AncestralMaataLivingGripRandom

Living grip!

AncestralMaataCrushingEarthRandom

Crushing earth!

MaataLikesPlayerIsChampion

You already know how to win, makanga. Do not falter!

MaataNeutralPlayerIsChampion

Let’s see if this upstart can remain makanga!

MaataDislikesPlayerIsChampion

The title must be retaken by a proper Karui tribe!

MaataLikesPlayerLostLast

Your previous defeat was a learning experience! Move forward!

MaataNeutralPlayerLostLast

Perhaps this upstart now has something to prove!

MaataDislikesPlayerLostLast

This will be a savage one!

MaataLikesPlayerNoRecord

Show us your foreign skills!

MaataNeutralPlayerNoRecord

I am curious to see what the newcomer can do.

MaataDislikesPlayerNoRecord

I do not expect much from this one.

MaataCommentsOnRakiata

This battle could go either way.

MaataCommentsOnIkiaho

I am curious to see how effective Ikiaho will be in this fight.

MaataCommentsOnKiloava

The first Herald of War will put on a good show.

MaataCommentsOnTawhanuku

Is it fair that the judge belongs to this tribe?

MaataCommentsOnKaom

I hope Kaom’s abilities haven’t dulled after so long away from us.

MaataCommentsOnUtula

Warmonger and savage! Feel the sting of an enemy’s blade!

MaataCommentsOnAhuana

Seems unfair that Ahuana can use ranged weaponry.

MaataCommentsOnAkoya

Achieve victory for the Karui, Akoya!

MaataCommentsOnKahuturoa

I’m not convinced Kahuturoa wants to be here.

MaataFightBeginsPlayerWonLast1

You might have defeated me before, but there is balance in all things.

MaataFightBeginsPlayerLostLast1

I hope you have trained hard since last we fought.

MaataFightBeginsPlayerMoreSoldiers1

Greater numbers do not always mean a better chance at victory.

MaataFightBeginsPlayerLessSoldiers1

Fighting outnumbered is not a wise strategy.

MaataFightBeginsPlayerMoreItems1

You came prepared! That is wise.

MaataFightBeginsPlayerLessItems1

You seem underprepared. It may cost you.

MaataFightBeginsPlayerMoreFieldItems1

I see you’re attempting to control the battlefield. It might work.

MaataFightBeginsPlayerLessFieldItems1

You can’t ignore the battlefield and hope to win.

MaataWarcry1

For Tawhoa!

MaataWarcry3

Father of the Forest, lend us your might!

MaataWarcry5

Let’s rap some skulls!

MaataChallengesPlayer1

Let us see if strength can triumph over wisdom!

MaataTeamTotemDestroyed1

How dare you defile sacred wood!

MaataTeamTotemDestroyed3

A single trunk is lost, but the forest remains!

MaataTeamTotemDestroyed5

We will persevere!

MaataTotemDestroyed1

I believe in my warriors!

MaataTotemDestroyed3

My warriors can still win this!

MaataTotemDestroyed5

The mightiest tree is not the only tree, merely the tallest…

MaataYourTeamTotemDestroyed1

Your chances diminish!

MaataYourTeamTotemDestroyed3

We are taking the advantage!

MaataYourTeamTotemDestroyed5

Warriors of Tawhoa, press on!

MaataYourTotemDestroyed1

You fought well, child, but your fight is over now.

MaataYourTotemDestroyed3

If you assembled a strong team, you may still win.

MaataYourTotemDestroyed5

The young are reckless, and leave themselves vulnerable!

MaataCommentDefeatedYou1

You have much to learn, child.

MaataCommentDefeatedYou3

I hope you think on this, and learn from your mistakes.

MaataCommentsWhenDefeated1

A fair fight. Honourable!

MaataCommentPurchaseItem1

That carries Tawhoa’s blessing.

MaataCommentPurchaseItem3

Trade is the essence of understanding.

MaataCommentPurchaseFieldItem1

Make your own forest, then fight among the trunks.

MaataCommentPurchaseFieldItem3

Battles are won before they are ever fought.

MaataCommentInspectRecruits1

Warriors of Tawhoa stand tall.

MaataCommentInspectRecruits3

Any of my warriors will serve you diligently.

MaataCommentInspectRecruits5

Think long on your choices.

MaataCommentRecruitRecruit1

A fine warrior.

MaataCommentRecruitRecruit3

You are assembling a good team.

MaataCommentRecruitRecruit5

I’m impressed. Good choice.

Utula’s Defeat

I am glad you taught Utula some humility. Whether he will take your lesson to heart remains to be seen.

Utula’s Victory

Utula will be insufferable after defeating you. He needs to learn that not all problems can be solved with violence.

Akoya’s Defeat

You fought well, and honourably, against Akoya. I can tell she enjoyed herself.

Akoya’s Victory

Did you learn anything from your loss to Akoya? Apply those lessons to your training.

Maata’s Defeat

Our match was quite enjoyable! I hope to fight you again.

Maata’s Victory

I did not defeat you to humiliate you, but to teach you. Think on our contest, and you will find room for improvement.

Match Win

You’re advancing quite well! I look forward to seeing you grow.

Match Loss

Take heart. Yes, you lost, but you held yourself well. You may one day earn a place here.

MaataCommentOnPurchaseItemUtula

I wouldn’t trust anything from that warmonger!

