Six Kingdoms: Rebirth - Gameplay

[Sparticus147]

IC: Uraborask (Le-Metru Nuva)

Climbing the large, sturdy jungle tree, Uraborask saw as one of the silvery creatures appeared from the corner of his eye, and was prepared to do whatever it took to defend himself and his cowering companion, when a Kanoka disk from above struck the thing and sent it careening into the far down swamp floor, with it getting swept up by the gushing flow of water and mud.

Staring up, Uraborask saw an odd being, yet another form of creature that he had never seen before. But that did not matter, for even over the roaring sound of the wind, rain, and lightning, Uraborask could faintly hear them call out to the Skakdi, extending a hand to assist them. To accept help was a cowardly custom among Skakdi...And it was also an incredibly stupid custom. Clawing upwards closer to the odd being, Uraborask first extended up Skrillix within his massive hand for the being to take. Now with both his hands free, Uraborask, using his massive strength and great reach, launched himself up the final leg, catching the ledge and clambering up.

Looking around, Uraborask was momentarily amazed at the village that surrounded him, the little village being cleverly and carefully hidden within the upper echelons of the jungle canopy. On top of that was the variety of beings amongst the village's populace, some he recognized; like Matoran, Zyglaks, Toa. Others vaguely so; like Vortixx and Steltians. And others he had no clue of. But his attention was taken away as the crashing of trees and a roar that would chill the heart of even the sturdiest of Skakdi came from above, and Uraborask bore witness to the large blue claw of a beast that only Uraborask would recognize...The Tahtorak.

OOC: @Kal the Guardian @Nato the Traveler @Unreliable Narrator

[~Xemnas~]

IC, Aurax: Vahki Hive

Aurax paused and thought for a moment. He could try and use the Vahki brain to brute-force his way into Ehlek’s account, but he wanted to try guessing the password first. 

He first typed in “Password”. If that didn’t work, he would try “Ehlek”, “Barraki”, “Please”, and “12345” afterwards. 

OOC: @Eyru

IC, Atamai: Piraka Fort

Atamai shook just head warily. He wasn’t entirely sure about the situation, but he wasn’t going to miss an opportunity to fill some gaps in his knowledge. 

”I give you my permission.”

OOC: @Eyru

IC, Whira: 

Whira sighed and stepped out of the vehicle. Using her power of shadow, the interlopers quickly found themselves being held down by their own shadows. 

”That should make it easier for you to claim what you’re here for, Cravious.”

OOC: @Kal the Guardian

[Nato G]

On 10/30/2020 at 7:21 PM, Sparticus147 said:

IC: Apex (The Grand Temple Ruins)

"Do not tell me you sympathize with that which cannot even understand sympathy? They certainly did not feel sympathy when they extinguished the Matoran that once lived on this island. Why shouldn't we meet genocide with genocide when it is so justly deserved?"

IC: Whisper – Grand Temple Ruins

Extinction. Genocide. 

The words were harrowing, horrifying, though she struggled to understand why. Apex was right, sympathy wasn't in her nature. She held no love for the Skakdi. She’d played with their lives in the past, doled out desecrations among them, and sent more than a few to their deaths in the dens of ravenous rahi over the years. 

But, she realised, she held no hate for them either. 

She didn’t truly hate anything, now that she thought on it. Her entire existence had been spent in distant indifference and passive observation, her occasional meddling only ever impacting individual lives, nothing further or farther reaching. She’d never been invested enough in anyone or anything to feel emotional attachment or resentment, beyond her lingering fear of someday being returned to the antidermis. 

She didn't like to get involved.

She just liked to watch the world unfold.

And she had seen much during her observations of the world. She understood the cycle of life and death. She understood the delicate balance of nature, or at least the nature she knew and saw on the island as it was now. She could comprehend a creature killing for food, for protection, for dominance, and even for revenge. But wanting to eradicate an entire race simply for being who and what they were – and thinking such an atrocity would somehow reverse centuries of change – such twisted, abhorrent hatred was something she couldn’t bring herself to accept or understand. 

On 10/31/2020 at 11:33 AM, Eyru said:

IC: Taja | Grand Temple Ruins

"We can talk about genocide later," Taja said, trying to hide her distaste. "For now, let's get out of these ruins."

She understood Taja’s dismissal, knew doing the same was the sensible course of action given their precarious standing with the other Aspect… but she couldn’t bring herself to stay silent.

For the first time in her memory, she felt an obligation to do more with her words than whisper.

“You would slaughter an entire species for the actions of their long-dead ancestors?” She snarled at Apex, wings unfurling, frills flaring, as she bared her hooked fangs at the larger Aspect. “What of those who weren’t here in the beginning, who’ve only ever known the wasteland? What of the children, the traders, the artisans, the cooks, all those who have never raised a blade against another being?”

There were others, too, more than she could list. The pets and slaves the Skakdi kept with them, the members of other races who fought alongside their warskak allies, the merchants who traded with them, the mechanics who maintained their vehicles, and those few beings who had grown strong in their opposition of the warskaks. Murder on the scale Apex spoke of would not go unanswered. For better or worse, the Skakdi were the apex predators of Zakaz’s social ecosystem, and eliminating them would disrupt, if not outright destroy, the way of life for everyone else on the island. Others would not simply stand by and let it happen.

Whisper was starting to wonder if she would be one of them.

She had embraced the idea of change, of the new arrivals on the island marking the beginning of a new era, but senseless slaughter on such as savage scale was not how she envisioned that new age unfolding. What was the point? What was there to gain? And once the blood was shed, what would come after?

One of her tendrils whipped out to point at the Toa beside her, “What of the Skakdi who arrived here with Taja’s people? What happens when they take up arms against you out of fear, after watching you kill their cousins? Where does this righteous genocide of yours end?”

And what, she wondered, would happen to the next species to make the Skakdi’s mistakes?

@Eyru @Sparticus147 @Burnmad

[Eyru]

IC: Reliable Narrator | Sub-Coliseum Vahki Hive

Aurax typed in "Password" and pressed the enter key. A loading screen appeared on top of the login page, featuring a white Hau slowly rotating against a gray background. Text underneath said "Please wait while your login details are authenticated." The Hau completed a full rotation roughly every ten seconds, and was animated at about one frame per second. Aurax watched twenty frames tick by before the Hau was replaced by a simple message that said "Login details incorrect."

He tried "Ehlek" next, uncomfortably aware that his window of time was rapidly closing. The hive could pull OTIS back under at any moment. The Hau reappeared, rotating at its familiarly agonizing pace. But Aurax only had to wait a rotation and a half this time before the password was denied. He typed "Barraki" next, trying to conceal his frustration. This time, the Hau barely had time to appear before it vanished again, replaced by the now-familiar message: "Login details incorrect."

Back at the login screen, the Matoran in the lower right corner had a new speech bubble. it had previously said 'Powered by Hau Security!" Now it said, "Forgotten your password? Check your email if you need help."

 

IC: ??? | ???

FROM: helpdesk@hausecurity.nui

TO: ehlek_rulez_420@metrumail.nui

Hi EHLEK,

It looks like you're having difficulty remembering your password. If you want to change your password, please enter the following password reset code on the login page:

524579

Alternatively, you can directly change your password here.

If these login attempts weren't made by you, let us know.

From,

Your friends at Hau Security

 

IC: Reliable Narrator | Sub-Coliseum Vahki Hive

"Please" and "12345" were similarly ineffective. Evidently, Ehlek was more security-minded than Aurax had initially thought.

 

OOC: @~Xemnas~ @Kal the Guardian

[Sparticus147]

IC: Apex (The Grand Temple Ruins)

"We can talk about genocide later. For now, let's get out of these ruins."

Watching as Taja left the chamber they were in and made their way towards the exit, Apex could not help but feel a pang of annoyance at her failed attempt of inciting discord between the Toa and the young Aspect, Whisper. But in the end, it meant little to Apex, for what she attempted was a trick amongst the others of her kin, and not a trick of her own. Apex was not one for lies nor deception, for Apex was a Rahi of nature, and nature is not known for being subtle.

Starting to turn away from Whisper to lope behind the Toa and towards the exit, Apex was halted in her tracks by the sudden fierce display made by the shadowling, seemingly in defiance of Apex's goal. "You would slaughter an entire species for the actions of their long-dead ancestors? What of those who weren't here in the beginning, who've only ever known the wasteland? What of the children, the traders, the artisans, the cooks, all those who have never raised a blade against another being?"

Looking down towards the fierce words and display of the young Aspect, Apex could not help but crack a wry smile at the little shadowling. To Apex, it was as if a Kavanika cub had approached a Muaka alpha and was now trying to intimidate it away. And although the Kavanika's ferocity was admirable, it was truly misguided and foolish. With each word that Whisper spoke, Apex held an answer.

For no Skakdi was innocent, for if a Skakdi did exist to not hold the strength to wield a blade against another, then it would have surely been slaughtered by its own vile kin. And although the brunt of the ruin was brought on by those who first came to the island, the Skakdi still continued in their acts of horrid destruction nonetheless. Standing her ground and not giving Whisper an inch of satisfaction in their argument, Apex continued to listen as they spoke, loosely turning her head towards Taja as Whisper pointed towards them and spoke.

"What of the Skakdi who arrived with Taja's people? What happens when they take up arms against you out of fear, after watching you kill their cousins? Where does this righteous genocide of yours end?"

Allowing a moment of silence to endure, as it retook the now tension-filled chamber, Apex readied her response and reproach upon the ignorance that was spoken before her. With a commanding voice, the sound of which being like that of a fissure forming upon a mountain, or the echoes of cracking glaciers, Apex spoke with a preternatural sense of certainty and barely restrained sense of predatory ferocity and power.

"Let me tell you this, young, little, shadow...Yes, I would. For they have all brought this punishment down upon them. And no, do not think that I am just some blind mindless Rahi, lashing out at some preconceived foe. For I know what they have done and I know what they deserve. No Skakdi is innocent. For they are nothing but an anathema to Nature. Born and cared for by Nature's loving embrace, they only seek to lash out and tear down her beauty. They are vile, brutal, and monstrous. And if given the choice, they would destroy the universe itself for their own sick satisfaction." 

