Unreliable Narrator

IC: Grime | Reliable Narrator "I follow Drukarus for now," Grime answered Stannis truthfully. He did intend to follow Drukarus, so long as She was with him. "As for who I serve, we all have our callings as you said. Mine is love, and mercy, and renewal. And also Gore's sandwiches. Have you tried Gore's sandwiches? He made one as a snack while we were cleaning and cooking -- I'm working on a song for it in the back of my mind. Who do you serve, Toa? As you said, things have changed. Have you also changed?" OOC: @EmperorWhenua

IC: Grime | Fort Nektann "Not anymore, no. I was with the Warskaks, but now I am free to go where I please thanks to Drukarus." Grime shifted the tune of his music. It became a little softer, the lilting becoming a gentle sway. The notes played by his right hand were hinting at a melody, but Stannis couldn't quite remember the tune. However, something about it awakened deeper memories, memories that didn't belong to the toa he inhabited. Flashes of a far off shore flickered through his mind. Memories of matoran climbing into spheres, of shadows covering the land, and of the world he knew slowly falling further and further away until all he could say was... goodbye. "Hello? Toa? You seem troubled are you alright," Grime asked, leaning a little closer towards Stannis as he stopped playing his song to check on the toa. "Did you get one of the gukko bones?" OOC: @EmperorWhenua

IC: Grime | Fort Nektann "Since last you were here?" Grime repeated the phrase, but didn't pressure for more information. He seemed content with that information alone and moved on to Stannis's question. "Barius is strong. I will no doubt be needing to write new songs in his name soon. Why ask me though, when you sat at the table with him and Parnassus?" ooc: @EmperorWhenua

IC: Grime | Fort Nektann "Can I help you, Toa?" Grime asked, pausing in his singing although his hands never ceased playing the squeezebox. After the song he'd heard Nektann sing during raids, Grime needed a little break anyways. His voice was still sore from his talk with Drukarus. He could smell Stannis's many travels on the toa's cloak. OOC: @EmperorWhenua

IC: Grime | Fort Nektann Stannis perceived a small matoran, sand and dirt caking most of his armor. Scars and scratches covered his body, including a particularly nasty crack across his heartlight. Despite the injuries and general lack of grooming, Grime seemed happy and content to sing in his corner while inflating and deflating the bellows of his little squeezebox. However, his grey gaze lingered on the matoran longer than he intended. Stannis found himself the object of inspection as well. Grime slightly bowed his head towards Stannis, and gave a knowing but kind smile. OOC: @EmperorWhenua

