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IC Leklo | Piraka Fortress Ruins, Northern edge of the Lake of Whispers The former alpinist had been deprived of things to climb and overcome thus far in his time on this land called Zakaz. Mountains were much larger there, but also rarer and slopier, not the sheer cliffs and towers Leklo was so used to having back home in Ko-Metru. Challenges—real, blood-roiling, heart-pounding challenges—had not been a vice he'd been indulging in the couple weeks on this strange land, so the prospect of intervening and assisting the closest thing to a toa-brother he knew was a juicy proposition. His mind was rushing through a variety of possible outcomes as he throttled his speeder forward in the night. Chilly, static air rushed past and pounded his eardrums as he charged across the nighttime terrain, narrowly avoiding a shattered tree stump here and a stack of rubble there in his haste. Who was the big brute? he wondered, then shelved the thought. There was no chance for asking questions. He rarely found the time to do so in his old vocation, either. Questions were for the placid moments of solitude and inquisition, not split-second margins for action and preservation. Life was a struggle and it was either do or die; his was to do or die, not to question why. Ataguy would explain after his life was saved. Hopefully. At the last second before Leklo would hit the wall he slammed the breaks and spun the handlebars hard to the right. The speeder hung a very hard turn and disappeared off to the side, but the sudden discharge of momentum effectively catapulted Leklo up from his seat and to the wall of the ruin, and for the split second between the speeder and the wall... he was home. Arms out, hands hooked, body soaring as he braced to catch a handhold and climb the rest of the way. Failure was never an option, and neither was it one there; a slippage and fall meant starting from the bottom. He wasn't likely to die or even get hurt if he didn't succeed, but for once it wasn't his life on the line. His body was ready for this scenario, however, and blinded by darkness or blinded by whiteness it was the same muscle memories that would help him seize a hold. He grasped the wall with incredible force and almost loosed his grips, and if he were a matoran it would have been a certain loss, but Leklo's stronger build as a toa gave him the strength and luck he needed and he managed to hold on. He strained his muscles and pulled himself up, quickly clambering the rest of the way and scrambling over the lip of the ruined wall. He slicked down, fell in a crouch, and instinctively pulled his swords out. Their edges shone with fluorescent hues as his plasma energies were minutely discharged through the blades—all he had been able to do, so far—and let off a soft glow that illuminated his immediate surroundings. And then Kor's demon shadow monster struck, throwing bricks and rubble with abandon. Through the chaos, Leklo caught sight of Ataman and the mysterious warrior a short ways away and charged, aiming to strike swiftly and accurately to maim and dismember the assailant. IC Stannis | Coliseum The wind whipped around Stannis’s body as he fell, fell, fell, tumbling and spinning with the inertia he’d built up. The wind felt harsh, painful even, and the chill nighttime air cut to his bones without the meager shield of his great grey cloak. The city of Metru Nui, a shadowy monolith of death and decay, was glimpsed with regularity, and each time he saw it the city’s horizon grew larger and more constricting as he fell, fell fell. The silverine sheer walls of the Coliseum, a polished gunmetal grey in the crepuscular setting, reflected Stannis’ toa body and his brilliant grey eyes back at him, and with every passing rotation he could observe his powers at work and his mortal body healed bit by bit. The wind sliced through the hole in his chest like some atmospheric razor wire ripped back and forth through a gap, though it was permitted in ever lessening quantities with each spin his body took. Slowly, the howl in his chest narrowed to a whistle—but oh! how it hurt!!—then finally became a whisper and stopped altogether. The massive gash hewn into his chest by the rebel king was woven back together again by the healing abilities of his true nature, the nature to endure and recover; to him setbacks were only avenues and deaths mere experiences. Would he die? He could; he could perish—as Stannis—but Who He Was would return, live on, and grow as it was, after all, his nature to do so. The cycle would go on, on, on. There was no such thing as an End. Not anymore. If Stannis could pray to a god who would hear he would do so, but he was the answer to those same prayers. He was the hunger for knowledge, He was the cry for help in hopelessness, He was the answer to the pleadings for second chances, to “what if?s” and “what now?s” asked by Builders across the eons. He was a god of his own creation and there were no questions to which he would not know the answers. Would he die? He could—and yet he could not. His Destiny was not yet completed, his Duty not yet done, his Wish not yet granted. The cycle was not meant to reset yet and the leylines of Fate still led him to places far and times long—he was certain of it. The fight and subsequent punishment Stannis received from it had weakened his constitution severely. It wasn’t the exertion of the fight, no, there still were plentiful reserves of elemental energy within his body to employ, but his essence was been diminished and evaporated through the injury he’d sustained. Like flax chaff thrown into the breeze the wind had ripped his antidermis from the toa body he possessed and dispersed it into the atmosphere, even as that same viridian spirit earnestly stitched the gap shut. He could still wield his Aspect powers but it took more focus now, and took more time to use them. He was too weak, too weak to fight, too weak to rouse his courage and participate directly again just yet. The Wanderer was always present when he needed to be, no sooner, no later, or at least that was the way things had been. Still… he could still see through his once-brother Oreius’ eyes, the only privilege he’d cared to enjoy with any abandon against his strongest and most honor-bound Desecrated. It was through the seeing-eyes in Oreius’ mind that Stannis could survey the ravaged battlefields of the Northern Continent, the terribleness of Carapar’s jihads, and the dilapidated remnants of the Archives, and finally the slow assault against the Coliseum. Stannis shut his pearly eyes and saw through Oreius’ once again. The deadly duels were splintering. Pridak was removed from his exo-suit, humbled but not yet defeated, and Oreius' skirmish with Achro had been interrupted. A return to the throne room would mean certain combat if Stannis were not careful, but there was not much option for the Wanderer as the last window of opportunity to return was near and not large; it would take much of his dwindled might and addled mind to muster his second defenestration before the ground would embrace him otherwise, which it was also sure to do if he did nothing. He straightened his body and pulled it upright, aiming to drop himself foot-first into an inky hole of shadow that was all but invisible in the nighttime sky. The most glaring thing detectable was the sudden simple omission of his falling body. …

