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Entry posted by Grantaire
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Forges smolder in Ta Metru,
Chutes still fly through great Le Metru,
Towers still stand in Ko Metru,
But ruin lurks beneath these last buttresses:
The great webs encapsulate them all.
City of the Dead
…At our end in another Lost City…
Metru Nui was more terrible deserted than when Matoran still dwelt there. When we found it, the stink of desolation was everywhere: ruined webs hung from every building; those that still stood. Rahi prowled the ruined city.
We did not care. there was no world we could remain in. Earthquakes had scattered us, lawlessness broke us. All the while we suffered from the shadows--from the wars between the Makuta and Dark Hunters, from the oppression of the Makuta. We preferred the Rahi to the world we left behind.
So we settled there, in the more intact parts of Ta and Ga Metru, as far from the Archives as we could, away from the regions where no Matoran dared enter for fear of the Rahi. Life has never been a utopia, and the bond of fear that held us all together in our travels began to disintegrate: The Matoran edged away from the Vortixx and Toa hardly treated them better than Skakdi--the Skakdi which they banished within a week of settlement. Voices were raised, blades were drawn, but in the end we had peace: hundreds were exiled to Onu Metru, which both they and we termed 'The Hole' and the Vortixx split into their own colony, but we had peace, bred from a time we would gladly forget, and we were content.
But there was no way to escape the world outside.
We had been there almost a month when we heard the deathly news; almost a month of peace before we heard that Rahkshi had been sighted at the border of Le and Ta Metru. We sent out a few brave beings to investigate: some returned, some didn't. Those that did related the sad facts: a group of over thirty Rahkshi were encamped in Le Metru. One reported of a black armored being leading them. A Makuta, or so they said. The leaders gathered for one desperate council: did we hide, fight, or flee. In the end we were won over by the zeal of Erazoth. There was no way to hide from a Makuta, and there was nowhere to flee to. We stood or we fell.
So we stood. The noble Toa of Iron led all of us who could and would bear arms against that encampment while I sat with those who remained, waiting.
It was almost night by the time we heard the clamor. Rushing to our fortifications, we were greeted by the sight of our warriors, waving Rahkshi staffs and shouting in their victory. The Makuta had fled, his forces were defeated and Le-Metru was deserted once more. We set up a system of scouts in Le-Metru to prevent another surprise. Perhaps some of us believe that such security would aid us.
We should have known that we were still defeated. Even if we had killed the Makuta, our secrecy was shattered. Indeed it was only a month before our doom was spelled out.
One scout brought us the news. A Le-Matoran faster than most, the only one of our scouts that survived, it had seemed. We listened in horror to his account. It was worse than a army of Rahkshi, much worse.
Our island was being invaded by Visorak. The dreaded scourge, dispersed only a few years before, returned in great numbers. They were marching up through Le-Metru and into Ta-Metru, we had but a little time.
We gathered once more in council, but this time we knew there was no hope. There were hardly six hundred of us, while the horde that approached through Ta-Metru was without number. But this time we were not unified: some proposed we hold our position, others that we simply retreat, perhaps defending an area like the Coliseum. Still others suggested we go underground, facing Rahi in the Archive tunnels rather than the Visorak.
We never did decide a single plan. While all around us our followers packed their belongings and prepared to flee, we still debating. Time run short: Erazoth was bent upon holding, while we at last seemed to have agreed to retreat to Po Wahi.
But there never was hope for an organized retreat. As our valiant Toa put up one last defense we fled, fled like Matoran are supposed to do. Some made it to Po Metru, others fled towards the Ta Metru coast. I am among those.
And I, Turaga Norholk, still do not know what became of the rest. I only know of my small fragment, a hundred of us, mostly Matoran, who made it to here.
May the Great Spirit have mercy on us all.
