Bzprpg - Ko-Wahi

[Toa Of Virtues]

IC (Nawal):"Maybe it was sometime before... that."

[Constructelf]

IC: VincenteVincente walked through the crowded marketplace. He bought a a dress suit, a black trench coat, a fedora, and a heatproof dagger with a pistol grip. "I'm going to have to change my alias," he thought. "From this day onward, I shall be known to the public as Zharuk. Soon, they will shudder in fear of my name, knowing that the Storurkru family has returned!"OOC: Changing IC: title to Zharuk

Edited August 28, 2012 by Constructman

[Ghosthands]

IC (Echelon)Echelon caught the piece of wood between finger and thumb."We have, as Ronkshou said, a head start," he addressed the beings present, "but we should leave for Xa-Koro as soon as possible. Do we have any other arrangements to make?"

[Flex Lord Splash]

IC: LathonSuddenly Lathon saw another flash in his minds-eye, he saw that same Toa talking to the Skakdi as if he was their leader as he ran for the village. The Toa then turned to him, seeing him before running off. He was there... maybe he'd been their leader. Anger flared through Lathon, "We need to find him. He was at the village that day." he said.

[~Xemnas~]

IC, Zenix: "No, I do not believe we have other arrangements," Zenix told Echelon. "You are correct- it would be best if we leave at once. We should start moving."

[Ghosthands]

IC (Echelon)"I was more addressing that question to Ambages and Miss Iho," he said, inclining his head towards the two beings. "Ambages, do you have a location in Xa-Koro that would be suitable for our purposes? It will need to be inconspicuous enough to avoid attention, large enough to house all the necessary supplies and beings, and defensible enough to withstand an organised attack."

[EmperorWhenua]

Ic: Ambages thought for a moment and then slowly opined, "I must be honest... I don't know." It was true: He had not once set foot in the village of iniquity in years, and the geography and demographics had changed drastically since then. "I'm sure there are places, but I don't know where they are and I don't know what they look like. But as we all know, I can make things happen. I will leave ahead of you all and make the necessary arrangements on the ground. Unless, of course... anyone objects." He was still a relative unknown, and he was sure there were those in the room who didn't trust him. That's when Echelon would come in and stomp them into realization.He waited for Kino to voice her final opinion on what had been said. Not that it carried much weight to it, but at least it would be fulfilling to her.

[Toa Of Virtues]

IC: LathonSuddenly Lathon saw another flash in his minds-eye, he saw that same Toa talking to the Skakdi as if he was their leader as he ran for the village. The Toa then turned to him, seeing him before running off. He was there... maybe he'd been their leader. Anger flared through Lathon, "We need to find him. He was at the village that day." he said.

IC (Nawal):"What?!" Nawal said, slightly shocked, "Was he helping protect? Please say he was helping protect." Edited September 12, 2012 by Toa Of Virtues

[25K Now!]

IC: [iegasa]"Noira, could you please get the massive square piece of wood with the wheels?"

[Constructelf]

IC: ZharukZharuk walked through Ko-Koro. He needed money and he needed a business, but how? He walked into a bar and said ouch. Nobody laughed. He bought a drink and started to contemplate on the turn of events that had gotten him here. There were two people who had hampered his way to becoming the Padrino of Mata Nui: Aakil, and Lathon. Those two would most likely continue to hamper his way, so he needed them gone, But he didn't have any men! "Things are not looking good," he thought to himself. Then he remembered: the axes! If he could find all six of them again, he could open his old fortress. He was counting on Nahu to do the hard job and find them all, then he would swoop in and steal them. But he needed a few underlings to make the plan work. Right now, he didn't even have a consigliere! He sulked some more.

Edited August 29, 2012 by Constructman

[AuRon the champion]

IC: Noira:She nodded and departed from the room, returning a few moments later, pulling the cart along slowly.

