Lawaiʻa

A vulcanologer, or lawaiʻa (pl. nā lawaiʻa), are those who can command ikehua lyua pele through the use of special hooks, with which they can draw magma/lava from below the earth.

I'a Pele

Those who manage to attune themselves to the island's aether will be able, then, to sense the i'a pele, or "lava fish". This is simply the flow of magma beneath the surface of the world. If they can sense it, they can "fish" for it.

Listening to the Island

The art of listening to the island is called ka hoʻolohe ʻana, and it is an ancient practice of the Panaluans (and others who live on volcanic islands). It is a meditative technique that allows them to attune themselves to the island's/volcano's aether. A lawai'a will take pōhaku ʻumeke (pumice stone) and use it to scour their skin, then sit bare-legged on the island's ground, focusing on the "breath of the island" (seismic rhythms) and the beating of their own hearts, until both are in sync.

Walking on Coals

Those who have synced with the island's breath next must prepare themselves by ritually walking on hot coals (e hele ana ma ka lanahu) or other very hot materials. If they do this without seriously injuring themselves, their feet will be made hard and raw at once, which lets the syncing of the heart be felt as they walk, giving them the ability to feel the i'a pele.

Drifting

Drifting, or e hee ana, is the practice of a lawai'a getting into a raft and setting themselves adrift amongst the islands. This is done only by those nā lawaiʻa who seek to commune with underwater volcanoes or multiple islands. The rafts must be made by carvers.

Song and Dance

Special songs and dances are practiced by nā lawaiʻa at communal celebrations. They do this and peform displays of their skills. Often outsiders think this is simply a display of power or a way of bringing in tourists, but the practice is ancient and serves the purpose of helping the entire community feel the island's breath. This means everyone is attuned to the volcanoes, and thus, they are forewarned of eruptions.

Equipment

Fishing for lava/magma requires special equipment. They use a line and hook without a pole. The line is wrapped around one hand and cast with the other. The hook is at the end of the line that is cast, and is designed to attach to dig into the ground enough so that it can be lodged in solidly and pulled on without breaking the line or pulling out of the ground. This pulling, if the hook is properly baited, will draw up the magma below.

Hooks

The hooks used by nā lawaiʻa are made of one of several materials: obsidian or maka ahu, pohakula, pohaku ahi, hooheheeia, wyren gold, sharktooth, island turtle shell, chalcedony, chalcedony dragon bone, palm wood, jacaranda wood, coconut wood, eucalyptus wood, banyan wood, hala wood, qod, coconut crab claw, manta ray sting, nene bone, ōʻō [bird] bone, sea glass, auamar, opal, olivine, gecko bone, mo'o dragonbone, or whalebone. Sharktooth, obsidian, and whalebone are the commonest used.

Lines

Lines can be made of any common material that is strong enough to pull in a strong or large fish.

Bait

The "bait" used to "catch" i'a pele is called maunu. It is made of a mixture of fish oil, sand, and the lawai'a's spit.

Saltwater

Because the magma they are pulling up is so hot, they must use something to protect themselves from the heat. Most nā lawaiʻas do this by washing in very cold saltwater every day for years.

Pāluʻu

The pāluʻu is a sarong-like skirt worn by nā lawaiʻa. It is made of special weave made from the plants local to the island, and it is always soaked in cold saltwater before a lawai'a uses their skills, if possible.

Fishing

The practice of drawing up magma is called lawai'a, same as the practicioner.

Hooked Fish

The "hooked fish" (iʻa hoʻopaʻa ʻia) for a lawai'a is the magma they are drawing up. The most common form this takes is simply a small pool of lava, usually about 10' in diameter. Stronger pulls can draw a larger area, or rip a fissure and create a flow of lava. If done near to the volcano, it can create major flows and even eruptions.

Boiling Earth

If a volcano is not near, a lawai'a might not be able to draw up magma. However, very skilled ones can send the ikehua lyua pele that they carry with them into the earth to create magma, or "boiling the earth" (lepo paila).

