Cradle Of Civilization

[Lara White]

Cradle of Civilization

“Technology is the ultimate driving force behind history. Technology cares nothing for human welfare, or for which people happens to be in the ascendant. It shows no preference for peace over war, and happily exploits both.”

--Unknown

After Mata Nui reunited Spherus Magna, civilization flourished. Toa and Glatorian defended the Matoran and Agori from outside threats, while the Vortixx working alongside the Nynrah Ghosts to advance civilization at an incredible pace. It was truly a Golden Age.But their happiness was not to last.Three thousand and forty five years after the Cataclysm, political rifts formed within the government of Spherus Magna, between the Turaga-following Matoran and the highly independent Agori. This led to a schism in the geopolitical landscape. The Matoran and Agori formed their own nations, each taking with them their warrior caste. The Vortixx and Nynrah Ghosts, being from the Matoran Universe, sided with the Matoran and advanced their technology at breakneck speeds. Three thousand and fifty-two years after the Cataclysm, a team of Vortixx scientists successfully split the atom for the first time, bringing the Matoran into the Nuclear Age. Shortly afterward, a mercenary known as Roodaka sold the secrets of nuclear power to the Agori and was executed for treason. The two nations edged into a cold war, watching each other nervously.It was neither the Agori nor the Matoran that started the war, however. A creature known only as the Marendar began killing Toa patrols everywhere, leaving their bodies to be found by the Matoran. Angrily, the Matoran accused the Agori of murdering Toa to gain an advantage in a possible war. The Agori denied this, but the Matoran did not believe them…at least until the Marendar attacked a military base deep in the Black Spike Mountains. It wiped out all of the Toa in the base, and killed the Matoran in self-defense. From there, it continued its rampage into a nearby city, killing only the Toa unless someone else attacked it. They would then be slaughtered mercilessly. A week later, after harsh fighting, the inhabitants of the city had died or fled. From there, the Marendar made its way further south, toward Tesara, which had been re-established in the wake of the schism. Fearing another debacle like the Black Spike Mountain battle, the Turaga evacuated the city and detonated a nuclear weapon on the Marendar. The Agori panicked and began firing all of their nuclear weapons at the Matoran. The Matoran, having obliterated the Marendar, retaliated and a full nuclear exchange occurs.Now, the survivors must pick up the pieces and try to rebuild their grand civilization from the ground up. Tensions from the cold war remain, and the Matoran universe survivors compete with the Bara Magna survivors in resources and technology.Gameplay:The two factions are the Agori (supported by the warrior caste of the Glatorian, now imbued with elemental powers due to Mata Nui’s intervention prior to his vanishing) and the Matoran (supported by the warrior caste of the Toa). You will pick a side and choose one of these four races to play as. There are a few things to do, all closely interdependent. You can invent technology, gather resources, or fight against your enemy.Invention: Inventors are invaluable to a growing civilization. They can invent technology which supports a larger population, allows the people to feed themselves without having to scavenge, research methods of building massive constructs such as forts and (eventually) castles, and create weapons and armor for the warriors, giving them an edge over the enemy. Even a Matoran in full plate mail with a steel sword and riding on a mount can defeat a Toa with leather armor and a bronze weapon, even if the Toa does get natural bonuses in combat. Inventors can range from blacksmiths to architects to farmers who create new ways of sustaining a crop. Be careful not to let your faction fall behind, or else you may find yourself overrun by technologically-superior foes!However, there are limitations. You can only advance so quickly as a race, and if I see anything beyond the Roman era, with a few things from the Medieval age. (advanced architecture, steel weapons, plentiful agriculture, and only the most basic of steam-powered devices—not even a car or small factory), I will smite it as too rapid advancement. As it is, only a certain few inventors will be permitted to push the boundaries of the technology available to you: the most creative and inventive players will be dubbed a Genius, roughly comparable to Archimedes or Leonardo da Vinci. In addition, I expect a logical progression of technology. If I ask how your invention works, I expect you to be able to explain it at least in the most basic terms.Resource Gathering: Mostly a perfunctory job, resource gathering is necessary for invention. Players may make a post about their character going to take resources from the area they happen to be in, or import them from somewhere else. However, there are two limitations to this: accessibility and limitations. Accessibility means that your side must own whatever area the resources are in: if you do not have access to a given resource, you cannot use it. Limitations mean that unless the resource is listed as “infinite”, it will run out eventually. Minimal means that the resource is hard to find here and will run out after a few people use it. Medium means that there is not a shortage of the resource, but it will run out if a lot of people are using it at once (for example, five or six people getting a resource all from the same place). Massive means that it will be difficult to drain this resource, but not impossible.Fighting: Fighting is necessary for a civilization to survive when it encounters enemies. Battles will take place in the Epic Battles topic, similar to that of Fraction of Greatness. However, the tactics of the commanders are solely their own, and the better commander will always win. In addition, the command of armies will be toned down a bit, mostly focusing on player combat. Armies are the ones who claim and defend a location on the map, and they are the ones who defend it. However, they cannot be everywhere at one time: only the people in a given location are allowed to participate in defending it against an invader. During battle, resources from the contested area will be cut off due to the combat, but inventors working on a project there are allowed to continue if they so wish. However, if their side loses they must escape with all possible haste, leaving their invention behind half-finished if they cannot take it with them. Battles will end after one real-time week, so as to prevent people from besieging an area constantly and denying the other side a necessary resource. In addition, once a place is attacked, it will be on high alert for the next week after that and cannot be attacked during that time. If the battle is a stalemate by that time, a staff member will be called in to evaluate the battle so far and choose the winner.

