BZPRPG - Po-Wahi

[Silvan Haven]

Kale Ironshaper- Po-koro- Sentinel HQ

 

IC: Kale could read a room, and this one was serious. The embarrassed and slightly relieved look slid off his face and his back stiffened.

 

"I understand." He said, a much more serious look on his face.

[Not Quite Dead]

IC Andrex: the Ta-Toa remained unconscious.

 

OOC: feel free to bunny me along, just, you know, no killing or taking of stuff, please.

 

OOC: I have no idea how I missed this post, literally no idea

 

IC Sade

 

The coastal city of Forsi came into view, it was more aptly described as a small fortress or a keep than a city. At least in her mind. Ran by the Sentinels, it was one end of the iron mahi's route. In Po-Koro she had seen the fliers and pamphlets about Hewkii and his "secret police." It was interesting, but she thought it doubtful that they were much different than the other Akiri or koro guards. All of them must have things to hide, it was a part of politics and leadership. The pain of bearing hard truths and shouldering the responsibility of questionable actions. It took a strong individual to do so, even the most cowardly and conniving politician faced a dozen problems the average person would never know and likely wouldn't be able to bear.

 

Dragging the Ta-Toa was draining, even for a strong and well conditioned individual like herself, upwards of a hundred kilograms was quite the load. She rolled him off the sled, holding up well in the desert night. His breathing and pulse were steady, must've been the heat that made him collapse.

 

...A fire elemental passing out from the heat?

 

It was obviously dehydration, how that fact had slipped her mind was a mystery. She created a handful of snow and stuffed it in his mouth.

[The UltimoScorp]

IC Andrex: the Toa of Fire spluttered suddenly, waking, and spitting out a good portion of the frozen powder. The rest melted and became water, and instinctively, Andrex swallowed it, cooling his parched throat somewhat.

 

Coughing, he looked up at his saviour, then spoke raspily, "Where am I....?"

[Isamu]

IC Halyx:

"Don't worry about what the others are doing, just focus on what you can do! Now, if you don't mind..." Halyx summoned all his strength into a single blast of fire and aimed it at Jorik.

 

IC Jorik:

The blast severely injured poor Jorik, who decided that it wasn't worth the fight. He'd deal with the group later. He flew away as fast as he could, then landed somewhere near the Po-Ko border.

 

IC Halyx:

"He's gone... Are we all here?"

OOC: My apologies, were you waiting for me to respond?

 

IC: Leron

 

Leron looked at the ship and all of his new allies. "I'm here," he said, confused as to where any one would have gone.

[Not Quite Dead]

IC Sade

 

"Half a kio from the coastal city of Forsi. I found you around ten kio west, passed out in the Motara desert."

[The UltimoScorp]

IC Andrex:

 

Andrex swallowed once more, his voice returning. It was at this time he noticed his hands were restrained.

 

"Forsi....? I was looking for Po-Koro." he looked at his bound hands again. he could break the binds, if need be, but he decided not to, if only to find what this strange person wanted.

 

"Thank you for not leaving me to die. I am Andrex."

[Not Quite Dead]

IC Sade

 

"You would have died had I left you, so yes. I saved you."

 

She bent to unshackle him, returning key and cuffs to wherever she kept them.

 

"Toa code states that a hero or warrior will repay their debts," she smiled mischievously. "So, until the time that you save my life. You shall serve me."

[The UltimoScorp]

IC Andrex:

Andrex rubbed his wrists, getting a proper look at the one who'd brought him here. She appeared to be an Ice Toa. 

Then there were her words. 

 

"That depends on what sort of Toa you are. Though it pains me to admit, not all Toa are honorable, or follow the code. But.... I do owe you my life. At the very least, I'll follow you for a while."

 

 

OOC:I just read Sade's profile. I'm not sure whether to be happy or scared that she found me.

