’i for over forty-seven years. And it was always the headquarters for the local agents of the Syndicate. Hundreds of offices, conference rooms, and even private suites are chartered to employees – some of which are avid and Enlightened members of the Technocracy.
Beneath the WPA tower lie three sub-basements, one of which is open to the company’s maintenance men. Beneath that are secured zones, apparently for storage of “sensitive materials”. In truth, the Syndicate conducts some of its major Technocratic operations from planning rooms, state-of-the-art computerized facilities, and hi-tech labs down here. They court their Conventional allies, namely the New World Order and Iteration X. The former in fact have secure analyses chambers in Sub-Basement 3, and consider that its main HQ.
Iteration X operates under Pearl Harbor Naval Base, however, sharing space with Void Engineers’ combined Earth Frontier Divisions of Aquatic Exploration Teams, Hydrothermal Botanical Mosaic Analysts, and Subterranean Exploration Corps, as well as other Methodologies. It is rumored that the Aquatic Exploration Teams maintain numerous deep-sea submarine bases in the region, but even the rest of the Symposium cannot confirm that. If this is true, this Symposium must not be those bases’ charter. The Progenitors are based in Honolulu, too, maintaining their own experimental labs of cloning under mundane guises of that very controversial science, in the Heiser Bio-Science Labs.
Nodes
The dome-enclosed roof of the WPA Tower is actual a gigantic magnifying glass, allowing those inside to review the entire chain of Hawai’ian islands despite their distance from Honolulu. At certain times of the day, in fact, the whole chain stretching into the Pacific Ocean can be clearly seen as through a giant telescope. This ingenious twist of the dome’s magnifying qualities, combined with the roof’s unique perspective and clever choice of land, actually distills a measure of Quintessence. As soon as this was discovered, the Union tempered the dome glass to form a solar panel-like conduit, which then feeds the Primal Energy into storage facilities in Sub-Basement 2.
Defenses
All Constructs in Hawai’i keep the most advanced electronic security available to Enlightened Technocrats on their facilities. Masterful firewalls block all computerized tampering and surveillance. Lockdowns are maintained on the facilities’ Gauntlets, of course. The Pearl Harbor and WPA bases maintain some basic security guardsmen, but leave most physical guardianship up to robotic sentries, from automatic gun turrets to cybernetic killing machines. The Progenitors’ most secure and secret labs beyond Heiser employees’ knowledge are watched by their own ingenious creations, some of which take after the indigenous animal life of Hawai’i… The WPA tower is not reinforced much beyond how all skyscrapers are built these days. But the glass dome capping the structure was given added protections (in case some wise guy wizard decides to summon lightning bolts), mainly in the form of heightened physical resilience through chemical composition.
Backgrounds & Characters
All characters gain the Construct Background ***. All other Backgrounds must be purchased and acquired normally. The construct commands a communal Level 3 Node of dynamic Possibility.
Citizens
In Honolulu alone, Symposium #PO0012 keeps 2,000 employees in its various fields. Arguably, the Union could call upon the U.S. Navy through Pearl, but obviously that would be a pointless overuse of power. Their influence over the local naval presence is more to keep the military’s nose out of its own activities. As in most urban Symposiums, 75% or more of its Citizens are oblivious to the existence and nature of their Technocratic masters. The Union would like to expand more of its influence, at least to Hilo, and set up more constructs there. They know the best way is through the hearts and minds of the Masses, which are hardening more and more to the Technocracy’s beliefs. So for now, the Union contents itself with what it has.