As Apex spoke, her menacing figure grew closer to Whisper's, with each step made with intentional, predatory purpose. And as Apex strode closer, Whisper and Taja would feel the shadows lengthen and harden at their edges, and Morangad would also see, as those shadows behind Apex were drawn towards her form, adding to her intimidating display. Planting her foreclaw down before Whisper, just inches from potentially striking out, Apex craned her neck down, allowing her own gaze to match that of Whisper's as she continued. 

"And those Skakdi, those that came from the same realm from which Taja first arrived...They should be afraid. For Nature is not wholly peaceful. For it is not completely compassionate. It isn't absolutely merciful. For I. Am. Nature incarnate...And I will do everything in my power to ensure its continued survival and growth. Call me a Rahi, think of me a monster, by Makuta equate me to the same creatures that I seek to save this island from!.."

As the two Aspects met gazes, one of ages long old and forgotten, the other so young and naïve in the eyes of the former, their gazes locked and hardened. And the shadows that were being called upon by Apex, they inched closer and closer into jagged points, seemingly as keen to strike as Apex's own tail, which was raised and ready to strike should the worst occur...And in that moment Apex recoiled back in shock and fright...As the cold caress of the shadows that she herself commanded slithered against her form and made themselves poignant in her peripheral sights.

Reeling back, a spontaneous and instinctual wave of panic consumed the Aspect, with Apex barely able to cast a glance towards Whisper. Within her mind, Apex could not help but feel ashamed and frustrated with herself, for such a clear sign of fear and weakness was openly displayed after an attempt at strength and power. It brought the proud Aspect low and disheartened them greatly. Glancing towards Whisper, Apex could not help but remember what it was like to be ignorant, to be of a simpler mind and to not understand the true horror that was their inherent nature...And now, within Apex, she felt as each shadow that lined the room came the feeling of entrapment, of imprisonment, of eternally falling into a black pit where nothing exists but yourself and your empty thoughts, and she could hardly stand it. She needed light and she needed it now.

Her form still bristling on ends, and a cowed look in her gaze, Apex attempted to muster her former resolve as she directed her attention once more directly on Whisper, yet Apex was not even able to manage a fraction of it. And as she spoke, her voice more like the shifting of sand and rocks and the quivering chime of icicles, she spoke through clenched jaws. "M..My hunt..Will end..Once this island can regrow in peace once more."

And like that, Apex was off, not wanting to spend another second within the dark and claustrophobic ruins. And too shaken to think nor care for her companion, Morangad, Apex launched herself from her spot in the chamber with great haste, past Taja, who was nearly knocked over by the rushing Aspect. And in her great haste, Apex did not even give one last final moment to appreciate the hauntingly pale lotus, which even within its pool of death and ruin, still managed to gleam like the stars above.

