Welcome to Storm-Gate Island. This is a place outside of our reality. Two moons hang in the sky, and the people of Storm-Gate are either born here, or come here from our world, from all over the Pacific Ocean.

The Storm-Gate tribe is what was left after a war of tribes, in which the men of the tribes fought, killing most of their number on each other's spears and rusty swords. What's left is mostly women, mostly exhausted by the very conceit of war. The few remaining men have made peace, both with each other and with the women having taken over.

Kapena is the chief of the Storm-Gate tribe. She's intelligent, tough, and kind. She's part of a long line of chiefs chosen specifically for their wisdom and compassionate pragmatism.