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Six Kingdoms: Rebirth - Gameplay


Unreliable Narrator

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1 hour ago, Tarn said:

IC: Nale Vella - Metru-Koro

Commander? Maybe Knichou's head had grown bigger while he was away. It meant there wouldn't be any confusion with ranks aboard the Taku, at least. "I wouldn't worry about that," she replied. "Whatever title suits me, I'll use. But I was growing attached to calling myself 'captain.' Captain Vella. Got a ring to it."

She flashed a smile, then continued. "Quite a bit. No rest for the weary, I suppose. Some strange Skakdi came from underground--attacked the village right after the airship battle ended. Fended them off, but I don't know for how long. They seem to live beneath Metru-Koro, and don't like the neighbors." Nale sighed, then crossed her arms. "And, well...since we surrendered, the League that orchestrated the attack..."

The Fa-Toa shook her head, not sure what Knichou would think of what else she had to say. She wondered if the Toa of Iron had passed by Zaliyah and Ostrox on his way in--clearly not, or he might have said something...or not let them leave at all.

"...they left, after a bit of a discussion. They're walking back to Metru Nui now. Not sure how they'll make it, you and I know what this place is like."

@BULiK

IC: Knichou, Metru-Koro, Central Plaza

Captain Vella? It certainly does have a ring to it. Vulimai will LOVE this...

The discussion of nonexistent ranks was as lighthearted and refreshing as it was brief, and Nale quickly moved on to the important matters. Another attack? The village was already under threat from the League and now the island's natives were tunneling underground to attack? Wondeful...

More surprising to Knichou was... did Nale say 'we surrendered'? Last Knichou checked, the only airship flying above Metru-Koro was the Taku, and these realities were mutually exclusive in his mind. Well, there was that new airship parked beside it, but that didn't appear to be one of the airships from the battle last night.

"Hold on hold on... we surrendered? The Doc told me Sans didn't make it, but I thought we won? Since when did Pridak accept surrender? These Leaguers bomb the village, get their fleet destroyed, then walk out scot-free? I don't quite understand what you're saying."

Edited by BULiK
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IC: Ostrox (Outskirts of Metru-Koro)

"Thank you." Ostrox says, with absolute sincerity. "After we deal with the usurper, we need to find that Krom Sphere. It may still be under the Coliseum, behind all that collapsed rubble, but that place has... unusual properties. I’m still not sure how to explain it. I don’t think Mazor has it on him. If he did, he’d have been staring at it as if it were his firstborn son or something when I saw him here… now that I think about it, where did the Nynrah Ghosts find it in the first place? They obviously didn’t make it, the Sphere is beyond any Matoran’s ability to create, mad scientist or not."

@Nato the Traveler@Onaku

 

IC: Tekmo (Metru-Koro, Remains of Sans’s Hut)

Tekmo turns to Vulimai. "He has a point. We can’t try him for things he might have done, and arresting people who've tried to help us for past allegiances isn’t an incentive for other potential allies to do the same. You didn't incarcerate Waveahk, after all."

He then immediately swerved from genuine advisement to biting sarcasm. "Besides, I don’t have time to question this man. I have to give myself a PRRROMOTION!" He yells, loud enough for Knichou and Nale to hear, in a deliberately over-the-top fashion. He rests his left hand on his chest, and a golden-yellow flower spurts out in the place where a medal might be.

"There. I’m a lieutenant-colonel now. That’s how it works, apparently."

@Sparticus147@Onaku@BULiK@Tarn

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1 hour ago, Onaku said:

IC: Zadred - Todbuk-Koro outskirts

She turned back to Xane with a soft smile and a curious glint to her amber eyes. "What about you? What have you been up to?"

IC: Xane - Tobduk-Koro Outskirts

"Enra and I have been exploring the finest abandoned, haunted places this island has to offer," he replied. "I know some of the survivors have taken to calling this island Zakaz, but our homeland was far nicer than this." 

@Onaku

11 minutes ago, Toru Nui said:

IC: Ostrox (Outskirts of Metru-Koro)

"Now that I think about it, where did the Nynrah Ghosts find it in the first place? They obviously didn’t make it, the Sphere is beyond any Matoran’s ability to create, mad scientist or not."

IC: Zaliyah - Metru-Koro Outskirts

"My guess, it was made by the same being or entity responsible for making that," she pointed to the city-sized skull in the distance. "There's a lot we don't know about that mission. With Pridak dead, I doubt we'll ever know all of the details."

@Toru Nui

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IC: Vulimai (Metru-Koro)

Vulimai simply sighed as Tekmo spoke of his promotion, the inanity of the situation starting to grow to much, before she looked back up and addressed the two. "I suppose you are right Toa Tekmo, there is no point in attempting to try him for crimes that can't be proven...But I can try you Tekmo for attempting to impersonate a superior officer, so kep having your fun at your own risk." Vulimai said the last part with the upmost joking seriousness, but one could easily tell the Vo-Matoran was starting to get tired of these shenanigans. "But regardless, I suppose welcome to Metru-Koro, don't get yourself into trouble. Tekmo, mind keeping an eye on them, I have business to attend to."

Turning away from Druu and Tekmo, Vulimai went to walk away, just missing the conversation between Knichou and Nale that would most certainly catch the Guard Captain's attention if she heard it.

