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[Black Six]

RPG Forum Text-Based RPG Contest 25 Submissions

All RPG Contest 25 Entries should be posted here. They will be added to the list as we get around to it; don't fret if your entry isn't on the list immediately after you post it.
You have until 11:59 PM EDT on Saturday, September 22nd to submit entries.

NOTICE: If there is a note by your entry saying that it does not meet the requirements, reread the Contest Rules and then send Black Six a PM if you are still not sure of what is wrong with your entry. You have until 11:59 PM EDT on Saturday, September 22nd to edit your post and fix your entry.

Also, please be sure to check out the RPG Contest Topic for important updates and announcements.

You can review others' entries in the Review Topic.

• Violet Orange Trouble Evolved 4: Kings and Lunatics - Kal the Guardian
• Subterranean Animism - Subversion - It's a Gundam!
• The Light Meets the Dark - Toa Levacius Zehvor
• The Dark and the Dead - Lord of Adders Black
• Claustrophobia - Kryzath
• Plunged into Shadow - Bounce goes Zakaro!
• City in the Dark - The Lorax
• Testing Conflict - Zarayna
• O, Brave New Underworld - Clockwork Kineticist
• Archive Escape - Takanuvainika
• Otherworld - Cosmic Titan
• Hunted - Kal Grochi
• Title - Author

Total number of valid entries: 12

NOTICE: if you have an entry that is in violation of the rules and edit it to fit, please PM Black Six to notify the staff. Similarly, if you add a title to an untitled RPG, do the same. We are only human (well, okay, the jury's out on that) and are liable to miss the changes.

Edited by Black Six, Sep 22 2012 - 06:35 PM.

[Kal the Guardian]

It all started with the tribe of Earth. One day they were just gone. Snap. Completely vanished. We sent down scouts to find them, but those scouts never returned. We started to get nervous, but what really sent us over the edge is when our island began to sink, letting the ocean claim more and more land each day. When the ground sunk beneath our very weight, we started going crazy. Nothing we did could prevent the inevitable, only delay.

Boats weren’t an option, considering we only had a few decent sized fishing boats and anything we built was either sucked underground or taken by the sea. The very universe fought against us as we tried to figure out what to do. Unfortunately, our only option became painfully obvious: go down.

Gathering what was left, we simply stood still, letting the earth pull us down into whatever doom awaited us. I was the last one, standing atop the highest part of the island, water surrounding me just a few feet away. It was unnerving to see our home gone. And then I too was pulled under, and the Age of Panic started.

Several beings laughed, someone fell out of his chair, and one said, “Where’d you come up with that non-sense? Age of Panic?”

“Hey,” a Zyglak said, “This Toa comes to me searching for someone to hear his story. And I’m like ‘but I’m a Zyglak’ and he says that this place equalizes us all.” The Zyglak swished whatever was in his mug. It was some kind of weird underground fruit extract, but thousands of years spent underground drinking it had made it actually enjoyable. He took a large swig and continued his story.

So we were all separated at first, scared and running madly about the maze of tunnels we found ourselves in. It took us years to find each other and decades more to realize that we needed to go deeper to be safe, as something was definitely picking us off in the maze. We lost half our numbers before we found the passage to the largest cavern we had ever seen. It completely blew away what our Earth Tribe had ever been able to construct. And it was full of our screams.

Whatever horror terrors inhabited that place, I can’t say. Because when someone with an scope mask modification saw the opening farther down in the center of that cavern, I kept my eyes on my feet, lest I be driven insane or forever have immobilizing fear like the being who had found our escape. Needless to say, I made it, but with only a few companions out of our original hundreds. No one was ever quite the same after that day. But hearing your friends get picked apart by monsters too hideous to look at or even begin to describe would do that to anyone.

And then we descended down the spiral staircase we found. Down and down we went, certain that Death would be there to greet us at the bottom, or something worse than just death. It took days, but we arrived, broken and needing energy, only to find out that things were only slightly better than up above.

We found our missing earth tribe; turned to stone holding open massive obsidian double doors easily twenty Toa high. We paid our respects by not disturbing them and entered in to what they had given their lives to open, expecting everything horrible to assault us. Instead we found a cavern of trees, plants, and mushrooms. It was paradise compared to up above. There was fresh water, even wild Rahi, though the Rahi rivaled the horror terrors up above in ferocity. The ceiling was Violet, the walls and floor Orange; and so we called the giant cavern Violet Orange. It was the only thing our strained minds could think of under all the pressure we were enduring.

Eventually, instead of surviving Violet Orange, we began to subjugate it; taking control and making our lives better than just hanging on the edge. This Age of Rebuilding was a long one, and many different beings came through the Obsidian Doors, but none of them were our old companions. With these new members, of all species, we built a mighty village and began to explore more of Violet Orange. It took us almost a full millennium to map out most of Violet Orange and its many side passages and waterways. In that time our village grew into a city, and a government had to be set up to maintain order for all the shell shocked inhabitants.

And so we went with what was most accepted. The Kingdom of Violet Orange was born, and our first king was crowned. It was he who first thought up the games to further unite us, or perhaps tear us apart and make us stronger individuality. The games varied, and the winner was named Trouble, as an honorary title. The biggest game would be survival, where participants were taken to the untamed other end of Violet Orange where the doors of bones stand, reeking of death. The goal was to return to our city, alive, and be the first one to speak a comprehensible sentence. These individual games sometimes lasted years at a time, and that was enough to keep a little amount of sanity and normalcy in the kingdom.

This was our Age of Trouble, where there was little trouble to be had. Then the king decided to join the games midway to achieve the title of Trouble himself. We aren’t sure what happened exactly, but they went to the doors of bones and did not return again. We waited a decade and then another to be sure he wasn't coming back and then we went and elected another king.

This was our Age of Influx, seeing as the most beings we had ever seen made it past the horror terrors and through the Obsidian Doors. Eventually, beings requested a revival of Trouble, which now stood for the games themselves. The king hesitantly said yes, but the doors that reeked of death were avoided and instead less fatal games were played, such as gladiator battles or lightstone heat tag.

On the day that the Trouble was announced and given his title, they attacked. Whatever they were. They were the ones that sunk our island and killed us in the maze. Somehow, they were back and still hated us. I hid the entire war that ensued, as did half our population. As such, I still do not know what they look like.

After half a century of hiding in far outposts of the kingdom, most of us decided to return to the main city, which we had named Underhorror in keeping with our amazing naming skills. It was almost completely destroyed, but the few survivors told us we had won and killed every last attacker. And yet another king was missing, assumed dead.

Needing someone to keep us together, our third king was hesitantly named and reconstruction began. Millennia passed as we re-grew and expanded Underhorror; really becoming the Kingdom of Violet Orange that we called ourselves. But, like most things, Trouble was brought up once again, and the third installation of the games was hosted. Surprisingly, nothing bad happened. The Trouble was named and the king lived.

Beings were appeased and what peace our broken minds had left prospered. It was our Age of Peace. And then 900 years ago the single horror terror appeared and killed half of our kingdom, not touching the buildings and structures. The king survived, but he renounced his title and went to live on the outskirts, like I once had. Everyone gave up hope and basically hid. The more insane began construction on a tower, certain that if they worshipped the horror terror, that is would spare them. I gathered my courage for once in my life and fought the monster, not defeating him, but gaining control of his mind and riding him up into the Cavern of the Unseen, where several other of his buddies tore him apart as soon as I relinquished control.

It took me half a century to return. And by then my mind was well beyond hope, and yet no one knew how my mind hadn’t fragmented completely. I honestly don’t know myself. The fourth king, our current one, Sevorik, was ruling and what I currently call the Age of Now had arrived.

Unlike our past kings, I don’t trust Sevorik. By his own volition, he has announced the fourth installment of Trouble; saying that there have been so many improvements as to say it has evolved from what it once was. He himself is going to enter it, and our third king, Syrifar, has come back to enter as well. This time there are no mental or physical requirements, and now every lunatic wants to be named Trouble. But, well, here’s the thing. I am still in tune with the horror terror that was eaten. His mind remains even if his body was eaten, and he has been reforming.

He is coming for us to acquire his revenge, and no one will listen to me. But that’s what I get for trying to kill anyone who touches me. And the original evil, they are trying to find a way past the horror terrors, fighting them if need be. They must have lost the path the others before them took to come to kill us. They too seek our destruction. A storm is coming, and I’m not even talking about possible alliances the kingdom very well might have with the horror terrors, who continue to keep the original evil out while letting most who come to them to pass if they keep their heads down.

My earth brothers still keep the Obsidian Doors open, but that is not my concern. We obviously didn’t get all the original maps right, and either my sane or insane mind is saying there might be more doors to find. Just a year ago I went to the doors of bones, where no one has gone to in millennia. I do not know what this means, but one door stands ajar, slightly open; wide enough for a Vortixx or thin Toa to enter or exit through.

Heh heh, I do not know what was past the door or whatever it was that probed my mind, but the horror terror I remain connected with was the only thing that kept me alive. And so, on the verge of celebration and games, an underground kingdom that stands amidst the darkness is going to be assaulted from all sides, including that which concerns me most. The inside.

All our minds are damaged, having to walk through the Cavern of the Unseen, full of its horror terrors. Even without looking, it still messes with one’s brain on a subconscious level none of us understand. We are all crazy, and yet no one above knows of all the things we have accomplished and killed. They know nothing of the terrible monsters that lay beneath their feet, were they to dig deep enough. Perhaps they are the demented ones, happily living in their shared delusion.

Besides, are we really crazy if all of us suffer from insanity?

Violet Orange Trouble Evolved 4: Kings and Lunatics

“And that’s when I threw him out,” the Zyglak said, “I mean I know none of us are right in the head, but so many threats on the verge of another glorious installment of Trouble, that’s just plain dumb.”

Everyone laughed, agreeing with him. “I mean, if we were all under threat from them guys up above, Terr would have let us know, wouldn’t you have?” The Zyglak was referring to the only small horror terror. He just showed up one day, broken and bleeding acid. He never attacked and simply hung out in pubs, listening to conversations. No one was able to look at him, so they knew he was there when they couldn’t force themselves to look at a certain spot in the room. He couldn’t communicate lest he drive everyone completely mad, but he managed by somehow giving everyone shivers down their spines. Once for yes; twice for no. They called him Terr just because no one in Violet Orange could really name things that well.

A shiver ran through the group. The Zyglak smiled, “See what I mea-“ He stopped short as a second shiver ran down his spine. His mind raced to interpret this. “Wha?... Are we in serious trouble?” A single shiver.

Everyone in the pub had stopped all other conversations, all staring at the Zyglak. The one who fell off his chair slowly got to his feet and said, “Well, time to spread this as a rumor, seeing as no one will believe us otherwise. Thanks, Terr.”

Silence.

The Zyglak finished his drink to quench his suddenly dry throat and he exited the pub, looking up at the dark and ominous ceiling of violet. He lowered his eyes, staring at the slightly luminescent orange rock beneath his feet. Spotting something white on the ground, he stooped and picked up a flyer for the upcoming games. It read:

4th Installation Of

Trouble!

Now Evolved.

Held from this coming Saturday, Day 207, 5022 UY to Wednesday, Day 1, 5301 UY!

That leaves plenty of time to sign up now!

No requirements have to be met, anyone can join us in all the fun!

The games included in the first hundred years are listed on the back, be sure to sign up for the events you’re strong in!

King Sevorik and Former King Syrifar will be participating as well, and expect to see you there!

This first year you will see how we have-

The Zyglak snorted and stopped reading, quickly flipping the pamphlet over. His eyes scanned the list and he noticed several games he was interested in. There was lightstone heat tag, death ball, gladiator trials…

Blinking, the Zyglak re-read the last one. Survival (With a surprise twist). Survival had basically been outlawed since the Age of Influx almost 1,200 years ago, or so he had been told by that Psionic Toa. Whatever brought it back, it wasn’t good. The Zyglak became even more uneasy. He had been hated up above, but was just like any other being down here, even though everyone had to be crazy for something like that to happen. He didn’t want anything to happen to this kingdom. Maybe he could consult the Priests of Horror; they might know something more about what was going on. But then again, they were insane. And with how everyone else here was, that was saying something.

The Zyglak grunted and he was brought back to the present. The hilt of a knife was sticking out of the side of his stomach, being held by a Matoran with bandages around his whole head. The Zyglak gently pushed the Matoran away, thereby removing the knife. “I’m not a terror, little one,” he said, patting the Matoran on the head and turning him about, “The Obsidian Doors are that way. Go get ‘em.”

The Matoran nodded his thanks and shuffled off. The Zyglak glanced down at his wound and grunted again before beginning to walk again. Something else he had to take care of.

Game Overview and Summary

Welcome to the world of Violet Orange, a cavern deep underground that holds the largest amount of slightly crazed beings this side of Karzanhi. As in keeping with what has become tradition, the forth installment of the Trouble games have been announced, which is weird, considering that after the first king, the people always have to beg the following kings to do so, and this king did it of his own volition. These games span hundreds of years with many beings dying along the way. The goal is to win enough of the games to be given the title of Trouble when the games end, because, if you win, you could very likely be a very big trouble to everyone else.

You, as a player, will be assuming control of one of the many various species that has made it out of the Maze of Caves, through the Cavern of the Unseen, down the Spiral Staircase of Soreness, and through the Obsidian Gates into the Cavern of Violet Orange. This journey alone has consumed more than it has let past, and the horrible monsters there have mentally damaged everyone. A few beings have opted to have a Toa of Psionics wipe their entire set of memories so that they can start anew, but they are in the minority.

What you will be able to do in this RPG would be joining the many games that will be played, rebelling against someone possibly, fighting and dying against the horror terrors, exploring, and so much more! Basically, do what you want and just have some fun.

Supposedly the doors of bones have been opened and there might be even more of these mysterious doors. And now there have been rumors of the original monsters attacking again, those ones who always suck beings down into their maze, where they kill them at their leisure. The mad Priests of Horror have become strangely silent lately, and the King has brought back all guards from fighting the Rahi out in the jungle of Violet Orange’s not fully explored regions, leaving explorers to fend for themselves against the beasts only slightly less dangerous than the original monsters.

Things are shifting and few see what is truly happening.

The end of the world is not here, no, but you can see it from where we stand.

Locations

Violet Orange-

This is a cavern so large that the walls cannot be seen most of the time, and even though it has been explored almost fully, it still retains many secrets. The ceiling is violet in color, and almost seems to swirl ominously at times, although a second glance reveals all remains still. The walls and floor are orange in color and are luminescent, providing enough light to live by, but not enough to rival a lightstone’s glow. Both ceiling and floor are just simply rock, easily mined and used elsewhere. This is how most of Underhorror has been built, considering the jungle trees take millennium to grow.

It originally was mostly jungle, if short, thick canopied trees could be considered a jungle, but now roughly one fifth of it has been converted to city or outposts. Many waterfalls fall from the ceiling or walls and form into several cold rivers that lead to small side tunnels, where the water gets so deep that not even Ga-Toa can swim there. And then the waterfalls; the water is probably being pressed on by some super deep ocean, so it’s like a full pressure hose straight down into lakes, sending up large spray all the time. No one remembers which way is proper north, so the Obsidian Doors are said to be East, since most of Underhorror is close enough for the wall of the cavern to be seen, with the open Obsidian Doors guarded by the petrified Earth-Tribe members easily visible by all.

Underhorror-

This town has grown explosively in the 4, 972 years from when the first Toa and Matoran founded it as a clearing in the trees. As to be expected, it is a hodgepodge of styles, and the layout is completely unplanned and harrowingly difficult to remember fully. Eventually, when it turned into the Kingdom’s capitol (despite the Kingdom never having another city in all of its 3,894 years since it was established), a castle was built in the north. This castle has seen new additions and renovations with each king, and is as confusing to navigate as it the city. It would take someone crazy to remember all the passageways and game rooms.

Located in the southeast is the Tower of Terror, where all the Priests of Horror reside, praying to the horror terrors, either to spare them or kill their friends. They believe the closer they are to the Cavern of the Unseen above, the easier it will be for the horror terrors to hear and heed their prayers.

There are many other buildings as well, but none as famous as Maze Craze, the pub which first invented the only underground ale. Frusian Cider. Although no one calls the trees where the fruit comes from Frusians, the name has apparently stuck. There’s also the fact that everyone is so crazy that no one has figured out if the drink is actually alcoholic or not yet.

As of right now, there are no other buildings or structures to take note of in Underhorror.

Outskirts-

There are a lot of outposts to help explorers and to keep track of participants in the first two Trouble games of survival, although half of them are just left for ruin, possibly after a Rahi attack or simply because an inhabitant snapped and killed everyone. Beings at these outposts are either kicked out of society, hiding from society, exploring, farming, hunting, or have had their minds reset. But you will never find any of these types of beings living together; only at separate outposts from one another.

The Outskirts are mostly in the center of Violet Orange, but can crop up anywhere. Ranging from a small hut to a small village to a fort, they don’t have a set form. The worst ones are the ones with Rahi living inside. The smart Rahi.

The Doors-

There are two known set of doors that cannot be opened by any means that has been tried. No one knows how the Onu-Tribe opened the Obsidian Doors, but they obviously gave their lives to do so. The Obsidian Doors remain open, held by the now completely stoic earth tribe, but the Bone Doors have remained closed since they were first discovered. The Obsidian Doors seem just to be giant, but the doors of bones, or the Bone Doors (which no one calls them), absolutely reek of death and hideous things. No one knows what is behind the Bone Doors, but rumors say that they have cracked open.

No one knows if there are any more doors to be found, and unless things change drastically, no one will find out for awhile.

Maze of Caves-

A series of caves and passageways meant to never let anyone return to the surface. This is where the original evil resides (which should have gotten some sort of obvious name by now, after 5,000 years) and feasts on all prey that doesn’t make it out. To make it out, one must head down instead of up, which is definitely harder than it sounds. Even then, the monsters sometime guard the exit, ensuring death.

Cavern of the Unseen-

This large cavern is, surprisingly, smaller than Violet Orange. It is filled to the brim with horror terrors, horrible monsters that will drive anyone mad who even looks at them or hears them speak. Few survive the long walk in a straight line to the entrance of the staircase in the middle of the cavern. Once past, only three beings have ever returned. Two died instantly. Only the sheer size of the horror terrors prevents them from descending the staircase, but occasionally, one is destroyed and has to reform, starting with a smaller body as it re-grows. Apparently, they can’t tunnel, either up, down, or sideways.

If you want to live, do not go back here.

Spiral Staircase of Soreness-

The staircase has no railings and spirals down for a few days of walking. The central opening is 17 Toa wide, with the stairs being 3 Toa wide. And yes, they had to lay down Toa to measure it and now use Toa as the form of measurement instead of Bio. There are no side passages and except for being obscenely long, this spiral staircase seems normal enough.

Factions

Crazy-

You are crazy. Basically, you inhabit Underhorror and the surrounding Outskirts. You either want to win the title of Trouble, or are rooting for someone to do so. Who knows, maybe it’s a good time to start a fight with anyone. Do anything you want.

Purged-

Your memories have been cleansed and you are now normal once again, even if you can’t remember who you are. Normally you live alone or with other Purged at an Outpost. You try to avoid everyone as much as possible. Or you take advantage of how everyone is insane and live in the city.

King’s Guard-

You guard the king, the city, the kingdom. And you get signed up to fight Rahi if you do something too crazy. You are free to join in the games, and can roam the castle with more accessibility than the average public.

Priests of Horror-

You live in the Tower of Terror, praying to the horror gods that they might spare you, or nab you an extra Frusian Cider at Maze Craze. Normally you only talk with each other, but sometimes you like to preach to the wandering masses. As a sign of devotion to the terror gods, you feel compelled to join in Trouble, or maybe just pray some more.

Make Your Own-

Four different players all with at least one character each working together becomes a Faction. Five different players with at least two players having two characters each working together becomes a Guild, and beings notice you. Probably in a bad way. Matoran also tend to flock to you at this point.

Rules

BZP Rules apply, all of them.

No god-modding (e.g. controlling someone else's character, having your character do something impossible). And if someone god-modes against you, don't do it back, tell the Staff.

This is a Text-Based RPG, so to join in you post what is basically a miniature story for what is currently happening to your character.

Please, try to use good grammar. It helps everyone out.

Use IC for In-Character and OOC for Out-Of-Character.
For example:
IC: The Toa glanced at his friend as he scanned the perimeter, looking for enemies.

OOC: Hey Lewa34Dude, want to join us?

Don't extensively control other people's characters without their permission.

Don't injure another character without permission.

Comedy is accepted, but keep it realistic. No random pie flinging contests.

Don't glory hog or continuously degrade someone else's character.

All characters are incapable of performing Nova Blasts.

All major discoveries or story twists must go through me first.

And most important of all, HAVE FUN! And pick fights with random people, everyone loves a good fight.

Game Master

I am the Game Master of this RPG. And as such, I control the story and NPCs. I make sure fights stay fair. I approve profiles. I assign Co-GMs and the like. And I deal out punishment and hand out rewards.

Punishments will be given after the rules are broken, like any good GM would do.

-First, I will tell you in a PM or in the discussion topic what you did wrong and ask you to stop.

-Secondly, if you continue to/or break a different rule, I will injure your character.

-Third strike, and you have one of your characters killed.

-Final Punishment is being banned from the RPG for as long as needed to fix behavior issues of any kind. A week at the least.

Now for the good part: Rewards.

Rewards will be handed out to players that are especially helpful in one way or another. These rewards include but are not limited to: More characters; a new power; a new mask; an upgraded weapon; misc.; etc.

Hopefully there will be no punishments, but plenty of rewards. (Which no one ever gets, ever, but we still tend to put it in our RPGs anyway)

Profiles

Five Characters Max

Name: (No official canon names like Tahu. It must be a Bionicle-ish name, not Bob or Toaofmuffins05)

Species: (You know the drill. Custom is allowed if described in detail and I approve. No Makuta)

Gender: (Male, Female, It, Non)

Alliance: (Which Faction does your Character belong to?)

Appearance: (A detailed description of your character and/or a linked picture)

Weapons: (These were forged to channel one's power, kill, or destroy)

Mask: (Custom is allowed. No Kraahkan, Avohkii, Vahi, or Ignika)

Power: (Time and Life and any other unreasonable power is not allowed. Also put what they are good at here, as in they whether they have good agility or have mastered swordplay once upon a time before they went mad)

Personality: (C’mon, everyone has one. 50 words or more)

Biography: (Background time. Detailed biographies are welcome! As in, 100 words or more. Or else. Trust me, and ask Levacius, you can do it)

Empty Profile:

Name:

Species:

Gender:

Alliance:

Appearance:

Weapons:

Mask:

Power:

Personality:

Biography:

Name: Sevorik (Title: King)

Species: Formerly Vortixx

Gender: Male

Alliance: Crazy/King’s Guard (as in he is the King)

Appearance: Tall and extremely thin, Sevorik has armor that is liquid rock. This rock condenses when hit with any force, but it still remains light and provides flexibility. It can only be broken under extreme, continued pressure. The rock has a bluish hue, and the rest of his body is teal. He has a sharp face and his orange eyes seem to strip away any ability to speak intelligently. He wears a simple crown of protosteel, which, down in Underhorror, is the most precious metal they have. The rock armor is polished like marble, and is constantly swirling and whirling.

Weapons: Sevorik has two police batons with large blades on the ends. These are currently the only weapons he has, for which he has two sheathes on his back. One of the blades is protosteel, which he uses in his right hand, the other is just protodermis and has had to have been replaced several times.

Mask: None

Power: Through several grafting experiments that radically shaped his physiology, he has gained the powers of limited invulnerability, dodge, and confusion. These are Kraata powers, and are below level 6. These levels and their corresponding powers will be placed here later.

Personality: Neutral. Sevorik, before becoming King, was always the voice of reason when it came to arguments and fights. Well, as reasonable as those insane can be. He would always fight for which side he thought was right, and would not waver easily. But if his side suddenly did something that he didn’t stand for, he would immediately switch sides or attack what he didn’t like. When the reasons for fighting were too strong for each side, he would simply side with himself and let others fight over what he thought was useless to fight over.

Biography: When he submitted himself to a Makuta’s experiments instead of having his hands cut off for thievery (along with his head), Sevorik never expected to come out of the ordeal with powers and rock armor that was liquid but would still protect him. He also never expected to have his insides scrambled. He hurts inside whenever he lays down and his organs are allowed to settle, so he keeps moving to keep the pain away, or at least sitting. Another unfortunate side affect was that his mind was almost ripped open, and he could no more throw up a mental shield than he could remove the liquid armor that now adheres to his body.

