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Spoiler alert: every village is equally insane.

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Idk, Onu-Koro has been pretty chill. Aside from Smoke Monster, but it is rather a clever tactic that may have interesting results if his turaga were to discover them...

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A RUDE AWAKENING - A Spherus Magna redo | Tzais-Kuluu  |  Pushing Back The Tide  |  Last Words  |  Black Coronation  | Blue Man Bound | Visions of Thasos   ن

We are all but grey specks in a dark complex before a single white light

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Idk, Onu-Koro has been pretty chill. Aside from Smoke Monster, but it is rather a clever tactic that may have interesting results if his turaga were to discover them...

 

let's not pretend you aren't crazy too

 

I've seen you wanting ash and salt for reasons I can't even begin to fathom, despite the fact that Bohrok are literally starting to eat your people alive

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Idk, Onu-Koro has been pretty chill. Aside from Smoke Monster, but it is rather a clever tactic that may have interesting results if his turaga were to discover them...

let's not pretend you aren't crazy too

 

I've seen you wanting ash and salt for reasons I can't even begin to fathom, despite the fact that Bohrok are literally starting to eat your people alive

I think he might be trying to make gun powder.

If so he need a source of sulfur oh wait sulfur is in volcanic ash.

This just got concerning.

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Hey I got a Flickr because I like making LEGO stuff.

https://www.flickr.com/people/toatimelord/
 

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Idk, Onu-Koro has been pretty chill. Aside from Smoke Monster, but it is rather a clever tactic that may have interesting results if his turaga were to discover them...

 

let's not pretend you aren't crazy too

 

I've seen you wanting ash and salt for reasons I can't even begin to fathom, despite the fact that Bohrok are literally starting to eat your people alive

 

Don't forget the ice! :D

 

Set course: Tall Power.

Also:

  • It is best to work on both the present and the future when it comes to realm management.
  • Much to the assumed dismay of my domestic allies, I am being thorough in solving the bohrok issue via investigation.
Edited by Hyethut (Iaredios)

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A RUDE AWAKENING - A Spherus Magna redo | Tzais-Kuluu  |  Pushing Back The Tide  |  Last Words  |  Black Coronation  | Blue Man Bound | Visions of Thasos   ن

We are all but grey specks in a dark complex before a single white light

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Alright, I'll be calling an end to the episode here.

 

Those of you who are still in-transit somewhere will arrive at the start of next episode. 

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Embers - a new Bionicle Epic - Coming 2024 

Class Is Out - A Farewell To Corpus Rahkshi - Chapters/Review

BZPRPG Characters - Minnorak, Kain, T'harrak, Savis, Vazaria, Lash

BZPRPG Mercenary Group - The Outsiders - Description - History - Base

Ghosts Of Bara Magna - Ash Tribe - Precipere - Kehla, Somok, Skrall, Gayle, Avinus, Zha'ar

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Episode 4 – The Dawn of War (Part 1)

 

-Kaathe-

Kaathe, Pahrak, Ehksidian (until exit), Quin (until exit)

 

 

"I think it would be best for them to remain here.” Ehksidian pleaded, “Call it a gut feeling, but...what if the other Koros get control of those? What if Ta-Koro has an army of these...things behind them now, too? What if...what if you lose control?" She lifted the unconscious prisoner up onto her shoulder, “Regardless, there's some interrogation I have to do. I'll let you know what I find out. Keep an eye out for any more assassins. And please, if you feel the Ta-Koro guards should leave until we figure out this...assassin problem, let me know before they leave. I do still have to train some of them. If they stay, Pahrak can handle training the ten newbies while I..." she coughed, “...Well, while I deal with this miscreant.”

 

"Yes.. Because these Fire-spitters did so well at guarding the General and Turaga when the Assassin's struck.” Kaathe drawled, “In fact it almost seemed like they did nothing... You did after all mention you discovered the murmurings of this failed plan in Ta-koro, did you not Diplomat. Does that not strike you as a bit... convenient? Of course, what do I know?”

 

"...You must've misheard me. I said I remained in Ta-Koro for some time, and after I returned from Ta-Koro I found out about the plan here. Not there." She glanced at the Ta-Koroan guards, “And, considering how fast the attack happened, I am not surprised they didn't jump in. Even by the time I knocked this one out, the rest were dead. And with those...things...in the fight...I don't blame them at all for hanging back."

 

"No... I'm pretty sure I did not mishear you Diplomat." Kaathe’s tone darkened, “And your excuse for the guards is unsettling. My Kohrak were able to make their way here from beyond the gates in time to assist with the Assassins... Are you telling me these guards who were standing here are so unprepared for combat that they turned to stone the instant the need for them to do their job arose? Sounds like Ta-koro didn't give us soldiers, they gave us civilians."

 

"Yeah, you misheard me.” Ehksidian sighed, “Or I misspoke the first time. Believe what you want, even if you're utterly wrong. I have a job to do."

 

"We're not going anywhere," one of the Ta-Koro guards chose that moment to speak up, "You are all subjects of Queen Elittra. This village is under our protection. Whether you appreciate that protection or not, that is the deal your Turaga made, and you will respect it."

 

"Really guards... you pretend you have authority here...” Kaathe’s tone was mocking, “That is humorous. Let's see how long that sense of authority lasts." He gestured to Pahrak, "Come General, I believe you and I have business elsewhere and gifts to deliver. We'll let our Turaga and Diplomat enjoy their new wardens... oh wait I mean bodyguards."

 

Pahrak spat in the general direction of the Ta-Matoran, then wandered off alongside Kaathe, a lone Kohrak following the pair.

"You remember those spies we found earlier before this whole mess? Did your people ever get a chance to interrogate them?" Kaathe asked, once he was sure that Ehksidian, Quin, and the Ta-Koroans were out of earshot.

 

"I spoke to them," Pahrak replied. "They haven't said much about how they got into Ga-Koro...yet.  I imagine they'll be a bit more talkative now."

 

"Good, let us go and speak with them. Time is of the essence.” He lowered his voice, “I trust you still have our gift from Ga-koro?"

 

"Every bit of it.  Now then, right over here." He indicated the hut where the criminals were being kept. "I've told them that in exchange for their assistance, we'll grant them pardons and a few dikapi to run off with.  Maybe I should add 'the opportunity to not be eaten by insects' to the list of rewards?"

 

"Let me do the talking. I know their language. Alright, listen here boys." Kaathe stopped in front of the cell bars. "I'm prepared to offer you not only full pardons, but to have your criminal records here in Po-koro wiped completely clean. As far as anyone will know, you've been saints your entire lives. On top of that I will ensure you are given a hefty payment for your services, along with future job opportunities under myself and only myself. Now tell, are you interested to hear what exactly you might be getting yourselves into?"

 

 

“We’re all ears.” Given that the group had already agreed to a lesser deal from Pahrak, Kaathe’s new offer was all kinds of enticing.

 

"You'll be tasked with creating a... distraction of sorts in Onu-koro. Something to draw attention away from where I need to be. Given your success in Ga-koro, don't think it would be hard for your group to do something similar in Onu-koro, just with less getting caught. Let's keep deaths to a minimum, as the goal is to simply divert attention."

 

"Alright... sounds doable.” The apparent leader of the band mused, “And where do you 'need to be'?"

 

"That doesn't matter. I'll provide you with a rough location to target, allowing your group to be... creative in their distraction. Though we leave soon. I and the General will provide you with any supplies you may require."

 

"We'll need tools.” The leader decided, after a brief conference with his companions, “Hammers, chisels, saws, that sorta thing."

 

"Easily done. Once we are done in here we will see about getting the supplies together. Now, let's see about getting their restraints off."

"And, uh, no funny business, of course.” Pahrak pulled out his keys and began undoing the prisoner’s restraints, “Because if any of you pull anything, I'll personally hunt you down and rip your bones out one by one."

 

"I am doubtful these fine Po-matoran would try anything. They are being given a very rare chance, that I don't believe Po-koro has offered to anyone else in it's history."

