Darkness lay all around, everywhere that it could touch. On the ceiling, on the floor, clinging to the walls and the stones littered about the cavern. They engulfed all, sticking to the various surfaces like parasites unwilling to part from their host. The air was still and cold, stagnant winds that had been trapped long ago. All was dark, and were it not for the sounds of something sliding, slithering about the room, it would be silent. The creature coiled, coming to rest around a patch of stone. All was still.

Whispers spoken in a language long forgotten emanated from nothingness. The sounds reverberated off of the walls, uncaught, unheard by living ears. Something fell from the nearest wall, landing softly on the ground. It shuffled slowly towards the vine; all around the cavern, more creatures were falling, landing without a sound, moving as one towards the center of the room. They whispered, though they did not speak to one another; one word escaped their tainted lips. They breathed it out, chanting softly at first, though gradually growing in intensity.

“Rhashahk…”

An orb of darkness appeared in the center of the coiled creature. Laces of shadow broke off now and then as it started to spin; as it continued to grow in size, the orb became more stable, until nothing broke away from it.

“Rhashahk!”

The orb swirled, stretching upward. It solidified moments later, transforming into a flower not yet bloomed…

“Rhashahk! Rhashahk!”

As the creatures edged nearer, the flower blossomed. Its petals were a bright red, shining through the darkness despite the lack of light. A much smaller ring of red hovered above it. The plant gave a shudder, two leaves sprouting from its stem.

“RHASHAHK! RASHAHK!”

The leaves turned, revealing their bottoms to be that same, eerie red color. They seemed to glow; a hiss sounded from the flower, and the creatures were silenced. The leaves, now very much like a pair of eyes, blinked, weariness evident in them. They closed, and the cavern was thrown back into darkness.

“All right; I’ll make one last offer, Kerid: Forty thousand, plus information on how to get into the Kai-Nam labs,” the Toa of Sonics offered, standing up so quickly that his chair toppled over. The Steltian he addressed paid no heed, instead simply continuing to watch the events below. “Come on – that’s more than enough to compensate you for what it took to build this dump, and you could do so much more with it, too!”

“They’re quite skilled, aren’t they?” Kerid asked, as far below Zanth’s mecha dodged an energy blast from a member of the opposing team, only to retaliate with a shot of electricity to their front wheel. It was obvious that she was ignoring him. “I’ve always admired the effort they put into making a performance entertaining; yet even with a job like yours and mine, you never get used to watching it…”

“You’re stalling; knock it off before I really get mad,” the Toa said spitefully. “I’ve offered you so much more than this place is worth – why won’t you take it?”

Kerid shifted in her seat, barely turning her armored head to look at the Toa. Despite her glare, he did not back off, though uncertainty was evident in his face. The Day Run organizer considered the Toa for a moment. Ever since the relocation and rechristening of the Day Run (formerly the Night Run while it had been under the control of Makuta Jaeda) on Kai-Nam, this particular crime lord had attempted to get Kerid to sell it to him – for what purpose she could not guess, though she assumed that it had to do with her interference of his trading operations as well as the fact that they had essentially stolen ground from his gang. While she could see why he was angry, she was not going to back down – if anything, she loved it here, considering that the Day Run had done nothing but help the local authorities apprehend dozens of criminals since its formation.

“If you had been on Gynel a year ago, Lyxek, and witnessed the horrors of that place, then you would understand,” she said simply, turning her attention back to the battle below. “Unfortunately you weren’t. A shame if ever there was one – you would have been a perfect host for the Feranaki – they loved greed…”

Lyxek fumed at this. “This is your last chance, Kerid.”

“And you have my answer. Now get out of my sight before I decide to include you in this match.”

The Toa growled, swiping his cape and hat out of his seat. He covered his face with the rim of the latter as he clipped the former onto himself. “You’re going to regret that decision soon enough...” With a menacing flash of his eyes, he left, his cape swirling behind him as a cloud of foreboding passed unheeded over Kerid.

The large cruise ship cut swiftly through the icy waters around Kai-Nam, mist clinging to its hull as it moved. Once upon a time such a ship would have been met with relatively clear waters; these days, however, things had changed. A dull, creaking noise cut through the air all around the ship as its engines were put on standby, bringing it to a slow, steady halt. A much smaller skiff hurried through the mist towards it. A black and white Matoran wearing a silver helmet watched its approach from the deck, curiosity evident in his good eye as the skiff came to a halt next to a ladder under the spot where an exit ramp would normally be, magnetically locking on to the boat. Six figures exited the skiff, beginning the climb up; the Matoran narrowed his eyes.

"Security checks vere never required before," he said quietly, noting the beings all seated around him; though he had no reason to be suspicious of any of them, he did not trust a single one -- something that, as a bounty hunter, he had learned the hard way.

"I'm sure their intentions are good," a voice said within his head, emanating from an AI currently residing in his armor. "They are police, after all."