To stay busy, and avoid those who he knew would ridicule him and probably harm him due to their numbers, Sevorik joined the Dark Hunters, since they didn’t really choose permanent sides. On a mission that took him farther south than usual, he was taken by those first unnamed monsters. He fought his way to the Cavern of the Unseen and barely survived, his comrades all being devoured except for Desoria, a Turaga in a robotic suit. Together, they descended the Spiral Staircase of Soreness, and made it to Violet Orange during the fourth age, the Age of Influx.

Sevorik participated in Trouble and came close to winning, but only nabbed third place. Then, when the original monsters somehow made it past the horror terrors, Sevorik stayed and fought, losing one of his protosteel batons. He was one of the few remaining fighters at the end, and he was honored, as were the others who had stayed to protect Underhorror.

In the millennia that passed after this, Sevorik wandered, helping or hurting those who needed helping and hurting. He became better known with beings everywhere, reaching second place in Trouble. When the horror terror attacked, Sevorik rushed back to fight it from where he was in a far outpost, but he was too late. The King had already renounced his thrown and the horror terror was gone. The kingdom was in chaos. Gathering friends and favors, Sevorik strode into the castle, sat upon the thrown, and was crowned King as per the people’s approval.

Since then, he has become more and more secluded in his castle, rarely being seen except by those who know of the secret rooms and passages. His motives and actions, which he would discuss with everyone in the pubs, have become shrouded in mystery and a haze. The fourth installment of Trouble has been announced, but he has never officially stated so to the public.

Name: Syrifar (Title: Trouble/Lord (Out of Respect of Him Being a Former King))

Species: Swervarian Toa (Toa hailing from the Island of Avoidance, or Swerv, as the natives have dubbed it)

Gender: Male

Alliance: Crazy

Appearance: Syrifar is of average Toa height, and is colored brown. His kind eyes are purple and his armor has purple accents. His armor is rough like stone, and if one looks closely, is actually a light diamond weave with a protodermis covering. Several scars run down and across his back, evidence of fierce fights with Rahi

Weapons: Syrifar wields a war hammer almost as tall as he is. He also keeps a short sword sheaved at his waist.

Mask: Syrifar wears the Mask of Hidden Power, which unlocks a secondary power hidden within the being that uses it. Thinking about using the power activates the mask and vice versa. It is much like Rahkshi powers, where using this power doesn’t deplete elemental energy, but is mentally taxing, requiring rest. (Yes, that’s how I use Rahkshi powers, but it’s not official or anything)

Power: Stone, and with the help of his mask, he has unlocked an ability that would otherwise take him centuries to figure out and then tune to perfection. A heightened form of stone powers in the form of precious stones, namely diamonds. So basically he is a Toa of Diamond, an advanced Toa of Stone, due to being from the Island of Avoidance.

Personality: Neutral Good. Syrifar, instead of going through a bout of Chaotic Good, has remained true to what he feels is the greater good for all, listening to his heart and conscience. He helps those in power, only when they uphold the good he believes in, otherwise he tries to act upon what he believes is right for all.

Biography: Syrifar started out a Matoran of Stone on the Island of Avoidance, leading a normal life there. When Older Brother’s betrayal shook the island, instead of upheaval, the original evil came and started to sink the swamp that made up most of the middle of the island. In the events that transpired afterwards, Syrifar became a Toa along with Vronx and a few others before they were all taken down into the earth.

Spending a century and a half in the Maze of Caves with his brothers and sisters and the Rahkshi from the Makuta that hadn’t been seen since Older Brother’s betrayal, half the group finally found the way out into the Cavern of the Unseen. Another fourth followed soon after, but the rest were never to be seen again. And even then, they lost over half of their numbers in making it to the Spiral Staircase of Soreness, which they descended with haste.

Arriving in Violet Orange during the second age, the Age of Rebuilding, Syrifar helped in building the beginnings of the village that would one day turn into Underhorror. He was not a leader, preferring to stay in his brother’s, Vronx’s, shadow. He helped explore Violet Orange, mapping it out and protecting the explorations parties against the horrid Rahi attacks, who almost killed him on several occasions.

After half a millennium of doing this, he returned to a much larger village than he had left, it now being dubbed a city. Finding his old companions, he helped in the creation of the kingdom and he was there as the first king was crowned. He played in the games, and successfully won the first survival game. It was the second survival game, in which he didn’t participate, that the King was lost.

Nothing much happened until the Trouble games started once again. Syrifar eventually rose to the top and won the title of Trouble, but it was on that day that the original monsters attacked. As Trouble, there was no way he couldn’t defend his city. He fought alongside his brother Vronx, who was lost in that conflict, and Sevorik, who had almost become their unspoken leader when the King had disappeared early on in the war.

Unsurprisingly to everyone except Syrifar, he was crowned King and began his rule, entering into a millennium of peace. He was the Great Trouble King, leader of Underhorror and keeper of Violet Orange. Still he kept his doubts and only brought back Trouble when pressured by the populace, since he kept bad memories from the day he was dubbed Trouble and how they were attacked and the war that followed. Surprisingly, nothing bad happened when the Trouble was crowned, and everyone was happy.

Then the horror terror attacked, and Syrifar glimpsed upon it in a reflection. Hating himself now that he couldn’t bear to fight it, even if it meant upholding the title of Trouble and King, Syrifar fled to the farthest outpost he could find, living in solitude with a few Purged, fighting Rahi to pass the time, having renounced his title in shame.

Eventually, Trouble was announced once again, and a crazy thought entered Syrifar’s mind. He would win a second title of Trouble to regain his honor as former King.

A Few Games (For those who want to read them)

-Survival

You will be taken to the doors of bones and will be left there. You must make your way back to the castle and speak one comprehensible sentence. Basically, you must survive the untamed wilds of Violet Orange, as well as be wary of other participents.

-Gladiator Trials

You will be taken to the one of Underhorror’s many town squares and fight your opponent until he concedes or is knocked out. You then make your way to the next town square and the next to fight whoever remains until you are the last being standing.

-Lightstone Heat Tag

You will be taken to one of the larger side passages of Violet Orange and given our special Lightstone Guns. You will be dumped in our special mixture of liquid sand and then set free. The Lightstone Guns shoot bolts of concentrated heat. The last being that can move about, having immobilized the others by turning enough of their sand into glass so that they cannot move, will win.

-Death Ball

You will be taken to an inner court in the castle and given special padded pads for some concussion protection. You will be divided into two teams and a Death Ball will be placed in the middle of the court. Two goals, both a Toa high and three Toa long, will be set up touching opposite walls. Remember, the Death Ball defies gravity, floating along, and the lighter you touch it, the faster it gets propelled; a feather able to propel it across the court in two blinks of an eye. A team wins after getting the Death Ball in the opposite team’s goal three times.

-Tea Cup Tally

You will be taken to Villy’s Tea Cup Terrace and be given a hot cup of tea upon a saucer. The goal is to race around the terrace, not spilling the tea, where, if not spilt, you poor your tea into a pitcher. You then are given another tea cup and you repeat this process until time runs out. When time runs out, the tea will be measured, and the one with the most tea must drink what he has gathered before the being in second place can drink his. The one who finishes first wins.

-Hunter Gatherer

You will be taken to an Outpost, where you must then go out and capture/kill the largest/fiercest Rahi you can find. Once everyone has returned, judges will decide which catch was the deadliest.

-Race for the Mace

You will be taken to a special level in the castle, where you will be placed into a maze (without any of your weapons). The goal is to navigate the maze as quickly as possible, to get to the middle, where a Mace resides. Frusian Fruit will be smeared on it, and –considering it is incredibly sticky and bright blue- you must hit each other contestant with it, marking them and not letting them get the Mace. Three marks and you are disqualified. Last being standing wins.

-Puzzles, Riddles, and Other Confusing Things

You will be taken to the complex at the base of the Tower of Terror and placed inside a simple room. You must then figure out the riddle or puzzle given to you before the next door opens. There will be five rooms total, and the one to go fastest through them wins.

-Rooftop Tag

You will be taken to the rooftop of the castle and one being will be given the Tagerizer, a small magnetic ball that sticks to armor and will return to the thrower if it doesn’t hit another contestant. The goal of the game is to be the closest to the Tagger without being tagged for the longest amount of time before time runs out. Then, be the first one to reach the Tower of Terror with the most tags along the way. The only rule is that if you touch the ground, you are disqualified.

-Face the Waterfalls

You will be taken to the Pool of Calm and you must swim upstream as fast and far as you can. The first person to reach a waterfall, or simply be the last one not to be swept away, will win the first section. In the second section, you will be taken to Hollow, the waterfall that is circular and hollow on the inside, where a protosteel platform is kept in place just because of how fierce the waterfalls falls around it and how the waterfall is perfectly circular. The platform also anchors to the riverbed, to keep it from being sunk. All contestants will be taken to this platform. Then its king of the hill. Considering that those who touch the waterfall will be swept away instantly, all you have to do is push everyone else into the circular wall of water around you and be the last one standing. The winner of this, if he is not the same as the first section, must race the winner of the first section down the river to the Pool of Calm. First one there wins.

-Joust Jumping

You will be taken to the bare ground before the Obsidian Doors and separated into pairs of two. Each pair will be given a lance, and one member of the pair must climb upon the other’s shoulders. The goal is to knock every other pair over while avoiding or jumping over traps and obstacles that will be made by Toa of Earth and Stone volunteers. The last pair to have a member still sitting on the shoulders of the other wins.

-Shoot the Shrimp

You will be taken to the top of the Spiral Staircase, where you will be given a bow and arrows and an enhanced mask of x-ray vision, so that you can see the bottom of the staircase. A Shrimp, the only Rahi to inhabit the rivers of Violet Orange, will be placed at the bottom of the staircase. Considering the Shrimp is also the smallest Rahi anyone has seen that isn’t microscopic, hitting it, which you are trying to do, is quite difficult. The being with an arrow closest to the Shrimp wins.

-Drink Dropping

You will be taken to Maze Craze. You drink Frusian Cider until you pass out. Last being awake wins.

-Strategy Board

You will be taken to play chutes and ladders.

-Fencing Crawling

You will be taken to the lowest level of the castle, which wasn’t really planned out too well, considering it is as tall as a Matoran. You are all given blunt swords and the objective is to knock away everyone else’s swords and collect them. When over half the participants have lost their swords, the game ends and swords are counted. The being with the most swords wins.

-Matoran Throwing

You will be taken to the castle’s thrown room, full of poofy pillows. You throw Matoran as far as you can without powers aiding you. The one who throws a Matoran the farthest wins.

-Hodgepodge…

The pamphlet is too grimy to read beyond this point and you are forced to reflect on which games you want to participate in.

Thanks

To everyone who I have ever RPed with, I thank you. I thank Parugi, Toa of Dancing, Tafu, TPtI, and Levacius in particular for all being awesome. Short and simple: I thank you all.

Edited by Kal the Guardian, Sep 22 2012 - 01:46 AM.

[ZHX]

~Subterranean Animism - Subversion~

It was many years ago when the Great Cataclysm occurred, destroying everything that we knew and loved, sending our entire civilisation falling into the darkness of the world below. When the sky above our heads began to crack ominously; when the land beneath our feet shook and shattered into pieces; and when the waters of the Silver Sea washed over our great cities, we knew that our end had come.

Yet as we all were swallowed by the land, some of us were fortunate enough to find solid ground, but were only able to watch helplessly as all our fellow beings continued to fall, the world around us continuously shattering into pieces, silvery-blue water rushing into every gap and washing away the unlucky. The world had ended, and we believed ourselves to be the only survivors of such a disaster.

When everything finally stopped, there was nothing but the eerie silence of the dark underground, with only our echoing footsteps and the dripping liquid protodermis within the caves being the only things that could interrupt the silence. Our civilisation had been utterly destroyed, and there was no way for us to truly pick up the pieces. All we could do was survive, and we could not even do that properly.

Years passed as we did all was possible to live within the earth. From trying to salvage any signs of our former majesty, to attempts at constructing villages, our struggles were powered by our own hope - a wish to one day regain our pride, and return to the surface once more, for behind us were the dreams of the unfortunate and those who were left behind. We would survive in this dangerous world, and we would emerge victorious.

At least ... that was the belief of many at first, but now, as the formerly ramshackle villages began to grow larger and larger, as our courage strengthened as our pride returned, we began to scoff at returning to the surface. Why should we struggle once more through the earth to return to a dead world, when we were content down in the deep? Even those who were most determined to reach the surface were cowed, and all was good.

Then came the attack. Horrendous Rahi, many of which seemed to be monstrous reflections of those that we had been familiar with, overran several of our smaller outlying villages. With our poor equipment, we could not fight them off, and each day, more and more villages fell, until only three continued to stand. With panic spreading through the surviving populace, tunnels that led out of the inner villages were walled up, with outposts placed at every one in order to alert everyone in case of another attack.

These outposts, which surrounded our known world, were manned by outcasts, who ranged from being those with unpopular opinions, to the truly mad. They were the first line of defence against the Rahi of the outside, which we named 'Cordak', the Matoran word for Desolation. It was fitting, for beyond the tunnels was chaos and certain death.

We survived once more, and our civilisation began to flourish, no matter how rare resources became over the years. But we were to stand strong in the face of such hardship, and one fateful day, we dug out a new tunnel into another area of the underground, our resolve strong as we set forth in the name of our civilisation.

What we found ... was unexpected. A new world, one that had been flooded intensely by the Cataclysm. The caves were damp and the air refreshing, which made many of the adventurers rather happy. They began to set up a small village near the tunnel opening, using it as a base of operations for more exploration of the frontier. Many people set forth through the tunnel and into this new flourishing land in search of riches and glory.

Such riches and glory came at a price however, with exposure to the strange liquid protodermis of the new world giving the inhabitants some strange deformities, which led to them being shunned from the heartland of the civilisation. But the relations between the two worlds continued to stay strong, with both providing to each other.

But history has the tendency to repeat itself, and chaos took control over everything once more. It had been many, many years since the Rahi attack, and the people had forgotten. Their reminder came in the form of another sealed up tunnel being breached, with the creatures being barely held back by our guardians, many falling in their attempt to keep our world safe.

Fear gripped the hearts of people, and an age of strife began, our leader becoming deposed by a coalition of ambitious beings, who soon turned on each other, becoming warlords and each turning several areas of our worlds into their own territories, with the inhabitants becoming their vassals, no matter how hard we protested.

War had become a constant presence in our lives now, and compounded with the threat of the Rahi and the continuously dwindling resources, many were attempting to ally with the more influential warlords to survive in this harsh world. I fear that we may destroy ourselves in these battles before we manage to bring peace to the underground, but I have found something that will provide us all with hope of survival.

Yesterday, when I was travelling through the world of the sea, known to many as the Onu-Mahri, I stumbled across a waterfall of protodermis, that seemed to come from beyond the cave ceiling. It was there when I found a rusted, nearly broken object that I could recognise as a Kanoka disk. More specifically, one whose barely legible details marked it from being from the City of Legends.

It was then when I realised that there was salvation for us, trapped within this mockery of a civilisation. With vigour I had never experienced since before the world's end, I promised myself that I would venture through even Cordak in order to reach the surface and see the sky once more.

Tomorrow I shall set off, and, as long-forgotten memories return to me, I hope that even Mata Nui will bless this forsaken being on his journey. I hope it will be relatively peaceful, because the Rahi had been more violent and bold recently, and there have also been rumours of a large monstrous creature in the shadows ...

The Steltian read the final lines of the tablet with interest, before placing it back onto his stone table. He looked up at the other being in the room, his crimson eyes glowing as he studied the deformed Matoran with pitted armour and broken body.

"You say you discovered this, along with a cracked mask, while walking along the river?" he asked, leaning forward and steepling, wondering what to make of this new development.

"Yesh milord," gulped the Matoran. "I hash bin salvasging, and I found dish. Yours order hash bin to bring to yoush interestin things. So I did."

A smile crossed the Steltian's face. "Well you are a fantastic follower then. These things that you have discovered are revolutionary! They will reform our entire system! You should be proud of yourself!"

"I ams deeply gratesful for de praish milord."

"Of course," continued the Steltian nonchalantly, "this information is particularly dangerous as well, and it'd be a shame if the populace found out. So I'll just have to keep it a secret don't I?"

The Matoran froze, and slowly took a step back, but it was too late, for a knife thudded into his head, his mask cracking and falling to pieces. Its wearer stumbled slightly, before crashing to the ground, dead, his heartlight stopping.

Guards rushed into the room, weapons ready to deal with whatever caused the commotion, but were treated to the sight of the dead Matoran and their lord.

"Alas," exclaimed the Steltian with remarkably genuine-sounding sadness, shaking the guards out of their stupor, "this unfortunate Matoran has taken a blow from an assassin which should have hit me. I believe the assassin is still somewhere nearby. Guards! Please respectfully give this Matoran a hero's funeral, and go after the assassin!"

His sub-ordinates nodded, and took the body carefully, before exiting the room, leaving only him and his thoughts within the stone walls.

"Well well," he muttered, looking at the tablet. "Now this is very interesting. The above world still exists does it? It would be a shame if the people decide to venture for the surface instead of staying here, under my rule. It would be a great shame ..."

~~~~

When you hit rock bottom, the only way is up ...

~~~~

During the Great Cataclysm, an entire civilisation situated around the southern islands was swallowed by the earth below them, which had shattered from the many bioquakes that occurred due to Mata Nui's fall. Many died in the event, and the survivors barely managed to cling onto survival deep underground, where they suffered from many hardships.

Yet their will was strong, and the people, no matter what obstacles were in their way, did not relent, surviving everything that the underground attempted to throw at them. Not even the mutant Rahi could break their spirits fully, and even in this age of strife, when warlords fight each other over the dwindling resources and territory, the people still stand strong.

Your role in this dark world can vary greatly. You could be a mere lava farmer, to a soldier of a warlord, or maybe even an adventurer, whose dream is to reach the surface. But you all have something in common: a goal to survive no matter the cost.

Yet surviving shall be difficult, with the regular battles and attacks by the mutant Rahi of Cordak, who intrude on the territories of the world every so often, bringing untold havoc and destruction to the land. Maybe you could be the one to change it all, but that will depend on how determined you are to bring a change to the status quo.

Do not worry though! There is absolutely nothing that could possibly go wrong~!

~~~~

~Factions~

Within this world, there are many factions, all fighting for either control over the land, or mere survival. Most of these factions fall quickly, crushed underneath the feet of the more influential ones, but some are able to survive long enough to stay in the game and rival the others.

Vu Aki:
The Surveyors of Valour, this faction is currently the most influential and powerful, holding Jaga-Koro and a large swathe of the surrounding areas. Their stated goal is to bring the land together under the rule of their leader, who is known only as 'the Steltian', so order can be brought back to this chaotic world. They regularly recruit defeated enemies who show valour in battle, instead of executing them.

Su Coalition:
A rather popular faction for the workers of the land, the stated goal of the Coalition is to bring a sense of equality to the world, where everything belongs to the people. Despite only controlling no major cities, and only large areas of land and the small villages peppered around, they are still powerful enought to pose a threat to the Vu Aki. They are lead by a Matoran known as Kijura.

Guardians of Cordak:
The outcasts of society hold no alleigance to any of the warlords, preferring to continue with their duty: to protect the world from the horrors of Cordak, no matter the cost. With no real base of operations, they are spread out across the outposts, and will continue to guard the people from the outside world. They have no real leader, due to not really requiring one.

Others:
Other than the main factions, there are many small factions peppered around the world, along with those who do not wish to follow anybody. These people range from adventurers to weak warlords, but even they may be able to make a difference in this world.

~~~~

~Locations~

In this dark world of the underground, there are not many locations for our intrepid viewpoint characters to run around in, other than the two main caves that consist of the known world, discounting the incredibly dangerous Cordak, which was formerly the location of many villages until the Rahi attacks, and the tunnels to it have been sealed, with guardians posted at the entrances.

However, in these small areas, there are still many places to explore!

Onu-Karda

The 'Heart' of the Earth, Onu-Karda is the world of the sea, where most beings, especially the influential ones, reside. Best described as being a giant cave, the area is the home to three major cities, each of them having their own role in the workings of the known world. However, since the most recent leader was deposed, warlords frequently fight over the territories of this area, with villages regularly shifting alleigances due to being conquered by respective warlords.

Jaga-Koro:
Despite the rather cheesy name, the village of scorpions is incredibly important to the workings of the world, and has served as the capital several times prior. It is rather majestic despite the fact that most of it has been constructed from earth and rusty metal, and gives off a rather homely feel. Most of the more defence-orientated buildings can be found here, such as the Hagah Base, which formerly served as the main headquarters of the guards of the known world.

It is currently under the control of the Vu Aki.

City of Agricultural Management:
The City of Agricultural Management was originally a large area made for managing agricultural activities, but later on became much larger and turned into a city. Many storehouses can be found here, and would be useful to any armies that managed to take control over it.

The city is currently split between several minor factions.

Ka-Kini:
A temple of faith, Ka-Kini does not actually possess much importance, but has become a major city area regardless, due to the regular influx of beings wishing to any higher being for greater chances of survival. It was half-destroyed during a small Rahi attack.

It is partly under the control of the Vu Aki, with another part under the control of a minor faction.

Onu-Mahri

Onu-Mahri is situated on the other side of tunnel from Onu-Karda, and, due to only having been recently set up, has a much smaller population, as well as having less influential and major villages, with only the Frontier Base being actually important. The area is very damp, and is abundant in liquid protodermis, with lakes and rivers everywhere. However, the protodermis has mild mutagenic properties, and can lead to physical differences. There are some warlords situated here, along with some Coalition and Vu Aki influence.

Frontier Base:
Originally the base of operations for explorations into the frontier, it has become a bustling city, with markets and bazaars everywhere. People of all walks of life reside within the city, varying from mercenaries to rogues to simple merchants, but all wish to earn profit and obtain glory.

Currently neutral.

~~~~

~Profiles~

Want to join? Just fill in this handy-dandy profile form and we'll be all set! Actually, you just gotta get approved by yours truly. We have a maximum of five characters.

Name: (Obvious. Needs to be BIONICLE-y. No canon names.)

Species: (No custom species. No Makuta. No Zyglak. No Rahi. Everything else is fine.)

Gender: (No explanation needed.)

Faction: (Major Factions, Minor Factions or Neutral?)

Abilities: (Masks go here. No Olmak, Avohkii, Kraahkan, Vahi, Mask of Creation. Custom masks allowed. Powers/Elements also go here. Don't be too overpowered. Custom ones are allowed.)

Tools: (Tech level is Onu-Koro state. Only slightly worse. Possess Disk Launchers. No Kanoka. Have Zamor Launchers. Nothing higher)

Appearance: (75 words minimum.)

Personality: (100 words minimum.)

Biography: (100 words minimum.)

~~~~

~Rules~

• All BZPower Rules apply. For those who haven't read them, despite them having should have, here's a link.
• God-modding, meta-gaming and auto-hitting are unallowed. For the uninitiated, these terms respectively mean: 'to have overpowered characters that cannot lose and do illogical things', 'use knowledge that cannot be obtained in-game', and 'land a hit without permission from the other player.'
• Use 'IC' for In-Character and 'OOC' for Out-of-Character.
• No bunnying without permission: Don't control another player's character unless allowed. Mild bunnying is allowed.
• Keep things mostly logical. Nothing too random.
• Nova Blasts are unallowed.

Of course, if you break the rules, I get to inflict punishments on you, which I have placed into three strikes, because I like strikes. They sound so ... strike-y.

Strike 1: Warning + Grievous injury on character.

Strike 2: Character Death.

