BZPRPG - Po-Wahi

[Razgriz]

IC: He didn't bite this time, instead simply nodding and allowing the crease of his mouth to quirk upward. "Sounds good."

His eyes flitted over to the newly illuminated board, eyes piercing clearly across the distance to take a gander at the prices himself. She wasn't lying, this place was pretty cheap. He wondered about the quality of said rooms absentmindedly, but he was sure he could manage as long as it had a roof over his head.

"Must get a lot of people comin' in and out if they can afford that. Never figured a desert to be so popular."

At that, he saw a head turn in his peripherals. Glancing over, he candidly made eye contact with the Toa of Stone for a brief moment before the latter scoffed, shaking his head and turning back to his own business.

Funny, he thought with an affable shrug, before doing much the same. Putting his own elemental powers to work, he grew out the wood on the rear legs of the chair, providing extra support for him to lean back on.

"Seems like a cool-headed group in here." he mentioned, glancing out at the few eyeballs warily watching his companion's point of fire as it danced around the room. 

[Mr. House]

IC: (Ardron/Ostia)

 

"A Saint of Mata Nui."

[Daniel the Finlander]

IC: The Deceiver (Ostia)

 

A Saint of Mata Nui? Interesting. She wasn't entirely certain if the dead Toa was speaking the truth, but she doubted it. "A Saint of Mata Nui? Fascinating. I would love to hear more about him or her, but I must leave now. Excuse me for my paranoia, I think I'm getting too eager to bash evil Makuta worshippers, hehe. Safe travels, then." She walked away from the cart, and waited before it started to move. She then walked behind a corner, and used her powers to turn the blue crystal covering her body into fine dust. After that she activated her Mask of Invisibility, and started to follow the cart and its driver. She would find out the truth about him and his religious friends.

 

OoC: The Deceiver to Ko-Wahi, I assume.

Edited September 12, 2014 by Daniel the Finlander

[Mr. House]

OOC: It will be a little while...

 

IC: (Ardron/Ostia)

 

The supplies were gathered, and Ard lead the cart into the desert. Through the storm, he walked as fast as he could to the border.

[silo]

IC: Kalyss didn't reply at first listening to the sandstorm outside.

 

"I think something needs to be done. Help from somewhere else, evacuate the village, something. I think this village can deal with piles of sand, but in won't be without a cost. Is there a guard captain, a turaga, anyone I could talk to? They'll know what to do."

IC: (Mura)

 

The su-matoran looked around the inn.

"Anyone here a guard? Any Turaga here?" he said to the inn at large.

 

OOC: If anyone does have a character that is a guard or turaga here and not otherwise occupied, feel free to answer 

[25K Now!]

IC: Stronin

 

"An evacuation isn't even going to work," commented Stronin. "The sandstorm's not just hitting the village, but anyone in the desert as well."

 

IC: Elysi

 

"I'll take one."

[UngluedBike]

Due to my character being an unplayable species, I have deleted this post, and I will re-attempt my introduction into the story when I have successfully re-written my character.

 

-Bike

Edited September 14, 2014 by UngluedBike

[Shadowhawk]

IC: [ Rhea ] - Po-Wahi / Motara Desert

Rhea carefully unwrapped a corner of the leather bundle, exposing a hard square block of the something. Hard to say just what it looked like, shrouded as it was in the dim reddish half-shadow, but it did seem textured, like flour, or maybe dirt, and it was somewhat shiny but mostly not.

"Pemmican. End it with an 'n' not an 'm', Kubrick. A sort of extreme-performance trail ration. Absolutely nothing to it but raw protein and fat. Grind dried meat and berries to a powder, mix with hot Rahi tallow, let cool into a brick. Or whatever shape you like, so long as it's easy to store and carry."

Unsheathing her covert ops knife, the Toa of Plasma sliced off a hearty slab of the mixture and passed it to Elysi.

"The Ta-Koro Guard tried using it during extended duration combat patrols, back in the Great War, but the fat kept melting in the heat of the lava flows. So we went back to jerky and hardtack."

OOC:

Cool, huh? You can go ahead and Google it; impress your friends with your knowledge of old-school eatables!

