Keiki

The Keiki are a race of people specifically created by Makuahine. In the Records, they are refered to as a "side-project", indicating that they were not originally planned as a race for Makana. Pre-Departure, they spent most of their time with the Mother, learning the secrets of necromancy so that they could become shepherds for lost souls once the Divine left. Post-Departure, however, cultish behaviour became common among the Keiki, which led to the Keiki Hunts, the first Pilgrimage and the birth of Kahulona.

Appearance
The Keiki easily pass as Human in modern Makana. Their skin, normally varying shades of grey, is typically hidden under heavy layers of make-up. Hair colour is typically a shade of blonde, white or silver, with the latter two often being dyed more "normal" shades. The eyes are usually the only things left in their natural state, with common shades being blue and gray.

The most distinct feature of a Keiki, however, are the circular birthmarks that make strange patterns across their bodies. This is a sign that the Keiki comes from a "clean" lineage. The suckers on Kahulona's tentacles leave permanent marks. During the Keiki Hunts, where the majority of the Okika were killed by the beast, the ones who proved their virtue by surviving an encounter with Kahulona were marked for life. These marks passed down for generations and can still be clearly seen on a modern Keiki's skin. One would think the marks would be something to be proud of, many Keiki see them as labels that brand them as outsiders, and prefer to hide them to escape predujice.

Pre-Departure
According to the Records, the Keiki were a pet project of Makuahine. She created them as a personal experiment, giving them the gift of necromancy and charging them with the task of sheparding lost souls to the Abyss. During this time, the Keiki developed a very deep, meaningful relationship with their Divine. They refered to their worship of Makuahine as "Matronism" and showered her with gifts of flowers and sweet fruits, with the most common gift being bunches of orchids. Because of this, orchids have become the most common symbol of the Mother and Matronism.

Post-Departure, the Okika and the Keiki Hunts
Things were peaceful for the Keiki for nearly 300 years following the Departure. The Matronist Church became highly respected due to their undying dedication to public service. Hospitals, orphanages and hospices were often operated, or at least funded, by the Matronist Church. The Keiki people used their necromancy as intended, guiding lost spirits to the peaceful Abyss.

In Year 344, a group calling themselves the Okika began to emerge. They claimed that because of their extraordinary necromancy, they were closer to the Mother than other Keiki, and therefore superior. Overall, their activity was light at the time, but was mostly concentrated in [Makulae country], where the largest population of Keiki lived. They would ravage small villages that failed to pass their "judgement", which they felt entitled to give out due to their "god-like" powers. No major action was taken against them, which unfortunately allowed their influence to grow exponentially over the next few years.

By Year 347, the Okika were a massive problem. They were "passing judgement" on everyone and everything that came in their path, with their "punishments" getting more brutal and gruesome by the day. With their great numbers, the Okika were able to successfully infiltrate capital cities and their fortresses, even managing to completely overtake Makulae. This triggered a war now known as the Keiki Hunts. This war was intended to bring a stop to the Okika, but due to the lack of dinstinction between regular Keiki and Okika members, many innocent Keiki were slaughtered.

Seeing her people being murdered, Ka Pua, a non-Okika Keiki woman, formed the first Pilgrimage. After a 3 year voyage, she approached the Divine and begged for the fighting and Okika to be brought to a stop. As a response, Makuahine created Kahulona, the Beast of Divine Judgement. Within the next few months, Kahulona had judged each Keiki. Those who survived being clutched in the Beast's tentacles were forever "marked" with the circular markings left by the Beast's suckers. These markings are now refered to as "Marks of Kahulona" or "Marks of the Beast". Any Okika member would not be able to survive the Kahulona's grip and were crushed. Marked Keiki were now able to go about their lives as before. With their numbers few and a heavy prejudice against them, however, they never truly recovered.

Culture
Nowadays, the presense of Keiki culture is next to nothing. Before the Keiki Hunts, however, Keiki culture was elegant and beautiful.

Religion
The majority of Keiki practice Matronism. The second-most practiced religion is Lanaism, though it is most commonly practiced alongside Matronism, as opposed to being practiced alone.

Food and Drink
Traditional Keiki food and drink often feature light, sweet flavours. Various fruits, such as ulu (breadfruit) and mango are staples to Keiki, with fruit juices being very common drinks. Meats are not eaten as much as the other races, with pork being the most common pick.

Clothing
Keiki often dress in pale pastels, with purples being the most common colour.