• [*]White Quartz MountainsThe White Quartz Mountains are part of a mountain range separating the habitable lands from the radioactive Wasteland to the north. Their great white glaciers of ice and snow gave them their name, and their peaks give a perfect view of the lands for mios around. Resources here include: massive amounts of stone, medium amounts of iron.
  • [*]Ruins of IconoxIconox once rested here, a catacomb of caves and small aboveground fields and market places. Now most of the caves are collapsed and the markets lay abandoned, with forgotten valuables laying around. Resources here include: Minimal amounts of Exsidian, medium amounts of stone.[*]Buried Exsidian MineThis Exsidian Mine was once the lifeblood of Iconox, providing the one useful resource which Iconox could trade for food and supplies. Since the war, however, it has been abandoned, and many of its branches have collapsed. Rahi and other beasts lurk in the shadows, ready to tear apart anyone who seeks to drive them from their home. Resources here include: Massive amounts of Exsidian, massive amounts of stone, medium amounts of iron, minimal amounts of lightstones.

[*]Black Spike MountainsThe Black Spike Mountains are part of a massive mountain range separating the habitable lands to the south from the radioactive, lifeless North. Their name comes from their appearance—unlike their twins to the west, they have no frost and no ice to speak of. Instead they are bare rock, untouched by flora. Resources here include medium amounts of iron and massive amounts of stone.

• [*]Ruins of RoxtusOnce built in the mouth of a massive robotic head, the village of Roxtus was a fortress, almost impregnable against attack. However, the reconstruction of this robot and the later nuclear apocalypse have ruined the village, leaving only a few remaining structures and weapons. However, the Agori have begun rebuilding, and have put together a formidable wall and gate, able to withstand assault. Resources here include massive amounts of stone, minimal amounts of Skrall weapons, medium amounts of lightstones. Resources here include massive amounts of stone, minimal amounts of Skrall weapons, medium amounts of lightstones. Held by: Agori[*]Skrall RiverBorn from springs deep inside the Black Spike Mountains, the Skrall River is one of the only sources of water on the planet. It runs deep into the desert to the south, being the only source of water for Iron Canyon area. Resources here include: Massive amounts of water, minimal amounts of iron ore. Held by: Agori[*]Agori VaultThe Agori Vault was constructed during the cold war, in the event that a nuclear exchange occurred. As much of the population as possible was moved inside the vault, and they are the only remaining survivors of the Agori and Glatorian. However, the vault was not shielded against EMP and the technology taken inside to keep them alive was destroyed. This is where the Agori and Glatorian players start out. There are no resources here.

[*]Forest of TesaraThe Forest of Tesara is one of the only remaining lush places on the island. Designated a park by both the Matoran and Agori, the forest survived the nuclear exchange miraculously unharmed, and is a source of many valuable resources.

• [*]Ruins of TesaraSeemingly untouched by time, the old village of Tesara has been off-limits for some time except by tourists and park rangers. However, nothing is sacred when survival is on the line, and prospective inventors have their eye on Tesara as a source of valuable supplies. Resources here include: Massive amount of wood, medium amount of fruit, and medium amount of lightstones. Held by: Matoran[*]Hot SpringsThe Hot Springs has long been a resort for the wealthy and powerful, but the nuclear Armageddon has changed that. Pools, no longer contained in convenient small formations, spill over into one another and overflow, forming a medium-sized lake, illuminated by the rock at the bottom. This rock can be harvested by those willing to risk swimming to the bottom of the lake. Resources found here include: Massive amounts of water, medium amounts of glowing rock.

[*]Iron CanyonIron Canyon is, despite the name, a system of narrow canyons forming a veritable maze. It is a nightmare for armies to operate in, which is why the city of Vulcanus was once placed here. Lava flows through some of the canyons, and fissures in the earth reveal deep caverns filled to the brim with magma. Resources here include massive amounts of stone, massive amounts of sand, medium amounts of iron, and medium amounts of lava.

• [*]Ruins of VulcanusThe ruins of Vulcanus were long ago stripped for material for the Metru which the united peoples of Spherus Magna constructed. However, a few useless (to them) items were left behind, which may now prove of value to the competing races. Vulcanus is now home to Matoran colonists, and is protected by a set of wooden catapults. It has several forges in it, from which come the Matoran's supply of iron implements. Resources here include massive amounts of stone, medium amounts of weapons, and medium amounts of lightstones. Held by: Matoran[*]Vulcanus Lava FlowThe Vulcanus lava flows have long been valued by blacksmiths of all kinds for their temperatures. They are not valuable by themselves, but they can make a blacksmith’s life much easier in forging. Resources here include: Massive amounts of sand, massive amounts of stone, and medium amounts of lava. Held by: Matoran

[*]Sandray CitadelSandray Canyon is not terribly valuable by itself. However, it is the gateway to Tajun, and in the past has been a valuable chokepoint for that village. iut has been converted into a massive fortress, hewn out of the very cliffs. It cuts off Tajun from the rest of the world, and anyone who wishes to take the city must first capture this fortress. Resources here include: Medium amounts of stone, massive amounts of sand.

