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I will be the annoying person. 

 

...Is the game dying? 

 

I'm going to go ahead and claim partial responsibility for the decline in activity. Real Life has been chewing up a lot of my time lately, and for that I must apologise.

 

That said, I think the same could be said for a lot of players - I haven't completely finished writing it yet, but Episode 6 is shaping up to be the shortest Episode thus far, even though it ran for longer than any of the others. We're at the time of the year where everyone gets dragged down by family commitments and general holiday stuff. 

Edited by Roman Torchwick
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Episode 6 – The Cost of Victory

 

-Guurahk-

Grav (until exit), Vali, Guurahk

 

"As you can see," Vali turned to Guurahk and Grav, "Our village is well-camouflaged, and well-defended. What need would we have for Ta-Koro weapons and armour?"

 

"You have a lot of soldiers," Grav replied, “Well trained, too, I've no doubt. And it is well-trained soldiers that make you the victor. But expertly-crafted gear; that is what makes the victory a crushing one. It is high-quality weapons that send foes to the grave with clean blades; it is high-quality armor that empties your larder on the eve of your triumph, for having more veterans alive to raid it. I cannot claim to know what foes your people would fight, or when; but I can tell you that their tears and their blood would stain Ta-Koro steel in equal volume."

 

"That is where we disagree. Training and discipline are all well and good, but weapons and armour don't win wars. All you need, all you really need, are the right tactics, and the proper motivation." Vali gestured to the guardsmen behind Grav, "Ta-Koro has never truly had to fight for anything. You stand there, proud and imperious behind your unbreachable walls, clad in your shiny armour, brandishing your fancy weapons like flags. You haven't endured the things we have, haven't lost what we have, haven't fought and clawed day after day for years at a time just to scrape together the bare necessities for survival." Her expression softened. "That said... your logic is sound. It would be foolish of us not to accept your steel."

 

Grav smiled, "Perhaps you've a point; I should much enjoy further debating the ins and outs of warfare with you, at some later date. However, as you have agreed to accept our steel, I must shortly conclude my visit, that I may deliver the good tidings to my Turaga. But, before I can do that-- I have said that the armor we bring today is a gift, and I told no lie; neither I nor my people expect anything in return. Future shipments, however, must be an act of commerce, lest our blacksmiths - and bookkeepers - riot in the streets." He looked around for a moment, "Your lands are lush; if your village produces more food than it needs, you would do us a great favor by trading some to us, as our only source at present is, regrettably, the treacherous Ga-Koro, who have already poisoned one village and should no doubt do it again, if only they felt that they could get away with it."

 

"That sounds like a fair arrangement to me. Good luck on your return journey."

 

"Excellent," Grav responded. "Until we meet again: May your people prosper." With that, he set off back towards the boats.

 

Guurahk, who had remained silent through the exchange, finally spoke up, "Considering they're leaving, could I have a boat to go to Ga-Koro? Emaali's still on the loose, and I don't think any of us want that to continue to be true. Would there be anything else you'd want to discuss now that they're gone, Turaga?"

"A boat and provisions can be provided, if need be," Vali replied, "I don't believe there's anything else we need to discuss... unless there's something you wanted to ask me?"

 

"...That will be all, I guess, my turaga?"

 

Noticing his hesitance, Vali frowned, "Are you feeling alright, RG?"

 

"Not exactly...I was hit in the head earlier in my time at Ga-Koro, leading to both the crack you can see on part of my mask, and losing a bit of my memory of some things. It's a bit...disorienting. I don't recognize some things I know I should. I'm not really sure what can be done about that, though, other than just refamiliarize myself with everything..."

 

"I see..." Vali’s frown deepened, "...then let me refresh your memory. Emaali is my younger sister. She, like me, was born many years after the destruction of old Le-Koro, but she's always been bitter about what happened. She left for Ga-Koro some time ago, intending to steal poison from there and use it on the people of Ta-Koro. When I found out what she was planning, I sent you to Ga-Koro to find her. You left with Erihapeti, although she was instructed to go on a separate mission in Onu-Koro. Last we heard, Emaali was posing as a trader somewhere on the docks in Ga-Koro, trying to get access to the greenhouse where the poison plants were stored."

 

"Hmm...I really should get back as fast as possible to deal with her... However, the greenhouse those poison plants were in was sunk before recently. No chance of her getting them now, but she might have some that she acquired through...other means."

 

"That may explain why we haven't seen or heard anything from her in recent times. With the poison gone, her plan is almost certainly ruined... but she's too ashamed to return here empty-handed. She'll find a way to try again. She's stubborn like that..."