MaataCommentOnPurchaseEliteAkoya

You can rely on Akoya’s warriors!

MaataCommentOnPurchaseEliteUtula

Careful his warriors don’t betray you on the field!

MaataRandomShout1

The Halls of the Dead echo with battle, but in our hearts, there is peace!

MaataRandomShout2

Each day, we grow. Never forget that tomorrow is another day!

Tawhoa

Tawhoa is the Son of the Forest, and its Father. His alone is the perspective of the ages, of centuries of life, growth, death, and decay. We exist within a grand cycle, one that extends far beyond the outcomes of petty battles or even great wars. Tawhoa stands apart from all this, aiming not for any grand goal, but simply to teach. That is why he gifted us with the ability to dream, so that we may see beyond ourselves. Inner peace can only be attained by accepting that life and death are inevitable. You, young one. Do you wish to waste away your time fighting here in the Halls of the Dead? Or do you want to live what time you have left to the fullest? Only you know the answer.

Maata’s Role

You must be wondering how an old man comes to find himself among these honoured warriors. I practiced a very different type of combat, one that operated in ways that we Karui normally disdain. I was a diplomat, a peacemaker, and an ambassador. In contrast to the warriors around me, I brought unmatched prosperity to my tribe not by raiding or conquest, but through cooperation. I was brought here because it is important that the young and headstrong do not forget the importance of these values. That, and I can crack a skull or two with my cane. So listen when I speak, child! Or you’ll get a tap!

The Vaal

My fellow Karui never wanted to face the hard truth: if the Vaal wanted to wipe us out, they could have. They wouldn’t even have needed to invade us, and our lauded might would have been useless. Their Empire rose to power on the back of Corruption, and those gems the Azmeri called the Tears of Maji. Corruption has a tendency to make Karui sick with a kind of… blood fever. That is the true reason our Way forbids the use of Tears of Maji. During my life, a handful of Karui tried to implant them in their flesh. They became filled with rage and unnatural strength, and we had to put them down… then burn their bodies. Their mere proximity made others sick, too, so for every warrior that transgressed, five others gave their lives to protect the rest of us. To wipe us out, the Vaal could have simply spread the blood fever. My peacemaking, concessions, and treaties were born of that vulnerability, and I am glad I forged such a path. The Vaal Empire eventually succumbed to its own disease, and we remained.

Inner Peace

Stand still for a moment. You’re always running all over the place! Ask yourself: how are you feeling? Are you alright? What is it that you truly need? Why aren’t you pursuing it? The answers will not bring you peace, but it’s a good first step.

Utula

Utula believes in everything I have fought against my entire life… and my entire death. His is an ethos of violence, depravity, and anarchy. I believe the Karui deserve order, harmony, and peace. You can’t live in a beautiful forest if you burn it down. I understand why Utula was given a place here, but I still think it is a step in the wrong direction.

Kaom

Kaom mocks my peacemaking ways, but what did his warmongering earn him? Centuries of torture in a corrupted nightmare. I see no reason to quarrel with him. He already knows the truth.

Lessons

In this world, there are several routes to power. There is personal power, which was best exemplified by Kaom personally besting the leaders of each tribe and uniting the Karui with his own strength. There is communal power, which I try to exemplify. Cooperation and unity produce great works that last for thousands of years. Then, there is faith, which we have yet to fully understand. Somehow, in a bygone era, it turned exceptional men and women into divine beings… I wonder, after all you have done, how many people believe in {you?}

The End of Time

The other tribes have it all wrong. We exist in a grand cycle, yes, but there will be no singular moment or event that marks some sort of disastrous end. You were a seedling. You grew into an infant, then a child, then an adult, and one day you will be old… And then, you will die. But in every stage of your life, there were others just beginning theirs. When you die, there will be others just starting their lives. A tree falls, but that only clears the way for new seedlings. Trees die every season, but the forest remains. So it is with the Karui, and, indeed, all peoples. So it is with the world itself. Nothing ever ends, the perspective of existence just… shifts.

Interconnectedness

The Tawhoa tribe found its unique perspective in the ancient days. The forest depends upon the light given by Ramako. It also depends upon the rains brought by Valako, and the coolness brought by Rongokurai. At night, we hunted by the light given by Lani Hua, and then Arohongui, her daughter. As you can see, right from the start, we realised that our existence is inextricably linked with all life… and theirs is linked with ours. Some tribes are too blind or arrogant to see this connection, and we try to pull them back from their excesses, so that we may all thrive.

The Halls of the Dead

While I greatly enjoy advising generations of Karui that come to us for wisdom, I do wonder if the Halls of the Dead are a good idea in and of themselves. Hinekora brings our souls here after we die, but where do the souls of other peoples go? Where would we have gone? We assume the alternative is oblivion, but nobody knows for certain. These unanswerable questions plague me at night, when I am trying to sleep.

The Caaltu

The Caaltu? I vaguely recall hearing about them once as a child, but they were long before my time.

Kahuturoa

Kahuturoa has been here the longest of any of us, since the Halls of the Dead were first forged by Hinekora. It feels strange saying this, because I look so much older, but I worry about the effect the years are having on him…

Death

Alone among the warriors here, I lived my full life, and died of old age. I consider it a mark not of cowardice, but of a master strategist who was never defeated.