The Situation
Metru-Nui is currently once again oppressed by Visorak. Although their numbers are less than in their days of glory, their potency is not lessened: by their side, sometimes leading them and sometimes accompanying them are mercenaries of all sorts. Their goal is simple to most: secure the island and destroy all who resist. But upon the orders of their leader, Makuta Chirox, they have another duty: Secure the Archives. and so they delve into The Hole, while Rahi, mysteriously organized, block them at every turn.
To the settlers, refugees from a dozen different lands, the situation is desperate. Broken into fragments, harried by Visorak, Rahi and even their own number now Hordika. They have banded together in southern Po-metru under the leadership of Erazoth, Toa of Iron, and there prepare to fight to the last. Others find themselves huddled in a east Ta-Metru chute station, waiting for the inevitable hunt to find them. Still another group flees through Ga-Metru, hounded constantly by the Visorak hordes.
Meanwhile, from their home in the central chute station of Po-Metru the Vortixx of New Xia prepare to deal with the Visorak threat--and few think they will side against it.
All this is no care to the Outcasts: castaways from the first settlement, criminals banished there afterwards, they scramble a sparse living in Onu Metru, often feasting off the flesh of the very Rahi that hunt them down constantly.
Factions
The Settlers/The Refugees
When the cataclysm struck, followed by an increase in lawlessness and the ruin of some small civilizations, many left their homes seeking a new life. Others, particularly Toa are fleeing from the persecutions of the Brotherhood. Still others come for more diverse reasons: a chance of adventure, a criminal record at home. Then there are the casualties of the mysterious war between the Brotherhood and the Dark Hunters. There are as many backgrounds as there are refugees.
Upon settling, the diverse backgrounds nearly brought them to ruin: after a minor civil war, most minor species were driven out, exiled into Onu Metru, the most dangerous and most Rahi infested sector. Some of the remainder decried the action, but Turaga Elhast was adamant and won over the other reluctant Turaga to her side.
Upon the invasion of the Visorak they were completely fractured, now existing as three groups with little to no contact.
The South: Led by Norholk, Turaga of Iron this group has fled to eastern Ta-Metru where it has dug in, turning a chute station into a fortress. They have amassed a whole arsenal of Kanoka from the abandoned factories, tools, assorted weaponry and powerless Kanohi: even a few noble or Great masks have been retrieved. They number a little over a hundred, mostly Matoran with a smattering of Toa and a few of the more amicable minor species.
The North: The smallest of all groups, this one is composed of the survivors from the Ga-Metru settlement. They are constantly moving, their goal being the northern tip of Ga-Metru. The fiery Turaga of Lightning, Elhast, leads the ragtag band of hardly fifty Matoran.
The West: the most powerful of all three groups and the most varied, mainly due to having the remnants of the settlers rear guard, led by the valiant Erazoth, with them. They number perhaps two hundred matoran, Toa and a larger than normal minority of other races. They inhabit a canyon in central Po-Metru where they have remained largely unmolested by their foe. but as the Visorak approach their security vanishes day by day.
New Xia
A neutral faction as of yet, it was founded after the banishment. Unlike the other Outcasts the Vortixx banded together and migrate to Po-Metru where they settled in and around the central chute station. They have no loyalty to either Visorak or settlers, and no one knows what they will do when the conflict reaches them.
The Visorak
They are beyond count, from the rank and file spider to the massive Kahgarak. Rahkshi accompany them, as well as diverse mercenaries. They have occupied most of Ga-Metru and all of northern Ta-Metru, spilling into Po-Metru. They are led by the mysterious Makuta Chirox, and seem to have only one goal; capture and transform. Some of their victims have submitted to their Hordika side, joining the horde as some of their most brutal members. After securing the Great Temple area, groups of Visorak and mercenaries are migrating to Onu Metru, looking to occupy the archives. So far their forces have been stymied by the Rahi.
The Outcasts
Some are more recent, Hordika who have fled here, rejected by their former friends. Others are older, criminals and exiles from the settlers, banished to Onu Metru. The weak are long dead and the strong barely survive in a Metru that is simply swarming with hostile Rahi of all kinds. The Visorak invading their Metru have added one more problem to their lives, and some have fled to Ko-Metru.