 

-Unit-

Rhialtus, Unit

 

Unit emerged from his house, well rested and with half-formed plots against Daenerys swirling in his head. As he started to make his way towards the Sanctum, however, he caught sight of the devastation that Elittra’s attack had left in its wake.

 

"By Mata Nui, what happened?" He asked the nearest guards.

 

"The leader of Ta-Koro came here for a meeting... then Daenerys tried to kill her."

 

 "She had these... things with her. Huge monsters, that breathed fire."

 

 "They killed Daenerys and Toru."

 

Unit blinked. "Are they still around?"

 

"They're gone."

 

"They left with the Ta-Matoran lady."

 

"She took a lot of our supplies, too."

 

"Post someone to watch in case they come back.” Unit ordered, “Start recovery efforts. Tend to the injured, calm down the villagers, take bodies to the mortician, that sort of thing. I want two of you to make a rough inventory of our remaining supplies. Doesn't have to be exact, but we need to know our situation for survival and trade."

 

As the guards scattered to carry out his instructions, another guard approached Unit. A guard whom Unit recognised as one of those that had left with Rhialtus earlier.

 

“The Turaga has returned via the secret entrance in the drifts.” The guard explained, “She’s waiting for you in the Sanctum.”

 

"Thank you. Carry on."

 

He quickly made his way up to the Sanctum, where he found Rhialtus in her usual spot, slouched imperiously in her throne. "Unit!  Over here," she beckoned.  "I have

some important news for you."

 

"Which is?"

 

"Look at this letter," she said, showing him the letter from the anonymous Matoran.  "It would seem that the spy Toru was assigned to investigate has been all but confirmed. On another note, I assume you noticed the carnage on the way over here?"

 

If her tone was anything to go by, she hadn’t yet realised that part of that ‘carnage’ had formerly been her wife.

 

-Smoke Monster-

Smoke Monster, Ehksidian (after entrance), Fractyl (after entrance), Onaku (after entrance, until exit)

 

Heedless of those dead and dying in the streets around him, Smoke Monster headed off to an isolated corner of the village. Once he was sure he was alone, he pulled the Comet from his bag. "Alright, let's try this again, my friend. I believe we may have gotten off on the wrong foot last time we talked. For that, I apologize. I didn't mean any offence. I just want my goals to be achieved. So let's start over now and start anew. Now, may I ask what your name is?"

 

The reply came in a distant, weary whisper. Names are unimportant. I have many. All are meaningless. But you would know me as Makuta.

 

"You're...Makuta? As in 'THE' Makuta? The legends presented you to look a little more menacing than you do now. I guess time really hasn't been your friend. But I digress. I can presume that you're behind some of the most recent disasters to hit the island, correct?"

 

Not my doing. These creatures are the work of... others.

 

"Creatures? What creatures are you talking about?"

 

The ones in the snow, in the sand, in the soil. The ones beneath this village.

 

"These creatures... do they have a name? And are they Rahi or something else?"

 

Bohrok. They are rahi... of a sort. Created by evil, not evolution.

 

"Bohrok....sounds like some creatures worth checking out. Thanks for the info, spherical Makuta." He pocketed the sphere and started in the direction of the nearest entrance to the mines, gathering two guards to accompany him as he did. As he walked, however, he soon spotted a contingent of Ga-Matoran following him, Onaku and a Po-Matoran with them.

 

"Seems there will be a change in plans." He said to his guards, "Go get two Boxors and bring them over here. I believe that will dissuade them from taking violent actions against us. I'll stall them until you return."

 

Fractyl stopped before him, her troops forming a rough semicircle around him, "Did your soldier get you my message, dear Captain?"

 

"Smoke Monster, what the actual Karzahni did you do?!" Onaku stopped next to Fractyl.

 

As if in response, Smoke Monster’s soldiers returned, at the controls of two boxors.

 

"Oh for the love of-" Ehksidian groaned, "Call them off. Unless you want both Po-Koro and Ga-Koro to lay what remains of your village to waste because of your scheming, Smoke. Or was the poisoning part of your scheme, too? Sow the seeds of discord so you could take control and fully orchestrate a war between Ga and Po-Koro?"

 

Smoke turned to Ehksidian. "Not to worry. These two are only here to keep things civil. They won't do anything to anyone unless someone gives them a reason to, okay? As for my soldier..." He turned to Fractyl. "He didn't give me a message. He just started acting weird. It worried me a bit, but then our village was hit with the poison, so I had to turn my attention to that. And speaking of which..." He turned back to Ehksidian. "I had nothing to do with said poisoning of my village. Though I admit that I'm not surprised that something like this happened, given the status of our island and its villages." He addressed the group, "Now, aside from the state of my fellow soldier, what business do you have with me?"