The Matoran scoffed at this. He remembered the last time he had been to his home island, a pair of corrupt police officers had tried to destroy him for taking out one of their own -- after that same officer had tried to take a share of stolen material for himself, as well as attempted to blow up a factory with the Matoran inside. Needless to say, he had escaped -- though not without a new distrust for the group of "heroes" that had come to his island in his absence.

"Police don't attempt to kill you for helping zhem," the Matoran replied, shifting as the ship roared into movement again. "Vregardless, giving our past experiences vith zhem... not to mention ze Vring... I'm more vorried about ze island zhan myself, Illuxio. And if zhey give me vreason to, I'll be sure to take zhem out."

"And I'll be sure to help you, Elithes," the AI assured. "But for now, let's just concentrate on the tournament -- I'm sure we'll get plenty of opportunity to fight both the KNPD and the Ring in there. Besides, I've heard the Day Run is going to be extra fun this time around..."

It has been a year since the Night Run’s sixth tournament. In that time, the Pha-Matoran – Matoran of Ectoplasm – who inhabited Gynel have found a new home, having been rescued from that nightmarish place by the Brotherhood of Makuta. Using her own wealth and Ehjoras’s negotiation skills, Kerid has secured a deal with the authorities on Kai-Nam, getting permission to establish a new tournament on their land – the Day Run, a much more relaxed version of the Night Run. At the same time, the Ring – a gang that has infested the underworld of Kai-Nam for the last decade – has gained an interest in the tournament, and their leader, Lyxek, recently began to try to buy the game off of Kerid. She refused, and now finds herself caught trying to run the tournament whilst simultaneously dealing with the Kai-Nam Police Department and both of their conflicts with the Ring.

Meanwhile, other problems appear to be brewing, known to none but the most deceitful of beings…

As the players in the game, your job is to – surprise, surprise – play the game! I know, shocking, right? Right? In all seriousness, though, your job is to do as you see fit – play in the Day Run’s tournament if you want; try to discover the secrets of the island; cause mayhem in the city; anything that will advance the plot. Obviously, don’t go crazy with it, but enjoy yourself – it’s a game for a reason. There are many different backgrounds you can choose from, from a KNPD officer fighting the Ring to a civilian participating in the tournament – so choose wisely, but make it interesting.

So, uh, yeah… that’s about as epically as I can put it. Simply put, you play the game, and if you’re cunning enough, you play the players.

My biggest job in this RPG is to act as the Game Master. For those not in the “know,” this means that I will be responsible for doing a bunch of moderating duties – approving new players, keeping an eye out for unfair play and advancing my own major plot points, for instance. Luckily, I also have the privilege of playing alongside you guys – if all goes well, you will mostly see me using my own characters alongside your own, participating in the Day Run and Ring/KNPD affairs and whatnot.

So… yeah. ^--^

Also, to stop conflicting times from popping up (as has happened in the past in other RPGs, where two events started up at the same time and then one of the groups said that several days had passed whilst the other was still in the exact same time frame, thus creating a paradox when they met up later,) Daytime/Nighttime won't be made official until I post something like:

GM: As [x] amount of Day Run events have occurred today, it is now nighttime.

Generally, this shouldn't affect anything; it'll just mean that night has fallen or the sun has risen. Again, while allusions to the time may be made, night or day will not officially occur until a Game Master has said that it has. This will also pretty much only happen so as to give the in-game Day Run a working schedule.

For years Kai-Nam was a place of peace, where one could go to enjoy the quiet, to work on projects set to make the universe a better place. For years, the citizens of Kai-Nam were left alone, welcoming newcomers with open arms as long as they did not cause trouble or disturb other residents. That all changed a century ago, when the island experienced a series of unfortunate and unlucky events – the invasion of the Skakdi; the arrival of Toa Lyxek and the subsequent formation of the Ring; not to mention several attempted pillages by pirates. Now, the island is split – the Kai-Nam Police Department rages an ongoing battle against the Ring, a fight that does not seem like it will end any time soon, and the Ring, in turn, has set their attention on the Day Run ever since the tournament started, hoping to use it as a way to make money.

In terms of game play, all of these factions are open for players, and there are few restrictions on what you can be – each group is composed of completely unique individuals, without focusing primarily on one species or another. The only guide that you must use to choose your group is your character’s moral standpoint, and even then, you have options.

The Kai-Nam Police Department (also called the KNPD for short) had been relatively inactive up until the Skakdi invasion and the formation of the Ring, so much so that it had barely a dozen members before the first disaster struck the island. Now, however, the KNPD has grown and thrives on the land. Where once several Ko-Matoran joined together in a laughable fighting force now stands a respectable crime-fighting group consisting of many, many powerful fighters, many augmented by equipment issued to them by the dozens of labs on the island. Ruling with a velvet hand in an iron glove, they are very strict, punishing crimes committed by any – including their own officers – whilst also providing relatively benevolent rule over the city.

