Harvali

IC Kanohi - Po-Wahi - Po-Koro Kanohi was not a Le-Matoran, as a Fe-Matoran he lacked the inherent grace for maneuvering in the trees. Because of this his time in Le-Wahi had often featured collisions with branches and falling from unsteady perches. He had been forced to learn better reflexes, to recover whenever he began to plummet. His vision had been vague, so Kanohi did not question the cause of his nausea. He might not have the time. Instead, his brain translated the sensations into a story of sorts. The water towel was unsteady and creaky, and the motion from it beginning to sway had given Kanohi nausea similar to seasickness. The nausea was a symptom in his mind, the unsteady water tower was the bigger problem. Once again Kanohi ignored his pain and searched for a sturdier structure. There, the temple housing the Suva itself. With his free hand scooping up Ranok he fired his Volo Lutu Launcher, grappling over to the stone dome of the temple. OOC: @ARROW404 @Snelly @Rahisaurus @~Xemnas~@Lady Takanuva @Tarn @BULiK @Umbraline Yumiwa @Mel @a goose

@Geardirector my apologies for the lack of clarity, Kardaka was meant to be taking the Iron Mahi into the town, she’s wandered on foot in the past, but she “took the train” today.

IC Kanohi - Po-Wahi - Po-Koro Kanohi nodded and hoisted Ranok onto his back. He stomped briefly in place to brace himself, before firing his Volo Lutu Launcher at the water tower. From this view, Ranok might notice the device was homemade, built of scavenged parts from Volo Lutu Launchers abandoned on battlefields. It also had been attached to Kanohi’s arm using medical supplies like bandages and splints. Whether or not Ranok noticed, the cross-wired vigilante felt suddenly embarrassed by the idea he might see the crudeness of their gadget. He really needed to get a proper wrist-mounted Volo Lutu Launcher. Maybe Nichou could help with that, as he was a craftsman. It would be nice to work with him again. But that might require exposing him to Nichou. Despite its cobbled together nature, the Volo Lutu Launcher fired its grappling hook with force. The gadget hooked the roof of the water tower, before yanking Kanohi and Ranok skyward. Kanohi was not as strong as a Po-Matoran but he was more durable, so he used his body to support Ranok’s weight. The two Matoran tumbled onto the water tower’s roof, standing up with a vantage point over the Suva. OOC: @ARROW404 @Snelly @Rahisaurus @~Xemnas~@Lady Takanuva @Tarn @BULiK @Umbraline Yumiwa @Mel IC Kardaka - Po-Wahi - Po-Koro Kardaka could see the big city of Po-Koro approaching. Maybe they would call it Po-Metru someday, Koro sounded a bit too humble for such a sprawling cityscape. And she couldn’t even feel it yet. Once her feet were planted on the ground her connection to her element would let her feel every stone around her, whether they were walls or wells. She would truly see the changes to the Koro then. Her fingers drummed her Badge of Office, despite her resolve she was nervous to see how her city changed. Would she recognize her people? Would the new Akiri be trustworthy? Would Unity have been restored between the Matoran? Or would things be worse? Whatever the answer, she would do her best to face those challenges. She would no longer run from her Duty.

Since Wither is quickly approaching our merry band of Matoran, I wanted to check if a character concept was viable in case Kanohi dies. This would be a backup character whose premise is “a (very) short Lesterin of Fire who thinks he’s a Ta-Matoran.” Would that be allowed?