 

"If what you want us to do benefits Po-Koro, we don't need any convincing," one of the prisoners replied eagerly, "Surely we've already proven our loyalty to this village?"

 

"What you will be doing is ensuring I'm able to complete a task that will see to bettering Po-koro's position in the grand scheme of the island." Kaathe replied.

 

"If it's good for Po-Koro, it's good with us."

 

"Feel free to gather any personal effects you may have, see anyone you may wish to, but meet me at the western gate by Dawn. We should have everything ready by then. Oh and avoid the Ta-koro soldiers."

 

The prisoners’ expressions turned dour, "What's Ta-Koro doing with troops here?"

 

“Our Turaga and Diplomat decided to make a horrific deal with the devils in Ta-koro. However the General and I are working to rectify this problem, with your assistance of course. The Turaga thought Po-koro could not be strong on it's own, but we will prove to him just how wrong such a notion is."

 

The idea of sticking it to another Koro only seemed to encourage the group, "We'll see you at dawn." The leader actually stopped to salute them both, before leaving.

 

"See General, that is how you handle these types of situations. You play to the aspirations of your target. These weren't your typical criminals, they were moreso vigilantes who sought justice in the name of their Koro. Got to play to their patriotism. I will be leaving the majority of my Kohrak here, though my connection to them is rather strong. If anything happens, I'm sure they will alert me. Though to prevent alarm in the Koro, I will be having them scour the surrounding desert, picking off any rahi they see fit to consume. I'd suggest making sure the Koro's Livestock is kept within the perimeter of the Koro."

 

He turned back to Pahrak, "Also I'll be needing that Poison now. After all this plan kind of fails without it."

 

"Sure thing," Pahrak said, handing over the item. "Good luck."

 

"I hopefully should be back within the week, if all goes as planned. However be prepared for the worst just in case. I imagine if I die the Kohrak will become hostile. However, unless there is anything else General, I should myself make final preparations."

 

 -Smoke Monster-

Smoke Monster

 

Relieved so see that all of his men were still alive, Smoke Monster let out a battle cry, and flung himself at the surviving Tarakava. His men followed his lead, and the starving rahi collapsed moments later, overwhelmed by a dozen savage wounds. Raising his weapon in triumph, Smoke Monster brought it down on the Tarakava’s neck, cleaving off its head.

 

"Our goal will not be stopped, not even by monstrous Rahi such as these! I take this Rahi's head now, to let all who oppose us know that we will not be stopped."

 

He dug the strange kolhii ball from his bag, trying to make sense of it. The surface was seamless and shiny, despite being exposed to the wind and sand and rain for who knew how long.

 

You will be fun. A voice suddenly whispered in his mind. You, and your chaos. Delicious, deliberate chaos.

 

Curious, he put the ball away, and turned to address his troops, "Let's head back to the others before more Rahi show up."

 

-Iaredios-

Iaredios, Erihapeti, Mavrah, Onaku

 

"...Regardless of whether or not our diplomat is able to record what you have to say, do you think you're able to answer our questions?" Erihapeti asked the miner.

 

"Ye-yes," he stammered, gulping down a mouthful of water, "Of course. And... thank you... for getting me out of there."

 

"No problem," She replied. "Now, what's your name?"

 

"Mavrah. My name's Mavrah."

 

"While I do agree that this is a priority matter, having our Turaga, our Scout, and our Diplomat seeing to it is entirely redundant. If you need someone to write things down, ask someone else in the village, I'm surely not the only one who knows how to write." He turned to leave, pausing to address Iaredios. "If we are to survive, we must be able to see to multiple matters at once as efficiently as possible. I'm going to Ta-Koro now. I'm going to see what they have to offer, and what we have to offer them, and see if we can't strike a better bargain with them than with Ko-Koro. That's where I'm needed the most right now."

 

"In that case, I think it's time for me to go. I'm sure you can continue this discussion with the Turaga, and I hope you well," Erihapeti said to Mavrah, rising to join Onaku.

 

"Hold on now. Before you two leave, let us finish business: Eripihara, tell us what you saw and it shall be recorded, and I will examine the two accounts while you two are off to Ta-Koro. This wont take too much time. Please be patient.”

 

"Uh, Turaga..." Mavrah coughed nervously, "...can we go somewhere else?" He cast a frightened glance back towards the barricade directly behind him, "I don't want to be down here anymore."

 

"Good idea Mavrah. Lets go to my Chieftain HutTM. 5 of you ten soldiers, stay here and guard this tunnel, and don't allow anyone else to mine in it unless I say otherwise. The rest of you, accompany me."

 

"It was rather dark in the tunnel, so I didn't see much.” Erihapeti apologised, “As we were traveling down the tunnel, I thought I heard something, so we stopped. That 'something' turned or to be Mavrah, here. Considering that he had been trapped down here for who knows how long, I assumed that he would have some first-hand knowledge of these 'Bohrok,' and so we rushed to get out of the tunnel. One of them evidently heard us as we were escaping, and followed us. It seemed to me, from what little I saw of it, like a large, insect-like creature, with a powerful jaw. It can fill up these tunnels with great speeds, and can crush a Matoran in it's mouth with a single bite."

 

 

It was then that Iaredios suddenly realised that he hadn’t seen Whenua in a while. He turned around, spotting the aging ex-Turaga scrambling along the tunnel in the distance. "Where are you going off to old man?” He started pacing leisurely after Whenua, “Don't you want to help your village?"

 

"Oh for the love of-" Onaku took off after Whenua, at which point Whenua switched directions, and slunk into one of the branching side tunnels. Erihapeti followed a few seconds later, mounted on her Ussal.

 

What is Whenua's problem? Has the old fart finally lost it?? Iaredios quickened his pace.

 

Whenua’s voice echoed from the mouth of the side tunnel, accompanied by the sounds of a scuffle, "Leave me alone! You have no idea what you're dealing with!"

 

"Then tell us you senile fool! What are we dealing with?!!"

 

"Senile? Fool? I've lived longer than you ever will, saved our people from horrors beyond anything you could imagine, and you see fit to insult me?" Iaredios reached the tunnel mouth just in time to see Whenua swinging a pickaxe at Onaku, “Hasn't anyone ever told you to respect your elders?"

 

Unlike most people, who would try to intercede when they saw someone swinging a mining tool at someone else’s face, Iaredios decided to lecture his predecessor instead, "Enough with the games Whenua, stand down! We cannot respond to an enemy or force appropriately while in ignorance, so explain to us what is it exactly we are dealing with. Knowledge is power. I am now in your place, having to make decisions that affect everyone and knowing that my soul could be at stake for the souls of many: if you are unwilling to share it everyone due to the knowledge being too much for the public, then tell me, it is my place as leader. We can do so in private if you so wish and I will send these two off to their missions."

 

Inwardly, though, he had no intention of keeping his word, If its truly worthwhile, then I will tell Smoke Monster, Onaku and Erihapeti -- important enough without public destabilization, then everyone will be told.

 

"This isn't a game, Iaredios. It's war.” As Onaku dodged out of the pickaxe’s path, Whenua rounded on Iaredios, “And you're not a wartime leader. You prance about, chasing ridiculous dreams and childish ambitions, while your Koro crumbles around you.” There was a defiance, an anger, in Whenua’s tone that Iaredios hadn’t thought the old man capable of, “I'm not going to waste precious time explaining the situation to you, then stand back and watch you make it even worse. Step aside, and let me finish what I started."

 

-Fractyl-

Tuyet (until exit), Azalea, Fractyl

 

Fractyl raised an eyebrow. "What does that mean?"

 

"It means, my dear Turaga, that everyone lies to get what they want. I'm not naive, or blind, and I'm sure you're not either." Tuyet replied.

 

"I need something solid here. It seems that everything inside and outside this village is against me." Fractyl let out an exasperated sigh, thinking of a certain something packed in her collection of crates, something far more deadly than the Kolhii ball and with a much closer expiration date than the rest of the island. "What is the first step to awakening Makuta and defeating this evil? What do I find? Who do I kill?"