Public approval of the KNPD is uncertain; while many approve of the group’s efforts to defeat the Ring, others question the true intentions of several officers, specifically those of Lurinost, a high ranking member of the group, and several of her partners, all of whom have been known to abuse their powers in ways that get them what they want without getting them in trouble with the higher ups. There is also the question of their leadership – no one knows or remembers how or when they managed to replace the island’s ruling council as the leaders of the city, and some fear that they will not relinquish their rule once they are no longer needed, though this remains to be seen. The KNPD’s leader, the identity of whom is unknown to anyone, assures the residents that they have nothing to fear..

The KNPD’s headquarters are located in a large, domed building in the center of the city, which is nearly impenetrable due to its heavy defenses. As a note, they are currently allied with the Day Run, so to speak, allowing them to operate in the outer ring of the island, so long as they do not cause trouble. Many officers use the tournament for entertainment in their spare time.

Similar to the Night Run Guards form the previous RPG, the KNPD is a strict force, and not one that you want to fight against alone. Notable members include officers Lurinost, Sanshou and Sensha, who act as an elite team, and the Director, a mysterious entity whose identity is unknown to all but the highest ranked individuals. Their primary goal is to defeat the Ring, though how members of this group go about this is completely up to them. The Director also has several other ‘projects’ in the works, the specifics of which are unknown.

For all the hate that they are given, the Ring could be considered nothing more than a group of gamblers – thieving, murdering, lying scumbags, but gamblers nonetheless. The Ring’s main philosophy is that luck will see them through; as many have noted, they are correct – the majority of their operations, such as the establishment of several game corners and robberies, have succeeded, something that Lyxek has made a point of attributing to his amazing luck. Out of that virtue, Lyxek and his operatives have also managed to avoid capture by the KNPD time and time again; how is not entirely known, but bribery is suspected.

Ironically, were it not for the citizens and the KNPD themselves, the Ring might never have formed on Kai-Nam. Ten years ago, Lyxek came to Kai-Nam in what could be described as little more than a torn up box. After noting how they saved his life, he was eager to help defend the island and its labs from wrongdoers; however, he was continuously turned down by what he describes as corrupt individuals, and was left on the streets with no way off of the island. With nowhere else to turn to, he resorted to stealing, first money, and then equipment. Around the same time, he had taken up residence in an abandoned hotel near the outskirts of the city, and soon after he began to recruit individuals in a similar situation to his cause. Thus, the Ring was born. In that time, he has managed to acquire a rather large amount of money, set up an underground base in the Barrens, and covertly opened several game corners and such around the city. Unfortunately, this has put the Ring at extreme odds with the KNPD, which brings us to their present conflict.

While not an all-out war, the Ring and KNPD conflict has resulted in mass damage to several labs due to small skirmishes between agents of both groups. This has not been helped by the Ring’s disagreement with the Day Run – Lyxek has assigned several operatives to attempt to take out Kerid and take control of the tournament, as he sees it as a great way to bring in money, though he has been unsuccessful in accomplishing this. Nevertheless, he is determined to undermine both the tournament and the KNPD, and has made passing comments about being willing to “pull all his cards” to accomplish this.

The Ring is based in the Eastern Barrens, as well as the outskirts of the city. Any species, aside from Makuta (due to a low opinion of ‘such scumbag’ on the Brotherhood’s part,) are free to join. Members tend to have a liking towards fun and games, and as such several have joined the Day Run in their spare time; several operatives are there simply to try to carry out the mission of taking over the tournament. Notable members are Lyxek, the Ringmaster, and Vailian, his right-hand man; the former is usually found either in one of the Ring’s various casinos or in the Ring’s main base, a structure built into one of the nearest mountain’s base. The Ring seeks to, first and foremost, buy out or take over the Day Run so as to bring in money; their other objectives are, essentially, causing mayhem on Kai-Nam, not to mention the individual objectives of their allies.

The use of the term “Civilians” here is slightly misleading. One might think of civilians as residents of an area, or maybe even pawns in a game of chess, bystanders who do absolutely nothing. Yet others realize that this term can mean other things – in this case, the civilians of Kai-Nam are essentially the neutral group in the RPG. Some are normal Matoran who have lived on this island all their lives; some are beings who have come to participate in the Day Run and nothing more than that; still others seek to participate in and take advantage of the battle between the Ring and the KNPD, yet do not wish to officially join either group.

Out of all the factions in this RPG, the civilians have the most options in terms of what they get to do, and yet at the same time they are also slightly limited. Civilians are not bound by the codes of either the Ring or the KNPD, yet this also means that they do not have access to either faction’s resources or base of operations (unless, of course, a meeting was arranged beforehand.) This group compensates for that by having access to the laboratories of Kai-Nam, and by extension access to… experimental weaponry – for a price.