IC Kanohi - Po-Wahi - Po-Koro Kanohi relaxed slightly at Lapu’s touch. At a simple mathematics level, a Toa of Jungle had the closet Element to Life itself. If they faced death, Plant life might be vital. But that would diminish their bond to simply say it was a matter of math. Lapu had traveled with him for much of his journey since he began hunting that Lesterin, they had learned to speak to each other, albeit not in the way many did. And they both were unnerved by the city. He nodded to the Toa, and squeezed his hand in thanks. Thank goodness Lapu was not as important to Destiny as Aurax. If Lapu was worthy of being a Maru, then Kanohi wouldn’t be worthy of viewing the Toa as a friend. Aurax’s words cut through Kanohi, and he flinched. To a more rational Matoran, those words were solely directed at Nichou and Lekua. But to the cross-wired vigilante Aurax was speaking to him. “Do not abandon these Matoran. Keep them safe.” Whether or not Dece was worthy, this was Aurax’s will if he should die. Aurax might have been denied his destiny as a Toa Maru, but he carried weight in Mata-Nui’s eyes for the sleeping god to resurrect him in a faraway land and guide him home. Kanohi blushed, before turning to Ranok. The De-Matoran was much less terrifying that rejection and letting important friends down. He scribbled circles, before showing the Matoran of Sonics. “If you want, I can carry you while I grapple with my Volo Lutu Launcher, and drop you off on a rooftop. That way you can shout to the sentries and survey the landscape for this monster.” OOC: @ARROW404 @Snelly @Rahisaurus @~Xemnas~@Lady Takanuva @Tarn @BULiK @Umbraline Yumiwa @Mel IC Kardaka - Po-Wahi - Ostia Kardaka took time to depart the station. It was difficult to lift and balance on her two massive feet, she had relied on her Badge of Office as a third leg to reach the Iron Mahi station. It had taken longer to figure out which train it would cost to reach Po-Koro, the infrastructure of Po-Wahi had truly expanded since she had last been here. But at last the Iron Mahi was on its way, carrying the weary Turaga of Stone to Po-Koro. She gazed outside the window as the desert whipped by, compared to her aimless wandering, the Iron Mahi was far quicker and much more direct. She should reach Po-Koro soon. How much had her home changed? The stranger had said water now filled her home and plants. That progress had stained Po-Koro. But after living through the era of Akiri Hewkii, a more Unity with other Elements did not sound horrid to her. It sounded like what was needed to face Makuta as he returned. She would not run from these changes. She would no longer run from the world. She would do her Duty and try to protect and guide the Matoran of her island home. Hopefully, she would find wisdom in these coming days. She still felt like a Novice Toa trapped in a weak wrong body. But Kardaka would no longer hide from her people. Even if things got difficult for her.

IC Kanohi - Po-Wahi - Po-Koro Kanohi’s hands fluttered with unease, before he began to click his bracelet frantically. He was not trying to communicate, he was trying to exhaust his stress and fear. He needed to focus, he had to protect Aurax. Knichou too, ugh, Nichou. Blast his fractured memory. Why couldn’t Aurax just hide? He needed to run from this person, they only had a few Toa in this group and Timak was inexperienced and was draining his element maintaining this bubble of silence. This could go wrong very quickly. And now Aurax had asked that question. That terrifying question that made Kanohi want to huddle under a pile of masks. How does he know? If he is honest, then Nichou might realize who he is, and if anyone knows then the real Makuta might know and then Kanohi will have to flee or risk endangering these real heroes. And he, he couldn’t suffer those flames again. But he had to say something. Aurax might not listen otherwise. Finally, Kanohi wrote down frantically. “I saw somrtging. We can dishust later. We neee to preoare onest.” He flinched, and scribbled, “sorry, typos. Scared.” His masks rattled with his frantically beating heartlight, they needed to stop talking, they needed to be ready. They needed a plan. OOC: @ARROW404 @Snelly @Rahisaurus @~Xemnas~@Lady Takanuva @Tarn @BULiK @Umbraline Yumiwa @Mel