OOC: @Onaku @Tarn @Toru Nui @BULiK

IC: Gore Fury (Fort Nektann, Mess Hall)

"Crazy, indeed, like the Skakdi were wholly unoriginal and ized the indigenous name of Xa-Nui and called this land Zakaz because what else would they call a place they lived but the same as they came from?

"Huh, you ok there old timer? Not sure what ya talkin' about there. Well, here, let me get you another bowl, I myself am ready to dig in as well. Hahaha!" Walking off and away, Gore returned to the stew pot and refilled the bowl that he gave to Stannis before also getting himself a bowl. Handing Stannis another bowl, Gore got ready to drink up in his stew, when he spied a particular little buddy of his.

"Hey there little buddy! Dinners all set up so come on, eat up. Oh, here's a bowl of stew, its my Ma's special."

OOC: @Burnmad @EmperorWhenua @Crimson Jester @Conway @Unreliable Narrator @Nato the Traveler

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IC: [Vhisola]


The shape growled again and rose. It was still too dark to see the details of the being clearly, but Okuo could now make out two eyes blinking at him from within deep sockets in a vaguely reptile-like head, attached to an elongated neck and body, standing horizontally upon  two strong legs and balanced out by a tail. Long arms ending in claws twitched nervously. Where they reached the body on either side, there was a large, rounded protrusion. It growled again. Still no words, just confusion, panic and shame


“Spirits…” Vhisola’s whisper cut through the quiet. The Matoran couldn’t help but move to the edge of the hole torn into the hut to see if Okuo could help. She hadn’t meant to speak, it had just slipped out upon seeing the silhouette in the darkness. She felt a twitch in the pit of her stomach and a flash of nausea as the eyes snapped towards her. 


For the creature, apparently two guests were one too many. It began to hiss again, clearly agitated now. It was backed into a corner and didn’t like it. 

OOC: @Onaku
 

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IC: Okuo - Metru-Koro

As calmly as he could, he turned just enough to see Vhisola at the hole, and with similar composure he spoke to her. "Please... Vhisola, move out of sight for now." He then turned back to the creature, taking a step back and lowering himself to make himself look smaller. "I'm not here to hurt you. Nixie, if you understand me, please, nod your head." All the while he did his best to speak calmly and without raising his voice.

@Vezok's Friend

 

IC: Zadred - Todbuk-Koro

"Maybe... I don't miss the bomb craters though. Or the constant smell of gunpowder in the air. Or the frequent screams just at the edge of your hearing. This island has its flaws, but... was home really better?"

@Nato the Traveler@Toru Nui

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IC: Cravious - Skakdi of Lightning - Zakazian

Location - Irnakk’s Tooth (7, 10)

With - Whira

 

The orange glow of the rising sun to the east struck the Aqua Sphere, light dazzling forth from it. Even from the volcano it could be seen as a glimmer in the sky. And approaching that volcano, another speck of light could be seen.

The Cube steadily moved towards Irnakk’s Tooth. Gone was the desert. Instead the land grew rocky and ashen. Soon they would have to start navigating lava flows. But for now, they still moved with good speed.

Cravious awoke with a hunger to continue. He failed seven more times trying to properly make a Kanohi, and on the eighth try, he was pretty sure he got it, but he didn’t like how a part of the outer edge felt and so he tried again.

Finally, a fully realized Kraahkan sat before him. Cravious laid down his tools, fingers running over the surface. All the edges were crisp, but not sharp. The metal even throughout. The surface held no bubbles or other blemishes. There were no cracks or weak spots. But the silver color, well, it was different from the Kanoka he had made. It didn’t have that glimmer, that slight, almost imperceptible sheen.

Based on how Kanoka worked, that meant it held no power. Cravious debated with himself over what to do. Should he go to Whira and have her test it? Or would that be displaying weakness to someone who valued power above all else? No, not weakness. He had made a Kanohi in under the week he had said it would take. If it didn’t work, that was simply because he had yet to discover the right ingredients for the mask.

After all, he hadn’t even touched Kanoka merging yet. He had no idea what a mask of Shadows might require.

Still, better to try to make a different mask and see if that one was dull too.

A couple hours, and four attempts, later, he had made a Kanohi out of the second unknown Kanoka power (Regeneration). He shaped it like one of his hireling’s in the mine. It did have that slight silver glow to it. The way it caught the light showing him that it held power.

He tried it on, wondering if he might be able to use it. But it was just a mask to him, not a Kanohi. It was a covering, not a power. Just a hunk of protodermis on his face.

Cravious wasn’t sure if this meant this Kanohi was a failure too, or if Skakdi just couldn’t use them. He had never seen a Skakdi wear one except out of mockery, so he doubted they could.

Their pace slowed as they grew closer to the entrance into the volcano. The Cube switched from its treads to its legs as it maneuvered over the jagged ground.

During lunch, Cravious explained to Whira how he had made a mask from a disc of Shadow, but it didn’t seem to have power like his other mask did. He held out both to his Aspect, showing her how one reflected light differently than the other. The Kraahkan was a dull silver, like a rock, the other seemed like it had been polished.