Because of how this group operates, there is no leader amongst them, nor is there a main base of operations. Still, they have the whole of Kai-Nam at their disposal, and if a small group of individual civilians wishes to do so, then they may band together and claim, say, a hotel complex or some other abandoned building as their own; heck, if they wanted to, they might even be able to start their own mini-faction… In short, the goals of individuals in this group are all over the place – Elithes and Illuxio, for instance, have taken to acting as vigilantes, while Zanth and Suya… no one knows what they’ve been up to, but it is thought that they are secretly investigating both the KNPD and the Ring.

The successor to the Night Run on Gynel, control has shifted from Makuta Jaeda to the Steltian named Kerid. Along with this change of hats came a remarkable shift in the Run’s operations: With Ehjoras’s help, Kerid has greatly relaxed the rules of the tournament, as they no longer have any great and terrible secrets to hide. Contestants are no longer executed for “trespassing,” players can come and go as they wish, and regulations have been modified. Instead of yearly tournaments, smaller tournaments are held once every six months, with the second official tournament starting soon. With these changes came the birth of the Day Run.

In terms of game play, the Day Run is quite similar to the Night Run in that it focuses primarily on racing and gladiator combat. Players form teams to compete in it, and at the end of each race or arena match a prize is handed out to the group with the most members in the top five. Kerid has been particularly generous with her turn as the head of the tournament – her prizes usually consist of expensive upgrades to the vehicles owned by participants, and she has allowed virtually everyone who has asked to participate in the game – including members of the Ring, despite their leader’s threats against her. This stems from her experience as head security guard of the Night Run, realizing that mixing in heroes with villains will help keep both types of characters under control – currently, she is using this philosophy to keep KNPD officers and Ring operatives in check with each other. So far, it has worked.

The Day Run is a unique group here, as it does not function as a full-blown faction for most characters. Instead, it acts as a sub group to all the rest – players join either the KNPD, the Ring or the civilians, and if they wish to participate in the Day Run, then they must simply add that to their profile. The leaders of the Day Run are Tournament Organizers Kerid and Ehjoras. They have set up the majority of their operations on the west half of the island, in the Barrens, with their race track zigzagging around the entire perimeter of Kai-Nam.

The Day Run has fewer and more lenient regulations than those of the Night Run, and like the old tournament, players are required to abide by these regulations at all times whilst participating in an official Day Run event. These regulations are as follows:

1) By registering for the Day Run, participants take full responsibility for any injuries they may receive during their time in the tournament. While safety measures have been taken to prevent any serious injuries, the risk still stands

2) Participants in the Day Run are expected to play fairly; as such sabotage of an opponent’s equipment, including weapons, vehicles and other supplies, will result in punishment ranging from temporary banning from the tournament to permanent exile.

3) During an arena match or race, a player will be removed once they are unable to continue battle, normally after being knocked unconscious or after having their vehicle destroyed. At this point the player will be removed from the event and may not reenter.

4) Any player who breaks the above rules will immediately be removed from the tournament and barred from further entrance, unless pardoned by Tournament Organizer Kerid or Ehjoras.

The first thing many associated with the Night Run when it was active was the large amounts of vehicles and pilots who participated in it. That has not changed with the Day Run; in fact, given Kai-Nam’s reputation as one of the biggest producers of new vehicle designs, more and more beings are connecting the two together.

In the year since the Night Run ended, vehicles have stayed just as reliable as ever, with new designs and upgrades being made each day. It is not uncommon to see large, Rahi-like mecha traversing the lands, or to see whole blocks cleared in any city as pilots settle disputes through vehicular combat or races – something that happens even in such sophisticated places as City. While they are large and clunky, mecha and vehicles in general are becoming more and more accepted, with fewer people classing owners of such things as ruffians.

The general view of the “best model” also seems to be shifting. Though once seen as mighty, powerful and never to be messed with, Rahi mecha seem to have taken a backseat to the maneuverability, speed and overall smoother wheel-based designs as of late – motorcycles and other such things, in other words; hover boards, too, have seen a recent rise in use by smaller species, and a new, bipedal group of mecha have also begun to see action. Regardless of their differences and the preferences of individuals, all continue to thrive, and the Day Run will accept any type of vehicle for use in their tournament. At the same time, both the KNPD and the Ring have realized the value in vehicles; as such, many of their members have begun to build or steal their own, and those with past experience as pilots have begun to train newcomers in their use.

Due to relatively limited space on the island, as well as to keep players from using ridiculously large vehicles, the maximum size that a vehicle can be is 5 Bio long by 5 Bio tall, or 22.5 ft. by 22.5 ft.

Credits are an important part of the Day Run, serving both as the primary prize for races and arena matches and the ranking system for the tournament. Much like in the Night Run, varying amounts of Credits are awarded to participants in the tournament, with the amount depending on where each player places. Credits are also kept track of via the Day Run’s computer system, so that contestants do not have to do the math themselves. At the end of the Day Run's tournament, the team with the most Credits is declared the victor and will receive a grand prize.

The amount of Credits awarded to each place is listed below. This list generally only applies to FFAs and regular races – some variations give preset amounts to the winning teams.

First place: 300 credits awarded.