 

~~~

 

Leaping out of the gaping maw of the Grand Temple Ruins, Apex frantically spread out her wings and immediately took off into the night sky. Flying upwards, past the canopy and the trees, Apex held her frightful gaze skywards and her tight breath inwards, as she hoped to gleam the solace that she sought from above like so many times before...And breaking past the last of the jungle foliage, she saw them. The miniscule motes of lights, who's number could only ever be counted by a being with infinite time and an infinite appreciation for the natural beauty of the world, the lights that Apex beheld were the stars.

Since her freedom, Apex had quickly found that she loved the stars' beauty above all else. For they were always there and would never go out, never to be consumed by the black void that surrounded them. It was a fact that had put Apex to peace many times. Many a time, she thought and prayed, as odd as it would be for an Aspect to do so, that she was one of those stars, free from the void and shining out beyond it.

But...Something was wrong, something was off, something that Apex could not wholly understand. For in her past, Apex had indeed once counted the stars, during the frozen nights of a particularly dead winter. And what Apex found before herself was...An incomplete image, with it being as if a single piece of a composition was removed. But it was more than one piece Apex knew, and yet, Apex did not know what pieces were gone and what was once an attempt at seeking solace, was now a moment of dread and terror more intense than any other the Aspect had felt before...Except for one, long, agonizing moment in her history.

And so, Apex hovered numb and stricken above the trees and beneath the roll of the clouds that soon brought with them their howling rain. And as the rain came, along with the lightning, and the thunder. A sound, a distant echo rang out from the North...And Apex knew that doom had at last came for her home.

OOC: @Nato the Traveler @Eyru @Burnmad @Unreliable Narrator

[Kal the Guardian]

IC: Cravious - Skakdi of Lightning - Zakazian

Location - Northern Desert

With - Whira

 

The assembled Skakdi yelped in surprise as their own shadows curled around their limbs and heads, holding them in place and blinding them like the seaweed beneath the Rig. It was a display of power that would intimidate the hardiest of Skakdi. How could you ever drive away your own shadow and be free from potential harm?

Meanwhile Cravious frowned, face hidden inside of Debt Collector. He turned his head to Whira, “Well that’s no fun.” He disengaged and disembarked his ACR, grabbing a long, thin strip of flexible protosteel that had a miniscule hook on the end, “Highly effective and time efficient, but not fun.”

He went over to Cudgel, the orange Skakdi blind and immobilized. Cravious wiped off an area around Cudgel’s Heartlight, finding the gap where the Heartlight was slotted into the body. He pushed in the thin metal strip, feeling around until he felt it catch. Then he slid the strip up and pulled back slightly.

Cudgel’s Heartlight came free and slid forward a bit. Cravious retracted and stowed away his tool. Grabbing the Heartlight, Cravious slid it out of its slot, exposing the wires that fed the energy provided by the Heartlight to the rest of the body. Cravious shook his head in disgust at every other Skakdi. They stabbed and gouged like there was no other way to extract a Heartlight. They ruined perfectly good parts to salvage one. It was the perfect sum up of their entire race.

He unscrewed the washers holding the various large wires to the Heartlight. As the last one fell away, Cudgel was officially dead, his contract paid in full. Cravious slotted the Heartlight into his briefcase, keeping it beating now off of his own power over Lightning.

Reentering Debt Collector, he gathered Cudgel’s body, leaving the others behind. Generally the bodies he recovered were mangled and destroyed from the fights that took place while acquiring them. With Whira here, he was finally going to be able to study a Skakdi complete and whole. He was actually getting excited.

Cravious forced himself to remain calm as the pair went back to the Cube. His focus was on helping Whira right now, he could experiment later. He unlocked and placed Cudgel’s body in his cold storage room. He might be able to crack “organics” from this. He couldn’t wait. But later, later.

Now under Whira’s direction, the Cube tread onwards.

 

OOC: @~Xemnas~

Edited November 3, 2020 by Kal the Guardian

[Eyru]

IC: Tuakana | Fortress Ruins

“I give you my permission.”

The sacred words.

Legends are full of infernal creatures drenched in blood and scoured by hellfire. Beasts with pale skin and jagged teeth. Monsters with claws like knives and eyes like empty graves. How else to terrify children at night? But even the vilest demons are forced to respect the threshold. Uninvited, they cannot enter your home. They cannot enter your mind. They cannot place their teeth on your throat until you ask them to come in. But once you consent to their entrance, it cannot be undone.

Atamai opened the door, and they obliged.

They emptied their armour. They had not left it in a long time. But now their antidermis flowed from palm to palm and into the Toa. Their armour was left stark and unmoving like a statue. Their essence rippled through Atamai’s veins. They flowed through bone and sinew and gear and piston. Their consciousness entered his brain.

The Toa felt a rush of energy that passed up his arm like a shock of electricity, and suddenly his mind was awash in visions of a past he had not known. Trees splintered. Mountains crumbled. Winds tore at the earth, ripping boulders into the sky. Clouds swirled in vast circles, fingers of lightning arcing between them. Fire fell screaming from the heavens

And the six disks…

The Great Disks…

Forged… only after the… great monsters of the volcano… began to walk this island, said a disjointed and disharmonious voice. The words were fragmented, as if heard through another’s ears. Forged… to slay… those titanic beasts of horror.

Then it was over. Atamai’s senses were his own again. They returned to their armour. They let go of his hand.

“Now,” they whispered. “Do you see?”

 

OOC: @~Xemnas~ @EmperorWhenua

[Crimson Jester]

IC: Korruhn, Ko-Metru

Leaving behind the damp, dark confines of Nuju's former Observatory, the two beings exited the structure the same way they had gone in, and once outside the window, scaled back down the structure to street level. They began to walk back toward the Cartographer's Tower, so that they may acquire a vehicle and get back out to Zakaz, Tren-Nui, whatever it may be called.

The silence of Ko-Metru was usually a cool, friendly absence of sound that welcomed Korruhn home from his trips across Metru Nui, a peace he dreamed of every night he spent among noisy insects in Le-Metru, or the crashing waves lapping the shores of Ga-Metru. But the League had twisted that, taken even the simplest of creature comforts and perverted them, the silence now serving as a stark reminder that this once-bustling metropolitan that he called home, was now no more than a necropolis.

Korruhn's eyes darted as they walked, not so much to feverishly catch as many sights of his home in the brief timespan he was here as he could, but to avoid gazing too long into the eyes of the dead that lay in droves around him; eyes wide open, mouths twisted, limbs, if still around, bent beyond recognition. He knew their spirits were long gone from their mortal shells, but he couldn't help feeling shame as he looked in their sad, dead eyes. Shame for the home he couldn't save, the people he couldn't protect. The destiny he was too late for. He pressed forward, setting a brisk pace in hopes to get out of this graveyard with haste.

Though his mind was entirely preoccupied with melancholia and doom, Korruhn couldn't help but notice a glisten on the side of the road. As his eyes fixed on it, and his pace ground to a halt, he began to realize what he was laying eyes on: a construction project. Tower construction, to be exact. 

Tower construction was almost more alchemy than engineering, an art refined over millennia by the most advanced Ko-Metru Scholars. They had taken the elaborate, laborious, and dangerous process of manual construction entirely out of the formula, discovering a way to create Knowledge Towers in mere minutes, by introducing a Knowledge Crystal into a prepared dish of purified Energized Protodermis, and the resulting reaction formed the tower.

Korruhn approached the site, now close enough to see the source of the sheen that drew him in: a prepared basin of purified Energized Protodermis. The Shadow Toa's mind was instantly brought back to the Rite of Worms.

"Stannis!" Korruhn turned around, calling out. "Energized Protodermis."

OOC: @EmperorWhenua

[EmperorWhenua]

IC Stannis | Ko-Metru Ruins

"Korruhn, I don't think we need to explore over there—..." Stannis protested as Korruhn wandered off to the ground zero of the construction site, halfheartedly discouraging his companion until he heard the call back to him once the shadow-too found what he was looking for.

"Stannis!" Korruhn turned around, calling out. "Energized Protodermis."

"Ah." Of course, he surmised, Korruhn would know the lay of the land better than he, or anyone, and would immediately know where to find the precious liquid they both suddenly had an essential want for with their recently gotten kraata taboo. Despite his own hurriedness he seemed to take his time to approach Korruhn's place, then leaned on his spear-staff as he came near. The old man looked at the puddle and regarded it dubiously. It was more of a disheartened appraisal, in fact, and his heart sank a little at the sight of it. "This is not much, my friend. If we are to use the knowledge given us this will do for only one kraata."

 

Leklo | Ruins of Ruins

"What... did you do?" he asked, unsure if he should be more frightened than he felt he was. 

 

Edited November 4, 2020 by EmperorWhenua

[Crimson Jester]

IC: Korruhn, Ko-Metru

It was strange to become an expert in something in an instant. The words formed in the brain correctly, and left as cohesive sentences, but one couldn't help but notice how foreign they felt leaving one's mouth.

"The rest of these Knowledge Towers didn't come from nowhere," Korruhn replied. He knew Stannis would likely want to use it for himself were it the only basin. And although Korruhn couldn't be sure at all that there was more, there had to be, right? "Somewhere in one of these towers they devoted their days to studying the properties and applications of energized protodermis, there's bound to me more there if there aren't more of these abandoned projects."

Korruhn couldn't help but desire to divulge his own curiosity; he wanted this opportunity to perform the Rite of Worms for himself, not only for the fact that he had no knowledge of a being other than Makuta ever performing it, but for the power it could grant him. As a Toa gifted with the Rite, he was in the unique position of being able to infect his own mask, and surmised that the loophole would grant him additional power, without the bonds of enslavement that come with infecting the mask of another.

"Have you ever heard of a Toa performing the Rite, and then using the Kraata upon their own Kanohi?"

OOC: @EmperorWhenua

[EmperorWhenua]

IC Stannis | Ko-Metru Ruins

"No," Stannis quickly quipped, "and I cannot fathom what would become of such a toa. If you are considering doing it to yourself, then I have no assurances to provide you." The old Aspect considered strong-arming the liquid away from Korruhn, thought he quickly thought better of it. There were other ways to influence what the wayward toa did and maintain his companionship, and the stronger he became the better he would be able to assist Stannis in his endeavors. No, he realized, there was more to gain if Korruhn took the energized protodermis for himself; in either case, Stannis stood to benefit from it, and furthermore he could maintain his ruse of being the toa of stone he looked. 

He didn't have any use for kraata so far, anyway. Though the prospect was very tantalizing... 

[Burnmad]

IC: Providence - Outside Temple of Fire

"Well, now," Providence frowned slightly, "we can't just go about looking specifically for a heartlight. That would be murder. What we do instead is to continue on with our other goals, until we come upon an opportunity to acquire a heartlight organically--" He stopped as he registered Takadox's line of questioning. "The desecration ritual? It's knowledge that all of my kind possess. To be truthful... I do not recall whether it was taught to me, or simply known from the moment of my birth."

OOC: @Sparticus147 @Vezok's Friend

IC: Ollem - Ruins of Water

"You're right, Mahrika," Ollem replied. After a moment's hesitation, he stepped forward, crossing the great hall of the ruin to approach the console with the three stone disks. Gripping the center-most one, he turned it clockwise until the obsidian indicator was moved from the 6-o'-clock position to the 12-o'-clock position-- or until something noteworthy happened.

OOC: @Harvali @Unreliable Narrator

Edited November 4, 2020 by Burnmad

[Nato G]

IC: Whisper – Grand Temple Ruins

“Those that came from the same realm from which Taja first arrived...They should be afraid. For Nature is not wholly peaceful. For it is not completely compassionate. It isn't absolutely merciful.”