 

“It took six Toa, of six elements, to vanquish Makuta. At the very least, we’d need six different types of Matoran working together… and the weapons that were used to defeat Makuta…” she gestured to the crowd of cultists, “…of course, having a few more faithful offering up their belief and support doesn’t hurt, either.”

 

"With all due respect, madam. Why, then, have you been residing solely in Ga-Koro and spreading your influence here instead of getting your word across the island?"

 

"I take it as a supposed Makuta cult wasn't so well received in the other villages?" Azalea suggested.

 

"There's only one of me.” Tuyet’s tone seemed genuinely apologetic, “I can't be everywhere. Ga-Koro is my home, and it’s here that my loyalties lie."

 

"Mhm..." Fractyl pondered her options for a few moments, "Thank you, Tuyet. I am sorry for the intrusion, and I may return soon. Your words have given me inspiration."

 

Tuyet's expressions brightened, with what looked to be a mix of pride and curiosity. "Happy to help. Good luck in your endeavours, Turaga."

 

"Thank you, Tuyet. You as well."

 

Fractyl hurried back to her tent, unlocking the crate that contained the last of Ga-Koro's poison supply. It would expire soon, sooner than she could possibly hope to send it to another region, even if she’d wanted to poison another of the villages – which she didn’t.

 

She passed the plants to the guards. "Go to the shores with a few of your fellow men. Look for recent Rahi corpses and move them significantly. Then, pair each one with some of these plants. Perhaps that might kill whatever predator has been hunting our animals. And if not..." She shrugged. "We have no other use for the plants anyways."

 

The guards nodded, and set off to complete their grim task.

 

"So, there are no other options? Are we going to support Makuta's awakening?" Azalea asked softly, approaching her Turaga.

 

"We're really left to just pick our poison at this point, huh?" She chuckled softly, "I am not fully committing myself to that idea just yet. I do believe that Tuyet's words hold a deal of weight, but that most of that truth comes from her talk of unity among the regions. It's either we risk that type of relationship, or we sit here until someone tries to kill us."

 

"Doomed if we do, doomed if we don't. What a way to go...” Azalea sighed, “…it kind of makes me wish there was an easier way to awaken Mata Nui."

 

"Kinda makes me wish that our ancestors had never upset the balance in the first place. We just have to make do with what we have."

 

"What I see is three choices before us.” Azalea declared, “We can support Makuta's awakening and die when he rejects Mata Nui's awakening. Or we can somehow find a way for mere Matoran like ourselves to awaken Mata Nui. Or we can attempt to unite with the other villages so we can work together to survive. Which one should it be?"

 

"The third one is a given with either of the first two."

 

"Hmm. I guess. I was thinking of doing the Makuta awakening as a last resort should we be unable to awaken Mata Nui by ourselves. How are we going to unite the villages for this anyway?"

 

"I'll send out an invitation to each village.” Fractyl decided, “An offer to meet here, or elsewhere so that we may discuss peace and unity. If they agree, that's better for us. And if not, then nothing changes."

 

-Unit-

Daenerys, Rhialtus, Unit

 

"My love I must report that an avalanche has blocked one of our main trade routes. In other news I have another trade idea. I hear that Ta-Koro and Ga-Koro are not the best right now. I suggest we offer Ta-Koro our ice as a new water supply. We could send a letter or a representative. Also I like to get an investigation started on what happened to our Toa and our former Turaga. If these creatures are going to attack then we need Kopaka."

 

"Funny thing is, I may have some information on Kopaka.” Unit suddenly burst into the room, having been listening in from outside, waiting for the perfect moment to make his dramatic entrance. “Until now, I wasn't entirely convinced that he had existed. More on that in a bit, though.” He stopped before the pair, bowing slightly. “We managed to observe the Le-Matoran without being seen. They're doing very well for themselves. A humongous ship has wrecked on one of the Islets. Some of the forests are being clear-cut to build replicas of it. As for Le-Wahi proper, it's been flooded to the treetops somehow. We sailed a little ways in and found this armor fragment.” He held up one of the shards of blue metal he’d collected, “Gonna have someone read over the legends to make sure, but I think this belonged to Gali. Maybe she had something to do with the flooding? Either way, if this really was hers, maybe Kopaka is still running around somewhere."

 

"My, my... What happened to the Toa of water?" Daenerys mused, "Did you happen to see any large brown bug like creatures?"

 

"Nothing of the sort. I'm guessing you found some?"

 

"They are up in the mountains. It wouldn't surprise me if they caused the avalanche that happened earlier today. Rhialtus I wish to create a symphonic music band. I feel in times like these the citizens need some type of distraction what's better than music. I found a conductor who could work with our musically gifted citizens, I think his name was Chad. Anyway I think it be a lovely idea, I have some lovely pieces in my collection I love to hear."

 

"Really, Dany? A band? What a brilliant idea." Rhialtus’ voice oozed sarcasm. "We have bigger Ruki to barbecue right now. Like the state of Le-Koro." She turned to Unit. "It sounds like you gleaned a lot of information from your little excursion, and for that, I'm grateful. But while the armor fragment you found there seems promising, I'm afraid I'm going to have to say no to looking for more evidence of the Toa, ours or otherwise. Let's just stick to one scheme at a time."

 

"Well, then what should we do with this information?" Daenerys suddenly broke off to whisper in Rhialtus’ ear, "We could send the armour fragment to Ga-Koro with a note telling we know more about Gali. If they want to send a threatening note we'll do them one better." Unfortunately, they failed to realise that trying to hold a whispered conversation in a large, echoey room while Unit was right in front of them made it very easy for him to hear them.

 

"Perfect. That should also get them off our backs about the whole ice deal." Rhialtus turned her attention back to the diplomat, "Unit, I'm sorry to send you away so soon after your return, but I want you to take the armor fragment you found to Ga-Koro, along with a letter that I'll write. I'll give you some time to rest before you head out, though; that should give me enough time to write the letter."

"I suggest an investigation of the avalanche road. There may be trapped traders.”

 

"I will personally see to that.” Rhialtus offered, “I'll need to borrow some soldiers from you, though."

 

"As you wish. How many do you need?"

 

"I'll start with 10. And make sure they all have strong shovels."

 

"As you wish my love. Is there anything you wish for me to do in your absences?"

 

"Dany, I want you to oversee the preparations of the ice and traps that we're sending to Onu-Koro. Make sure that everything goes according to what we discussed." She winked quickly, "Once our three friends return, we'll give the Onu-Matoran what they asked for."

"Turaga, when did Ga-Koro threaten us?” Unit interjected, “I mean no disrespect, but as your Diplomat, I need to be told about these things. And what's this ice deal?"

 

"My apologies, Unit. You deserve to know the inner machinations of our Koro, too. Onu-Koro has asked for shipments of ice in addition to their usual shipments of Rahi traps. They claim that it will be of much use to them. Ga-Koro feels threatened by our willingness to trade what is essentially frozen water to other villages, as doing so would undermine their monopoly on water. They have sent us a threat of destruction using what we can only assume is a spy, whom Toru is currently sniffing out. We're going to give them a threat of ours in return." Rhialtus’ smile could only be described as devious.

 

"What, exactly, are we threatening? Ga-Koro knows as well as we do that keeping Gali hostage would be nearly impossible for us, if she was even half as powerful as the legends say. There's a good chance that they'll look at the armor fragment and the state it's in and call our bluff. Turaga, it doesn't even make sense for them to threaten us. Po-Koro has a devastated population and military that is only barely beginning to recover, which is why they can be bullied into submission. As you're aware, our Guard is strong and growing rapidly enough that it's making Ta-Koro antsy. We live in highly defensible terrain, and have enough natural food and water that a siege would be very long and painful. Ga-Koro can only win with heavy losses. The other Koros would immediately seize the opportunity to break the water monopoly, and crush whatever remained. Attacking us would be suicide, plain and simple." Unit may not have been the most military-minded Matoran in the room, but he did possess an abundance of common sense that his Captain and Turaga appeared to lack.