Strike 3: Banned from RPG for five days.

~~~~

~Conclusion~

I'd like to thank video games as a source of inspiration, as well as Lev for telling me to make this RPG. Also, I would like to thank everyone who prevented me from procrastinating.

Edited by It's a Gundam!, Sep 09 2012 - 01:16 AM.

[Toa Levacius Zehvor]

The Light Meets the Dark

An RPG for Contest #25 by Levacius Zehvor

Date: 849 AGC (After Great Cataclysm), below the Southern Continent

~ Prelude to Destruction ~

The end of the world seemed to come. We had no name to give it, no name that had a proper fit to it. But the Matoran are an ordered people, and we soon regrouped and looked at the world we had been left with. This was our world, the Matoran Universe, ravaged by quakes, and stars falling from the sky. Together, as a people, we gave it a name. Only one name could fit, and that was the Great Cataclysm.

For thousands of years, the Visorak had ravaged our lands; now, though, they were leaderless. Those who remained loyal, still, had been mustered together by the Brotherhood of Makuta, the angels of Mata-Nui who had fallen and become demons. Their leader, who must therefore have been the devil, had seemingly slipped away from the world, leaving his dogs uncontrolled as they waged a terrible war against the Dark Hunters. But evil was not the only one hiding – so, too, had Mata-Nui vanished. Those who spoke his words were silent.

But, perhaps the most devastating thing for us was the silence of Metru-Nui. Without its forges and research labs functioning, the largest source of industry in the north was shut down. The power plant, able to provide energy to all but the volcanic Southern Islands, was inoperable. Only then did we realize our folly; only then, we saw how foolish our trust in one place had been. Our physical needs, all entrusted to one city. Our peace of mind, all entrusted to the Toa.

With Mata-Nui silent, the Toa were all we had, and they were fading away. Hundreds had died as a result of the aftereffects of the Toa/Dark Hunter War, and the ancient organizations that kept them in close contact had disbanded. They were separated. They were weak. They were vulnerable. The many enemies of the Toa from across all of time struck. Whole teams vanished or were murdered. Only a few hundred are suspected to survive.

~The Sky Falls ~

We were the people of the Southern Continent, in the past. Most of us, at the very least – the capital city of the continent, and many of the surrounding territories, catapulted into the skies above, leaving a massive chasm. Many died during Skyfall – when the stars themselves died. When, one by one, the points of light in the sky died out, and massive crystals struck the ground with massive force, destroying cities and ravaging the landscape.

When I say many, I speak of both the percentages and the actual loss. It is suspected that over two million Matoran died within the matter of months that it took for Skyfall to reach its completion. Close to one tenth of the Matoran Universe, of numerous species, were lost to us. Those who survived on the Continent tried to flee, leaving under twenty thousand survivors scattered and ready to be brought together to complete one final plan.

The sky had been lost to us. The night was nothing but darkness. The Three Suns of the day provided us only dim light. It was in the dim light we worked. It was in the dark of noon we worked on the greatest of projects that the united Southern Continents people had ever devised – perhaps the greatest in all of history. We dug. We dug, and we kept digging until we couldn’t anymore. We made use of the ancient tunnel networks that we used for trade before the chute systems. We found the ancient caves, and dark oceans beneath the surface. And as we kept digging, and exploring, and building, we found solace in the underground. It was safe there.

~ The World Below~

Our colonies spread. The only record we had of the passing of time were found in small watches and clocks. Lightstones were used to provide illumination; into the largest of caverns, the base of our great city Metru-Sumonu, the Under-Earth City, we had carried one of the Sky Crystals from the surface.

We found our source of life in the waters of the Ga-Rivon waterway, and the underground sea Ga-Rivok. We found ways to farm. We opened the tunnels to mine. And in the underworld, we prospered. From our new home we began discussing things of the surface world – politics and defense.

We still remembered our home. We remembered how the world once was. But the past was behind us, and we could never return. We were happy here, in the belly of the universe.

But our happiness was not to last.

~ The Beast Rises ~

Perhaps the Makuta were demons, in their own way, and in every sense of the word. But they were still the creations of Mata-Nui. They were a group with minds bound to the world and their own desires. What we awoke as we dug was not a creature of desire or emotion. It was simply the Beast.

It began thirteen years ago, when the cavern of Tzont had finally reached full stability. But we kept digging past it. We wanted to go deeper. We wanted to see what could be found there. But none of us know what they found. The day came when the entire cavern started to collapse, despite being completely secured. But this was only the aftermath – before the caverns collapsed, the survivors came to us. They returned to the city, and told us of the Beast.

Just what it was, none were completely sure. Some described it as a giant wreathed in fire. Others, a titan of pure electricity, scarring the land around it. But all told of their close encounters – of how rocks seemed to move slightly to the side when they would have crushed them, or how they just happened to trip on a small rock as a lance of pure flame rocketed past their heads. As though they had been saved, even when they shouldn’t have.

The Beast was not seen again for close to a decade. During this time, there was a spike in the number of mysterious occurrences in the tunnels, with people randomly dying, and just as often escaping what they believed certain death. All marked off as just random events.

Until the Beast returned once more, destroying the city of Taunn; the first of our outposts, and the only one leading into the upper tunnels, and the world above. More escaped the second massacre, and with more stories of life and death. They told stories of how the Beast destroyed the passages and ruined the surrounding tunnels.

We began a hunt for other caverns, and other ways back out. But it was a hopeless quest, for the Beast destroyed every tunnel we could think of. Some were unlucky enough to find them at the same time. After a time, it was decided to give up. There was nothing for us on the surface – and if our adversary wished to trap us down here, so be it.

It has been months since we last heard from the Beast, and its actions - at least, most of, for there are still some who would pursue it, and already have. As for the rest of us, we have taken the time to prepare ourselves. We will be ready for whatever comes next.

This is how we came into the tunnels. This is how we came to Sumonu-Wahi, the Land Under the Earth. This is how you came down here. And what happens next lies in your hands.

~Overview of the RPG ~

By Toa Levacius Zehvor, Creator

What you have just read is the backstory of this RPG – how the characters got to where they are now. Why they’re living in the small, four Kio deep thick crust that lies between the Southern Continent and Karda-Nui. Of course, the pretty question isn’t how they got here, it’s ‘what’s next?’

You have entered The Light Meets the Dark. Named after an album, yes, because I thought the name fit the RPG quite well – the light of civilization, in the darkness of Sumonu-Wahi. This RPG will bear with it a number of restrictions, but also a lot of freedom in personal backstory – it’s your characters, and what they do, that is the focal point of this RPG. Play every action as if you’re the main character, because every one of your characters is the focal point of this story.

This RPG focuses primarily on story and character development. The main mechanic is the Morality Meter that accounts for the many actions your character makes and begins drawing them closer to the light… or deeper into darkness.

Since we’ve already finished the history, we shall skip past it and move directly to more information on Sumonu-Wahi. First we will talk about the locations, and then the factions and people (NPCs) that occupy them. Finally, we’ll get to the Morality Meter, and finally creating your beautiful character.

~ Sumonu-Wahi: Places to See ~

The Numerous Locations of Sumonu-Wahi to Explore

Link to Full Map

The following is a description of Sumonu-Wahi ( - , which translates to Land Under the Earh in Old Matoran). Close to ninety percent of the region that is safe to transverse is simply the tunnels and minor caves that can be found amongst them – but it’s what’s happening in the remaining ten percent, the major caves, that matters the most.

Architecture: It is impossible to properly describe this, as it varies so greatly – from across the Southern Continent have there been civilians, all with their own traditional designs and ideas. Generally, the size of the inhabitant and their wealth dictate the size of the structure, however.
Economy: The economy of Sumonu-Wahi works based on the standard currency piece of the widget. Most traders operate in small guilds, but nothing large has ever assumed full control, and many act independently. Many private individuals invest in shops and work out business deals in exchange for doing so.
Political: Sumonu-Wahi’s controlling government is best classified as an oligarchy. The most wealthy individuals and groups who originally took charge in leading us down beneath the earth still retain power, controlling the actions of those lower downs. The largest businesses and guilds are often under their control as well. The five major houses are Kaimiro, Redome, Pheond, Kirak, and Irikin.
Classes: There’s an upper class, a middle class, and a lower class. For the most part, the upper class control everything, though they often are forced to make concessions to keep the tradesmen and warriors of the middle class from causing problems. The lower class, on the other hand, have almost no say in anything, bowing to the wishes of those above them.

Metru-Sumonu (The Under-Earth City): The largest and most important cavern houses the city Metru-Sumonu. Close to twenty thousand surface world survivors reside here. The city is centered around a lightstone that was teleported down from the surface world with Kanoka disks, large enough to provide illumination to the whole place. There are three major pillars and numerous artificial supports to help with the ceiling. Most of the wealthy reside further from the lightstone, along the sides of the cavern – the closer a building is to it, the smaller it will generally be. Windows are rarely seen, and almost always facing away from it, with interior lightstones providing light.
Flames are not allowed to burn here, in order to prevent a buildup of smoke and pollution in the air. There is no electricity here. If heat is required, a heatstone is used. Many highly specialized ones can be purchased, including ones hot enough to be used in a forge. For the same reason, firearms are eschewed for disks and the popular Zamor sphere launcher.
A few more well known locales to hang out are the Sumonu Bar & Grill (frequented by commoners), the Dark Abyss Saloon (frequented by criminals), and the Maroon Moon (a high-end bar/restaurant often used by those on business).

Taunn (Destroyed): This was the first of the caverns to be inhabited, and closest to the surface world. It is now almost completely collapsed due to the Beast. The only inhabitants now are criminals who make use of its bad reputation and far out location to keep the guards from coming after them. Most are also scavengers, claiming the equipment of the dead for their own use or selling it to others. Before its destruction, it was owned by House Irikin.

Faen: The city of Faen is also known as the Cemetery, for the bodies of the deceased are all brought here for burial. Irikin owns this cavern, and keeps it well guarded. There is a small temple to Mata-Nui here.

Aila: Also owned by House Irikin, the small settlement of Aila is a primarily religious one. The largest temple to Mata-Nui in the Wahi can be found here, along with museums and numerous statues depicting great heroes. The guards here are few, but are highly trained and equipped well. Most Toa reside here.

Tzont (Destroyed): This was one of the two mining operations formerly controlled by House Kamirio. It was destroyed by the Beast, who collapsed most of the cavern and all of the adjoining tunnels. No criminal band even considers going here – the entire place is said to be haunted by the spirits of the dead.

Feurn: Owned by House Kamirio, this cavern is the second largest mining camp in the Wahi. Many poorer workers are employed in these tunnels, and it is considered one of the worst places to be so. With the destruction of Tzont, this work is just getting harder and harder, as they attempt to compensate for their loss is their race against Redome.

Eleurn: Owned by House Redome, this small town is the location of the most extensive mining networks in recent history. Worker treatment is just as harsh here as elsewhere, with the miners being pressured to claim as much benefit as they can while Kamirio is recovering from Tzont. The sheer number is also much higher, though the pay is as well.

Gesph: The prison colony of the city, and yet another mine. Prisoners are forced to work here for the benefit of the city, under the supervision of Redome guards. Overall, the cost of the guards is too high to make Gesph a major source of profit, and most of what’s made here is marked off as extra revenue, and is never counted on.

Irund: Under the control of House Pheond, this city is almost entirely watermill based factory work. Goods are typically brought down river when transported from here to Metru-Sumonu, but through the caverns when going the opposite way.

Nourn: The cavern of Nourn is a primarily residential, with those within paying rent to House Pheond to live here. It is somewhat notorious for being used by criminals as a hide out. It also has a secondary purpose as a mine – more specifically, a mine of the crystal used to make Zamor Spheres, ammunition to the favored weapon in the Wahi.

Arik, Ariv, and Arif: These three caverns bordering lake Ga-Rivok are the major source of fishing and agriculture in the city. Controlled by House Kirak, they represent the breadbasket of Sumonu-Wahi. Very little goes on here other than the occasional robbery, but most would prefer to go after more valuable things like ore or weapons. Most of the ground here has been removed and replaced with soil filled grounds for growing food, and small canals for bringing water to the ‘fields’. Supplies from Irund and Metru-Sumonu are brought downriver, but taken back up by tunnel travelling supply trains.

Ga-Rivok & Ga-Rivon: The Ga-Rivon river stretches for an unknowable distance away from here, ending with the Ga-Rivok lake. It is estimated the lake is close to eight hundred Bio deep, with the top of the overall cave being about twenty Bio high, save at the three caverns adjoining it.

~ Sumonu-Wahi: People to Meet ~

Detailed Descriptions of Factions, and Those Who Are In Them

Sumonu-Wahi is a host to a number of organizations that spring up almost daily. The world is full of lots of ambiguity when it comes to morals, especially among the leadership. Deciding what’s right and what’s wrong out of this tangle is what makes you different, and what gives you the power to change things for the better, or for the worse.

~ Part the First: The Five Houses ~

The most powerful organizations are the Five Houses. Each is based within Metru-Sumonu, though their primary holdings lie outside the city limits. These five Houses were the former leaders of some of the largest cities on the Southern Continent, and were behind the creation of Metru-Sumonu, supplying the resources and directing workers. They are from whence the city came, and never shall it be away from their rule.

It is of note that due to the lack of blood ties between members of the Matoran Universe, the House does not refer to any form of family links. The Houses are simply groups of beings coming together to support the power they have. Becoming a member of a House is difficult, though many try to gain the support of one of them.

House Kamirio: One of the two mining Houses, Kamirio is mostly composed of Steltians and Vortixx. It is among the most brutal of the houses to be a lower class worker for, but among the most prosperous for a trader just starting off. There are numerous artisans under Kamirio’s employ as well.

House Redome: The other mining house, Redome has always been in competition since the beginning of the city. It is composed primarily of Matoran and Skakdi, and many of the later species are employed as guards for the House. In the past, it always lagged behind Kamirio in keeping power, but has recently begun to have success in surpassing them.

House Pheond: This house has always been more focused on the people more than anything – which is to say, they were slave dealers on the surface world. The factories they run are jokingly referred to as being nothing more than this, but in truth, they are quite humane compared to the mines. Pheond also owns a lot of property, renting it out to the other Houses and independents alike.

House Kirak: This house was a large one on the surface, owning close to one eight of the land on the Southern Continent – almost all of it farmland. Agriculture was how they got rich, and how they still manage to make by. As their three territories of Ariv, Arik, and Arif are some of the only sources of food in Sumonu-Wahi, their monopoly has allowed them to keep up with the other Houses.

House Irikin: The oldest of the Houses, acting as the complimentary religious one. They drew much of their surface importance from matters related to Mata-Nui that they drew their wealth and importance, and now they have very little influence in the city, taking most of their wealth from their renowned artists and a few donations. Their ownership of Taunn was once a good source of wealth, as they rented out land there for cheap, allowing beings to occasional venture to the surface and remember their old homes. Whether or not its lost will be their fall is yet to be known. Most members are of the Matoran species.

~ Part the Second: Criminals, and Those Who Break Their Legs ~

As in any civilized society, the people of Sumono-Wahi are under the juristiction of guards that uphold the law. These laws outlaw the obvious such as slavery, murder, assault, battery, arson, thievery, and everything else. Resisting arrest or disobeying an officer of the law is quite common, but don’t do that either. Even those in the Houses are subject to the laws of the city – those caught and incarcerated are ridiculed by their fellows.

Metru-Sumonu Guard (MSG): The true guardians and police force of the city. The MSG are among the best trained warriors to be found, outside the elite guards of the Five Houses – who are often picked from this group, or from being adventurers. The MSG works primarily with House Redome, who keep their prison, but also provides free services to the temples controlled by House Irikin when needed.

House Guards: This group is actually five – the five groups of guards working for the five houses and patrolling their lands. Little is to be said on them beyond that they’re guards working for the Houses.

Black Sickle Gang (The Sickle): The Sickle are the largest gang in Sumonu-Wahi. While they may not be the most powerful, their members are the most dangerous, living in the fringe caves and assaulting society from afar to claim what they want at others expense. They are led by the uncreatively named the Black Sickle, a female Skakdi with an unstable mind and a somewhat obvious choice in weaponry.

The Syndicate Under the Earth (The Syndicate): The Syndicate doesn’t really have a name, as its members hardly know each other. Members of this group typically act under at least three aliases – the first, their name in public; the second, their name in the syndicate; the third, their real name. They meet each other under the second. Contacting each other is difficult, which means members have to be perfect at both hiding and searching. Generally, higher ranking beings get better at both, to the point that the organizations only ‘leader’ of sorts only appears once every several months.

~ Part the Third: Hunting the Beast ~

Not all in the city seek to go about mundane tasks. The appearance of the Beast as sparked the formation of three major groups, all with their own plans for it.

While the general public has never seen the Beast, members of these groups often are those who witnessed its powers, particularly at Taunn. On the rare occasion, they have actually caught up with it – both the Speakers and Templars took heavy casualties, including Toa, in their few run-ins, while the Sen’Iva have been more careful and lost fewer to their enemy.

Templars of Mata-Nui: The Templars are aligned against the Beast. Composed primarily of Matoran, with Turaga back at the base, it has the backing of House Irikin, and to lose extents Kamirio, who want revenge for the events at Tzont. Their plans involve destroying the Beast, one way or another, and they have tried all they can to find some way of accomplishing it. The Tempars believe in using force of arms and the blessing of Mata-Nui to do their job, along with what can be learned from history. They rarely conflict with the other two groups.

The Sen’Iva Order: This Order is named after the ancient Sen’Iva, a small group who were dedicated to sealing away evils in the Matoran Universe, and putting escapees back. They believe the only way to defeat the Beast is to find where it came from and lure it back there, banishing it rather than destroying it. They are more willing to employ weapons of magic or science in this pursuit. They occasionally find themselves pitted against the Speakers.

Speakers of Truth: The Speakers believe that the Beast is a divine being, equal to Mata-Nui himself, and that it cannot be destroyed or sealed away. Instead, they hope to find a way to find it and use its power. They are willing to use almost anything to that end, and are far more visible than the Sen’Iva, who often compete with them over new weaponry and research bases.

~ The Final Part: For Everything Else – You! ~

For the Non-Affiliated and Custom Factions

Of course, the most important factor is you, as the player.

Most NPCs in the game do not have any form of affiliation with any of the groups presented above. They are instead neutral citizens doing what they need to do to survive the day.

PCs are a special case. Each of your characters is their own unique person, and is expected to be played that way. As is fitting, such individuals are sometimes able to form together and create their own groups and factions.

The rules for creating a faction in-game are simple. At ten characters, and a minimum of five players, a faction may be created by filling out this form –

Faction Name: Factions Name
Founders & Officers: Character Name, Position (Players Name)
Members: Character Name (Players Name)
Emblem: Crest/Colors/Symbol, whatever, if any
Goals:

You may attempt to win over NPCs and establish a base of operations, but it’s a slow process, especially at the beginning. If your goal is to create a new organization, go for it.

Finally, you may forsake one (1) of your character slots to begin the game with a character who is in charge of a faction, following the same list of information given above. Such a faction may have from 5 and 50 member (the number will be provided to you by the GM, but you may choose any number of 5 to 20 on your initiative to be more certain), and you must include any operatives. You need only name important NPCs, and their positions. You must provide at least a 30 Word goal description, and a tagged on 100 Word write-up describing the factions beginnings and other information. You may only create one new faction per player. It will be added to the Profiles topic rather than the Main topic.

~ Gameplay: Character Morality ~

Every Action Has a Consequence

While playing this RPG, your character will constantly be observed for every action they take. Most of these actions don’t mean much, but others do – especially the following.

A] Interactions with other player’s characters.
B] Interactions taken during GM started events
C] Interactions that move the story forwards
D] Interactions with heavy consequences for many

The purpose of this RPG is, as stated above, to tell the story and to show your characters, the stars of that story, developed along the way to its completion. As such, they will gain further powers and abilities as they develop, which may be essential to the actually completion of the story. What differentiates PCs from NPCs is that they’re able to go through such development and change, whilst the NPCs are static.

As characters take actions, they are counted upon something called the Morality Meter. Well, actually, it’s closer to an Excel Sheet than a Meter.

The rating of the Morality Meter goes from 999 (Saint) to -666 (Irredeemable). Yes, there are more points to earn on the positive side than the negative side. Most characters will start off at a flat 0 on the meter, which is dead center. You are neither particularly good, nor particularly evil.

Both 999 and -666 represent the characters ultimate ascension to good or complete corruption into evil. It is possible for a good character to fall back to darkness, even from this point, but not without severe reasons. And, along a similar vein, the greatest evil can be redeemed – but it’s incredibly hard, thus the title of Irredeemable.

As you ascend on the side of good, you may gain the following powers –

Spoiler

Disciple: May generate light.
Protector: May generate weak lasers. Resistance against having inner light drained.
Defender: May generate powerful lasers.
Guardian: May absorb the light energy around them and convert it to elemental energy.
Champion: May create intangible holograms of themselves within a short area.
Hero: May control the light around them.
Superhero: Hidden
Paladin: Hidden
Saint: Hidden

As you fall to the side of evil, you may gain the following powers –

Spoiler

Devotee: May create shadow.
Dark Devotee: May generate bolts of dark energy that are partially physical, partially psychological in their attack.
Corrupted: May generate more powerful darkness bolts.
Dark Lord: May absorb the surrounding shadows and convert them to physical power.
Prince of Darkness: May control the darkness around them.
True Corruption: Hidden
Irredeemable: Hidden

Finally, a character who remains at 0 and is actively trying to keep themselves from going either way (not swinging constantly and being indecisive, but just as firm in their beliefs as those above), they are provided with their own abilities.

Now, as stated above, it’s your characters actions that cause the meter to slide. The only other way is by having something out of the ordinary (GM related) change it, such as having your moral light drained.

It should be somewhat easy to figure out that some things are good (helping people out a burning building) while others are evil (setting said building on fire with people in it). Other things are less clear – but you must still make a decision, based on character personality, and stick with it.

There are a few other points that must be remembered –

A] As characters move further along the Meter either way, their personality will change. It must change, to some extent. Otherwise, this is just a chart. If your character does not develop, they do not gain powers.
B] It’s easier to do evil actions than good actions. Allowing yourself down the dark path and following dark desires is easier than choosing to do the right thing. In the end, though, good has the best payoff.

Finally, some of the common species (but not custom ones) do have an effect on the morality meter. Matoran advance at a much higher rate than all other species either way, and Toa are drawn to good. Vortixx are able to progress down the dark path easier. Skakdi are impeded going either way, due to their mentality, but it isn’t as bad when moving to darkness.

~ Gameplay: Character Mortality ~

The Rules of the RPG, and How to Create Your Character

~ Character Creation ~

The character sheet is as follows –

Character Name:
Gender & Species:
Powers:
Abilities:
Equipment:
Appearance:
Faction:
Morality:
Personality:
Biography:

Name, along with Gender & Species, are self explanatory. You can put your characters assumed alias’ and the like in name as well, such as codenames or nicknames. Gender does not dictate what elements you can or cannot be, but the ratio is usually about nine-one with NPCs. You may create custom species, including intelligent Rahi, but only if powers are limited – elemental powers doubly so. When discussing Matoran, Turaga, and Toa, you should use the elemental prefix if known, or 'of X' if not. (Male Ta-Toa, Female Toa of Magnetism).

The Powers and Abilities sections refer to two different things. Abilities are things that have nothing to do with their powers, but are completely physical. Powers are everything else. You may create your own. Be logical with this - things such as Time and Life are outlawed, and a few power combinations are also outlawed (Psionics + Intangibility). If your goal is to make the most powerful character ever, you're just being a munchkin. We don't need that.

Equipment is your items. Note that anything that creates lots of smoke or steam isn’t likely to be found – the most common weapon is the Zamor Sphere Launcher. Overall, the tech isn’t that flashy, since there’s no electricity or power plants, but the technology can still be very Sci-Fi like in nature. This is where you put what your mask does, if you have one.