I'm really glad you, and others, have been enjoying these scenes. I think moving away from high-stakes, adversarial interactions into some smaller, more character-focused scenes has really helped me get into a better headspace.

IC: Barraki Ehlek | Le-Metru Ehlek chuckled. He loved watching the glowing receivers glitter with their little LEDs. He loved observing the transmitters flicker and click audibly as their circuits pulsed with electrical currents. The machines spoke, if you just watched for a little bit. Kind of like the seaweed moving at the bottom of the ocean, or the currents of water carrying so much knowledge. Sure, he could look at a monitor and watch the lines of command text zip quickly by as it executed. But reading the letters wasn't quite the same as learning to interpret the heartbeat. With his new arms he worked quickly on solving a small toy found in the debris of Le-Metru. The toy seemed to be some sort of multi-color block. It was one large cube made up of smaller cubes that all turned in three planes horizontally and vertically. He liked getting all the colors on a side to match. He wasn't sure the matoran who owned it before realized they could do that, but he enjoyed the novelty of his discovery. As his new mechanical arms played with the cube, Ehlek focused his original pair and most of his attention on his latest work: Mantax. No, Mantax couldn't be revived. Not physically, anyways. Ehlek tried. He tried several times, but even he couldn't return his friend. He could, however, access his friend's memories. He gently poked the little crystal on his desk. The glow inside flickered softly. Small soldered wires ran from it to the head of his friend. Progress, like time, marched ever forward. Some things could be salvaged, even in death. Not everything, but enough. He knew where to get the rest… Ehlek placed a sharp nail on the growing crystal and slowly dragged it down to product a horribly high pitched sound. “I wonder how Pridak’s doing...” IC: Reliable Narraor | Fau Swamp, AIr Suva Sala and Sorilax walked up the steps and through the arched open doorway to stand in a sandstone temple, approximately fifty paces in diameter, with a vaulted conical ceiling. Near the far wall Sorilax noticed the glimmer of sunlight on a few rusty spoons. A surprised brakas monkey whooped and climbed away along the walls out of sight. Open archways around the perimeter of the temple let in the smells and sounds of a jungle in mid morning. A tropical bird Sala never heard before let out an elaborate mating call. They could hear the croaking of frogs and the buzzing of insects from outside, though significantly muffled. In the center of the room rose a stone suva, with overgrown plants covering its surface. A strange sapling made its home on the very top of the suva, the limbs contorting and bending in strange angles. From one angle it looked like a sickle, and from the other a straight vertical line. While these sights and sounds and smells came unbidden to the two explorers, another muffled sound assaulted them from below. Looking down Sala could see the rotted wood patch of flooring near the entryway gave way to reveal an open pit trap containing a very dazed ga-matoran. OOC: @Kal the Guardian, @Sparticus147