Second place: 260 credits awarded.

Third place: 220 credits awarded.

Fourth place: 180 credits awarded.

Fifth place: 140 credits awarded.

Sixth place: 100 credits awarded.

Seventh place: 80 credits awarded.

Eighth place: 60 credits awarded.

Ninth place: 40 credits awarded.

Tenth place: 20 credits awarded.

All other racers: 10 credits awarded just for entering.

As with any game, the Day Run allows players to operate as teams, so as to allow them to increase their odds of winning the grand prize. While members of both the KNPD and the Ring tend to form small groups to accomplish their goals, the Day Run is the only organization with an official way of organizing players into teams. This is done through Team Crests.

Developed by Ehjoras and his team of engineers and used in the Night Run, Team Crests are white, circular, shape-shifting devices handed out to all Day Run participants. A player’s Team Crest is affixed to their armor for the entirety of their run in the Day Run via magnetic force, and can be removed at any time. Mental activation allows the Team Crest to change its shape into one specified by its user; the extent of this is limitless, as long as it does not exceed the initial size of the Crest.

To form a team, your Team Crests must be synched up with those of other Day Run contestants; this can be done via mental activation of a coding device built into them. Once the synch up is complete, all of the members of the newly formed team can communicate with each other via communication links built into the crests, and their Crests will then transform into the shape of the team’s leader’s Crest. During CtF games, a separate signal temporarily connects the Crests of two or more teams to form a larger one and changes the color of the connected Crests to either red or blue, though the shape does not change.

There are a couple of limits on the Team Crests, unfortunately. For one, due to the possibility of an information overload, the maximum amount of players that can be on a team is four. Secondly, when tampered with (via hacking or disassembly) by anyone without knowledge of how they were made, Team Crests tend to explode – this is possibly a safety precaution designed to stop the technology form being used by the Ring. Other than that, the abilities of the Crests are seamless, and fairly easy to figure out.

Gigantic; imposing; exciting; these are the words that usually come to mind when one mentions the Coliseum. A huge, domed stadium, this structure is home to all of the Day Run’s non-racing events, from capture the flag to free fighting to fast-paced vehicle shoot-‘em-ups. The majority of the arena is built into the ground, separated into seven, gradually shrinking rings connected via slanting walls and tunnels, ending in a final, bowl-like bottom ring. It is designed with nanotechnology that allows it to change its terrain with the activation of several control panels, located in a small, square room above the stands.

Free-For-All

FFAs are, quite simply, FFAs. They pit three to four teams at a time against one another with no alliances between them – the only alliances you will find are those within the teams that enter. Ranking follows the Day Run Standard format – the last ten warriors to fall receive a specific amount of Credits depending on what order they fell in.

Capture the Flag

A game played between 2-6 teams, Capture the Flag pits two even teams – one designated Blue, the other Red -- against one another, with the objective being for each team to try to capture the opposing team’s flag and return it to their base. The first team to do so will be declared the victor, and each team composing the winning team will receive 300 Credits. This is one of the few games to utilize the Team Crest’s Linking feature, connecting two separate teams together to temporarily form a larger one; as a note, members of individual teams will always be placed on the same CtF team. Vehicles are allowed to be used in this event.

Team One on One

TOoO’s are simple one team versus one team battles; as such, only two teams participate in one of these events. Each team sends in one team member to do battle, until all of the members of one team have been defeated. This game uses the Day Run Standard ranking format – the first player to fall is treated as 8th place, the second as 7th, and so on.

–Team vs. Team

An off-shoot of the above, this is exactly the same as TOoOs; the only difference is that instead of one team member battling at a time, the whole team participates at once. It follows the same scoring system as above.

Vehicle Brawl

Vehicle Brawl’s are similar to the above, as they are a two team event and your whole team participates at once, only they are done in vehicles – and as they are required for use in these matches, if a team member of yours does not own a vehicle, he or she can not participate. Vehicle Brawls use all seven of the Coliseum’s rings while they are happening, providing maximum space for each player’s vehicle. They follow the Day Run Standard ranking system. Additionally, this is the only Day Run event that allows the use of purely bipedal Mecha, which while not known for their racing capabilities are usually excellent at these sorts of battles.

True to its name, the Day Run continues to host races as part of their agenda, though to an admittedly lesser extent that the Night Run; Kerid has stated this to be because she does not wish to disturb the relative silence of City, though this is ironic considering how loud the crowd in the arena usually is. Races take place on a race track spanning around the entire perimeter of the island, designed so as not to keep people form going on and off of the island while a race is taking place; it also uses the same nanotechnology that the arena uses, allowing it to change its terrain. Race variations have lagged behind arena matches, with only two race types currently established; however, Kerid and Ehjoras are both working on expanding that.