Appearance is what your character looks like. You may link and image of your character, or post the image if under 10 KB. The image must be clear and easy to see. Otherwise, use a description of thirty words or greater. Shapeshifter types must describe their common/favored/default form.

Faction is who your character is aligned with, if anybody.

Morality is what ‘rank’ your character has on the Morality Meter.

Personality is how your character behaves. Include your characters alignment on the Law/Chaos and Good/Evil charts if you are familiar. This section must be a minimum of sixty words in total, as it’s who your character is – and that’s one of the most important things in this RPG. You are expected to stick to it.

Biography, or History, is where your characters age and past goes. The bare minimum is fifty-words, but with a twist. All species other than Matoran must have a minimum of 100 instead. Skakdi need 200, and Toa 250. This means that more powerful characters need to have more work put into them. Custom species start at 150 and then go up.

I am going to be very free in what I allow players to choose in a few respects. First of all, I am allowing players to act as the leaders or higher-ups of the factions provided, unless a prior name is given. There are a few rules on this, however. For a higher-up, the character must have an additional 100 words in the Bio (or 300, whichever is higher) and 15 words in the personality. For a full on faction leader, a minimum of 500 words for the biography must be provided, and at least an additional 25 words for the personality. This is not a guarantee, and some factions do not have a single 'leader'. In addition, you must follow through with this character and manage them efficiently and realistically. Your cations are much more subject to analysis or being retconned. As long as you follow what the personality description of your character says, there should be no problem.

There are three characters who you are not allowed to play as, because they have already been named or have details beyond what I'm going to allow. These, and the reasons behind the choices, are -

~ The Beast; Primordial Horror [Why? I dunno. Because.]
~ Black Sickle; Leader of 'The Sickle' [Why? Because she's my sample NPC]
~ Overseer [Syndicate Name]; Leader of 'The Syndicate' [Why? Because GM plans]

You may have five (5) characters at the start, and may be awarded for doing things that progress the story an additional one (1) character slot up to three times, for a maximum of eight (8) characters possible.

Characters are to be posted in the Discussion Topic, called Dark Abyss Saloon, for approval. Upon approval, they are to be posted in the Profiles Topic, called Sumonu-Wahi Citizen List. If another character is approved later, edit the initial post and add them to it. A person should never have more than one post in the Profiles Topic.

Special Note: Players may only create a single (1) Toa character – there aren’t many left in the universe, after all. Just killing them off because you’re tired of them won’t get you that privilege back, but a meaningful death may, after a time.

Sample Character

This is a sample character; the difference between this one and a starting character is the preset morality - the difference is that hers cannot change, as she is an NPC.

Spoiler

Name: The Black Sickle [NPC]
Gender & Species: Female Onu-Skakdi
Powers: Elemental Powers of Earth (in conjunction with another Skakdi); Infrared Vision; heals injuries when enraged. She can generate more powerful bolts of shadow due to her immoral nature, and can also create shadows.
Abilities: Incredibly tough and much stronger than the average Skakdi; not very agile, but pretty fast. Her claws are unusually long and sharp, able to shred through weaker protodermis armoring or rip the heart from a Matoran.
Equipment: A black sickle - that is, a sickle made of some form of black stone. The weapon is covered in old runes and is supposed to act as a Toa Tool, but doesn't do anything other than making her elemental powers easier to control when available.
Appearance: Sickle is a somewhat short, dark armored Skakdi with the secondary coloration of yellow. Her eyes have constant look of being totally mad, and glow a dark red. She stands hunched over constantly, with her spine constantly errect. She has an almost paranoid look to her until fighting, when she goes berserk and begins killing.
Faction: Black Sickle Gang (Ringleader)
Morality: Corrupted
Personality: The Black Sickle (or Sickle, for short) is a Chaotic Evil Skakdi, and is better known as the psychopath in charge of the most public criminal organization in the underground lands of Sumonu-Wahi. She is, perhaps, the embodiment of all bad traits associated with Skakdi - brutal, murderous, and ready to stab you in the back on a moments notice. She never seems to be happy until she's in a fight, which is perhaps the only time she ever seems to experience joy (perhaps in part due to her bodies ability to repair her injuries when caught in the midst of her berserk combat rages). In fact, she almost constantly seems to be paranoid, as though something is trying to get her, up until the moment something actually is trying to kill her - then, she kills it, and moves on. The small space occupying less than an hour between her berserk rages and return to paranoia are her few moments of clarity, where she demonstrates the qualities that make her the leader of the Black Sickle Gang.
Biography: (Age ~ 75+ Milennia, estimated) Sickle was one of the Skakdi alive at the time of Spiriah releasing his deadly virus for the first time, but was one of the last to be created before it based on the small bits of information that she has revealed about herself. Of the things that can be pieced together about her from tales told by others, she stayed on the island for tens of thousands of years, and fought in more battles than all but a few others of her species, amassing a kill count so great that some Dark Hunters attempted to approach her for admission into the organization. She was never one for organized groups, and had no desire to go with them, just as how she continuously changed her allegiance on Zakaz to whoever was currently fighting the largest battle - and in that case, it was a fifty-fifty on who she ended up joining upon her arrival to the field.
Evenutally, she was captured by a number of slavers and taken from the island to be used as a gladiator on Stelt. Kept constantly behind the thick stone dungeons beneath those arenas (the only standing structures on the island outside of a few Matoran maintained ports), her only release was to do combat.
She was eventually pitted against another Skakdi - by chance it was, in fact, one of her only friends on Zakaz from before the species great Mutation, and the only one to survive. In one of her last acts of mercy, she decided instead of killing him, she would help him with his proposal of escape, and with their combined earth and stone powers, they were able to escape the arena. She would not have his company when escaping the island, however, for he was shot down with crossbow bolts during their escape.
She escaped onboard a ship to the Southern Continent, and was simply another criminal on the great landmass for the longest of times, moving from city to city. Occasionally, she would be hired to do a job for somebody to make some money, or would find for a minor warlord. As technology progressed and civilization became more and more advanced, her skills in combat were rendered increasingly obsolete, and none of her talents in melee were a match for superior weaponry on an open field.
Time passed, and the people of the Southern Continent became more and more content with their lot in life. That was until, of course, the Visorak came. Dubbed the Stealers of Life, their sheer numbers made them the most devastating force to ever strike the Continent, taking over great percentages of the land before moving on to other islands. Sickle was there at every turn to help those fighting the Hordes - with the aid of a few other Skakid, she was able to cut great swathes through their smaller groups, and proved to be incredibly dangerous.
The Continent never recovered from that, and the united governments that stood on it began to become more isolated - the trade routes, occupied by great mutant Rahi, were dangerous. The land itself seemed twisted to some. But not Sickle - to her, this new land was paradise, and she vanished into the hinterlands of the Continent, occupying herself with killing anything she came across.
And then, the sky fell. She was one of the luck few to survive the complete and total collapse of civilization, but one of the unlucky number of those who had no option of leaving the Continent. She was instead funneled into Sumonu-Wahi, sneaking her way in through use of the old Onu-Wahi tunnels of the Continent with other criminals who would be given no invitation with the mainstream public. Once in the dark, she made a new life for herself - or, rather, reclaimed it - as a criminal.
That didn't last long. Sickle began to gather others around her, through her moments of brilliance after battle and her shrewd abilities to figh. The most bloodthirsty of outlaws flocked to her Black Sickle Gang, and began to become a menace to soceity as a whole. With her blade, she began to kill off more and more people.
It is believed that she was present in Tzont when the Beast attacks, but she denies ever being there for whatever reason. Perhaps she wants to forget what she saw there. Perhaps she never was there. But whatever the case is, since then, she has become incrasingly dangerous and paranoid, and far more aggresive. This has conincided with her development of shadow based abilities, as though she has found a way to tap into her inner darkness. What she does next is anybody's guess.

~ The Rules & Miscellaneous~

You must follow the following rules to play this RPG.

The rules of the RPG are as follows –
1. All BZPower and RPG Forum Rules apply. Attempt to use proper grammar and spelling – you won’t get punished for bad writing, but you’re just setting yourself up to be misinterpreted.
2. No godmodding. You must be willing to accept your character losing a fight. You need to know when to hold ‘em, and when to fold ‘em. This branches down to not doing anything overpower, not auto-hitting everyone, not avoiding every attack, and not bunnying (taking control of another players character without permission).
3. Comedy and romance are allowed, but limited. Don’t take it too far. In addition, do not attempt constant references to things in the real world. Even when the Matoran Universe had a functioning internet, there was no Maskbook.
4. Posts in the Main Topic must never be solely in OOC. Zero tolerance.
5. You are developing this story, but I will exploit any slip-ups or mistake you make, moreso with major catastrophes in the works.

Punishments are –

First Offense – Warning! This is your only one – don’t keep it up.
Second Offense – You will receive a debilitating injury of some kind to your character.
Third Offense – One of your characters dies, and cannot be replaced.
Fourth Offense – All remaining characters die. Somehow – I’ll make it happen. You can make one more character, and try to get back in good graces, after a 48 hour ban. If you persist…
Fifth Offense – All characters gone forever. Leave now and never come back.

To play the RPG after your character is approved (above), you must make posts in the main RPG topic using IC and OOC. Example –

OOC: The OOC section is where you state something to other players, out of game (or ‘out of character’). For example, “We’re looking for members in our group!” No post should ever contain only OOC information. If you are addressing another player directly, send a PM. Otherwise, post it in the Discussion topic instead.

IC: (Character Name / Location)
This is where you describe what your character is doing. Preferably in third person limited, but if you want first person I guess you can knock yourself out (not literally). If you know something OOC, but your character wouldn’t know it, do not meta-game (Ex. Lewa finds an ancient item. Suddenly, Pohatu knows where to find that ancient item, even though he never heard of it and was half the map away). You don’t need to format your IC posts heading as shown above – everybody does it differently. That’s just the one I use. All I require is that the characters (or characters’) names, and their location, are both noted.

It’s pretty simple, really.

Now that you know what you do, I’ll say what I do. I’m the GameMaster.I’m in control of the NPCs in the game, and so are any Co-GMs I choose to take that job. You have control of them, too, but to a lesser extent – such as the conversation you have with a merchant, or the people you see walking by waving. I control character approval, and am alone in this. I, and any Co-GM I choose, will also be in charge of assigning punishments to those who break the rules.

~ Thanking People ~

Oh, all of you. Everyone here who’s played my RPGs, or who’s been even-headed enough to let me play in theirs. Everybody who’s given advice or helped out with anything in anyway. This is a great forum, and you’re all just great, except for those of you who aren’t.

With all of this said –

Thank you,
Toa Levacius Zehvor

Edited by Toa Levacius Zehvor, Sep 20 2012 - 07:20 PM.

[Lord of Adders Black]

The Dark and the Dead

There is no sound but the drip-dripping of broken pipes matching the thump-thump of your heartlight. All around you old machines reveal their wires and other technological viscera, rust crawling over them like gangrene on a wound. One of them spits intermittent sparks, the last pumps from its electronic heart, casting smatterings of vivid light around this dank hole. You crawl deeper into the shadows to avoid being caught in the glow, knowing it will reveal you and rob you of your night vision. Down here the light is not your friend. Finally the machine exhausts itself with its own death throes, and those little sparks cool to embers before fading away entirely. And with them goes the last of your hope.
Because now you are surrounded by dead things.
You can hear them shuffling and shambling, groaning and gurgling, a mass of putrescence driven by their dark hunger. You cower in the blackness praying to Mata Nui, to Makuta, to Karzahni himself, praying that they'll pass you by.
But your heart, beating ever faster, knows they won't.


The Facts
It is the dying days of the Toa/Dark Hunter war, The Shadowed One's latest vainglorious attempt to wrest control of Metru Nui. Thanks to Toa Naho and her reinforcements his army is being routed, much to his chagrin. Losing both warriors and ground he decides to employ a weapon he recently acquired from the Brotherhood of Makuta; an artificial plague designed to turn your enemies own bodies against them. Assuming it to be some form of mind-control agent he has several Dark Hunters release the virus high above the city so it can spread across the entire island.
Its worked a little differently than he expected.
Those affected by the plague die swiftly, but that doesn't stop them. They continue to walk, continue to hunt, despite their armour corroding and organics rotting. Worse still, they acted as incubators for the contagion, passing it on to others. With thousands infected by the initial attack, neither side was safe from the swarms of rotters, until the Dark Hunters agreed to withdraw from the island to let the Toa take care of the problem.
Toa on the ground forced the rotters into a location that could be easily locked down; the Coliseum. It had been used to keep the Dark Hunters out for so long that it was easy enough to keep the rotters in using the same defences. Any remounts of the plague in the air were swept up by wind Toa and blown into the Coliseum's arena, where it still hangs in a concentrated mist, a beige haze blanketing the building which unfortunately made it difficult for the Toa to just rain destruction down upon their new enemy. So a stalemate of sorts was reached, the Toa pinning the rotters inside the Coliseum but unable to finish them off. But the problem is contained, and for most Matoran the rebuilding can begin.

You are not one of these Matoran.
You are rather regrettably trapped within the lower levels of the Coliseum. Whether you were barricaded in their during the war or acting as bait to lure the rotters in, you ended up stuck in there when the quarantine fell in place. Your supplies and allies are few, and your enemy is both numerous and very very hungry…



The Location
Ah the under-levels of the Coliseum, the unseen tangle of industry that keeps everything above it running smoothly. Or did, at any rate. Now anything above basement height has become infested with rotters and infused with the airborne contagion. You will die if you go there. Either the rotters will devour you or the fumes will make you one of them. In such a concentrated form it only requires skin contact to begin the process, and no protective suit lasts long when under attack from a ravenous horde of walking corpses. Only the levels deep under the ground are remotely safe.

Prime Access Shaft
A vast series of elevators and stairways running through the centre of the under-levels that allowed the workers to get from top to bottom swiftly and efficiently. When the rotters became pinned in the Coliseum it allowed them to do the same. The survivors were forced to sabotage the access ways to prevent the rotters easily spreading. Since this also keep them trapped they have to find or create temporary routes to higher levels.
As a general rule of thumb it is unwise to go above level M as the rotters infest those levels heavily, and downright suicidal to venture to the top five levels as the fumes will get you.

Station
There used to be a feeding station-smaller versions of the one in Ga-Metru-on every floor of the under-levels but the battle to contain the rotters damaged most of them. The one on floor U is one of the last remaining and acts as a gathering point and meeting place for the surviving Matoran. The problem is thats its beginning to fail, succumbing to the damage. A charge that should last for a year now only lasts for a few days, meaning regular trips have become a necessity. And since frequent gatherings of Matoran mean regular attacks from the rotters, the whole station has been fortified as best it can be. Station U is one of the few places that could be considered safe, even if thats a relative term these days.

Storage
This storage room was never used, lying as it does right at the bottom of the building, and was empty when the survivors found it. Nowadays Storage Z is used to keep useful stuff the survivors manage to scavenge, so is littered with the broken carcasses of vehicles and machinery, crates of gathered lightstones, spare Kanohi and rusted up tools. It has become part machine shop and part infirmary.

Station
A terrible prophecy of what will eventually happen to Station U, this station failed not long after the initial swarming of the rotters. It is, however, the highest point the survivors managed to set up defences in, so Station S is a good resting place for those scavenging in the infested upper levels.

Abandoned Tunnel
On Level V an attempt was made to try and reach the outside world and escape the Coliseum by tunnelling through to the Archives. It was decided however, that breaching the quarantine might let both the rotters and the plague into the Archives were it could fester potentially forever. So all work on extended the tunnel was forcefully stopped. It almost drove a schism between the survivors then and continues to be divisive even now.



The Enemy
The creatures created by the plague have been dubbed 'rotters' by the survivors in the Coliseum. It makes them sound less of a person and slightly comical, which makes it easier to psychologically deal with when there a horde of them chasing you for your delicious flesh. They can be any species, but all share one thing: they're dead. So they don't feel pain. Or weariness. Or compassion. Just endless yearning hunger for living matter, armour or organics. It seems to sustain them and hold the rotting that gives them their name at bay.
After many attempts at finding weaknesses it has been concluded they don't seem to have one. They appear to hunt during smell and hearing so aren't hampered by their eyes rotting away, they can push their muscles beyond normal limits so they're far stronger than any Matoran, decapitation just annoys them…your best option is to run and hope you can stay ahead of something that can sniff you out of any hiding place and will never ever get tired.



Profiles
Name:
Tribe:
Gender:
Appearance:
Tools:
Personality:
History:

Name:- No canon names, please, and try to keep it Bionicle-y.
Tribe:- While you can't be anything but a Matoran, you can choose whichever kind of Matoran you like, from the classics like Fire to newer ones like Psionics or even a custom tribe not seen before. Oh, and no, I'm afraid you can't be one of the zombies.
Gender:- Kind of obvious. Swaying from canon though, you can be any species from any tribe, so a female Ta-Matoran or male Ga-Matoran etc.
Appearance:- Include details like what shape Kanohi they wear, which Matoran body type they have, coloration and so on.
Tools:- Most equipment is scavenged and often run down. Try to keep it as stuff you would realistically find in what is essentially a giant janitor's closet.
Personality:- Rather self-explanatory. Try to give a bit of detail not just a couple of words.
History:- Their backstory, what they did before being trapped, how they came to be there etc.

Note, there is currently no limit on how many characters you have, but try not to bite off more than you can chew



Rules

• Obviously regular BZP rules apply.
• Do not god-mode. This includes pulling super attacks from nowhere, killing enemy NPCs by the dozens, or going all deus ex machine. If you see someone god-mode just tell a staff, don't god-mode back at them.
• Do not control another player's character without their permission. Don't go killing them without permission either.
• This is a Text-Based RPG, so to join in you post what is basically a miniature story for what is currently happening to your character. You use IC to denote when you are posting In Character and OOC to denote when you're Out Of Character. For example:
• IC: NewMatoran placed his back against the door, wedging it shut against the horde on the other side.
• OOC: Could I get a little help here?
• Try to keep a fair standard of spelling and grammar, since other people need to understand what you're writing.
• Try to keep things as realistic as is possible in an RPG about biomechanical beings fighting zombies. No silliness like a guy tickling his enemies to death.

A Thanks
To you, the RPing community, who make it possible for me to foist these ideas of mine on you like the snake-oil salesman that I am.

[Kryzath]

Intro

The pressurized doors closed behind Raijavik as he entered, and the entire lift shook as it was unhinged from its uppermost anchor with a hiss and a lurch. All around him, the calm voice of a pre-recorded Ga-Matoran lift operator only served to irritate him, rather than calm him down as it was supposed to. "The City of Onu-Metru would like to remind you that they are not responsible for any injuries that may occur due to visiting the Archives. Please stay seated until you have reached the station, and keep away from the doors at all times. Thank you." Raijavik groaned in annoyance. The Archivists must have used these lifts how many times a day? The safety regulations were unnecessary and only served to waste time. To his relief, however, the lift doors shut, and it began descending below the Onu-Koro Mines. Within a few minutes, he could see the top of the cavern that served as the barrier between the empty space that contained Metru Nui's own mechanical "cavern," and the myriad of other lifts that connected the two islands. He was broken away from his view by a sharp shudder, and the slowing of the lift. When the lift returned to its previous speed moments after, he dismissed it as a rogue air current, and returned to his thoughts. Fifteen minutes later, he was once again jerked out of his thoughts by the lift slowing to a halt, and the lights in the tunnel blinking out, with the only source of lighting being the lightstones embedded in the Nui Cavern ceiling.

All around him, other lifts also experienced the same light failure. Below him, the protodermic tube pinched off, and the semi-permeable dome that cut off Metru Nui from the Nui Cavern became hard and rigid, and mechanical plates locked into place with a loud crunch, sealing off both the city, and the passengers stuck between the two islands from the outside world. For a moment, there was silence. And then the walls of the cavern shook, and then burst with a mighty explosion. Before his eyes, Raijavik looked on in shock as wave after wave of mutagen water rushed into the cavern, devastating all in its path. The walls of Metru Nui held under the onslaught, but the lift passengers weren't as lucky. The protodermic tubing collapsed out of existence, and he could only look on in shock as his lift fell into the waters, disintegrating on contact.

Summary

After The Flood

Five thousand years ago, the empty space between the crust of Aqua Magna and the subterranean dome of Metru Nui flooded with Mutagen from the waters of the planet above. Because of the mechanical dome the Matoran constructed that surrounds the city of Metru Nui, the island was spared from the horrible waters that cut them off from their brothers and sisters on the surface. Since that day, the waters have receded somewhat, but the cavern is still too full of mutagen to safely open up the walls around the city. In addition, the other caverns have shut themselves off from the City of Legends, ridding them of the small amount of mutagen that entered their domes by pumping it outside of the dirt walls that make up the underground caverns of Aqua Magna. If only the Metruan could follow their lead, but they are so trapped by the waters that leaving the city is an impossible dream let alone trying to build some sort of pumping station. To make matters worse, the mechanical panels that make up the walls of our city have started to rust and corrode due to the flooding and the pressure. The leaks are mostly harmless, but without the influx of protosteel from Xia, repair efforts are at a standstill, and it would make more sense to try and escape this tomb while possible, rather than stay and live here forever, trapped by the very walls that protect us. Supplies are beginning to run low as well. Some of the panels over by Ga-Metru have begun to rust and leak, sending a stream of mutagenic waters down into the Protodermis Canals. As a result, the production of Ta-Metru has slowed to a halt without any useable source of protodermis, so masks, disks, and other supplies are unable to be created, and supplies are being pulled out of reserves, for however long that lasts.

Present Time

It has been unanimously decided between the citizens of Metru Nui that some form of escape needs to occur. Of course, no consensus can be made on just how everyone will escape. Suggestions that have been tossed around include building some form of submersible transport to get through the Great Barrier with. Others suggest simply rebuilding the panels to last and contact the outside world and wait for rescue. One of the more desperate suggestions was to try and repair the lifts to break through the walls with some large lift to get everyone out in one swift movement. The only thing everyone can agree on is that time is running out at an alarming rate. As the chances of rescue grow slimmer, the populations desperation grows larger. Being trapped will tend to do that to you. Whatever you do, just stay safe.

Game Info

Mutagen/Mutagenic Protodermis
Mutagen naturally exists inside the crust of Aqua Magna in caverns, similar to how Metru Nui does. The Nui Cavern shares a wall with a rather large Mutagen cavern, which was directly responsible for the flood five thousand years previously. Mutagen has been known to react strangely with Protodermis, and each state of Mutagenic Protodermis is vastly different from both their main components.

Every type of Mutagen can be purified, but there's a catch. Most of the purification methods require a large amount of either energy, or innovation. Any supplies you use to cure the Protodermis will take away from the usable materials for an escape attempt, and vice versa. On the bright side, there are other potential methods of purification, that haven't been tried. Whether you want to risk experimenting on materials is up to you.

Solid Mutagen
This type of Mutagen is usually found in Po- and Onu-Metru, although some have claimed that it exists in Ko-Metru as well. In this state, the Mutagen will corrode the small bit of pure Protodermis still left inside the solid, turning it fully into Solid Mutagen. Lacking the stability of the Protodermis, the Mutagen will usually crumble, making it useless for creating supplies and tools. The process is reversible, but only through a great deal of energy.

Liquid Mutagen
This is one of Ga-Metru's prime imports and exports. Because of the leakage coming from the Ga-Metru section of wall, Mutagen has leaked into the waters around Metru Nui and polluted much of the clean drinking water that most of the city relied on. Sometimes, if the temperatures in Ko-Metru are warm enough, you can spot some Liquid Mutagen a brief second before it gets frozen again.

Molten Mutagen
One of the stranger off-types of Liquid Mutagen, Molten Mutagen exists close to the outskirts of Ta-Metru, where much of the heat from the Great Furnace is unable to reach, and where the Mutagen isn't affected by the extreme temperatures. Molten Protodermis used to supply the various Energy Feeding Points throughout all the Metru, but many fear that this has also been contaminated, and take their chances with the biologic method of energy consumption instead.

Frozen Mutagen
Only found in Ko-Metru, Frozen Mutagen is a result of the frigid temperatures freezing Liquid Mutagen. For all intents and purposes, it's considered a form of Liquid Mutagen, due to it lacking the corrosive properties that Solid Mutagen has. The pure amounts of Protodermis are still inside the Frozen Mutagen, although trying to heat it up and drink it is still out of the question.