Happy Monday! From The Desk, We. Hit. 100. Pages. Yes! We did it, we broke into the triple digits for SKR in early August! I wasn't sure it would be possible, but it's cool to see it happen. Thanks all for playing, and for continuing to work on being a collaborative group. As a personal note, I am working overtime this week. Lots of overtime. Expect less interaction from me while that is happening, though I will due my diligence to continue to stay up to date on the happenings, and even post if at all possible! Weekly Summary The Ruins of Fire rooms have been fully opened! Congratulations to those who worked hard on those puzzles. Barius announces the need to feed! A might feast for Barius's triumph with the warksaks begins, even as his new tahtorak lumbers off towards... The Rig? Cravious and Gore continue their food-loving adventures, dragging in more fine folk to help them in their quest for ingredients and components in the Fau Swamp! The skies of Metru-Nui cease to be filled with combat Dar Poroka flies away on his newfound tentacle wings, and those aboard his ship make a safe extraction. Taja and Whisper explore not just the road south to the Fau Swamp, but what it means to be alive. Le-Metru Nuva continued it's progress towards unlocking the secret to forging great kanoka with the help from a new ally. Atamai comes back to the future with an unwelcome guest: Axxon. Their debate turns to blows, with Atamai joined by some old new friends who happened to be traveling North. Sorilax and Sala explore the Fau Swamp, finding the air suva and a surprised matoran! Pridak's armor is destroyed, and the fight seems to near a terrifying conclusion... Favorite Moment of the Week: I'm loving... LOVING... the philosophical introspection by Whisper and Taja. I'm loving... LOVING... Viltia and Sidra. Generally, the Fau Swamp is getting some descriptive love over the past week or two and I'm here for that.

Been branching out in this recent quarantine. Branches include Clone Wars and drawing, thus I give you: (rough translation of Matoran and Galactic Basic ) Eheh, I forgot how Ussal crabs worked, so now we have puny Pewkew. As always, totally open to suggestions, would love to improve!

Last week my favorite thing was either Taja's observations on the Fau Swamp and talking with Whisper or Korruhn's Shadow Being. Also gotta love us removing Pridak's armor.

IC: Saybo - Toa of Water - Aurax Location - The Coliseum (4, 9), 50th Floor Throne Room With - (Great Being) Aurax, Pridak, Skyra, Rose, Waveahk, Archo, NPC Vortixx, Oreius Saybo had no defense against Rose’s superior strength and was out cold quickly as she then lowered him to the ground. Hey lay there, unmoving, his armor where he was hit by the firework rocket still hot to the touch. He was still, one might say almost calm looking had anyone had the time to notice. His body lay there quietly in the midst of the chaos of battle. Meanwhile, inside of him, his mind was quite glad for the opportunity to reboot. There was this invader that it wasn’t sure how to deal with. A Bog Snake of a power that constricted the more one tried to remove it. The easiest way to gain a foothold was to refresh the operating system. The power would still be in effect, but now it would be separate from the mind. The Bog Snake would be cast off and become able to be fought. About a dozen seconds after losing consciousness, Saybo’s mind slowly came back online. His organic protodermis muscles started to grip the servos, gears, pegs, levers, and all other things they were connected to, ready to control his body once more. His optics opened, unfocused. Saybo was awake. And his mind… it was so... confused. He… wanted to help defend Pridak and his allies… but he didn’t at all want to do that. It felt like the thought was forced into his head, cracking apart his brain like a protosteel rod pierced into a rock to break it up. He had to get up. He had to help Pridak. No, wait… Was it Aurax or Pridak? Saybo clutched his head in one hand and slowly got to his feet. What in the world was going on? No, he knew. It had to be a Vahki staff power. But that had to have just happened, Pridak was still alive. How was he already aware of it, though? Those things took forever to wear off. Whatever the reason, Pridak needed to stay alive. He had to. Or was it Aurax? He stood there, trying to grapple with his mind. OOC: @Eyru @Toru Nui @Snelly @Tarn @~Xemnas~ @Vezok's Friend IC: Sorilax - Aspect of Shadow and Silence - Aspects of Makuta Location - Air Suva With - Sala, ??? "Huh, that wasn't suppose to happen? Do you think they are native, is that normal for the natives?" Sala said. “No,” Sorilax answered his chronicler companion, “The natives are highly aware of their need to remain hidden and as such are always on their guard. One rarely sees any natives in this day and age.” Sala walked up to the small temple’s opening and peered in. "Well, suppose the best thing we can do is go on ahead, if we find them again we can return their things and get this confusion out of the way. Come one." Sorilax nodded, though there was no way Sala had seen it. He followed the Matoran into the temple, mind filled with an itch to properly document the wealth of information that was suddenly before him. The state of the room, the way light seeped in, the age of the sandstone, the composition of the sandstone, the… Great jumping Mahi, those spoons had their own unique beauty as they caught what little sun could be spared through the canopy. How curious. There was so much to document! He was so excited for the days to come. Not to mention there was so much to teach Sala about how he truly worked from start to finish. His hands reached for his scrolls and ink when he was unfortunately interrupted by Sala and the presence of the Ga-Matoran he had momentarily forgotten about in the midst of the discovery of such a great piece of history that needed to be documented. "Sorilax, can you use your arms to help get this them out of there. I think I might be able to reach with Avagah and the sword but it might be easier with your help." Sorilax stood beside Sala, looking down into the pit trap. He wondered why this was here? A trap? That wasn’t what he expected to find in a place like this. Definitely something to make note of and watch out for in further investigations. Oh! Or he could just sense using his shadows to see if there were any more pits strewn about. He reached out with his power, sensing the floor for any pits full of darkness. But that was a quick glance. After a couple seconds to confirm yay or nay, he turned back to the Matoran down below. Try as he might to care about the Matoran down there, Sorilax’s mind was in a documenting mindset. And this Ga-Matoran had potentially contaminated these ruins. So like most of the time when he used his element, he didn’t even consider what he was doing. To preserve the small temple as much as possible, like he had done many a time when Rahi refused to move from a place worthy of preservation, a large shadow hand gently scooped up the Matoran. The movements were slow and very cautious. There was no need to further injure the integrity and history of the pit trap. Once out of the pit, Sorilax gently set down the Ga-Matoran. "Uh, yes thank you," she replied, "So... Who are you? Obviously you're not a local. All the locals have been trying to sting me, bite me, ride me, or drown me." Who were they all, really? Sorilax ruminated for a moment before answering and Sala could probably tell the question would cause a long discussion on one’s sense of self and what it might imply. Now was the time to jump in and rescue the conversation before it was completely derailed. OOC: @Sparticus147 @Unreliable Narrator IC: Viltia - Toa of the Green - Metru-Nui Refugees Location - The Fau Swamp (7, 13) With - Sidra After utilizing caution upon approach and a little more scouting, they had arrived. It… well it was disappointing. Something had certainly crashed through the canopy above, but there was no way to confirm whether it had been a being or just a Brakas that had hitched a ride and fallen off. There didn’t even seem to be any sort of disturbed dirt or mud that would indication someone or something had fallen other than the broken branches above. If it was a Brakas, maybe it had grabbed a limb on the way down to halt its fall. Viltia guessed that might make sense. Viltia was glad no one seemed immediately hurt, but also disappointed she wasn’t able to help the being Wing might have seen. “Well, I hope if someone did fall, that they’re okay. But I don’t see any clues here to confirm there even was someone here. What about you? Have your drones noticed anything?” OOC: @Nato the Traveler