IC Kanohi - Po-Wahi - Po-Koro Why did no one understand him? He had communicated with this group easier enough before, and he hadn’t been able to talk verbally in some time. He was, the tablet, he had been using the pad. In his fear and frenzy he had forgotten. Kohlii-head, he had wasted valuable time. With trembling hands he pulled out his tablet and began to scribble the circles of the Matoran written language. Blast him, wasting time while whoever that was headed closer to the group. Fool, failure, if Aurax dies oh would be his fault. Was Aurax even the only target? A number of this group had been in the Companions, had Kanohi made an assumption? Curse his struggles to interpret his power. Finally he presented his message to the group, in particular making sure Nichou, Lekua, and Aurax himself all saw it. ”Something is coming for us, I think he’s after Aurax. Not a Rahkshi. A person reeking of death. We need to run.” OOC: @ARROW404 @Snelly @Rahisaurus @~Xemnas~@Lady Takanuva @Tarn @BULiK @Umbraline Yumiwa @Mel

IC Kanohi - Po-Wahi - Po-Koro “Tell me… about… the Matoran.” A slithering whisper pierced through the barrier of sound. Perhaps it had been spoken days ago, or even years in the past. But it was with Kanohi now, as it always had. Something was coming for the Matoran. He began to tremble violently, as the lens of his optics seemed to fracture. Through some of the cracks in optics he could see normally, his companions reaching to comfort him. But spliced in his shattered vision he could see six Matoran, each humming with the pulse of the stars. The Maru that could have been. ”A-hunting we shall go, a-hunting we shall go…” Another whisper, and these words stayed like they were carved. They hummed like a sputtering heart light, before shadow took them and gave the form. In Kanohi’s gaze he saw a Rahkshi’s staff take shape, a moldy staff that seemed to reek of death. It flew with a whistle, piercing straight into Aurax. His stars were engulfed in the rotting blackness of the staff, his heart light pierced. Aurax went limp, and the other five wandered away. But gradually the shadows cloaking him faded, and he stood now in his new body. Kanohi staggered towards Aurax, only to hear a squish like muscular tissue being ripped from a chassis. Piercing through Aurax’s heart light was a bony hand, but not the hand of a Rahkshi. This was closer to the hand of a Toa. His armor rattled together as he clutched the wooden mask he wore, squeezing it against his Kanohi. the shattered vision dominated him, his lens had no physical cracks but chassis was unsteady. There was only one thing relatively constant in his cracked world. The vigilante’s sight was shattered, but Aurax stood before him in both vision and life. Kanohi struggled to speak, but the pistons and electronics operating his vocal processor refused to respond. Gradually, Kanohi’s optics merged to show a single Aurax. Kanohi felt himself, unsure if he was even awake, only to brush against his telegraph bracer. He clutched it like it was the mast in a violent story at sea, before clicking. ”Something is coming for Aurax. Not a Rahkshi. A person reeking of death. We need to run.” OOC: @ARROW404 @Snelly @Rahisaurus @~Xemnas~@Lady Takanuva @Tarn @BULiK @Umbraline Yumiwa @Mel

IC Kanohi - Po-Wahi - Po-Koro Kanohi nodded in agreement at Timak’s words, but did not fully register their meaning. Gradually, it dawned on Kanohi that something had changed. The world felt muffled, like how his many masks sheltered him from prying eyes and blocked out some stressful sights like fire. Like he had a filter blocking out some of the cacophony of Po-Koro. He looked around, the city was still around him, but it’s noise was distant. No, it was muted. Of course, Timak was a Toa of Sonics. That’s what his words meant. Kanohi’s paused to tap his bracelet, it still seemed to click. Timak must have put a barrier around them to block outside sound, but the pair could still make noise inside it. That was very kind. The vigilante shook himself off and scribbled a message. “Thank you for dampening the city, I truly appreciate it.” He held it up to Toa Timak, even as Ranok spoke. Kanohi winced beneath his masks, and nodded at the Matoran. Timak might have to actively hold up this barrier, it wasn’t like a Toa of Stone raising a wall from the ground. It would be wrong to exploit his powers, so they should try to make their way through Po-Koro as quickly as they could, to lessen the burden on the kind Toa. OOC: @ARROW404 @Snelly @Rahisaurus @~Xemnas~@Lady Takanuva @Tarn @BULiK @Umbraline Yumiwa @Mel