Locations
Ga Metru
The city of water, once a home of learning and teaching, now a broiling battleground. Central and southern Ga Metru are covered in Visorak webbing, and Hordika wander here and there In the north the small remnant of settlers live a nomadic life, constantly fleeing as Visorak pursuit whittles down their numbers.
Ta Metru
The entire northern portion of Ta-Metru is under Visorak control, while the settlers have barricaded themselves a chute station in the east.
Po Metru
Largely deserted except for the hiding settlers and the many wandering Rahi. Visorak have taken over the southern tip of it and are slowly moving north.
Ko Metru
Ko Metru was hit worse than any other district by the Cataclysm. Few of its famed knowledge towers still stand. Instead, the ruins of towers, chutes, and buildings fall together to form a massive maze. Snow perpetually falls, and Rahi prowl softly through the constant twilight, always hungry. Survival rate here is almost as low as in Onu Metru, and as a result, is unoccupied except for a small amount of outcasts and the like, desperately trying to survive.
Le Metru
Next to Ko Metru, Le Metru was hit the worst by the cataclysm, and is a far cry from the brilliant sector it once was, now a huge wasteland, filled with tangles of wires, ruined chutes and webbing: some chutes still work, but so slowly that most people who enter it drown before they can reach their destination.
Onu Metru
The last, and most dangerous district. During the Great Cataclysm, the main entrance to the archives was opened, and the stasis tubes holding the thousands of rahi contained under Metru Nui were broken. The rahi spread across Metru Nui, but upon arriving, the settlers managed to drive them back into Po, Onu, and Ko Metru. When the settlers settled down they sent criminals exiles, misfits of all kinds here, almost four hundred. More followed over time. Death by rahi, and fighting amongst themselves have caused their numbers to decline. the Visorak hordes are beginning to focus on this Metru pouring the spiders and Rahkshi alike in there to secure the Archives. To their surprise the Rahi have attacked in surprisingly strategic movements, halting their initial advance.
Profiles
Name: Elhast. (Ehl-hast)
Gender: Female.
Species: Turaga.
Faction: Settlers (Northern)
Kanohi: Noble Calix.
Element: Lightning.
Appearance: Although Elhast is a turaga, she most certainly does not look like one. Full five feet in height, she is well muscled and athletic. Her armor is designed for practical use, unlike the standard garb of a turaga, and it covers and protects well.
Powers: Limited power over lightning.
Abilities: Agile, fast and strong, Elhast could hold her own against any matoran. She is skilled with the small glaive she wields, and with what little elemental power she has left.
Weapons: A staff, four feet in height. It is made of wood with a covering of metal, and a foot long blade is affixed to the top. It is a weapon, not a ceremonial badge.
Other Equipment: None.
Personality: Elhast has not changed a lot since her days as a toa. She is impatient often, with a fiery temper, and a strong sense of loyalty: a traitor would want to stay well away from her, if he wanted to keep his head on.
History: Once a matoran from the Southern continent, Elhast became a toa quickly, and soon left her native village. She worked first as a mercenary, then as a member of a toa team. She lived on the northern continent, and after several thousand years, handed her power over to another, becoming a turaga. After the betrayal of the makuta, her village was destroyed, and she and the rest of the survivors fled towards Metru-Nui. After the Visorak invasion she led the survivors in Ga-Metru northwards.
(Optional) Notes: None.
Name: Norholk. (Nor-ohlk)
Gender: Male.
Species: Turaga.
Faction: Settlers (Southern)
Kanohi: Noble Huna.
Element: Iron.
Appearance: Norholk is old, and looks it. His armor is scarred and faded, and the plain gray robe he wears is ragged and patched. Nonetheless, his red eyes burn with an undimmed fierceness.
Powers: Limited control over iron.
Abilities: Norholk is certainly not a warrior, and his strength and agility are on par with a normal turaga’s. However, like all his species he has marvelous endurance.