IC: Mazor-Metru-Nui @Tarn @Toru Nui "It's Complicated," Mazor said as he followed Nale. "But you've got the gist. I was a reluctant soldier in the league, Ostrox was my commanding officer. We were on an expedition and I recovered a powerful artifact. Rather than doing what the barraki wanted me to, I gave the artifact to someone else in return for a chance to escape the League."

A little over a month ago I started a new job. After over a year of searching, it was exciting to finally throw away the part times I've been working and start full time doing work that, maybe technically isn't what I studied in school, but still uses what I learned in school. My first instinct is that how great it is to finally, after years and years, have a job that I don't hate... and sometimes even really like. Sure the commute sucks, and they aren't paying me enough that I can afford to move closer, and the projects aren't meaningful to me personally, but I'm mostly enjoying what I'm doing. And I'm learning from doing them, and they will definitely make me more marketable for something in the future that more aligns with my interests. (And benefits. Job has benefits. A job with benefits is (almost) always better than a job without.) There's only one big problem: I'm not sure why they hired me. Or wanted to hire anyone. The better part of the past month has been me struggling to find work to do to fill the nine hours a day I'm wanted there. The projects they've had for me so far have been quick ones, that I've deliberately worked slowly on because I learned quickly that there's basically nothing for me to do all day. The past few days have been a bit of fresh air because I actually have a task to accomplish, but its pure busy work, making me feel like I'm working a glorified internship. I've brought up my concerns twice now. The first time I was told not to worry about it, they're still working out what my day to day tasks will be. Fine. But never heard more about it. I brought it up again and was told, don't worry about it. Be patient for now, the busy season is coming. Which again, fine. But what about when the busy season is over? And what am I supposed to do until then? Don't get me wrong. I'm grateful to have a job (with benefits), especially considering current events when most people are losing theirs and many still are struggling. But my concern is that eventually they're going to change their mind and decide my services are no longer necessary. It was clear to me even before starting that this is not an organized company. With my offer letter alone there was conflicting information about whether my job was seasonal, full time, if I'd get benefits and if I'd be paid salary or wages, and my new hire paperwork had two different forms listing two different hourly rates, one of which was meant for me and the other which was not. My very first week I came in on a Saturday (offer letter said weekend hours required), confirmed Friday that I was supposed to come in the next day, then was told on Saturday when I got in that I could have stayed home and they didn't have my contact info to tell me otherwise. Come on. We both know that's a pitiful excuse and a lie. And then they messed up my timecard and tried to not pay me for a day. The amount of red flags with this company are worrying, and I'm not about to recommend that anyone work there. But I'm also not really in a position to throw away an employment opportunity. So for now I'm just going to hope that things get better and that things pick up and I can keep my job despite the fact that there's nothing for me to do there at the moment.

