Kaia-Tene, the Light-Bearer

Banish the Dark

There's really something special about that feeling you get when the last torch you packed goes out.

— Sodai, Kaia-Tene

Kaia-Tene are Kaia tasked with providing light for their teams. They are responsible for the logistics before and the responsible rationing of supplies during an expedition. A good Kaia-Tene are what stand between light and darkness for the Kaia.

Responsibilities

To be a good Kaia-Tene, the Kaia must know how many supplies to bring on their expeditions, how much they can expect to scrounge during it and how best to use what they have either way. Everything from Ahi Bugs to flint and steel must be accounted for, packed and its use tracked as the Kaia venture through the dark. They might complain when no torch is lit and the Kaia are forced to make their way by the light of luminescent fungi, but all Kaia know the dangers of running out of light when you most need it.
Light can also be a weapon, one the Kaia-Tene excel at wielding. Predators or bandits with eyes accustomed to total darkness can be blinded by sudden illumination or drawn to a light left behind as bait for a trap. The reverse is also true. Kaia who become used to the dark and gloom can find themselves blinded, and it is the Kaia-Tene who know how to avoid or treat such hazards.
To accomplish their task, the Kaia-Tene use prudent management and everything from glowing fungi to torches to Ahi Bugs. To be lost in unmapped caves, far from civilization and with no light to guide them home is every Kaia's nightmare.

Too bad a bright smile can't light up a cave, or I'd be all set!

— Sodai, Kaia-Tene

Explorers of the Deep
Kaia are explorers and adventurers, daring to go where others fear to tread. Even with all the time that humanity have spent in the caverns, most of Araea is still shrouded in mystery in darkness. The Kaia-Tene help bring light to those unknown places.
Read more about the Kaia - The Explorers of the Deep

Example Kaia: Harahna

Harahna's journey from drunken vagabond to honorable Kaia have not been an easy one. She wears the marks still, from a crooked nose broken one too many times and a rough demeanor. While not a Kaia-Tene, she is an example of what a Kaia is like in the world of Araea.
Read more about Haranha, the Kaia

Ahi Bugs

Domesticated wasp-like insects with glowing abdomen, Ahi Bugs are one of the most commonly ranched bugs in the deeps and used in every city-state for illumination. Some Kaia-Tene bring them on expedition in hooded lanterns and small cages as an organic alternative to a torch.
Read more about the Ahi Bugs