[Void Emissary]

IC: Torvoth

 

The Vortixx jerked his head toward the latest speaker. "Hmm, I suppose you're right. I probably do owe you guys a... whatever it is you said." He coughed and glanced around nervously at the motley group. "Well.. Um... I've never done this before, so I'm a little bit nervous... no, I'm serious!" He covered his face with his bloody armored gauntlet and sighed . "Let's try this again. Uh... What's the word? WordS? Th-..Th-Th-... Thank you. All of you."

 

IC: Dalrin / The Dark Walk

 

"No prob, matey. Helping out civvies is what folks like us are around for, ain't it?"

 

I was shooting Torvoth a real reassuring smile, trying to ignore (well, I think we were all trying to ignore) the obvious trouble he was having in expressing actual gratitude to other living beings. I was a little bugged by lack of more ... well, verbiage, for lack of a better word. But I didn't let it show, not through my impeccable professionalism. I mean, wouldn't do me any good being all judgemental about him. Certainly not now, of all times. Right now, introspection like that might have made me think twice about bringing him along.

 

Still, I guess he seemed sincere enough. Maybe there might have been some hope for him yet.

 

I looked up from where Torvoth was still lying and, bringing two fingers up to my mouth, I gave the best whistle that I could muster. It wasn't particularly loud (don't tell anyone, but I've never been particularly good at whistling), but then, I suppose it didn't have to be. Odobo had always had excellent hearing. One of the reasons that I loved him. One of the reasons why he loved himself.

 

It wasn't long before he came scrabbling up to me, claws snapping at the air eagerly, eyes wide with anticipation and head held high. He was a proud little guy, for an Ussal crab. I just shot him a look, one that said, I know what you do on your off-hours, matey. Don't be getting all high and mighty on me now. And , if anything, that just made him hold his head up higher.

 

God, I loved him.

 

"All right, we've got one crab to carry 'im with," I said, eyeing with the rest of group. "Anyone got another crab they can spare for the man?"

 

-Void

[Krayzikk]

IC:

 

"Least they're not Ko-Matoran." Saeva snorted derisively to herself, nodding her thanks to the returning waitress as she set the requested bottle down on the table. Picking it up, the Ta-Toa popped the cap off idly, taking a long swallow. "I swear, you couldn't dislodge that icicle up their temples with a pound of Stralix powder."

[HamboneKablooey]

OOC: I've been informed that Po-Koro is under (sand)storm warning. So for now, the Dal Riata is closed. Marda, however, can still be tracked down for informant work.

 

 

IC: Marda

 

Marda pushed open the old doors, barely on their hinges. The windows had been boarded up, and a thick layer of dust coated everything, but it was still the place she remembered. The crates of alcohol were still sealed behind the bar, and the chairs still rested atop the tables. She walked up the stairs and checked every room, and everything seemed in order. The beds were freshly made, although a bit dusty, and moonlight shone through the gaps in the boards. She smiled, walking back downstairs. With a little hard work and enough time, the old place would be back in business, and her with it.

 

"It was a nice vacation, but it's so good to be home. I can't wait to see how the island has changed without me." she said to herself, and taking a bottle out of one of the crates. She took a swig, grimacing. "Yep, still fresh." she said, placing the bottle on the shelf behind the bar. She turned to take a good look at the place. "Watch out, Mata Nui. Marda's back."

 

 

Introducing:

The grand (re)opening of

The Dal Riata!

A top of the line tavern and inn.

Looking for information?

Speak to Marda, Mata Nui's number one Information Broker.

If there are secrets to be found, Marda will find them.

Edited September 14, 2014 by MjolnirInTheFridge

[25K Now!]

IC: Elysi

 

Elysi nodded her thanks, taking a bite and chewing. "Yeah, I remember having some of this stuff when I was younger. My brother was a great source of it."

[Razgriz]

IC: "You can say that again." Erzu agreed, idly nibbling on one his own saltines. "I'm all for keeping calm and observant, but at least show some signs of... emotion, karz. Anything besides annoyance at you for wanting to strike up a conversation."

You know, speaking of emotion...

Uh oh.

"I'm hearing there's some pretty big trouble in Ta right now, actually..." he said, cranking a little more juice out of his mask. Everything seemed to come into a little more focus. He could pick out the larger grains of sand on Saeva's Kadin, and the spicy scent leaking out of that bottle was now more readily apparent. But most importantly, he heard the conversation three tables back as if he was one of the waiters standing by to take their order.

His face turned a little grim as he listened.