As Cravious finished his meal, the Cube came to a stop. Sagacious yelled from the driver’s console, “We’re here!

Cravious gathered his gear as Clash opened the garage ramp. An oppressive heat flooded in, smothering them with foul smelling and acrid air. Cravious frowned to himself, anxious about what they were about to do. He said a quick prayer to Irnakk to guide their way and leave them alone, then he returned to Whira’s side. He tried his best to push away his fear of this place. It was for the money. All for the money. He could do this.

You have any idea where this Kanoka forging site might be located? I assume within the volcano, but I’m not sure if it’ll be where other Skakdi come to create their Tahtoraks. It would probably be picked over if that were the case.

 

OOC: @~Xemnas~

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--------- “BRUH” -Makuta, probably ---------

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IC: Nale Vella - Metru-Koro

"We surrendered," she repeated. "And honestly, I didn't hear of it until we got back. I'm not sure how we managed that one."

Nale looked around the village, at the repairs, and those going back and forth around them, trying to preserve some kind of normal working life like they had before the airship attack. Tekmo said something about a promotion she barely caught, and as Vulimai walked away the Fa-Toa gave the Matoran a nod in goodbye.

"I tried, you know," she continued, looking back at Knichou, icy blue optics giving away how defeated she felt inside. "I wanted something to be done about it, but...none of it mattered. Maybe we should've done something about it on-board the ships, before we ever touched the ground again..."

Nale shook her head. Wouldn't allow thoughts like that.

"What matters is we keep this village safe if anything else happens. I doubt they'll be back--at least, the ones who did this. They have matters at home to attend to."

She looked in the direction of the cave the Mesi had come from before.

"So do we."

@BULiK@Toru Nui@Sparticus147@Onaku

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IC: Taja | Desert Outskirts

Taja nodded. She was envious of that freedom. She still didn't feel fully comfortable in her Toa body—as evidenced by her tripping over things and stumbling around the swamp like a three-legged Kane-Ra. And then there was the issue of her Shadow powers. Although she was beginning to understand and control them, she missed the enhanced hearing she'd had as a Matoran, and as well as the powers over sound she'd briefly wielded as a Toa. Those abilities had felt so much more natural to use, like an extension of herself. In contrast, these new powers required her to think in different ways, to bend her mind to understand how shadows interacted with their environment. It was getting easier, but she was still far from where she wanted to be.

"Do Aspects change their forms often?" she asked, stepping around a sunken patch of sand. "Or do they usually stay in the same body... forever?"

OOC: @Nato the Traveler

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4 hours ago, Onaku said:

IC: Zadred - Todbuk-Koro

"Maybe... I don't miss the bomb craters though. Or the constant smell of gunpowder in the air. Or the frequent screams just at the edge of your hearing. This island has its flaws, but... was home really better?"

IC: Xane - Tobduk-Koro

"This island is haunted," he reiterated. "I'm not talking superstition, I mean like, actual creepy giggling ghosts."

@Onaku

4 minutes ago, Eyru said:

IC: Taja | Desert Outskirts

"Do Aspects change their forms often?" she asked, stepping around a sunken patch of sand. "Or do they usually stay in the same body... forever?"

IC: Whisper - Desert

"The reasons for our chosen appearances and whether we change them are as varied as we are," she replied, after dwelling on the question for a few moments. "You have to understand, what you see is just armour, a shell to house our gaseous essence. If it's damaged or ruptured, an Aspect may choose to replace it. Some, I imagine, simply grow bored and want to try something new."

@Eyru

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IC: Vulimai & Bronk (Metru-Koro)

Leaving the crater that once was where Sans' hut was, Vulimai wandered through the streets of Metru-Koro in a near daze. All around her, Matoran lingered, some trying to rebuild their homes from the rubble, others simply gazing somberly at what was once their home. Mixed amongst them were the Guard, trying to do their best but they themselves were also filled with the same tired weakness that pervaded the populace.