Gaseous Mutagen
Spawned from a combination of sublimated Solid Mutagen, and experimental vapors from the Moto-Hub, Gaseous Mutagen is found in large quantities in Le-Metru. Common agreement is that it's mostly harmless, but no Metruan has stuck around long enough to test that theory. Unlike the other types of Mutagen, a purification method hasn't been found. Some Le-Matoran have suggested using a Poison Removal Kanoka, but no one has quite worked out how to shoot a disk at a gaseous cloud yet.

(Important note here, this game does not take place in Mata Nui's body. All locations are instead underground Aqua Magna, except for the island of Mata Nui.)

Luckily for you, your job is to escape the city in one peace. Or not, it's your choice if you just want to continue living in the City until the inevitable day when the walls collapse, and the entire city floods under Mutagen. Unfortunately for you, Metru Nui is the worst possible place in the Universe to be right now. On one hand, you have the Mutagenic waters surrounding the City, waiting to gain entrance and flood the entire dome. On the other hand, you have some of the widest variety of characters in the entire Underworld, and not all of them are safe, or comfortable about being trapped like a rat. Metru Nui is about as half as big as Mata Nui, not like that helps you any. Isolation makes people do crazy things, and power and insanity do not mix well. Warlords spring up from time to time, attempting to bring the Metru under their control, sometimes even outright lying to gain devoted followers. It's insane, but hey, desperation makes you do crazy things. Good news is, if you choose to escape, all you have to do is get past the walls somehow safe, and you're home free.

Locations

Well, not exactly. Known Metruan knowledge only extends about 1 kio outward from the walls around Metru Nui. The ancient computerized systems in the city were designed to warn if anything came within that radius, but the last known warning was around 2,500 years ago, when a portion of the seabed above the Nui Cavern collapsed inward. Some people suggest that the Coliseum houses ancient machinery that could strengthen the walls, but others have dismissed it as a wild goose chase, believing that the risks of going there far outweigh any possible reward that they would find. Some don't even believe that there's anything left, and suggest trying to breach the Nui Cavern gates to go south into the Underworld, to Karzahni and beyond.

Here's your map of the Wall. It runs from top to bottom, coded by district, and by individual panel. Functioning panels will be colored white, leaking panels will be colored brown, and broken panels will be colored black. At the start, the bottommost panels in Ga-Metru are leaking, and Mutagen pools close to the leaks, or moves close to the Metru with the currents, sometimes getting into the Protodermis Canals. Po-Metru and Onu-Metru contain Solid Mutagenic Protodermis, but the panels in those districts are functioning properly.

Mata Nui
Mata Nui was home to all of the artisans, entertainers, athletes, and other "common folk." Most species used to spend their lives here either in comfort, or trying to find some way to get into the City of Legends. All that changed after the flood. Mata Nui hasn't been contacted since the flood, and many in the Underworld believe that the Surface has simply given up on them and went back to their lives. One of the more outrageous opinions is that the island above was also devastated by a flood, and that escape to the surface would be pointless.

The Underworld
Metru Nui
The City of Legends exists now only as an isolated bubble in a mutagenic sea. With the mechanical panels that make up the Walls of Metru Nui failing, the entire city is at risk for streams of mutagen occasionally leaking through and flooding. At the moment, the largest reported stream is only about as big around as a kanoka disk, so the flooding isn't too bad. The panels do occasionally re-align and shut themselves, but the damage is already done by the time this occurs.
The City used to be an island reserved for the rich or talented, but everyone from all walks of life ended up trapped when the Flood occurred. At the moment, the population of Metru Nui (citizens and refugees alike) is estimated to be more then 50,000.

Coliseum
Because of the old lifts that used to run directly into the building, the panels above the Coliseum are the weakest, and so this area has been subject to the worst flooding in the entire city. The area between the Coliseum and the Metru is entirely flooded, although bridges and chutes remain above the water. Good luck if you do try using those. From what it looks like, the entire place looks unstable. If anything that could help the city is there, it's probably been flooded or destroyed already. But, it is the end of the world after all. Couldn't hurt to take a look, right?

Ta-Metru
The District of Fire has changed the most, but also the least. The small trickle of Mutagen that did end up in the Molten Protodermis reacted badly, and now the Mutagenic Protodermis, as it has been dubbed, behaves in a manner strangely similar to Energized Protodermis. You can either become mutated, or you get destroyed. A poor Matoran was lava-surfing one day, and fell into the Mutagenic Protodermis. His armor melted off, began to "heal" into some grotesque mockery of armor, and then melted again to continue the cycle. The counteraction to this effect is extreme heat, so Mutagenic Protodermis is really only found on the outskirts of the district, where the protodermis is far away from the center, and has usually lost most of its heat.

The Great Furnace has seen an explosion of activity. After it was discovered that no Mutagenic Protodermis could exist near the Great Furnace, large makeshift camps were set up here, with residents numbering in the thousands or more. Other residents aren't so lucky, and are forced into old mask-maker’s forges, which are still susceptible to containing Mutagen.

Ga-Metru
Almost 25% of the Water District has been contaminated, and with it went nearly the entire hope of the city. The Protodermis Canals were designed to be the lifeblood of the city, and with their exposure to Mutagen, they’ve infested nearly every available source of liquid protodermis that could have been usable. The old Protodermis Labs still function, although the sheer volume of Mutagenic Protodermis is so large, that any purification efforts barely make a scratch of progress.

The Great Temple lies in ruins. The strip of land that used to connect it to the mainland has sunk into the sea, and no one wants to waste their precious time or supplies to go and repair it.

Le-Metru
The District of Air has suffered the worst out of all the Metru. All of the amazing things that the Le-Matoran built have been taken apart and used for scrap supplies, if possible. Chute technology, vehicles, parts of buildings, nothing is safe from salvagers. With many important pieces of machinery being stolen from Chute stations, the protodermic chutes are starting to merge together with other chutes that either cross their path, or simply exist near them. Things like this make The Notch look like an empty chute station. And that’s only if you’re really lucky. Other times, the chute will cut off and leave you hurtling down onto the streets of Metru Nui, often with no warning.

The Moto Hub is still standing, as it was built to withstand all manner of crash or explosion. The chutes that connect it to the rest of the city weren’t so lucky. They’ve either fallen apart, or have been “salvaged”, leaving the Moto-Hub isolated from the rest of the city except from the ground level or via aerial transport.

Po-Metru
The District of Stone has almost shut down due to the leaks. Mutagenic Protodermis has infested a good portion of the useable stone around the Metru, leaving it with an almost mud-like quality, unusable for sculpting. The Sculpture Fields have been shut down, and the Protodermis Warehouses have been locked up to hopefully try and keep a portion of useable materials safe in case all of the stone in Po-Metru becomes tainted. The Assemblers Village has been abandoned, and many Metruan try to stay close to the other Metru, in case the entire District becomes inhospitable to sculptors and other artisans.

The Canyon of Unending Whispers has become even more frightening. Possibly the only thing stranger then hearing your footsteps echo off the rock walls for miles, is the absolute silence that replaces it. No sound travels naturally here, and the only things that break the eternal silence are the voices of explorers or the rush of rocks tumbling down into the Canyon.

Onu-Metru
Composed entirely of natural earth, the District of Earth experienced conditions similar to what Po-Metru felt, but not as costly to them. The majority of the Metru continues on with everyday life, although there’s not much point to mining or managing the Archives when the threat of death looms over your head at every moment. Common law in Onu-Metru dictates that all mining is to be done aboveground, to ensure that no accidental Mutagenic Protodermis leaks into the City and floods the mines. Because of this, much of the skyline has been brought down in elevation, and only Metruan buildings like the Archives and other Homes stretch into the sky.

The Lightstone Mines were the first loss after the Flood. Because of the unique way that they were dug, the flooding was easily containable, and the Mines were sealed off by heavy chamber locks. It’s still possible to look through the metal doors, and the interior of the mines looks like an underground water world, tinted gold by the color of the lightstones.

Ko-Metru
The District of Ice stands tall and proud over the Metru Nui skyline, or at least it used to. Today, Knowledge Towers have fallen over and scraped the sides of the walls, and the freezing cold turns the Mutagen into solid chunks that come rushing down to pelt anything in their path. On some days, these chunks might be unusually large, and take out a section of a Knowledge Tower.

The Towers of Thought that used to cluster around the center of the Metru now lie in shatters on the ground, dumping thousands of years of delicate equipment, research, and other experiments onto the frozen wasteland. The Ko-Metru Hideaway has also been devastated by the Frozen Mutagenic Protodermis, and has been turned into a large, inhospitable crater.

Other Locations
According to known information from over 3,000 years ago, the Great Barrier flooded, and might not even lead up to Mata Nui anymore. It's worth a shot, if you choose to try.

The Sea Gates have been closed and barricaded by the other domes since the Flood. If you wanted to, you could take a page out of Xia's book and build a pumping station to pump all the excess water either out of the Cavern, or out to the Surface.

Organization
One of the notable aspects of this RPG is the lack of defined organization at the beginning. Players are all Metruan, and no defined villains and heroes are present. Players are free to start their own organization, provided it is approved by a Game Host. These organizations can be anything, from a escape group, to a warlord's followers, to even a simple salvager party.

Profile Format
Name: As always, no real world names and the like. You should all know this by now.
Gender: Male, Female, Genderless.
Species: Any species is from the Matoran Universe is allowed. If you're using a custom species, list it in your profile and wait for a Game Host to approve it.
Appearance: What your player’s going to look like. Feel free to put as much or as little detail as you feel comfortable with.
Tools: What you have on you, like Kanohi, Kanoka, Weapons, etc.
Powers: What are you capable of? Elemental, Vision Powers, whatever.
Personality: A short summary of how your character acts, why he is that way, what makes them tick, etc. Short, mind you.
Mutations: This section is entirely optional. Feel free to have a mutation, but don't make it overpowered.
Organization: What's your place in this world? Are you simply trapped and trying to escape? By yourself or with others? Or are you going to take advantage of this chaos and carve out a name for yourself?
Biography: What was your life like? Explain what happened to make you get here. Feel free to be as creative as you want. It is another world, after all.

Rules and Consequences

Rules
1. All BZP rules apply, obviously.
2. No God-Mods. It’s no fun, and it ticks off other people.
3. Three characters is the limit. I seriously doubt you’ll need more than this.
4. Have fun! If you can’t think of something to do, go invent something, it’s a big island after all.
5. It’s the end of the world, so why not go out with a bang?
6. Silliness is ok, in light doses. You all should know what I’m talking about. The line between funny and annoying is a thin one.
7. Rule-breaking is frowned upon, and has consequences. If you can’t play by the rules, you don’t get to play at all.
8. One more thing, don’t control other people’s characters without their permission. Letting another character land a damaging hit on you is one thing, but straight up control falls under god-modding.
9. Profiles, Discussion, and the Game each have their own topic. Try to keep it that way, mmkai?
10. Ten's a nice round number.

Consequences
First Time- Warning
It was probably an accident, so this time you get a slap on the wrist. Metaphorically, though. I'm not going to walk all the way to your house to slap you on the wrist.
Second Time- Light Punishment
Just your luck, you've run into some Mutagen. You're healthy, so you should recover.
Third Time- Medium Punishment
This time you'll be subject to a serious mutation. Maybe you'll grow a squid leg, or maybe your mask will melt away. Who know?
Fourth Time- Heavy Punishment
Serious injuries will occur. You'll be teetering on the brink of death. You should recover, but there might be some permanent side effects.
Final Time- Death/Banning
You've had five chances, so there should be no excuses. Your character will die, and you will be banned if this happens to numerous characters.

Endgame
There's more than one way to "win" this. But, that'll be left up to the characters actions, and not everyone may share the same ending. Some of you might escape, others might die, we don't know. That's up to the players to decide.
Have fun. -Av

[Zakar0%]

When the heart dims

The brink will break

The gate will fall

And light will rise again

Plunged into Shadow

3075 A.R. (After Reformation), 1^st Month of Water
Location: Onu-Nui, Chronicler’s Building

Much has happened since the last time this Wall of History was written on. First, the Gates of Onua, the only exit to the caverns the city is in, were closed by a mysterious force, which is still unknown. Then, more and more reports of reptilian figures in the Deep Warrens came in. Worst, the city’s Lightstone Heart has considerably dimmed, having night-time levels in the day hours, and it almost goes out in the night. I worry for the city…
-Calerix Psiquel, 3^rd Chronicler of Onu-Nui

Overview

About 1000 years after Mata-Nui used the prototype robot to remake Spherus Magna into a paradise, a group of Onu-Matoran and Agori miners led by Toa Onua broke through one of the walls of their mines to find a small cave, dominated by a massive gate. It was made of solid, elemental resistant stone, (Can’t be manipulated by any Stone elemental users) and seemed to resist any sort of movement, whether up, down, or to either side. It was only opened when Onua Nuva, aided by 5 Pakari users, pushed it up with his Pakari Nuva. Beyond was a huge, magnificent cavern, with an enormous lightstone embedded into the ground, a little off-center to the left. The Toa Nuva of Earth, seeing potential in the cave, declared that this was to be a grand city of earth, and christened it ‘Onu-Nui’.

Many years later, the city was thriving. A cave, full of gems and metals, was discovered, along with the entrance to a maze-like system of tunnels. The city itself had been built in a diamond- like pattern, with the huge lightstone at the center. Beings of all species, status, and nature all coexisted relatively peacefully together. But, that was not to last. Somehow, the Gates of Onua, the gates that Onua and the 5 Pakari users had opened, was closed and the Ture Believers of Earth (Called the Onuaian Fanatics by most) refuse to let anyone near them, killing all who tried to get close and cutting off larger groups with earthen walls, using Skrall to dispatch or keep most others away. Worse, more and more people began to disappear from the Deep Warrens, the maze-like caves. Even the ones who made it back safely told tales of reptilian figures stalking them, and only their speed in turning back allowed them to survive. Perhaps worst of all, the Lightstone Heart, which provided most of the city’s precious light, slowly began to dim. Chaos is starting to prevail over order.

This is where you come in.

Preface

Welcome to Plunged into Shadow, where you will be playing a character in the world just described above. Perhaps you will find a way to reopen the Gates as a Skakdi? Or search the Warrens, being a brave Toa? Maybe just living around the city as an Agori merchant. It’s up to you, the player. First, let’s see the locations you’ll be playing in.

Locations

• ‘The Cavern’: The entirety of the RPG’s world, The Cavern consists of Onu-Nui, the Gem Mines, and the Deep Warrens. Not many wild Rahi dwell here, and even tamed ones are scarce.

• Onu-Nui: The first level of The Cavern. The city, also named Onu-Nui, takes up more than 3/4ths of the cave, with only the southeast section being completely bare, other than the Fanatics’ tower. The Lightstone Heart is a bit west of center, with the city built around it. Mainly made

• Onu-Nui(city): The great city Onu-Nui is simply big. The Lightstone Heath rests in the center, with diamond-like patterns spreading outward from there. All types of shops, services and jobs can be found here, with a slight more jewelry shops than a usual city. Subsections are:

• The Tower of Onua: The base of the True Believers, (Onauian Fanatics) this tower actually rests just outside the city, with Fanatics going and coming at all times of day and night.
• Chronicler’s Building: Residence of Calerix Psiquel and the Wall of History. Located on the northern tip of the diamond-like city. Need any type of information or historical knowledge, simply go here.
• New Atero Government Building: Main seat of government of Onu-Nui. Situated just to the northwest of the central square, and is the base of Atero’s Knights. Beings such as Mayor Rodikus work here, and attempt to keep the city functioning and in contact, though the latter had been lost…
• Base of ‘Grey Beings’: It’s somewhere, hidden in the city. No-one other than Grey Being themselves actually knows its exact position.

• Gem Mines: A long, low-ceilinged cave that runs southwest below the city. 2^nd level of The Cavern. Still filled with gems, though the amount has decreased dramatically. Entrance is located on the eastern wall, and is guarded by an outpost of Atero’s Knights.

• Deep Warrens: 3^rd level of The Cavern. Mainly twisting, turning, splitting, and combining tunnels, most ending in dead ends. The only known large cave is the entrance hall, which connects to the Gem Mines. But, there have been rumors of there being a camp of unknown beings somewhere down there, along with a tomb of a great Toa.

Factions

• Areto’s Knights: Governing body of Sphreus Magna. This section runs the city, and they have the most power among the people. Mainly composed of Toa, though Matoran, Glatorian, Agori and Vortixx are abundant as well. This section of the Knights is lead by Mayor Rodikus.

• True Believers (Onuaian Fanatics): Created and lead by Onuoro, they believe that when Onua declared Onu-Nui to be a great city of earth, he meant that only beings of earth were meant to be in it. They attempt to remove all beings that are not of earth or not elementally affiliated to make it a true city of earth. Onuoro is ruthless and is willing to use any tactics necessary to achieve his goals. Only Onu-Toa, Onu-Matoran, Onu-Skakdi, Skrall and non-elementally affiliated beings are allowed to be in it.

• Grey Beings: The Dark Hunters of Onu-Nui, they strive to simply gain as much wealth as possible and will do any job to get it. Led b a being only known as ‘The Grey One’, they frequently wear a grey mask over their face when completing a task. All species can be part of it.

Rules

• All BZP rules still apply.
• Don’t God-moderator. It’s just not fun for anyone.
• Use IC for in character, and OOC for out of character.

EX.

IC: Toaguy (Herethere)

Toaguy carefully glanced around, surveying his surroundings.

OOC: Anyone want to pop in?

• No bunnying. It’s their character, not yours.
• Attempt to use good grammer. It’s easier to read.
• Humor can be fun, but we’re not in the Comedies Fourm. Keep it to a minimum.
• And, of course, Have FUN!

You’ve only got 5 strikes.

1^st time breaking the rules, you get a warning, it might be in the dissucssion topis or by PM.

2^nd time, one character has something bad happen to them. They might be imprisoned, or get lost in the Deep Warrens. With things after them. Now might be the time to step back, and reread the rules.

3^rd time, you’re getting on my nerves. One character is either killed or seriously hurt. Think about what you’re doing wrong before jumping back in.

4^th time, all characters but one die, and the last is seriously hurt. Time to shape up.

5^th time, I’ve had it. All characters die, and you are expelled from the RPG.

GameMasters:

Zakaro

iBrow

Character creation:

At last, it’s time to make a character. Simply fill out this form:

Name: (Bionicle-like. No Bob, or Lewa36. Stay away from the canon ones as well.)
Species: (Toa, Matoran, Skakdi, and Glatorian are just a few of the many to choose from. No Makuta. Custom are allowed.)
Gender: (Male, Female or something else.)
Appearance: (Detail. Lots of it, or a picture.)
Faction: (3 to choose from, or Neutral.)
Equipment: (All the stuff your character carries around. Mask, weapons, and all that stuff included. Mask power goes here.)
Power: (Element for Toa, and anything else your character can use. No shadow or light.)
Personality: (How they act. Be detailed here, more than ‘Happy. Always joking and fun to be around.’)
Biography: (Everyone has a history. Try to aim for at least 50 words.)

Blank Form:

Name:
Species:
Gender:
Appearance:
Faction:
Equipment:
Power:
Personality:
Biography:

NPC profiles:

Zakaro

Name: Mayor Rodikus
Species: Vortixx
Gender: Male
Appearance: Tall, even for a Vortixx. Is dark-green skinned with bronze armor. Handsome, but not extremely so. Blood-red eyes with a lighter red heartlight.
Faction: Atero’s Knights
Equipment: Satchel filled with paperwork, along with a Rhotuka spinner launcher.
Power: His Rhotukas are like a hard punch, they knock you back and hit hard.
Personality: He is a politician, and always will be. He can weave words with the best of them, and forever has an answer to any question. Clever as well, he runs the city fairly but sternly.
Biography: He has always been part of Onu-Nui, and it seems like he will be forever. He was one of the first people to live there, and has guided and led the city since it was just a village. He’s lived through a lot, and so has a lot of experience to rely upon.

Name: Calerix Psiquel
Species: Matoran of Psionics
Gender: Female
Appearance: Mainly blue with purple armor and golden highlights. Has a few scars on her right arm, and has lime eyes and heartlight.
Faction: Atero’s Knights
Equipment: Powerless purple Faxon, along with Chronicler’s Staff.
Power: None.
Personality: She’s a socialite, always hooked into the latest news and rumors of the city, although she ignores gossip. Calerix always helpful and easy to talk to, and is one of the few beings that can find any certain event on the Wall of History. She’s only in her house ‘bout half the time, as she’s often running around gathering information.
Biography: Calerix is one of the newest Matoran, having been made in the year 2496 A.R. After learning about the world, she decided to check out Onu-Nui, it being one of the only underground cities. She was soon apprenticed to the current Chronicler, and took over the job in the year 2850 A.R. when he decided to retire.

Name: Onuoro
Species: Toa of Earth
Gender: Male
Appearance: Armor stylized to be as close to Onua Nuva’s as possible, with a Pakari painted to look more like a Pakari Nuva. Grey legs and arms, black in all other places.
Faction: Ture Believers (Onuaian Fanatics)
Equipment: Pakari, along with chainsaw like weapons made to look like (you guessed it,) Onua’s.
Power: Earth, Strength
Personality: Very stern, if you disobey he has you put on an almost suicidal mission, unless the disobedience helped the Believers. Slightly crazy, and has a very sharp temper.
Biography: Currently unknown, though he’s hinted toward being there for a long time. Very unwilling to talk about it.

Name: Unknown. Known as ‘The Grey One.’
Species: Unknown.
Gender: Unknown, most likely male.
Appearance: When this being is seen, they’re always enclosed in an entirely grey exo-suit, leaving no features visible.
Faction: Grey Beings
Equipment: Full extent unknown, but has used many different weapons in the past. Probably has a huge cache to choose from.
Power: Unknown, only example is of using their hand to turn a person into a grey statue.
Personality: Purely professional, unknown for the true attributes.
Biography: Unknown.

iBrow

Name: Vertak
Species: Matoran of Gravity
Gender: Male
Appearance: Like this
Faction: Neutral
Equipment: Vertak possesses his Kanohi Volitak that he is able to use, one dagger, a round shield attached to his back, two strange jewels (one red, one blue) and a large sword that seems to mysteriously swap between a mostly gold coloring and a mostly black coloring.
Power: Vertak himself is able to control the element of gravity. However, it is also suspected by many that his sword has powers as well; the golden side have unknown powers of light, and the black side having unknown powers of shadow. Nobody can guess what the jewels might be able to do.
Personality: Vertak is often secretive even with those that rank above him. In addition to that, it can be hard to earn his trust, and he can be reckless in the sight of danger. However, he has also been known to be very serious and quiet most of the time, and occasionally mocking.
Biography: Nobody truly knows about Vertak's past. If someone were from Metru-Nui they might vaguely recognize him, and if a Dark Hunter was lucky enough to work alongside Vertak during his time there (or be sent on the hunt for him after his defection), they too might know the Matoran. But other than that, Vertak's past is his own, and he will share it with nobody. However, Vertak has been noted to be seemingly unworried about the predicament with Onu-Nui, instead referring to something else entirely that has "gone dormant".

And so, have fun and enjoy the game.
Zakaro

Edited by Bounce goes Zakaro!, Sep 15 2012 - 05:19 PM.

[The Lorax]

City in the Dark

The city of Katipo lies buried in the bedrock of the Southern Continent. It is shielded from the outside world by a network of grand caverns and tunnels, known as Mangaia, an old Matoran word meaning “Protector”. In fact, the inhabitants have become so shielded that they have lost almost all connections to the outside world. It is very rare for beings to enter or leave. The last team of brave adventurers to set out from the city returned two months ago after trading with the surface-dwellers, but they seem to have brought more than merchandise back with them.

Trouble is stirring in the city. It began with the area’s rahi. They were acting strangely. It was hardly enough to worry about, until a heard of blade burrowers stampeded through a housing block, trampling two Matoran. Since then, more and more rahi-related incidents have occurred. Some rahi were spotted that no-one had heard of before. Odd mutants displaying baffling powers occasionally emerged from the surrounding darkness, frequently attacking citizens before retreating into the shadows. The best-known occasion was when a Muaka with the head of a Kane-Ra ran down one of the main streets while causing everything it touched to shrink to half its size. The beast was cornered by the city guard and captured, though nobody knew what to do with it after that, so it has remained in captivity.

Even more disturbing, some beings have seemingly vanished, and chief among them is the leader of the last expedition out of Katipo. None of them have left any indications of where they went, or why. Citizens are growing nervous, however. Clearly, there are forces beyond simple rahi at work here.

The leader of Katipo, Turaga Maru, has offered a great reward to any being who can solve the mystery behind the events and put an end the disappearances and the unnatural wildlife that has come to the City in the Dark.


About the Game

City in the Dark is an invitation for you, the player, to probe the mysteries of the darkness. What you seek is out there, but knowledge is not all you might find. Danger, power, hope and despair can all be found among the shadows, but which you find is up to you. Do you dare to explore? You may be surprised by what you discover.
If solving mysteries is not your thing, then there are plenty more things for you to do within the world of this game. Keep reading.


About Katipo

Layout

Katipo exists many kio below the surface of the Southern Continent, in a massive cavern 100 bio in height called Mangaia. The city and its 2,000 inhabitants take up most of the space in Mangaia.

There are other, much smaller, caves and tunnels leading away from Mangaia. These used to house beings when the main city was still under construction, but have long since been abandoned in favour of the main city. Only rahi, exiles and the mad live in the Outer Darkness.

Katipo sits on top of the largest mine on the Southern Continent. It provides much of the universe with ores, stone, lightstones and many other goods. The mine forms the cornerstone of Katipo’s economy.