[Void Emissary]

IC: Leron

Leron looked at the ship and all of his new allies. "I'm here," he said, confused as to where any one would have gone.

 

IC:

 

"Seems as though we're all still present, pretty, and punctual," I said, rubbing my hands together and grinning as I looked at the ensemble of Toa around me. "Now then, who are you? I'm afraid I mighn't have caught your name in all the kerfuffle, but I'd hate not to be on speaking terms with another bro of good-ol' Lewa's element. I'm guessing you're a Toa of Air, right?"

 

I suddenly realized that I hadn't offered my hand to shake, then promptly stuck my left one out.

 

I'm a woman of good manners, if nothing else.

 

-Void

[IcarusBen]

IC Halyx:

 

"Lumira, meet Leron. Leron, Lumira. Now, explain to me how on Mata Nui Jorik found us?"
 

OOC:

 

​FYI, Jorik only found us for plot convenience. Don't even bother trying to explain it. He can move at the speed of plot. I'd come with an idea, but... 
 

[Void Emissary]

IC:

 

"His Baddie-Senses were tingling?"

 

-Void

[IcarusBen]

IC Halyx:

Ugh... We've go no time for this... Are there any ports in Onu-Wahi?"

[Isamu]

IC: Leron

 

Leron looked at the hand held out to him. "Delighted."

"Are there any ports in Onu-Wahi?"

"Woah, Onu? I thought we were headed somewhere else in Po," Leron said, realizing that Onu-Wahi isn't his desired location.

[Not Quite Dead]

IC Sade

 

"You could try to win your freedom through battle, but... I do not think you would succeed."

 

She gestures to Forsi in the distance. "You said you were looking for Po-Koro, correct? Forsi is one side of the po-koran's locomotive system. The morning train should be departing sometime around dawn." The Ta-Toa had been saved near sunset, it had taken her several hours to reach this point. So it was the deepest part of the night, still many hours before the train would be loaded and readied for departure.

 

"Why were you headed for Po-Koro?"

[IcarusBen]

IC: Leron

 

Leron looked at the hand held out to him. "Delighted."

"Are there any ports in Onu-Wahi?"

"Woah, Onu? I thought we were headed somewhere else in Po," Leron said, realizing that Onu-Wahi isn't his desired location.

IC Halyx:

"Leron, have you not been listening? Jorik's here in Po. The longer we're sitting around, the easier it'll be for him to find us. But, Jorik's main advantage is flight. We go underground, he loses his edge. Visalk, Guvla, take us out. We're headed for Onu-Koro. If anyone has a problem with that, then stay here and get shot at by a crazed assassin. Otherwise, get some rest. It'll be a while before we reach Onu. We've gotta pass through Ko's waters, that'll suck, and we still have to get to Onu-Koro."

[The UltimoScorp]

IC: Andrex:

 

The massive Ta-Toa laughed, "I've no reason to fight you, though, Ultimately, you've no more power over me than I do over water in a cup! As for my destination..... well, truth be told, I was following a whim."

 

He looked at the desert around him, "Shows how good my instincts are, eh?" He laughed heartily.

 

Rising to his feet, he gestured to the distant town, "Lead on, my newfound companion."

[25K Now!]

IC: Lusgi and Jim

 

"Ey Jim, do ya ever wonder ..."

 

Lusgi trailed off, feeling somewhat awkward talking to her colleague after the long silence that had followed their short spat. No caravans or tourists had approached the gates of the village, so the two guards had been standing next to each other quietly, with the only disturbances being the shuffling of feet or slight coughs that one or the other would make.

 

"What do I ever wonder about, Lusgi?" was the clipped reply. Jim too wasn't very predisposed to talking right now, even if it was a girl addressing him.

 

Still, his acknowledgement of her words gave the former greater vigour in finishing her question.

 

"Like, yaknow dem Hafu carvings over dere?"

 

The Po-Matoran gestured at the statues that lined the path towards their village.

 

"Of course I know them. We see them everyday."