 

"Stand down.” Onaku snapped at the two soldiers, “This is an entirely unnecessary escalation. Return those Boxors to their storage areas."

 

"Hold your ground, soldiers." Smoke countered, "Not that I want to insult our guests from Po-Koro and Ga-Koro, but I'd prefer that you two both stay until said guests tell us why they are here, and why soldiers from Ga-Koro are with them."

 

With Iaredios dead, and no time to elect a replacement Turaga, both Smoke and Onaku had equal claim to commanding Onu-Koro. But these guards were loyal to their Captain, and stood their ground.

 

"Well?" Onaku grumbled, glancing at Ehksidian and Fractyl. "He's all yours."

 

"I think my companion said it clear enough.” Fractyl replied calmly, “We suspect Smoke Monster of attempting to instigate war between Po-Koro and Ga-Koro through the use of anonymous messages."

 

"Both Pahrak and Quin were attacked by a team of assassins, allegedly recruited by Ga-Koro. However, the assailants were given an unsigned letter from an anonymous source...and that sort of attack doesn't fit the bill with how Ga-Koro tends to operate. Along with that, there was some false intel given to Ga-Koro about there being Po-Koro spies within their ranks. And I know for a fact that isn't a thing. And if it weren't for finding your men crawling around Ga-Koro, I don't think we'd be here right now. But it's all too suspicious in my eyes...especially with the poisoning. It seems like a mad gamble, poisoning your own village and hoping it kills as few as possible, but when trying to instigate a war against Ga-Koro...it only makes sense."

 

"Like I said, I had nothing to do with the poisoning of my village." Smoke reiterated calmly, "If I was going to poison a village, it wouldn't have been this one. But for the rest of it, yes, I did incite a conflict between your two villages. Though my original plan was to get all the villages to fight each other. It's the only way to save us all from the island, after all."

 

Ehksidian narrowed her eyes, "Save us from the island? What kind of rahi dung is that?"

 

"All you've done is start to clear the air between Po and Ga-Koro.” Fractyl replied, “And I don't buy what you're saying now. Why not just declare your intentions outright? Or directly instigate war with other villages? There was clearly another motive behind your underhanded methods."

 

"And it sure is suspicious how Onu-Koro was poisoned right after your men were found lurking in Ga-Koro...after all, what better way to get Onu-Koro in the fight than a poisoning by Ga-Koro? A few lives lost to achieve your goal is no issue, I assume." Ehksidian added.

 

"You're really intent on pinning the poisoning of my village on me, aren't you? I just confessed to the rest. Why would I only deny doing that if I did it?" He sighed. "Arguing with you further on that is pointless, as you've clearly made up for your mind on the matter." He turned to Fractyl. "As for my intentions, I will gladly tell you all. I wish to save us all by uniting the villages before the island wipes us all out. The destruction of Le-Koro was a warning to this. The recent earthquake was another. However, almost everyone on this island has ignored these warnings, and instead continue to live in their isolated sections, only interacting with others when a need rose for it. All I did was attempt to move pieces along so that our unity could be achieved before we were all killed, even if it meant I would be labeled a villain. And though I haven't been as successful as I would've like to have been, I have brought you two together. And given the history between Ga-Koro and Po-Koro, I'd say that is a small victory in itself."

 

"If that's so,” Fractyl finally said, “then why where you trying to sneak away?"

 

"I wasn't sneaking away. I didn't even know you two were here until a few minutes ago. I was heading off to investigate the truthfulness of some info passed along to me."

 

Onaku smirked at the two boxor-piloting soldiers, "You guys buying all of this?"

 

"They are well aware of the situation, Onaku. In case you didn't notice, these two were part of the group that went above ground with me. I've told them of the danger we as the Matoran species face, and they are willing to help save us all from ourselves."

 

"I want to hear it from them, Smoke."

 

The guard’s faces were blank, impassive. "We stand by our Captain, diplomat."

 

"Of course you do...” Onaku muttered, “Listen, right now, I need to see to other matters. To be quite frank, I don't have time to deal with this right now. Heck, we don't have time to deal with this right now. Half of our village just died from poison! This is the last thing we need right now! If this escalates, and you start a war with Ga-Koro or Po-Koro... or both, know that I will personally consider all three of you traitors, although I won't speak for the rest of the village. Please, just... don't let Onu-Koro down... not today. Not after everything that's happened." With that, he stormed away.

 

"I thank you both for standing by me. Our chances of saving Mata Nui are better because of it." Smoke turned to everyone still present. "So...are we done here? Because I've got some stuff to check out."