Walking through the streets, Vulimai stopped, as she looked towards the ruins of the garrison, her unconsciously walking towards her office, now gone. Looking towards the structure, Vulimai wondered where she was supposed to go...Till remembering that she did indeed have her own hut, hopefully it still stood.

~~~

Bronk silently and dutifully followed along behind Zaliyah and Ostrox, accompanied by Iradra, and ensuring the safety of the lot from any form of harassment from the Matoran, and as he was keeping his eyes out, lightly listening in on their conversation, he spotted someone that he hoped was still alive...Captain Vulimai.

Remembering all that he had learn, Bronk knew he needed to speak with the captain. Turning towards Zaliyah, Bronk spoke, "Ms. Zaliyah, I have escorted you to the western half of Metru-Koro and I'm sure with the help of Toa Iradra here, you can continue with the rest of your journey unimpeded. But, Duty calls and I have business to attend to as I must speak to my superior officer all that I have heard so far."

OOC: @Toru Nui @Nato the Traveler @Onaku

Edited by Sparticus147
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IC: Knichou, Metru-Koro, Central Plaza

Knichou did his best to ignore Tekmo's cheers while Nale continued to speak. As she went on his posture drooped, and he crossed his arms, gaze drifting to the dirt below.

"So... it's not just over... it's... over..."

He had awoken so excited to be alive, utterly happy at the presumed results from his suicidal airship charge to protect the Matoran of Metru-Koro. Yet another defeat would not have been as crushing to Knichou if it wasn't for how uncharacteristically hopeful the Toa had been earlier in the day. Maybe Nale was right - there was more that could have been done. Perhaps if I had used the mask sooner... but... no... maybe?

"We have to do something, but what? With Sans gone, the city under repair, and Metru-Koro's makeshift guard weakened and disheartened, who is calling the shots? The village needs leadership, and fast. We may have a reprieve for now, but it won't be that long before Pridak attacks again or those skakdi raiders return, and if we aren't united and prepared, the Matoran won't stand a chance."

Knichou frowned, thinking of the options.

"Where is Stannis when you need him..."

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IC: Xane - Tobduk-Koro

"No, they're ghosts. But it was still... unsettling."

@Onaku

___________________________________________________________________

IC: Zaliyah - Metru-Koro

"Of course," she nodded to Bronk. "Thank you for the escort, soldier."

@Sparticus147

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IC: Xane - Tobduk-Koro

"This place has that, too," he replied. "Enra could tell you more about the local warbands."

@Onaku @Toru Nui

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IC: Reliable Narrator | Fau Swamp

The Fau Swamp survived contact with the Skakdi by being deadlier than they were. While other verdant areas to the north were scoured of life and reduced to sand, the swamp chose instead to evolve. Swallowing the oil and fumes from their ACRs and drinking deep of the poison that coated their blades, the marshes slowly became toxic themselves. Weird bacteria and viruses thrived in the stagnant waters, carrying diseases that could turn organs to glass and cause flesh to rot from the bone. The trees drank from these waters and grew twisted and strange in turn. Their leaves became barbed and slick with venom. Their bark, once soft and smooth, had often been harvested and boiled in water to make a medicinal tea that soothed the stomach. But it slowly became hard and brittle, and the tea made with it was so bitter that drinkers would spit it out, their mouths black with ashy residue and their stomachs still sore.

The Rahi of the swamp learned to survive in this environment, or they died. There was no in-between. The friendly birds and bushy-tailed foxes were devoured by larger and more dangerous animals. Vultures with vast wings and sharp talons. Tree-dwelling cats with long teeth that leaped down on their quarry from above, screaming as they fell. Insects the size of Matoran whose multifaceted eyes were devoid of mercy, whose chittering mandibles devoured their prey while it was still alive. Slinking reptiles with venom-dripping fangs—one bite could incapacitate even a Kane-Ra, leaving them twitching helplessly on the ground.

In this way, the swamp changed and survived. The Warskaks learned to avoid the jungle unless absolutely necessary: the wheels of their ACRs got stuck in the muck, and their bullets were useless against Rahi with rock-like hides. Only when a warrior sought the gift of the Aspects would they dare traverse the marshes in search of Desecration Rock. Otherwise, they stayed north. The swamp became the apex predator on the island, bowing only to the might of the Tahtorahk, which even its waters could not poison and its creatures could not defy.

And so the Fau Swamp grew comfortable, and complacent. And when the villagers of Le-Metru Nuva dared to make their home in its trees, it found itself unable to oust them. They navigated the fatal waters and avoided the aggressive Rahi; they identified which trees were safe to climb, and which trees grew branches lined with miniscule spikes. They learned to live in the jungle, finding a foothold where they could survive, and they soon became a part of it. The swamp grudgingly accepted them, for it could not kill them. Its predators learned to avoid the fledgling village, lest they be struck by a projectile that could freeze them in place or shrink them to the size of a Hoto bug. The trees grew around their platforms, grateful that the villagers kept their branches free from leaf-eating pests and bark-burrowing beetles. 

But the swamp, although deadly, was not the only force on the island to worry about. The villager of Le-Metru Nuva knew this, but they did not know how dangerous these other powers could be. As Viltia swung her hammer with a practiced arm, she was unaware that, a desert away, an Aspect of Makuta was standing over a mutated body. As Spark and Match argued over an opened backpack, they were unaware of the Aspect reaching up to the sky, reaching for a star that they could swallow. As Beruv pumped the bellows of the furnace, heating a chunk of ore until it began to sweat silver droplets, he was unaware of a star high above the island winking out like it had never been.