IC: Nale Vella - Metru-Koro "That would certainly explain it," she replied. Nale had just worked alongside two former League members to help protect the village--Mazor seemed to pose just as much of a threat as they did as he carried around the Skaklets, which was zero. He was never loyal to the League to begin with, it sounded like. "An artifact, then?" she asked, attempting to keep the small talk going as she climbed over a small pile of rubble and continued to scan for anywhere that looked safe for children. "Sounds like it was pretty important to them. What was it?" As she asked this, the Toa of Magnetism noticed a building--larger than any of the homes she'd passed by before--that was half-damaged by the attack, but still mostly standing. Anywhere that has a roof, she thought. Nale didn't know it, yet, but this had been the village's infirmary. Nothing like the fancy hospitals Metru Nui had, but a temporary means of treating the sick and injured. And, well...babies, hospitals...made sense, right? She began walking towards it, motioning for Mazor and Gnabol to head that way as well. @Toru Nui@Smudge8 IC: Jutori - Desert, En Route to Po-Koro A cloud of dust kicked up behind the convoy as they travelled towards the village, Jutori's amber optics focused ahead as he followed Collector. Every now and then the four-wheeler would veer to one side and the Toa of Gravity would have to quickly correct his course--the vehicle was a bit more to handle than any of the Matoran-sized ones he'd seen or used back before the impact. His sledgehammer sat in the passenger's seat, silently judging his driving skills. "Knowledge Tower?" he echoed (loudly), peering through the windshield at the structure and pulling up alongside Collector. "And Vahki? Sounds like home, to me. They must be doing pretty well for themselves." @Snelly@pokemonlover360@Harvali

"Cavern of Light" in the MNOLG is the only in-universe sign to not be written in Matoran letters, and appears in English or German (depending on what language is selected). I mean, it's obviously a screw up and lots of the MNOLG aren't officially canon, but like, it's there.

IC: Sidra - Fau Swamp "No, nothing." Not for the first time, she found herself wishing she'd equipped her Kanohi or Nektann with thermal imaging or X-ray capabilities. If someone or something was nearby, maybe they'd be easier to find that way. To the naked eye, however, the impenetrable treeline and tangle branches made it difficult to discern much beyond her immediate surroundings. She deployed her second drone, letting both scour the branches above, while she carefully searched her surrounds for the footprints of a species she recognised. She found a few tracks and drag marks, likely belonging to small roving rahi. But after several minutes of crouching in the mud and sifting through leaf litter, she found nothing to confirm the presence of a larger being. "Sorry," she turned back to Viltia, apprehensive about admitting to failure, even though she knew the Toa before her was no Shadowed One. "I can't find anything." @Kal the Guardian IC: Xane - Ruins of Fire "It looks like it would fit a Kanoka disk. Do you not have those here?" @Toru Nui

Well, HF had a way to undo this by using stronger socket pieces when it introduced the CCBS in 2011. However, I wish that could have happened for Bionicle G1 sets.

IC: NU-8020S (Po-Koro Gates, Vahki Transport) The speaker flared to life again. "The right-side door has been almost completely dissolved by acid. Other than that, no significant damage to this Transport or to this squad has been sustained. Do we have a-a-authorization to park this vehicle inside the settlement?" If she could feel pain, asking that probably would have caused it. @Harvali IC: Enra (Dead Forest, Ruins of Fire, Nuva Chamber) Enra took a detailed look at everything around her. "Hmm. Hmmmm. Yes. These are definitely things I don’t understand. I think you’re supposed to slot something into this thingamabob to get it to do, uh, whatever it does. What this 'something' is, I haven't a clue. That is the extent of my 'analysis'. Sorry." @Nato the Traveler@~Xemnas~@Eyru IC: Gnabol (Metru-Koro) "I'm sorry... was there a reason you didn't tell me this before we went to a Toa controlled settlement?" Gnabol could buy this story, at least.. It was vague, certainly, but Mazor didn't seem like willing League material. If anything, Gnabol would have been more likely to join them, if it wasn't for the whole hypocrisy concerning slavery and the numerous war crimes. He hoped the Toa - Nale, her name was Nale - didn't react too violently to Mazor's revelation. @Smudge8@Tarn

Hard to choose, but I think participating in the trivia contest was my favorite part - followed closely by the Ryder Windham interview.