 

"You snuck into Ga-Koro, gave them false intel about Po-Koro spies...and tried to get both Po-Koro's Turaga and general assassinated.” Ehksidian spat, “No. I'm not done here. Whatever banal idea you have in your head doesn't excuse you from retribution. Especially not when there's still the poisoning to deal with...and I still don't believe you're not responsible for that."

 

"You're entitled to whatever opinion you want to have.” Smoke replied smoothly, "Like I said, you've made up your mind on who you want to blame for the tragedy that has fallen on my village. Nothing I say will convince you otherwise."

 

"And you still need to pay for what you've done.” Ehksidian snapped back, “Almost getting both Po-Koro's leader and general assassinated alone would be enough for a declaration of war under normal circumstances. It's lucky that your men were found and admitted to following you...otherwise this would be a far, far nastier situation for you. Fractyl? Any thoughts?"

 

"Exposure of his crimes is a good start, I think.” Fractyl said, “As long as it's made excruciatingly clear that the rest of Onu-Koro had nothing to do with it. Other than that, I'd leave it to his own leadership to decide what's done with him."

 

"Hm. Fair enough.” Ehksidian nodded, “Though I doubt Onu-Koro is in a state to enact any punishment."

 

"I will freely turn myself over for whatever crimes I've committed. AFTER the island population has been saved from itself. Now I'm going to go into those tunnels up ahead, and anyone who tries to stop me will have to deal with these Boxors. Are we clear?"

 

-Azalea-

Azalea, Tuyet

 

Clutching a letter from Ta-Koro in her hands, Azalea rushed into Tuyet’s greenhouse. It was empty now, save for Tuyet herself, who sat hunched in front of the altar, seemingly in the middle of a whispered, one-sided conversation with some one or thing that Azalea couldn’t see.

 

Hesitating, Azalea finally coughed once, loudly, in the hopes of gaining Tuyet’s attention.

 

"You must be desperate if you've come to me," Tuyet chuckled, rising to her feet. She turned towards Azalea, a smile adorning her face, "How can I help you this time?"

 

"I... have come for more information. Do you know anything about round, elemental insectoids and fleshy masks?"

 

"Ah, you're finally asking the right questions. But where did you hear about these things, might I ask?"

 

"A message that recently arrived. A warning, if I must say."

 

"Then it appears that the situation is escalating more quickly than we'd anticipated," Tuyet's face twisted into a frown. Once again, Azalea caught a glimpse of something shifting behind her mask. "But you don't need to worry. Ga-Koro is under my protection. You have nothing to fear from those creatures here."

 

"Under your protection? How? What do you know about these creatures?"

 

Tuyet pulled off her mask, revealing the fleshy form of the Krana clinging to her face. "I know that the creatures - Bohrok - here in Ga-Koro are safely under my control." She smiled as she put her mask back on, "Would you like to see one?"

 

"What...?" Azalea struggled to process the revelation, "What? I thought that these Bohrok insectoids were the threat that the two brothers dealt with before that's rising up again. Why are there Bohrok here in this village? What is even the actual threat then?"

 

"Oh, the Bohrok are the threat. They're like locusts; they exist solely to devour living things. What they cannot eat, they'll simply destroy with their powers. But these krana," she indicated the fleshy thing behind her mask, "Were created by Makuta and Mata Nui to control the Bohrok's minds. When the Bohrok were sent here to destroy Ga-Koro, I seized control of them, and halted the attack before it had even begun."

 

"And what do you plan to do with them?"

-Kaathe-

Kaathe

 

Leaving a handful of Kohrak behind to hold off the Pahrak, Kaathe and his swarm retreated down the mountain, angling their approach sideways so that they would be out of the Pahrak swarm’s path. One by one, Kaathe felt his ‘awareness’ of the Kohrak he’d left behind fading. He caught glimpses of their final moments - dozens of brown-hued bodies, crushing together, relentlessly marching forward.

 

A few minutes later, Kaathe saw the Pahrak swarm continuing their descent in the distance. None of them came in his direction, and once they were past, he and his Kohrak resumed their ascent. After reaching the spot where he thought he’d sensed the Krana earlier, he instructed his Kohrak to search for the creature.

 

He soon found what he was looking for.  

 

Cold, grey, and lifeless, the Krana’s corpse had blended in perfectly with the snow, its body/face/whatever covered in cuts and bruises, punctured and flattened. The one on Kaathe’s face let out a plaintive, mournful whine in the presence of its deceased sibling, and Kaathe quickly slipped the dead creature into his satchel, out of his Krana’s sight.

 

The Krana’s reaction surprised him. Clearly, the creature possessed some form of sentience if seeing its own kind dead was distressing to it. In his mind, Kaathe brought up the image of the sun rising and falling continuously, followed by an image of the Krana he wore, trying to inquire if said krana had always been krana, or perhaps how long it has existed.