Regular Race

Regular races are just that – regular races. Two to four teams race through the entirety of the course and places are determined by who gets across the finish line first. Unsurprisingly, weapons are allowed to be used in this event – a lot. So go crazy. Ranking follows the Day Run Standard Format. Note that hover boards are not allowed to be used in this event, as they do not provide enough protection to their users nor do they possess the necessary energy to even keep up with the more speed-capable vehicles that most contestants use.

No Weapons

No Weapons races function exactly as the above, with the only change being that it is purely racing – no weapons are allowed to be used during them. Other than that, they follow the same rules as above.

At first glance, Kai-Nam’s heavy snowfall, tall peaks and dangerous outer rim would make the island appear uninhabitable to all but the most adaptable of individuals – and, indeed, many of the first beings to attempt to colonize the island died off before a strong establishment could be made. With the introduction of several hundred Ko-Matoran thousands of years ago, however, the island has evolved into one of the universe’s leading technological advancers, specializing in vehicles and other survivability devices through the use of plentiful natural resources hidden near the center of the island, as well as recently beginning a slight heating of the island to make it more open to beings from warmer parts of the universe. This section will attempt to familiarize newcomers to Kai-Nam with the island’s most important locations – new and old.

The Barrens

The outermost part of the island, the Barrens is just what the name suggests – a frozen wasteland that forms the shores of Kai-Nam. While it is possible to survive there, there are not a lot of resources, and most beings that have attempted to live in the Barrens for long periods of time have or nearly died. Niaka, or Ice Wyverns (named after the first leader of City, Niakar) are a common sight in the Barrens, being able to survive off of cold alone.

-The Roads to Salvation are a web of paths that have been established from the various docks around Kai-Nam that lead to City. They are separated from the wild parts of the Barrens and the Hills by tall fences with built-in heating technology, providing relatively safe and comfortable travel to City for newcomers to the island.

-The Silent Hills are, as many have noted, misnamed, because they refer to the dozens of small mountains scattered around the Barrens and that surround City. Still, official paperwork has yet to be signed that change their names, for unknown reasons. Regardless, the Hills are, as the name suggests, silent – few noises are ever heard coming from them. Recent technology has enabled beings to travel up the mountains, usually for training purposes, and they remain a favorite spot for people to seek solitude from the business of City despite their cold temperatures. Strangely, the higher one climbs, the warmer it seems to get…

-The Ring Headquarters is where Lyxek can usually be found. It is built into the base of the tallest eastern mountain, close to City, and extends throughout the whole mountain, as it has essentially been converted into a massive fortress. It is equipped with defenses capable of holding off even the strongest KNPD warriors, and if the need arises, a self destruct sequence can be initiated that is reportedly powerful enough to take out an eighth of the island it is located on.

The Day Run

Having moved from Gynel in the past year, the Day Run has been reestablished in the western Barrens of Kai-Nam, so as not to disturb the residents. From a distance, the structures give the Day Run the appearance of a sort of small city, though these thoughts are dispelled immediately once one gets a closer look at the buildings. A path runs from the Day Run facilities to City, heated and protected by similar technology to the Roads. Due to recent events regarding the KNPD and the Ring, guard activity has risen – guards can now be seen patrolling the borders of the Day Run facilities and path far more often than usual, all with orders to subdue anyone who attempts to cause trouble for the tournament.

-The Registration Office is relatively small in comparison to the other Day Run buildings, being only the size of a two-story house. It is a circular building with a flat roof, with four entrances. In the center is a desk with an automated registration, who is programmed to confirm all information on contestants before entering them into the tournament. To stop potential hackers, the computer networks in the registration office are protected by dozens of Smart AI.

-The Player Lounge is a small hotel-like structure. Some contestants in the Day Run have no place to stay on Kai-Nam; as such those contestants are allowed to stay in the hotel for as long as they are participating in the tournament. It is a fairly fancy place, opting to give contestants the most comfort possible so as to keep them in top condition. It is usually used as a meeting place for the more reclusive teams.

-The Coliseum is a large, domed structure belonging to the Day Run in which all gladiatorial matches are fought. It consists of stands for live audiences to sit, a control room from which the terrain can be changed, and seven rings composing the actual arena part of it. The rings slop down into the ground, gradually getting smaller until they come to form a small (in comparison to the other rings) bowl at the bottom. The audiences are protected from stray blasts by an energy shield separating the stands form the ring, and Recorder 2.0s float innocently over the battling contestants at all times, broadcasting the event to the universe. Kerid and her office are also located here, built above the stands so as to give the TO the best view of the events.

-The Race Track is a large, zigzagging course built on the perimeter of Kai-Nam. It is designed so as not to impede travel between the docks and City in that is rises over the roads between them. Like the Coliseum, special nanobots developed by Makuta Jaeda are used to change the terrain of the race track into virtually anything imaginable. Recorder 2.0s are a common sight over the entirety of the track, broadcasting the races to view screens all over the universe.

-The Garage is similar to both the Coliseum and the Lounge. It is an optional housing unit for the vehicles owned by contestants who can not find a cheap enough garage in City; and like the Coliseum, it is build deep into the ground, making it appear smaller on the outside than it is on the inside. This is where the Recorder 2.0s are stored when not in use, and where Ehjoras’s office is – the Matoran in question is also a common sight here.

