Krayzikk

IC: Turn the clock back a few minutes. Come to that, turn the calendar back a few years. Makuta is still alive and well. The Po-Koro Guard has been on watch for a long, long time even before Pohatu and the First Toa showed up. A hundred rough years after they disappeared the Po-Koro Guard is on watch still. Some changes in that time, sure. One Toa became a bunch. Lots of other kinds of people start showing up. But the Guard is the Guard, and it keeps doing the same thing it's been doing since forever. Then six Rahkshi break down the front door, kill a bunch of people, and a kid is promoted to Colonel overnight. Some people have all the luck. Then a pirate chucks a living bomb into your headquarters, blows up the place, kills a bunch of your personnel, and kidnaps your Turaga. Your Turaga gets kidnapped again. Then assassinated. And then a Rahkshi army kicks down the door you just fixed and a lot more people die. Your local sports legend gets made Akiri and has to figure out what to do about this. For whatever reason the Kolhiihead decides to try and match the Ta-Koro Guard and rebrands along the way. Now the Guard is the Sentinels instead. Being an athlete and not a general, your new political lord and master doesn't really get that making up the numbers doesn't mean much by itself. You've just diluted the core competency that you had. But at least your Captain understands that, and yadda-yadda-ing your way past a whole lot of politics you get a new Akiri who at least knows what she doesn't know. The civilian side of things is great, and aside from some weird decisions like making a Po-Koro navy the Captain gets to have the freedom to run things the way they need to run. But the Cap'n's still faced with a pretty big experience deficit, and more territory to protect than ever. What do you do about it? Well, you get smart. "Look like you could use a hand, ma'am," A voice, barely audible over the rushing air and the clacking train, preceded a hand being offered towards Kohra. The rough looking Toa, in comparison, was not hunched or prone on the train's roof; he almost looked to be at ease, except for the foot planted behind him to brace against the wind. His feet were stuck to the roof as easy as he'd have stood on the ground. "I could use a bit of a sit-rep. Fair 'nough?" Take your competent, disciplined core. Ruthless opposition cost you some great ones, officers who should've gone on for a long time, but it's cut out the deadwood too. Cowards court-martialed for desertion, or resigned. Incompetents killed in action or relieved during the reorganization. What's left is solid. You take a census. And you cross-assign. Because competency is contagious. Three two-guard teams on board the Mahi. Even numbers keeps anyone from going it alone, but makes it easy to organize by experience. Now we turn the clock to those last few minutes. Experience says, firstly, that whoever controls the engine controls the train. Soon as the engineers raised an alarm the duo up front got ready. Two at the back, with the stuff someone might want to steal, and two in the middle to patrol. SOP, easy and by the book. Experience also says, though, that if you're letting someone take a fair fight you're not cheating hard enough. Goes double when you're hauling something as sensitive as what he had out back. *** "E-Excuse me?" One of Baz's maligned cardboard cutouts, a nervous looking Lesterin, piped up diffidently. No one had told her to keep her hands up but she'd done it as soon as the commotion began. Now they were beginning to droop, clearly tired of holding the same position. "Um, y-you guys can do whatever you want. But can I put my arms down now?" OOC: At Silvan's request I'm taking over the NPCs for the train heist. So, attention heist crew and @Vezok's Friend, @Perp, @Tarn, and @oncertaintyspecifically.

IC: Krayn wasn't so sure of the other Toa's estimation of his will. He didn't think the man lied, or that he doubted his own estimate for a second. The trouble was that after everything he had seen, and been through, he was less certain. It seemed in his eyes that even the best could fall to temptations less virulent than whatever the Necromancer had unleashed in Ko-Wahi. But he'd had his say, and he hadn't been swayed. "If you're set on it, there are a few things you should know." He directed his eyes towards the Mangai, and the cable car he knew would lead to Ko-Wahi. "The Rahi are much more aggressive than they have been in a long while. Muaka have been prowling the Wastes again. Fire doesn't scare them off the same way. Be careful of that. If you find the lair, and it connects to tunnels, you should stay out of them. The Darkwalk is more dangerous than it was." "Best of luck." @a goose

IC: Sinshi's brows rose questioningly, latching onto the last minute substitution, but she didn't ask. Not from any real restraint but because the matter was overshadowed more and more with each step down the docks. Her spine stiffened by degrees, shoulders pulled back, and she unconsciously tugged at her jacket as though determined to twitch out any imperfections. Casual ease began to retreat into stiff formality. She scanned the docks, resorting to a visual search rather than trying to parse the jumbled voices and feelings of the mental plane.