 

In response to his images of the sun, the Krana showed him darkness. First, the time spent trapped in the satchel in the Nui-Jaga cave, then years spent in a box hidden in Onewa's hut, then untold eons spent slumbering underground. An eternity spent in shadow.  

 

Kaathe tried to further question the Krana, this time showing images of "Creation", such as the planting of seeds and sprouts pushing their way from the ground, young matoran walking with their parents, disks being carved from wood. He was inquiring as to whether or not the Krana recalled its first moments of life.

The Krana seemed... confused. It showed Kaathe images of rahi and Matoran - hatching from eggs, being born from their mothers - of plants and mushrooms sprouting underground....and then it showed those same rahi and Matoran dying of old age, the plants withering and decaying. The krana had clearly witnessed a great many births and deaths... but appeared to have no recollection of its own genesis.

 

Frustrated, Kaathe once more projected images to the mind of the Krana, this time of peaceful darkness with a moon above, and then a question mark, followed by a confined darkness. Did it perhaps remember how Onewa came to be in possession of it?

 

In response, Kaathe received flickers of memory - the sounds of pickaxes, of rock breaking and dirt shifting - the confused, frightened faces of Po-Matoran - a being in brown armour, taller than any Matoran, picking up the krana - the krana being handed over to a much younger-looking Turaga Onewa, who locked the krana inside a wooden chest.

 

“Mhmm,” Kaathe tried to portray feelings of ‘Thanks and gratitude’ to the krana in response to the memories it shared. Though its way of thinking was abstract and confusing, the krana has still proven to be quite informative.

 

Satisfied with the knowledge he’d gained, Kaathe set off for Kini-Nui.

-Nahaki-

Nahaki

 

“She can fly!” A guard stumbled into Elittra’s basement, staring at Nahaki with panic in their eyes. "We did like you said, showed her your mask, dropped the bridge when she tried to cross, and Elittra flew away!"

 

"...She can fly?!," Nahaki repeated, "She flew away? Let's hope we still have disks and spears..." She bolted up the stairs and out into the street, hearing the sounds of shouting and crackling flames coming from the direction of the city gates.

 

By the time she reached the parapet, however, Elittra and her Tahnok were gone from sight, the only sign of their presence being fresh scorch marks, and a series of tracks weaving their way down the slope towards the harbour.

 

Trepidation setting in, Nahaki quickly scrawled down a message, and handed it off to a Gukko rider to deliver to Ga-Koro, before climbing onto a Gukko of her own, and flying off towards the harbour. It was dangerous, perhaps downright suicidal, but sometimes in life one had to take risks.

It was time for Nahaki to confront Elittra, face to face.

 

-Onaku-

Onaku,Whenua

 

After many long minutes fruitlessly inspecting the water casks in the storage cavern, Onaku made a grim announcement to the people of Onu-Koro. “Our water supply has been contaminated with a deadly poison and we currently are unable to distinguish the poisoned barrels from the safe ones. As such, we are unable to distribute water from this source and must find other means of getting water.”

 

With that done, he set off to find Whenua.

 

The aging ex-Turaga was crumpled on the floor of his hut, barely clinging to life. A broken glass and small puddle of water adorned the floor beside him.

 

"What... happened?" Whenua wheezed, his glazed-over eyes fixing on Onaku’s.

 

"Out water supply was poisoned. Half of our village has been killed..." he grimaced, "...Erihapeti and Iaredios didn't make it."

 

-Kaathe-

Kaathe

 

After hours of laborious travel over treacherous, unforgiving terrain, Kaathe and his Kohrak finally found themselves at the temple of Kini Nui. The site was already ancient, long before the cataclysm. Now, after decades of earthquakes, drought, and wind, the temple was a shell of what it once was. The stonework was cracked and crumbling, weakened further by the recent rainfall. Sections of the wall had broken apart completely, toppled spires lying fragmented across the floor.

 

No one had been here in a very long time.

 

The Kohrak fanned out across the temple grounds, scouting the surroundings for the presence of any one or thing else. Satisfied that he was alone, Kaathe entered the temple itself, carefully approaching the spot where the Suva-Kaita had once stood. What he found was a large section of stone floor sloping inwards towards a heaped mound of rubble. Among the fragments, he could make out the remains of the statues that once held pride of place in the temple's centre. It seemed that, at some point during the many seismic upheavals that have rocked the island, part of the temple's ceiling had caved in on top of the Suva-Kaita, collapsing part of the floor, and crushing the shrine.

 

Even the Bohrok - who he had briefly sensed digging in various places across the island when he’d first donned the Krana - had completely avoided Kini-Nui.