• [*]Ruins of TajunTajun was once the “water” village of Bara Magna, despite being on the edge of a desert and completely lacking in water. However, the reformation of Spherus Magna changed that, turning Tajun into a port of call for sailors in a massive freshwater sea, the only village to remain after the reformation of Spherus Magna.. However, the nuclear apocalypse caused it to fall into ruin, just like all the other villages, and now its empty streets are filled with rubble while the wind blows lonely tunes through the alleyways and streets. Upon claiming the city, the Matoran began renovating, adding a trench line and ramparts, a series of watchtowers, spike pits on the border with Iron Canyon, and an irrigated farm fed by the freshwater sea. The watchtowers are now a screen to warn the primary defences of Tajun of any attack. Resources here include: Minimal amounts of weapons, medium amounts of lightstones, infinite amounts of water and a minimal amount of wood Held by: Matoran[*]Underground Lab of the Great Beings (inaccessible)The Lab of the Great Beings is a treasure trove of technology and scientific advancement, capable of creating Element Lords and containing the blueprints to a Great Spirit Robot. However, it was buried and the only people who knew where it was were killed, and so its location is lost.[*]Matoran VaultThe Matoran Vault is where the Matoran and Toa survived the nuclear exchange. The EMP of nearby explosions fried all of the technology which would keep them alive, forcing them to leave and attempt to survive elsewhere. Matoran and Toa players start here. There are no resources here.

[*]Dunes of TreasonThe Dunes of Treason is a massive desert, easily the size of the White Quartz Mountains. It is mostly useless except as a barrier between Tesara and Tajun. Resources here include: Infinite amounts of sand.[*]Creep CanyonCreep Canyon is a large network of canyons which form a defensive maze, isolating Vulcanus from the Black Spike Mountains to the north. Resources here include infinite amounts of stone.

Character Creation:This RPG uses a Perks system, which allows slightly more customization than normal, while giving Matoran and Agori an equal footing with their warrior-caste equivalents. Each character gets two Perks from their caste list.Warrior Caste Perks:

• [*]Elemental Powers: Allows the character to use one element from the canon list. Certain elements are banned: check the rules to ensure that your chosen element is not on this list.[*]Mask Powers: Allows the character to use one mask from the canon list. Certain masks are banned: check the rules to ensure that your chosen mask is not on this list.[*]Commander: The character is a commander of men, and has seven warrior-caste NPCs under his command. This Perk is necessary to assume command of a defense or attack.[*]Veteran: The character is a veteran of many battles and uses his experience to his advantage. The character gets slight advantages over other warrior-caste players and NPCs.

Worker Caste Perks:

• [*]Scavenger: The character does not require as much resources as he normally would, enabling him to make something even when there are only Minimal levels of a given resource available to him.[*]Swift of Hand: The character is good with his hands, able to craft things with incredible speed. Invention takes reduced time to complete.[*]Stealth: The character is capable of sneaking into an adjacent area under enemy control and taking enough of a resource for only one invention. However, if the character does this, he risks being caught.[*]Ashlar Masonry: This character is a veteran mason and can design blueprints for permanent defenses.

This is the form to use for this RPG:

Name:Gender:Age:Species:Perks:Allegiance:Weapons: None. These must be scavenged or made before use.Appearance:Personality:Bio:Weakness: (Absolutely necessary.)

A completed form should look like this:

Name: TasorGender: MaleAge: ~1,200 yearsSpecies: MatoranPerks:

• [*]Scavenger[*]Ashlar Masonry

Allegiance: MatoranWeapons: None.Appearance: A Po-Matoran, with a sand-tan torso and limbs. His hands, feet, and limbs are black. He wears a powerless black Hau.Personality: Tasor is gruff to those he doesn’t know and those who work under him. To those who can enter his small circle of friends, however, he is amicable enough, although still quiet. He doesn’t like to talk about his past much—he’s hinted that it contains very unpleasant things.Bio: Tasor was an architect before the cold war went hot. He was skilled at using the least amount of material to build the best buildings, always dancing on the edge of building code when it could save him money. Eventually he fell in with unsavory types and ended up plying his trade for an organized crime group. He was one of the lucky ones, able to get to the Matoran Vault before it closed, and hid inside with all of the other survivors. When the nukes stopped flying, he was one of the last ones out, dreading the sight of what had happened to the once-prosperous civilization that was his one-time home. Now, he is trying to rebuild a great city like the ones in his memories.