 

His tone softened, "That said, you are still my Turaga. I will deliver this message at once, if that is what you wish."

 

"I don't know why they've threatened us, Unit, but I do know that I won't stand for it.” Rhialtus snapped, “Paint the shard brighter blue if you have to; whatever it takes to convince the Ga-Matoran filth that Ko-Koro means business. We'll threaten them with destruction of our own... special kind if they don't step off."

 

"Send for me as as soon as the letter's ready." He started turning to leave, then stopped. "Actually... may I have some more information on the bug-things that the Captain spoke about? From what I've heard about the avalanche, I'll have to take a longer route to Ga-Koro. I'd prefer to not find the critters while I'm doing that."

 

"Dany, you've seen the creatures up close, and thus, you're more fit to tell Unit about them. Would you, please?"

 

"Yes Rhialtus. Unit their are actually two types of creatures. Both are dark brown with emerald green eyes. There are large ones about twice our height and smaller ones about two thirds our height. The large ones are in mast numbers and look rather like round beetles with somewhat clear headplates. The smaller ones I'm guessing are a subspecies or the larger ones young. What's odd the small ones all have hammers. Oh I drew a picture earlier." Daenerys went to the table and picked up the sketches of what she saw. "They are like nothing I've ever seen before."

 

"Huh. I suppose they could be responsible for mangling our hunters.” United pored over the strange sketches for a few moments, “If I see any, I'll inform you when I return."

 

It was then that a messenger arrived, bearing a letter from Turaga Fractyl of Ga-Koro, inviting the leadership of the villages to meet together. "Let's invite them to Ko-Koro and ofter them a special drink of our water." Daenerys whispered to Rhialtus… a whisper that Unit was once again able to overhear quite easily.  

 

Rhialtus stroked her chin as she pondered the proposal. She nodded her head as she came to her conclusion. "I'll leave as soon as the ice is ready. That should give us all enough time to finish the things that need to be done. Unit, will you come with me when the time comes to leave? You can deliver the letter while we're there, too."

 

"Yes, Turaga," Unit replied.  

 

"I'll go gather some worthy troops for you dose our diplomat need say two of four troops just in case those creature pull a move against him." Daenerys asked.

 

"I'm content with two guards. But switch them out." Unit nodded to where his current guards stood across the Sanctum. "They've earned their rest."

 

“Of course,” Daenerys ducked out of the Sanctum, returning a few minutes later, "The troops are ready, they await you two at the Koro entrance."

 

"Very good. Well, we all have our assignments. I suggest we all go and do them while we wait for our three friends to return."

 

-Ehksidian-

Ehksidian

 

As Ehksidian set off to find somewhere secure to carry out her interrogation, a trio of bandits approached her. Still-damp fur coats were hanging from their travel packs, indicating that they'd recently come from Ko-Wahi.

 

"Sorry to bother you," one of them hesitated, seeing the unconscious man still draped over her shoulder, "We were told you were the person to talk to regarding... delicate issues."

 

"...Please return to the barracks, men.” Ehksidian told the Ta-Koro guardsmen still with her, “I'll be there once I'm finished with this. And...don't worry about Pahrak. He's a bit...ah...too prideful." Nodding, the group of Ta-Koroans quickly departed. A lone Po-Koroan guard, who Kaathe had none-too-subtly sent to follow her, didn’t move.

 

"...You too. This is a diplomatic emergency that requires privacy." The guard seemed a little reluctant, but was soon scampering away to resume his usual duties.

 

"What is it? Make it quick, I don't want this person to wake up before I shove him where he belongs."

 

"We've got a... gift for you, from Ko-Koro." One of the trio chuckled, holding out a bag to her. Inside it, Ehksidian could see the bloodied armour of a Ko-Koroan Sanctum guard, along with the blades and crossbow of the armour's former owner. "And some information... if you're interested."

 

"Alright, follow me. This is most certainly something that needs to be discussed in the room..." The building that Ehksidian had selected was nondescript, like any other building in Po-Koro. Even the door looked plain...from the outside. The scrape of heavy metal against stone was the first sign the building wasn't quite as it seemed. The dimly-lit interior of the building was ominous...as was the rust sprinkled against the metallic interior walls. Aside from a small section in the back, the building appeared to be a singular, large room. A table surrounded by six chairs dominated the center.

 

 "Let me put this troublemaker into his cell. He's lucky I was there, otherwise he would've died like the rest of the assassins," Ehksidian mumbled. Her foot slammed against the small chamber's door, and she unceremoniously tossed the unconscious Ko-Matoran inside. "Hey, give me that bag. I need to put it over his head so he won't know how to get out of his holding cell while we talk."

 

"Of course," one of the Matoran hurriedly emptied the bag of guard onto the table, and tossed it over to Ehksidian.

 

"Please, have a seat. This is a safe place, designed to keep people out." She sat down. "...And to keep people in, though that's only in very unpleasant circumstances. I promise to you that no harm will come your way while you are in here."

 

"We're aware of your reputation. We wouldn't have come to you if we were concerned about... complications." The leader assured her, "We've come from Ko-Wahi, with some news we think might interest you."

 

"We saw them white monsters out in the street," one of the others spoke up, "There's creatures like them in Ko-Wahi, too, but they aint tame like yours. They killed two of our friends, and a hunting party from Ko-Koro. Made 'em explode into pieces just by poking 'em with their claws."

 

"They...explode whatever they touch?” Ehksidian raised an eyebrow, “Strange. The ones here freeze things. Are you sure they're the same thing?"

 

"They look the same. Little ones, big ones. Just different colours." The leader shrugged, "Anyway, we got arrested by a patrol from Ko-Koro. They wanted info on what we'd seen, but after that, the Turaga and Captain decided they wanted to pay us to come here and buy Makika poison and Nui-Jaga venom for them on the black market... as if we'd have a black market for things that people could find so easily out here."

 

He gestured to the blood-stained armour on the table. "They sent one guard to keep an eye on the three of us. He… didn't last long. The Turaga offered to pay us more when we brought back the poison for them... but we had an inkling that they might just kill us once we'd served our purpose. We figured that someone such as yourself might be more... honourable."

 

"They wanted the poison and Nui Jaga venom? How interesting. This is very, very useful. I'll see that you get paid for your troubles. More than what Ko-Koro would've paid you. Say… Do you still have the mask of the guard? Perhaps one of you could return under that guise and give Ko-Koro some special poison. Directly into whatever drink their leaders are sipping, that is. If one of you is up to the task, the reward will be massive. I can only assume Ko-Koro is planning on poisoning another village, so it'd be best if that was nipped in the bud."

 

"Yeah, we still have the mask," the Po-Matoran pulled it out of a satchel, "I was plannin' on keepin' it as a souvenir, but your plan sounds a lot more profitable. And fun."

 

 "Speaking of drinks," the Ga-Matoran smiled slyly, "If I remember correctly, those two were drinking tea."

 

"Tea? Ohh, do tell...do they like sugar in it? If they do, I have the perfect idea. I'll procure some tainted sugarcubes for you if any of you are interested. It will have to wait a bit, though. I still need to interrogate the chump in the chamber."

 

"Sounds good. We'll leave you to it. We'll be at the bar on Smith street if you need us."

 

"Noted. I'll be there shortly." Once the group were gone, Ehksidian returned to the cell where she’d left the assassin, and unceremoniously kicked him in the stomach. He woke up, coughing and wheezing.

 

"I see you've finally rejoined the land of the living...unlike the other assassins.” She pulled the bag off his head, “You should count your lucky stars that the Kohrok didn't try eating you while I was dragging you here."

 

"Kohrak?” He stammered, “You mean... those monsters?"

 

"Yeah. Those. But I didn't save you out of the goodness of my heart." She kneeled down, staring him right in the eyes, “Who hired you? Don't lie to me. There's plenty of Kohrok around, and if I so much as think you're lying to me you're going straight into their mouths. In pieces."

 

"Ga-Koro!" His eyes were wide with fear, "The letter said it was from Ga-Koro!"