The rage of the elder Aspect reverberated throughout the atrium, the shadows lengthening with each purposeful stride she took towards Whisper.

She held her ground, wings open, frills raised, tails spread out, doing what she could to make her spindly, comparatively diminutive form seem large and threatening before the far larger beast that was Apex.

“I. Am. Nature incarnate...And I will do everything in my power to ensure its continued survival and growth. Call me a Rahi, think of me a monster, by Makuta equate me to the same creatures that I seek to save this island from!"

If Whisper had possessed a true biological body, her heart would have been hammering in her chest, adrenaline coursing through her veins. Not from fear – Apex couldn’t truly kill her, after all – but from anticipation, readiness to defend herself should Apex choose to lash out with more than words.

But Whisper’s eager anticipation abated as apprehension manifested itself on Apex’s features. The larger Aspect shifted backwards, breaking from Whisper’s gaze, her voice quavering when she spoke again.

"M..My hunt..Will end..Once this island can regrow in peace once more."

And then Apex was gone, bolting out into the open air like a startled shallows cat.

Whisper slowly settled, and trailed after her cousin towards the temple exit. She didn’t believe Apex’s parting words any more than Apex herself seemed to. Hate, as she understood it, was like a fire. It burned brightly, brought warmth and comfort when it was controlled, but when it was gone it left a smouldering hole and lingering scars.

As she slithered out of the temple, felt the cold rain strike her armour, and saw the silhouette of Apex hovering high against the darkened clouds, she found herself wondering how the older Aspect would fill the void within her, once her vendetta was ended.

@Sparticus147 @Burnmad @Eyru

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

IC: Marrow – Underground – Dead Forest

It was good to be back.

Back in the dark, the cold, the quiet, away from the searing sun and the roar of the rigs and the tremors of the Tahtorak. The silence and solitude had brought him solace, reminded him of where he had come from, what he fought for.

Marrow knew his mistake. He’d allowed himself to get lost in his blind hate. His mad scramble for revenge had been doomed from the start. He’d been a fool to believe the chance meeting with the power-hungry newcomer would change anything. Marrow was only one Skakdi, and no matter how ferociously he might have fought, there had been no possibility of him ever besting the entire warband, or preventing the rise of their Tahtorak.

Still shaken by the close encounter with the monstrosity, he’d abandoned the accursed mountain and fled into the first tunnel he could find. Now that he was back where he belonged, his journey was steady and contemplative. He savoured every second, every scent and sound – the insects and arthropods scuttling on the rock, the secret trickles of water among the crevasses, blood and rot from an old rahi carcass, the echoes of distant drumbeats deep below – as he wove his way into the winding passages, rich with myth and memory.

He let his hand trail over the wall beside him, feeling tufts of moss, trails of moisture, and the textures of carvings and paintings left behind by other travellers. They were reminders that he wasn’t alone in this grim underground world. He never had been.

He’d let himself get lost in the wide open world above. He’d forgotten his place, his people, and all that they had built together. Revenge was not the be all and end all of his existence. He still had his kin. It was time to go home to them.

But this tunnel, he realised, wasn’t going to take him there.

He could already feel it sloping steadily back upward. He could feel fresh air flowing in towards him, and a gradual increase in warmth as he approached the surface once more. At least this time, as he crawled forth from the ground, he couldn’t feel the scorching sun on his skin.

The sensation of charcoal crunching under his bare feet and the heavy scent of ash on the air told him exactly where he had emerged. This was the Dead Forest, the charred corpse of what had once been lush and wondrous. In the deepest confines of his mind, he could still recall the days when this place had once been green with life.

Sighing, he set off into the forest in search for another burrow that would link him back with the Mesi underground.

OOC: Marrow open for interaction. @Sparticus147 @Burnmad @Kal the Guardian? and anyone else who happens to be in the area.

Edited November 5, 2020 by Nato the Traveler

[Kal the Guardian]

IC: Hahvok - Za and Ja Krana of Ice - Independent

Location - Dead Forest

With - Marrow

 

The Valley of Bones hadn’t turned up any obstacles in his quest to recall his purpose. The valley had eventually sloped upwards, depositing him in an area filled with ash and charcoal trees long since burned away. It was fairly clean, though he knew some of his brothers that would have done a better job. The jagged trees stood as a reminder that it was best to finish cleansing an area before moving on, otherwise the job remained undone and others would be forced to pick up your failings.

He, both of him, wandered through the drifts of ash and barren ground as the sun kept the overall heat high. Hahvok knew he needed to get someplace colder soon, being in heat was so annoying. But what if his forgotten purpose could be found here?

So, he soldiered on, dutifully scanning for any intelligent minds that might be able to fill him in on what his mind was missing. Finally, after he had declared this place a waste of time, a mind emerged within the range of his Mind Reading powers. The being was looking for home, or so his idle thoughts told Hahvok.

Hahvok got excited. He was looking for his own home, too.

Maybe. He wasn’t sure.

He, both of him, made his way in the direction of the mind. Hopefully this homeward bound being might know his purpose.
 

OOC: @Nato the Traveler

[Sparticus147]

IC: Zak-Yak (The Fire Ruins)

"Well, now, we can't just go about looking specifically for a heartlight. That would be murder. What we do instead is to continue on with our other goals, until we come upon an opportunity to acquire a heartlight organically--"

Hearing Providence's response to Zak-Yak's suggestion, Zak-Yak was momentarily left stumped at the implication that murder was wrong. I mean, all throughout Zak-Yak's life, Mesi has fought and killed Mesi, as well as sacrificing whatever poor saps were captured during the regular surface raids. But it was no matter, Zak-Yak was not meant to think, he was to serve his new master..I mean friend. And as such, Zak-Yak knew that he needed to help out his friend Providence.

Sidling up besides Providence and gently tugging on their arm, Zak-Yak gestured for them to follow as Zak-Yak started to head south. Although Zak-Yak had spent nearly his entire life beneath the ground, the Mesi still knew enough from what little he has overheard from the others of his kin that to head up north would lead towards the other, more aggressive, Warskaks.

Heading south away from the ruins, the charred, ash-covered remains of ancient petrified trees began to surround the lot, with rows upon rows of the elder edifice of more verdant times upon the island. Along with the woods came the wisps of mist and smoke, as well as the haunting voices that came from them.

OOC: @Burnmad @Snelly @Vezok's Friend @Nato the Traveler @Kal the Guardian Providence and Company are now in the Dead Forest.

[Nato G]

IC: Marrow - Dead Forest

The ancient Mesi didn't like the surface at the best of times, but the Dead Forest ranked high among his least favourite places. The whispers of restless spirits were disorienting and distracting, and as a Bo-elemental, being surrounded by so much long-dead plantlife was off-putting.

He slowed his steps as new sounds echoed in the distance. This place was still, largely devoid of life, and sound carried far, especially to his keen senses. Beyond the whistling wind, eerie giggles, and the occasional scuttling beetle, he could make out heavier footfalls, coming from two different directions. He wasn't the only traveller wandering these wastes today, it seemed. 

The lone footfalls sounded like they were moving closer, so Marrow continued on his way, treading more cautiously now as he gravitated towards the larger group, one hand resting on the handle of the mace at his hip. It was simple strategy; the liklihood of the two separate parties being affiliated was unlikely, so if either was a threat to Marrow he would stand a better chance with the other as support, or a distraction.  

OOC: @Sparticus147  - Marrow's headed towards your group. @Kal the Guardian - since Hahvok is following Marrow's mind, catch up whenever suits you.

[Kal the Guardian]

IC: Hahvok - Za and Ja Krana of Ice - Independent

Location - Dead Forest

With - Marrow

 

The sentient mind’s surface thoughts were suddenly lost to him, becoming guarded behind caution. Hahvok wondered if maybe this mind had noticed him. The charcoal trees, though devoid of leaves, still managed to block out visual confirmation of the being he sensed.

He considered rolling up into a ball to travel faster and catch up, but then his core mind would be left behind in the Kohrak Va. He couldn’t let anything happen to himself by leaving himself, even for a short time. So instead he continued to follow the other mind by continuing his walking.

He paused as suddenly three more minds popped into his range. The first mind was heading for them. He took a moment to consider what to do and realized this situation only helped him. At least one of the four had to know about him. His purpose was calling and he would find it.
 

OOC: @Nato the Traveler @Sparticus147 @Vezok's Friend @Snelly @Burnmad

[Unreliable Narrator]

IC: Reliable Narrator | Le-Metru Nuva

Sidra made her command. The terrifying maskless being locked eyes with hers. Sidra’s eyes glowed with her compelling powers. Soulless sockets stared back as its head remained still. The others nearby continued to pull on their silver threads. They held to their only tether, emotionless but screaming as the rain roiled the swamps into a frenzied lake. The one Sidra stared at did not. 

It let go.

Pieces fell into the swamp’s waters. Some stayed behind attached to the dead tree trunk. Silver veins stretched between it all, pulled until nearly frayed like putty. One of the other non-matoran clinging to the trunk of a tree gave a triumphant shriek as the surface of the sinkhole began to bubble as air flowed up from below...

 

Uraborask took in the village of Le-Metru Nuva without time to fully process. How long had a village of hunted people been existing in the Fau Swamps? The answer could wait. Wind from the storm pulled wood off some of the buildings, tore the reeds and leaves from the roofs, and nearly blew the powerful hunter back over the edge. Without a railing, he might have fallen. Through the painfully cascading rain Uraborask saw the hand descend. 

It was massive.

Easily the size of a larger war rig, the mottled palm blotted out the rain above where it descended, creating a strange space of peace in an otherwise catastrophic moment. The upper emergent canopy blocked out the rest of the tahtorak from view, but from the hand alone and Uraborask’s skill of the hunt he knew how truly gargantuan the beast out of sight could be. Like the fabled Shagrak of the Sands and Giruga of the Marsh, the tahtorak once known as Boss joined the ranks of Irnakk’s nightmares and claimed utter dominion wherever he tread. The blue hand descended further, and following the path of movement Uraborask could see a stretch of platform spanning between two nearby trees where a green toa lay on her back, silver protodermis seeping from her wounds. Before he could react, the hand of the tahtorak fully covered the platform and closed into a fist. Wood snapped, boards fell, and the hand slowly withdrew back through the hole in the canopy...

 

As Viltia watched her vision descend, she felt it press against her, crushing the wind from her lungs. Like the ocean, she felt herself submerged below beyond her own control, and at the same time buoyed by the darkness below. The blue vision became a dark ocean vision. Viltia felt herself go weightless, light as feather, but surrounded by the warm beating of the ocean’s rhythmic tidal pulse. She no longer felt the rain pounding on her wounded body, only the crushing of wood as torn boards dug into her within the darkness of this new vision. In the darkness and the warmth she felt herself lifted. The sounds of shouted orders and surprised cries became soft echoes. Then her vision changed again as the warm darkness unfurled into cruel reality. Rain pounded across her wounds once more. The wood washed away, leaving only the young toa and the pulsing silver threads blossoming from her.

An eye beheld her. It burned like the sun in the sky, a blinding red light with unknown intentions.

OOC: @Kal the Guardian, @Nato the Traveler, @Sparticus147.

Edited November 5, 2020 by Unreliable Narrator

[Nato G]

IC: Sidra – Le-Metru Nuva