IC Kanohi - Po-Wahi - Po-Koro Before he knew it, Kanohi had found himself in the chaos of Po-Koro. The city was even more built up than Le-Koro and Ga-Koro, there was a scent of ash lofting in the air from the Iron Mahi station. The closer the party got to it the more Kanohi was reminded of the Charred Forest of Ta-Wahi. Po-Matoran walked about, there seemed to be thousands of them, their feet hammering against the stone street. The smell alone would have been unplease f, but the clanging machinery and the stomping of feet was a cacophony. Trolleys traversed the cityscape, clanking against the stone paths. No one else seemed particularly bothered, but Kanohi found himself recoiling. Kanohi felt a kinship with De-Matoran in a thunderstorm, overstimulation bombarding him violently. He could see flames in the tinge of ash in the air, he could see the fire. It wasn’t there, he knew that rationally, but a lot of what felt real to Kanohi was not tangible. He clutched one hand around his audio sensors, while the other hand pressed his wooden armor not only to shrink in stature but to muffle the sights and smells of the city. He was compressing himself. Kanohi found himself missing Le-Wahi. The jungle had its own noises, but it was not the city. And at that thought, he turned to Lapu. He scribbled a message on his tablet. “Would you like to wait with me somewhere in the city that is less … city like? I am a bit overwhelmed by all this, so I would understand if you need a break too.” OOC: @ARROW404 @Snelly @Rahisaurus @~Xemnas~@Lady Takanuva @Tarn @BULiK @Umbraline Yumiwa @Mel … IC Kardaka - Po-Wahi - Ostia Kardaka flinched at his words, clenching her staff tightly. It wasn’t just the description of the city, it was, it was his desire to leave. There was no judgement to him, no. But suddenly she was reevaluating her past decisions, she found herself doubting her own motives. She had left Po-Koro to meditate, to try to find the answers as to how the Akiri could have abandoned Unity. But in leaving, she had disconnected from the problem. Had she ran from it? Should she had confronted the Akiri? Should she have guided her people away from isolation? Had she ran from her Duty? It was all too clear that she was not just lacking in wisdom. She lacked courage. Kardaka dipped her head in thanks, before wobbling towards the Iron Mahi station. No wonder she had failed to find answers in the desert. She needed to return to Po-Koro, she had a Duty to fulfill. OOC: @Visaru

IC Kanohi - Po-Wahi - Forsi Kanohi hesitated at Nichou’s recounting of Stannis’s Companions, before aggressively clicking his telegraph. Nichou’s had kept a sensor listening for news of Dece? He had heard nothing, which might have been for the best, but the fact that he had kept tracks of news of that unimportant cross-wired freak of a Fe- Matoran? It made Kanohi a bit less stable. Was it too late to tell Knichou, sorry, Nichou, who Kanohi had been? Should he tell them all? Or had the opportunity passed after Aurax was exposed. Kanohi fidgeted with a mix of guilt and unease, the social situation was difficult to parse and fear overwhelmed him. Then Kanohi caught sight of something. Lapu was offering Kanohi small plants. The vigilante dipped his head in thanks, thoughtful Kapu, he had needed a distraction. He turned them over in his hands, scratching at the plants with his metal fingers, letting the juice trickle down his hands. Matoran had a lot of diversity in their anatomy, some were mostly mechanical, others leaned towards biological. Kanohi was more mechanized that most, and his mouth was … underdeveloped. He could only digest by leaching energy from food, and chewing was beyond him. As he fidgeted by scratching the fruit it released the aroma of enzymes in the air, but Kanohi found himself distracted. Aurax, Nichou, and Timak were discussing the Suva? It had been a long time since they were relevant, maybe since the Toa Mata fell. The Toa Maru had not used them as far as Kanohi knew. Though, his anxiety suddenly wondered if the Makuta’s conflict with the Maru would have been different if they had harnessed the Suva. Would they have fallen too. Or might Makuta have been defeated back then? OOC: @ARROW404 @Snelly @Rahisaurus @~Xemnas~@Lady Takanuva @Tarn @BULiK @Umbraline Yumiwa @Mel … IC Kardaka - Po-Wahi - Ostia Kardaka staggered, she only kept upright thanks to her staff. She almost slid down it, staring at the ground as her vents wheezed. Akiri Hewkii was deposed? Or had he just stepped down? And what of his replacement? Had he picked her, or was she elected? Would she be any better? How could Verak not know? She dragged herself upright and weakly asked, “I must admit this is a shock. Um, may I ask how the Koro has changed? It’s not … worse is it?” What if this Renaka had declared war on another Koro? Or had enslaved Matoran? Maybe things had gotten better? But Kardaka did not find that thought comforting. If she still did not understand how Po- Koro had become corrupted, she knew no way to prevent it from happening again. She needed to understand what happened to Hewkii and her fellows, to have ruined the Unity of the Matoran. OOC: @Visaru