Rules:

• [*]All BZP rules apply. (Should I really need to say this?)[*]NO Godmoding. This includes but is not restricted to: Insta-completing inventions, emptying out a resource site in one or two posts, effortlessly defeating enemies, not giving enemies time to react, and making other players’ characters act out of character.[*]I expect you to be able to explain your invention’s operation capably when I ask you how it works. If your invention does not work according to the laws of physics, I will decide that it breaks on its own, and I will usually highlight exactly what part went wrong. In addition, no reversing the polarity of the neutron flow.[*]Powers that are not allowed are: Gravity, Light, Darkness, Psionics, and Sonics.[*]Masks that are not allowed are: Golden Kanohi any and all elemental masks, Komau, Tryna, Zatth, Mohtrek, Avsa, Jutlin, Avohkii, Kraahkan, Olmak, Olisi, Vahi, Ignika, Mask of Creation Mask of Charisma, Mask of Possibilities, Mask of Mutation, Mask of Clairvoyance, and Mask of Scavenging. This may seem like a long list but there are a lot of overpowered masks.[*]Please use good grammar and spelling in your posts. This will help people pay more attention to you, instead of skimming your post because it is painful to read.[*]Your character MUST have a weakness. What is acceptable and what is not will be decided on a case-by-case basis, as player skill has a lot to do with it.[*]The only permitted species are Matoran and Toa for the Matoran faction, and Glatorian and Agori for the Agori faction. It's a little restrictive, but it's for gameplay balance.[*]Please format your posts like so:

[White Quartz Mountains—Ruins of Iconox]Nuparu worked feverishly to complete his invention, a simple device which would lighten his load quite a bit. He had constructed a makeshift forge from stone and some wood he had brought with him from Tesara, and now was putting the finishing touches on a collapsible Exsidian pick, which used hinges and a lock system to maintain its structural strength while becoming much more compact than the iron pick he now used.

Credit to Blade and Friar Tuck for proofreading this and helping me with new ideas and patches to current ones. Thanks to Exo-Fat for the huge amount of inspiration I took from AFOG, and thanks to everyone who voted for CoC--you made this possible. Edited October 17, 2011 by Lloyd: the White Wolf

[Legolover-361]

IC (Forest of Tesera -- Ruins of Tesera):This, Ena reflected, is probably the easiest inventing will ever get.The dark, crowded Vault was in the distant past now, but Ena remembered the EMP blast like it was yesterday. Her energy bow -- less an inanimate construct of metallic protodermis, more an extension of her very being -- a rush of ozone, a sizzle, a pop!, and it was gone, short-circuited beyond repair.Nevertheless she had tried to repair it after leaving the Vault, she really had; the Toa of Lightning had even tried getting a Matoran, Arvina, an engineer, to fix it. No luck.At least, Ena reflected, she was in the perfect place to construct a new, albeit primitive, bow.It was, indeed, easy. She stepped into a shaft of sunlight by a tree and, with her right foot braced against the trunk, she grabbed onto one of the lower, younger branches and pulled. It broke -- she tumbled backwards, but it was worth it; the broken branch was easily bent in her hands, supple and light. It would be perfect bow-crafting material.Now for the next part: the string.This proved to be somewhat harder to find. Ena first tried a vine; by wrapping her legs around a fallen tree trunk and pulling back and down, she finally managed to break off a sizeable portion, with the drawback of slamming the back of her head on the ground hard enough to see stars against the mottled green of leaves above. She laid there a good few minutes before rolling over onto her right side, pinning the branch segment to her side by trapping its lower half underneath her right arm, and tying the vine to one end of the branch. Then she switched sides and tied the other end of the vine to the other side of the branch.Satisfied, she stood up, still being sure not to overexert herself, and held the bow up and pulled the string back.It didn't flex. It wasn't elastic.Growling, she pulled harder, certain she could coax a little elasticity out of--It snapped, one end swinging out and spiraling around in the air, the other end coming back and slapping Ena in the face. She stumbled backwards, catching herself against the rough surface of a tree, and blinked several times.Well. Vine won't work.OOC: Can you say "fast start"?

Edited October 18, 2011 by Legolover-361

[Pomegranate]

IC: Khede awoke with a dull pain amidst the rubble of Tajun. He had suffered a blow during the great battle and, as far as he could tell, had his body dumped in the outskirts of the ruined city. Darting his eyes across the small clearing in which he lay, the injured Toa of Stone adjusted his Kakama and slowly sat up. It seemed deserted, and as he stood up, Khede picked up a fragment of lightstone laying on the ground. Absentmindedly, he put it in his pouch- a small sack of long, thatched tree leaves which he acquired at the settlement, back in... back in...He shook his head, unable to recall."And they asked me why I hated fighting," muttered the Toa with an ironic undertone in his voice. Rubbing his head, which sent waves of pain throughout his being, he picked a direction and started walking towards it. Hopefully he'll stumble upon something- or someone, that could jog his memory. And when the pain subsided enough for him to concentrate, he planned to activate his Kanohi and find what was left of the makeshift matoran army.On the horizon, he saw what appeared to be the Forest of Tesera.Or perhaps a hallucination. It was hard to tell with his blurred senses.

[Lara White]

IC: It didn't take long for him to realize it was a mirage--the logical part of his mind reminded him it was a full day's march from the gates of Tajun to Tesara. A Toa came up behind him. "You lost?" He asked.