IC: Takadox | Ash Barrens “Well, lead on then,” I muttered. Hooray, dark dank tunnels full of giant worms that want to eat me and eyeless basket cases that I can’t hypnotize. Not to mention whatever thing this warrior’s people worship. It was almost as bad as visiting Carapar’s quarters back on our old fortress island during the war. But wow, did I like dumb and dangerous. I looked around for the bohrok. Sure enough, still here. It’s weird seeing one of them out and about without a swarm. Honestly, it’s weird to see one of them out and about at all. It must have gotten free when Mantax broke the Archives. Bohrok were weird, but I admit I wouldn’t mind a swarm of my own. Maybe this one could find me a swarm? OOC: @Burnmad @Sparticus147 @Kal the Guardian, I'm taking over Takadox again for a bit. Thanks for your patience. IC: Grime | Fort Nektann “Thank you.” Grime accepted the soup, pausing in his music to absorb the nutrition, energy, and remaining life from the bowl by placing a palm on the soup’s surface. It made him feel warm and alive, and filled with a sudden sense of adventure and daring. He remembered a song Nektann used to sing during raids, and began to softly sing it. Mama always told me Don’t travel alone Mama always told me To follow the road Pappa always told me Don’t follow the pack Pappa always told me I’d never come back Mama always told me The road was safe Mama always told me It would be okay But papa lied and mama died And now the road is where I ride And now I’m Irnakk’s sinful prize I ride until I die In a way, the feast in Fort Nektann was both Barius’s welcome and Nektann’s funeral. It wouldn’t hurt to improvise a few lines, would it? He continued the chords, starting another phrase even though he didn’t quite know where he was headed; Barius often told me I was soon to be gone Barius often told me My end would not be long One nightmare for another One leader born through war And now I rise again mightier than before Rain on the horizon and thunder at the shore OOC: @Sparticus147, @Burnmad, @EmperorWhenua, @Crimson Jester, @Keeper of Kraata, @Nato the Traveler, @Conway, and I think that's everyone for the Warskaks? IC: Kas | Ruins of Water “A smart businessman never reveals his secrets until the last possible moment, but I’ll give you a hint: telescope,” Kas answered Ollem’s rhetorical question as the two matoran joined the toa of fire beyond the waterfall as they all climbed down the cliffside to the beach. The three could see a revitalization effort beginning to occur in the destroyed home of the Riggers. Several skakdi in rowboats were paddling around the bay searching for survivors first and treasure second. ACRs from nearby homesteads assisted in starting to clear the debris from the beach itself. Two matoran and a toa stood out like a sore thumb, but strangely the skakdi paid them little mind as Kas led Ollem and Mahrika South past the decimated town. It wasn’t because the skakdi knew Kas. Instead, the skakdi were too in shock at the loss of their home to care. Ollem, Mahrika, and Kas watched an airship land near the bay, several figures -- one very tall -- disembarking and heading in the direction of a hut with a long line of waiting skakdi. Shouted voices echoed from the hut, but Kas led the two matoran onwards. He didn’t stop moving until the three of them were far enough away from the bay that they began to taste ash on the wind. Still walking along the coast, the smell of the sea grew stronger as the tide receded to reveal rocky beach heads, bulbous dark green coral, and several colorful starfish. As the sun began to set, Kas stopped and pointed out across the ocean towards a bank of rain clouds blowing closer in towards the island. Something glowed inside them, reflecting the sunlight. Strangely, the rain passed from one side of the cloud bank to the other. “Mi-Kiri,” Kas said without warning, as the true source of the rain peeked out from between the clouds. It’s surface glittered with the colors of oncoming twilight, and the waters descended from it in a cascading stream of rain towards the ocean below. As high up as it was, it looked like a floating city of its own, big enough to hold an entire Metru comfortably. A massive fissure split the bottom of the floating sphere, and from there the waters poured downwards. “It was one of the districts of Aensetr Derrum, a great paradise found in the tragedy of Locus Abeo’s destruction. We’ll find our Administrator there, my friends. And our way of getting there is only a short walk away.” Kas’s finger slowly shifted from the floating sphere towards a small island to the south. A long stone bridge extended from the cliffs of the coastline to the island, and on the island was a massive telescope. OOC: @Burnmad, @Harvali

IC: Grime | Fort Nektann Drukarus did not offer his heart to her. He would, in time, become hers. Grime knew Miserix got what she wanted in the end. Drukarus just needed a little push. So Grime followed the skakdi warlord into the dining hall. He took a small seat at the fringe, placed his hands on the keys and buttons, and softly played his squeeze box to a lilting tune he also hummed. The music did not rise above the sounds of feasting, but it cautiously filled those quiet moments with a small sense of hope. OOC: @Burnmad, @Sparticus147@EmperorWhenua, @Crimson Jester@Keeper of Kraata, @Nato the Traveler

Thanks for your feedback. We'll definitely take it into consideration moving forward.

Hello all, I had a sudden change of schedule over the holiday weekend so I was away from the game. I'm back, catching up, and will read the 2 pages I missed asap! Also, ,@Sparticus147 Your far shore adventure prompts are as follows: Timeline: B (choose up to three from the optional matoran principles prompts) Element: Air Conflict: Character vs Technology Twist: The Story That Never Was

IC: The Administrator | Ruins of Ice "Sadly, each temple was created with the intention of only a single use when the time was right. Toa Kopaka did not err from that agreement when he made these challenges, nor did the others. If a choice must be made, you both seem worthy for you both meet the prerequisites. I am unable to determine this outcome. I am the Administrator, not the Arbiter. A decision must be made by you three." Faced with such a choice, what would Sidra, Leklo, and Ultann choose? OOC: @EmperorWhenua, @Nato the TravelerTravelerTravelerTTraTravelTravelerTrav@The Captain It won't let me delete the extra travelers

Gordon would be proud.. Or maybe disappointed? I'm proud.