IC: "That's a fair question." Kiyaku's footsteps slowed a minute while she considered. "In truth, there isn't truly such thing where they are from. Other clans, perhaps, but no true outsiders. If you were a Skakdi I might expect some tension. As it is I think they may merely be curious." "If someone causes trouble, I will address it." The Menti smiled faintly. "Not that I expect you will need the help."

IC: Nihonei was not a person of violence. Despite being a part of the warrior caste, despite her training, despite her intellectual understanding of the necessity a sense of violence wasn't really in her. Her resolve was strong. Her commitment to her people was unwavering. But something inside her, some instinct, some block inside her kept her from wishing injury on another. It made her hesitate. It made her reluctant to go for the jugular, to go into a fight willing to disassemble her foe if it came down to it. But that had been before the Rahkshi. That had been before she saw so many of her friends die. Brilliant minds driven mad, driven to despair, or simply extinguished in the face of a foe they could never have prepared for. That was before her places of peace and contemplation were smashed, her people were driven from their home to uncertain safety and she had spent weeks trying to survive. She had been pushed so far. There was so little left. So little hope. And that something in her broke in the moment her eyes locked with the Tajaar. Every Eiyu was a half, a part of a whole. Complete on their own, perhaps, but not truly whole without that other piece. Nihonei only wanted to work out whatever issue this Lii had. She hadn't realized until this moment how angry she was. How much of her own rage had bubbled under the surface, how much she had held it back, forced herself to continue being the Toroshu of a clan that might no longer exist when all she really wanted to do was scream her pain loud enough to raise the Spirit that had so clearly abandoned them. She didn't want to communicate, she didn't want to understand, she wanted to fight. She wanted to win. The hunger for violence flickered on the mental plane, along the bond that she shared with her sister, and she leaned into it. Enveloped herself in it. Asked herself, without conscious thought, what Saritsu would do. She would fight. She would cheat. There was no fair fight. You were trying to win, or you were playing and Nihonei was not playing and she was not tying her hand behind her anymore. She would go until Lii was on the ground, she was, or the old Datsue called the bout. Her ribs cracked ominously, even slowed by the force she exerted with her sister's discipline. That should have been alarming. Should have hurt. But that thought was pushed back, distant, and she wrapped her arm around the leg that struck her. Held it fast. She slammed her bladed hand down on the Tajaar's knee and knew absently that a full throated roar was tearing its way out of her mouth. She released the Tajaar's leg and, to Lii's eyes, simply disappeared. @Void Emissary@Razgriz

IC: "Are you that person?" Krayn had listened, scratching at his chin as he thought it over. His first, immediate impulse was that Pirok was right. He was an investigator, he was a guard; no one would ever know how many lives Echelon had taken, and no one would ever know how many bodies he had stolen. But his lair was the one place to find some. Some of those people could be brought home, and some of their loved ones— if any still lived— could have that closure. But it was more complicated than that. Not knowing was awful, but time had a way of providing its own closure. Not every missing persons case was resolved. Not even most. The jungle was a harsh place when Makuta reigned, and many of those that went missing were lost somewhere in its depths. If anything was left to find it wasn't recognizable anymore. And a great many of Echelon's puppets were likely in a similar shape. The Necromancer had been infamous, and in his infamy stories had spread; he was always merely content with a puppet, he wanted puppets tailored to his purposes. Even those that could be recovered might not be... Intact. Sometimes knowing specifics was worse than accepting that you wouldn't know. "I can't fault your wishes," He said slowly. "And you are of course free to do what you want. So is Makua, here, as is Skyra. But I think Rynekk is right, and I would urge you to consider that he might be. Ko-Wahi is a deeply inhospitable place. A few months of snow and ice may already have hidden it, and a few more will for certain. You may not be able to find it. You risk your own lives just looking. Even if you can find it you don't know what's inside. If you find it and there are no traps to be dealt with, how will you get those victims to civilization? How will you get them to their families? The cold's preservation will not last as soon as you leave the Wahi." He shook his head, slowly and not without sympathy. "And Makuta is back. If he wasn't I would be more encouraging. But braving the wastes, the Rahi under his power again, and trying to return an unknown but sizable cargo... Sometimes it's best to let the past stay buried. It won't return the dead to their families. You can help them better by keeping them from losing any more." @a goose@Emzee@Void Emissary@Snelly

IC: "I doubt it's anything critical about Echelon. He's been dead for a few months now." Krayn raised an eyebrow. "His followers escaped, but the Necromancer is long gone."