[Silvan Haven]

IC: Angen stepped through the trees of Tesara searching for the correct materials for the invention that he had in his mind. A branch that had been separated from it's tree in the earlier battle caught his eye. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be just the kind of wood he was looking for.He pulled out the shard of stone that he had collected on the way over from Tajun and cut a suitable length vine from a nearby tree. Coming back to the log, Angen looped the vine around it several times and secured it with a knot.With a grunt and a heave, he started to haul it back to the town/base that was springing up now that the matoran had taken control of the area.

[Legolover-361]

IC (Jungle of Tesera -- Ruins of Tesera):In most parts, the battered stone of buildings had collapsed underneath the onslaught the forest waged upon it; vines curled around halved pillars, moss had taken root in cracks of walls, and every now and then Arvina would nearly stumble over some piece of stone or a weapon, over which plants had grown.The forest of Tesera was taking back what was its to begin with.Arvina didn't like that. Not at all.She was what most would call a technologically-inclined Matoran of Sonics. Without electronics, she was nothing. At the very least she hoped she could find non-rusted metal somewhere; perhaps it would shake off her feeling of vulnerability, a feeling that had been plaguing her since the EMP blast that had fried all electronics inside and outside the Vault.Stepping over a tree trunk, her feet sinking into the soft grass- and moss-covered ground, she cast her gaze around for anything that shined.There was something, all right, but it was moving, and its metallic gleams, though bright, were cast from black and yellow armor. Ena, probably trying to construct her bow still. Arvina rolled her eyes; how would they ever survive in this world without proper weapons? -- Kanoka disks, zamor launchers, et cetera?* * *If Ena could have read Arvina's thoughts, she would have found them nothing but an annoyance, just the sort of thing to come out of an engineer's mind. Ena had never been one for high-tech weapons or vehicles or whatever -- give her a bow and two full quivers and she would be satisfied.Which was why she was unsatisfied now: She lacked both the bow and the two quivers.The two halves of vine still dangled from the ends of Ena's branch-turned-makeshift bow, as if taunting her with their failure. Gritting her teeth, she spun around slowly, being sure to look carefully around herself. If she could only find some elastic string...OOC: Both characters are open for interaction.

[Silvan Haven]

IC: Tesara With a final heave, Angen lurched out of the undergrowth hauling his log behind him. He stopped and leaned over in an attempt catch his breath. After a few minuets of puffing and blowing he maneged to more or succead.He straightened up ready to continue with his log when he saw a female Toa trying to make a bow with a springy branch and a vine. He quickly pulled his log another few feet to a large rock which he leaned the log against. With one last deep breath to try and bring his breathing under control, Angen started over towards the Toa saying."Need any help? "

[Razgriz]

IC: (Approaching the ruins of Tesara) A lone Toa of Iron walked through the jungle, at a casual, yet somewhat swift pace. Ever observant, he kept note of the birdsong and calls of jungle animals as he walked. He was in the clear for now, as far as he could tell. Generally, if the animals and rahi weren't worried, he shouldn't be either. Things weren't all that quiet, so everything was probably fine. "I've gotta be getting close to the ruins by now..." he grumbled to himself, vaulting over a fallen tree, landing on a twig with a snap. Sure enough, he heard the distinctive sound of voices, coming from the clearing he was approaching. "Finally," Haradyl grumbled, relieved to have found Tesara and, hopefully, Matoran or Toa.

[Legolover-361]

IC (Jungle of Tesera -- Ruins of Tesera):The Matoran approaching Ena wore silver armor; rather unorthodox, certainly, but not downright odd. She forced an apologetic smile onto her face and said, "Thanks, but... I'd rather make it on my own. I'd feel better that way."Though her mind screamed, No! You don't want to be watched, Ena! she ignored it. The Toa of Lightning turned away, mindful of the Matoran's gaze on her back, and began making an effort to look like she was searching the surrounding area for something -- Anything, she thought -- to use for the bow's string.But the trees and ruins around her did nothing to assuage her faint frustration. Vines, leaves, branches, several interesting species of flowers and moss -- none of those would work.Footsteps sounded from off to her left; not wanting to seem overly nervous yet also leery of seeming ignorant, she threw a quick glance in that direction to ensure no one was there before continuing her search for some sort of elastic material.A row of flowers with bright red petals grew between the large roots of a gnarled, old tree, fluttering faintly in a soft breeze, what little of the air came this far into the forest. In desperation, Ena grabbed one by the stem and pulled; it gave a little, but only a little, before its roots were ripped out of the ground.Well, it was worth a try.Again trapping the bow beneath her arm, she set to work untying the vines, ripping several more flowers out of the ground, and tying their stems together as a new string. Hopefully this would work; considering her luck thus far, though, she guessed it wouldn't.

[Silvan Haven]

IC: Angen watched in amusment as the Toa tried to make a string out of flowers. The end result might look good, but in no way would it allow an arrow to pierce metal armor."You could always try a metal string. I'm sure that there are some Toa of Iron around here somwhere" He said, gesturing back to where the Matoran encampment was located. "I also have some good bow wood with me." He continued.The Toa may not like it but Angen was'nt going to give up until she let him help.