Edited September 14, 2014 by Uncle Chael P. Sonnen

[Wazdakka]

IC: Torvoth

 

"Another crab?" Torvoth spluttered indignantly from his lying position. "I will have you know, I am in no way obese, overweight, or otherwise generally fat!" 

[Pohatu: Uniter of Stone]

IC: 88

 

88 sat on the first floor of his home, bored. He wished he had gone to an inn or a bar to hang out with other Po-Koronans. Here he was, a lone Toa of Lightning in the middle of a sandstorm, with nothing but shelter, a printing press and a hammock. Suddenly, an idea popped into his head- what happens when lightning meets sand? He focused up his power to form a ball of lightning above his roof and shot it apart in the form of millions of dazzling bolts into the storm. Now he just had to wait for the storm to end to see what happened...

 

 

OOC: Now there is going to be a bunch of fulgurites all over town. Yay.

Edited September 15, 2014 by RahkshiToa88

[Krayzikk]

IC:

 

Saeva grimaced, the fire around her finger growing a little hotter, a little more energetic in its movements, as if unconsciously reflecting the Ta-Toa's inner state by flaring up, if only slightly. Without really thinking about it, she began tapping the finger on the opposite side of her crossed arms, timing the connections to fall when the fire was away from the pad of her finger.

 

"Not particularly new. Ta's always getting in trouble. Everyone thinks they're hot , and decides to pick a fight with the most militarized Koro."

[Shadowhawk]

IC: [ Rhea ] - Po-Wahi / Motara Desert

"Your brother?" inquired Rhea, genuinely curious. It wasn't just everyone knew of pemmican, after all.

[25K Now!]

IC: Elysi

 

"Former guard."

[Shadowhawk]

IC: [ Rhea ] - Po-Wahi / Motara Desert

"I see." said Rhea politely.

She didn't. But it didn't matter. If Elysi didn't want to talk much about it, she had a right not to.

[25K Now!]

IC: Elysi

 

"You used to be Ta-koro as well?"

[Razgriz]

IC: "Gang of six Skakdi hit your town," he repeated lowly for his rival's benefit. "Got the place up in all kinds of a mess. Blew up the Lavapool... fights with the Guard and... a bunch of civilians packed into an alleyway?" His face quirked, showing he knew what he heard but wasn't quite sure what to make of it before continuing on. 

 

"Huh... six Skakdi were enough of a problem for those Maru guys to get involved?"

 

He slumped forward now, propping a contemplative arm up under his chin. "Just what the karz are they, in that case? You an' I take on those toothy bozos all the time. Don't see what's so special about this bunch..."

 

And why the karz did they kill an inn?

 

He cut off the juice, settling back down to normal levels. Ergo, still sharp. Looking to Saeva, one of the few people he'd known to make him look cool-headed, he searched for what he assumed to be an inevitable reaction. What she was displaying right now could very well be the calm before the storm.

 

"You good?"

[Shadowhawk]

IC: [ Rhea ] - Po-Wahi / Motara Desert

"I was born in Ta-Koro. Grew up there, scraping by as a rookie lavasurfer. Joined the Guard practically as soon as I was old enough to make it past the recruiting agents; earned officer's stripes a few years before Makuta fell."

The words were careless, casual, deceptively light for all they spoke of what made Rhea Heartsflame who she was.

[Geardirector]

IC: Zelvin (Motara Desert)

 

Zelvin had remained silent since Mar's little tirade, out of either irritation or motherly arrogance (which, evidently, was a thing as far as she was concerned), but also out of interest to see which way the conversation would go. She liked that, just watching, observing, drawing conclusions.

 

"I'm not originally from the island, but I've been here a long time. I've practiced my profession nearly as long, since even before I became a Toa."

 

Zelvin shifted, getting a bit more comfortable where she sat opposite of Rhea. It was time to see where the conversation went with her hand in it, even if it was ever so obvious.

 

"Didn't find much time to lavasurf, though"

[25K Now!]

IC: Elysi

 

Quite a number of Elysi's ... compatriots had done much the same as her colleague. She remembered listening to them blabber on about the guard nigh-constantly. It was understandable why, of course. The Ta-koro Guard was prestigious, and from there, it was easy to make a bigger mark on the world. Never been what she wanted to do though. She'd jumped straight into her current line of work, despite protests from family.

 

"I was a terrible lavasurfer."