IC: "They may be back at the dock by now, or we may have to wait a time." Kiyaku tilted her head slightly, as if listening to something only she could hear, before she began walking. "We'll get you introduced, then we'll sail for Ga-Koro. I'm given to understand that is the place for any naval supplies."

IC: "Enough." Krayn drew in a breath with the air of someone counting to ten inside, reminding himself of vows to be friendlier, and asking Mata Nui for patience all at the same time. At first he had been content to let the situation work itself out. Skyra and Praggos, he had already determined, could go on and on between them for a long while if you let them. But Praggos almost always got tired of the back and forth before she did. However this 'Pirok' was a new element, an unforeseen catalyst; the three of them seemed capable of going on forever. He had spent the past few minutes systematically turning the dial lower and lower and lower but with no true end in sight it was time to step in. "Enough, already. Whether he was or wasn't— and he definitely wasn't— stop confusing each other. It's bad enough when you get confused, Skyra, but that's at least familiar." It was exactly as hot as he remembered, and he was beginning to regret choosing to take his coat along. But the cool breeze for Praggos' benefit was helping quite a bit. Mostly he suspected it was just lack of practice. Ko-Wahi had been cold, and he hadn't stayed for very long in Po-Wahi before leaving again. And the heat had nothing to do with the dull ache beginning near his temples. "Mister Makua, if you have other questions I have no problem answering them. Mister Pirok," The tall Toa pointed casually with the finger that had just been rubbing lightly at the side of his head. "I'm sorry to break up your reunion. But I assume you had a reason for finding Daring? You said so, at least. Before you got sidetracked." @a goose@otter@Snelly@Emzee

IC: "You might say I'm aware of that coalition," Krayn said dryly. A twinge shot through his shoulder at the thought. And speaking of shoulders he wished he'd thought to have some kind of sun visor made when he got his ear protection, those pauldrons could work as mirrors. Was that really how his face looked these days? "Though some of those names weren't there. The Piraka didn't show tooth or spine. As for the rest..." "Eisen, Kohra, and their band are in the wind. As far as anyone knows. Eisen fought Stannis but seems to have gotten away. I've been out of the loop for a bit but Toa Oreius was hospitalized last I knew. We're in Ta-Koro, the Akiri might know better. Echelon is dead." He held the sellsword's gaze as he said it, allowing the surety of his expression and voice to lend weight to the statement. "I haven't seen the body personally, but I heard it from the man who killed him. Everything he said lines up with other pieces I've heard and I trust his word." "Vidar and Ronkshou are a bit of a throwback." A bit of humor crept back into his voice. "If they're alive they're keeping their noses clean. That little one, there, is Luten. She did move. She's... Well, she's Mr. Ironshaper's mask." @Emzee@The UltimoScorp

IC: Hooooo. "Skyra. Ember." Take a few months off and you forget some things. Like how noisy things can get and how fast. One hand went up and slowly, deliberately clicked the dial over his ear down several notches. Then he glanced at the diminutive figure on the railing. "Not really up to me, Luten. Have to take it up with Kale. Everybody else can probably come, if they want." "Now, what can I do for you?" Krayn said just a little louder, recognizing the intent behind the Ko-Toa's approach. Whatever he wanted Krayn had something to do with it. "I don't think we've met." @Void Emissary@Snelly@Emzee@The UltimoScorp

All the key elements are there, you've got more than one staff member, and I'm aware of reasonable player interest. x1

IC: "I wouldn't say that." Krayn's head tilted a little, something in his friend's reply striking at an odd sort of angle. He didn't think it was anything he'd said, but... "Kale's little trick with the gate, I'm told, was pretty impressive. It never would have held without backup. Particularly the Gukko Force, even if their targeting was a little... Indiscriminate." The Toa's mouth quirked in a wry smile but it wasn't until he felt the phantom ache in his shoulder that it clicked. Shaking a hand wasn't exactly a warm welcome. Normally he would have used the grip to draw him in, clap him on the back, but he'd avoided using his other arm without thinking. Rather than try and recover it he clapped Rynekk on the back with his right hand as he turned towards the gangplank. "Beggars can't exactly choose their backup, though. You're looking well. Even more like a boulder than normal." @Void Emissary