[Legolover-361]

OOC: I don't know if there's an encampment... Though I suppose it stands to reason there would be: a primitive one, but one nonetheless. If I'm wrong I'll edit.IC (Forest of Tesera -- Ruins of Tesera):Ena glanced back in the direction of the voice. The Matoran was still there, gesturing to an oddly-shaped collection of trees in the background. The Toa of Lightning frowned; she was sure trees didn't grow in near-perfect rectangles--Then she focused, and the image suddenly clarified. It was a collection of tent-like structures made from branches and large leaves, blending perfectly into the forest unless you looked at it directly for a few seconds. Ena frowned. How had she not noticed it before?"Ah, I -- I wasn't told there was an encampment," she said sheepishly. "But I honestly doubt there would be metal string available there, and Toa of Iron would need metal to control, you know?"

[Razgriz]

IC: "Yeah, we kinda do." Haradyl grunted, pushing aside a low hanging branch and fully emerging from the dense jungle. Raising a hand in greeting, he walked towards the group. "So, did I hear something about metallic bowstrings?" he asked, with a hint of confusion in his tone. Definitely can't make one out of iron, it'll hold it's shape if it's bent and be useless. Steel? Maybe, if it's the right kind...

[Wyrd Bid Ful Araed]

OOC: Last I remember Garmorial and the hammers of Judgement were in the Exsidian Mine, sneaking up on another group. I think then the walls started closing in, so acting on that... IC: Kortops and Goros combined their powers, creating thick and hardy bars of stone and ice to hold the walls back. Even if the constant pressure would force the horizontal pillars to stress and crack eventually, it bought them time

[Oblitus]

OOC: Yeah, I kinda already handled that... IC: Dsilus looked at Garmorial's Glatorian barricading the spikes,, reinforcing what Dsilus' team had already done. "Good job. Just how do we get out?" Dsilus asked Garmorial.

[Wyrd Bid Ful Araed]

IC: "Burrow. This is still stone so presumably we can control it."

[Legolover-361]

IC: "Yeah, we kinda do." Haradyl grunted, pushing aside a low hanging branch and fully emerging from the dense jungle. Raising a hand in greeting, he walked towards the group. "So, did I hear something about metallic bowstrings?" he asked, with a hint of confusion in his tone. Definitely can't make one out of iron, it'll hold it's shape if it's bent and be useless. Steel? Maybe, if it's the right kind...

IC (Jungle of Tesera -- Ruins of Tesera):Ena spun--And stopped rather abruptly, trying on a genial smile so the Toa of Iron wouldn't suspect she had been scared at all. In fact, she hadn't been scared in the first place. You wouldn't be shocked that easily, she convinced herself, though her awkwardness remained somewhere in her subconscious."Oh. Hi. I, um, didn't see you there." She held up the bow in her hand, the line of flower stems dangling from the top end like some useless decoration. "I've been trying to make a bow for myself," she explained, "but I can't find the right string. I was hoping to use vine but it's not elastic enough."

[Razgriz]

IC: "Ah." he said, ignoring her attempt at disguising her suprise. Walking over, he inspected her handiwork. Aside from the lack of string, it looked to be a passable, if not good quality bow, especially one handmade by someone he'd assumed to be a warrior. "Well," he began, sitting down and putting on a contemplative look, "have you tried gathering some of the thinner vines and weaving them together into a cord, or something?" he asked.

[Legolover-361]

IC (Forest of Tesera -- Ruins of Tesera):Ena frowned. "No. But the vines aren't very elastic, see, and it wouldn't draw back enough for the bow to bend. I think we need some new material."

[Razgriz]

IC: "Well, I wouldn't expect a vine to be that elastic without any changes to it in the first place, but..." he trailed off, figuring he might as well just let the issue drop. "What about sinew?" he asked, glancing into the forest. "That's always reliable."

[Legolover-361]

IC (Forest of Tesera -- Ruins of Tesera):Sinew? Ena racked her mind before remembering that plants were fibrous, containing many small fibers through their stems to carry water and nutrients throughout. And trees surely had fibers as big as any plant's.Perhaps. Ena was no botanist; she didn't know."That makes sense," she said, "but how would we get to the fibers?"

[Silvan Haven]

OOC: Last time I checked, Toa could create things out of their element without already having a source of it.@ Razgriz- The Matoran and Agori left their Vaults about a month earlier, so your profile is a little confusing for me. Could you please explain?IC: "I was suggesting that she use metal for the string of the bow she's trying to make. But suppose sinew would be better in thease conditions." Angen conceded. "I'm sure that either of you could catch an animal in this jungle. I practically tripped over half a doven small animal on the way over here."