[Hanako Herupa]

IC: (Kino)Why would she want to split the group? She could feel the air of distrust aimed squarely at her. She knew what was expected of her, to pout to act as if she was some child who had not gotten what she wanted. Kino's ulterior motives well those were know only to her. These plans were expendable ones. One's that the opportunistic could clammer over like it was Protosteel or some other rare metal. She didn't care but she was an actor and she could live one thing while really being another. Ambrages, Echelon, they were opportunists, she could hear it coming off their breaths, in the way they carried themselves. She could trust them to do what best served them. Kino had only two masters and these two weren't it, but they wanted to be. They want to subjugate her, put her in her place. So she'd let them think they'd won, because small victories were exactly that, small. Her frame, her tone, the way she walked, the way she breathed. It emanated her displeasure, genuine displeasure of one thing easily carried over into this little act. And she never overacted because she lived each role she played. The others could never do that so easily, they could "act" but they never live that character. Too bad Echelon and Ambrages would never come to the realization that in the end they were tools, tools to be used. Kino strived to be closer to Makuta, steadfast in her devotion towards him. Some beings might find problem with such a burden, but it was a gift, a gift all true followers of Makuta strived to have. You had to submit to the darkness at one point to let it fully envelop you. What she would give just to her his voice or Heauni's it would have sounded like nothing and yet everything. She clamored for this, but she hid this well."Very clever, embedding yourself into Xa-Koro like that. I'm sure that this will go perfectly." She muttered, clearly frustrated by Ambraged display of initiative and political power. "As for your other question I had posed that question because I need to know if you had the people available in the first place. Now Feongulf here has voiced interest so she may have some skill in it, I know a few others here know thieves. Furthermore these forgeries need to be made in a timely manner and then the originals returned. We could also get agents into the guard by more honest means. Such as just having them apply. The theft and forgery of the documents act more as a way of getting places temporary and with relative ease. I don't have all the necessary people together to pull it off. Which is why I came here, so I could pull it off." She said. Lot of information, but this was a sign of defeat. She knew she had been beat in this game. So she laid the rest of the plan out on the table. In the end while she had been reserved. She was smartly playing cards close to her chest and if anything Ambrages and Echelon had been bullying her into their own schemes while planning on taking hers. Once again true nature revealed, opportunists, not saviors, not leaders. Men who had wanted power but did not want to share. Well Kino could play that game. She could play it very well.OOC: These Charlatans should be actually characters played by people because it would be lame if they were NPCs.

Edited August 29, 2012 by The Mask

[Flex Lord Splash]

IC (Nawal):"What?!" Desilix said, slightly shocked, "Was he helping protect? Please say he was helping protect."

IC: Lathon"I wish he was... I think he was giving them orders." he said, turning his emerald eyes to Nawal, they were filled with anger.

[EmperorWhenua]

Ic: "Is the missy a little pissy?" Ambages mused back at Kino. He was unimpressed by the toa. For someone who seemed to have a knack at putting rather acceptable subtle plots and a supposedly immense love of detail she also seemed to be burdened with jealously, and that was only the tip of a vast iceberg for someone untrained in diplomacy. Though he did not know of Kino's scheming, little did Kino Iho know that she, along with everyone else, was being used as a pawn in yet another game: Ambages' game. "Too bad." His voice was still calm and suave, but it had a devious edge to it. This was the part he was here for all along."Now, I'll be going to do the housecleaning for you all and sort the pieces for your jigsaw puzzle so you don't have to. I'll demolish Pala-Koro and hand it to your capable power at the point of your invasion of it, and I will also protect and house you and your operations in Xa-Koro. In exchange, I demand only your debt to me. Not your salutes -- the last thing I want is you all upsetting our mutual friend by exchanging allegiance from him to me. But I expect to be able to call upon any number of you to help me when the time comes in the future. It may never happen, but I want to be able to depend on you just like you will depend on my word now. I think it's only fair." And he knew that if anyone did not follow through with the deal, someone, probably Echelon, would force them to behave or run the risk of losing the support of the Cultured Gentry, and that was a massage the Makuta would be upset to miss."Are there any grievances?" he asked the group.