IC: "Private Rynekk Simul," An subtle change in emphasis changed a formal greeting to a friendly one without ever changing his tone. Krayn blinked a couple of times in the sudden brightness before he made out the roughly square Sentinel, a little shorter than he, already on the deck. It wasn't easy to see his smile but it was there while he extended a hand for the other Toa to clasp. "Feels like it's been a minute, doesn't it?" "I was about to go and track down the Commander. You're welcome to tag along." @Void Emissary

IC: Linear time was probably the biggest lie Krayn had ever heard. The notion that a moment, once past, would never come again. That cause always precedes effect. That time moves, rather than moving through time. Time didn't slow down when something bad happened, or speed up during something happy. You do. A moment past will surely come again. The cause does not truly, in observation, always comes first. Living things change how they move through time all the time, how they observe the events in their world, and do it blindly and without awareness. Time, they think, must move because it cannot be stopped. Cannot be changed. Constant. Like gravity. That was the first hiccup, right there. Gravity could change. A whole element could do it. Even if it didn't change naturally it could still change. Changing the thesis, saying that time doesn't naturally change, only underscores the flaw. Some Toa of Gravity, who probably compressed their brains too tightly to think properly, firmly believed time changed if gravity was high enough. Some locals whispered about a Kanohi that could control time. Neither of those ideas had the simple ring of truth, at least no explanation that he'd ever heard did, but he believed his own thesis; every living thing had the same control over time as any other, simultaneously complete and nonexistent because the only thing they could change was their pace. As far as he was concerned a sufficiently powerful being altering the rate that they all moved through time was as valid as a Toa changing gravity, even if he hadn't ever seen it. But not even that was necessary for traveling back in time. If you lived long enough that happened all on its own. Krayn sailed into Ta-Wahi from Po-Wahi, with a stop in Ga-Koro on the way, just like before. The place hadn't changed, time hadn't changed, but here he was again in a moment lived once before. He was different. Time— life— curved and wove and looped back on itself over and over in new ways, curving back into a moment without missing a beat at an angle just a little different than the one before. It was the same moment, the same place in time and space, but he passed through it just a little to the left of the last time. Of the way he would pass through it next time, if the moment came around. And what was true for an individual was twice as true for the world. Six Toa assailed Makuta, in accordance with Destiny, and Makuta remained free to act. Six Toa assailed Makuta, in accordance with Destiny, and Makuta— after a brief intermission— remained free to act. Turaga Onewa was kidnapped from Po-Koro. He was rescued. He was kidnapped. He was rescued. Then, of course, he died. That was the notion of Destiny, he supposed. That sufficiently powerful being— Mata Nui— looking at that tangled weave from within and without and knowing what the individual that composed a single thread would do. Knowing its path, from beginning to end, and in so knowing cementing it into place. Perhaps moments came again because the first time around we tried to defy our Destiny. We tried to change that weave, and like any craftsmen that being at the loom of fate took the time to put right what we got wrong. Then again, Mata Nui slept. Seeing the weave did nothing to separate him from its effects. A moment relived was not the result of Destiny, it was the result of choices. If he returned to a moment it wasn't because of Destiny. It was because, as surely as he controlled the way that he moved through time without cognizance or intent, he had brought himself back to that moment. The parcel was heavy in his hands. It wasn't really, it was the compression of an object into such a small space (like the mentioned brains) that made it seem heavy for the space it occupied. And then of course it could have seemed heavy because of what it was. The choices it represented. Good or bad. Right or wrong. Left or right. The thread that lead him back here, to this time, was the summation of each one. And they weren't all good. Krayn had a lot longer to think on them than he wanted, maybe even than was good for him, and there definitely were some he messed up. Finding himself back where he started wasn't an error, either. Like every other link in that chain, fiber in that thread, it was a result of everything he had done before. Everything he was. And even though he was delaying, staring at the letter tucked into the brown string as though by will alone he could discover its contents, it all came down to a much simpler truth. However long it took him to open, he'd made the choice at hand before he ever knew it. The brown string untied dutifully when he pulled at the right strand and the thick paper unfolded easily. Thick, soft wool dyed a deep royal blue. Buttons of polished bone. It was made properly, sized properly, and it had come even faster than he expected. No insignia— though properly prepared placements, when he had one— but it was a uniform. Not a Sentinel's uniform. His uniform. His badge of office, the symbol of his decision to use the power he had to do something right. He had chosen to put it on a lifetime ago, short as the time had truly been, when he joined the Gukko Force. This one was a lot nicer, though. Krayn took a few moments to properly situate the equipment he would wear off of the ship underneath it, ready to be drawn through the various pass-through slits, and did not choose to button it. Ko-Wahi had been cold but he had no desire to roast himself to death. Krayn Inzaka, specialist, ascended the stairs two at a time to reach the deck from the cabin Dehkaz had assigned him. The Commander was already off, but he wouldn't be hard to find. It was time to get back to work properly.