IC Kardaka - Po-Wahi - Ostia Kardaka nodded, but spoke cautiously, “Yes. Though I hope the city is a bit less … lonely than the desert was. Have not seen other people in some time, too busy meditating. There was plenty of Rahi, that’s one reason I have my staff, to ward the beasts of the desert away and corral them. But Rahi are not people.” The Turaga swallowed, and tried to act casual, though her fingers drummed her staff with unease. But she need to broach this topic, it was what drove her away from Po-Wahi and it’s colonies. Still, it was best to be indirect. So she mustered her courage and asked, “Ah, So, um, it’s been some time since I stepped foot in a village of Stone, and news is sparse in the desert. Are there any new laws of Akiri Hewkii I need to be aware of?” That much was true, she did not know what new laws the dictator of Stone would have passed since she left in horror at the destruction of the Virtue of Unity. But she more wished to know if things had changed, namely if the Akiri might have stepped back from his prior imperialism and isolation of Po-Wahi from the other villages. If perhaps things had improved for the nation of Stone. Or even if he had been deposed, perhaps by an alliance of the other villages or the Toa Maru. But that seemed unlikely. The other villages were also divided from each other, and the Maru had not addressed the situation before. She could not help but worry things had only gotten worse. OOC: @Visaru needless to say, she’s a bit behind on the political situation

IC Kanohi - Po-Wahi - Forsi Kanohi shook his head at Nichou’s question. He had spent much of his time on Mata-Nui traversing Le-Wahi to protect travelers and Rahi, the trails of Po-Wahi was unfamiliar to him. He still had to regularly remind himself it was one of the most northern regions of the island. More importantly, Kanohi had finally noticed Lapu was … it was hard to say, the cross-wired Fe-Matoran was not skilled at identifying social cues. But even so, Kanohi worried Lapu was distressed. And no wonder, this desert was a far cry from the humid air and green jungles of Le-Wahi. It was kind of the Toa to come, but Kanohi could not help but worry for him. Wearing all that wooden armor, and wasn’t it wilting? These were the plants of the jungle, were they even capable of surviving in the desert? If he lost his armor, well, Kanohi could not read Lapu’s mind, but the Fe-Matoran knew he would feel incomplete without his own armor. Kanohi walked over to Hakari and scribbled a note, “do you know where we could get some desert plants for Lapu? So he could use them to grow armor for Po-Wahi? I worry his wooden skin might not be comfort in this dry heat.” OOC: @ARROW404 @Snelly @Rahisaurus @~Xemnas~@Lady Takanuva @Tarn @BULiK @Umbraline Yumiwa @Mel … IC Kardaka - Po-Wahi - Ostia Kardaka flinched at the brown Toa’s words, but made a smile nonetheless. It was good to hear the familiarity of Toahood, even if it was inaccurate. “Ah, I’m a sister, but thank you, brother. It was not long ago I gave up my Toa Power, I must admit I am still not quite used to my new size.” She paused and blushed. There had been a delay before she realized Toa had complimented her, “Ah, my apologies, thank you for your kind words on my staff. I am afraid it’s been a some time since I talked among people. I was lost in the desert, I suppose you could say.” The Turaga looked away. Did that sound wise? Turaga were meant to be wise, she was no longer some young Toa with power enough to shatter a plateau. She was supposed to be an elder giving wisdom to the future generation. But if she did sound wise, it was fraudulent. She still could not begin to understand Hewkii turning away from his Unity with the other Akiri and isolating Po-Koro. It was … this was the Virtue their village held most dear, and their leader had abandoned it to fortify and expand. Like some perversion of Unity, but only for Po-Koro. Horrific and unnatural. And she still could not comprehend it. OOC: @Visaru