[Ghosthands]

IC (Echelon)Echelon kept the mask of grave seriousness, but secretly he was amused by the whole proceedings. Though the Necromancer could not truly know the hidden thoughts of Ambages or Kino, he had nevertheless been around a long time, seen and dealt with many beings. And if anyone knew about matters of plans and pawns, it was Echelon.Echelon was never content with merely one scheme. His plans grew like vines, growing, dividing and intertwining. Some had no connections to each other, so that if one failed the others were still strong; some he formed within other plans; manipulations, failsafes, catch-22s; always bringing him closer and closer to that which he craved...Kino and Ambages both had their plans, Echelon could tell; people as intelligent and powerful as they always had some grand scheme to embetter themselves, and likely as not, they each thought the other (and Echelon) simply another piece on the chessboard; no doubt, in their eyes, the Necromancer was simply a pawn. But even now, one of Echelon's many plans was drawing closer to its fruition. Because when even the humblest pawn reaches the other side of the board...Soon..."Now, I'll be going to do the housecleaning for you all and sort the pieces for your jigsaw puzzle so you don't have to. I'll demolish Pala-Koro and hand it to your capable power at the point of your invasion of it, and I will also protect and house you and your operations in Xa-Koro. In exchange, I demand only your debt to me. Not your salutes -- the last thing I want is you all upsetting our mutual friend by exchanging allegiance from him to me. But I expect to be able to call upon any number of you to help me when the time comes in the future. It may never happen, but I want to be able to depend on you just like you will depend on my word now. I think it's only fair."And so, Ambages betrayed just how far out of his depth he was. He was just a Matoran, playing soldiers. He was playing a game to which he did not know the rules; this was not his little game of politics and business in the Cultured Gentry. There is no 'fair' when you play dice with Karzahni. "Are there any grievances?"Echelon smiled, inclining his head a little."None on my part," he said. "I'm sure this arrangement will be mutually beneficial."

[25K Now!]

IC: [iegasa]"Thank you Noira," said Iegasa, nodding to her as he took the cart. "Now, would you all like some more tea?"

[Ghosthands]

IC (Echelon)"Yes please, Iegasa," said Echelon civilly.And the beauty of this plan? It involved neither Ambages nor Iho in any way.

Edited August 29, 2012 by Ghosthands

[25K Now!]

IC: [iegasa]Iegasa handed his fellow Makuta-worshipper a cup.

[EmperorWhenua]

Ic: When Echelon agreed to something and the feisty drama princess was silenced, it was usually a sign that there would be no more toil. The deal was finished, but Ambages wasn't ready to seal it just yet. "Wonderful. Now let's finish this." He reached under his coat and seemingly magically produced a long roll of parchment. He let it loose and it unraveled from his hand to the floor and further, most of it filled with details that had just been discussed and ironed out, including clauses on Pala and Xa-Koro and the debt matter. Either the architect had a scribe fairy in his clothes or he had predicted the outcome of the diplomacy to the most finesse detail. "We can read this over, but in the end I'll need everyone's signature for this to be notarized. I'm an architect; if it's not done on paper, I feel like I'm missing something. Let's do this professionally."

[Ghosthands]

IC (Echelon)There was silence for a few moments."Signature?" asked Echelon incredulously. "What do you think this is, Ambages? A Matoran trade agreement? I think you should think your requests over more carefully."Echelon did not state it, but there was threat in his voice. The Dark Toa sensed trickery here, and Ambages was going to be in trouble if he thought could dictate his own terms.

Edited August 29, 2012 by Ghosthands

[a goose]

OOC: Every time I see a contract I think 'Rumplestiltskin'. Funnily enough, I was thinking that even before he pulled out the contract, though. IC: XerovAs I watch this, I take note of something: no-one is happy with this arrangement. I, for one, do not like owing debts to others -- it is debt that keeps me alive, right now, which is hardly an experience I enjoy.So to see this Ambages requesting my signature is of some bother to me. I suppose I could sign it as Xerov, but the truth would eventually become known...I suppose it's no bother. It is my name now, I have used it when speaking to Echelon and many others before him. Along with that, my true identity will not be known to any of them; no-one bothers memorising the name of a dead man.It's hardly the best outcome, but Echelon is arguing. I can try to hold on to the hope that Ambages' mind will be changed, although I know in my heart that it won't be.