[Shadowhawk]

IC: [ Rhea ] - Po-Wahi / Motara Desert

"If you've never enjoyed lavasurfing, if the idea doesn't appeal to you, don't start it or carry on. You'll die. Doesn't matter your element, doesn't matter your genes or your ancestry or your heritage. It'll kill you dead in the end, and trust me, it's an ugly way to go. I've seen it happen. It never happened to me."

Her smile gleamed in the shadows, and her green eyes burned.

"You have to love it, rejoice in the reality of it, to survive. You have to be absolutely, utterly sane. Totally alive."

[25K Now!]

IC: Elysi

 

"Well that got intense quickly," she quipped.

[Shadowhawk]

IC: [ Rhea ] - Po-Wahi / Motara Desert

"'Intense', you say, and I say, 'so what?' I am who I am, and if that offends you, 'tisn't my loss."

Very calmly, she slashed off a second slice of pemmican and began to eat.

[Krayzikk]

IC:

 

"Fine."

 

The terse, one word response, gave little away, shockingly for a Ta-Toa. Shockingly for Saeva. Her expression had changed little, her free hand grabbing the bottle of Salamanders and taking a long swig. Notably, however, the finger had stopped drumming; and the little flame orbiting it had flared into something that burned almost white hot, despite a minimal increase in size. Though it was difficult to tell in Po-Koro, the place was always hot, heat seemed to radiate off of her in waves, a subtle increase in temperature.

 

When she set the bottle back down, the movement was controlled, but there was force behind it. Without the Mask of Sensory Aptitude, Erzu would never have been able to tell; but her muscles were tight, like the coiled steel of a Muaka about to pounce. 

 

"Spiney s. God knows what they bring with them, this crew probably pulled a frickin' power punch out their pocket."

[Razgriz]

IC: His mask only served to exacerbate the effect. He could feel his skin begin to warm as she started to burn up, concealing what he knew to be an unholy sun of an inferno within. They both knew her reply was a barefaced lie, and they both knew he wasn't dumb enough to call her on it outright.

It was plain as day to someone who knew her. The small star of a flame, the muscles tense enough to hold in a tug-of-war with the rest of the bar, the notably more measured rhythm of the breathing. Her body language told him enough.

Saeva Sareta was mad.

Wordlessly, he tapped a finger on the table, and up grew a mint leaf. Deftly plucking it and sliding it over in one smooth motion.

If you need to cool off...

Edited September 15, 2014 by Uncle Chael P. Sonnen

[Krayzikk]

IC:

 

The Ta-Toa took it wordlessly, chewing it as if it was the root of all her problems. For an instant, she'd been tempted to burn it; but the Toa of Plant-Life wasn't at fault, he was trying to be helpful. Her body temperature lowered a few degrees, the fire floating around her finger no longer quite so painful to look at.

 

"Frickin' spiney skull-faced s."

[Razgriz]

IC: In spite of himself and the situation, his mouth quirked upwards as he felt the heat abate. She was cooling off...

Glancing over to the once-again terrified waitress, he waved her over after a short thumbs up.

And he was gonna get his food.

As the server hurried off, he finally responded. "Should we head to the volcano once the sandstorm passes?" he asked gently, as if treading a thin line with lava upon either side.

[Wade.]

IC: Avier

 

"Sassy." Avier commented, breaking his silence. Sleeping wasn't easy when people around you were talking.

 

"Mind cutting me a piece of that?"

[Krayzikk]

IC:

"Po-Wahi hasn't had a sandstorm like this in ages." The Ta-Toa muttered, another swallow of Salamanders vanishing. Saeva cast a glance towards the covered window, where the sandstorm could faintly be seen raging outside. 

 

"I'm giving it until tomorrow. If it's not done, then it and I are gonna have a rematch."

[Razgriz]

IC: "Sounds like a plan." Erzu said with a curt nod, jabbing his fork into the steak and cutting away with his knife.

"I just hope we're downwind this time..."

[Krayzikk]

IC:

"We'll get you some face gear before we leave." A pause, and then, almost half-hearted by her standards, "If I have to hear you ####ing the entire way back, I'll off you myself."

Edited September 16, 2014 by Ninth Krayzikk

[Razgriz]

IC: "I'll manage." he replied, with little behind it as well, save a note of reassurance. He had a good feeling she'd need space for a bit.

He knew well enough by now that he should just give it.

Edited September 16, 2014 by Uncle Chael P. Sonnen

[25K Now!]