Kaathe ordered the Kohrak to begin freezing and shattering the rubble atop the Suva-Kaita, while he probed at the minds of the Kohrak, trying to understand why they’d avoided this place. The response he received was a jumbled mess of confusion and something akin to... fear. He could discern fragments of memory - jagged tunnels hewn in blackened rock, lightstones the colour of blood, and a hulking, twisted figure wearing a rusted Kanohi Hau.

 

What in Mata Nui’s name is down here?

-Grav-

Nahaki, Elittra, Grav

 

Reunited with his trusty axe, Grav the Scab stepped off his boat and onto the jetty, glancing around in wary confusion. The sailors, workers, and guardsmen who’d normally be populating the harbour were nowhere to be found. In the distance, he could see a lone Gukko flying down from the direction of Ta-Koro, and he started heading towards it.

 

As he drew closer to the village, he could see that the gates of Ta-Koro were sealed, and the bridge withdrawn beneath the moat of lava. Waiting on the far shore was Elittra and her Tahnok, surrounding the spot where the Gukko was about to land.

 

"Elittra," Nahaki – wearing Kuan’s mask – clambered down off the Gukko and bowed to Elittra, "I've come from Ta-Koro. I'm sure by now you've noticed what's happened there.”

 

The Turaga’s response was as cold as her heat, "I am aware."

 

"They... they found your cellar... They found me in your cellar, next to the corpses and Kuan and Vakama. They did not like what they saw... They took my Mask, and left me there until I could escape."

 

"You were worrying me with your behaviour before I left, Nahaki. Ta-Koro would not have broken into my home unless someone ordered them to. They would not have refused me, their Queen , the right to defend myself unless someone gave them an order. Did you know that Ko-Koro intended to kill me? Daenerys and Toru brought the whole strength of their forces to arms and ambushed me."

 

A Tahnok Va stepped forward, dumping a pile of the supplies claimed from Ko-Koro onto the ground for Nahaki to see.

 

"Daenerys is dead now. Toru is dead now. Many of their soldiers are wounded or dead, the main entrance to their village burned. I took these supplies and more from them as punishment for their crimes, and intended to give them to our people. I showed them mercy. I left their food and water untouched. I left them their weapons and gear. Once the fighting ended, I left their soldiers unharmed, and took only the lives of their commanders. Ko Koro will recover... and Ta Koro will as well, once those responsible have paid the price of betraying me."

 

"No doubt Ko-Koro will want revenge sooner or later, regardless of the mercy you had shown.” Nahaki replied, her scepticism clear, “I doubt that is something they will ever forget."

 

As he listened to their conversation, Grav stopped before the pair. After a moment’s hesitation, he stepped closer to Elittra, adopting a ready stance near where his Turaga stood. Outwardly, he projected the demeanour of a loyal soldier, but inwardly, he was less certain of whose side he ought to take.

 

"Ko-Koro will not be in any state to attempt another attack any time soon. Besides - if they do, in fact, insist on maintaining a grudge for the consequences of the actions they took, Ta-Koro should be more than capable of repelling them on their own... and that's before taking into account our current alliances.” She turned to Grav, “I'm glad to see that you have returned unharmed. I'd like to know how the negotiations went, and I'm curious as to where Guurahk is... but first, Nahaki - why is our village in open rebellion?"

 

"Our village is in open rebellion because they discovered the corpse of Vakama, as well as the corpse of Kuan, in your cellar. They, as it turns out, held Vakama in very high regard. I held Vakama in high regard too, no doubt you saw that..." Nahaki started tembling, "I pointed the guards to his corpse, and they immediately alerted the entire village. They turned to me on what to do..." she sunk to her knees before Elittra, seemingly defeated by her own shame, "They asked me what to do... I told them to rebel. That is why Ta-Koro is rebelling against you, her majesty Queen Elittra of Ta-Wahi and Po-Wahi. I was... am foolish."

 

"Yes you were," Elittra’s slumped shoulders made her disappointment clear, "Why would you let them intrude upon my private space, when you had already witnessed the consequences of such an action? Why would you turn them against me, when all I have done is to make Ta-Koro stronger?" Behind Nahaki, the Gukko bird was abruptly enveloped in Tahnok flames, its shrieking, twitching form reduced to bones and ash almost instantly, "You will stay with me.” Elittra decided, “Permanently. If you try to run, try to harm me, or try to turn others to your will, I will have the Tahnok burn you alive... slowly. Grav and I will share your diplomatic duties, for I hereby strip you of your rank and titles, and the powers and responsibilities that came with them."

 

"I thank for your mercy, my Queen," Nahaki whimpered, eyes downcast.

