Our heroes Kani-the Shapeshifted, Sneej-the Koa Mano, Kali – the Kahuna of Hina, Lolati – the Ariori, and Jura – the Wayfinder listened to a brief discussion between Princess Anahera and Prince Tepiti. Mostly about mundane plans for the island. As most interactions between the two have been recently, it led quickly to bickering. Each of the leaders outlining clearly different priorities. Tepiti pushed for building more ships and repairing the massive Pahus they reached the island on. While Anahera focused on immediate needs for the comfort of the island.

Shortly after the crowd was dismissed, one of Anahera’s basket sharers came to find the heroes. She mentioned that Anahera had requested their presence. The group followed her back to Anahera’s hut.

Inside the hut the group found Anahera, Kahuna Akamai, and Anahera’s basket sharers. Anahera sighed, thanked the group for coming, and then began. “I have a quest for you. I know what I am asking is dangerous, but I have the sense things on the island are not right. You all know what happened recently with the Sirens, and I fear something may happen again. My coronation was interrupted, and it feels like it was a direct message from the gods.”

She paused for a moment and took a deep breath to calm herself again. “I know that incident was caused by an innocent past mistake of Tepiti’s, but I can’t help but feel the timing was a message. The gods had to show me the path to get here, and perhaps our ancestors can’t find their way here. I was hoping to send someone to the underworld, to show them the way back.”

The group was shocked by this request but focused on questions first. They asked if it was possible to return and how to get there. During this discussion, Lari, a newcomer to Anahera’s circle and the island, attempted to interrupt. The whole time Anahera spoke, she had been aggressively agreeable to her opinion.

“Ahem, I may know another way. That wouldn’t require traveling to the underworld.” She paused and was given permission by Anahera to continue. “The Ponaturi, have drums which the spirits can hear. My people had a ritual using a Ponaturi drum. Perhaps, if you could fetch one of their drums we could call your ancestors in a ritual. I could show you how if you could instead get a drum.”

The heroes then asked her if it was safe. She said it was closer, and that if they timed it so they stole from the Ponaturi just before dawn, the Ponaturi would have to return to the sea. However, once they learned the Ponaturi’s instruments were made from the bones of dead people, this path started to seem less appealing.

The heroes continued to debate whether to head to the underworld and asked for advice if they went. Kahuna Akamai warned them to avert their gaze if they see spirits before they reach the underworld.

As they left Anahera’s hut, Jura noticed someone darting away from it into the forest, heading towards Tepiti’s hut. The group followed. Once they arrived at Tepiti’s hit, they found the Prince, Kahuna Kalahari, and Tepiti’s basket sharers all inside. The group shared of Anahera’s quest, and Tepiti and Kalahari responded.

Tepiti shared Anahera’s concern that something was wrong. He too suggested that something else might happen, and mused that this may not the final destination of his journey. Then, he proposed an alternative quest. “I fear we need to see our path forward, perhaps you can visit the isle of the reflecting pool. It is a dangerous place, and seeing the truth requires a great sacrifice.”

At this point, Kahuna Kalahari chimes in. “Ah, Tepiti. So close, but how many times have I taught you the legends. It’s not a sacrifice of life, but one of meaning. A like gift for a like gift. And beware the Mo’O. Stone lizards that grow, until the grow too large and heavy to move, and become rock formations forever resting where they last lay down.”

Discussion continued back and forth on what to do. The group first tried to assess whether they could go to all three places, but ruled that out. Before leaving the hut, they again asked for advice about the underworld. Leaning towards that as their ultimate destination. Kahuna Kalahari told them to follow the light, up, and out of the caves and warned them about pools in the caves.

Then the heroes sought out Pavu, a village elder.  Pavu, was a renowned adventurer in his younger days. As they approached, he offered a cordial greeting in his raspy old voice. The group shared their quest with Pavu. Then he quickly quipped, “Perhaps you seek out Maui himself, or the isle of little giants too!”

Discussing the options with the heroes, he did also offer some practical advice. Recounting Maui’s tale of stealing fire from below, he warned of taking bone tools offered to them. He mentions the Pokongans are known to have many legends of the Ponaturi, and described the Mo’O.

The group then got assistance from villagers to load their vessel with supplies and decided to set sail. Settling on a path that would take them first to the reflecting pool, then the underworld.

Jura’s excellent navigation skills provided a smooth journey to the island. Four days of smooth seas, the smell of salt in the air, and the gentle rocking of waves. Then, a small rocky shape in the distance began to grow larger. As its details sharpened, the island appeared like it may have once been a single Mo’O. While time must have dulled the sharpness of the features, it’s head, body, and legs were all quite distinct.

As the group approached, Jura carefully navigated through a small coral reef and brought the vessel to shore. Once on shore, Kani and a few others attempted to chart a path, to the pool. However, no path was apparent.

Sneej then saw a good vantage point from what looked like the head of the truly massive Mo’O. Sneej carefully crept to the top to get a better view. At the top, he heard the thunderous sound of stone hitting stone nearby. He was able to make out a reasonable path to the pool, but the Mo;O was in the way.

Returning to the group Sneej explained the path to Kani, who then set off leading the party through meandering rocky ravines. After walking for a short while, again the group heard the thundering sound of the Mo’O’s footsteps.