[Legolover-361]

OOC: Huh. You're right. But the question is, can a Toa create that element out of thin air? Gali had problems when training against Hydraxon in the desert, because there was no water. Perhaps not all Toa know how to create their elements.'Tis a retcon, yes, but it works. Kind of.IC (Forest of Tesera -- Ruins of Tesera):"It would be rather hard to kill a small animal like that without..." She paused, then groaned, slapping a hand to her forehead. "...without a bow."Ena let out a long, slow sigh. "What now?" she asked. "The earlier idea of getting something from plants? Or -- you, Toa of Iron, I didn't catch your name -- you could try to create, er, steel, maybe? I think I've heard of Toa being able to create their element when they don't have any of it around."

[Razgriz]

OOC: I don't remember seeing that anywhere so... *shrug* IC: "No," he said, rather bluntly. "I don't think it works quite like that." he continued, furrowing his brow in concentration "While I'm sure there's a fair amount of iron spread throughout the soil, I can't locate a high enough concentration to work with. And in any case, whether I can create metals out of nothing or not, I couldn't create steel, only manipulate it. The only way to create it is via smelting, steel's an alloy." he explained, with an apologetic glance. "As for a metal bowstring, I'm not so sure that that's a good idea, at least with a bow made of wood..."

[Silvan Haven]

IC: "Certainly we could rig up a snare, or maybe one of you could use your element on one. I dont think that we could make a string out of plant fibers with what we have here. Although, as our Toa of Iron friend here said before, intertwining small vines may work untill we get something better."He gestured at the log that he had been hauling. "It depends on the kind of wood. If I had a few weeks with that over there it could probably handle one. Of course, the branch we have here is not quite the pinacle of bow wood examples."

[Skarloth]

IC Jeren - Ruins of Tesara - Wandering: Jeren sat on a dead tree stump, looking around at the people going to and fro, he was still in shock from the bombing, and was just barely regaining his bearings from the sudden shock of sunlight he had experience when he left the vault. He rubbed his face, staring off into the distance in a very zombie like manner. He suddenly snapped back to life, finally, his mind had come to him, somewhat. He was still cautious of the people around him, and even more so of the landscape. He stood up slowly, stretching his limbs. He walked on through the dead wasteland before them all, just trying to find his next meal. He then began to wonder what he would eat next, would it be a Rahi? Would he end up living off plant life? He didn't know, but he was hungry. He was pretty much lost, he didn't know what to do or where to go, and he certainly wasn't going to talk to anyone around him, they were all too suspicious. What if one of them had gone mad while in the vault? He was sure that many did, and he did not want to die by a crazy person that day. OOC: Ironic, since he's teetering on insanity at the moment. He's open for interaction, but don't expect much more than a shocked and confused and fearful response. -Jeren

[Legolover-361]

OOC: According to BS01, the list of powers associated with iron includes "Creating any type of metal or metallic Protodermis." Though, I kind of see where you're coming from about the steel.IC (Forest of Tesera -- Ruins of Tesera):Ena shrugged. "'Twas worth a try, I suppose," she murmured, glancing at the ground as if she could see the concentrations of metal herself. But she couldn't. She felt oddly helpless without a familiar weapon in her hands; what if the Agori and Glatorian decided to attack?The gentle rustle of leaves around the three beings did nothing to assuage her discomfort."Well," she said finally. "It looks like I can't make a bow. But maybe I can make a sling."OOC: I'm leaving for Boy Scouts.

[Void Emissary]

IC: Doriana - Agori Vault Doriana squinted against the new sun. It had been so long since she had entered the vault, the sun seemed blinding. She looked around. Ruins everywhere within view. All because of those blasted Matoran. Doriana felt new rage bubble inside of her. She had sworn to herself that she would slaughter any Toa or Matoran she found, and she planned to keep that promise. OOC: Open for interaction. -Void

[Skarloth]

OOC: Oh no. This is the Agori vault. Jeren is a Toa. o_o Well, I guess it can be his little secret. XD IC Jeren - Ruins of Tesara - Wandering: Jeren was so blind and in a haze that he barely noticed Doriana as he walked right into her. And while he wasn't walking at a speed where he could knock her over, she did receive a good bump from him. "Sorry..." he said, walking by her without another word. OOC: I suppose an explanation is in order. How did Jeren get into the Agori vault? To the discussion topic! -Jeren

[Void Emissary]

IC: Doriana - Agori Vault Doriana stumbled back in surprise, 'Hey watch where you're going-' She looked up to see a Toa reel back in surprise. It didn't matter who he was, he was a Toa. She clenched her hands into fists and hurled punch after punch at him. OOC: Despite being so filled with rage, Doriana shouldn't be that big a pain. By the way, good to see you again Skarloth. -Void

[Skarloth]

OOC: Nice to see you again too, Emissary. IC Jeren - Ruins of Tesara - Fighting Doriana: Jeren held up his arms in defense, blocking the punches one after the other, eventually, he got sick of it, and grabbed one of Doriana's arms, yanking her and tossing her to the ground beside him. "Leave me alone, I'm not responsible for what other Toa did, I didn't even support the war between us," he said, turning away and continuing on his lonely walk through Tesara. -Jeren

[Void Emissary]

IC: Arack - Agori Vault Arack saw the Agori attack the Toa and applauded the Toa on his efforts. He walked towards the fallen Agori. 'He's right you know. We can't blame them for everything.' The Agori glowered at him, 'I can't believe you just said that. You're a Glatoian. Why aren't you there fighting him, instead of praising him like some traitorous fool.' The aged Glatorian chuckled and said, 'I don't fight without good reason, ' and began walking in the direction of Jeren. He turned back to Doriana, adding, 'It's a horrible way to live, growing up angry.' OOC: Oh man, I love being Arack! -Void

[Lara White]

OOC: As far as I can tell, we're dealing with quantum superposition here. The Agori Vault has is somehow both in the Black Spike Mountains and in Tesara at the same time. Warning: those Agori who are still in Tesara will find themselves on the pointy end of a very angry army of Toa.