If there's one thing that's better than cute Bionicle artwork, it's cute Bionicle artwork with a Star Wars crossover. Over in the Comics subforum, BZPower member Aderia recently shared "Takua, No!!", which is their interpretation of what might happen if Takua met Captain Rex. I especially appreciate the attention to detail in using the Matoran Alphabet and Aurebesh for the word bubbles, which adds a nice bit of in-universe flair. Go give it a look yourself and let the artist know what you think!View the full article

IC Kanohi - Po-Koro Kanohi approached the Vahki transport, his Kiril Staff drawn. It looked like there were only Vahki there, he swallowed, he was always a bit intimidated by the robotic guards. They hadn’t harassed him as much as other foreign Matoran, he guessed he had thrown too much of himself in the effort to keep Metru-Nui safe. But well, after everything that happened those chaotic days when the world ended, he did not want to upset them. Could Vahki feel upset? They were definitely smarter than hovercrafts, and those were really the only complicated machines of Okoto. Once again his ignorance was great. Why would Toa Stannis chose him to be Akiri? He swallowed, he needed to focus on the task at hand. Without matching eye contact he cleared his throat. “Hello, do any of you need repairs? Or your transport? My S-staff is not as powerful as a Noble Kiril, but it is close.” OOC: @Toru Nui … IC “Collector” - Stone Ruins The Vortixx nodded and took off, heading towards the desert refuge camp of Po-Koro. It had been some time since they had been there, hopefully it was still standing. With the League so close by and the Skakdi… Collector had kind of abandoned Po-Koro, hadn’t they? Not on purpose, and it wasn’t like they were a warrior who could defend the crude refugee camp, But they were a courier, they had been sending mail back and forth between Po-Koro and Metru-Koro. They were the one shuttling supplies to and forth. Without their help, would Po-Koro have suffered? Would the Matoran think even less of them? They had sort of abandoned them for power. They tensed up at the thought. They resolved to try to help out the Matoran more once they returned to Po-Koro. It would still be some time before they arrived, likely longer still for Toa Atamai to have a lead on the disks. They should hopefully have time to help the refugee camp. OOC: @Snelly @Tarn @~Xemnas~ @pokemonlover360

IC: Tuakana | Nuva Chamber, Ruins of Fire They entered the room, striding slowly by their knuckles. There was nothing in here that interested them. Just more machinery that they did not care to understand. Leaning over the empty device, their eyeless face closely searched it for clues. It was a little anticlimactic compared to the Taboo. @Nato the Traveler @Toru Nui IC: Taja | Fau Swamp "I think so," the Toa said doubtfully. "I mean, I feel fine." She closed her eyes, searching the shadows of her own armour for the unclean light that clung to the trees and ferns ahead. But she sensed nothing. Perhaps they had made a quick enough exit to avoid being contaminated.

IC: Rose - Pridak's Throne Room She kept her revolver leveled at Pridak. The sight of his frail body, and him possibly at his most vulnerable, brought a smile to the Ta-Toa's face. She'd have laughed at how feeble he presented outside of his suit if she wasn't smart enough to know that appearances could be deceiving. Still, there was a sense of impending victory. This was the moment to begin rubbing salt in the Takean's wounds. So much she'd wanted to say to him...Rose had waited for this moment. She'd earned it. "Look at you," she said. "You, alone, without your other five or that fancy armor. You're nothing. In a state like that, I imagine you can barely cut a steak. To think you of all people did all this..." Rose took a couple steps closer. "I bet you don't even remember it. My island. Those you trampled. I remember it all--I relive the events each night I sleep. Lying on a beach, with a pile of corpses, water turned the shade of my armor..." Her grip on the firework revolver tightened, and tears began to fall from the Toa of Fire's optics. "You can't begin to comprehend what you've done to my life, what you took from me. Maybe I should've died with them, or maybe I got my second chance just to be here. Across from you. With a gun..." Rose wasn't even aware of Oreius until the other Ta-Toa moved to cut down Pridak, too close to fire off another round without possibly hitting her fellow soldier. Maybe just her monologuing would be distraction enough for the warlord, who already displayed he could barely lift his own weapon at the moment, and might have been unable to retaliate. "...and with allies that hate you just as much as I do." @Snelly@EmperorWhenua@Toru Nui@~Xemnas~@Kal the Guardian@Eyru@Vezok's Friend IC: Jutori - Stone Ruins Exterior The somewhat impatient Toa of Gravity switched seats and took the wheel of the four-wheeler, while Vashni boarded her bike. "Maybe," Jutori replied, leaning out the window to converse with his Vortixx ally. "We won't know until we get in there and find out. Until then, I'm just as curious as you." The vehicle's engine revved. "Let's get going. Lead the way, Collector." @Snelly@pokemonlover360@Harvali

can't believe i'm seeing a leetspeak news title on bzp smh my head

Dude I love 108NICLE Day.