 

"What letter?"

 

"The letter we were given. Promising a private supply of water if we delivered Quin's head to Ga-Koro. Extra if we brought Pahrak's head as well."

 

"And who gave you this letter?"

 

"Some guy in a cloak, I was told," the assassin shrugged, "I was inside when the letter was delivered. I never saw him."

 

"...And I assume the one who saw the person in the cloak went with you and died, correct?"

 

He nodded. "One of the others had the letter. It's probably been...eaten, by now."

 

"Of course..." She rubbed her eyes, "So I assume you didn't see any of the cloaked person, correct? Not even a flash of armor?"

 

“Nothing.”

 

"I figured." Something felt off about the hit. Why would Ga-Koro do this? If they truly wanted to kill Quin and Pahrak, they could've just poisoned the water. "Well, unfortunately for you I can't just let you go. I can't even promise that the Kohrok won't eat you. They are wild beasts, after all. You can choose to go to prison and have a...reduced sentence, or fake your own death and escape. One or the other. I cannot guarantee your safety if you choose to escape. I can safely say you will be given food, water, and protection within prison. You have my word."

 

"Never thought I'd find myself saying this, but... with those things out there, prison sounds pretty good."

 

"Alright. Hang tight in here, I'll bring some guards to escort you there. The Kohrak shouldn't attack you, but I don't know. You are completely safe in here." She stepped outside, locking the building behind her.

 

It was time to buy some sugar.

 

End of Part 1.

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Episode 4 – The Dawn of War (Part 2)

 

-Smoke Monster-

Smoke Monster

 

Once he and his men were safely back at the mining camp, Smoke Monster slipped into his private tent, placing the Kolhii ball on the ground before him. "Alright. I know I heard a voice from you before, one talking about my chaos. Do you care to elaborate?"

 

Chaos is change. Change is power. You seek power.

 

"That would be a correct assumption. You have any idea on where I could find some power?"

 

Power is not given. It is not found. It is taken.

 

"And where can I take power from? Other villages? Somewhere in Kini Nui? Or somewhere no one knows of?"

 

Take. From the weak. Those who cannot stop you.

 

"And I'm going to assume you won't be able to point me in a direction to find weak individuals to take power from. Would that be a correct assumption?"

 

A note of exasperation entered the mental 'voice'. This is a metal sphere. One that's been stuck in a mountainside for decades. It knows less than you do. And thus, so do I. 

 

"That's a fair point." He said to the comet, slipping it into his bag. "We'll have another conversation later. But until then, I'll keep you close for now." He stepped out of the tent, addressing the nearest two soldiers. "I would like for you two to return to Onu-Wahi and get an update on what, if anything, is happening there. We've been gone for awhile, and I would like to keep updated on what is going on in our village. If anyone asks how we are doing up top, tell them that things are going smoothly. And bring me, say, four messenger birds.”

 

Once they were gone, he began perusing the camp. In his absence, the soldiers had managed to fill two small chests with haphazard chips of salt. "Not bad. I think the Turaga will be happy with this if we need to bring it back to preserve our cover." He singled out three of the nearest guardsmen, "I want the three of you to sneak into Ga-Wahi and find a way into Ga-Koro that won't get us noticed. A secret way, if you will. Whether it be by a tunnel or some other way. I would like for you to find it. and while you're there, see if you can find out what material the bridges that they use to get to the Koro are made of. That info might be useful in the future."

 

-Guurahk-

Nahaki (until exit), Elittra (until exit), Grav, Guurahk

 

The streets of Ta-Koro were almost entirely silent, save for the heavy footfalls of the red-hued creatures as they shuffled together towards their shared destination. Buildings all around were blackened from the intense heat of the creatures fire blasts, rock melted, wood aflame. As Guurahk cautiously trailed the column of creatures, he could see Elittra, Nahaki, and Grav in the distance, standing outside of an undamaged house. The red creatures all seemed to be facing Elittra, with one of the smallest ones standing right in front of her.

 

 

"Poor things," Elittra was saying, crouching in front of the diminutive being, "Look at them. They're so hungry."

 

"They're hungry?" Grav repeated warily.

 

"What are these things?" Nahaki said softly, "There's... food in the cellar."

 

"There's plenty of food for them elsewhere," Elittra replied, "I'm sure some of the other Koros would be... happy to assist us."

Guurahk carefully pushed between the stationary Tahnok, holding out his satchel for the Matoran to see.

 

"Guurahk,” Nahaki approached him, “What have you found?"

 

“There was a dead Matoran in the mine, trapped in a lava flow. I got this from them. What the heck are these red things?”

 

"Please step inside," Elittra said, gesturing to the open door of her home. The first thing Guurahk saw when he came inside was the messenger he’d sent to inform Elittra of his arrival. He was dead, slumped back in a chair, his eyes gone.

 

"Elittra…” Guurak said nervously, “…the two guards you assigned me and I went down to where the mine was, and found the surrounding region extremely burnt, so naturally we decided to enter the mine..."

 

"I presume you found that satchel in the mine?" Nahaki asked, obviously trying very hard not to even acknowledge the presence of the fresh corpse.

 

"Yes, it was near a lava flow that was decently far down in the mine in the mine, which had what appeared to be a burnt-up matoran in it, which struck me as kind of odd. I'm kind of glad I didn't listen to that one guard wanting to turn back, as I found this in it..." He placed it on the table, letting the others read the text about Mata Nui, Makuta, and the Toa.

 

"The Toa are dead,” Elittra declared, "Or at least one of them is. Our Scab found what was left of them in Le-Wahi."

 

“So I've heard they are."

 

"The remains of a mask. A weapon. Some... other various bits," she wrapped an arm around Guurahk’s shoulders.

 

"Nice weapon, too," Grav commented, indicating the green-hued axe on his back. As Guurahk looked at it, he couldn’t help but find his gaze drawn back towards the dead messenger.

 

"He intruded on the private space of his ruler," Elittra made no effort to hide the menace in her voice, "He was here at your command... and I was already growing wary of your village. Ga-Koro has much to answer for, Guurahk. Not the least of which is the poisoning of my people."

 

"I-I didn't exactly order him to barge in...” Guurahk stammered, “…and I wasn't responsible for anything about the tragedy in Po-Koro, but what do you mean your people? The only poisoning I know of that Ga-Koro has done in recent history is of Po, l-like I said..."

 

Elittra gripped his shoulder tightly, “Po-Koro has named me their Queen. Their ruler. What your Koro does to them... they do to me. And I do not take any attacks - past or present - upon my people lightly. I will retaliate in full."

 

"Queen Elittra..." Nahaki hesitated, then continued, "He may be a Ga-Matoran, but he is not Ga-Koro. I therefore doubt that he would approve of the poisoning of Po-Koro, for such things make his job harder as he is the diplomat of Ga-Koro."

 

"...why did they, and what do you mean in retaliating?” Guurahk jerked away from Elittra’s grip, “I repeat, I had no association with those who were in power th-then."

 

"Examples have to be made," Elittra said, nodding to the messenger. "He intruded on my privacy once, and now nobody shall be foolish enough to do so again." She gestured to the open door, through which the red creatures still stood. "The Tahnok are mine, and they are hungry. Tell me why I should not feed you to them, Guurahk, and then crush Ga-Koro beneath my heel."

 

"I-I've done nothing wrong! I wasn't even a Ga-Koronan then, and they have basically an entirely new leadership since then, so I'm completely irrelevant to the tribe's leadership then! There's no way I'm connected to them!"

 

"You are a Ga-Matoran," Elittra said, "Whether you considered yourself a member of their village or not, every action that you took reflected upon them, and every action of theirs in turn reflected upon you." She drew her knife, flicking the blood on the blade outside, "Try again."

 

"Look!” Guurahk protested, “If you look in my hut in Ga-Koro you'll see some old cans of blue paint! If you scratch off the paint from my armor you can throw me back to the Kumu Islets and I'll blend right back in! I'm not one of them; I'm a Le-Matoran infiltrating them!"