IC: "The Legend." Krayn confirmed, beginning to finish his transcription. "I've never heard of the Keeping Place. The flamberge's chain of custody isn't totally clear to me, but it was reclaimed by Joske from the same person who killed Echelon. They reclaimed it in turn after Echelon killed Joske." "I never made the connection, either, but I got a good look at the sword when Joske evidently returned from the Legend to claim it. Looking at the Dasaka here in Ga-Koro I have no doubt it's the same material." He shrugged slightly, skimming the notes he had written down carefully to make sure he had left nothing out. After a few moments he tore it carefully from the notebook and held it out to the Maru. "What happened on the Kentoku end is outside my knowledge entirely." "Unfortunately I have to be back aboard the Fowadi before it leaves, or catch it again in Ta-Koro." A note of humor crept into his tone. "It wouldn't inspire confidence if I go off the reservation the day after someone re-hires me. You can be accommodated aboard the Fowadi if you wish to accompany us, I'm sure."

I've been in touch with Kaithas, there was supposed to be a post on Monday but he came down with the flu. I'm working on making sure it gets continued or resolved as promptly as possible.

IC: "Son of a..." It was something he should have remembered. He had been there, he had been around the same people for ages, but it had slipped into a sort of blind spot; a spot in his memory overshadowed by the events before and after. And of course it had seemed like nonsense at the time. This Toa he had never met appeared out of nowhere, argued with people about things Krayn did not know, and disappeared just as quickly. It wouldn't have changed anything. He had no context, and even if he had known he couldn't have changed it. But it was galling now to know in hindsight what it was that he heard. "Shortly before I went to Ko-Koro I was in Le-Wahi with a motley assemblage of Toa. Joske showed up. He was talking about having returned from the Legend and rattled off a lot of things that, at the time, made no sense." He continued writing, putting down the details in clear, concise lettering. "It didn't make any sense then. Most of it now has already happened. But he made it a point to take back Heuani's sword." Krayn shook his head. "Looking at the ships in the harbor, it can only have been Dasakan crystal. A Dasakan sword before one should have been here and simultaneous events on both islands. It seems likely that's a link, there." @Vezok's Friend

IC: "I'm happy to, so far as my service with the Fowadi allows," The Po-Koro G- Sentinel (irregular? warrant officer?) responded almost absently. His mind had turned to his notes already and he tore a page off his pad to begin transcribing. His conversation with Dorian he had solidly in mind, and in his notes, but he needed to reach further back than that. There were relevant details. "My commissioning is a little irregular. We're bound for Ta-Koro next, if you wish to come with us I'm sure the Commander would have no objection." It was when he put pen to paper that he paused. He had forgotten something, something important. It wasn't his fault; the details hadn't seemed relevant at the time. They'd been a sideshow to matters closer to home, even those eclipsed by the events that began only hours later. His resignation. His trip to Po-Koro, from there to Onu-Koro to catch up to the Fowadi. And then to Ko-Wahi. His shoulder ached and he rolled it a little, trying unconsciously to work the pain away, and frowned. The pieces were suddenly much more important, linked to... "The Legend. That's where Stannis sent Makuta. Isn't it?" @Vezok's Friend

IC: "No need for any 'my Lady's, unless you wish." The Dasaka laughed softly, extending a hand to help Ela back to her feet. "Any nobility owed to me burned with my home. I've been called a great many things, you may find which you prefer. But you, and your blade, are most welcome aboard the Shinushya, Ela Latos." "Shall we get you introduced?" @Johnny Blocksville

IC: "Unfortunately that's impossible. It was the firmest tone he had taken and Krayn met the Maru's eyes so there could be no misunderstanding. It wasn't anger or defiance, resentment for the circumstances or even secrecy born from mistrust. But it was a point on which he was totally unwilling to budge. Stubborn principle and obligation had merged into immovable certainty. "Not because of anything you have or haven't done, or because I'm unwilling to work with you. It isn't my choice to make." "As far as the island is concerned this friend is dead. I think he's owed that peace. If he chooses to surface he can, and at that time you would be more than welcome to speak with him. Until then the best that I can do is to tell you everything that he told me, from Joske Nimil's plans and intentions through to his death and the confrontation with Echelon in Mangaia. I have notes that I can transcribe, if you wish." @Vezok's Friend