IC: Korruhn, Leklo, Ultan Abandoned Fortress, Northern edge of the protodermis lake Korruhn's optical receptors barely had a moment to register the scene laid before them amongst the ruinous ramparts of the fortress. He had leapt from the speeder immediately, arcing high in the air and bringing his feet over his head into a graceful backflip, with the assistance of his Calix, landing on the ground near the fortress. His ears took over perception duty as Ultan's ball of light was cast forth, and his eyes were flooded with pain from the intense light. Though disoriented by the sudden onslaught of his foil element, Korruhn was enough of a tactician to know that he could take advantage of this hindrance. Standing back at his full height, Korruhn closed his failing eyes and reached out with his power, letting shadow become his eyes. As the brilliant light reached it's place in the sky in front of Korruhn, he could feel his shadow begin to grow and stretch to impossible proportions, reaching seemingly infinitely away from the light. The Shadow Toa focused all of his might and elemental energy in a two-part maneuver: first, he drew on all of the ambient shadow in the area, amassing as much elemental shadow as his form could possibly contain, and second, he channeled all of that energy into the ever-growing shadow behind him. With a mental push, he could begin to feel the ground behind him begin to rumble. The smoky shadow that normally emanated from his accursed arm turned into long, black, tarry tendrils that reached back into the hands of his shadow behind him. With a mighty tug and a war cry from the Toa, the other combatants could begin to observe the massive shadow behind Korruhn peel away from the ground to which shadows were normally bound, and take form as it did. From the blackness of shadow, the tethers of tar pulled a monstrosity, seemingly from the very bowels of Karzahni. The Shadow Being rose to full height, and loomed over the crumbled tower before them. It's form was both awesome and horrifying: entirely like Korruhn in shape, the summoned beast lacked any distinct features, in their place a constantly moving mass of thick tar. More than unsettling was the shape that appeared where the creature's head should have been: a pair of razor-sharp hands, seemingly joined at the wrist, reached out from the stump of the neck, like the hands of Karzahni himself reaching out into the tangible world, crying for freedom and power. As the Shadow Being approached the tower, the hands spread apart, emanating an utterly otherworldly, horrifying growl, embodying both pain and rage to the nth degree. Korruhn could feel the power of this... monster. He could feel it's energy pulsing through the tethers, right into his core. The Toa took a deep breath, as though to drink of the intoxicating liquor of shadow. He grinned, and swung his right arm forward, clenched wrist seemingly striking nothing. But as he did, the Abomination tethered to him swung as well, and it's massive fist tore a portion of of the fortified wall before him clean from it's buttresses. OOC: @EmperorWhenua @The Captain @Unreliable Narrator @~Xemnas~

It is with deep regret I must inform you all that I am leaving the game. I will remain in contact with any and all players whose characters were in the midst of interaction with my own to try and work something out, but due to various factors, I have reached the conclusion that I cannot keep playing SKR. I apologise for anything and everything this will impact in the game. I've much enjoyed these last seven months with you guys, and were the situation any different, I'd much prefer to keep going, but I'm afraid that's not currently on the table. Thank you all for everything.

I'd rather not give my money to shady companies that are likely giving me an inferior quality product of something I want; but don't need, just because the legit thing is a bit pricier.

I'm glad y'all like it! @Mushy: I had actually just gone through a few of those figure drawing videos from Proko on youtube, the same week I drew this! It's awesome you could tell!