 

"...Kumu Islets?" Nahaki repeated. "What do you mean, blend right back in, Guurahk?"

 

"The Le-Matoran are all dead,” Elittra said, "They have been for years. If you think I would intentionally step foot into Ga-Koro to check this claim of yours, you are mistaken. Prove it here, and now. If you are a Le-Matoran, show me."

 

"I didn't expect you to believe me, but this will hopefully do..." he carefully drew a knife of his own, and used it to scrape away the paint on his mask, revealing the natural green underneath, “There's definitely still some left, and I'm living proof. I came from a group of them."

 

"You mentioned the Kumu Islets," Elittra glanced at Nahaki and Grav, "If you are who you say you are... why have you infiltrated Ga-Koro?"

 

"I was sent to infiltrate Ga-Koro's government, although I was hit in the head and lost some of my memory relating to that. I was in the process of tracking back part of what I was doing when Nahaki arrived in Ga-Koro."

 

"If what you say is true, then your people will, eventually, wish to return to the island," Elittra finally said, "They will be angry, and my village was responsible for their downfall." She stepped aside, indicating the open doorway, "Step outside, please. I must discuss this with my advisors. The Tahnok will keep you company. Do try not to run; I would hate for them to have to feast on you before a final decision can be made."

 

"No harm in giving him the chance to prove it.” Guurahk heard Grav saying, "Let him lead me to this colony he speaks of. If he puts up, we can-” and then Elittra closed the door, preventing Guurahk from hearing anything more.

 

"Well, 'Diplomat'.” The door swung open again a few moments later, revealing Grav the Scab in all of his repulsive glory, “Ready yourself to take me to your Le-Matoran.”

 

"We'll be going to there by boat, I assume?" Guurahk asked, letting Grav guide him past the Tahnok, in the direction of the docks.

 

"Well, I wasn't planning on walking." The docks were in chaos when they arrived, with workers scurrying back and forth. One of the military ships was half-sunk at its berth, ragged holes in its hull marking where it had been damaged recently. If the sight concerned Grav, he didn’t show it, instead clambering aboard one of the larger non-military vessels, flanked by Guurahk, and six guards.

 

Within minutes, they were setting sail for the Kumu Islets.

 

Guurahk was finally going home.

 

-Toru-

Toru, Vali

 

Toru had never seen green before. Not like this, at least.

 

His parents had told him of his heritage, of the colossal forests that had once dominated Mata Nui’s landscape, of how his ancestors had made their homes in the soaring treetops of those very forests, but he’d never truly grasped the immensity of that loss until he’d sailed past the scorched remains of Le-Wahi, and seen the vibrant, lush emerald landscapes that still clung to life on the distant Kumu Islets.

 

Some of the smaller islands had been stripped bare of the larger trees, with rafts ferrying the lumber towards one of the larger isles. Toru adjusted his course, angling his boat to follow in the direction the rafts were going. He dropped anchor, and clambered down into a rowboat, and began rowing out towards the shoreline. As he did, the gigantic warships that Unit had first noticed on his visit a few days prior came into view.

 

The Le-Matoran weren’t blind; they’d seen his boat in the distance, and now that he was rowing closer, some of them had drawn spears and slings. He drew a knife from his belt and raised his arms, using the blade to scrape away the paint on his armour, revealing the natural green colouration that lay beneath.

 

Realising that Toru was one of their own, the Le-Matoran relaxed, most of them returning to their work, while three walked down to the shore to meet Toru’s boat. Once he was close, two of the group ran out to help drag the boat out of the water, while the third greeted Toru.

 

"Welcome, friend." Her armour was more ornate than those of the Matoran around her, engraved with imagery of coiling leaves. A wreath of vines and flowers sat on her head, and in her hand, she held what Toru recognised from the legends as the Kau Kau staff that formerly belonged to Turaga Matau.

 

"You must forgive me for my late arrival. I did not know this place existed until a few days ago, and I have been rather busy ever since. I am Toru, and the rulers of Ko-Koro have made me their Scout in recent years. How may I serve you?"

 

"Well met, Toru," the woman smiled – not at Toru himself, but at his mention of being Ko-Koro’s Scout, "I am Vali, Turaga of the Kumu Islets. It's comforting to discover that more of our people have survived in the mainland."

 

"Speaking of which, I'm guessing that your isolation has kept you all out of the loop concerning the other Koros... it has been... uh, interesting, to say the least."

 

"Not completely," she replied thoughtfully, "I have access to some.... sources of information."

 

"Well, most of the Turaga are dead or missing except for Whenua who doesn't do anything anymore, Ga-Koro's leaders poisoned Po-Koro's water for some reason, which didn't go over well with the people of Ga-Koro and so they had them executed and replaced. Onu-Koro is working closely with Ko-Koro, the latter of which has rapidly militarized following Turaga Nuju's 'unfortunate disappearance', there's a bunch of strange, lethal creatures operating out of Mount Ihu, and..." he trailed off, unsure of what more to add.

 

"Strange creatures? Our scouts have reported encounters with unknown rahi in the Le-Wahi swampland. Perhaps these sightings are connected." Vali pondered, "It doesn't matter. Our people have endured too much to be beaten by mere beasts."

 

"I shall have to investigate these creatures further... anyway, may I ask what you plan to do with these rather impressive ships?"

 

Vali’s expression was impassive. "Whatever we must."

 

"I see. Well, since it would be rather impractical for me to deliver news to you personally back and forth from Ko-Koro, I will send you messages via Kewa in case anything important happens."

 

"Very well. We shall do the same, should we ever have need of your services."

 

-Onaku-

Onaku, Whenua, Iaredios, Erihapeti

 

"So that's why you ran. You're not senile or a coward, you just don't trust Iaredios..." the realisation helped put a whole lot of things into perspective for Onaku.

 

Angered, Iaredios slammed the staff of Whenua’s drill into the ground, "I was a Ussal Knight prior to my ascension, I know matters of war, and information is key! Childish ambitions?? I seek to raise our power among the other villages. We are indeed in a dire situation, why else would i pursue such unconventional means of protecting us rather than blindly continue only tired old means? Lastly trade agreements can be turned into alliances."

 

Onaku stared at Iaredios, making no effort to conceal his disbelief. Ussal Knight? Matters of war? What in Karzahni is he talking about?

 

"I do my best on what little information I have.” Iaredios wasn’t finished with his rant, “Know now that I am the leader of Onu-Koro, but as you leave me in the dark and your stubbornness cannot see reason, I will trail you so you can do what you wish so long as I see i is for the good of the village. If this is in good taste then I can send off our council members here while we do our part -- I will have to have a messenger interview mavrah. And in the future, realize now that a few words are quicker then running about in the dark hitting your fellow countrymen..."

 

"You know nothing of war! Battling bandits and chasing off a few hungry rahi isn't war!" Whenua spat, his knuckles white around the handle of the pickaxe, "I led this village through decades of Makuta's torments. I counselled Toa Onua. I gave the Toa the knowledge they needed to defeat Makuta. If it weren't for me, Onu-Koro wouldn't have enjoyed the years of peace that has led to your ignorance!"

 

"Enough of this. You are emotionally becoming raw. I am not disregarding your past feats -- note how I have never mocked you but merely referenced your age -- but I need you right here and now. You are not going to be here forever and neither will I, we must train and inform our successors while recognizing differences in leadership. I will be joining you in whatever you need to do to solve our threatening problem. Note that you should calm yourself, or you may end up doing something that will taint your entire prestigious record. Your legacy will be remembered longer than you as a person, and I would rather you be remembered fondly."

 

"This is a legacy that no one should have to remember." He turned away from the group, dropping the pickaxe on the ground as he began walking away, “You will not be joining me. You'll just get in the way. This is a problem millenia in the making, and I don't have the time or patience to waste on you."

 

"Fine then elder.” Iaredios finally sighed, “Do what you must, but when you return I expect a full explanation. You have greatly tried my patience and if it is not satisfying then expect me to personally exercise my authority.” He turned to Onaku and Erihapeti, "We are done here, you two may begin your assignments."