[Skarloth]

OOC: So Toa and Matoran characters were meant to start out in Tesara, and Agori and Glatorian characters in the Black Spike mountains? Or what? IC Jeren - Ruins of Tesara - Talking to Arack: Jeren turned when he heard the two beings arguing, and spoke to Arack when he walked up to him, "I'm glad you have no hate towards my race, fellow Spherus Mangnian. But it appears there is still much anger on this planet, and at the worst time; we should be cooperating to survive, not fighting over past mistakes," Jeren said, looking around at the burned and destroyed Tesara. "If we don't, then we have little chance to survive this dead world..." OOC: He'll slip back into shock sometime. -Jeren

[Lara White]

OOC: Toa and Matoran may start out in Tesara or in Sandray Citadel, since they happen to control both played. Agori only control Black Spike.

[Silvan Haven]

Tesara IC: "Why dont we head back to camp for now." Angen said to Ena. "Somebody may have a string that you could use there."With that, he walked to his log and resumed hauling it back to the small spce that he had claimed for his workshop.

[Pomegranate]

IC: Khede turned to the Toa, startled at his sudden appearance. "Huh, lost..?" The perplexed Toa of Stone turned back to where he thought he saw the outlines of Tesara. "Could've sworn it was... Oh, yes. Lost." Not wishing to hold up the kind stranger, he got to the point quickly. "Could you kindly point me to a Matoran settlement?" Tapping his Mask of Speed, he added, "Distance isn't an issue."OOC: Lloyd, mind having this kind NPC point me in the direction of Tesara, perhaps? It's getting lonely out here

[Void Emissary]

OOC: Okay, so either me or Skarloth will have to drop out of this conversation, or something like that? I'm rather confused. IC: Krakhaan - Matoran Vault Krakhaan grunted his appreciation as he exited the vault. He looked back and inspected his troops. All seemed fit and fighting, except for Kakama, who had a slight limp, but nothing major. Excellent. 'Uh, commander,' Hau began, 'Some of the men were wondering where we're headed exactly.' Krakhaan smiled, 'We'll head to Sandray Citadel, hopefully find some resources, and head out. That answer your question?' 'Yessir. I'll tell the group.' 'Good work.' IC: Syryn - Tesara Syryn wandered the lands aimlessly, not sure where to go first. Everywhere he looked, the pain seemed to return. Why couldn't he have done something... '...survive this dead world...' Syryn whirled around to see another Toa. He was talking to someone, but he couldn't quite make out who. Whoever it was, they seemed to be friendly. He sighed and started walking over. OOC: That's Jeren, Skarloth, but without the quantum physics. -Void

Edited October 23, 2011 by Emissary to the Void

[Skarloth]

OOC: lol IC Jeren - Ruins of Tesara - Talking to Syryn: Jeren noticed that another being was approaching him from his left, he turned to see who it was; and like all the others, he had never seen him in his life. "A fellow Toa. Are you alright?" he asked, glancing at Arack, then back to Syryn. Everyone he had seen so far had been unarmed, and lost, the world had lost its focus, along with everyone in it. Then again, there were those few who did have clarity, and sanity, at least enough to focus on revenge; Jeren could only hope that the people of Spherus Magna could come together and unite, not bicker and fight over old grudges and mistakes. -Jeren

[Lara White]

IC: The Toa cocked his head. "Well, you're in Tajun, now." He pointed to the walls of Sandray Citadel around them. "But if you travel north for a day, you'll reach Tesara."

[Pomegranate]

IC: Khede looked towards the North, following the gaze of the other Toa, and then looked back at him. "Thank you for your help. I would appreciate a traveling companion, but... I'm in a hurry." After a goodbye-fistbump from his new acquaintance, Khede adjusted his pouch and ran off towards Tesara, leaving a sizeable cloud of sand and dust in his wake. A good couple of minutes passed when a blur of hazy green began to form around the brown and black Toa. He was keeping a relatively slow pace- compared to the full potential of his mask- in order to conserve energy and so that he did not run into anything. Unfortunately, he neglected to factor in the change in terrain and suddenly his foot caught on a stray root and sent him tumbling to the ground. His impact left a trail of overturned dirt and mangled shrubs, and his unruly journey finally came to an end when he collided with a somewhat short, yellow and black Toa, knocking her over and visibly startling her Matoran companion.Khede groaned as he rolled away from the collision site and gently sat up, clenching his head again."Uuugh... Are you okay?" Khede squinted at the strange Toa as she slowly came into focus.