The city itself is circular, with 24 main streets leading radially out from a central point, the Central Concourse. Curved cross streets run in circles around the city, joining these main passageways. It was this shape that led some outsiders to refer to the city as “The Web”.

The Central Concourse contains all the most important buildings in Katipo, such as Turaga Maru’s hall, the largest markets in the city and the headquarters of organisations like the Katipo City Guard and the Miners’ Federation.

In addition the city is two-tiered. While half of Katipo lies on the floor of the cavern as in most cities, there is a mirror image second city carved out of the cavern’s roof. In the world above, the streets are made of (very thick and strong) glass to allow both levels to see each other. The two levels are connected by elevators, placed on every second junction between the radial and circular main streets.
The entire place is lit by a myriad of different coloured lightstone lanterns. These are hung regularly along all the streets and inside buildings, so when looking down from the top tier of up from the bottom, the city looks like it has been sprinkled with glitter.

Time Period

The events of this RPG will take place around 5,000 years Before the Great Cataclysm (BGC)

Government

Katipo is led by Turaga Maru and the City Guard. Together, it is their responsibility to ensure the safety of all the beings living in Katipo.

Inhabitants

The residents of Katipo are a diverse group, species-wise. Matoran and the most common, but there are also a good number of toa in the city, with other beings such as Vortixx, Steltians, Hydraxon’s, Tobduk’s and Trinuma’s species and even a few Skakdi.

Technology

While not quite at Metru Nui’s level of advanced technology, Katipo’s mineral wealth has allowed it to trade with other lands for some pretty good tech. Kanoka disks are present here (though not as ubiquitous as in Metru Nui). Most of the more advanced tech here is involved in the mines; I’m talking big vehicles, drilling machines and dynamite – things that make ussal crab carts look horribly out of date.


Factions:

Katipo City Guard

Really, there’s not a lot to say that isn’t implicit in the name. About 50 strong, the Guard is there to keep everyone in the city safe, whether from rahi, criminals, cave-ins or anything else that might pose a threat.

Leadership: Technically, the guard answers to Turaga Maru, but the day-to-day operations are all taken care of by a being named Turano, the Head of the Guard.

Base: Guard HQ is located on the Central Concourse, near the southwest corner. It is one of the largest structures there, standing three floors above “ground”, and three more below.

Symbol: A black stone shield on a red background

Other info: All members of the guard carry a badge with the Guard’s insignia to identify themselves. These allow access to secure location within the city, such as Guard HQ.
All Guard members are equipped with a shield and spear, but many choose to use their own equipment as well or instead of these.

Miners’ Federation

The mines below and around Katipo are not governed by the city’s leaders, but by their own independent body – the Miners’ Federation. This group negotiates trade of minerals with other settlements, prospects new areas and employs everyone who works in the mines. As the economic powerhouse of the region, the Federation holds huge influence within Katipo, because almost everybody depends on them one way or another.

Leadership: The Miners’ Federation uses a hierarchy of authority, accounting for the simplest worker digging holes up to the beings who coordinate the whole operation. The top level consists of a dozen beings who together form a ruling council. It should be noted that there is little unity within this council, and there is great contention among them over many issues. Really, the only reason any of them tolerate the others is that nobody has enough power to rule on their own. It’s a cutthroat world at the top of big business.

Base: The headquarters of the Miners’ Federation is located at the junction of the Central Concourse and the main street running north. It is a large building, taking up the entire city block. It is constantly bustling with activity as beings hurry to and fro, carrying information in and out, whether they be profit reports, requests for more drills or orders to excavate a new tunnel.

Symbol: A pickaxe in front of a stack of golden ingots.

Other Information: Most of the richest beings in Katipo belong to the Federation. The average workers lower down aren’t too badly off, but the further up the chain you go, the more affluent beings you find. The guys at the top are filthy-stinking-rich.

The Hammer

In these difficult times, fear and uncertainty is rife within the population, serving to inflame old rivalries and conflicts. The guard is stretched thin, trying to deal with rahi attacks, investigate disappearances and maintain order in Katipo. This combination of misfortunes is horrifying for many, it is a perfect opportunity for the unscrupulous.

The Hammer is a newly emerging faction, which has only appeared since the rahi attacks began. It is composed of many different individuals who have little in common other than the desire to use the city’s troubles for their own benefit. This newly formed gang has congealed under the leadership of a being calling himself Bo-Kal. So far, they have been performing raids on various locations within the city, stealing, destroying and assaulting citizens. They have demanded that Turaga Maru step down as leader of Katipo so that Bo-kal can take his place in a coup.
At this point, the demands have been laughed off and rejected, but as the attacks become more frequent and more violent, it remains to be seen whether the Guard can face enemies both within the city and without.
The members of The Hammer are known only to each other, and are careful to keep their identities hidden during their attacks.

Leadership: All members are under the direct authority of Bo-Kal.

Base: The Hammer are known to have a base, but just where it is is not public knowledge. The best guess is that it is somewhere within the top tier of the city, which is less densely inhabited, and where many of The Hammer’s raids have taken place.

Symbol: Having been around only a short time, The Hammer doesn’t have a recognised, official seal. Drawings of hammers are occasionally used, but there is no consensus about what type of hammer, nor how it is drawn.

Make your own.

No really, go ahead. Make your own groups; this is encouraged. I have outlined the major groups in Katipo, but there are many other, smaller groups free for you to design and play. What to form the Katipo Kolhii Klub? Feel free. Hold a city-wide tournament if you feel like it.

More will be revealed later as the plot progresses. If say, a few Dark Hunters turn up, (not that I’m saying they will) players might get to play as them as a reward for good RPing and contribution to the game.


Characters

Characters in this game can be any being living in the city of Katipo. This includes many MU species, so why not branch out and try playing a more unusual race? There are some that are not there, however. These include Makuta and Zyglak, among others.

As with any RPG, there are some canon powers that cannot be used. These include:

• The legendary masks, for obvious reasons.
• The olmak, avohkii, krahkan, olisi and mask of elemental energy, all of which are unique. There are none of these masks in existence other than the ones shown in story the canon.
• The elements of light and shadow.
• The mohtrek, because insta-armies are annoying.
• The mask of undeath, because unkillable zombies are no fun.
• The komau (great mask of bunnying), the sanok (great mask of auto-hitting) and the Mask of Clairvoyance (great mask of meta-gaming) are all off-limits. While it is possible to use these responsibly in an RPG, I’d rather save everyone the trouble of sorting out how they should and shouldn’t be used within good RPing etiquette.
• The mask of conjuring, because it is ridiculously overpowered.

You cannot play as a canon character. Make your own.

Each player can control up to five characters at one time.

Fill out this character profile and submit it for approval. This layout is only a suggestion, so feel free to change the format if you wish.

Name: Make it sound BIONICLE-ish
Species: Something from the MU. Try not to make it overpowered or unlikely that they would live in a place like Katipo.
Gender: Male, Female, unknown, neither, somewhere inbetween.
Element: If applicable to your chosen species.
Kanohi: If applicable to your chosen species. Custom masks are OK if approved.
Group: If any.
Equipment: What do they have with them?
Appearance: What do they look like? A MoC, drawing or description will do.
Biography: About their life.
Personality: What are they like? How do they act?
Skills/Strengths: What are they good at?
Weaknesses: What are they bad at? What hurts them?


Staff characters:

Name: Maru
Species: Turaga
Gender: Male
Element: Earth
Kanohi: Noble Mask of Clairvoyance
Group: Nominal leader of the Katipo City Guard
Equipment: Maru’s badge of office is a long, thin stone staff topped with a bright green jewel. The gem was something Maru acquired during his time as a toa, and can emit a bright light when the holder desires it. If it was any other powers other than its ceremonial importance, they are unknown.
Appearance: Maru is a typical Turaga of earth. Short, hunched and slow but wise and thoughtful. Maru’s armour is black and dark grey, save for his heartlight, which is a dull red.
Biography: Maru gave up his toa power 60,000 years ago after helping to establish the city of Katipo and defeating a gigantic rahi that the first miners disturbed. The humungous beast was sedated and transported to the Metru Nui archives for further study. It later appeared in the Dwellers in Darkness serial. Out of gratitude for his contribution, Turaga Maru was made the leader of the City in the Dark, as has kept the job ever since. He did step on a few toes in his rise to power, however, so not everybody was happy with his appointment.
Personality: What are they like? How do they act?
Skills/Strengths: What are they good at?
Weaknesses: Turaga Maru is a leader, not a fighter, a miner, an athlete or a singer. What he does, he does well, and leaves all those other things to people whose jobs they are.

Name: Turano
Species: Tobduk’s Species
Gender: Male
Element: N/A
Kanohi: Great Faxon
Powers: Turano gains strength from feelings of courage, either from himself or those around him. The more courage is around, the more strength he gets.
Group: Katipo City Guard
Appearance: Turano looks very similar to Tobduk: 10 feet tall, lean, but very muscular. His colour scheme consists of dark blues and greens, whereas Tobduk’s was grey and red.
Biography: Turano has been around Katipo for about as long as anyone. When a few Matoran miners first prospected for gold here, he was one of the soldiers hired to protect them and their workers as they began a new mining venture. As the place grew and then the city was built, he stuck around, adapting to the changes as history progressed. When the Katipo City Guard was formed, he was the obvious choice for its leader, having shown so much dedication to the place in the past. Since then, he has been keeping the streets safe and even led some of the expeditions to the surface world. The last one of these took place just two months past. The rahi started behaving oddly two weeks later, and then three weeks after that, Turano did not turn up to Guard HQ one morning, and has not been seen since. In his absence, his lieutenant has been in charge.
Personality: In keeping with his power, Turano is strong and courageous. He is dependable as a rock, and dedicated to Katipo and its people. When he disappeared, that was when people really got worried. While genuine and likeable, he does have a serious, no-nonsense attitude.
Equipment: Turano carries a long spear as tall as he is as well as a large shield. It is standard guard equipment, scaled up to match his species’ stature.
Skills/Strengths: What are they good at?
Weaknesses: Turano is at his most vulnerable when nobody around him is feeling courageous. Normally, he is surrounded by other members of the guard, so this is not a problem, but in the current circumstances, the city’s population is becoming fearful, and it is cutting into his supply.

Name: Karoro, alias Bo-Kal.
Species: Trinuma’s Species
Gender: Male
Element: N/A
Kanohi: Mahiki
Group: Miners’ Federation and The Hammer
Equipment: Karoro uses the kinetic tools that are characteristic of his species. The secrets of their making and use are closely guarded and only members of his race use them. These tools can emit and manipulate kinetic energy, allowing Karoro to fly, fire bursts of force or manipulate objects to some degree. His main weapon is a protosteel sword, long but thin and decorated with engravings of nui-jaga running over the hilt and up the blade. Finally, he uses a device which channels the energy of weaken kanoka disks into a beam, allowing him to weaken objects or beings. This is particularly useful in the mines, where such devices are used to weaken areas of rock before they are harvested.
Appearance: Imagine Trinuma, but with black armour instead of silver. Change the mask to a mahiki and get rid of the ghostblasters too. There: that’s him. Nine feet tall, horned and muscular, Karoro is physically imposing, even if he isn’t the most handsome being in Katipo.
Biography: Karoro is one of the top-ranking individuals among the city’s miners, and one of the leaders of his species in Katipo. He was one of the people who were most influential in building the area’s mining community, which lead to the city’s foundation. He was tipped by many to become the leader of Katipo, but instead the job went to the newly transformed Turaga Maru. Now, millennia later, his resentment of the Turaga has outgrown his restraint, and he has formed The Hammer in an attempt to seize power for himself.
Personality: Beings who have met Karoro might describe him as charismatic and intelligent, even cunning. This is the image he presents to the world, and as much as most people ever see of him. These traits have served him well in gaining and keeping his influential position in Katipo, but there is more to him. Those who know him well might describe him as unyielding and determined, to the point of ruthlessness, but even they might be surprised by his actions in leading The Hammer. In this context, he shows his true colours as downright vindictive, greedy and domineering.
Skills/Strengths: When he wants to be, Karoro is charismatic and silver-tongued, being able to talk his way into or out of almost any situation. His mind is sharp and swift, which helps with manipulating other people, and keeping his plans one step ahead of everyone else. Finally, he is a master illusionist, being able to use his mask to cast near-flawless images in a variety of situations.
Weaknesses: Karoro is vain, arrogant and greedy. Above all else, he desires power, so he hates situations where he is not in control, or doesn’t know what is happening.


Name: Orde
Species: Toa
Gender: Male
Element: Psionics
Kanohi: Kadin
Group: Katipo City Guard
Appearance: Orde is a tall toa in blue and gold armour, the colours of Psionics. His armour is smooth and sleek, giving the impression of water flowing over his body, but somehow keeping the shape of the tissues beneath. His golden eyes sometimes make him look a little grim, but not mean.
Biography: Orde was never a Matoran. Instead, he was created as a toa by the Great Beings before Mata Nui was launched, one of the first to come into existence. His first assignment was to use his mental powers to calm down the Zyglak, but it didn’t work out as planned. Instead, the Zyglak just got even more vicious and destructive.
Since then, Orde has travelled widely across the universe, protecting groups of Matoran who needed a toa to get them through tough times. On one such journey, he visited Xia, where he acquired his Rhotuka launcher. 10,000 years before the present time, he came to live in Katipo, joining the city’s guard. He doesn’t talk much about the times before he entered the city, but a few other citizens know about his altercation with the Zyglak.
Personality: Orde is brave and strong-willed in the face of adversity, but otherwise tends to be more reclusive and quiet. If he feels that there is something he thinks needs to be said, he will happily say it even give a detailed speech on the topic, but otherwise he is just as happy with his own thoughts for company as conversing with other beings.
Equipment: Orde carries with him the standard spear and shield that identify him as a member of the Katipo Guard. He has a badge that also serves this purpose, and allows him access to Guard HQ and authority in the streets. Finally, he carries a small rhotuka launcher. Its power is to project forcefields where it strikes a target.
Skills/Strengths: One of the first toa created in the Matoran Universe, Orde has been using and refining his psionic powers for longer than almost anyone else. He can read minds with ease, and pick out important memories or information within seconds, often without the targets noticing. Memory modifications are another skill of his. Not only is he good with his powers, but using them has taught him that in almost any circumstances, brains will beat brawn. According to this principle, he will apply knowledge and intelligence to any situation, rather than brute strength.
Weaknesses: Orde most often relies on his mental powers to get him through tough situations, so even with all his experience, he still isn’t the best melee fighter. He has an intense dislike of Zyglak.

Yes, Orde is here for a reason. What is that reason? Is it important to the plot? How does this connect to his other backstory? I’m not telling… yet. Maybe you should go and talk to this character, hint hint.

More to be added as they are revealed.


Rules

All BZP rules apply, obviously.

In general, don’t do anything that detracts from other peoples’ enjoyment of the game. All the usual RPG fallacies fall under this, such as god-modding, meta-gaming, bunnying, auto-hitting and the like. For more on these, see the BZPRPG, where you will find some great descriptions and more details on the subtleties of these.

Use IC and OOC to separate what your character(s) do from you talking.

Do not wreak huge destruction on the city. After all, if you decide to go nova and bring down the cavern, you will squish the entire city and end the game very quickly with the deaths of every character. Nobody wants that. Minor blowing stuff up is all right (so long as you can avoid the Guard and their prison).

Do not kill or injure somebody else’s character without permission. The same goes for (character) life changing events.

GMs have the right to do anything they see fit in the IC world. This includes punishments for rule-breaking and rewards for making positive contributions to the RPG.

[Grantaire]

Some people would fight, others would cry. Some would fly, others would stand.

But, some are neither; there are those who simply sit, emotionless. Is it any surprise that we are all governed by them?

When the world collapses around you, when any year you know it will fall: when tribes with power immense beyond imagining are filled with hatred against one another, there are many reactions taken. Some will try to delay the inevitable. Others, to flee it.

But those behind the scenes, the ones who actually have intellect, they plan. They flee and delay, but with a plan that long outlasts the present.

And so, as countries move to tear each other apart, the race known only as the Great Beings tranquilly create. But perhaps tranquility is only the surface, a mood made to improve the harsh future they forge, and the harsher future their creations must face.

Toa are created as workers. Beings to run, and beings to indwell within what would become fast the hope of the world; the plan beyond the present, and in ways the plan beyond the plan.

But there is more, as these Beings know; all that is rational is unstable, and therefore unstable must stabilize unstable. A balance to the seemingly perfect races they have is found in the element of threat, and so the races of Rahkshi are created, to balance and protect, and in dire necessity, to exterminate.

But all things for these Beings must be tested, and for them, war and desolation is the setting they prefer.

-x-x-x-

As hostility builds up between the tribes of Spherus Magna, the Great Beings are engaged in what they do best: creating. Following their failed creation of a massive robot over 40,000 years ago, they have been plotting an improved form of it, a plan that has been sped up and reshaped in view of the inevitable collapse of the planet.

Unlike the first robot, this creation will be powered by forces generated by living beings, who will dwell within. However, like all their creations, they deem it wise to proceed first with experimenting. With the first thousands of models of the chief species to be used, they have decided to put a check-force into play: Rahkshi. On the surface harmless, armored rahi, they are intended to be a force at the ready for any time that the designated protectors are helpless. So, in light of this duty, the experiment is designed explicitly to see what success they can operate this, and to what success their new creations can resist.

In a massive cavern, the Toa grew into villages and towns, growing in peace. Then, as the Great Beings saw their time running shorter and shorter as hostility built up more and more between the tribes, they abandoned their initial idea of a gradual test, which would have taken hundreds of years. They released hordes of the first Rahkshi, first into the region of stone, then into the others. Taken completely by surprised, the Toa were swept away by the invading hordes of Rahkshi. However, the wave soon became their savior as the prototype Rahkshi, instinctively bred for the hunt, lost whatever central command they had, roaming the lands in bands of between a half dozen and several dozen, with sometimes lone Rahkshi striking out on their own. This came too late for the Toa to repel them, as they too were split into similar sized bands. As they fought back, their weakened power and physical abilities became more and more apparent. The land settled into a sort of deadlock anarchy, with almost constant skirmishes.

Hope seemed to vanish in the drudgery of survival, until one came who only the Great Beings knew of. A mysterious shadowy figure who swept through the land, with Rahkshi and Toa alike fleeing before him, struck with an overriding fear. He built a small tower in the center of the stone region, and little was heard from him.

Then lights began to appear in the roof, sectoring it. Dim at first, they looked like nothing more than lightstones. Two things happened; six of them--one in each region--lit up with the brilliance of a star, a glowing green, while another six lit up a blinding blue. Mental knowledge poured into every being, Rahkshi and Toa alike. For the Rahkshi it was only a dim message; namely that the green lightstones marked great power for the Toa, and that the blue lights marked power that could also be employed by the Rahkshi. To the Toa, however, much more was given: it was revealed that each brightly glowing green light marked the location of a Kanohi mask of power, that would both double their elemental and physical strength, but give them a special power, and that each blue light marked a weapons and equipment cache; unbeknownst to them, it was both an attempt of the Great Beings to speed up the test, and also an attempt to further test the inhabitants of the land.

And that is where the past becomes the present. The world is in turmoil, and Rahkshi and Toa alike are after the mysterious masks of power; the Toa to utilize them, the Rahkshi to destroy them. Small bands are forming, and alliances are being made and broken. But everyone knows one thing; the people who attain the masks will attain an edge over even Rahkshi.

Gameplay

The inhabitants of this land are, unknowingly, the lab rats of the Great Beings, stuck in a land made specifically to test them in every way possible. Squads of Rahkshi prowl about, slaying any of the land’s inhabitants they can find. Separated into duos, ragged bands, and at best a few dozen people, the Toa appear to be in a never ending stage of impending defeat against their far greater foes.

However, a hope has recently surfaced with the news of Kanohi masks of power, seemingly the only thing that can help the Toa hold out and restore stability. One of these masks is available in each region, and the Toa and Rahkshi alike are following the stars to their location. Equipment caches are also appearing, this time with both Toa and Rahkshi trying to capture their contents.

Locations

The world is set in one main cavern, built like six joined domes. Each dome has its own particular environment, and in the upheaval, different groups of people are heading to each region. Recently, lightstones have appeared in the ceiling, lighting particular treasures. The walls of the domes are impassible and unbreakable, despite the many attempts of Toa, and even a few Rahkshi, to destroy them. Before the lightstones appeared in the roof, six massive moons light the cavern.
Cache Map

Locations

Terrain

Takuna

(Region of Fire)

The top left region is the fire region, cut off from the others by a thirty foot wide lava moat, impassible except for three arching stone bridges, two in the east, one in the south. Beyond it, the land is an almost inhospitable wasteland of mountains, constant rubble, spikes rocks at every glance, all interspersed with lava streams and rivers. In the center of the region, a mountain taller than the rest lies. Surprisingly, it is not a volcano, but instead is home to hundreds of caves of varying sizes, many of which have recently become inhabited. The region seems to be perpetually hot and dry, and is mostly inhabited by Fire Toa.

Leaytha

(Region of Air)

The bottom center region is, surprisingly, an underground jungle. The tree leaves and vines alike are a pale green, but aside from that it appears like any other forest. Massive trees rise far about the rest of the jungle in many places, and the inhabitants (mostly Le-Toa) have built platforms and defenses in them. Rahkshi here have taken more to flying, and many toa have retreated to the ground or lower levels where they are slightly safer. Marshes break the unending canopy of branches in a few places, and in another a grassy plain stands, the only on in all of the region.

Galicos

(Region of Water)

The most lush and fruitful, but also the most dangerous of all the regions. Galicos is made up almost entirely of green pastures and brilliantly clear waters, interspersed with trees and in a few places, forests. The entire region used to be agriculture and in many places, there still stand farms, some still in use. On the plains, cattle still can be seen in herds, while others are no longer watched. However, because of the presence of Toa farmers and shepherds, Rahkshi seem to be perpetually stalking the land, with small fights to be seen wherever one looks.

Porniun

(Region of Stone)

The desert region of the land is one of the loneliest places, but also among the safest. The unending sand is broken by rock formations her and there, and beings in this region dwell in caves and canyons, relying on any oasis nearby, as well as whatever game they can catch. The hardy fire and stone Toa mainly dwell here, and as Rahkshi do not stalk this region as much as others, more are flocking in. However, as more Toa enter, more Rahkshi will follow, and the original inhabitants fear that soon their refuge will not exist. This region is honeycombed with small, jagged mountains, as well as canyons. It was the region where the Rahkshi first appeared, and because of this was the most decimated. The most notable part of the region is a tall mountain around the center of the region. No Toa or Rahkshi dares go there, as the imposing sight of the Makuta’s tower is always visible, and few are insane enough to attempt to approach it.

Onuiro

(Region of Earth)

Once the true underground of the underground land, Onuiro is one of the most dangerous regions. On the surface it is a broad, flat land, darker than the other regions, with small huts poking up here and there, many now ruined, and more simply deserted. Underneath, a maze like tunnel system originally ran throughout the region. However, these tunnels were the focus of repeated attacks by Rahkshi of Disintegration, and as such few remain in existence, and the inhabitants of this region have been forced out into the flat, featureless land, subject to frequent Rahkshi attacks. Those tunnels that still exist are among the most dangerous places in the entire region: for although they are often being expanded, they do not ha many ways of escape, and are frequented by Rahkshi, and new tunnels are usually destroyed as swiftly as they’re made. For the most part, Toa in this region use the tunnels for a quick place to get away to take a breather.

Koiare

(Region of Ice)

Almost equal in level to the Region of Stone in regards to population, the Region of Ice is clothed in a seemingly perpetual quiet. It is always cold, and snow mysteriously, and frequently falls, leaving the land in perpetual snow covering. The lighting is at twilight level, making the land stark and dreary. The Rahkshi in this region have become excellent stalkers, often ambushing their equally sneaky inhabitants of the land; mostly Toa of Ice or Sound.

-Factions-

Even in this turmoil, factions do exist. Of course, most are far too small to mention, but there are a few larger ones. Mostly, however, factions will be formed by the players themselves.

-The Order of Light-