IC: The Administrator | Ruins of Ice (The Shatterdome, Pacific Rim) The rooms were just as cold as Leklo left them: same sizes, same lighting, same starry sky for a ceiling. White frosty breath floated upwards from Ultan’s and Leklo’s mouths and the sounds of snow crunching underfoot echoed throughout the temple. They could even smell the bitter cold of the ancient place of prayer and reflection they now used as little more than a waypoint on their maps. Once, the temple’s contemplative builders prayed and read and considered the impending doom of their world while safe inside the bounds of this particular suva dimension. Now, two toa strode forward to claim the promise of a new future from a lost past. Each step further into the ruined temple brought back memories for Leklo. Three words opened the door in the first chamber. It was the three of them, Korruhn and Sidra and himself, who worked together to find the solution: Destiny, Peace, and Willpower. At the time it all seemed a simple puzzle, but now perhaps there was more behind the words themselves. Leklo, destined to follow in the footsteps of the past. Sidra, who’s true peace lay not in the actions of others but in her own self forgiveness. Korruhn, who’s indomitable willpower drove him further down his own dark path. The second room required their combined efforts and occupational skills. The three adventurers, so used to outplaying their opponents, learned that trusting their companions and not overthinking could sometimes lead to the right answers. Finally, Leklo and Ultann reached the central room. Beyond the device in the center of the room, the carved word of NUVA on the far wall rested ever present. Of the three who originally entered, only one remained. Leklo found a new friend and companion in Ultan. They stood ready to receive whatever fate lay beyond… And then Sidra arrived, her voice echoing all the way down the hall to the central chamber where Leklo and Ultan stood. “So you are,” the Administrator replied as Sidra announced presence. “Once more three assemble, although one of you is different from the last time two of you were here. What brings you to this temple, Sidra? We gather now in anticipation of a Great Disk being used in devotion. Behold its glory within the innermost chamber!” The Administrator’s voice filled the temple in its entirety. He was in all rooms at once, and the lights of the stars overhead seemed to dim outside the innermost room, casting long shadows. After all, the brightest futures cast the longest shadows. OOC: @Nato the Traveler, @EmperorWhenua, @The Captain

IC: The Administrator | Ruins of Ice “Welcome then, new friend, to the temple of this region,” the Administrator said to Ultan and Leklo. Leklo was able to reminiscence, taking in the snow filled dias where he, Korruhn, and Sidra worked to find the solution. The tree of carved ice looked as eerily similar to the ruin found in the outskirts of Ko-Metru as always. “You said you bring a Great Disk, toa Leklo. If that is true, I am most impressed. How did Destiny arrange for you to come upon such an artifact of power?” OOC: @EmperorWhenua, @The Captain IC: The Administrator & Kas | Ruins of Water “Gently!” Kas shouted as Ollem fired his gun; “careful with the goods my friend!” Kas shrieked a high-pitched shriek as he fell. His body hit the money covered floor with a similar sound as to a coin-operated lever machine paying out a lucky winner’s earnings. Kas spluttered and floundered, grabbing the first mask in reach while crawling on all fours before finally finding his footing and rising to his full height. He stretched, the gears in his neck protesting from disuse. With a great mask of night vision covering his features, Kas gave a contented sigh and took a knee in front of Ollem and Mahrika. “Well my friends, I am very proud of you for doing the right thing. I believe you deserve a reward for all your efforts. Take what you want from this chamber. It’s not mine, but I’ll let you grab what I don’t.” With all the slippery poise and dexterity of a money laundering con artist, Kas immediately began to scoop handfuls of golden widgets into two different masks. Using the masks as bowls, he threw some broken disks on top, piled on more widgets, then skee-daddled it out of the temple of water as comically as if a slide whistle was his signature instrument in an orchestral score. “See you on the other side of the waterfall!” The Administrator sighed. “There. See? He’s gone now. All that work imprisoning him and listening to him talk talk talk talk talk talk talk talk talk for nothing. If you find him, my most incredible Builders who are so wise in all things -- and you know what’s right -- bring him back to his prison. Next time I’ll make sure he can’t speak.” OOC: @Burnmad, @Harvali, don't worry, Kas isn't gone. He's waiting outside.

That's double SKE, albeit in triple the time. It's so cool to see you all posting and playing!