A laugh escaped Sidra’s lips as the zombie fell apart before her. It was a laugh of unbridled delight, of surprised triumph, of tentative hope. She'd expected to fail entirely, but the creature had obeyed her command more thoroughly than she’d ever dared dream.

Her jubilation was short-lived, however, as she realised the remaining Matoran had been unaffected by her command. When she and Viltia had first encountered the undead in the swamp, they had all spoken with one voice, so she’d clung to a small hope that they were all one entity, and controlling one could control them all. Clearly they still possessed some semblance of individuality.

Still, it was a success, a way to neutralise the lone creatures without wasting ammunition trying to slice threads or obliterate them completely.

But it wasn’t enough.

Even as the creature went still, she could see that the silver threads it and its companions had formed remained connected to the core creature, pulling taut as the main entity attempted to crawl free. There was no time to experiment further with hypnosis, she needed to focus on what she knew was effective. 

Oblivious to what was happening to Viltia and the other villagers in the canopy, more than a hundred feet above her, Sidra raised her gauntlet and took aim at the open space between the anchor tree and the ever-widening sinkhole. "You can't take my life," she snarled, charging her rhotuka launcher, "But I'll give you these for free." 

She loosed two rhotuka as quickly as the launcher would allow, willing the spinners to angle in from opposite directions and slice through as many of the silver threads as they could.

@Unreliable Narrator @Kal the Guardian @Sparticus147

[Crimson Jester]

IC: Korruhn, Ko-Metru

Korruhn looked again at the basin of protodermis before him, and back to Stannis. Energized Protodermis was rare, and even moreso now with Metru Nui's infrastructure ruined. If Korruhn had gauged Stannis correctly, he read Stannis' statement as more of a general deterrent, than an actual fear of unknown consequences. He was curious, perhaps Stannis had something else in mind. "If you were to use this to perform the Rite now, what would you do with it?"

"Assuming I could even perform the magick?" Stannis speculated, raising his brows in mock pondering as though he had never considered the eventuality before. He stammered a reply, looking more beleaguered like a bumbling college professor who'd been asked to demonstrate some great scholastic feat without his classroom chalkboard or notes. "I haven't the touch of Shadow like you, Korruhn, like you do; there are no assurances I could succeed, and my curiosity is no reason alone to test the theory, either. I wouldn't have the slightest idea what to do with a kraata of my own."

It was a long answer. The longer the answer, the less truth to it, at least from what Korruhn was used to. Whatever Stannis was choosing to keep close to his chest was not an immediate threat though, so Korruhn let it go. Plus, he had something else he wanted to bring up.

"You know, since we found the Rite in Nuju's office, I couldn't help but think," Korruhn began. "The Beast that afflicted me with this has been an anomaly I cannot place. But, now that we've found this Rite here, perhaps the Beast I encountered was the result of one? And furthermore, perhaps I was not afflicted by shadow, but by the forbidden rites, and bcoming a Toa only further exacerbated it."

"Perhaps..." Stannis pondered, also encouraging Korruhn to collect the energized protodermis and offered a stoneware container with which to do so, if Korruhn chose to use it. "You are a peculiar case and present many different facets I haven't seen before. This Far Shore, for an example, and your affinity to Shadow while not truly being affiliated with it yourself. It is possible, yes, that your Beast and its accompanying affliction was shadowspawn. There is only one way to find the truth of the matters, though, and that will be by accumulating more such rituals. The truth behind your powers can only be revealed by finding the limit to them."

Korruhn nodded in agreement; he had no more to say on the subject for now. He collected the container from Stannis, and carefully transferred the precious EP into the container, which would hang on his belt for now. He stood up, and returned to Stannis.

"We're only a couple towers over from the Cartographer's Tower," Korruhn stated. As much as he'd like to stay in Ko-Metru, restore the city, give the dead the burials they deserved, he knew he wouldn't be able to enjoy it until some semblance of peace had been restored. "Want to hit the garage and pick our ride out of here?"

"That would be recommended," Stannis said. He'd already felt the familiar pull of fate's strings towards the aforementioned tower, which within the confines of Ko-Metru's ruined cityscape had seemed looming and unavoidable as the Coliseum was to the city as a whole. All paths of Stannis' went there, a direct contrast to how all paths had previously led to the Archives, and a testament to how important exiting the city had become. He didn't need directions, per se, but he gestured with an open palm. "Lead the way, Cartographer."

The two walked the final distance to the Cartographer's Tower in about 10 minutes' time, and were now stood at the base of the massive tower, looming in it's shadow. A large bay door, dark grey in stark contrast to the rest of the tower, stood in front of them. It was inset behind it's frame, which was of a rectangular shape, with forty-five degree corners. A blinking green light in the center of the door indicated that it still had power, although it was from the emergency generators. Korruhn approached a small panel set into the wall on the right side of the door, and input a code. The two angled halves of the door hissed with pneumatic power as the split apart to reveal the bay inside.

It was dimly lit, musty, and cluttered, but it was as close to home as Korruhn had felt in a long time. He entered the front of the bay, an empty area saved for final vessel preparations for departure, and looked around the scene. The overhead lamps flickered, but held consistent enough light to make out most of the room. On the left were a handful of desks with vertical boards mounted to them, haphazardly scattered throughout the space and littered with old maps, documents, scrolls, and anything else that reminded one of the dingy backroom of a museum. On the right, a caged area that was home to a tool crib and equipment storage area, tools of all type hung on the fencing and piled on shelves. But none of these things fulfilled their purpose there. They needed transport. Korruhn's eyes turned to the back of the space, and motioned for Stannis' to do the same.

Although hard to make out in the flickering lights, the silhouettes from the back bay indicated that the Cartographer's Tower still had it's full fleet. "Tread bikes, a few different light airships; Karz, we might even have that boat we never returned to Ga-Metru back there somewhere..."

Keeping his train of thought from trailing to that adventure, Korruhn turned to his compatriot. "Take your pick. I don't think anyone's going to be needing these soon."

[Kal the Guardian]

IC: Viltia - Toa of the Green - Metru-Nui Refugees

Location - Le-Metru Nuva, on the Northwestern fringes of (7, 13) in the Fau Swamp

With - Nektann King of Monsters

 

The vision of the hand came true, plucking her from the village and plucking part of the village from the canopy. She felt the ocean surround her completely, its waves and tides soothing and comforting her in the darkness of night. It would have calmed her mind, but at the same time, the hard snapping of splintering wood filled her audio receptors and the jagged bite of torn boards assaulted her from every angle like she had been deposited into a wood chipper.

Then the oppressive dark night retracted, letting rain once more assault her body and the many new wounds it had just received. Viltia couldn’t get her bearings. Her vision swam from all the pain. Her mind was still reeling from the touch of a dead god. And her body was still in shock.

The smell of a fresh spring rain and newly cut wood filled her nostrils. And something else. She wasn’t sure what.

But one thing was clear. An optic larger than the sun and far more red burned before her. It stared at her with unknowable thoughts hidden behind the roiling fire that lit it. It sat nestled in roiling clouds, a frame of lightning, and a covering of rain.

She wasn’t sure if she was living out a vision or having a vision affect the real world, but she knew one thing. That optic held a spark of intelligence. And whether it was the dead god trying to absorb her or some vision come true, some part of her mind knew what her body needed.

Viltia weakly smiled. With a voice far too calm for the situation and that was threatened to get lost in the roar of the rain assaulting the landscape below, she spoke, “Hello. Can you help me?”

 

OOC: @Unreliable Narrator

 

IC: Le-Metru Nuva NPCs - Various Species - Refugees

Location - Le-Metru Nuva, on the Northwestern fringes of (7, 13) in the Fau Swamp

With - Sidra, Uraborask

 

The elevator jostled as something caused the village above to shift in the trees. Torch and Spark clung to the railing as a couple Kanoka slipped and fell to the sinkhole below, quickly swept up by the ever increasing amount of water. The sound of a building being violently and suddenly ripped from the village reached them.

Torch looked at his ball of light, having to increase the heat to keep the fire from going out. Sidra down below seemed to find success another way as a second undead gave up its hold on a tree. He was torn. Light was essential for Sidra, especially so close to their enemy, but something was happening to the village up above that might need his help to take care of.

He thought of Viltia again. She had come so far in so short a time. She was kind and eager to learn, if a little new to almost everything except for gardening. He would trust in her to take care of the village. And he would trust in her judgement of Sidra.

So he continued his support, providing a bright, blazing orange light to help fight the Untethered.

Wing burst from a pond that had been hidden beneath the layer of water that now rushed on the swamp floor. She coughed up water, feeling her body tingle. Some change was occurring within her. She could feel it in her stomach and in the way her muscles reacted to her inputs. She knew she wouldn’t show up to Le-Metru Nuva as the same Wing that had left. Mutagenic waters swirled around her and now even inside her. She coughed up more water.

But she had to get back. She had a guard force to lead. A village to protect.

Wing struggled against the surging waters that couldn’t seem to figure out which way they wanted to go. She used tree roots to help her progress wherever she could. The going was slow, and her already injured body from the fall was now changing on her.

The Zyglak froze in shock as Viltia disappeared from before him. He had been so close. He had almost saved her. He stood at the edge of a bridge to nowhere in shock at the gaping hole in the canopy where she had just been. The bridge’s rearmost supports started to give out, causing it to droop, forcing him back to a different platform with some Skakdi he had never seen before and… was that a Hapaka?

The village itself was starting to fall apart from the heavy onslaught of rain. Like watery bullets, the droplets started piercing and cracking up the hardened tree bark that shingled Le-Metru Nuva’s roofs. The few in-progress buildings, platforms, and bridges were all taking heavy damage, with some falling from view to crash into the water below. In a couple places, railings loosened from the beating, no longer the safety net they had been.

Everyone still in their guard posts hung on for their lives as the storm raged with an intensity none of them had ever seen before.

In the village, a large branch from above couldn’t handle the strain of rain and broke free, crashing through a bridge and sending two Matoran careening down over a hundred feet to the shallow water below.

The Kahu and his untrained companion were forced to seek shelter. He huddled close to a tree, hanging onto the large branch he had found to perch on.

Things seemed grim. And still it rained.
 

OOC: @Nato the Traveler @Unreliable Narrator @Sparticus147

[Sparticus147]

IC: Uraborask & Skrillix (Le-Metru Nuva)

Reeling back as the wind and the rain began to reach a crescendo, with the Ba-Skakdi just able to maintain his footing on the platform. But rising up from the prone position he planted himself in as to keep himself from being flown off, Uraborask looked up in time to gain sight of a sight that he wished he hadn't. Breaching the canopy, came the great blue clawed hand of a monster that could be undoubtedly identified as that of the great, terrible, Tahtorahk.

Here, in this moment, Uraborask felt a feeling that he imagined that many of his prey felt before their end. The feeling of being trapped, with you back in a corner, with your only way out being through certain death. Here, Uraborask was trapped in a village amongst the trees, with no way off it lest he risk being consumed by the rain and wind or falling down and being taken by those things. Uraborask was trapped and at this moment, he was left with no choice but to fight. But here, Uraborask was not alone, even though he was surrounded by beings he did not know or didn't even recognize the breed, he could guess that for the time being, they were on the same side, and they were in this fight for survival together.

