Soon after the creation of our world, there was an age of calm and curiosity. A time filmed with the natural creatures of earth exploring their homes and discovering purpose. In this age before man, the elemental deities roamed the earth admiring their maker’s creation. As time passed these deities observed as all living things found their place and purpose. The purpose of these deities however was still unclear, and some grew contempt for being placed without purpose into the world. Others remained patient, faithful that one day their purpose would be revealed. Yet others still decided to create their own purpose, and actively push the boundaries of their will, and this is where our story began.

As the morning sun rose, Ahi, the deity of fire, approached two of her kin, Wai, deity of water, and Toka, deity of earth.

She excitedly told them the night before she had a vision. She was led by the Pouakai, to a barren island to the west, named Aotearoa, a place the gods could call their own. She told them they would be free to test the limits of their powers and finally prove who among them should lead them to discovering their purpose.

The deities set out to the island Ahi was shown in her vision. On their arrival the island was small and thin, with a long white cloud stretching from top to bottom.

Confident in his abilities in this new land surrounded by ocean, Wai raised his arms and with it raising the very oceans around them. Waves began to swell and crash against the land. Rivers so rapid they tore the earth asunder, forging trenches in the land stretching from coast to coast, flooding the earth.

“This is our so-called promised land, Ahi? Maybe for me. Your powers don’t stand a chance in such a place.” boasts Wai.

Ahi accepted Wai’s words as a challenge and stepped forward, closing her eyes and her fists. What began as calm, light breaths developed quickly into a low rumble. Bursting out of the ocean, a newborn volcano spewed fire and lava into the clear skies, debris flying hundreds of miles across the land. What had been a small wisp of an island was now a rugged, fiery ring of volcanoes. Wai’s rivers began to boil and give way to the violent new land masses emerging from the ocean. “Paradise is what you make it brother, it seems as if your water can’t stand the heat.” retorts Ahi.

A deep rumble to match that of Ahi’s emerged out of Toka’s belly, a tormenting laugh echoing all around. With a stomp of his heel into the earth, Ahi’s volcanos began to implode and sink back down into the earth. Toka took another step forward and slammed his other foot into the earth. A loud crack reverberated across the land as the more southern of the two islands split into two, a mountain range erupting from the ground beneath their feet extending into the horizon.

“Your rivers give way, and your fires simmer to the power of the earth. My domain is infinite, and it should be clear I am the one who should rule.” claims Toka.

Far away, Hukapapa deity of Ice, Hau deity of Air, Taiao deity of Nature and the Pouakai begin to feel the earth shake from across the land, and could feel the destruction being caused by their kin. Following the call of the Pouakai, they quickly followed, arriving in Aotearoa just in time in time to see the chaos and destruction that has been laid to the land by their siblings’ need to be the best.

Hukapapa: “Can’t you see? You are destroying our precious home with your need for power. This cannot continue”

A deep rumbling laugh erupts from Toka. “You are just jealous you do not harness our power!”

As the mountains continued to grow out of the earth and split the land apart, Hukapapa tensed and closed her eyes. Slowly, inexorably, ice started to seep out of the mountains, entombing the land in frozen water, suppressing the mountains and grinding them to a halt. Ice encased the now dormant volcano, halting the ash being spewed into the sky and calming the raging rivers into slumbering glaciers.

Taiao says: “Look around brothers and sisters. Does this destruction make you the greatest? Do you really think it’s going to give you purpose?” He knelt down and placed his palm on the scarred land, and Hau lifted into the sky, sweeping the winds to disperse the ashen skies to reveal the glowing sun. From Taiao’s palms grew life. Trees sprouted, filling with birds and insects that rapidly spread across the land. Nature began to breathe and slowly heal, the land beginning to return from the brink of chaotic destruction. 

“Power is not just physical strength, it is respect for the land and for each other, it is strength in your body, your mind and your spirit. If you do not know this, you will never be the greatest of us.” Taiao shouted in frustration.

“Brother, this is not destruction. This land was gifted to us as our plaything, and we are driven to compete. It is the deepest fire in our bellies, and you have proved we can create as easily as we destroy” replies Ahi.

Exhausted of the constant quarrelling amongst his kin, Hau intervened, shouting “Power can be used to destroy this land, to create, to mold and reshape. But true power resides in the ability to inspire and influence. Do you, my brothers and sisters have the strength to provide for and nurture the mortal inhabitants of this land? Let them be your purpose, if you believe your ideals are just, let the mortals prove it!”

The challenge brought forward by Hau piqued the gods’ competitive spirit. Inspiring, educating and arming the inhabitants in the ideals of the gods would be a true test indeed.

Wai called back “We cannot possibly entrust mortals with our power, they are unpredictable, some are strong, some are weak, some are cunning and some dim, it would be no true reflection on our values if we are simply seeking those who can best harness our powers.”

The gods agree and assign the Pouakai with the task of finding a place for mortals to compete equally and harness the infinite power of the deities without putting the land at risk. As the Pouakai searched for such a place, the gods chose to slumber to await the discovery of this new land.

Present day

Many years passed while the Pouakai searched, roaming through every layer of the earth, diving into the depths of every trench in the ocean to try and find a place that met a seemingly impossible criterion. Until one day, by sheer happenstance, the Pouakai discovered a rift into a new realm, one not bound by the physical restrictions of their land. The physical laws that held their old world together melted away. This new, digital realm was what the Pouakai had been looking for. The Pouakai knew that competition could be waged in any way imaginable without doing damage to their physical land, and move to awake the deities, having finally found the perfect arena.

The deities eagerly arrived at the rift into the digital realm, intrigued by the potential the Pouakai had shared. Toka was the first to see the realm and rushed towards it. As he stepped through, he passed through the rift with no effect. Each deity attempted to step through, and each deity appeared to pass harmlessly through. The deities realized that as kaitiaki of this land, they were bound to it, and were unable to travel to this digital realm.

So the gods decided that the Pouakai would be the kaitiaki for this new digital realm and that to show their strength from across the rift, each deity would each empower an artifact. These artifacts could be wielded by worthy mortals to represent them in this new digital realm.

Taiao, noticing a solitary tree nearby, let his power flow into the lone Kauri tree. The wood twisted and grew, shaping itself into a talisman only to be held by the champions of this new realm. The deities resolved that every year, a competition will be held for this Kauri Cup, and the representatives that hold this cup will be proof of their respective gods’ power.