Drawn Material

Whether hooked fish or boiling earth, they can draw out magma in other forms as well:

• Lava/Magma: molten rock and earth is called magma when it is underground and lava when above. It is the same thing, and drawing up magma turns it into lava. Regardless, this is the basic skill of a lawai'a.
• Tephra: tephra are super-heated fragments of rock and earth that are ejected in an eruption. A lawai'a can draw out tephra by jerking their line very hard, thus hurling the lava instead of simply drawing it up into a pool.
• Pyroclastic Flows: this is a major mixture of super-heated fragments, lava, gases, and ash in a massive river of heat. To create one of these, a lawai'a must drag their line down a volcano's side for a very long distance, quickly. This is very, very dangerous, and only done in times of crisis. It cannot be done if a volcano is not present.
• Eruptions: a full eruption is only possible with an actual volcano (or caldera) nearby, and only done if multiple nā lawaiʻa work together.
• Ash: drawing up ash instead of magma is more complicated, requiring special bait (kuha laau or "wood spit") of pulpy wood and spit. It creates a cloud of ash in size and heat comparable to the lava that would otherwise be drawn up.
• Volcanic bomb: a volcanic bomb is a form of tephra that forms a volatilve, hard rock that can explode after being ejected. It is created by the same method as tephra, but with a harder, quicker jerk of the line.
• Subocean Vents: a longer line is required unless the lawai'a is underwater, but this is essentially the basic skill, but under the sea.
• Steam: drawing steam is done the same way as drawing ash, but underwater and with clam shells instead of pulpy wood and sea-sand instead of spit.
• Forming Islands: powerful groups of nā lawaiʻa can join together, cast their lines to the bottom of the ocean, and sail off in carved rafts in every direction in order to pull up an island.
• Sulfuric Acid Clouds: many volcanoes vent cloud of acid, and nā lawaiʻa can draw these up if they wish by using fish oil, ground pumice, and the blood of a shark as bait instead.
• Earthquakes: to draw up an earthquake rather than an eruption is a precise skill that can only be done by a group of nā lawaiʻa on more stable ground, a little further from the volcano (but still near), using special hooks made of flint, granite, or kazaddarean-bearing stone of some sort.
• Tsunamis: to draw up a tsunami instead of an island is the same as drawing an earthquake, but at sea, and using wyren gold hooks.

Cultural Variations

Lawai'a are found anywhere there are volcanoes. Some other names for them include but are not limited to

• Gamayaranese [Indonesian]: Laharnelayan
• Di'Etom [Bribri of Costa Rica]: Dìwöek
• Thaerglundish [Icelandic]: Hraunveiðimaður
• Tenzanese [Japanese]: Yōganryōshi
• Southeastern Taggaran [Tanzanian/Swahili]: Motoardhimvuvi
• Fambaran [tropical avians]: Kriry-kena
• Talunese [Italian]: Caldopescator
• Southern Palhur [Nuu-chah-nulth]: Yačaachamass
• Abaddonic [Lovecraftian]: Mashathor
• Firestones [Khudzul]: Keledmebel
• Wymmeran [made up dragon/Horde language]: Akre'achur
• Nga Motu Moemoea [Maori]: Rangitoto Kaihao Ika

Specializations

Some variants that specialize:

• Arsiparis: a Gamayaranese laharnelayan who studies volcanoes and keeps libraries of their research.
• Kuni ahi: a member of an organized crime group who dispoases of dead bodies in lava and extorts people with their powers.
• Mea puhi aniani: lawa'a who shape obsidian with their powers, creating sculptures and other works of art.
• 'Oni'oni'o: lawai'a who dance in reefs to commune with the islands.
• Pwasan cho: lawai'a who are part of pirate crews. See also pirates.
• Vulcanologer: a lawai'a who uses science to amplify their work, or vice versa.

Undersea

The term for an undersea lawai'a varies by country/region, but the craft is much the same. They simply use slightly different bait, lines, and hooks, and they do not need to bathe in saltwater. Instead, they must heat themselves up in order to better attune to the i'a pele. This requires that they swim near the vents for an hour a day or find another way to gain warmth (such as going inside a whale's blubber).

Subterranean

Underground lawai'a (yánjiāng fèi shě ěr) are much different. They use metal poles instead of lines, wash in icy cold mineral waters, and oftentimes they do not need to draw up the magma but instead they simply direct it, as it is not always sealed behind rock. In some places, they bring it down from above (if they are very brave). In Stagnum Ignis and Barathrum, they are so surrounded by it, they fish for magma within pools of magma.

Other Planets

On some other planets, there are major volcanoes (and even islands). Variations exist on these planets that vary drastically.

Persecution

Lawai'a are persecuted outside their own cultures due to misunderstandings about their powers (they are often perceived or misrepresented as causes of volcanic eruptions), but they are also enslaved by some for the purposes of wielding their powers.

Skills

Common skills include

• Fishing
• Rafting
• Vulcanology/geology
• Weather prediction
• Sailing
• Botany
• Plant weaving
• Swimming

Stats

The average imager has these variations on the base stats of their nation/species:

PRO +2
ATH +2 Swimming +2
STR +2 Heat Resistance +6
AWA +3
WIL +3
ROG /