 

"I ain't got time for yo' sarcasm right now," she snapped back, but continued to wave wildly at them. "But like, do ya ever think if we be attacked or sommat we'd collapse those things?"

 

There was a lot of thinking.

 

"It would be incredibly disrespectful to Hafu's memory, but I could see that happening."

 

"Great, 'coz I really wanna break one of them."

[Isamu]

IC: Leron

 

The Le-Toa looked in bewilderment. This was a change in plans and he enjoyed seeing some friendly faces, but he needed to get to the Koro. "I'm sorry, but I need to get to the koro." He then exited the ship without an other word and began walking. "Thank you for the water, and good luck on your travels."

[IcarusBen]

IC Tallix:

Tallix saw Jorik's failure, and decided to take action on his own. He activated his Huna, ran towards Leron and stabbed him.

[Void Emissary]

OOC: Icarus, that seems dangerously close to auto-hitting. Tallix can't have stabbed Leron without Isamu's approval.

 

IC:

 

Well, that was a disappointingly short Get to know ya session.

 

Aw well, no point belly-achin' about it. We've got adventuring to do!

 

Of course, the adventuring'd be easier if we didn't have a homicidal maniac trailing us, I suppose....

 

"Yo, Halyx," I said, sidling over to him. "Don't you think it'd be shorter to ditch the ship and hike over to the Po-Onu Highway in the Motara? And besides, didn't that assassin fellow peel out towards Ko when he left? I'd reckon that'd be the last place we oughta be goin'."

 

-Void

[Not Quite Dead]

IC Sade

 

They reached Forsi within the hour. With the Ta-Toa walking, she was able to quicken the pace. Forsi was quiet this time of night, being run by the Sentinels had understandably subdued the nightlife. The low pitched roar of the sea was the only noise that filled the air. It was a comforting and nostalgic sound for her, she had been raised in a small village on the Ko-Wahi coastline. A stone's throw from the landing spot of Kopaka so many years ago. The cold and steely gray northern ocean was as inviting and comfortable as an Ihu-Koro hotspring to her.

 

A lone street of inns and bars were still open. Doors sealed and fires roaring inside to hold back the high desert's night time chill. The inn she chose was empty save the bartender, what she assumed was her spouse and a few off-duty Sentinels.

 

She quietly took a pamphlet from a pocket, it was one of anti-Hewkii/Sentinel documents that had littered Po-Koro.

 

This was Sentinel turf, so she kept her voice down. Leaning towards Andrex as she passed him the paper. "Word on the street is that Po-Koro is restless, did you know that?" After having gone through the effort of rescuing him, she wasn't about to see him walk off to what could easily become a warzone. At least, not unprepared.

[Isamu]

OOC: Yeah, I'm not cool with that. At least explain to me why I'm getting almost stabbed.

 

IC: Leron

 

Leron heard foot steps rushing awfully close behind him, he turned to see what was happening when a blade barely missed him. Leron then lifted himself into the air high enough so that he couldn't be reached by his now opponent. "What are you doing," he yelled out, confused as to why he was being attacked.

[The UltimoScorp]

IC Andrex:

 

The TA-Toa took the pamphlet, and looked it over. He frowned as he read, "I was under the impression that the Akiri were elected officials. Is this not the case in PO-Koro?"

[IcarusBen]

OOC: Wow. Horrible, horrible horrible wording on my part. I SHOULD have said "Tallix tried to stab Leron. Whoops."

 

IC Halyx:

"Hey! Tallix, I think you forgot something!" Halyx summoned a fireball and tried to strike Tallix, though Tallix was able to dodge.

 

IC Tallix:

"I'll tell you what I'm doing. I'm taking back MY ship!" Tallix tried once more to stab Leron, hoping that he'd be able to land a good shot.

[Isamu]

OOC: Haha, on worries, it's cool.