[Constructelf]

IC: IraThis was getting complicated. Somehow, he suspected that all three of these beings had their own hidden agenda and that sooner or later the plan was going to fall apart.IC: SkaaraaSkaaraa watched the scene with the same feelings as IraIC: ZharukZharuk walked out of the bar and passed by a vendor when the vendor suddenly pulled the mask off of his face and slammed a new one on it. "What was that for?!" Zharuk said pulling out his dagger and pointing it at the vendor's throat. "You had a matoran mask, didn't you?" the vendor said. "I simply exchanged it for a great one. Matatu, I think." "Um, well, thanks, I guess," Zharuk muttered. He reached out with his mask and objects started to move.OOC: Nuju Metru told me to get a great mask; this has been approved

[The Swimming Beard]

IC: Nameless Skakdi

"Why should we trust him?" I asked, still distrustful of the Matoran. I didn't care about the supposed 'debt', as I doubted he could force us into anything, but I still didn't want the group to sign this contract, then go to Pala-Koro or Kumu unprepared. "I will not sign that document." I responded, unconvinced by Ambages's speech, and not having a name to sign even if I was willing.

[Constructelf]

IC: IraIra heard the Skakdi voice his opinion. In a way, he felt the same, but he would not voice his; silence would be all that these three would get from him. Still, all these negotiations were taking a long time. "Cut to the chase already!," he thought. "When are we gonna stop talking and go find this Ahkmou person?"IC: SkaaraaThis was boring. Skaaraa sat down in a corner on the far end of the room

[otter]

IC-KuAnLo:Contracts. Obligations. Never good to get yourself roped into-signing the contract would give Ambages a hold over each of them, even if they didn't sign, due to those who had. He slowly moved over behind Xerov, whispering a small phrase in his ear:"Weapons ready. Stay prepared." That said he moved back to his spot in what shadow there was in this place, watching the proceeds carefully, checking the stance of each person. The Skakdi, for one, appeared slightly...hostile. Distrustful. The other, Ira. He seemed impatient, his stance showing that which his words would not. Both could be dangerous. The others, it would be told as they spoke up...or didn't.

[EmperorWhenua]

Ic: Ambages looked around and sensed discontent in the group. He smiled, a nervous habit, and breathed to relax himself before speaking. This was an unexpected step. "So one moment you're agreeing to my request, but the instant I charge you to verify that you will abide by it you balk as if you are signing your own death warrant. Gentlemen, there are no deceits in this document as such an action would be highly ill advised for me to do to you. This has to be mutually beneficial and you all are no use to me as enemies."It is true that I made Madrihk sign a contract that authorizes the erection of the walls around Pala-Koro, and that I included a clause that enables me to do whatever is necessary to complete my job without specifying what my job was, but let's analyze the context of this: Madrihk is a fool who signed his organization away because he is naïve. You, however, are not. You are a highly intelligent group of men and women who follow the Makuta's wishes, a team of villains I would gain nothing from crossing. Likewise I am someone you do not want to cross, either, and you gain nothing from crossing me."I am giving you gifts based on my trust in your word. I pray that the least you can do for that is to return the favor by proving your word is as legitimate as your name or symbol." He paused a moment before adding, "This paper also binds me to my word. If anything goes awry with what we have promised each other here today, we can look to this paper and know what is true. No trickery, Echelon."

Edited August 29, 2012 by EmperorWhenua

[Ghosthands]

IC (Echelon)Echelon's eyes glinted."It seems as though you're afraid of us breaking our word, Ambages," the Dark Toa said. "If you don't think honour would bind us to our side of the bargain, why would a mark on a piece of paper?"Echelon slowly approached Ambages, and took the document in his sharp, black fingers. He surveyed the text."But a mark...a mark can give proof of one kind, at least."He looked up at Ambages."If you were to, say, run off to Madrihk now and tell him he is about to be attacked by a large conclave of Makuta-followers, he would have no reason to believe you. But if you were to show him this - "He held the document up." - a detailed plan to attack Pala-Koro, and other plans besides, bearing verifiable signatures from known Makuta-followers...he would be much more likely to believe your words. Or, indeed, if someone else were to get their hands on it, they could provide equal proof of our plans to our enemies."He turned, and walked over to a table, placing the document down on it."I'm not saying I expect you to betray us, Ambages," Echelon said, "but surely you understand my wish not to endanger our mission?"