The bellows inhaled, and Axxon drew a breath.

Several kio away, a Muaka emitted a startled rowr as it became suddenly weak. Its heartlight dimmed, and its eyes closed. Its claws loosened their grip, and it toppled from the branch where it had been sitting. Its lifeless body fell to the jungle floor far below, where it would became a feast for scavengers and insects. In this way, the swamp would absorb the dead creature into itself to foster new life. Even in this toxic place, the circle of life continued. The cycle could not be denied.

The swamp settled back into its rhythm as scavengers descended upon the carcass. A desert away, Axxon opened his eyes.

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IC: Nale Vella - Metru-Koro

"Well, so far no one's taking any initiative and stepping forward to fill the Turaga's role. If you ask me, putting one man in the position to run everything doesn't sit right with me--maybe something more akin to a council."

Unless your next planned promotion is village leader, she thought, half-serious.


@BULiK

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IC: Knichou, Metru-Koro, Central Plaza

"Between Dume and Sans, the ancient doctrine of unitary, Turaga leadership has long since shown it's flaws. I was never a fan of such a system myself either. You'll remember how lack of trust in Dume was longstanding and ultimately... well-founded."

Knichou sighed.

"While for obvious reasons, the council in my homeland was less... transparent or centralized than I might have wished at times, I've always believed in Matoran having the power to defend and govern themselves. Ironically, now that Dume is gone, Mata Nui is dead, and Matoran have a clean slate for choosing their own governance... I feel more isolated from it than ever."

The Toa of iron looked back at Nale.

"How long has it been since you were a matoran? Do the memories feel even more... different since it's been so long?"

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IC: Marrow - Dead Forest

After a few minutes of leading the group through the ashen forest, Marrow spoke up. "We should be near."

After all this time, navigating without sight came naturally to him. Though he could still dimly imagine the muted greys and browns of the forest he was walked through, was guided by shapes and textures, the sloping of the earth, the harsh crunch of charcoal giving way to the softer shifting of earth as he drew close to where the tunnel had been dug. Most mesi burrows were temporary things, often discovered and stamped down by warskaks or other beings to discourage the mesi from returning to that spot. But few beings frequented the Dead Forest, so this particular burrow had endured longer than most, and the mesi who used it had gone to greater effort to preserve it.

As he neared the spot where he believed it to be, he slowed his pace, trailing his hands over the branches and rocks nearby until he found what he was looking for, a few scraggly tufts of moss clinging to shelf of stone. To a passer-by, he knew it would look rather unremarkable, just a meagre flicker of life trying to emerge from the ravaged, blackened landscape. But Marrow knew better. He knew from a touch that this was a type of moss that was common in the underhive, but rare on the surface, a small and simple sign placed by the mesi, that only another mesi would appreciate. 

"Here," he forced his fingers into a crack in the stone beneath the mossy rock, and pulled, dragging it away to reveal the skakdi-sized crawlspace concealed behind it. "This is our way below," he said. "The tunnel widens enough to stand after a few bio."

@Burnmad @Sparticus147 @Kal the Guardian

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IC: Vulimai (Metru-Koro)

Once more Vulimai wandered through the streets, till arriving at a large seared crater, the remains of a structure on one side sheered perfectly in half. And just about a bio away, was Vulimai's hut, surprisingly enough in one piece, with not even a scratch.

Stepping into the hut, Vulimai surveyed the space...And sighed from just how empty it was. In the founding days of Metru-Koro's formation, Vulimai had wound up with the rank of Captain, and loaded upon with duties concerning the safety and wellbeing of Metru-Koro's populace, Vulimai was left with the weight of it all. For days on end, Vulimai would work in her office throughout nights on end, only resting when forced by her squad or when her body couldn't take anymore.

Spending nearly all her time within her office, Vulimai honestly couldn't remember if she spent more than a day within her hovel and saw just how bare it was now. A bed, a small desk and chair, and an empty shelf, all of that was there to greet Vulimai and nothing more.

Leaning her halberd against the desk and planting her pack onto it, Vulimai went to plant herself upon her bed...Till Bronk showed up.

"Captain Vulimai, I sure am glad to know that your alive." Vulimai set back up from where she was lying on the bed, letting out a sigh before continuing with a weak smile, "Bronk, thank goodness. I saw the garrison, and although I hoped, I had my worries. Mind telling me what has been happening?" "Sorry Captain, but I got trapped in the armory after the initial volley and only got out after the fight. But I do have some important news to give you."

"Well then, tell me what it is." "Pridak and Sans are dead....." ".....What?!" Vulimai was shocked, not by Sans death, she assumed the worst when she saw the crater, but hearing that Pridak was, that was something she didn't expected. "Although I don't know what happened to Sans, apparently a bunch of Toa got together and assassinated him and some other Toa by the name of Aurax who was sided with the League has taken up leadership, and though I can't guarantee his full intention, from the sounds of it, he is intent on endin' the war."

Silence pervaded the room has Vulimai processed the information. Pridak was dead! Pridak, the Takean King, was dead. Vulimai should've been ecstatic, without Pridak, the war should virtually be over. But it was the death of Sans that dwelled on her mind. While Vulimai had worked ragged since Metru-Koro's founding, her focus was solely on maintaining order and rallying the guard, while the rest was on Sans' table of responsibility. But now that Sans was dead, the title of leadership fell on her. But Vulimai was strong, and she would endure.