 

Satisfied with her victory, Elittra turned back to Grav, “I would hear your report, before we decide how we will convince our village to allow myself and the Tahnok through the gates with the supplies we gathered."

 

"The expedition was successful," Grav responded. "I discovered that the Le-Matoran, more than simply existing, have constructed a settlement on the Kumu Islets, which they call New Le-Koro. The village is well-hidden and equally well-defended. I managed to persuade their leader, a Matoran named Vali, to accept our gifts and to agree to trade food to us, in exchange for weaponry and further shipments of armor. As for Guurahk, I left him there as a matter of course; I could not risk continuing to hold him as hostage, not after he cleared himself of being a Ga-Koronan agent, as you had accused him, and especially not after he had shown himself to be a member of the people with which I had just brokered such a tentative alliance."

 

He cast a wayward glance at the groveling form of Nahaki, a mixture of pity and disgust welling up within him.

 

"You did well," Elittra assured him, "If they are settled on the Islets, do you believe they intend to return to the mainland soon?"

 

"They are building ships larger than any Mata Nui has seen prior," Grav replied. "I fear that is exactly what they plan; which is why it is so fortuitous that I have initiated good relations with them. Not to mention, made us their armorer. If they decide to return to the mainland under the banner of war, there is now no chance they will act the aggressor to us."

 

"Good.” Elittra glanced at Ta-Koro. "I must get inside with the Bohrok. Then I can secure the village and we can move on from this farce."

 

"A Gukko Bird would allow you to get inside. If there are any at this harbour, you could send Grav up there on one, and then he could raise the bridge and state that I am a traitor." Nahaki suggested.

 

"Move your Bohrok from the entrance, and they will let me in," Grav said, already approaching the village entrance.

 

"Whose side are you on?" Came a distant shout, once Grav had stopped, and the Bohrok had withdrawn.

 

"I am on the side of Ta-Koro, now and forever."

 

"That's not an answer!" Came the reply, "Are you with her and those monsters?"

 

"I have been absent for all such recent developments," Grav answered. "I have no reliable information of what occurred, having spoken only to Elittra on my way in - and briefly, at that - and I should wish to examine the evidence for myself before choosing a side."

 

For many long moments, nothing happened. From this distance, Grav couldn’t hear what was going on beyond the walls, but it was safe to assume that a heated debate was taking place. Finally, the bridge began to raise, and the gates of Ta-Koro creaked open. Grav quickly made his way across, to find a group of guards waiting for him, spears and swords at the ready. Their wary gazes were not fixed on him, however, but the Bohrok in the distance.

 

"Lower the bridge again-- let these men rest for a spell." Grav ordered, before approaching the nearest of his lieutenants and demanding that they inform him of recent events.

 

The bridge descended once again, and the soldiers visibly relaxed somewhat. The lieutenant quickly brought Grav up to speed on Nahaki's claims that Elittra had instructed the Bohrok to attack the people of Ta-Koro, and that Elittra had murdered both Kuan and Vakama. Given that the soldiers had found the bodies in question in the basement of Elittra's house, they'd been left with little reason to doubt the veracity of Nahaki's story.

 

Grav made a show of investigating Elittra's basement and the bodies contained within. He already knew what judgement he would have to make, but the act at least gave him the time to figure out how to say it.

 

His grim task completed, he addressed his soldiers, “Gather the people of Ta-Koro. I have an announcement that they all must hear.”

 

End of Episode 6!

 

Once again, I’m extremely sorry for the delay in compiling and posting this. I have no excuses save for business and procrastination. However, if this episode is any indication, I’m not the only one with less time on their hands during this holiday season. Despite me letting this episode run longer than any of the previous ones, it has proven to be significantly shorter than any of the others.

 

This brings me to this question: would you all prefer that I begin the next Episode immediately, or put the game on temporary hiatus until the holiday season is over? 

Edited by Roman Torchwick
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Well, now that Nato finally decided to get back to us on this game, I suppose now would be a good opportunity to let him know that I relinquish my role of Turaga to him. I have done absolutely nothing to contribute to the game, and that, combined with two months of inactivity here, has caused me to lose all interest in participating. I hope that Nato will actually be able to do something with the leadership of Ko-Koro.

Goodbye, everyone. It wasn't fun while it lasted.

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Well, now that Nato finally decided to get back to us on this game, I suppose now would be a good opportunity to let him know that I relinquish my role of Turaga to him. I have done absolutely nothing to contribute to the game, and that, combined with two months of inactivity here, has caused me to lose all interest in participating. I hope that Nato will actually be able to do something with the leadership of Ko-Koro.

Goodbye, everyone. It wasn't fun while it lasted.