 

IC: Leron

 

Leron felt the blade graze the side of his arm as he lurched to the side using his mask. "****, I'm too slow," he thought to himself as he drew his sword and swung at his attacker.

[Razgriz]

IC: So, this is Forsi.

A deep, uniquely travel-worn yawn forced its way out of her jaws as she walked through the remarkably empty city's cold and quiet streets. Finally, a spot to rest. Looked like that map hadn't been wrong after all, as not-wrong as a map of the desert could be, what with the sandstorms and wind-shaped dunes and stuff like that.

Certainly better than that lost-looking guy's directions. she thought with a wry smirk. Had to wonder how many people he'd sent off track. Her guess was high enough to elicit a laugh imagining it, one that echoed and only further drove home the point that it was desolate at this time of night. This was why she preferred the day.

Okay, back on track. We need to find an inn, get out of this cold and dark and get comfy.

Refocused on her task at hand, Sola Fulminea made for the brightest part of town.

Look out, world.

[Not Quite Dead]

IC Sade

 

"True, the Akiri were elected. But the margin was much slimmer in Po-Koro than in the others. Perhaps what was already a small majority has eroded since Hewkii took his office. It is not altogether unreasonable, considering the economic and social woes that Po-Wahi has faced. Whether or not the Akiri is too blame, he is a convenient scapegoat."

[Pohatu: Uniter of Stone]

IC: 88

 

88 landed back in town and returned to his house and printing shop, flipping the sign from closed to open.

 

OOC: 88's printing shop open for business again, for all your printing and copying needs.

[Razgriz]

IC: Eyebrows went high in surprise as Sola entered the street proper, orange peepers caught by the motion of a flipping sign in the nearest window.

A printing shop open this late? Wow. Talk about dedication.

Shooting the closed door a grin and a thumbs up of admiration, she then continued her search. A bunch of inns, but something wasn't clicking with her. Sometimes, with the sea of choices, you have to be picky to be satisfied. You have to find one that clicks with you.

Grrrrrr-oooowrrl

One that has food. Stuff like that. 

"I should still have some snacks, though." she mumbled low, contemplating fishing through her adventure bag to confirm the sentiment.

Nah, do I'll it once I got a room. Speaking of, I think I like this one. Looks really cozy.

Ever-present grin widening, she stepped inside. The inn was mostly empty, just the bartender, her husband, a few Sentinels, and a pair of what looked to be fellow travelers.

And my feet hurt. She added, wincing. Understandably so, after being on them all day.

Can't wait to sit down one of those chairs...

[sunflower]

IC: Dehkaz

 

Dehkaz gave a nod, satisfied with Kale's answer. No lack of trust there, just him making sure that everyone present was on the same page.

 

“Alright, you're here as witness, I suppose, but three people is three more than who I'd like to know this information.”

 

“First thing's first. Hari's gone,” Dehkaz held up a hand to forestall any comment from the toa of Iron before continuing, “We found her badge this morning, I don't believe that she has resigned, though. Taken a leave of absence, more like, it's not like her to quit the guard outright. As far as we can gather, she left fairly recently. No one saw her leave, but she was out and about, those whom we talked to assumed she was preparing for an assignment.”

 

“And she was, all things considered. Just an assignment of a bit more personal quality.”

 

Dehkaz paused, and reached into one of the pockets bound to his belt. He removed a piece of ink-covered parchment, which was strange in of itself considering the fact that stone tablets were far more resilient and resistant to wear, with the familiar shape of the old Po-Koro Guard seal just barely visible as it curved around the rolled up sheet. The toa of Magnetism uncurled the parchment for Naona and Kale to see. It looked like any other official guard document, save the fact that it was written in ink, nothing more profound or substantial than an inventory report. A few lines were blacked-out: beings who didn't want their names disclosed, but it was all in all very mundane.

 

“This,” Dehkaz explained, not bothering to look at the document, “is what I assume to be the last surviving link to Hari's past. It's a miracle that she found it at all.”