For everyone's reference and information: Stannis Caedast, Aspect of Fate, Choice & Control Species: Aspect of Makuta (in a Toa of Stone’s body) Faction: Himself, Aspects, Mata Nui (ostensibly, actually in pretense) Brief Description: Stannis has possessed the body of a toa for almost forever. His body stands a little taller than most toa and looks strikingly heroic in appearance, with long bones and lithe muscle in a combination of blacks, browns, and tans. He wears a large mottled, dense dark gray cloak, however, and most of the time the only things visible are his, mask, hand and feet. His eyes are a uniform grey and impossible to catch subtleties in, though they seem to drink in everything in front of Stannis. He only has one spear left which he wears slung across his back when not using it as a walking stick. Background: Stannis, or rather the man known by that name, is a former member of an ancient team of Toa Hagah under Helryx who eventually led the separate team called the Toa Maru, a man who’s adventures are long since forgotten in the Histories, but his Destiny seems to remain unfulfilled even though his former teammates have all been turaga for centuries now. Talk about him is a strange mixture of emotions, and depending on who you ask Stannis is either a hero or pariah, wizard or illusionist, high priest or false prophet, selfless historian or selfish warmaster. One thing almost everyone agrees on is that Stannis is an enigmatic figure who travels and intercedes with no pattern, and always—somehow—is always where he needs to be when he needs to be. The truth was that Stannis was not really “Stannis”—but instead a malevolent spirit who long ago possessed a willing Toa Hagah in Helryx’s employ, then devoured the toa’s psyche and completely inhabited the body as his own. Since then, he had run under Mata Nui’s radar, gaining the trust of the Matoran, playing as a high priest for Mata Nui while secretly trying to undermine the Great Spirit’s power supply of deaths. His goals were always nebulous and closely guarded, and insofar as anyone understood he was simply Stannis, leader of the Toa Maru, a weird old toa and a wandering historian of the world. When the other active Maru transformed into turaga Stannis declined to do so, saying he was not ready, but in truth he simply did not possess the knowledge or ability to sacrifice his toa energies like the others. Powers and abilities: Despite starting out as a user of Shadow elemental powers, he can currently only access the inherent Stone element of the body because his psychological synapses meshed completely with the toa body’s physiology. After millennia of practice, however, Stannis became an accomplished elementalist with incredible power and finesse with his powers capable of almost every feat imaginable with Stone. As a bonus of his body’s element, Stannis is extremely physically strong, surpassing most save exceptionally brutish species or beings boosted by Pakari, and he has the ability to use Kanohi at the cost of many of his antidermis abilities. As an Aspect of advanced station and progress, he has a Kraata power of the 6th level. His power is in Quick Healing, which causes him to immediately recover from any serious wounds or injuries, as well as heal other beings by touch with some effort. He can also still desecrate followers, gifting a Kraata ability at the 5th level to his whim in exchange for a favor. Furthermore, he possesses the following taboos: ~ "Wandering,” the colloquial term for his ability to sense the leylines of fate around him ~ Desecration ~ Creation of Kraata ~ Gluttonous Desecration ~ Kraata Corruption And powers: — Telepathically communicate with his desecrated followers on the same plane — See through the eyes of his desecrated on the same plane — Possess his desecrated on the same plane through shadow puppetry — Teleport to the shadow of his desecrated while on the same plane — Teleport his desecrated to his shadow while on the same plane Currently Desecrated/Kraata: Oreius/Limited Invulnerability, Aurax/Fear, Parnassus/Mind Reading. Grand Wish: Stannis wishes to become a God of Soothsaying in order to be the fount of knowledge for the universes, to be at the crux of the past and the present, a living Oracle deity. Why: When does one cry to the heavens to petition a force they cannot see, a deity they cannot hear, and a god they have no proof of? When does one beg for mercy or power or second chances? It's only when at their most powerless and desperate hour that one asks for help from a power they cannot prove exists. Stannis embodies the Builder's desire to understand why things happen, and the basal wish to control their uncontrollable fortunes. Stannis understood the follies of gods before him and the errors of Builders from the past and wants to do things better by exercising the loose-leashed but deeply conscious control other deities have failed to wield. How: Infiltrate the Ark Possess a toa Desecrate a follower Gain the trust of the Builders Partake of the Miracle Cactus Obtain the Kanohi Avohkii [not revealed yet] Mask and tools: Stannis wears a Kanohi of Conjuring, which allows him to very carefully program a power into the mask if he verbally specifies the power and its limitations. He usually does this in the form of a prayer or litany, and typically before a battle as programming the mask in the midst of fighting is extremely hard to do. His chosen weapon is a spear with elaborate tips, which he is very proficient at using as both as throwing and melee weapon. Flaws: Stannis is hampered somewhat by the body he possesses, and as a result of his age is slower and less agile than he used to be. Like all Aspects, he is a creature of gaseous substance, and while his quick healing ability has preserved his life many times he must still replenish his essence if it has been injured too much. If his body were to be destroyed to the point that his healing could not save him he would perish with his body and not be able to simply remain incorporeal.

I haven't been active here for a long time, but I was always watching, looking to finish what I started way back in 2003. I'd been just one short for years, but one day I noticed a trade topic that had the seven I had on his needs list, but not the one I was missing. Turns out it was the only one he had, and he'd got it from Bricklink some time earlier, I must have missed it. For those unsure: Top row: VMKK, 2003 Bionicle van tour, BZP giveaways, Protosquad members. Bottom row: GPKK. Hard plastic, Light Grey in color. One each to Protosquad members, no other confirmed sources That Yo eluded me for the best part of a decade, and as far as I'm aware, no-one else has the set of these apart from that guy from that other site who got given them by LEGO. I've read every thread on every forum that even mentions the Protosquad, I've PMed everyone that has ever claimed to be a member or anyone they have claimed to have traded with in the attempts to track them down. There were no stones left unturned. I'd like to thank everyone I ever traded with, and especially Toa Lhikan Hordika for selling me the final piece. He's a great collector, and I know how hard it is to let something go when there's a chance you won't ever see one again, but he understood the need to see this completed. Big shoutout to the collectors from back in the day, ccso, MrNobudy, Gukko, Tok, fifi2k4, Ikki, Flintsmith, and a lot of others I'm certainly missing. This one's for you guys!