City

Built in the center of Kai-Nam, right above where the majority of the natural resources can be found, City has become the sight of one of the most technologically advanced societies in the universe, rivaling the Brotherhood of Makuta and bypassing Xia in weapons and vehicle production. Being the only town or city on Kai-Nam, City has no “official” name, though the possibility of building new colonies has prompted several naming proposals. City is split into five smaller divisions, with each district specializing in a certain aspect of society.

-North District, the science hub, is the second most heavily guarded sector of City, due to the fact that it is home to all of Kai-Nam’s labs, factories and experimental facilities, excluding the vehicle factories. Both KNPD officers and Ring operatives are a norm here, with the former guarding the labs and the latter attempting to gain intelligence on them; scientists are a very common sight as well, hustling to and fro in an attempt to keep everything in order. Lurinsot, Sensha and Sanshou tend to base their operations here, and are almost always seen pursuing criminals – or, in some cases with Lurinost, attempting to bribe or blackmail scientists into giving her equipment.

-East District is the residential and recreational sector of City. It consists mainly of garages, hotels, apartments, shops, game corners and other such recreational facilities. Many contestants in the Day Run stay here during their time on Kai-Nam, as well as the residents of City; they are typically segregated from each other in terms of sleeping quarters, with Kai-Namians residing closer to Central than contestants. A now-obsolete section of East District is infamous for housing Lyxek and his original lackeys, who would later go on to form the Ring; several casinos built and owned by them are a daily reminder to the residents of this fact. The Civilians not affiliated with the Day Run all reside here.

-West District deals with all of the vehicle-related stuff that is not covered in the North District. New vehicles are built, tested and mass-produced in West District, and then shipped out for use by other islands and the KNPD; some factories have secretly been bought out by the Ring, and as such provide vehicles to them. Several small race tracks can be found here, though unlike the Day Run’s, few can change their terrain.

-South District was once the site to many observatories and planning facilities, where scholars could study the stars and improve designs for devices that would later be developed in North District. Following the Skakdi raid, South District has been transformed into a badly damaged and abandoned area of City. Though one would have expected repairs to have been finished since the raid, work has been slowed to a grinding halt after the discovery of a group of dead workers trapped in a green substance; investigations are still under way, though there have been few results. Strange creatures have also been sighted wandering around the streets at times; it is unknown who or what they are, though the Ring has claimed to be responsible for whatever it up on more than one occasion.

-Central/KNPD Headquarters, called the “Political Division” by some, is the central section of City. It is the location of everything related to politics and the KNPD – jail houses, the mayor’s office, the town hall, and such. It is heavily guarded at all times by the KNPD. Near the middle of Central is a domed, fortress-like structure close to the town hall; platinum white in appearance, it is the base of all of the KNPD’s operations, and is nearly impenetrable due to the heavy defenses it is equipped with. It is designated as a fallback point for the mayor in the event that the Ring manages to break the mayor’s defenses. It is also where missions for the KNPD are handed out, and by extension, where the Director resides. A medium-sized section is dedicated to extracting resources from under the City -- with the Ko-Matoran twist of being done quietly and cleanly, of course.

Niakar’s Trinity

Named after the first leader of City, Niakar’s Trinity is a trio of three small islets off of the south coast of Kai-Nam. Though uninhabited by any sapient species, a large colony of Niaka is known to inhabit all three islets. The islets are known to be used by the Guild of Tyis in their initiation tests – a bounty hunter who can successfully capture a Niaka, who are known for their slyness and strength when infuriated, is considered worthy enough to become a member of the Guild. Travel to the islets is allowed, but highly advised against.

1. First and foremost, all BZP rules apply – as usual, so no flaming and spamming and trolling and whatnot. If you haven’t read them, they can be found here.

2. To emphasize two specific parts from the above, do not spam and do not flame. For the uninformed, spamming is the posting of pointless messages – in this case, posts that don’t apply to the RPG. Don’t do it. Flaming is the intentional act of OOCly attacking or provoking another member. Don’t do it. You will be punished.

3. Heed the words of the staff. In the case that either you think a staff member has made an unfair call or they may have blatantly disrespected you, take it up with us and we’ll sort it out.

4. Don’t majorly control another player’s character unless they have asked you to. To be specific – A. Don’t kill another player’s character without permission; B. Don’t severely injure another player’s character without permission; and C. Don’t make another player’s character do something huge without – you guessed it – their permission. If you want to do that with your own characters, by all means go for it.

5. You must be approved before you begin playing. So, please, wait for me to give you an okay before you post in the game topic – it helps things run smoother.

6. Do not God-Mode or Meta-Game. For those not in the “know”: Meta-Gaming is, essentially, making you character know something that you only know OOCly – like, for example, reading a conversation between two characters nowhere near your character and then having your character know of it. God-Modding is pretty much just playing unfairly in battle – never tiring, being impossibly strong, etc. Both are looked down upon, neither will be tolerated.