Weapons: A simple staff, untopped or ornamented. It is a simple walking stick, and Norholk uses it as such.
Other Equipment: None.
Personality: Once a fiery and fierce toa, Norholk has mellowed quite a bit, becoming far more thoughtful and wise. Not changed however, is his unbending iron stubbornness, a great asset in this period.
History: Norholk is among the oldest people on Metru Nui. He lived first as a matoran, than a toa, and finally as a turaga in a small village of Fe matoran. His village, like many other gravity, magnetism, and iron villages were raided by Brotherhood forces. Norholk fled with the few other survivors, and upon coming to Metru Nui, was made a member of the leaders council. He was forced to retreat into central Ta-Metru where he commands the fortified chute station where the settlers there have gathered.
(Optional) Notes: None.
Name: Feynioh. (Fay-nee-oh)
Gender: Male.
Species: Turaga.
Faction: Settlers (Western)
Kanohi: Noble Komau.
Element: Ice.
Appearance: A little over four feet in height, Feynioh is dressed in a simple monklike black robe, with offset his white armors feet and hands, and his white Kanohi. He walks without any form of bending.
Powers: Limited control over ice. His best attack is by freezing via hand or staff touch. At this, he is deadly, and can flash freeze a foe by simply tapping him with his staff, a fate shared by several visorak and a rahkshi so far.
Abilities: Feynioh is by no means an athlete, but neither is he a frail turaga. He is about as strong, agile, and fast as an average matoran.
Weapons: A long staff, made out of pure, tempered steel. Each end is spiked, making it both a blunt and stab weapon.
Other Equipment: None.
Personality: Of all the council, Feynioh is the quietest. He speaks only when he must, and when he does, it is in clipped, short statements. He prefers observing to acting, and thinking to speaking.
History: Feynioh grew up in metru, but left after a few hundred years. He traveled halfway across the world, and in the process became a toa. At length he settled down, became a member of yet another group of toa. He handed his power on to another, and became a turaga. His village, like many others, was destroyed during the first stages of the Makuta and Dark Hunter war, and Feynioh and his matoran and toa fled to Metru-Nui. He commands the settlers in Po-Metru, aided by Toa Erazoth.
(Optional) Notes: None.
Name: Erazoth. (Ear-ah-zohth)
Gender: Male.
Species: Toa.
Faction: Settlers (Western)
Kanohi: Kakama.
Element: Iron.
Appearance: With the distinctive gunmetal and burnt orange of his element, and his height and broadness, Erazoth stands out in any crowd. His sole weapon is a long sword, which he wears at his side.
Powers: Erazoth is a veteran, and has great control over the element of iron.
Abilities: Strong, fast, agile, and with the marvelous endurance of his kind, Erazoth is the embodiment of the warrior. He is an expert longsword fighter.
Weapons: A protosteel longsword.
Other Equipment: Erzoth wears full plate armor, with mail protecting what areas the plates cannot cover. It is made of pure protosteel.
Personality: Erazoth is stubborn and a bit hot tempered, although over the long years of combat, he has learned all too well when to think and when to fight His front greatly conceals the loss and pain he often feels over the sudden invasion, especially the losses of the settlers, warriors he knew and loved.
History: Erazoth grew up in a small village in the northern continent. The climate was harsh, and rahi were a constant threat, despite the village’s resident toa. He started out as a maker of weapons, but became a wielder of them as well, at first helping the village’s toa, and then organizing a small fighting force to better protect the village. A thousand years later, the village’s toa handed his powers to Erazoth after the death of the ruling turaga. Erazoth stayed there for many years, keeping up his tradition of forming the matoran into a self-defensive force. When word of the betrayal of the Brotherhood of Makuta, and their subsequent massacre of iron toa, Erazoth and the Matoran of Iron in the village fled in order to not endanger it. He was one o the most warlike leaders of the settlers, largely responsible for the defeat of the Makuta’s first force. He led a almost suicidal assault on the Visorak, pulling the remnants of his force back to Po-Metru where he resides.