[EmperorWhenua]

Ic: "I do, Echelon, believe me, I do," Ambages said. "But if I were to do such a thing, why would my name be written all over the document, thus tying me with you in these plots and condemn Madrihk's trust in me all the same? This document holds pertinence over us only; it is fruitless if seen by anyone else. It is by my own understanding of this fact that it would be kept safe and away from prying eyes." He stepped to the parchment and raised a quill. "You have my name..." He signed it. "... As a fellow man who believes in the Makuta as you do."And that was his first lie that day, but it was something none could ever understand.

[Hanako Herupa]

IC: (Kino)Kino picked up the contract and grabbed a pen. She looked over it, and so far it looked good, she observed it deeply though. If there was some clause that he would put in there as a way of putting this group into a bind he would get his payment, a slit throat, and then they would find someone who's interested were centered less around themselves and more around building Makuta's empire."Well I would hope you wouldn't sell our group out for monetary or political gain. I hate to say it but we could gain much more by working together and not having a knife to each other's throats. So how about this? Our group gets what we want. Which is a base in Xa-Koro and your help with Pala-Koro, as well as your word. In return our services will be rendered to you and I will be willing to throw in my agents and my own skills to help you. We want your word as well. Also, Echelon he would be as much at fault as us. Madrihk would probably throw him in jail after getting this document. He would gain nothing from this. So he won't betray us. Not without implicating himself as well."

Edited August 29, 2012 by The Mask

[The Swimming Beard]

IC: Nameless Skakdi

"What if the document was stolen? He may agree not to let the document fall into the hands of others, but he cannot ensure that he will not be robbed or murdered. He does not look very capable of defending himself on his own." I responded, wary of the Matoran who made promises that seemed to good to be true.

[EmperorWhenua]

Ic: "Skakdi, I assure you, my physical safety is both of high importance and low concern to me," he assured him.

[BenLuke]

IC:"So it's important to you, but you have no concern about it?" Feongulf said, the sides of her mouth twitching upward at the Architect's contradictory words. "Sound completely reasonable and coherent. . . "

[EmperorWhenua]

Ic: "Feongulf, the contradiction you feel is just in your own ears. It is important because I very much enjoy living, but it is of little concern to me because I know I will be safe. I have my own ways of handling my security," Ambages corrected her.

[The Swimming Beard]

IC: Nameless Skakdi

"Even if you are confident for your own safety, I will not have my signature associated with a single Matoran, unless I know the specific ways you 'handle your own security'."

[Ghosthands]

IC (Echelon)Echelon seemed to consider for a few moments. Eventually, he appeared to come to a decision, and spoke."Very well, Ambages," he said, "you shall have my mark."He took the parchment, and, with elegant penstrokes, made a simple likeness of an eye at the bottom of the document. A pointed oval, with a circle in the centre.He looked to the Nameless Skakdi."Telling you his security measures would render them somewhat redundant, don't you think?"

[The Swimming Beard]

IC: Nameless Skakdi"I was not asking for his specific security measures, only a general description." I esponded to Echelon.

[EmperorWhenua]

Ic: "I have men at arms, and that is all that must be said about that," Ambages said. "They are not with me right now," he said with arms stretched wide, "because I don't need them in the company of you. My safety is assured to all who are concerned."

[25K Now!]

IC: [iegasa]"By the way, Mr Ambages. Would you care to donate money?"

[EmperorWhenua]

Ic: "I came here to do business in a fair trade, not be a charity, Iegasa. I feel my contributions are enough. The answer is no," the architect said.He stood expectantly for the others to sign the charter. Already their highest ranking members had signed; the rest would hopefully follow suit.

[Toa Of Virtues]

IC: Lathon"I wish he was... I think he was giving them orders." he said, turning his emerald eyes to Nawal, they were filled with anger.

IC (Nawal):"We must find him" Nawal said, trying to tame his rage.