7. Please be realistic. BIONICLE physics may not completely apply, but you can’t jump a mio into the air – it’s just not possible without help. Along with this, you may have a fast vehicle, but don’t zip off from one side of Kai-Nam and arrive at the other in one post. And make NPCs act like they should – if you’re a known KNPD officer, Ring guards aren’t going to let you into their base.

8. Please use the OOC and IC systems when you post. Examples of each are as follows:

IC: “You’ve no idea what you’re dealing with,” Vailian said coldly, idly drawing five cards from his Coder…

OOC: RandomToa1, that’s your cue to say what cards he drew.

9. You are allowed to use a maximum of three (3) characters in this role-play. Exceptions to this are generally only for Game Masters so as to allow them to effectively run the various factions here.

10. Be fair – establish yourself as a trustworthy person and act on that. By this I mean don’t purposely undermine someone else’s character just to win a battle or race – it’s a game; if you have to resort to OOC cheating to win a battle, then you’ve got issues.

11. Have fun! Don’t take this too seriously – it’s a game. Games are games are games. They won’t affect you.

As for staff – currently, this RPG is being run by the following players. They should be listened to the majority of the time, as their job is to make the game run smoothly. If you have any questions or concerns, you may PM them regarding such things.

-Parugi (GM)

Additionally, a tool that you may see a GM use is similar to the IC/OOC system. This tool is symbolized by the prefix GM and is used for in-game announcements. Please do not use this if you are not a staff member. The following is an example:

GM: Attention: The Day Run’s first race is about to begin. Teams wishing to participate should sign in with Ehjoras at the Day Run Registration Center; teams will then be randomly divided into an undetermined number of races, depending on the amount of teams participating.

The Garden follows a relatively simple five-strike system when it comes to punishments. Each time you break the rules, you will get a warning, with each warning increasing in seriousness. Once you get five strikes, you’re done – your characters are killed and you are permanently booted from the game. For specific details:

1st Strike: A friendly warning over PM; no other repercussions. You are expected to stop after this.

2nd Strike: A more severe warning, again over PM. A character will be injured, though nothing serious. Consider it a slap on the wrist.

3rd Strike: A third warning. One character will be severely injured and his vehicle damaged. Stop now.

4th Strike: One last warning. Your character will be killed, and all assets taken by his opposing faction. This is your last chance to turn around.

5th Strike: No warning. All characters killed, all vehicles and equipment taken; permanent banning from the RPG. You were warned. Go away.

On the other hand, if you are a good and/or helpful player, then you may receive a reward. These rewards can range from an additional character to new equipment to power upgrades and other such things. While I’ll try my best to follow through on this, I’ve been known to be on and off about using my rewards systems in the past, so excuse me if I don’t give out gifts to everyone.

Just like all other RPGs, you are required to fill out, submit and get a character sheet approved before you are allowed to play. Once you have filled out the sheet below, post it in the Character Profiles topic and it will be approved as soon as possible, provided everything is in order; after that, you are free to play the game as you see fit.

[b]Name:[/b] Obvious spot is obvious. Keep it BIONICLE-sounding, please.
[b]Faction:[/b] KNPD, the Ring, or Civilian. The Day Run is an optional sub-faction – if you wish to participate in the Day Run with a particular character, simply add (Day Run) after your chosen faction, as well as your team name/team crest design. Players who are not members of the Ring or the KNPD are automatically considered Civilians.
[b]Species:[/b] Any species is allowed, sans Makuta. Custom species are also allowed, provided you give a detailed description of what they look like.
[b]Gender:[/b] Male, female, unknown or none.
[b]Description:[/b] This covers both personality and appearance. If you have a picture of what your character looks like, then you may link to that instead of describing them.
[b]Equipment:[/b] This covers your character’s tools. Please do not use anything overpowered – a Super Godly Spear of Awesomeness, for example, will not be allowed, and instead will be burned at the first sign of its existence.
[b]Mask:[/b] All masks, including custom masks, are allowed, except for the Avohkii, Kraahkan and Legendary Masks. Masks with exceptionally strong powers are allowed but must be limited; such masks are the Tryna and Mohtrek, both of which must have a reasonable limit on the amount of bodies you can summon at once.
[b]Powers:[/b] This covers your character’s element and other powers. Anything is allowed, including custom elements, though Time and Life are not (the exception being if you have a power similar to Voporak’s time field or Thok’s animation power.)
[b]Vehicle:[/b] If your character has a vehicle, describe it – its appearance, its weapons, etc. If you have a picture, you can link to it. Some vehicles are also known to use above-average AI, allowing them to display Rahi-like behavior; if yours has such equipment, describe its personality as well.
[b]Biography:[/b] Where is your character from? Why is he/she at Kai-Nam? Essentially, what is your character’s past?

NPCs