But as the silence endured, Bronk was about to speak, to relay the knowledge of what had happened within their old universe, what had caused the crash, and the identity of who had done it...When a member of the Matoran Guard, breathing ragged, bursted in.

"Captain Vulimai? Are you here?" "Yes Guard Matoran, I am present, speak." "Captain, a note for you, it was left by a Su-Matoran after they assisted with the recovery of the garrison during the battle."

Reaching up for the note, Vulimai unfolded it and began to read. And as she read, those watching would see no difference in her expression, except for the tightness of her grip as she held onto the note. Bronk, being the more aware of the two Guard Matorans, quickly ushered the other Guard out of the hut, sending them on their way before positioning himself just outside of the hut, out of sight.

As the two other Matoran left, Vulimai continued to read over the note, hoping, praying even, that what she was reading was wrong. But no, the words stayed and they told her the one thing she wished wasn't true out of everything else. Juno was dead. But it wasn't that alone that put her to tears, for as a soldier, death was a constant companion, no matter how unwanted, but what was at the bottom of the note was what brought tears to her eyes. 

Don't worry so much

"Juno you karzing brakas, you just..You jus..Karz..."

Outside the hut, Bronk listened to the silent sobs of his captain and friend as he slumped back against the hut. A part of him knew that now than ever Vulimai needed the comfort. But another part of him knew that he was blunt and was nothing like Juno, and if there was anyone who could comfort her, it was only him. And soaking in the revelation, the two guards soaked in the loss of a friend, and for one, the loss of their other half.

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IC: Takadox | Ash Barrens

“Well, lead on then,” I muttered. Hooray, dark dank tunnels full of giant worms that want to eat me and eyeless basket cases that I can’t hypnotize. Not to mention whatever thing this warrior’s people worship. It was almost as bad as visiting Carapar’s quarters back on our old fortress island during the war. But wow, did I like dumb and dangerous. 

I looked around for the bohrok. Sure enough, still here. It’s weird seeing one of them out and about without a swarm. Honestly, it’s weird to see one of them out and about at all. It must have gotten free when Mantax broke the Archives. Bohrok were weird, but I admit I wouldn’t mind a swarm of my own. Maybe this one could find me a swarm?

OOC: @Burnmad @Sparticus147 @Kal the Guardian, I'm taking over Takadox again for a bit. Thanks for your patience.

 

IC: Grime | Fort Nektann

“Thank you.”

Grime accepted the soup, pausing in his music to absorb the nutrition, energy, and remaining life from the bowl by placing a palm on the soup’s surface. It made him feel warm and alive, and filled with a sudden sense of adventure and daring. He remembered a song Nektann used to sing during raids, and began to softly sing it.

 

Mama always told me 

Don’t travel alone

Mama always told me 

To follow the road

 

Pappa always told me

Don’t follow the pack

Pappa always told me

I’d never come back

 

Mama always told me 

The road was safe

Mama always told me

It would be okay

 

But papa lied and mama died

And now the road is where I ride

And now I’m Irnakk’s sinful prize

I ride until I die

 

In a way, the feast in Fort Nektann was both Barius’s welcome and Nektann’s funeral. It wouldn’t hurt to improvise a few lines, would it? He continued the chords, starting another phrase even though he didn’t quite know where he was headed;

 

Barius often told me

I was soon to be gone

Barius often told me

My end would not be long

 

One nightmare for another

One leader born through war

And now I rise again mightier than before

Rain on the horizon and thunder at the shore

OOC: @Sparticus147, @Burnmad, @EmperorWhenua, @Crimson Jester, @Keeper of Kraata, @Nato the Traveler, @Conway, and I think that's everyone for the Warskaks?
 

IC: Kas | Ruins of Water

“A smart businessman never reveals his secrets until the last possible moment, but I’ll give you a hint: telescope,” Kas answered Ollem’s rhetorical question as the two matoran joined the toa of fire beyond the waterfall as they all climbed down the cliffside to the beach. The three could see a revitalization effort beginning to occur in the destroyed home of the Riggers. Several skakdi in rowboats were paddling around the bay searching for survivors first and treasure second. ACRs from nearby homesteads assisted in starting to clear the debris from the beach itself. Two matoran and a toa stood out like a sore thumb, but strangely the skakdi paid them little mind as Kas led Ollem and Mahrika South past the decimated town. It wasn’t because the skakdi knew Kas. Instead, the skakdi were too in shock at the loss of their home to care. 

Ollem, Mahrika, and Kas watched an airship land near the bay, several figures -- one very tall -- disembarking and heading in the direction of a hut with a long line of waiting skakdi. Shouted voices echoed from the hut, but Kas led the two matoran onwards. He didn’t stop moving until the three of them were far enough away from the bay that they began to taste ash on the wind. Still walking along the coast, the smell of the sea grew stronger as the tide receded to reveal rocky beach heads, bulbous dark green coral, and several colorful starfish. As the sun began to set, Kas stopped and pointed out across the ocean towards a bank of rain clouds blowing closer in towards the island. Something glowed inside them, reflecting the sunlight. Strangely, the rain passed from one side of the cloud bank to the other.

“Mi-Kiri,” Kas said without warning, as the true source of the rain peeked out from between the clouds. It’s surface glittered with the colors of oncoming twilight, and the waters descended from it in a cascading stream of rain towards the ocean below. As high up as it was, it looked like a floating city of its own, big enough to hold an entire Metru comfortably. A massive fissure split the bottom of the floating sphere, and from there the waters poured downwards.