 

As Onaku passed, he heard Iaredios stop to whisper to Erihapeti, his hissed instructions echoing audibly in the tunnel, “Forget Ta-Koro. Tail him from afar, and be as quiet about it as possible."

 

Ignoring the pair, Onaku approached Whenua, "I must apologize for my insulting you. I have been rather stressed lately, and delays in my duties have made me a bit irritated. I shouldn't have taken it out on you, least of all on you, after everything you've done for this village. It was wrong of me, and I am deeply sorry."

 

"Apology accepted," the look of shame had returned to Whenua’s face, "My actions were... unbefitting... of a man of my status. This situation has me... on edge, to say the least."

 

-Elittra-

 

Nahaki, Elittra

 

Once the others were gone, Elittra closed the door again, and addressed Nahaki. Ordinarily, being alone with her would’ve been invigorating, even intoxicating, but now… it was the Tahnok, her fiery, hungry children, who occupied the forefront of her mind.

 "You must hold the village in my absence," she said, "I intend to let the Tahnok feed during my travel to Ko-Koro, where I should meet with whomever sent me that letter. Until I return, you must stay. Visitors might come soon; unless it they are from Onu-Koro, bar the gates. Do you have any questions?"

 

"I understand, Queen Elittra. I thank you for the privilege of leaving me in charge of Ta-Koro while you are away." Nahaki bowed, "What should I tell the visitors from Onu-Koro, assuming they do arrive?"

 

"Tell them that I was called away on urgent business, and will return as soon as I can. It is the truth, after all."

 

"I understand, Queen Elittra. I have no more questions."

 

Before Nahaki could react, Elittra surged forward and wrapped her arms around her, squeezing for a brief moment before letting go.

"I will see you when I return.”

 

-Ehksidian-

Pahrak, Ehksidian

 

After getting directions from a few helpful guards, Ehksidian eventually tracked down Pahrak. "Greetings, Pahrak. I have something...important to discuss with you. Involving both the assassins and...something else."

 

Pahrak eyed her warily, "What is it?"

 

"The assassins were, apparently, spurred into action by Ga-Koro. They received a letter from a claoked figure that said Ga-Koro would provide them clean water in exchange for your head and Quin's. Frankly, I find that somewhat hard to believe...because Ga-Koro has no reason to send assassins after you two. The...ah, deal is currently only known within Ta and Po Koro. Ga wouldn't be able to act on this information...and considering how quickly you were attacked upon my arrival..."

 

She shook her head. "Regardless, that is the information I got from the surviving assassin. No knowledge of the cloaked figure. The assassin will be escorted to prison soon. But...something else... I received intel that Ko-Koro was attempting to purchase Nui-Jaga venom and some poison from the black market. I worry that they may be attempting to...well, pull a Ga-Koro. That needs to be stopped. You still have the poison, correct? Enough to take out only two people?"

 

"Feh," Pahrak muttered, "why would Ga-Koro need a reason?  They probably just felt like reminding us who's boss." With a grin, he added, "Though, that's going to change very soon... Anyway, no, I don't have the poison any more.  But if you know where these Ko-Matoran are, I can take a few of my soldiers and we can handle it easily."

 

"I don't think it would be wise to directly attack the leaders of Ko-Koro."

 

"...I thought you were saying there were Ko-Matoran here?  Now?"

 

"No. Ko-Koro sent some Matoran here in order to purchase poison from the black market. After one of...the bugs killed their guard, they...came to me. They were worried that...ah, Ko-Koro would kill them if they returned without the guard. They managed to recover...some of the guard's possessions. I don't know how they would...er, get a hold of Ko-Koro guard armor otherwise. The Matoran who provided the intel plan on leaving Po-Koro soon, in order to...stay safe. After all, if Ko-Koro tries to find them this would be the first place to look...which is why removing the leaders of Ko-Koro may be wise. Who has the poison? Or...did you use it?"

 

“You can count it used.  But if you're worried about Ko-Koro, I think I can still arrange something."

 

"I am worried. And what would you have planned?"

 

Pahrak shrugged.  "It's more of a concept right now, but...supposing we can remind the island how evil Ga-Koro is, I'm sure a gentle push is all Ko-Koro would need to start up a war with them.  We could even lend a hand...and if a few of Ko-Koro's leaders end up as casualties, well, those things happen."

 

"Ah...exactly what I thought.” Ehksidian smiled, “In that case, I recommend you do that. If you do happen to...ah, find the poison unused, I have a plan that would...well, it is Ga-Koro's poison. And if the general and leader of Ko-Koro are found, dead due to that poison..."

 

Pahrak nodded.  "I'll let you know."

 

"Okay. I have...some who may be capable of sneaking the poison in there, if need be."

 

"We'll cross that bridge when we get there."

 

-Daenerys-

Daenerys, Crong

 

Daenerys finished her tea, then stood up and went to the guard at the door and asked, "Go find a music conductor I have a task needing a more creative mind." Even though Rhialtus had thought her idea was silly, she knew that keeping citizen’s morale up with a form of entertainment would be beneficial in the long term.

 

The guard returned quickly, with another Matoran in tow. "You’re probably wondering why the captain of the guard has summoned a mere musician.” She said to the newcomer, “Before I explain myself, may I have your name?"

 

"Me is Crong,” the Matoran thumped his hand against his chest, "Crong make music. Crong music make people happy.”

 

If Daenerys had been expecting a population of villagers who lived on an isolated, cold, windy mountain, and made their living hunting animals with sticks and clubs, to be home to any number of skilled, sophisticated musicians, she was going to be sorely disappointed. People didn’t place much value in music when the howling wind outside was constantly drowning it out, and in the hostile environment of Ko-Wahi, most musical instruments had a tendency to break down. The most common instruments in Ko-Koro were wind chimes, and even those had a habit of being blown away, or frozen solid. 

 

"Well Crong I brought you here because times are dark and the people can sense that something is happening. I want you to give them hope. It may surprise you that I myself am a student of music and have collected a rather large collection of scores from all Six Koro's. I want you to gather your band and entertain the populous with your talents and in rich there lives with some cultured music. I will allow you access to my personal collection, and creative freedom. I would recommend some small ensembles to start with then work on more full orchestra pieces. Crong is there anything you would need to aid in your job?"

 

"Some... uh..." he coughed, "...monies?"

 

"Of course, talent doesn't come free. I think ten gold pieces and five silver pieces a week, plus some extra after performances seems fair."

 

"Gold? Silver?" He frowned, "Crong want widgets!"

 

"Very well,” Daenerys said, “75 widgets a week, plus extra on performances. I think that sounds like a fair deal."

 

"Crong like! Crong go make music now!"

-Nahaki-

Nahaki

 

Nahaki was alone. No Elittra, no Grav, no Guurahk.

 

Elittra had just made a big mistake.

 

It wasn’t her first mistake, either. The corpses of Vakama and Kuan were still rotting in the basement. The dead messenger was still in her living room. The Tahnok had departed without Elittra offering any explanation for what they were, or why they’d terrorised the populace when they’d first emerged.

 

This was the perfect opportunity to change things in Ta-Koro for the better, and Nahaki didn’t intend to waste it. As soon as Elittra and her column of monsters had been gone from sight, Nahaki had sent out a summons for all of Ta-Koro’s Matoran to gather in the village square, and that was where they now waited for her.

 

"Matoran of Ta-Koro, thank you for coming to listen to this most urgent message." She bowed to the crowd, a gesture of respect that she suspected Elittra had never shown them before, "I've gathered you here because there are things you must hear. Things you must see. And things we must do."

 

It felt good. Standing up here, standing against Elittra.

 

"There is a question we must all ask ourselves: does our leader, self-styled 'Queen' Turaga Elittra, concern you? Her actions are not those one would expect of a leader, and neither is her attitude - a downright psychopathic and barbaric individual. I must ask you all a question: does it not seem odd that strange creatures ravaged our village, yet as soon as Elittra appeared... they stopped? Does it not seem odd that when Elittra left, they followed? It is a most strange coincidence indeed, I think - one might even assume she has control over them, and yet they attacked Ta-Koro..."