IC: Nuju | Kini-Nui Nuju's eyes grew cold. "You break or you become the master of your own fate. That choice reveals who the true heroes are. Will you rise with me, or is this where you fall?" OOC: @Kal the Guardian, @Sparticus147

IC: The Administrator and Kas | Ruins of Water “My home? My home?! I’m tied up in chains dangling from a ceiling and you want the exact coordinates for my home? My friend, you strike a hard bargain. Administrator, what’s your current location?” “Above the oceans East of this island, floating Westward towards the Valley of Bones,” The Administrator replied quickly and dutifully, then sheepishly added; “I shouldn’t have said that. I’ll need to hotfix a permissions requirement for location requests.” “Thank you Administrator. You see my friend, my home is wherever the Administrator is right now. His core is inside a great sphere that rains all the time. Wherever the rain touches, things become young again. I have no idea why, that’s something I’d like to discover myself. Skakdi have called it the fountain in the sky, or the birthing rain since it turns ancient warriors into skaklets, but I know it by a different name: the Aqua Sphere. It’s the only part of home I have left. I want to get back to my home, revert the Administrator back to what he should be, and then find a way back where we both came from. Now, please, my friends, will you help me down or are you so heartless as to leave me strung up for eternity?” ooc: @Burnmad, @Harvali

IC: Grime | Fort Nektann “She is a Power, Drukarus. She makes the world in her image, and although she works in dreams and portents, she is more powerful than the horrors of the world beneath. She can make your deepest desires true. She can give all the power in the world, and then more. Sometimes, instead of demanding answers, bowing in the face of true power is all we can do. She is true, and she is eternal. I was lifted by her. Yes I was gifted with the opportunity to care for her. You could even say I was blessed. I helped her many children grow strong, and she will bring an end to the savagery in this land. A better world is already there, inside your heart and inside your mind. She can make it real, if you accept her.” Grime paused, catching his breath after saying so much. He was not used to speaking. Singing he could do for hours. Humming he did all day. But speaking like an equal with a skakdi warlord? He was not in the practice of such diplomacy. Eventually, he continued; “You freed me. You listened to me, and you chose to believe that I had dignity and deserved the respect I now possess. You listened to her, and the world became better for it. Why am I not all the proof you need that with her you can do so many good things? If you pledge your love and trust with all your heart, you could do such incredible things. You could part oceans, channel the winds, sway others to a better path, and someday you could even go home." The feelings in Drukarus’s mind were warm and inviting. He reached out with his questions towards the orb between him and Grime, and the feelings in the shadows covering his extended arm were of security, trust, and love. ooc: @Sparticus147

IC: Grime | Fort Nektann Grime squirmed in Drukarus's grasp as the skakdi dragged him down the hall. They went up a short flight of stairs made from recycled metal beams. Turning the corner, Drukarus found a secluded spot to finally get some answers underneath the light of flickering neon bulbs. Drukarus shoved the strange orb into the space between them. The shadows of the hallway bent and distorted, the orb becoming a new point of origin for the dark reflections of light's absence. Grime reached out to touch the orb, but pulled his hand back before his fingers could touch it's surface. He stood in awe of the object. "She is here," Grime said softly, a hand covering his quickly beating heartlight. He did not say her name, choosing carefully to avoid such a word of power in a potentially public place. "You already chose her, Drukarus. All you need do is give your heart, as I have given to her, and you could learn more than I could possibly share in words. I am devoted to her. She will bring a better world for all of us." OOC: @Sparticus147

IC: Grime | Fort Nektann "Food's ready," he squeaked as Drukarus blocked the hallway light from reaching him.

This reminds me of the time I broke my glasses

I'll take another pair of rose tinted glasses please.

Thanks both of you. My edited answer above is still valid. Nuva Proxima powers are as they have been stated to be.

Short answer: no that is not specified as part of the power. Side question: Do you have a link for that quote? I'd love to read about that a bit more. Is it BS01?