 

Between your perpetual abuse of both of the individuals that have gone to enough painstaking trouble to host the games you've played in, and the final, snide comment towards your fellow players, who have yet to in any way wrong you, I sincerely hope not to see you returning to similarly torture our next GM.

 

- :burnmad:

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Between your perpetual abuse of both of the individuals that have gone to enough painstaking trouble to host the games you've played in, and the final, snide comment towards your fellow players, who have yet to in any way wrong you, I sincerely hope not to see you returning to similarly torture our next GM.

This is a laugh, coming from you.  I have never abused any of the GMs in games like this, because I actually have common sense.  And my "final, snide comment" was not directed toward any players; it was merely a comment on my experience in this game.  I did not enjoy it in the long run.

Rest assured, though, if you're in the next Realms game, I definitely won't be.

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I'd also be up for starting nowish.

However, regardless, I would probably be kinda inactive for some of the days after christmas, as the band has to go play for a bowl game then.

-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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Well, now that Nato finally decided to get back to us on this game, I suppose now would be a good opportunity to let him know that I relinquish my role of Turaga to him. I have done absolutely nothing to contribute to the game, and that, combined with two months of inactivity here, has caused me to lose all interest in participating. I hope that Nato will actually be able to do something with the leadership of Ko-Koro.

Goodbye, everyone. It wasn't fun while it lasted.

Lan if it's okay with Nato. Could I play with your character Rhialtus?

 

Nato if I get the okay from Lan could I return as Rhialtus?

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

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

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Nope.

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I'm going to be busy for the next few days, and I suspect the same can be said for everyone else. The absolute earliest I'd have enough free time to commit to resuming the game will be the 27th/28th, but based on some of the responses here, I might decide to leave things until the first week of January. 

 

Happy holidays to you all!   :xmas:

Edited by Roman Torchwick
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BZPRPG Mercenary Group - The Outsiders - Description - History - Base

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  • 2 weeks later...

I'm back. Apologies once again for all the delays with this game. Hopefully my life will calm down a bit and I can focus on running these last few episodes as smoothly as possible. 

 

Episode 7 begins now!

 

(I'll also announce this in the Koro PMs, since I'm aware that some people may not be following this topic as closely anymore. If you're waiting for a reply from me, please bump the relevant PM)

Edited by Roman Torchwick
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Embers - a new Bionicle Epic - Coming 2024 

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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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  • 2 weeks later...

Alright, I'm going to be completely honest here: I'm not sure if there's much point to continuing this game. Episode 7 has been running for over a week, and it's still going to be painfully, pathetically short compared to any of the previous chapters. Due to deaths and withdrawals, we do have fewer players than we started out with, but most of the current issues are more to do with inactivity. There's only been a handful of active PMs this episode, and entire villages have been completely inactive. 

 

I'm willing to accept at least partial responsibility for this. I started the game at a bad time, and because of all of the delays on my end (especially the lengthy break over Christmas), the game has lost momentum, players have lost interest, and the game as a whole has been floundering as a consequence. I know Tex has been eager for quite some time to begin BZPGOT Season 3, and at this point, I feel that the more respectful option for me would be to step down, end this game, and stop holding up his project. 

 

That said, I'll defer to the rest of you - would you prefer that we try to persist with BZPMN, or is it time to move on?

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I for one would at least want to try to finish it.

-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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While I would love to finish it, I feel if we only have a few active players that any type of conclusion to the story would not be as meaningful as it could be. 

Instead perhaps it might be best to end it with this episode, and end it in such a way that a season 2 could be possible with minor time skip or some such.

 

I'd rather it go out unfinished than on life-support.

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I'd be okay with finishing it this episode.

 

Although I'll have to humbly request that FF actually respond in the Ta-Koro chat before I take their silence as permission to just kill them.

Oh. Sorry about that.

 

Anyways, I think it's fine if we just finish this episode and lay the rest of this game to rest.

pWPTu7m.jpg

 

 

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Alright, general consensus seems to be that I should wrap it up here, so that's what I'll do. 

 

Episode 7 (and the game) Ends Here. 

 

My most sincere apologies that it had to end this way. I feel like the status of the island as it currently stands is definitely something I could still work into a sequel, so maybe later in the year I'll try for a Season 2.

 

I'll try to have the final episode posted sometime soon. 

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

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It's a shame the game ended like this, but sometimes things like this happen. If there is a season two, I will look forward to my character continuing his attempts to 'save' the island. :P

Edited by Toa Smoke Monster

Everyone is one choice away from being the bad guy in another person's story.


 


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I'd say I'm fairly content with where Kaathe has left off. Receiving a "Quest" from the big bad evil himself in the remains of his lair. Seems a fitting end for now.

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