Kani attempted to sneak up and investigate but accidentally kicked some stones as he was about to round the corner. Peering his head around, he saw a massive Mo’O. He darted back towards the group as quickly as possible.

Hearing the thing thundering towards them, the group started to scatter. Kani and Jura attempted to hide, Lolati climbed to the top of a nearby rock, Sneej thundered forward cutting himself to activate his shark form. Kali, summoned forth a deadly illusion, to attempt to draw the beast away. Then, the Mo’O charged.

As the Mo’O charged forth Sneej and it briefly tussled. Sneej attempted to bite it but found his attack ineffective. Lolati threw a massive stone down from above. Instead of hitting the Mo’O, it crashed into Sneej.

 Then, the Mo’O spotted the illusion and charged, trampling Sneej into the stone and leaving him unconscious. Seeing an opportunity, some of the group charged past the Mo’O. Then Kani transformed into a massive bird. Flying low and dropping stones hoping to continue to distract the beast as the party headed towards the reflecting pool. Kali, quickly healed Sneej, and helped him stumble his way through the rocky landscape to the reflecting pool.

Exhausted and out of breath, the group made it to the relative safety of a small almost perfectly reflective pond. The grotto containing it was filled with lush greenery, the only they observed on the whole island. Then, Jura stepped forward and peered in.

At first, he saw only his own reflection. A moment later the slimy head of an eel, about the size of a human popped up. “What is it you seek?”

Jura explained what they sought. The guardian replied, “And what can you offer me?” Jura responded, sharing the secrets he’d learned through wayfinding. As he did, the head dipped below water. What he described appeared on the surface of the pond. The patterns of the stars used to find islands, the shape of the swells as you near land, images of islands visited in the past all reflected in the water as if his thoughts were an image before the pond.

After he finished, the pond’s reflective surface returned for a moment, and the eel’s slippery voice could be heard saying, “Now I shall show potential paths forward.” The reflective pond showed two scenes side by side.

One scene showed Anahera being dragged deep into the forest by her new friend Lari, along with a few men. The other vision showed a relatively safe passage through caves leading to the underworld. Neither vision conveyed any sense of time. The eel simply said, “These are both possible truths.”

Seeing how the pool worked, Sneej walked up to it. The eel emerged, “And what do you have to offer.” Sneej tossed in his Lei’O’Mano and shield. The eel lit up for a moment, “These tastes of who you are, I shall show you who you can become.”

The eel once again dipped below the surface, and the pool began to change. It showed a voyage. Tepiti leading a small group of outrigger canoes to an unknown destination, and Sneej swimming beside them. It showed Sneej as a shark tearing apart a massive Squid attempting to sink one of the vessels, and then the vision slowly faded away.

Fearing the unknown of the timing of the vision of Anahera’s kidnapping, the heroes rushed back to the vessel and headed back to their island. The first few days of their journey passed uneventfully. As the sun rose on the final day the heroes found themselves surrounded by  a thick impenetrable fog. Knowing they were close to home, and trusting his instincts, Jura bravely navigated through the fog bank. Trusting to all his senses except vision.

Once back on the island, the heroes sought out Kahuna Kalahari to attend to Sneej’s lingering wounds, from the Mo’O. Then they headed to Anahera’s hut. They found some of her basket sharers, and Kahuna Akamai, but everyone said she and Lira had been missing all day.

Thinking back on the vision, the group quickly identified the Anahera was taken. Worried she may have already been taken, Kani transformed into a bird and took to the skies. Luckily, Anahera was screaming and relatively easy to find. He returned to the group and told them what he heard.

The party ran back to their vessel on more. Grabbing Tepiti along the way. As fast as they could, they set sail hoping to reach the islands opposite shore faster via sea. With the combination of Jura and Tepeti navigation skills the group circumnavigated the island in near record time.

As they searched the far shoreline, they found evidence of a beached canoe. Anchoring just off shore the group quickly found the canoe, and attempted to prepare an ambush. While Kani attempted to set an Ambush, Jura began to sabotage the boat and set a trap. Hiding holes on the bottom of the hull and rigging a tree to fall when the enemy made it to camp.

Just as the sun began to set, the group of Pakongans appeared with a scrapped and bruised Anahera in tow. As they entered the campsite the ambush was triggered. The tree smashed the first Pakongans head open as it fell. This sent Sneej into a bloodrush, and he immediately charged. Transforming into a half-shark as he ran. Fighting without sword or shield, his first bite landed and killed another Pakongan. All the while, our group of heroes was being inspired by the Loloti’s Ariori battle hymn.

In moments half the Pakongan party was killed. Kani ran up to join the fray. At this point, Lari attempted to cast a spell, but she was dominated by Kali’s willpower suppressing the spell before it could manifest. Then, Kani swung at the Pakongan leader, just nicking him. The small nick was enough for the effects of the poison he had prepared to set in. Moments later, the lead was torn apart by Sneej, and Lari ran off into dusk. The whole time Anahera cheered the heroes on, saying, “I told you you’d pay for this!”

After the dust settled, Tepiti walked up to Anahera. He said, “I think this island is yours. I do not think it’s where I’m meant to be. But, maybe, if I reach my destination then I’ll still win our first bet. If I return from where I’m called, perhaps you’ll give me that date?” Then he turned to the heroes, “Will any of you join me, I don’t know where I’m headed. But I know the ocean calls.”