Waka Nuku Rau

**Waka Nuku Rau** is a main character in *The Dead Lands*. He is a murdered Māori warrior returned from the Afterlife who teams up with Mehe Te Wehiwehi on a quest to find who broke the world. Waka is portrayed by Te Kohe Tuhaka.

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## Appearance

Waka Nuku Rau is a taller than the average man, with ashen skin, carved Ta Moko facial tattoos, and dreaded hair with the sides shaved down. He is of muscular build.

He is adorned in a dark Maro/Kilt, and a protective korowai over his cloak. He also wears a pair of unique Pauku around his forearms with woven fibers and shells. He also wears a Tatua belt that holds his weapons tightly.

His body is covered in a number of tattoos around his waist and covering his back.

While he was a slave, these trophies demonstrated that he was very hard to kill.

## Character

Waka is a tough guy, arrogant, violent, aggressive, mostly unfriendly and sometimes selfish, but at the same time shows to be traumatized and regretful of his own past and deeds. Later it is shown that his character's evil personality was shaped by his Father's cruel treatment of his and his mother - her being abused, and his constant beatings and humiliation. His Father's denial of recognizing him as a son, and the blame he put on him when he failed, made Waka a revolted person and made him follow a dark path. With his self-defensive tough personality, Waka mostly dislikes people and easily makes enemies - like he did with Rangi, Te Paea, and others who sometimes end up dead like Te Hau and the Shaman. His relationship with his Father, whom he hates, is worst as possible; his conversations with his Mother and Whiro are always disrespectful; and he also mistreats people who don't show enmity to him - like his younger brother Uri and the Witches at start. Waka seems to have an Aversion to arrogant or warrior wanna-be youths and their sense of heroism (maybe because of his own disillusion); still Waka seems to like certain people even if the denies it. He develops a bond with Mehe that looks brotherly and protectful, and may turn Romantic, and he also befriends the comic and talkative Hako, whom he promises to make a War Captain and give many Wives if he became Chief. He almost cries when he couldn't save Mehe and Hako from the Zombies, and he also develops a Romantic bond with Hine. It's unknown how he treats his wives, but he seems to like to tell them stories and refuses to kill one of them in Zombie state, preferring to tie her to a tree. Waka shows his worst and violent side with the Zombies and is brutal to them. Waka doesn't fear Death - on the contrary he wants it - but wants a Heroic one and can have it only if he fix the world; only then he will be accepted among the great warriors in the Heroes Hall.

## History

Waka Nuku Rau's mother Turika was daughter of a chief from a Tribe that was anihilated by his father Te Kaipo. Turika was young and beautiful and was taken as Trophy and slave wife or concubine by Te Kaipo, who constantly raped her, and they had Waka as offspring, but Te Kaipo never recognised the boy, for the contrary always humiliated, beated and used him as example, no matter how Waka tried to prove himself worthy, or tried to be recognised or accepted by his father. at some point there was a Battle, and something got wrong and Te Kaipo blamed Waka for the defeat. it's still unknown what exactly happened, but Waka runned away and got as far as he could from his fathers territories, deep into the forest, and it was probably a very long time ago, as no one in his father's Pä seems to know or recognise him except by his bad name, where at some point he got tree wives and became known as a sort of Monster who kills everyone who enters his territory and started to be feared by the tribes around, Waka's mother died at some point, but she latter started to communicate with him in a Spiritual Place, trying to guide him and always being hard on him, Waka later discovers that the possessed boy called Uri is actually his younger half brother, by his father's second marriage to Hinengana, he mistreats him at the start, but eventually helps in his exorcism, and he also had or has a kid half brother called Ra, whom he still doesn't know about.

## Quotes

"Probably True."

"Come on you shit eaters!"

"It's a good day to die."

"Shut Up."

"It's not me who's trapped here with you, It's you who's trapped here with me."

"Wives come, I have a Story to Tell."

"Many Wives Hako, Many Wives."

"I Would Gladly die between your legs. Like Maui."

## Trivia

* Waka's face tattoo's are called Ta Moko. The way a Ta Moko is applied to the skin is with a carving tool called Uhi, which is normally made of Bone.
* The design of Waka's Ta Moko may suggest that he was expected to be executed. The designs are rough and uneven. As a Slave, he was likely given Ta Moko and expected to be beheaded and sold.
* Waka primarily uses two weapons. A Patu Onewa (Black Stone edged Club) and a Waihaka Pararoa (Whale Bone slicing club).
* The Patu Onewa shows signs of damage from long time battle, making it less effective as a striking weapon.
* The Waihaika Pararoa is interesting in its design. Waka mostly uses it in the reverse stance, preferring a quick kill over a long fight, using the sharpened hook instead of the blunt edge.
* Waka isn't exactly the best fighter in the series. He is however the best survivor.