“It was one of the districts of Aensetr Derrum, a great paradise found in the tragedy of Locus Abeo’s destruction. We’ll find our Administrator there, my friends. And our way of getting there is only a short walk away.”

Kas’s finger slowly shifted from the floating sphere towards a small island to the south. A long stone bridge extended from the cliffs of the coastline to the island, and on the island was a massive telescope.

OOC: @Burnmad, @Harvali

Edited by Unreliable Narrator
Added Takadox
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IC Stannis | Ft. Nektann family dining table

"Huh, you ok there old timer? Not sure what ya talkin' about there."

"I'm fine," Stannis said, and then added, "Thanks," upon receiving the fresh bowl of chocolate spice stew. He almost asked how Gore made the chocolate spice stew but the chef had walked away and given another bowl of the delicious stuff to the tiny soiled matoran Stannis had spied earlier. Too late to inquire as to the methods of cooking magic, he settled his wandering eyes on the Matoran, who had apparently wasted no time in pulling out his instrument and singing a ballad. 

His damnably grey eyes looked like they could either be vacant or riveted on Grime, but nothing in between the extremes. Stannis—or, more particularly, Caedast—drank the diminutive villager's visage in, sensing something near yet far, familiar yet alien. The Shadows, it seemed to him, were shrouding more than one being at the feast. 

@Unreliable Narrator

Edited by EmperorWhenua
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IC: Grime | Fort Nektann

Stannis perceived a small matoran, sand and dirt caking most of his armor. Scars and scratches covered his body, including a particularly nasty crack across his heartlight. Despite the injuries and general lack of grooming, Grime seemed happy and content to sing in his corner while inflating and deflating the bellows of his little squeezebox. However, his grey gaze lingered on the matoran longer than he intended. Stannis found himself the object of inspection as well. Grime slightly bowed his head towards Stannis, and gave a knowing but kind smile.

OOC: @EmperorWhenua

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IC Stannis | Ft. Nektann family dining table

The old man nodded and smiled affably back at the matoran. He sat holding his spoon halfway to his face like an cool dude for a moment and then decided on a different course of action. He got up, seized his bowl, and walked the few steps to join Grime in the corner before crossing his legs and teetering to the ground in a sitting position. Only a little bit of the soup had been spilled. 

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IC: Grime | Fort Nektann

"Can I help you, Toa?" Grime asked, pausing in his singing although his hands never ceased playing the squeezebox. After the song he'd heard Nektann sing during raids, Grime needed a little break anyways. His voice was still sore from his talk with Drukarus. He could smell Stannis's many travels on the toa's cloak.

OOC: @EmperorWhenua

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IC Stannis | Ft. Nektann family dining room

The old man shuffled a little bit as he got cozy and smiled weakly at Grime before turning it to a wider grin once he got his composure and comfort—he'd pulled a stray object from under him and tossed it aside nonchalantly. "No," he said finally. "Maybe. Good singing, by the way." He paused, still not having asked a question, and planted a spoonful of the chocolate spice stew in his mouth. 

"Things have changed immensely since I was last here," he said, his voice now low under the din of raucous conversation and chewing by the Skakdi at the table. "Tell me, what kind of man is Barius?"

@Unreliable Narrator

Edited by EmperorWhenua
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IC: Grime | Fort Nektann

"Since last you were here?" Grime repeated the phrase, but didn't pressure for more information. He seemed content with that information alone and moved on to Stannis's question. "Barius is strong. I will no doubt be needing to write new songs in his name soon. Why ask me though, when you sat at the table with him and Parnassus?"

ooc: @EmperorWhenua

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IC Stannis | Ft. Nektann family dining room

"You are a bard," he said simply at first, then patiently nibbled on the stew some more before continuing. "Bards write songs of the things they've seen—people, places, things—and you're a good bard by the sound of it... which means you're observant. And... you're not a Warskak.

@Unreliable Narrator

Edited by EmperorWhenua
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IC: Grime | Fort Nektann

"Not anymore, no. I was with the Warskaks, but now I am free to go where I please thanks to Drukarus." Grime shifted the tune of his music. It became a little softer, the lilting becoming a gentle sway. The notes played by his right hand were hinting at a melody, but Stannis couldn't quite remember the tune. However, something about it awakened deeper memories, memories that didn't belong to the toa he inhabited. Flashes of a far off shore flickered through his mind. Memories of matoran climbing into spheres, of shadows covering the land, and of the world he knew slowly falling further and further away until all he could say was... goodbye.

"Hello? Toa? You seem troubled are you alright," Grime asked, leaning a little closer towards Stannis as he stopped playing his song to check on the toa. "Did you get one of the gukko bones?"

OOC: @EmperorWhenua

Edited by Unreliable Narrator
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IC Stannis | Ft. Nektann family dining room

"Goodbye," he murmured, then blinked rapidly like he was snapping back from a daydream.

Stannis looked at the matoran again, scrutinizing him more intently this time, trying to peer into the shadows and see what the shapes materialized into. "Nobody is truly free," he said. "Everyone serves a higher purpose, everyone has a calling. Who's do you serve?"

Edited by EmperorWhenua
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IC: Grime | Reliable Narrator 