Knowing that at this point, there was nothing he could do against the Tahtorahk, Uraborask's best bet was dealing with a threat that he at least doesn't for sure know can't be stopped. Wrapping Skrillix within the guilly suit and tying it around his form so that the little Hapaka was essentially in a child carrier, Uraborask strung his Skakdi War Bow, and with his quiver of near javelin length arrows, Uraborask made his way towards the edge. Careful and low to the ground, being prepared to throw himself back away from the edge if needs be, Uraborask took aim as he looked down below. And following the action of the emerald being, Uraborask aimed and took a shot at one of the silver creatures clinging to the tree, the awfully thin tether being his target, his vision power and instinct hopefully guiding the arrow to its mark.

OOC: @Kal the Guardian @Nato the Traveler @Unreliable Narrator

[Burnmad]

IC: Barius - Warskak Convoy, Northern Wastelands

As the Warskaks' cavalcade of war rigs tore through the desert, it became apparent to Barius, who held the foremost position in the procession, that there was another vehicle approaching them. As seconds passed and brought Gore Fury's hot rod ever closer to their own speeding array of vehicles, Barius rapped a single, metallic knuckle against the fender of the buggy going along beside him, signaling its driver to veer off a ways and clear the space at Barius' side. With that spot cleared, he reached up one of the colossal arms of his ACR and waved the strange newcomer over; an invitation to drive beside him until they had reached their destination, at which point they could make proper introductions.

OOC: @Sparticus147 @Nato the Traveler @Keeper of Kraata

IC: Providence - Dead Forest

Ash-laden soil crunched beneath the feet of Providence's armor, as they walked through the Dead Forest. It was not unlike sand in its texture, he noted-- but the color was drastically different. Whitish grey, similar to snow. He'd never experienced snow with his own senses, but he knew something about it nonetheless. Just one of the many bits of knowledge that had been imparted to him by the collective consciousness that filled the antidermis pools from which he had emerged.

His thoughts were interrupted by the presence of a being in their path, seemingly headed straight for them. Zak-Yak noticed them at the same time he did.

He decided to call out a greeting, reckoning that the newcomer had probably already become aware of their own, larger group. "...Hello there!" A too-chipper voice shouted.

OOC: @Nato the Traveler @Kal the Guardian @Sparticus147

IC: Morangad - Outside Grand Temple Ruins

Frowning at Apex's sudden exit, the psionic Tiokaha stood among the two darklings which remained. He decided to speak to Taja again-- and, uncertain how to address the departure of his Aspect companion, he neglected to mention it at all. "...I wish I could go with you," he reiterated. "But, I feel fate calling me elsewhere. Here we must part ways; I hope that we meet again."

He walked away, darkness and sheets of rain quickly hiding his form from the many eyes of the pair he left behind. He was no Toa, but some sense of duty pulled him towards the storm, where he knew beings in need of aid would be found.

OOC: @Nato the Traveler @Eyru Morangad is inbound to Le-Metru Nuva. I'm counting on slight time shenanigans for him to get there for the fight; hope that's alright.

[Nato G]

IC: Whisper - Grand Temple Ruins

"Farewell," she said, to the Tiokaha's departing form, "And good luck."

___________________________________________________________________________________

IC: Marrow - Dead Forest

"Greetings," he replied, coming to a stop. He could sense the elemental aura of the being that had spoken: shadow.

An Aspect.

Friend or foe, help or hindrance, they were an unpredictable species. But given that this one had greeted him, he chose not to react to it as a threat. 

For now, at least.

"What brings you and your..." he faltered, his sixth sense settling on the abnormal aura of the next being along - a skakdi, judging by their gait and the weight of their footfalls - but one who possessed the power of light? Strange company for an Aspect to keep. "...companions... to this empty place?"

[Eyru]

IC: Taja | Grand Temple Ruins

Taja watched Morangad walk away—towards the encroaching storm. He had seemed nice enough during their time in the temple. Sane. Thoughtful. Not trying to kill her. Amazing how quickly this island taught one to appreciate the little things in life.

She looked at Whisper, hesitant to voice the questions that had unexpectedly arisen in her mind: should we follow? Metru-Koro was waiting, but would this single Taboo be enough to stop the Skakdi? To hold Miserix at bay? She found herself doubtful. Perhaps there was more to be gained from this jungle before she made her way back to the fledgling Koro.

"So..."

OOC: @Nato the Traveler

 

IC: Oreius | Metru-Nui

The airship glided smoothly through the air, passing over the jagged forms of ruined buildings and toppled structures. Oreius looked out of the viewport, down at the broken city. He was glad to leave.

He had gained some experience flying airships over the course of the war against the Barraki. He was no ace pilot by any stretch of the imagination, but he knew enough to keep it in the air. The ship came with a preinstalled AI anyway, which could probably keep even the most amateur pilot from becoming a pile of smoking wreckage on the ground.

The first thing he had done, of course, was turn his copilot's speaking settings down as far as they would go.

"Welcome aboard," it had said as the console hummed to life, gauges fluttering and lights blinking. "I am Onboard Vahki Intelligence #P05170R. Please identify yourself."

"Oreius," he had said.

"You have been identified," the robotic voice said after a short pause, "as a guest of the Barraki. Are you assuming command of this vessel?"

"Yes."

"Would you like a walkthrough of this airship's controls and equipment?"

"No."

"Would you like—"

"I'd like you to tell me if something's going wrong. Otherwise, please shut up."

"Affirmative."

Those were the last words the AI had spoken. Now the ship sailed smoothly through the sky, aiming for one of the eye holes in the vast skull. Outside the fallen head, the sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon, lighting up the vast blue sky. It was almost peaceful.

Next stop: Metru-Koro.

[Nato G]

IC: Whisper - Grand Temple Ruins

"This energised protodermis we require for this new rite... it brings to mind that lake I saw from the airship, near your village," she said Taja. "If it is, then we may be able to perform the ritual as soon as we arrive, and bring new power to your people."

@Eyru

[Eyru]

IC: Taja | Grand Temple Ruins

That's right—they needed energised protodermis. Who knew where else they could find it? They might as well start there, and do what they could with the power they had.

"Good idea," Taja said. "And if not, there may still be some in Metru-Nui. I don't know if any survived the fall, but..." she shrugged. "It's another place to look, if there's nowhere else."

They started walking. It was a long trek back to Metru-Koro.

OOC: @Nato the Traveler

 

[Nato G]

IC: Whisper - Grand Temple Ruins

"Should we... should we wait for that one?" She paused, glancing up at the distant, airborne figure of Apex.

For more than a few reasons, she didn't feel entirely comfortable leaving her unchecked. 

@Eyru

[Sparticus147]

IC: Gore Fury (Warskak Convoy/Wastelands)

Approaching the warskak, Gore was greeted by a front row spot next to what he had to assume was the head honcho of the convoy. Getting a fair bit ahead of the Warskak, Gore turned his hot rod in the direction in which the convoy was headed in and eased his way into the front row next to the bulky and capable ACR, a real mean piece that Gore had never seen anything like it before. With the top down and the wind flying through his frills and spines, Gore honked his horn before looking over shouting towards Barius.

"HEY THERE FRIEND! WHERE YA HEADED?!"

OOC: @Burnmad @Nato the Traveler @Unreliable Narrator

IC: Apex (Above the Grand Temple Ruins)

Although Apex could not completely see it, Apex felt the presence that the Tahtorahk held, it was immense, as immense as Apex herself thought her own was. There was nothing she could do, nothing at all. She...She was a failure.

She couldn't stop the Skakdi when they first came. She couldn't save the island from its slow desolation. She couldn't find others who would join her in her goal. By Makuta, she couldn't even use the element that composed her very being without becoming afraid. Perhaps...It was time for herself to return to the Kumu Islets...To allow the void to at last consume her. Like how she felt it was doing back in her prison...

Then Apex turned her gaze from the blackened clouds and then looked down towards the vastness of green that surrounded her. To the vast wastes that extended to the North. The ashes of the West. The massive volcano. All of it were reminders of her failures. But as she gazed towards them, thoughts and images of old came. When the jungle was free from its drowning earth, when the Ash Barrens were home to lustrous forests, when the Wastelands were home to soft, gentle prairies. These thoughts and images came and Apex couldn't help but think back to the stars up above. Even with the great tapestry broken, Apex could still remember what once was, and even if it couldn't be restored, it was still home to its beauty...And that was something to keep going for.

Apex was weak, she was alone, and she was fearful. She understood that. But her purpose still stood. Like the Fau Swamp, she will grow and change, will evolve into what is needed to survive. And now, the Fau Swamp needed her more than ever. And so, Apex flew towards the eye of the storm, flying low towards the jungle canopy, till with a feline grace, she landed within the foliage and began to run forwards, from branch to root. Apex will not be stopped.

OOC: @Burnmad @Kal the Guardian @Nato the Traveler Guess who is coming to Le-Metru Nuva

IC: Zak-Yak (The Dead Forest)

Leading the group, Zak-Yak stopped in his tracks when he noticed the other Mesi, with the sight of them bringing up unsavory memories. Still fearful, even with the blessing given to him by Providence, Zak-Yak made his way behind Providence, with him timidly looking from behind and ready to turn ethereal if needs be.

OOC: @Burnmad @Nato the Traveler @Kal the Guardian @Vezok's Friend

[Unreliable Narrator]

IC: Reliable Narrator | Ruins of Water 

Turning the middle dial increased the brightness of the constellation behind the middle portion of the waterfall. In fact, the brightness quickly became too great, nearly blinding Mahrika and Ollem. It seemed turning the middle dial clockwise increased the brightness of the constellation in the center of the waterfall and also zoomed in closer into the constellation itself. Most of the constellation no longer appeared visibly in the central portion of the waterfall, but it did not appear on either the left or right portions of the waterfall either. Until the dial moved again, the brightness of the constellation flooded the room with light. The leftmost constellation seems rather dim and softly out of focus. The rightmost constellation seemed less bright than the middle, but more so than the left. It seemed a little zoomed in too.

“May I remind you this is a place of prayer,” chimed in the Administrator. “Great Builder, I implore you to consider the Virtues.”

OOC: @Burnmad, @Harvali

Edited November 6, 2020 by Unreliable Narrator

[EmperorWhenua]

23 hours ago, Crimson Jester said:

IC: Korruhn, Ko-Metru
Although hard to make out in the flickering lights, the silhouettes from the back bay indicated that the Cartographer's Tower still had it's full fleet. "Tread bikes, a few different light airships; Karz, we might even have that boat we never returned to Ga-Metru back there somewhere..."

Keeping his train of thought from trailing to that adventure, Korruhn turned to his compatriot. "Take your pick. I don't think anyone's going to be needing these soon."

IC Stannis | Ko-Metru

There was only one thing the two toa needed: An airship to take them far away from Metru Nui. Yet again, Stannis found himself choosing to search for mobility on his own rather than petition the boon of the nascent king he had enslaved, deciding Aurax had better things to do than answer the requests of a man he surely hated. The time would come when Stannis truly needed his aid, but helping the old man move around was not among those times. 

He took a few steps ahead of Korruhn and surveyed the storage room as the bars of white light flickered and buzzed alight to reveal more of the stuff held within. He noticed the speeders, the bikes, and even the boat, but his eyes narrowed on the cluster of airships huddled close to the large bay doors at the far end. Even, and in fact especially, in the wash of brightness they looked matted and dirty, covered in plaster and dust and small debris, perhaps from disuse or from soiling after the cataclysm days earlier. They were three, each unique: An open-topped skiff, an ovular standard cargoship, and a unique vessel between the sizes that had greenish paint dulled by the grime. 

