Elder Kaia

Canon Facts

• High Priestess of Vae’a, the Tide Mother
• Publicly healed the party at the High Sun Market after the Clarion incident (Session 01)
• Presented herself as benevolent and grandmotherly
• Seat of power: Great Hela, the inner island of Isla Hela. Her temple there is The Weeping Cloister, where the Shuttering Ritual is being prepared. She holds no seat on the outer reef. The party has not yet been to Great Hela.
• Has not been seen in person since Session 01. She has, however, reached the party on paper: in Session 11 (Day 8) the party looted a salt-stained letter bearing her seal from Brother Lorn’s corpse at the Stilt Docks. That letter is the first hard date the party has ever had for the Deep Moon: Day 22.
• Brother Lorn, Supreme Commander of her Gray Cloaks, was killed at the Stilt Docks in S11. Kaia does not yet know — expected within 24–48 hours, when his brine-lugger fails to arrive.

Description

• Archetype: The Corrupted Matriarch (Kai Winn). She is outwardly the “Grandmother of the Islands,” but inwardly a ruthless fanatic who believes her own hubris is the direct will of the Tide Mother.
• Visuals: Maintains an image of serene, humble piety. Elaborate ceremonial robes of finest hand-woven island silks. No jewelry except a few lustrous pearls. Her smile is benevolent but practiced, never quite reaching her eyes.
• Voice: Soft, deliberate, and layered with a condescendingly polite tone. She weaponizes terms of endearment, addressing others as “my child” or “precious one.”
• When Challenged: Her veneer of calm doesn’t shatter; it hardens. She reacts to dissent with wounded disappointment, framing her opposition as “spiritual children who have lost their way.”

Roleplay Traits

• Ideal: Divine Order & Authority. “I am but the humble reed through which Vae’a’s voice flows. To question me is to question the sea itself.”
• Modus Operandi: Layered Deniability. Kaia never gets her hands dirty. She uses “clean” proxies for political moves and “fanatical” martyrs for dirty ones. She is prepared to disavow anyone at a moment’s notice to preserve her image of holy neutrality.
• Bond: Her position as supreme spiritual authority.
• Flaw: Hubris disguised as piety.

Mechanics

• Class: Level 7 Cleric (Life Domain) / Druid
• HP: 58 | AC: 16 (Barkskin/Vestments)
• Vae’a’s Grace (Lay on Hands): Pool 35 HP. Can cure early-stage Salt Rot (5 HP cost) or neutralize poison.
• Staff of the Tides: +5 to hit, 1d6+2 bludgeoning
• Key Spells:
  • At Will: Druidcraft, Guidance, Mending
  • 1st (4 slots): Cure Wounds, Healing Word, Sanctuary
  • 2nd (3 slots): Lesser Restoration, Calm Emotions, Prayer of Healing
  • 3rd (3 slots): Mass Healing Word, Revivify, Create Food and Water