 

“Hari has gone chasing her past, she's looking for her parents.”

[Constructelf]

IC: Merla (Forsi)

Shore leave...

 

Merla stood in a street in the middle of the port town of Forsi, not sure what to do.

 

She wasn't really sure of anything these days. So far, joining the Sentinels had been the only decision that she had any reasonable amount of confidence in. The rest of it...

 

Ever since the Maasi disbanded in Ko-Wahi, her life had been one big cloud of doubt's and uncertainties. Those months she had spent in between then and now had been spent in aimless wanderings, with no clear goal or meaning. She had been, to put it simply, lost.

 

Perhaps this tenure with the military would help her find herself.

 

Or maybe it wouldn't. She never knew.

 

Pulling her hood over her head and fastening her cloak to protect herself from the sun, she went on her way, walking through these streets of Forsi.

 

OOC: open for interaction

[25K Now!]

IC: Naona

 

Naona quietly took the parchment, her body trembling slightly as she read over its contents intensely. Despite all that had been censored, it did not take much effort for her to read between the lines and fish out what exactly had transpired during that fateful day. What happened to Hari's parents ... that had come as a shock to her, but she didn't want to know how her protége would take it. The younger guard had grown up idolising them; to learn of their true occupations would be completely earth-shattering. The Lieutenant knew that Hari's parents were undoubtedly good and kind people, no matter what unsavoury activities they partook in, but such a revelation could not be so easily disregarded in light of new information.

 

And now Hari had gone looking for that information.

 

And for all her protége knew, that information could only be found in the hands of this Tykoh.

 

The bounty hunter responsible.

 

In an instant, the Toa of Stone felt dread. Dread for the girl she had all but adopted. The girl she loved as a sister. Her best friend. The most precious person in her life. She could still see the crying little girl, sitting on the cold bench with nobody else to help her. She could see that little girl in danger, and to Naona, that was completely unacceptable.

 

Nothing else mattered.

 

She would find Hari.

 

"Dehkaz," she snapped, barely keeping in check her urge to storm out of the door. "Tell me everything that you know. It is obvious that you are in some way connected to this. We will find Hari, and I will not accept failure!"

Edited December 16, 2014 by Purple God

[The UltimoScorp]

IC Andrex: "A potentially corrupt leader, huh? Sounds interesting to me! I'll have to look into that, I will...."

[Razgriz]

IC: Oho?

Ohohohoho?

What's could they be whispering about?

 

Could it be

adventure?

Making her way to a nearby table, menu in hand and Cheshire grin in face, Sola promptly plopped down in a seat only a few scant feat away from the other two travellers, flipping open to the appetizers and listening in. Didn't hurt to look before you leap every now and again, she noted, keeping her eyes glued to the menu and ears open even as she gave a catlike stretch of the back.

It went without saying that subtlety was not her forte.

[Pohatu: Uniter of Stone]

IC: 88

 

Although he was happy to be home, 88 was bored. He flipped the sign to closed and went to the inn/bar. 88 plopped down in an empty seat.

Edited December 17, 2014 by Pohatu: Master of Stone

[sunflower]

IC: Dehkaz

 

"Only as much as the guard knows," Dehkaz replied, his tone almost unnaturally modulated as he spoke.  There was an emptiness behind his words, not so much a lack of emotion, no, not with the way his eyes burned beneath his gunmetal Kanohi, but it was if the depth of what he was experiencing was beyond that of what one was physically able to express.  Indeed, his entire mannerism since finding the young woman's badge had been one of... detachment.  As if the commander were distancing himself from present events to keep himself in check.  His gauntleted hands neatly traced the folds in the parchment he was holding, restless and wanting to get moving, though not wanting to be hasty.

 

“And this, it seems, is about as much as the guard knows,” He continued, “Someone must have gone to great lengths to cover this up, but I can't think of a good reason why.  The names, though, we can find out more through the names.”