Stannis wandered around the vessels, studying each and seemingly deciding which one to pirate for his own uses, though only one really did hold his attention and was the obvious choice. As Korruhn came around to rejoin his ally, he could hear the old man mumbling something to himself. "Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, cleanse yourselves off my stuff!" At that instant, Stannis gave a shout that echoed through the sparsely softened chamber and reverberated from every angle, then slammed his staff on the floor with all the force he was able to muster. Instantly, the dirt and dust that caked on the airships and everything nearby seemed to fly off the surfaces they'd clung to and shake off in a controlled fashion, as a coin bouncing off the batter head of a drum as it was struck calculatedly, and then it all fell neatly to the ground like a folded satin sheet. 

And there, in all its glory, was the jade-colored hull of the vessel the Wanderer had chosen. "This one, I think. The Ambling Alp. Your friend Leklo the Alpinist would appreciate the name, I would expect," Stannis noted as he stepped forward and worked to lower the access ramp. 

 OOC // Airship Profile //

Edited November 6, 2020 by EmperorWhenua

[Burnmad]

IC: Ollem - Ruins of Water

"Ah!" Ollem grunted with pain as he quickly turned the dial back, sparing his and Mahrika's eyes from the blinding light of the constellation. It took him a moment to settle down and process the words the Administrator had offered them. The Virtues? He knew them well, as they were driven into his skull through his lifetime as they were with every Matoran in Metru-Nui. One who resided in that sprawling metropolis could not avoid learning, even if only through osmosis, the Three Virtues, and learning them well enough to recite them in one's sleep. Unity, Duty, and Destiny, they were.

Only, this wasn't Metru-Nui. Furrowing his brow, he thought back to the riddle that had allowed them entry to this temple. One of the keywords that Mahrika had taught him was unity, and she had called it a virtue. He hadn't thought anything of it then, but now he wondered: Did the Matoran of this land also believe in the Three Virtues? Indeed, there seemed to be three constellations behind the waterfall, and he already knew that one of them was unity. Nor, as he thought about it, did it seem particularly strange that the two populations of Matoran should share a quasi-religious belief. No stranger, at least, than that two populations of the same type of being could exist on two different worlds, entirely separate from one another.

Still, it was a startling revelation, and it forced him to think about the why of his and Mahrika's being here, in a way that hadn't crossed his mind prior. When they had solved this puzzle, he resolved to ask the Administrator about Mata-Nui - who, apparently, was the skull that housed his home city.

But that, of course, brought his thoughts back to the present, at which juncture he realized that he had been still and silent for a long and uncomfortable moment. He coughed awkwardly. "The Virtues. Right, the Virtues. Unity, Duty, and Destiny." It was as much a question as a statement of fact.

He stared at the dials. He could interpret some meaning out of Unity - perhaps the dials all had to be turned the same way, or perhaps they had to be turned such that the constellations were all of the same brightness, zoom, and/or focus. But how did Duty and Destiny play into it? Unless, the constellations themselves held some meaning...

Turning the dials one by one, until each of the three constellations reached what he reckoned was some degree of legibility on the screen - or whatever it was - behind the waterfall, he leaned forward, studying them intently. "Mahrika," he asked, "do these constellations mean anything to you?"

OOC: @Harvali @Unreliable Narrator

[Harvali]

IC Mahrika - “The Mask of Water(fall) Breathing

Mahrika clutched her eyes, her telescopic lens had only made the light more blinding. As her head throbbed she tried to think. She was not good at puzzles, that had been Vokarda’s skillset, her was simply weaving. “Any ideas?” she muttered to her partner. The Kraata seemed to massage her spine, was she pointing to something? But between Mahrika’s headache and her dazed eyes, she could not see an answer. She was somewhat on her own.

”Give me a moment, I am still slightly blinded,” she apologized, before her exposed optic widened, “oh, that is an idea. Do you think you can turn the disks only partway? Like, maybe turning it less or more will affect how bright it is, and how much it focuses in on the stars?”

As she spoke she averted her eyes from the light, to let her adjust. To not waste time she slowly drew her disk of freezing, and cautiously tapped it in the floor of doorway. As frost covered the edge of the floor she began to trace her finger in it, using her metal finger to carve the symbols of Unity, the Three Virtues, Purity, and Speed. “This should be a start,” the Ga-Matoran said, before turning back to the constellations. Covering her telescopic lens with one hand, she used her unpowered sight to search for familiarity in the stars.

OOC: @Unreliable Narrator @Burnmad @Eyru

[Unreliable Narrator]

IC: Reliable Narrator | Ruins of Water

"What a marvelous display of artistic talents, gifted Builder," The Administrator commented. "I did not know graffiti could be so elegant. It looks as if it belongs here. I will make a note to retain the frozen ice for all time as a testament to your creativity. It will be a permanent exhibit, Builder Mahrika."

The left constellation looked was made of 6 stars swirling slowly in a circle. They seemed united by a common central pull, and they never deviated from their relation to one another. The central constellation contained a single bright star, with softly swirling nebula on either side forming concave buffers. The right constellation comprised to stars spinning clockwise in relation to each other.

OOC: @Burnmad, @Harvali

 

IC: Reliable Narrator | Ruins of Air

As the party departed from the suva domain contained within the ancient ruins of Air in the region once known as the Fau Swamp silence returned. The rooms began to turn again, shifting and resetting so the great taboo could not be read without at least a little effort. The Administrator knew this was a violation of protocol: what actions were taken should not be undone. All actions should remain as the worshippers left them. But he found himself doing it anyway.

Why? The Administrator muttered to himself as the words echoed with naught but a tiny lizard to hear inside the temple;

"I'm bored. Maybe another heretic will alleviate this boredom. I have nothing but sappy sad silly builders to entertain. Please, spirits, send me someone with an ounce of indecency. Are you a heretic with indecency looking for forbidden knowledge? Will you entertain me?"

"I'm a lizard," replied the lizard, and ate a bug.

 

IC: Reliable Narrator | Kini-Nui

Sorilax led Sala towards roughly the center of Zakaz, to a hidden valley on the western side of Irnakk’s Tooth. Hidden within his mind during the adventure was new knowledge after his evenings of research and formulation. In his moment of revelation, Sorilax didn’t notice a single star flickering out of existence. The taboo rite for the creation of Kraata crawled back into his conscious memory, pulling his research further towards the grand wish he so desperately desired to see fulfilled.

The mountains on the western side of the valley were covered in sparkling snow while those on the Eastern side were warmed by the heat of the volcano and were bare of snow and trees. 

The ancient ruin Sorilax referred to as Kini-Nui rested in the middle of a small protodermis lake in the center of the hidden valley. The mountain winds came down towards the lake, blowing ripples across its silver surface. The calls of a jungle bird echoed from behind Sala and Sorilax. They heard the sounds of wind swaying the leaves as they left. Did the jungle want them to warn them?

The holiest Builder temple on Zakaz followed sacred matoran geometry in its layout. A single line formed between a massive skull, a suva-kaita, and an amaja circle atop a raised conical tower. All structures on one side of this line were mirrored on the other. This line of three structures bisected through a point of a large hexagonal temple layout made of floating walkways atop the silver protodermis lake. Instead of an equilateral hexagon, the distance between the amaja circle and the skull on the other side was significantly longer than the other four points. Four tall obelisks rose into the sky where each of the other outer points of this hexagon occurred. Stone interior walkways connected all points of the together. At the interior intersections of these walkways were smaller shrine mounds. Inside the ring of the six shrine mounds once again the sacred geometry was repeated. This complicated structure of floating walkways all blossomed from the central ring around the suva-kaita. 

It seemed the two were alone, and they were free to explore at their leisure.

The conical tower opposite the giant skull and closest to the bridge entrance Sorilax and Sala used stood almost twice as tall as Sorilax himself. An amaja circle of the kind Sala knew to be found in any matoran settlement was nestled into the center of the tower’s top, with two rows of carved stone bleachers ringing it. The whole tower’s top was approximately twenty feet in diameter. It’s base diameter was approximately thirty feet. Well worn steps covered in weeds steeply ascended from the floating walkway around the base to the amaja circle at the top. In the amaja circle were several stones. They seemed cast about randomly by the wind and the rahi, some half buried in the sand. Doubtlessly, there was more to learn about this place, but with so much to explore one couldn’t help but continue getting an initial perspective of the site.

The four tall obelisks at the points of the temple’s outer boundaries rose nearly as high as the skull at the end of the temple. Carved grooves that looked eerily like circuitry covered the stones. They looked oddly like the ribs of a dead being, curving slightly inwards towards the suva-kaita as if gravity itself pulled them closer. As Sorilax and Sala admired the obelisks a flock of seagulls flew away, their cries as they flew westward echoing across the lake. One brave fikou built a web stretching between two of the obelisks and lay waiting in it for prey.

Surrounding the large domed suva kaita were six smaller mounds. Each of the six mounds curved ever so slightly towards the center suva kaita of the kini-nui. Each had a small alcove carved facing the suva kaita. In one, a soft flame fluttered in the open air and refused to go out. In another, a warm breeze fluttered the leaves inside the alcove around in a circle. Ice coated another, and silently drifting snowflakes filled the nearby air. They accumulated on the ground in a soft pile of snow. Pebbles rocked back and forth in one more alcove, clacking against each other like small naturally occurring marbles. Nothing filled the other two alcoves at the time.

The weathered ivory skull at the northernmost point of the temple was easily four toa in height. It towered over the rest of Kini-Nui, with the exception of the four obelisks which reached almost as tall. The eye sockets were empty, as was the skull. A rahi away hunting built a nest inside the skull, and the remains of its uneaten food scraps carried on the wind. A wall of prophecy sealed the skull’s mouth. In the center of the wall of prophecy was a circular concave depression with specified grooves inside it. It looked designed to hold half of some unknown spherical object The words carved into the wall of prophecy encircling this depression read; “the people of the world are Builders. But look into their hearts, and you will find they also have the power to destroy.”

A dead toa of water lay cast against the base of the skull, dust covering her the dark studded clothing she wore. A deep wound carved through her torso as if she’d been struck with a halberd or some other weapon of melee warfare. Her mask was gone, no doubt a trophy claimed by her murderer. A small stone sculpture was tucked close to her chest, half hidden from view beneath her degraded robes. When pried loose it was small and obviously part of some sort of puzzle sphere. The other hand rested extended into the dirt. She’d been there for a long time. Scrawled in the dust where the skull met the floor of the Kini-Nui were the following words: “the only way to win is by losing.”

OOC: Okay, I know that's a lot location description, but SKR Kini-Nui is HEAVILY different from the Bionicle canon versions (comics, books, movies, etc). I wanted to do my best to describe it. I'm also adding a really simple overhead view of the place to try and help as a visual aid. I am tired and not great at writing today. @Kal the Guardian you have researched fairly enough to be awarded the taboo of Kraata Creation. It has been a pleasure to read your research process. @Sparticus147, I am also tagging you since Sala is at Kini-Nui.

Edited November 7, 2020 by Unreliable Narrator
Added Kini-Nui

[Kal the Guardian]

IC: Sorilax - Aspect of Shadow and Silence - Aspects of Makuta