Nuva: Part 1 Consider yourself tagged

IC: Reliable Narrator | Ruins of Stone Several days passed as the new village became established around the ancient elemental ruins far to the north of old Po-Koro. They found wild mahi herds, fought off a few nui-jaga after discovering a nearby nest, and observed wild kikanalo herds pass by each morning. A forge was rebuilt, and the crafters of this new little bastion of civilization once again took up their tools. Artisans finally had a moment to breathe, even in the hustle and bustle of resettling the lands surrounding the ruin. Several artists began the process of documenting the landscape through sketches, poetry, sculpture, and even dance. One dance in particular, the dance of the rain demon, became rather popular among the matoran. It told the story of their desperate fight against the pouring rain from the demon in the hills, and of the brave adventurers who saved them from drowning above and below ground. Those who fought to save their lives became local heroes, and the few who set off to tell Metru-Koro of the news took with them the names of their heroes and the tales of their honorable deeds. So it was that old friends found each other again in this settlement, and new friends came into the fold. They shared meals and tales, and recounted the different things they’d seen on their adventures, until finally the day came and Atamai returned to the innermost chamber of the Ruins of Stone. Each who entered said their name at the Administrator’s request. Those who didn’t found themselves repelled, ejected from the halls until they revealed their true selves. It seemed the Administrator was in a foul mood today, but not with those in this particular temple. He did his best to sound elated, but his voice was laced with deeper frustration. “Welcome back, Atamai of the Ark. A Great Disk is here, I feel its power. Place it into the device as is your right. Quickly, quickly!” A small crowd came with Atamai to the innermost room, Arkius standing closest behind him. Villagers gave him a wide berth, even in the temple’s confined halls, for his strength seemed to have no boundaries and his fury easily burst forth even over things deemed small by others. Many remembered him for his powerful deeds during the rainstorm, and some considered him a worthy leader in his own right. While the village happily obeyed Akiri Kanohi, the seer of their new home, some refugees whispered of the possibility of moving on should Arkius choose to depart and settle elsewhere. Atamai's other friends were there as well, standing just inside the doorway. Atamai slid the disk into the device in the center of the room. It clicked into the device with a resounding echo, making the Administrator purr happily. The letters written on the far wall lit with a soft golden glow: NUVA. “Yes, a Great Disk. For so long I have wondered who would access this portion of these temples. Who would use what came before to save what still can be. Destiny is so fickle, Unity so fragile, Duty so shakable, yet here you are.” The device rumbled and shook as it came to life. The surface of the disk became embossed with a strange new symbol, a nuva symbol, and then the device sank into the floor with a blinding light. As it disappeared, taking the disk with it, a blinding light radiated from the source. Beneath Atamai alone the light was answered. As if the stone never existed beneath his feet, Atamai fell through the floor and disappeared. The stones returned, leaving the room with one less toa, a crowd of friends and villagers holding baited breath, and terrifying silence. Arkius, the closest to the disappearance, saw only the smallest glimpse of where Atamai went -- a field of golden liquid light. The light from this place bathed him in its power, as even his proximity was enough to be affected in the instant Atamai vanished. Arkius, strong and powerful, fell to the floor as his body changed forever. It grew larger and stronger. His muscles increased, as did his connection with the earth. His mask shifted, fusing with his face as the heat from the light melted it into a single sinewy skin. When the transformation stopped, Atamai was still gone, but Arkius knew now who he was: Arkius of the Nuva Proxima, blessed in the light of Tren Krom. Old memories flooded back, untapped nightmares of a past he never lived, never did, and could never return to for absolution. Different timelines of the same man merged, forming a single entity that walked as a giant in the Time Between Time. He could feel those around him tapping him, not with their hands or voices, but with their elemental auras. He couldn’t see these auras, he couldn’t hear or smell them, but he could feel them brush against his own range of elemental mastery like currents flowing in different directions where a river joined the sea. He felt then if any asked, and if he felt them worthy, he could offer his own element and even the powers of his skin-like mask for them to use as their own while nearby. He knew then as well another mask was needed to replace his old, and that the powers of his calix were forever a part of his individual being. OOC: Nuva Proxima revealed NUVA PROXIMA (Character Change) Nuva Proxima occurs as a side effect of the Nuva process within the elemental temples. The closest individual to the source of the change -- in this case Arkius played by @Onaku --receives the tiniest amount of what the disk-bearer experiences and receives the following benefits: All currently active psychological effects or powers are removed. All diseases are removed. You may share your element and breed quirks with one other willing creature you see within your elemental range. The mask you were wearing is fused to your face and you require a new mask. The old mask is now considered one of your breed quirks. If you could not use kanohi masks before, you now gain a breed quirk that says: “you may wear kanohi masks and access their powers.” While still within fair levels (think going from the punching down a house metaphor to punching down half a city block), your mastery of the elements you control have increased. If you previously did not have elemental powers, or if you needed a tool or another being to access your elemental powers, you gain the following breed quirk: “you may now use your own base element at toa level. If you did not have a base element, pick one element to be your base element.”