 

This was only the beginning. She had so many mistakes to make up for.

 

"Do you all remember Kuan, a person of great influence, who has disappeared in recent times? Do you all remember the great and wise Turaga Vakama, who himself disappeared without much of a trace? I know what happened to them both, and I can prove it. They have been killed, by Elittra's hand, and I have seen their corpses in her cellar. You need merely look in there to confirm such suspicions."

This wasn’t just for her, though. It was for Vakama, and Kuan, and the messenger, and whoever else Elittra had killed, or would kill.

"Thus I must only come to one conclusion: that our leader, dear 'Queen' Turaga Elittra, does not have Ta-Koro's best interests at heart - rather, she sees as her toys to play around with. I believe it is time we changed that - I believe that it's time to let our future burn brighter than ever before. I believe that Elittra should be our leader no more."

 

She looked to the crowd… and found them all looking back at her. Their faces were filled with fear, confusion, and fury. Shouts rang out from the crowd – some pledging their support to Nahaki’s plan, others condemning it as treachery – and soon the Matoran were shouting at each other as well, backing up their words with swung fists or flung rocks. Pandemonium quickly overtook the square. Some Matoran tried to flee for their homes, while brawls broke out among the others. The guards, scattered and outnumbered, were helpless to prevent the unfolding chaos.

 

"If you want to be confused, be confused. If you want to panic, panic. If you want to turn each other... don't.” Nahaki struggled to be heard over the clamour, “Unity is one of the three virtues and you are standing against it. What would the great Turaga Vakama think? What do you think would happen if someone called for such a leader to go if 'Queen' Turaga Elittra was here? I'm not done - Elittra has very specific traits. Our 'Queen' Turaga Elittra has attachments to certain Matoran - such as I."

 

Inwardly, she shuddered.

 

"Thus, I do believe it is possible to use that to our advantage, when she returns, if she returns. There is a plan, but I will need help: I will need your support and your help. And I know who we replace her with: myself, Nahaki of Ta-Koro. I promise you that I will not let the power corrupt me, and if it turns I am unsuited to such a task, I will step down. Show me your support, and I will tell you the plan."

 

This time, her words managed to calm the crowds rather than inciting them further. She could still see the confusion, the lack of confidence, but most of the Matoran seemed more receptive towards what she had to say.

 

Unfortunately, Elittra was the democratically elected leader of Ta-Koro... and stirring up the people against her was technically an act of treason... a fact that had not gone unforgotten by some of the guards, who were now pushing through the crowd towards her…

 

End of Episode 4.

 

- I think it’s pretty clear that Episode 5 is going to be a big one. In recognition of this, I’ve decided that once Episode 5 is done, the game will be taking a week-long hiatus, so we can all unwind and recharge a little – especially me.

- Given everything that’s been going on, I’ve lost track of exactly who is waiting for posts/PMs for the start of Episode 5, so if those of you requiring responses could please bump your PMs, than would be greatly appreciated.

- In light of some complaints I’ve received from some players, I’d just like to remind everyone that in your PMs, the only characters you’re supposed to be controlling is your own (unless you’ve got some NPCs under your command, and even then, it’s mostly still my job to describe their actions). Bunnying other characters without permission is not okay.

- Finally, since there’s a lot of schemes piling up for Episode 5, I would like to remind everyone ahead of time that just because you know about something from reading the episode does not mean your character in-game knows about that thing. Metagaming will be penalised. I don’t want to find a half-dozen PMs of people suddenly deciding to double the guard at their gates, or check their water supplies, or whatever else you think might stop the plans you’re not supposed to know about in the first place. 

 

EPISODE 5 BEGINS NOW!

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This game is a mess.

 

And I wrote down that we left the area before I whispered. You think I would both speak in an audible tone like a child while whispering and do it in front of Whenua like an idiot? I understand that Onaku was not finished speaking to Whenua but he mentioned that after I wrote the whispering part. It should have been revised to take into account of confusing chronology. (Should have; what's done is done)

Edited by Hyethut (Iaredios)

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"You're a le-matoran!"

"And you're a Le-Matoran!"

"And YOU'RE a Le-matoran!"

-Nato, giving roles in BZPMN, 2017. =P

(Also this chapter is nice and I'm slightly afraid for what Chapter 5 will hold...)

-Rahkshi Guurahk
GENERATION 3: The first time you see this, copy it into your sig on any forum and add 1 to the generation. Social experiment.
If I actually tried putting all the stuff I like on here, the sig would burst.

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(This banner is created by http://www.bzpower.com/board/user/59020-onaku/ )

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This game is a mess.

 

And I wrote down that we left the area before I whispered. You think I would both speak in an audible tone like a child while whispering and do it in front of Whenua like an idiot? I understand that Onaku was not finished speaking to Whenua but he mentioned that after I wrote the whispering part. It should have been revised to take into account of confusing chronology. (Should have; what's done is done)

At least you aren't elittra. Half of the creepy character building stuff she does that actually warrants her having such a reputation gets cut. I mean we didn't even see her kill the messenger ;_;

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This game is a mess.

 

And I wrote down that we left the area before I whispered. You think I would both speak in an audible tone like a child while whispering and do it in front of Whenua like an idiot? I understand that Onaku was not finished speaking to Whenua but he mentioned that after I wrote the whispering part. It should have been revised to take into account of confusing chronology. (Should have; what's done is done)

At least you aren't elittra. Half of the creepy character building stuff she does that actually warrants her having such a reputation gets cut. I mean we didn't even see her kill the messenger ;_;

 

 

Nato after hearing this I want to commend and thank you for your discretion

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Well this should be a interesting episode.

(Just over here hoping Nato lets me drink tea without sugar.)

:(

i mean if you've always had sugary tea, no reason to not have it

also no reason to suddenly and pointlessly do a spy check :v

I already had plans of doing a spy check this episode after getting the Ga-Koro letter. Also Daenerys is a tough ridged individual it would not be out of here personality to perform random exercises to see if her troops are fit or if a spy wormed there way in.

Also first time I mentioned tea in the PM I told Rhialtus to sweeten it with honey not sugar. So there is that.

 

 

 

 

Well this should be a interesting episode.

(Just over here hoping Nato lets me drink tea without sugar.)

:(

what if elittra insists on both of you having tea with sugar

I'm probably the one person left in this game crazy enought to still want to side with you.

Don't push it. :P

Hey I got a Flickr because I like making LEGO stuff.

https://www.flickr.com/people/toatimelord/
 

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It's that time again...

 

SPECIAL VARIABLES - EPISODE 5

 

A colossal earthquake has rocked the island, triggering the following effects:

 

Ta-Wahi - Ta-Koro suffered moderate structural damage in the quake, exacerbating the tensions that were already building there. 

Onu-Wahi - Numerous tunnels collapsed in Onu-Koro, leaving civilians trapped, and guards scattered. 

Ko-Wahi - The quake triggered another avalanche near Ko-Koro, blocking the secret entrance in the Drifts, leaving the bridge at the main gate as the only way in or out of the village. 

Ga-Wahi - Ga-Koro didn't fare well, either. The quake caused tidal waves that sunk boats, damaged huts, and destroyed bridges. A dozen civilians are still missing in the aftermath. 

Po-Wahi - Po-Koro was the only village to emerge unscathed. While a few statues and buildings were damaged, no one was seriously hurt. 

  • Upvote 8

Embers - a new Bionicle Epic - Coming 2024 

Class Is Out - A Farewell To Corpus Rahkshi - Chapters/Review

BZPRPG Characters - Minnorak, Kain, T'harrak, Savis, Vazaria, Lash

BZPRPG Mercenary Group - The Outsiders - Description - History - Base

Ghosts Of Bara Magna - Ash Tribe - Precipere - Kehla, Somok, Skrall, Gayle, Avinus, Zha'ar

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