With about fifty members, the Order of Light is among the most powerful forces in the land. They are led by the Toa Jehu of Galicos. Although they almost always need new members, the Order is relatively hard to join, precisely because of their purpose; in the downfall of society, many toa have turned to robbery, murder, and other unsavoury deeds. The Order of Light, as their name implies, enforce a strict code of morality within their ranks. They were among the first to react to the news of the masks, and many fear what will happen when they come in contact with those masks; those within the Order worry that they will be corrupted by the potential of power, while those outside fear that they will prevent others from attaining them.

-Species-

Toa

Standing about six-eight feet in height, Toa are clad in lightweight, slightly cut away armor that, while not providing perfect protection, offers almost unimpaired movement. The armor itself is weaker and thinner than normal armor, meaning a longsword could break through, even though an arming sword or knife would likely be blocked.

The face of a Toa is metallic, almost as strong as the armor, with easily distinguishable features, vaguely human like. The color of the Toa's starting armor is decided by their element, and their face is tinted the same color as the primary color of their element. A Toa’s armor however, can be any combination of the colors of his element; for instance, a Toa of Water could be completely light blue, or a mixture of blue and light blue.

Fire: grants elemental control over fire heat, as well as great resistance to heat and flame.

Primary Color: Red.

Secondary Color(s): Orange, Yellow, Grey or Black.
Earth: grants elemental control over earth, as well as the ability to sense vibrations in the earth, limited night vision, and some increased strength.
Primary Color: Black.
Secondary Color(s): Dark Grey, Purple, or Orange.
Stone: grants elemental control over stone, as well as limited resistance to heat, great strength, and terrible swimming skills.
Primary color: Brown.
Secondary Color(s): Tan, Black.

Ice: grants elemental control over ice and cold, as well as great resistance to cold.

Primary color: White.

Secondary Color(s): Grey, Black, Light Blue.

Water: grants elemental control over water and moisture, as well as great agility and speed in the water, above average speed and agility on land, very good wind, and the ability to hold in breath for a great deal of time, perhaps thrice the normal or more.

Primary Color: Blue.

Secondary Color(s): Light Blue.

Air: grants elemental control over air, as well as above average agility and speed (faster even than water) as well as exceedingly great agility and aptitude in the trees.

Primary Color: Green.

Secondary Color(s): Lime, Black, Dark grey.

Sonics: grants elemental control over sounds, as well as a heightened memory of sounds, above average (not oversensitive) hearing, and lastly an ability to sense changes in the immediate area via sonar.

Primary Color: Light Grey.

Secondary Color(s): Silver, Gunmetal, Dark grey, and Black.

Plantlife: grants elemental control over plants, as well as agility and speed in forests and jungles equal to Air Toa. They also have limited resistance to many plant based poisons.

Primary Color: Green.

Secondary Color(s): Brown, Turquoise.

Rahkshi

Rahkshi are not creatures of themselves, but rather tough suits of armor controlled by the sluglike Kraata. Their build is similar to Toa, although a little more hunched over and reptilian. They have no sense of feeling outside of their Kraata, and thus can survive being dismembered. Their head and back plates, where the Kraata dwells, are thicker and tougher than the rest of them, for if their Kraata dies, they become inanimate. Their faceplate can be flipped open from the inside and, with some difficulty, from the outside. Rahkshi almost always use staffs, often bladed, although sometimes they may use better weapons that they loot.

All Rahkshi have the ability to fly, as well as having one special power. Their power is weaker than a Toa's but does not rely on elemental energy.

Disintegration: grants user the ability to fire pale, transparent blue beams of energy which, upon contact, reduces whatever solid in their path to dust like powder.

Primary Color: Blue.

Secondary Color: Grey.

Fragmentation: Grants user the ability to fire pale orange rays from them, which shatters any solid in their path.

Primary Color: Brown.

Secondary Color: Grey.

Poison: Grants the user to fire streams of highly deadly poison, which can vary, depending on the user's intent, from paralyzing to killing.

Primary Color: Pale Green.

Secondary Color: Grey.

Chameleon: Grants the user the ability to change their color and transparency, making them able to blend ing with any environment, or simply disappear.

Primary Color: Green.

Secondary Color: Grey.

Heat Vision: Allows the user to fire beams of searing heat from any part of them, although stronger from their eyes.

Primary Color: Yellow (Keetorange).

Secondary Color: Black.

Shapeshifting: Allows the user to change their shape, although their mass must remain relatively the same. They can also not change their texture from their basic form (in other words if they have basic, protodermis armor, they could not shapeshift into protosteel armor).

Primary Color: Grey.

Secondary Color: Lime.

Illusion: grants the user the ability to make solid or nonsolid light based illusions; solid illusions taking more concentration than non solid.

Primary Color: Red.

Secondary Color: Grey.

Elasticity: Allows the user to stretch any part of his body up to fifty feet: this ability is not instinctive, so although dodging is easier with this ability, it is not automatic.

Primary Color: Black

Secondary Color: Grey.

-Caches and Kanohi-

Each (real time) week, six new caches and Kanohi will be added, regardless of whether or not the previous caches and Kanohi have been claimed. The general location of the Kanohi will be given by the lightstones, and shown in a grid-map. However, the Kanohi and caches will take a some small bit of finding.
The contents of the caches and the power level (Noble or Great, with maybe even an occasional Nuva mask thrown in) and power of the Kanohi will be diced before they are announced. However, the players will not know their nature until they claim the item(s).

-Teams-

Civilization is shattered, and enemies are many. Allying with other players is encouraged, and can entail being able to control NPCs.
-Small teams. Probably the majority, these teams must have a minimum of two player characters, and a minimum of two players. The small team is entitled to 4-10 NPCs (given by the GMs), depending on the size of the team.
-Large Teams. These must have a minimum of six player characters, and a minimum of four players controlling them. They are entitled to 8-20 NPCs, although in exceptional circumstances they may have more.
-NPC numbers will be decided by the GMs, except for when a team wishes to have a number at or below the minimum for their team size.
-Teams may be made up of either Toa or Rahkshi. In exceptional circumstances (and I mean, you’d better have a pretty darn good reason) they may be mixed, at the discretion of the staff.
-Each player may have up to two NPCs not affiliated with a team; please list them in your post in the profile topic. You must have at least one PC in order to have NPCs.
-Submitting teams. Once you have the valid format for teams submit it in the discussion topic like you would a profile, following the following format.

Name: Whatever team name you want to give, if any.
Team form: Small or Large.
Alignment: Are they for the Rahkshi? The Toa? Other purpose?
Player Characters (list any special position they hold): Who are the player characters on your tea? List their name, who controls them, and what position, if any, they hold.
Player Leader: Is a specific player in charge of the team? If so, note here.
Team Description: What’s your team about? For? Stuff like that.
Team Backstory: How did your team get together?
Affiliated NPCs: Give the details concerning the team NPCs in as much detail as you wish.

-Character Creation-

Profiles are to be posted in the discussion topic for approval. When approved, they are to be posted in the profile topic. There can only be one post per player in the profile topic. Players must post their character in the profile topic before playing; this is so that an accurate record is kept, and characters can be easily found. Each player may have up to four characters.
-No Kanohi. Kanohi can only be gained through the Kanohi deposits or caches (although the second is likely to give at best an occasional Noble mask).
-Only Toa or Rahkshi. These are the only playable species, unless you want to play as a Brakas or something.
-Some elements are outlawed. Fire, Earth, Stone, Water, Ice, Air, Plantlife, and Sonics are the only elements allowed.
-Some Rahkshi powers are outlawed. Disintegration, Fragmentation, Poison, Chameleon, Heat Vision, Hunger, Density Control, and Silence are the only allowed Rahkshi powers.
-Without Kanohi, elemental power is weakened. Without Kanohi, generating their element depletes a Toa's elemental energy greatly, to the point where if, say, a Toa of Fire kept up a sustained blast of fire, they would run out of elemental energy within a minute. Aside from that, their power overall is halved. Lastly, a Toa, regardless of Kanohi, can only absorb their element in order to recharge elemental energy in limited amounts; while a Toa absorbing their element could go from no elemental power to full or near full power within an hour or two, but not in a minute or two. Nuva blasts are outlawed, except with GM permission (if you wish to use on, you'd better have a good reason to present to a GM before you use it).
-Toa Kaita are allowed. A Toa Kaita has the elemental energy of three Toa: meaning that if three maskless Toa united into a Kaita, that Kaita would have 1.5 times the regular elemental energy and power of a normal, masked Toa. The Kaita also combines all masks worn into a single Kanohi, which can have between one and three powers, depending on the amount of Kanohi wearing Toa in the union. They are also faster, stronger and more agile than Toa; thier abilities are the combines mental and physical abilities of the three Toa in the merge. There are, however, two catches. The first is that the users in a Kaita must be controlled by three different players. Secondly, if the three are not unified, the Kaita will have a condition ranging from multiple personalities to downright mental collapse, or simple unmerging.

Name: Please keep Bionicle, with no canon names.
Species: Toa or Rahkshi only.
Gender: Male Female, unknown, etc.
Kanohi: List the Kanohi you capture here (no character may start with a Kanohi). Ignore this is your character is a Rahkshi.
Appearance: Give a good description of your character or a picture. Keep in mind that all Toa and Rahkshi start out with the usual basic armor; that is, basic hand, arm, body, and leg protection, although not as well covering as plate armor, nor as strong.
Element/Rahkshi Power:
Equipment: Keep weapons basic. Think of crossbows as the most advanced weapon you can have. If you get weapons and armor from caches, please list them here. No Protosteel weapons or armor are allowed to start off with, although they may be in caches.
Personality: What is your character like? Please remember that Rahkshi, although rational, have stronger instincts than the Toa.
History: Keep in mind the setting from the character's perspective. If he's a Toa, then his memories are basically growing up in this cavern. A Rahkshi would only really remember being released into the cavern and wrecking destruction.
Other Notes (Optional): Have anything you want to add about your character that doesn't really fit elsewhere? Do so here.

-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. In short, no metagaming.
-Please act civil. Do not insult, degrade, etc other players.
-Do not play only 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, or has gone *poof* or whatever you want to believe there. 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 Rahkshi, and you have a broken leg and low elemental energy, you're going to die. The meter is this: When staying alive falls under auto-dodging/invulnerability, your character dies.

-The staff reserve the right to stray from the canon. This can already be seen by some liberties in the backstory; the Core War developing slowly instead of all at once, the Great Beings creating Makuta, and some other things.

-The lands are not safe. Remember how travel was in the Dark ages? It was considered a great achievement in one situation when a girl could travel the length of Ireland, wearing a golden ring, without being attacked. This land is even worse than those times. Rahkshi are everywhere, so traveling is a harrowing experience of dodging them, and trying to remain unnoticed. The Rahkshi tend to have it easier, but even so Toa will often attack lone Rahkshi, or Rahkshi traveling in small groups. The same rule applies: you are not all powerful, there is no such thing as police, and there are enemies everywhere. This rule greatly relies on players’ honor and honesty, as it isn’t the easiest thing for staff to regulate.

-Warnings-

Any degree of warning may be given repeatedly, or only once (for instance, for repeated infringement of a very minor rule a person might get two 5^thdegree warnings, not 5^th and then 4^th degree warnings. In contrast a person might get temporarily banned, or permanently banned, with no previous warning, should the offense be serious enough) This, however, is at the decision of the staff, not the player. The levels of warning are as follows:

5^th degree warning
A simple warning, whether in the discussion topic, OOC portion of a post, or PM: nothing serious, just correct whatever you did wrong and don’t do it again.

4^th degree warning
A more serious warning, and one of your characters is temporarily incapacitated. Please stop breaking the rules.

3^rd degree warning
Okay, you’re getting on our nerves. One character is killed in game, and all other characters are unusable for a week.

2^nd degree warning
This is getting old already. All your characters are butchered in game and you are not allowed to replace them for a week. This is your last warning.

1^st degree warning
You are banned. All characters are killed, and you are no longer allowed to play. Any further posts in the story or profile topic will be reported or ignored. We really don’t want you here, go torment some other GMs.

-Staff-

Krayzikk

Head Game Master.

Zarayna

Assistant Game Master.

Benluke-116

Game Moderator.

Edited by Zarayna, Sep 20 2012 - 09:09 PM.

[Zeal]

Clockwork Kineticist presents...

INTRODUCTION

'This is Moving Party Oh-Three, we're getting spikes of seismic activity in Mine Subsector Six, requesting permission to hunker in the bunker, over.'

'Request denied. You know the lava flows start moving soon, and if YOU guys don't start moving, we're not gonna get another opening for a month.'

'Sir, with all due respect, seismic activity in this Subsector has been becoming more frequent over the past two months. You remember what happened to the ThunderDrillers four days ago, don't you?'

'I'm well aware of that, but we need to keep moving. The new colony is finished, we don't want it to collect dust.'

'Sir, the colony's not gonna crumble to ash if we're a few days late-woah! Massive shake, measuring seven-point-three! We need to-*static*

'Moving Party Oh-Three! Oh-three, come in! Larek!'

'That's it. Mine Subsector Six has caved in. Priority One is lost. Pack it up, let's call it a day.'

HISTORY

Three millenia after Spherus Magna reformed, the various species from the Great Spirit robot and Bara Magna have thrived in each other's presence. The Skrall have been driven back, the Vorox all but eradicated. Everyone seems to have changed for the better.

But the Vortixx remained as ambitious and industrious as ever. They began a new project; Project KarzahniFire, or K-Fire for short. They sought to manipulate the elemental energy of Toa harnessing it through the use of weapons. After decades of kidnapping and draining Toa of their energy, discarding their lifeless shells as though they were scrapmetal, they reached a breakthrough. By extracting a Nova Blast's worth of energy from a Toa, they could then contain it within warheads. Thus, the Nova Bomb was created.

The Vortixx were ready to take over, but at a cost they did not expect. Soon, the whole surface of the planet was bathed in death. Hurricanes razed towers as though they were toothpicks. Floods swept away countless unlucky souls. Hellfire scorched the earth, immolating anything in its path. The Vortixx had wiped themselves out. A full-scale apocalypse had begun.

Those who were lucky enough to have survived retreated into caves to escape the madness. These caves then collapsed, shutting off all access to the surface and dooming those trapped outside.

At first, the survivors found themselves in disarray, having reverted to a Stone Age lifestyle. Thievery and murder were not uncommon among the subterranean beings. They expanded outwards, creating new caverns and tunnels to compensate for the growing population. Eventually, pockets of other survivors met, and almost immediately, there was fighting over the limited resources.

In an effort to organise the people, a makeshift council was formed. Agreements were made, resources shared, settlements built. The Republic of Onu-Magna was born.

The city prospered for years, finally reaching an Industrial Revolution. Soon afterwards, a Thieves' Guild was formed, leading the the Onu-Magna Council having to clamp down on crime. Guards have been stationed around the city, ever on the look out for suspicious activity.

Not long ago, another Cavern-City was constructed, Po-Karda. While moving a very important object, officially designated Priority One, otherwise known as the Relic, the mineshaft they were using as passage between the two cities collapsed, burying the Relic and those who were transporting it. It is said that the Relic held great power, and that after its loss, the Council has become distraught, ramping up security, turning the subterranean city into a authoritarian nightmare.

It has been ten-thousand years since then. Countless groups have been sent to retrieve the Relic. Legends have been passed down of the K-Fire Incident and the curse of the Elements. And still, the people pray to impossible somethings called 'the Stars', specks of blinding light that hang in the air with nothing to hold them up.

Welcome to Onu-Magna. Enjoy your stay.

SUMMARY

Okay, so after the end of the main Bionicle story, everyone's happy, Skrall=hiding, Vorox=dead. The Vortixx (dastardly as ever) took Toa Elemental Energy and weaponised the Nova Blast, creating the Nova Bomb. This didn't go too well (cue the K-Fire Incident), and the surface of Spherus Magna was devastated. The survivors retreated underground, they were sealed there, pockets of survivors met up, there was a little fighting, a city (Onu-Magna) was established, and all was well. Then Priority One/the Relic (an important artifact owned by the Council) went missing, and, trying to keep their hold on the people, went all Nineteen Eighty-Four on everyone. This is where you come in.

FACTIONS

Civilians

Your average joes, Civilians generally mill around, do their jobs, and be oppressed by the government. Mining and selling in the market are only some of the jobs that Civilians perform. If you want to remain neutral, this is the faction for you.

Republic Guard

Under the employ of the Onu-Magna Council, recent jumps in criminal activity have forced them to ramp up their anti-crime measures. As such, Guards are permitted to use brutality when necessary. Unfortunately for you, "when necessary" means "all the freaking time". This faction is for players who like to exert their power over the people.

Thieves' Guild

What is yours may soon be theirs. A conglomeration of thieves, pickpockets, what-have-you, these thugs are in direct opposition to the Guards, and are unrelenting in their endeavour to take hold of Onu-Magna, wanting to free the city of the Council. And by extention, create a criminal paradise. For players who want to have a little fun.

SUBFACTIONS

Smaller, player-created factions within the main three. To be updated when there are actually some.

IDEOLOGIES

In addition to faction alignment, some individuals also have thoughts about how the Republic should progress from here. Whilst some remain neutral, others do tend to get up in arms about what the city should do. Below are the ideologies of the citizens:

Dwellers

This is the common nickname for those who think that the Republic of Onu-Magna should just sit tight in their Cavern-City, which seems to have worked well for them so far.

Surfacers

These people believe that the Republic should advance upward, to find out if there really is such a thing as the Surface, and if it is habitable.

Drillers

The slightly more radical of the Ideologies, these guys think that they should tunnel down towards the core, and harness its energy for the welfare of the people, advancing them into a technological genesis.

MAP

Onu-Magna has entered a stage of industrial revolution. Most technology in the city is more-or-less juryrigged, save for the mechanisms in the factories. A Public Address system is wired up around the city, with propoganda spewing forth from them every-so-often. The four districts of the cavern-city are connected by a system of gondola lifts. For a small fee, one may transport themselves to the other districts. The only toll-free gondola is from Saburra to Scopulus, which has a nasty habit of collapsing.

TELLUS - The Government

The central cavern of Onu-Magna, this is where all the decision-making goes on. Democrats, bureaucrats, diplomats, anything that ends in '-ats', you'll usually find them here. The Onu-Magna Parliament and Guard Headquarters are found here.

SCOPULUS - The Industry

It is here where the factories are located, where gears whir and metal churns. Also here is the entrance to the Grand Mine, and deep within the endless tunnels, the Relic is buried.

SAXUM - The Living

Those who can afford it live here. Whilst arguably the most crime-free area of the city, this is because it is the most oppressed.

SABURRA - The Lowlife

These are the slums, where crime reigns supreme. Unfortunately for the higher-ups, this is also the market district. Whilst most of the shopkeepers are honest, they are master hagglers. The Guard is unaware of the the Thieves' Guild's location, under a small hut near the very corner of Saburra, only accessable via pass-phrase.

CHARACTER CREATION

Okay, so here's how making a character works. You create a character using the following template...

NAME:

(What is the name of your character? Please, no canon names)

SPECIES:

(What species are you? Toa, Matoran, Glatorian, Agori?)

GENDER:

(Self-explanatory)

APPEARANCE:

(What do you look like?)

FACTION:

(Whose side are you on?)

IDEOLOGY:

(Dweller, Driller, Surfacer, or neutral?)

POWERS/ABILITIES:

(What powers do you have?)

EQUIPMENT:

(What's your loadout?)

PERSONALITY:

(What are you like as a person?)

BIOGRAPHY:

(Who are you, and who were you?)

....And then my co-GMs and I will look at and approve of or suggest improvements for your character. In the words of Doc Brown, 'It couldn't be simpler!'

SPECIES GUIDE

Toa

The Warrior class, they are often seen in combat roles, usually as Guards. The only species capable of wielding elemental abilities. However, after the K-Fire Incident, use of them is frowned upon, and they are generally last resort.

Matoran

The thinkers of the population, they are mostly seen in laboratories and workshops, inventing and tinkering with tech. Physically smaller than Agori, but slightly more intelligent.

Glatorian

Proud warriors, they once fought for the Tribes, and work alongside the Toa. Whilst physically stronger and more skilled with weapons than Toa, they lack elemental abilities.

Agori

The working men, they take on the task of physical labour. Larger than Matoran, but of average intelligence.

NOTES

If you wish to create a custom Kanohi, please make it within reason.

Illegal Kanohi include the Ignika, Vahi, Avohkii, Kraakhan, Mask of Creation, Olmak Sanok, Komau, Mohtrek, Clairvoyance, Aki, Rua, Tryna, and Mask of Possibilities.

Illegal Species include those not on the list above. This includes the subspecies Skrall and Vorox.

Illegal Elements include Light, and Shadow.

A maximum of five characters is allowed.

NON-PLAYER CHARACTERS

NAME

Felrin Cerem

SPECIES:

Glatorian

GENDER:

Male

APPEARANCE:

Smaller than an average Glatorian, wearing the red armour of the former Fire Tribe.

FACTION:

Civilian

IDEOLOGY:

Dweller

POWERS/ABILITIES:

A few basic fighting skills.

EQUIPMENT:

A Staff of Office, could make a good impromptu weapon.

PERSONALITY:

A coward, not very assertive, despite his position as Mayor of Onu-Magna

BIOGRAPHY:

A mere puppet of the Council, his job is to stand at podiums and look important. He has almost no power over the city, despite (supposedly) being its leader.

STAFF CHARACTERS

NAME:

Sable

SPECIES:

Toa/Sand

GENDER:

Male

APPEARANCE:

Can change. Normally tall and slender, gunmetal grey armour with yellow highlights.

FACTION:

Thieves' Guild

IDEOLOGY:

Neutral

POWERS/ABILITIES:

Elemental control of Sand. Sable's form is comprised of Sand, and as such he can change his form to move through spaces and disguise himself, amongst other things. Will disorient opponents by becoming a cloud of Sand. A capable fighter, even without his powers.

EQUIPMENT:

Kanohi Suletu, Great Mask of Telepathy. Forms weapons from his own mass.

PERSONALITY:

Laid back, but vicious. Will not hold back in a fight.

BIOGRAPHY:

Older than he lets on, Sable was originally a Vortixx experiment to create creatures of elemental essence. Using his new form, he escaped the facility, and hid among the people. He was amongst the last to enter the caves before they collapsed. A high ranking member of the Thieves' Guild.

RULES

First of all, all BZP rules still apply.

No auto-hitting or god-modding.

No bunnying. Other player's characters are exactly that, and not yours to control. This is especially true of staff characters. They are not NPCs for you to control.

Clearly define IC (In Character) and OOC (Out Of Character) posts. That said, no purely OOC posts. That's why we have a discussion topic

NPCs are not cannon fodder. They are capable warriors, and will put up a good fight. Armies will not fall at your feet. In fact, you're more likely to fall at their's.

No metagaming. Your character does not automatically know everything.

No trolling or flaming of any kind. This will not be tolerated. Insults directed at other players will also be grounds for punishment.

Respect the staff, for their word is law. If we disagree with you, it's likely for a good reason.

Game Staff reserve the right to injure (severely or otherwise) or even kill player characters for purposes of plot.

And most importantly, have fun!

PUNISHMENTS

Now then, those who say 'I'll do what I want, thank you very much,' that is wrong, and the following will happen if you step out of line.

FIRST OFFENCE: Your first and only warning. Heed our advice at this point.

SECOND OFFENCE: One of your characters will be grieviously injured.

THIRD OFFENCE: One of your characters will die, and cannot be replaced. You essentially lose a character slot.

FOURTH OFFENCE: All of your characters will die. You may create one more if you wish to gain favour with us again, after which we will restore your other three slots.

FIFTH OFFENCE: You will be permabanned from participating. Please, don't let it come to this.

Also, as a bit of house-keeping, please use good grammar. Just a pet peeve of mine. You won't be punished for using bad grammar, but it is strong disadvised.

Welcome to O, Brave New Underworld, and I hope you enjoy playing!

Edited by Clockwork Kineticist, Sep 21 2012 - 11:57 PM.

[Takanuvainika]

Archive Escape

Slowly he opened his eyes as if he was all of the sudden coming alive, he looked around, he then slowly crawled out of what ever it was he was in. "Crash" he immediately flinched as he heard the noise, but then went to see what had happened. He found lots of rubble he then realized that he couldn't see, either he was blind or it was completely dark. Using he senses of sound, touch, and smell, he found a hole in the wall, he crawled over the debris.
As he made his way around through the mysterious tunnels and caves he all of the sudden bumped into something, Clash, bash, scratch, bite, the fight was quick but he had landed a good bite, but now they were far enough away from each other and he did not want to get back into the fight.

After hours of long searching he saw a small white spot, he began to move towards the spot, Then! The sudden realization of what it was came to him and he began to run faster and faster he was sprinting toward the white dot off in the distance, was it? It was! Light, a way out of here! He burst out of the opening; but the light was so bright it blinded him.

Things began to come into focus and what he saw was rahi, tons of rahi, some were blinded by the bright light and others weren't, maybe their blindness had already subsided or maybe they didn't rush into the light and get blinded in the first place.
The rahi (that were not blind) were wondering out though the solid protodermis pillars. He decided to go also.
What a strange land this was, it was full of strange solid protodermis pillars, but it seemed that they all had caves carved in. He remembered this place, their use-to be strange creatures infesting the entire thing, but that memory was old, but wait how could it be old he didn't remember anything in between those memories of life so long ago and now. What ever the case was those strange creatures seem to have all gone now, and the land was free, free for nesting and establishing hunting grounds, free to those in need of a home and that's what he wanted.

Now he saw rahi all around him, looking for hunting territories and homes, Oh it was a sight to see, he'd have to be careful not to get eaten.


"Ooowwwl" nearly all the those around him looked up and listened, that was a yell of distress, some went to see what had happed or maybe to scavenge, some went back to what they were doing, and some stayed watching for danger, yet everyone seemed to have a air of caution about them.
