28 Heroines – Taioria Paewai

The streets are safer now than they’ve been for years. This isn’t due to better policing or economic progress. It because of Taioria and the fear she inspires in criminals. By day she’s a PE and culture teacher at Earnt Mannings secondary school. By night she’s The Tempest, vigilante crime fighter. She’s seen lost too many pupils to drugs and crime to sit idly by any more. As the sun sets she sharpens her weapons and stalks the streets of her city. For recent nights she comes home before dawn without having drawn her spears. But when she began, every night would end with blood on her weapons and a wounded criminal left for the police. She doesn’t much care what happens to them after that, so long as they’re off the streets that night.

28 Heroines

RPG character inspiration for each day in February. Heroines with personality, depth and a problem to resolve.


The police condemned her brutality and issued a warrant for her arrest. Taioria ignored them and patrolled further, looking for where the gangs were bringing in the product. With no contacts or training in investigation, she had to rely on following criminals and long stakeouts. A few selected attacks and some arson kept the streets free of opiates for a month. Pleased with her success, Taioria plans for how to finish off what’s left of organised crime in the city. Grading her students papers can wait, she has a city to save.

Day 20 Taioria Paewai

Image Credit – Makapula by niueyain – CC-BY-ND-3.0