IC: Elysi

 

Elysi smiled. "Not offended. Just never really saw lavasurfing in that light."

[Emzee]

IC: Ra’lhen & Wokodin – Ostia

 

The Sentinel and the Sergeant trudged towards the port town’s gates as merciless lashes of sand and dust raged at them from the side.  Wokodin, ever-prepared, had brought thick cloth wrappings from his office in Po-Koro to cover their faces and muscle tissue. Unfortunately, that help very little with the path finding, especially when it seemed that the wind was in more control of their movement than their own sense of direction. The hour of travel was torment for Ra’lhen. Dust and sand shot into his nose, ears, and mouth despite the garments he wore, to the point where the Toa of Electricity feared to breathe anymore than he absolutely had to. Carring much of his belongings atop his back was also not a fun task, as their Kikanalo steeds were quickly blinded and scattered by the sands early on in the storm. Ra’lhen’s feet ached almost as much as his shoulders.

 

Now, however, the trip was nearly over, and every step their took lessened the intensity of the sandstorm. By the time that had reached the gate, the only heavy winds bothered the duo. The sky ahead spoke of more sand to come soon though. Ra’lhen seriously hoped that they would not be stuck outside this gate for long.

 

“State your business,” the tan and black Matoran guard said before looking up at the tall Toa of Stone.

 

“Sergeant Wokodin,” he said with more enthusiasm, an enthusiasm that quickly vanished when his gaze shifted to Ra’lhen. “I see you’ve come with the new recruit”

 

“My name is Ra’lhen, Toa of Electricity,” Ra’lhen said to the guard.

 

“Yes Ro-Ra’lhen,” the guard said, deftly correcting himself, “We know all about you. A messenger bird was sent as soon as you were named as a Sentintel.”

 

For a moment, Ra’lhen was foolish enough to believe that that would be followed by a “welcome” or “enjoy your stay.” His beliefs were smashed with contemptuous silence.

 

“We have your quarters prepared, and your paperwork is on the way from Po-Koro” the guard said, “Please wait here while I send for a Sentinel to escort you”

 

With that, Ra’lhen waited without a word beside Wokodin. While the silence would often make Ra’lhen’s mind jitter, the Vo-Toa felt that there was nothing he should say. Finally, Ra’lhen couldn’t take it anymore.

 

“I did what I did to save the other Toa!” the Vo-Toa blurted to his Sergeant. If Wokodin was startled, he did not show it. Instead, he turned his head slowly towards the shorter Vo-Toa.

 

“I thought that I was just another arrogant newb who would be given a quick and uneventful death at the hands of Rahkshi. That’s why I stayed behind to fight them while Wokapu and the others escaped. If I had known that Makuta was going to… use me-”

 

“Any disappointment has nothing to do with what you did to save my son and the other Toa,” Wokodin cut him off, “That is not something you should trouble yourself with. You’ll have enough trouble from your fellow cadets, I’m afraid”

 

Ra’lhen nodded, his face sullen at the reminder of the guard they had just encountered. I will make few friends here, if any, thought Ra’lhen.

 

After a moment, the guard returned with a bronze armored Po-Matoran, with a tan body and burnt-orange feet. He stood tall and gave Wokodin a salute.

 

“Follow me. I shall show you to your quarters,” the Po-Matoran said, “Wokodin, is there any other business that you have come for?”

 

“No. My work here is finished,” Wokodin said, “I shall be visiting here regularly, Ra’lhen. You’re not the only Sentinel I have up here. But for now, I must depart. Remember all that I have told you about this town, and may Mata Nui grant you strength and courage.”

 

“Yes sir,” Ra’lhen said with assertion. He stood and watched the tall, muscular Toa stride away and disappear into the brown, ghastly distance where the storm awaited.  

[Shadowhawk]

IC: [ Rhea ] - Po-Wahi / Motara Desert

Rhea felt inexplicably troubled, a little abashed. Just a little. She hadn't meant to singe anyone's feelings; it was-- it was just--

She didn't know. She liked Elysi, and Zelvin too. Why had she overreacted? Had she overreacted?

"No offense meant. I-- I think I speak too quick, sometimes... here's your pemmican, Avier. Eat up."

She handed him a slice. A generous one; the Toa of Magnetism looked like he could pack away more grub than most.

[25K Now!]

IC: Elysi

 

"Eh, it's fine."