(Optional) Notes: None
Character Creation
In City of the Dead, you may have a max of six characters. Some species and masks and powers are strictly off limits, although they can be given as gifts (do not ask for them).
-Outlawed Kanohi: The Ignika, Vahi, Mohtrek, Clairvoyance, Rua, Aki, Olmak, Possibilities, all Nuva masks, Creation and Alternate Futures are not allowed.
-Considering species: the main portion of the settlers are Matoran, Toa and Turaga, although there are Vortixx, Skakdi, Steltians and other species among them. Makuta are obviously outlawed, as well as all non MU species. Other species such as Axonn or Brutaka's species must be at least limited.
-Limited Kanohi: Elemental masks are allowed, but they may only have control over an element (no peace/rage etc) and the power level of the masks cannot be greater than the mask of gravity.
Name: No canon or nonsense names (examples, Tahu, and fheu4858).
Gender: Male female, unknown, or none.
Species: See prohibited species. All characters must have a species. Custom species are allowed but must be explained.
Faction: Please state your faction here. If non affiliated, simply put down 'neutral'.
Kanohi: List your character's kanohi here, if he/she has one. Custom kanohi are allowed.
Element: Custom elements are not allowed. If your character is a toa, or another element defined species, list your character's element here.
Appearance: Give a description or picture of your character.
Powers: If your character has any powers, put them here.
Abilities: A good swordsman? Archer? Athlete? Basically, what are the physical (or mental) abilities of your character.
Weapons: List whatever weapons your character has, and please keep within reason. No weapons that give you full control over an element, or something along the lines of an ULTRA COOL HAMMER OF DOOM.
Other Equipment: Whatever other equipment (special armor etc) your character possesses, put it here.
Personality: How does your character act? What's he'she like? Put it here.
History: Write a brief history of your character.
(Optional) Notes: Put down whatever else about your character that you'd like to.
Rules
-Absolutely no autododging, autohitting, or other forms of god moding.
-Bunnying is illegal. No controlling other peoples’ characters without their permission.
-Use IC for In Character portions of the post, and OOC for out of character portions. Do not post OOC only posts in the role playing topic! The discussion topic is made for them. Making an OOC only post will result in a warning, and if repeated enough, banning.
-Please, use good grammar, and make your OOC and IC posts understandable. Bad grammar might not look bad to you, but it does for others.
-Staff controlled characters are staff controlled characters, not NPCs. Do not control them without permission of the GMs.
-NPCs are not target dummies. Just because they’re not PCs doesn’t make them a lower life form.
-Your characters cannot know your enemies plans in an instant, or know the exact power etc of an opponent unless they are told IC, or find out IC. Your character is not all knowing, although you may know something from reading another IC post not related to your character, or reading an OOC post or whatever.
-Please act civil. Do not insult, degrade, etc other players.
-Do not play to win. The purpose of an RPG is to have fun, and interact. Any character, no matter how powerful, can be defeated. Going into an RPG with only the specific intent to get ahead and win will get you nothing but failure and a lot of annoyed people.
-Respect staff rulings. If you have a problem with a staff’s ruling, take it up via PM with either that staff member or another. Do not disregard the ruling, start a temper tantrum over it, etc.
-When you are dead, you are dead. Your soul cannot take over another body. Bam, it's over, your character's soul is in the next world and whatnot. Reincarnation is also outlawed.
-There are times when death is unavoidable. Get used to it, your character is no more powerful than an NPC, you can die. It you're surrounded by a dozen Visorak, and you have a broken leg and no powers, you're going to die. The meter is this: When staying alive falls under auto-dodging/invulnerability, your character dies.
Notes
Well, I’m back with this RPG. After Strike From the Shadows, I have removed aspects of the game that I know are going to fail: most specifically very organized factions that are irksome for a GM to run.
I cannot promise that this game abides by the canon: I believe I definitely made the effects of the Makuta Dark Hunter War greater than they were, but there will definitely be other differences.
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