"I follow Drukarus for now," Grime answered Stannis truthfully. He did intend to follow Drukarus, so long as She was with him. "As for who I serve, we all have our callings as you said. Mine is love, and mercy, and renewal. And also Gore's sandwiches. Have you tried Gore's sandwiches? He made one as a snack while we were cleaning and cooking -- I'm working on a song for it in the back of my mind. Who do you serve, Toa? As you said, things have changed. Have you also changed?"

OOC: @EmperorWhenua

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IC Stannis | Ft. Nektann family dining room

The Wanderer wisely picked up the skirting of a truth and a feint of a lie. He thought he saw sandwiches on the table and made a mental note to snag one as soon as he got up. "Once, long ago, I served Mata-Nui," Stannis replied, equally truthfully. "Do you... know any songs about Him?"

Edited by EmperorWhenua
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IC: Grime | Fort Nektann

"As you wish. It's less of his works and more of his nature, and maybe also just a little bit of mine as well," Grime replied and sat back down on his stool in the corner of the room. The rowdy crowd of skakdi foodies feasting on fresh fowl filled the dining hall with boisterous echoes. Their shadows danced on the walls as they fought and laughed and threw food at one another. Grime paid them little mind now, instead remembering his song, his first song, and the song he longed to play so dearly for someone who could truly appreciate it. 

He played the first notes hesitantly, at first looking back at Stannis to see he was paying attention. Confidence arrived soon after, and the sound of his little squeezebox began to fill the hall and rise above the sounds of the Warskaks. The shadows of skakdi cast on the walls turned to look towards Grime, some even before the warskaks they mirrored. Some began to slither and slink towards his little corner, lured by the sounds of his chords and melody. 

At last, as the sounds in the hall died down and his own quiet music became the center of attention, Grime began to sing:

 

My name is Grime

I cannot rhyme

If you listen to my song

It will waste your time

 

This is my song

Like any other song

It is only long

Because I was bored

And have more time

Than those who need it

 

These lyrics are truth

These lyrics are lies

Facts and fictions like to fight when you’re asleep

And I hope you find these fictions fact when your sleep 

Is deep

 

These lyrics are only what you make them

And all the things we love for and dream for

And scream for and cry for

And build machines of war for

And eventually for all these things we die

 

Two words hold our endless cycles

Hello

Goodbye

And in them all our lives

 

Others see it differently

As goodbye 

Hello

Where did you go 

I’m still me

 

And we gave them life from all our dreams

And now we live afraid to see what we can be

Snuffed out like candles for a greater grace 

The pace of progress to see a greater place

 

Lost within our yolk of gold

This is where our tale’s told

Begin again 

Live anew

By our own design we many

Are few

 

Goodbye

My Fickle Friend

You breath and laugh and love

 

Hello

You glowing star

You shed your light far above

 

Goodbye 

Mighty warrior

Cleaver of skies

 

Hello

Meek gardner

Tender of lies

 

Goodbye

Mortal Soil

Decrepit and raw

 

Hello

Shadow born cosmos

Where I see all

 

I have seen those darkened shores

And in them found more love

Than all the world before

Children of the broken world

Speakers of the unseen dawn

Lights at the end of time

One by one will all be gone

 

Recite my words and tell my tale

Of once great heroes that one day fail

Those who follow footsteps of those before

Become stories in our lore and nothing more

 

But this is just a waste of time

A simple song of simple rhymes

Where I tell you why

My name is Grime

 

---------

OOC: 128 pages later, Grime sings. Parnassus, Stannis, and Korruhn (and anyone else I may be forgetting who can use/learn taboos) have learned three taboo rites. Expect PMs soon with more details. 

 

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IC Stannis | Ft. Nektann family dining room

The old wizard slumped further against the wall he had sat against the more Grime's rime went on. At some point he set the bowl of stew down and pulled his pipe out from the voluminous sleeves and when the song was finished he was chewing reminiscently at the stem of it, sucking at the long dead embers inside.

~♪ My name is Grime. ♫

For a long moment he sat pensively before he turned slowly, knowingly, back to Grime. "And my name," Stannis murmured for only the matoran to hear, his voice a low rumble of a far-off rockslide, "is Caedast. Such a lovely song." He gave a magnanimous grin at the bard, realizing full well as the powerful remembrance flooded his mind and spirit in a wash. There was no point in obscuring the truth from someone such as he; they were alike, in some ways, both cloistered in darknesses of different shapes and names but cut from cloth of the same mill. 

@Unreliable Narrator

Edited by EmperorWhenua
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IC [Kunok McGrokk]:

Kunok didn’t respond immediately, as he was busy instructing his helpers where exactly to put a piece of salvaged machinery, while also reminding them that if they ‘misplaced’ any of it, they would find parts of theirs ‘misplaced’ too. His way of keeping the hired hands honest. Well, as honest as possible. The trader always calculated with a certain percentage of ‘lost’ merchandise.

“Well, to be fair, I doubt your presence would’ve made much of a difference. I suppose some of the flotsam might look nicer - nevermind.”

The trader shrugged. “Not much detail to tell, it all was a bit of a haze. We had no warning anything was out of order. Sun was out, a bit of clouds, Rahi chirping away and doing what they always do. Riggers doing what they always do...”

He continued for a full three minutes in this fashion, describing in vivid detail how utterly mundane the day had been.

“It was a perfectly fine day, up until the storm hit, that is. But we all know storms, so still no reason to worry, especially out here on the coast. And that’s when I noticed the monster in the tempest. Now I don’t know what makes the weather do what it does, but I know for certain that big monsters ain’t part of the equation. Never got a clear look at it, but I reckon it was one of those Tahtorak beasties your kin is so fond of.”

OOC: @EmperorWhenua
 

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