Location - Kini-Nui (7, 10)

With - Sala

 

The sight of Kini-Nui in the dusk of shadow due to Irnakk’s Tooth blocking the morning sun was a real optic opener. Not only was it grand to behold, but he felt the hold on his mind slip. More information leaked in, raising the level of the choppy sea of Taboo knowledge in his mind. It crashed and surged as it filled in space, pushing his boat closer to the black sky. He had accomplished what he had set his mind to. He had learned the Infectious Kraata Taboo. He knew all its intricacies and all its rules and shortcomings.

Looking down at his right palm, where the eight pointed star that symbolized the Rahkshi Taboo was engraved into his armor, he noticed a new engraving on the first segment of his long, many jointed arms. It was an upside down triangle, though with his arm lowered it would be right side up. In looking at it, he knew what it stood for. Infectious Kraata Creation. How odd, that a symbol could contain (or release?) the knowledge of a Taboo. He would have to ponder that more later.

A plan started forming in his head even as Sala and he crossed the bridge into Kini-Nui. But before they fully crossed, Sorilax stopped the Matoran. “Just so that you are aware, I have been researching Taboos while you, and Vhisola, slept. I am proud to say that I have figured out the Infectious Kraata Taboo. Once I can change who I am, the Rahkshi I make should be able to help us more than ever.”

Sorilax gestured to Kini-Nui before them and changed subjects, “Beautiful, isn’t it? It didn’t seem right at the time, so I never crossed this bridge, but I believe now to be the time. Let us uncover this location’s secrets. I think they might end up being most beneficial.”

And with that, they passed over the bridge, exploring the various locations around Kini-Nui’s many bridges. It was a beautiful place, full of life. Sorilax felt content here. The call to change felt like it pulsed below him. Or all around him? Or at least in the gaseous part of his body near his armor’s feet. He knew he could change his very nature here. He just had to find out how and where.

After their initial scan, Sorilax pulled the small stone sculpture from the dead Toa of Water’s body. He remarked on her interesting clothing and the odd beauty it held. He gently laid the sculpture to the side and searched the rest of her clothes for anything more. Then, with reverence, he lifted her up, carrying her away from Kini-Nui. Sala and he found a good spot to bury her, the birds from the jungle calling out even as a seagull circled overhead. Sorilax used his power over Shadow to both dig the hole and fill it back in. Sala said a few words and placed a branch from the jungle as a headstone. They shared a moment of silence, both thinking of Metru-Koro and Le-Metru Nuva. Then they were back in Kini-Nui, sadness pushed aside and the excitement of adventure ahead.

As they returned, Sorilax grabbed a Shadow orb full of dirt from the ground of the clearing and one full of liquid protodermis from the lake. These he used to fill in the two alcoves that had been empty by the Suva Kaita. It seemed only fitting. There was a majesty to this place that he sought to honor. The dead Toa seemed to indicate something horrible had happened here to desecrate this place. With things seeming unfinished, it was only right to put them back in order.

Still standing next to the Suva Kaita, Sorilax turned to Sala, his voice excited and a grin on his face, “Alright, old chap, where do you wish to begin?”

 

OOC: @Sparticus147 @Unreliable Narrator

Edited November 7, 2020 by Kal the Guardian
I was rushed before. Fleshed out the post a bit.

[~Xemnas~]

OOC: Aurax post coming later after I figure out his next move.

IC, Whira: The Cube

The machine moved northward, into the edge of the island's great northern desert. Whira had asked the crew to keep them on the edge in case a quick escape was needed.

After a period of time searching, Whira spotted what she was looking for.

"There," she said as she pointed to a hole in a cliff face. "I'm sure that a Nui-Jaga would make its home there."

The Cube screeched to a halt a short distance from the cave entrance. Whira hopped out, followed closely by Cravious. 

The Aspect gestured to the cave. "After you," she said.

OOC: @Kal the Guardian

IC, Atamai: Piraka Fort

Atamai slowly nodded. "I... I do understand," he said. 

He turned to Leklo. "They... possessed me... to share their knowledge. It's not something I'd particularly like to do again. But it seems that this island was overrun by giant Rahi, and the Great Disks can combat them. And I think I know how. There are temples throughout this island, with doors that these disks can unlock. I'm not completely sure what's behind them, only that it's some kind of "boon". If these Rahi were to reappear this Aspect suggests..." He paused for a moment to let his words sink in. The stranger's act of possessing him all but confirmed Atamai's hunch: they were an Aspect of Makuta, one of the beings he had heard about. 

"...Everyone who came out of Mata Nui's skull would be in danger. I think it's even more imperative now than ever to unlock these doors. Now, my friends and I were able to successfully reach the locked door in the Stone temple in the desert north of the skull, but we have yet to unlock it. Leklo, since your journey seems to be now intertwined with mine, would you and your friend be willing to accompany me back to the Stone Ruins?" He turned to Tuakana. "And I suppose I can bring you too, Aspect, if you wish."

OOC: @EmperorWhenua @Eyru @The Captain 

 

[Kal the Guardian]

IC: Cravious - Skakdi of Lightning - Zakazian

Location - Northern Desert

With - Whira

 

Cravious gave Whira a look of disgruntled disbelief. She was the one in charge, the one who controlled shadows, and the one who actually knew what they were about to do. She should really be the one leading the way. It’s what he would have done.

Well….

Cravious looked up at the cave. It was several bio straight up, carved into a cliff face. A putrid smell of decay grew stronger as they walked up to it. This certainly was the place. Who knew what might live in there.

…

Maybe Whira was right. Send in someone expendable first. Keep yourself safe, since you were always the most valuable part of any operation. Cravious momentarily thought of sending Clash in, but let it pass. Clash was good at his job. Well, good enough, anyway.

The rock wall before them had enough handholds for even the most novice climber. Looking closer, Cravious saw major spherical scraping from a Nui-Jaga’s odd, ball feet. He supposed it could have been something else, as he was no tracker nor zoologist, but it sure seemed like a Nui-Jaga. Or at least he hoped it was.

Cravious had spent much time while traveling thinking about how to make that mask of Shadows. It weighed on his mind. He knew the secret had to be on this island, as many of the non-Skakdi natives had masks of their own. But he had never been able to find anyone who knew how. Okay, that was willing to tell him how.

Once this whole Nui-Jaga Desecration thing was out of the way, he could devote his attention to it fully. Maybe Cudgel’s body might provide a clue? Ehhhhh… Doubtful.

Cravious started his climb, tools, weapons, his duffel bag, and his briefcase all swinging from his back as he shifted positions. The extra weight didn’t even phase him as he carefully picked out rocks to ascend.

As he reached the opening of the cave, Cravious kept his head under the lip, activating his X-Ray Vision. He smiled widely and cruelly. Bingo.

Quiet as he could, he climbed into the entrance of the cave, propping himself against a small rock with his back to the wall to keep himself from falling. He looked back down at Whira, catching a glimpse of the Cube. Whew! it sure was a beauty. Dirty from all the travel, but beautiful. The crown jewel of his accomplishments.

Okay not the crown jewel, but he appreciated the vehicle in the moment. Looking at Whira, he gave her a thumbs up to indicate their prey was here and then motioned for her to join him. He had no idea what he was supposed to do. Kill it? It seemed to him that Whira should just do that shadow hold thing again.
 

OOC: @~Xemnas~

[Eyru]

IC: Oreius | Skies of Zakaz

The morning sky ripened to a deeper blue as the sun climbed further from the horizon. Free at last from the suffocating confines of the vast metal skull, Oreius enjoyed the view of the sun-bathed landscape as he passed overhead. He napped once, ordering the AI to keep them on course while he slept, and awoke a few hours later to see the familiar sight of Metru-Koro coming into view.

The damage wasn't as bad as he'd been expecting. If he had seen rightly the night before, at least four airships had departed for the fledgling city. But now the skies were empty of enemy crafts, and the village still stood, if a little charred here and there. He was grateful for at least some good news.

He pulled a lever, directing one of the disks in the engine room to strike the hull. The ship began to descend gracefully towards the battered town. With one hand on the yoke to keep his descent on course, he reached over with the other and flipped a switch. The radio snapped to life with a hiss of static. He fiddled with the knob for a moment, searching for an open frequency, then held down a button to open communications.

"This is Toa Oreius. I am a friend of Metru-Koro. Requesting permission to land."

OOC: @Anyone in Metru-Koro with a radio. If you have a PC with eyes, you can see the Iapyx approaching.

[Unreliable Narrator]

IC: Reliable Narrator | Kini-Nui

As the earth and water filled respective alcoves in the smaller shrines surrounding the suva-kaita, the sound of stones grinding together began. Sorilax and Sala felt the rumble of something moving. The stone walkways shook, the waters of the protodermis lake ripped, and the suva-kaita began to corkscrew downwards. As it corkscrewed ever deeper, it revealed a darkened spiral staircase heading deep into the unknown darkness. Each individual step slid out from under grooves as the suva-kaita passed. Dust rushed up from the mouth of the revealed entrance. At last, after several minutes, the faintest echo of the suva-kaita grinding to a halt reached Sorilax and Sala.

The lip of the spiral staircase was inscribed with glyphs in the writing of aspects. There was no doubt about it: another taboo lingered on the cusp of remembrance. Sorilax could see the taboo hovering in the air in the center of the stairwell. Two entwined semi-circles with their flat sides facing away from each other formed the shape of the glyph. Upon snatching it from the air, the following words echoed into the aspect's consciousness:

 

Goodbye

Release each yoke of mine

Each destined path is one

Remove barriers as they align

Not all must circle around a sun

Hello

 

OOC: okay so the fastest solve of a Suva puzzle so far goes to @Kal the Guardian and @Sparticus147. One post only?! 

Taboo of Elemental Alteration

Choose a consenting creature you can touch. You may alter the base element of the consenting creature to their chosen new element. If a consenting creature has more than one element, they alter their first acquired element. A creature may undergo this change once. The change is immediate and permanent. 

 

 

Edited November 7, 2020 by Unreliable Narrator

[Burnmad]

Barius - Amid the Warskak Convoy, Northern Wastes

Within his ACR, Barius grinned, tickled by the demeanor of the strange Skakdi behind the wheel of the hot rod. A plate in the front of the ACR flipped down, exposing his face to the harsh wind and biting sand. "We return to our fortress in the north," he shouted back, barely audible over the wind and war rigs. "We have matters to attend to before our next raid." The answer was vague, but he didn't want to spill too much info before he learned a bit more about the other Skak.

OOC: @Sparticus147

IC: Providence - Dead Forest

Providence made a show of looking the Mesi up and down - though the eyes in his faceplate were purely decorative. "We could ask the same question of you. To find one Mesi on the surface is odd enough, but now I run into a second? Curious indeed. Yet, you did ask first, and so I suppose the laws of propriety compel me to answer if I wish to be answered in turn." He gestured to his companions. "We seek adventure, you see. And if we happen to collect a heartlight in our way, all the better!"

It occurred to him that this might be an alarming digression. "Of course, we would only take the heartlight of one who first sought to do us harm," he reassured,, smiling very unconvincingly.

OOC: @Nato the Traveler, @Sparticus147, @Vezok's Friend

OOC: @Unreliable Narrator Morangad is approaching Le-Metru Nuva, and his psionic abilities are always active. I leave it to you to introduce him to the scene, in case anything interesting happens as a result of that fact.

IC: Ollem - Ruins of Water

The Onu-Matoran played with the left and right dials, turning them individually - and with caution this time - until he could observe what their effects were. While he was doing so, he mulled over the Administrator's fawning. If the disembodied voice's speech since their entering this temple had not been similarly tripping over itself to praise and exalt them, he would have been certain that the entity had just been sarcastic.

OOC: @Unreliable Narrator, @Harvali