Kardaka has reached Ostia. Also, does anyone know what the color of Kardaka’s post introduction is? Bzpower won’t let me copy it into her dialogue, and since I am on mobile I am left guessing what it’s called. It’s not orange, brown, or gold.

IC Kanohi - Po-Wahi - Forsi It was hard to see beneath his many masks, but Kanohi was also a bit overwhelmed by the changes to Po-Wahi. He had vaguely been aware that Po-Koro had built more settlements and their technology had advanced greatly since he had been this far north, but the changes were still shocking. Ga-Matoran and Po-Matoran wandered the streets, stopping among the many stalls. Forsi had apparently started out as a military fort, likely part of the former Akiri Hewkii’s imperialism. After tensions between the villages of Stone and Water cooled, the fort expanded into a trade hub, allowing the two peoples to exchange goods to each other. The city indeed had a bit of a Ga-Matoran influence, there were aspects of the architecture that recalled Ga-Koro. It was a meddling of cultures. Kanohi kept close to Hakari as they emerged from the ferry. He would soon have to say goodbye to the Lesterin, their ways were diverging. They had known each other only a short time, but it had been good. And it had been good to travel with others again. And though she and Lapu put him on the path to reencounter his old companions, he did not want to abandon them quite yet. OOC: @ARROW404 @Snelly @Rahisaurus @~Xemnas~@Lady Takanuva @Tarn @BULiK @Umbraline Yumiwa @Mel … IC Kardaka - Po-Wahi - Ostia The Turaga of Stone had wandered a long time through sandstorms and the beating sun. But eventually she had gotten lucky. She had caught sight of a glint of metal, rediscovering the tracks of the Iron Mahi. She had followed them until at last she had spotted a metal structuring towering above the horizon. Kardaka had found herself at the top of a cliff overlooking the endless ocean. Rows of buildings were carved into the cliff side stacked on top of each other, and industrial elevators linked each layer of structures. She had not left Po-Koro much, but she suspected this was Ostia. And that meant the tower was the radio station, one of the many new inventions that had emerged after the defeat of the Makuta. It was strange that this was not named a Koro. Maybe that was a part of the Matoran losing their way. This settlement after all had been the result of Akiri Hewkii fortifying Po-Wahi, building new villages to strength the nation of Stone. But even with her unease, Kardaka’s optics blinked frantically. If she was capable of shedding a tear, she might be crying. It had been so long since she had seen other Matoran, heard the hustle and bustle of people. It was awe inspiring, returning from the emptiness of the desert to the city. Swallowing, she began to ride the lifts, descending into the city. First she needed to learn what had transpired since her voluntary exile. If Akiri Hewkii had gotten even crueler, and if the unity of the Matoran had disintegrated further. “Ah, the ports,” she winced at her own voice, it rumbled like gravel. It had been so long since she had needed to speak, her vocal processor had grown stiff and lost its lubrication. And the roughness, it alienated her. She swallowed, leaning on her staff, before continuing to descend the city to the ports. She still needed news, and ports might mean travelers from other villages. She might learn a lot of what she missed.