"yeeennn" "aaaahhhhh" "graaalllaahh" the screams came from where some of the others had went to investigate, the yells kind of overlapped each other, the last yell had started to sound like a fighting yell but had turned into a scream.
Now everyone was alert, no noise as all seemed to listen to what would come next. One who was foolish began to walk off to where the screams had come from, another tried to follow but was sent but by a growl from the foolish proud one. After he was out of sight a loud explosion like sound was heard, all sat in silence again.

Then shrieks and screeches filled the silence, but these were not of terror, they were of war, then he saw them coming, leaping and running, and the crowd broke and began to run, he joined them fleeing.

They picked off many, either shooting wheels of energy, or jumping on them, or what ever else they did. He continued to run, and the crowd scattered. Now he needed some where to go, and when he came to the tunnel that he had come out of before, he looked back, then.
He went down.



________________________________________




Down though the tunnels in darkness he ran though large hallways and small hallways, by streams of protodermis, and by cliffs.

Now he was in the deep tunnels, so deep that he did not even know the way out. When he came face to face with a rahi.

Krahka stared into the darkness, it was still. She had been there for years so many years without a friend, it was lonely wandering the archives but now she was face to face with a little Kinloka than she had an idea to befriend the rahi. She shape shifted into the form of a Kinloka, but the Kinloka (now that she was the same size) attacked, the little rahi scratched and bit at her and then ran off. Well that failed Krahka thought, if there was only a way to make rahi more then just dumb beasts. But Krahka was not done yet she followed the Kinloka it continued down into the archives, then it stopped and went down under a pipe that, along with others made up a section of the wall. He can't get far under there Krahka thought but when she went to look he had disappeared, she crawled under the pipe where she found more room to move then she had anticipated, she was able to move and squirm to where there was a broken pipe that she was able to pass and came out in another hallway. The dust was thick on the ground and she followed the Kinloka's prints to a room where she found the rahi. He was moving towards what looked like a kanoka disk in a stand. The stand was on some kind of box that was probably used to archive something long ago. The rahi tried to grab the disk but it seemed to be attached to the stand, after a little while the rahi became confused and left the disk, then Krahka, went to pick it up and found that it was not a disk but a statue of a specific kanoka disk. Krahka transformed into toa Vakama with his fire staff and picked up the statue and put it back on the box and read the inscription which was also on the box in the light of the fire staff. Krahka paused after reading the inscription, and then an idea came to her.



Krahka opened the box and retrieved the disk it possessed, she then turned to see the Kinloka, but it had already left but she went after it in pursuit, the Kinloka had gone back though the pipes, Krahka quickly shape shifted back into a Kinloka and held the disk in her tail as she followed the rahi though the pipes back into the normal archives. She continued to tail the rahi up to the higher levels of the archives.

Now all kinds of rahi could be heard but Krahka was following this one, this is the one that led her to the kanoka and this is the one she wanted. If this kanoka really worked it might allow her to turn the Kinloka into something that was not ruled by instinct and then maybe she could befriend it and other rahi as well. She saw the Kinloka up ahead she shape shifted back into Vakama with his disk launcher, she loaded the kanoka, took aim, and, fired. The disk struck the Kinloka and energy bust from the disk, and then Krahka's expression turned from one of aw to one of concern. The energy continued down the tunnels in every direction it could and knocked Krahka off her feet.


"Oh what happened?" Krahka said.
"You flung a Disk at me" the Kinloka said.
Krahka stopped at that "What?" she said, not quite sure that the rahi had spoken.
"You flung a disk at me" the Kinloka repeated.
She just stared for a moment then said "It worked it really worked."
"What worked" the Kinloka said.
Krahka stared a moment longer and then answered "The kanoka disk worked, and better then I thought, you can even talk, maybe it was the kanoka that made it so you can understand a common language."
"Oh." The Kinloka exclaimed in understanding, but then a look of question came "But where did this kanoka disk come from? And why did you launch it at me?"
"I found it in a hidden part of the archives, you had found a statue of it and I had followed you, the inscription said something about Great Beings, and gave me a basic idea lf what it did. I shot it at you because I thought it would change your instinct so I could befriend you, you see I have been down here for a long time and am the last of my kind." She said, slowly getting quieter as old memories came back.
Her answerer satisfied the Kinloka but the last part 'the last of my kind' made him remember the things that he came down here to hide from, then he spoke "The things I came down here to hide from, they were attacking when I came down here, they could destroy everything" he paused then continued "Including us."
Krahka thought about it, all her kind were gone, she was the last one left, and she was not just going to stand around while more have to suffer. "Then we'll fight back" she said in an determined tone.
"Count me in."
They both looked to see the Kofu Jaga who had spoken.

Overview

This RPG is set in the archives during the visorak invasion, you play a rahi that escaped the archives only to be driven back in by the visorak. All the rahi have been gifted with intelligence by Krahka and now must survive the visorak horde. Will you search for legendary rahi to aid in your struggle, seek powerful artefacts in the dangerous upper levels of the archives, or will you flee and try to find a way out through the tunnels. Who knows maybe the horde will be defeated before the toa Metru even get here.


Profile



Name:

Gender & Species:

Description & Size:

Powers:

Equipment/Weapons:

Abilities and traits:

Optional notes:



Name: your characters name.

Gender & Species: Your characters gender, male, female, unknown, or, none, & your characters species.
• No having unique canon species or species not found in the archives. Note, the three headed dragon that the Toa Mahri and the Toa Hagah fought is allowed but remember it might not be able to fit in a lot of the tunnels. The Tatorak is not allowed
• Custom species are allowed.
Species can range from giant rahi to swarms of insets, Kofu Jaga or Stone Rats. Be creative. Also put if your character has been mutated by the visorak.

Description & Size: Describe your character including visible weapons and equipment (teeth and claws and wings count), & place the size of your character here.
Note, character size can be in Bionicle measurements or earth measurements.

Powers: place your characters powers here, like sonic roar, heat resistance (swimming in molten Protodermis or lava), and spinner power, if you have one.
Note, do not give your character the power of that of a toa with such a wide variety of elemental power. Things more like burning holes in things, Sonic roars, magnetizing things, spewing a liquid explosive that explodes when stepped on, is much better.

Equipment/weapons: here you put equipment and/or weapons, because the rahi are now intelligent they can use equipment.
Weapons can be teeth, claws, spikes, armour, (please include description here or in Description & Size and if they are natural of not).
Equipment can be staffs, disks (list a way to fire them and their power), wings (please include description here or in Description & Size and if they are natural of not), and so on. Note, equipment and weapons can be picked up in the game.

Abilities and Traits: list the skills and other things that fit here e.g. Kikanalo use their weight and powerful legs to run in to things. Their legs are strong enough to propel them in massive strides.
If your character has been mutated by the visorak they can have extreme speed and strength.

Optional notes: these notes are optional, list things here that do not fit in the previous categories.

Please note that "biography:" are not here because, basically everyone got out of stasis left the archives, were chased back in by the visorak, turned intelligent and decided to work together to fight the visorak, if your character did not follow this pattern please say what happened in Optional notes:
Personality also is not listed because personalities can be developed in the game.

Locations

Fikou Web: This is where all players start out, It is home to Krahka; the shape shifting rahi that gave you your intelligence, it is here where you get quests. The web also has tunnels leading all over Metru-nui and is the safest place from the visorak.

Lightstone Mines: This is the primary food source for many rahi as it is the only place with enough light to grow plants, some Colony Drones live here and provide food energy to rahi that don’t eat plants. And if your character can’t see in the dark it’s best to grab a lightstone here.

Archives: The Archives hold many tools and artefacts, but they also hold many visorak and it’s best not to go to high unless you have a strong pack. The higher you go, the more powerful the artefacts and the more visorak.

Under Ta-Metru: Many of the pipes under Ta-Metru broke and created many rivers and pools of molten protodermis, and there is always the chance of finding a high powered disk or tool.

Under Ga-Metru: Full of both purified and unpurified liquid protodermis springs, rivers, and lakes. If you explore the underground labs there is a chance of finding some interesting things, and who knows what secrets there are under the Great Temple.

Under Le-Metru: A Tangled mess of pipes and cables, beneath Le-Metru is as much of a jungle as it is above ground and although it is a perfect spot for an ambush there are some good vehicles under the moto-hub.

Under Po-Metru: Crates and statues fill the tunnels under Po-Metru but there are some places of interest like Teridax’s lair where you could find powerful artefacts but it is also infested with visorak.

Under Ko-Metru: It is rumoured that the legendary rahi Keetongu lives here but it will be difficult to reach him from underground.

Maze of Shadows: Filled with mutant rahi, most of whom are under the control of a plant known as Karzahni, it will be difficult enough to reach him let alone earn his help. The Rahi Nui dwells somewhere in these caves and is rumoured that it can grant powers to those who can find it and pass its tests. It is also a passage to the Mangaia.

The Mangaia: There are many rahi here that will stop you from reaching the treasures of Makuta’s lair, these rahi need to be brought back to help battle the visorak, but beware they will put up a good fight. It is said that there is a gateway here to a paradise free of visorak but even if you manage to get here, the entrance is guarded by Manas, powerful rahi that are loyal to Teridax.

Quests

There are many Quests that must be done in order to defeat the visorak horde. You get quests from Krahka but it is best if you get a pack together.

Rescue Mission: Several intelligent Colony Drones have been captured by the visorak and taken to a cave under Po-Metru near the Canyon of Unending Whispers, they need to be rescued before the visorak find out they are intelligent.

Search for the Tahtorak: The Tahtorak is a powerful rahi that can be a great help against the horde, the problem is that he is in one of the higher levels of the archives guarded by visorak, and if get past them you still have to deal with a grumpy Tatorak when you wake him up.

Search for Keetongu: Keetongu is rumoured to be able to cure visorak venom and as a result most of the rahi that search for him are mutated. He is said to be hidden in a secret cavern in Ko-Metru.

Search for the Rahi Nui: While the Rahi Nui is to busy hunting toa to help fight the visorak he will grant powers to those who pass its tests.

Karzahni’s Army: While Karzahni is relatively easy to get to, the tests he will put you though are not, it will take a lot to earn the plant as an ally.

These are only some of the primary quests in the game, feel free to post your own and I’ll add them to the list, or you could just capture an area and destroy any visorak that dares to enter your territory.

Rules

• All BZPower Rules apply.
• God-modding, meta-gaming and auto-hitting are unallowed. For the uninitiated, these terms respectively mean: 'to have overpowered characters that cannot lose and do illogical things', 'use knowledge that cannot be obtained in-game', and 'land a hit without permission from the other player.'
• Use 'IC' for In-Character and 'OOC' for Out-of-Character.
• No bunnying without permission: Don't control another player's character unless allowed.
• Keep things mostly logical. Nothing too random.
• 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.
• No leaving the archives.
• Respect staff ruling.
• Maximum characters five

I am the Game Master of this RPG. And as such, I control the story and NPCs. I make sure fights stay fair. I approve profiles. I assign Co-GMs and the like. And I deal out punishment and hand out rewards.

Punishments will be given after the rules are broken,

• First Offence – Warning!
• Second Offence – You will receive a debilitating wound or mutation to your character.
• Third Offence – One of your characters dies, and cannot be replaced.
• Fourth Offence – All remaining characters die. You can make one more character, and try to get back in good graces, after a 1 week ban.
• Fifth Offence – All characters gone forever. If it gets this far then you obviously don’t want to play this game so please leave.

Rewards: Rewards are given out for good role-playing, being helpful to other players, or simply just playing a lot (playing properly of course).

Notes

Rahaga Rewards:

As a reward for good role-playing and time spent in the RPG a Rahaga can be given to players. There are six Rahaga rewards, Rahaga do not take up a character slot, Rahage have lights, spinner powers, staff powers, and can fly. When you have a Rahaga with your character they can know visorak, powers, spinner powers, and other knowledge about known rahi.

Creativity:

Creativity is a big part of this RPG, create custom rahi and PM me some pics of them and I’ll try to make them into a banner. Since no one really knows the layout of the archives, please make it up as you go along. Don’t forget you can make up your own quests and post them in the discussion topic.

Other Notes:

Three to seven PC’s in a pack and eight to infinity in a herd. Most rahi can see in the dark but if they can’t then you can grab a lightstone from the mines, but be careful the light might attract visorak. One other thing BEWARE, there is danger everywhere even in the Fikou web there are Rahkshi to be found

Acknowledgments:

I’d like to thank every other RPG that I copied bits from.

Edited by Takanuvainika, Sep 22 2012 - 06:41 PM.

[Cosmic Titan]

Otherworld

You are dead. For whatever reason you died, even if you don’t remember dying; you are dead. But your destiny was not complete and so you couldn’t rest. So fate brought you here. Your old wounds healed, your body restored to its former glory and your powers reestablished. Like many others before you, you woke up in a grassland without memories of how you came to this place.

You find small settlements of beings long dead and others that were alive only moments ago. But many more beings wander aimlessly without purpose. But you are not like them, are you? No, you still have a will to fight, a reason to be, a cause to strive for.

After some talk to others you find out this land is not as peaceful as it seems. No, a war is mounting as two opposing beings raise armies. One wants to return to the land of the living and the other believes that is not acceptable. That there is a reason for them being here and so they must stay.

Maybe you can help decide the fate of these beings and this land. Or perhaps you will just explore and try to find out the answers to your many questions.

Summary

You died and where brought back to life through unknown means. Now you must decide what to do. Will you help fight in the potential war? Will you explore and discover this land’s secrets? Or will you make your own path? It is up to you.

Locations

Deep underground in an alien world is a massive cavern. It appears to be endless but the ceiling is reachable if you can fly high enough. There is no way out and even the force of a nuclear blast can’t break the rock that composes the ceiling. Toa of Stone can’t manipulate it and Olmaks won’t allow you to leave the cavern due to a strange form of interference. The ceiling even glows simulating a day night cycle.

In the center of the cavern is a giant grassland with small settlements scattered throughout it and beyond that a desert. No explorer has gone beyond the desert and returned, yet…

Groups

The Radiance: A group led by an enigmatic being that controls both light and shadow. They wish prevent the Fuga from escaping and returning to the land of the living. They openly welcome anyone to join them.

Fuga: A group led by a Makuta. They may be from all walks of life and different moralities but they all share one goal: to return to the land of the living. While most being are welcome the majority of this group is made up of criminals.

Others/Neutral: Anyone else goes in this group. They range from small bands of hunters to groups of adventurers to asocial beings.

Characters

Everyone may start out with a maximum of three characters but more may be given out as rewards for good behavior or prizes. Characters will be approved on a case by case basis.

Name: Your characters name.
Species: All Matoran Universe species are allowed to be used and custom species are permitted as well.
Description: This is where you describe your character’s physical appearance and personality. If your character has a gender then put that here.
Mask: All masks are allowed expect for the legendary masks as they are all unique and only exist in the land of the living. Custom masks are approved on a case by case basis.
Powers: What powers and abilities does you character have? Put them here.
Equipment: Your character’s tools and weapons go here.
Group: Radiance, Fuga, Others or Neutral.
Biography: What is you characters history? Where did they live? What did they do? How did they die?

To get your characters approved simply write them up and post them in the profiles topic then wait for a pm from me either approving your character or explaining why I think you should edit your character. Everyone gets only one post in the profiles topic.

Your characters can die, they may have died once before but this world does not prevent them from dying again. And no one knows if death is permanent here or if you just respawn somewhere else.

Rules

1. All BZPower rules apply.
2. Please be respectful.
3. Characters must be approved by me before you start playing.
4. You may only have three characters unless I say otherwise.
5. Please follow common text based RPG rules such as no bunnying, auto hitting or god modding, et cetera.
6. Canon characters are not allowed. You may not play as them and they will not appear in this RPG.
7. Nova Blasts are not allowed.
8. No out of character only posts because those go in the discussion topic.

Punishment

If rules are broken you will be given a strike after three strikes you are not allowed to play this RPG anymore. So please follow the rules.

Rewards

Anyone who is extra helpful may be given a reward. It could be a new character, new equipment for a character or something else. But please don’t ask for one that is slightly rude.

I may also randomly decide to give out rewards without any reason. Please do not be alarmed if this happens.

Author’s Notes

Thanks to anyone who reads this or votes for it. And thanks to everyone who has put up with me for the short time I have been here.

I would especially like to thank the creators of Day Run, Dreamland and Waves of the South for inspiration and positive places for me to create and write in. Without you I would have left already and not had a chance to be part of this fascinating community.

I would also like to thank Greg Farshtey and Lego for Bionicle.

And Johnny Cash for his song “Ain’t No Grave” because this song gave me the idea for this RPG in the first place.

[Ilyusha Blokfase]

Hunted

War is waged.

Battles are fought constantly.

On the surface, the land is ruined, the Ul'kar having destroyed the beauty that once was there in their war to destroy-no, to harvest us. To take our powers and knowledge for their own use. To make us become them.

Nearly three hundred years ago, the first appearances of the Ul'kar came...small pools lying in the ground, filled with a viscous, black substance. We thought it harmless, like some form of that 'oil' the Agori were always talking about. Well, it turns out we were wrong. Very wrong.

First it took Tahu-he'd been investigating it, trying to figure out what it was, when it just shot out. Covered him head to toe, and then it just...dragged him in. He didn't even get a chance to scream. That was when it went berserk-people were being grabbed left and right, dragged right in...Some of them even jumped in voluntarily, thinking it some God come to take them, some odd rapture.

We ran. We ran from everywhere that the substance showed up, but soon, it was coming up everywhere. Like it could sense us, Toa, Matoran, Glatorian, Agori, any species we were, it found us. It would burst up, taking us. Eventually, though, the attacks stopped. Peace came, and we started to rebuild. Before it came to us.

It spoke to us, naming itself the Ul'kar, after that Great Being who had created it...and that Great Being who had been its first kill. It claimed itself to be a God, composed of many intelligences, made of those it had taken, and those it had made itself. It was seperate, yet many, it claimed. It wanted us to join it, to worship it, to be its servants. It offered us immortality.

The offer was so tempting, but we didn't take it. Not the rational ones among us, anyways. And so war began again. The horrors seen, the atrocities commited...I feel they may have sent me to insanity, and back again. Or maybe I'm still insane. I'm not sure. All I know is that Ul'kar, in anger, drove us to its old abode-the caverns beneath the surface. The underground. Mazes of tunnels, all filled with an odd mist...and shifting, amorphous masses of something in the darker recesses. Possibly a less intelligent form of the Ul'kar. Or, possibly, one of the many from the Ul'kar, cast from the masses. We aren't sure.

Eventually, we found some of the caverns where the heavy mist was gathered the most, and we learned just what it did-it gave off light. We don't know how, but it did. We set up some settlements in those caverns, mapping out some quick routes through the many tunnels between them. However, we learned one thing: Never go where the mist is not. You won't make it out sane-or, if you're unlucky, alive. And yet, there are those who still go in. Who feel there must be something there, possibly a weapon to be used against the Ul'kar. We aren't sure.

Again, we went through a period of relative peace and prosperity, before, again, the Ul'kar came. It was evident as some of those we had guarding the entrances to the surface disappeared, small droplets being left, which eventually attempted to come back together. We eradicated those traces, setting up walls of stone to protect ourselves for some short time. But the underground is the Ul'kar's original home. It knows it better than we do.

Soon, our largest settlement, Kra Karda, the Heart of Darkness, as we fittingly named it afterwards, was taken. It was flooded. Some, like me, managed to get out in time. Others weren't so lucky.

We migrated to the newly christened Av-Metru, the City of Light. There was a large deposit of mists, there, coming from a seeming well in the centre of the town. The Ul'kar seemed wary to attack that place, and I feel that it may be our last stronghold against them. And so we bide our time, in each of our underground settlements, many unnamed, the fear having driven the names from them. Some days, nothing bad happens. We may have weeks or months of peace.

But, much more commonly, the Ul'kar attack us.

We are hunted by them...and I fear we will not last long.

Historical Summary

Nearly three hundred years prior to the events of this RPG, an amorphous species...or entity, known to us as the Ul'kar, appeared. They waged war against those living on the surface, before eventually forcing them underground...and then the true hunt began, that which you, my friends, live in the direct middle of.

Locations

Kra Karda

The Heart of Shadows, formerly the largest city in the caverns. Overrun by the Ul'kar, only a few adventures dare ever to go there, to see if there are treasures that may be retrieved. The very ground there sucks at your feet, and if you stand too long in one place, you risk sinking within and never returning. And if you go there at the wrong time, you may just be swallowed immediately. The only building of note is the Suva Ul, where those who have come to worship the Ul'kar reside, near the outskirts of the city proper, built upon true stone.

Av-Metru

The City of Light, the newest capital underground. Most of the Matoran and Agori live here, with Toa and Glatorian who aren't out scouting here to protect them. The major source of attraction is the Well of Light in the centre of the city, where the mysterious mists that give light to the caverns seem to originate, and flow out from. There are two buildings near it: The Council building, where the governing body of the City resides, and the Temple of the Heart, also known as the Suva Karda. The Children of the Well, as they call themselves, are a dominant force among the many small towns within the caverns.

Outpost Central

The last large town within the caverns, Outpost Central is the last refuge for those planning to go further out into the tunnels. Of course, there are smaller outposts ranging out, though they can't truly be considered towns, or safe. There is a constant contingent of Glatorian and Toa stationed here, and the guards control the city.

Factiosn/Groups/Teams

The Children of the Well

The Children of the Well are a rather dominant faction within the caverns. They are based in Av-Metru, though they have a smaller temple in Outpost Central, and nearly every outpost within the caverns has a small shrine dedicated to the well. They are led by an enigmatic Toa known only as the Blinded Visionary, who never shows his eyes to anybody. He claims to be the first to look upon the well, and the only one to have learned all it's secrets. And for that, he was blinded.

The Cult of Ul'kar

These are those beings who, in their insanity, have come also to think of the Ul'kar as a God, and continue to worship it. They are hostile to the Children of the Well, believing them fools who will be destroyed, while they shall delight in the Ul'kar's rapture. For them, any dark place among the tunnels is a place of worship, any cavern where the mist goes thin is where the power of the Ul'kar runs strong. They are led by a seemingly singular mass of the Ul'kar, which calls itself singly Kar, and claims to be the consciousness of the Great Being who created the Ul'kar. It takes any form it so wishes, hardening or softening its mass alternately.

Council of Light

This is the Av-Metru Council, and every being under the surface is subject to their jurisdiction-no matter who they are. Though, in recent years, the Council's power has waned, and the lack of a centralized govenment, the lack of a central power is showing as more and more beings fall to crime within the tunnels-or go to the Cult.

And, of course, you can always create your own.

Characters

Basic profile:

Name:

Species and Gender: Toa, Glatorian, Agori, Matoran, Skrall, Vorox, Custom with approval, etc. No playing as Ul'kar without my permission.

Appearance: At least two full sentences.

Weapons and Possessions:

Mask: Name the mask, and the power it has. Custom allowed with approval.

Powers: At least two full sentences describing them.

Faction: Children of the Well, Ul'kar Cult, Council, Make Your Own.

Biography: At least fifty words.

Post your profiles in the discussion topic and wait for approval. Once approved, put them in the Profiles topic. Only one post in the profile topic, please-don't want it to get cluttered, do we? As well, the limit: Five profiles per person.

Rules

1. All BZP rules apply.

2. All BZPRPG rules apply.

3. I shall approve your profiles, not you.

4. No OOC only posts.

5. R-E-S-P-E-C-T

6. No canon characters...unless rewarded.

7. No Nova Blasts.

8. Have fun.

9. Pillow fights are allowed and encouraged.

Rewards

Rewards can range from many IC things, such as a higher position in your faction, new equipment, a second Kanohi, or the ultimate: My hiring you to work as staff under me for this RPG. However, assume that Rewards shall always be rather random.

Punishments

I have no set system for punishments-any rule breaking shall be judged on a case-by-case basis, and the punishment shall be given out accordingly. If you think it's unfair, drop me a line and we'll work something out. Otherwise, everything is final.

Notes

This RPG may seem story driven. Not really. There is story, and it will be implemented, but that's not everything. The main goal of this RPG is to explore the tunnels, to discover new things, and to have fun playing. I want the players to drive things along, not me. I'm going to likely hang back and do things myself.

Staff profiles shall be added later.

Edited by Kal Grochi, Sep 22 2012 - 06:08 PM.