 

“Tykoh, I've heard of him, never met him before.  He was an assassin, bounty hunter.  Worked for the guard occasionally, but the records never describe him.  Roth, however...”

 

“I've worked with Roth before, in a... previous life.  He was a mercenary, hired muscle.  I wouldn't call him a friend, but we got along well enough to get the job done.  Last I heard, he settled down a bit, dropped off the map.  We still might be able to find him, the guard generally keeps tabs on people like him.”

[25K Now!]

IC: Naona

 

"Then let's get to work," said Naona immediately. "This 'Roth' person will likely to have information somewhere in records."

[Shadowhawk]

OOC:

Brief timeskip. Trying to get this moving again.

Last relevant IC post here.

IC: [ Rhea ] - Forsi / shipyards

It took Rhea Heartsflame well over thirty minutes to inspect the blockade runner to her satisfaction. Bolts, rivets, internal maintenance access points, fore and aft disk launchers, gearboxes and steam boiler, crew quarters and storage facilities... everything. She examined everything.

And as she did so, she remembered.

... “The external hull plating, internal support structures, and other high-stress areas,” explained Rhea, running a forefinger along the diagram in question, “are to be constructed entirely of high-grade metal, preferably protosteel. This is not open for discussion; metal they must be. I do suspect, however, that we shall have to construct the less exposed areas of the hull and deck using steel-reinforced timbers, to save on both weight and cost. Le-Koronian ironwood, though notoriously hard to work with, will suit our purposes well, I believe.” ...

The Akiru had understood; she could read it in the harsh clean lines of their workmanship, the brutal elegance of gear and plate and oiled timber. The blunt focus on stark functionality.

... “This vessel is to be built for raw speed and power, ease of handling, and sheer reliability. It must be able to outrun, outmaneuver, and outlast any other vessel on the coasts. The relatively shallow draft will give it reasonable inland capabilities, yet it must still be capable of weathering all but the most violent storms. These qualities are first and foremost of importance, followed only by cargo capacity, crew’s quarters, and last of all, comfort...” ...

It was a wicked cool piece of machinery.

Having worked her way into the cramped, unlit engine room, she perched herself on a half-ton hulking sprawl of gearbox, leaned back against the enormous port-side drive shaft, and smiled in the gloom.

... “The machinery will take highest precedence with regard to internal layout and design. Cargo bays, bunks, storage lockers... these can be arranged to fit. We are not building a comfort cruiser, we are building a hard-running powerhouse. Again, I say, speed, maneuverability, durability... these must be the focus." ...

She reached out, caressing the nearest steel that came to hand, and came back with grease-smudged fingertips.

She wiped them on her face, green eyes shining, and laughed out loud. And then all at once, she started to feel hungry. She wondered where her teammates had gone for breakfast. She wondered if she and Zelvin and the Axe could find them without too much trouble.

And she wondered if Avier had eaten all the steak in town. She could eat... mmm... say, two at least. Big ones, hot off the coals and medium rare. And no vegetables at all.

No matter what Zelvin told her.

Life was good.

[Geardirector]

IC: Zelvin (Forsi, Docks)

 

"Very nice piece of work!"

 

No sarcasm, no hint of superior perspective, just straight-up honest awe and approval.

 

The grease stain on Rhea's cheek, however, not so much.

 

"Should we go and collect the others? Maybe once you're presentable?"

[Shadowhawk]

IC: [ Rhea / Nero ] - Forsi / shipyards

"I am presentable," scowled the Su-Toa defiantly. "My face looks good with engine grease on it."

The Axe appeared in the engine room doorway, glancing quietly about the heart of his new home territory, looking even bigger than usual as he carefully navigated his rangy bulk through the complex maze of pipes and pressure gauges and heavy metal support trusses.

"Isn't that right, Nero? She's trying to make me clean my face. Nero, make her stop!"

"..."