IC: "There's no profit in unnecessary violence." Kiyaku met the Lesterin's eyes without flinching. Her characterization of the Fursic's profession wasn't totally without merit. Pirates cared little for targets that might fight back. She had taken a few herself that couldn't offer much resistance. But her directives were political. What her Toroshu deemed a target, she took care of. There were different options now. "But sometimes dead sailors tell no tales. Their rulers sent them to sail and to guard the same ships my clan dictated I rob. Hedonism requires enjoyment, and I neither enjoyed nor regretted when death was necessary. It's a task like any other." "My clan is gone, and good riddance. They sullied our name before I was born. The Umbraline, too, irritate me. Their certainty. Their self-righteousness. They aren't my problem anymore, either. For the first time I truly am beholden to no one." Something in the Menti's eyes flashed, an energy and ambition behind the words. "Order is shattered. My Honor is no longer tied to traitors. What I have is Power. Power to forge my own rule, my own Order." "I act for myself, and by extension for my crew. They kept their faith with me when no Honor required it. I lead them across the ocean, I brought them here, and I will bring them with me to the restoration of everything that we have lost and more. I will carve out my niche here. Anyone in my way is an enemy to deal with, however I must." She held her hands out to the side, palm up, in expression— and in a strange sort of challenge. "I am what I am. Neither cruel nor kind, but dedicated to the pursuit of my aims." "You told me the Skakdi fight for no reason, squabble and kill only because they can. That seems as stupid to me as it does to you. The world has gone mad. The Dashi here say this is familiar, that what I saw on my homeland is how they have lived for generations. Your home sounds no different. In these strange times I have no problem doing what I must for myself, and for my crew." Her voice lowered, and she rested her hands lightly on her hips. "You seem to me a warrior without a home, without allies, without a cause. Aboard my ship you could find them all. Or at least have a roof over your head and money in your pocket while you search for your own purpose." @Johnny Blocksville

IC: "An offer." The Menti confirmed, rubbing her jaw absently. She was fairly sure of her instincts. Moreover she was certain that she could simply leave if she was wrong. "You're capable. Intelligent. And you've been here longer than I have. I need that." "In my homeland I was a privateer. Very good at it, actually. I intend to continue much as I always have here, on Mata Nui. I'll rebuild what I lost. I'll build it better, freed from Umbraline control. I'd like you to work with me, for as long as you're willing." @Johnny Blocksville

IC: "'The mind is the only truly Endless Ocean'," The Menti said, recalling her time at the Yards. She chuckled. "I thought that was true, until I had to sail here. Had I come across you in battle I think it would have ended similarly, unless I had the element of surprise. I did not use my mask, but neither did you. You're faster than me. I expect you're stronger than me, too. I'm not counting against myself. I know my strengths, and my weaknesses." "But you already learned much about how it works. How preconceptions and split second decisions play into the illusion." Kiyaku tilted her head. "I have an offer for you, I think." @Johnny Blocksville

IC: "I can shed a little light on that." Pieces were still missing, and Leah hadn't— quite— answered the entirety of his question. But she answered the most important parts. Stannis' culpability, the degree to which he withheld the truth knowingly, was more of a personal issue to Krayn. He'd had a little time to think about why. It offended his sense of right and wrong for Stannis' choice to have cost people that would never know he made it. The Dasakan exodus, the lives that had been lost and would be lost in the future, were all on his conscience. Not totally. No one, not even a Maru, could be held accountable for consequences beyond their own control. It could be that nothing would have changed. But no one would ever know because one man took away their chance to choose. But much more personally he had robbed Krayn of the chance for peace. After all he had given already he had intended to rest. Now he couldn't. And that was something that he couldn't forgive Stannis for. "As I was saying." He began again, shaking his head slightly as if to cast off the undertone of anger that had crept into his thoughts, barely noticing that Skyra had left. He would fill her and the others in on anything important that came next. "I had a chance to speak with... A friend who was there. He killed Echelon. But when he stabbed him the Vault was opened." "I haven't talked to the Dasaka in depth, but I've listened. Something happened to unleash Rahkshi on their archipelago at about the same time. Something that we can infer, I think, occurred simultaneously on their home and ours. If something could link across that vast a distance I think we have to assume the same thing reached into wherever Stannis sent him." @Vezok's Friend