Harvali

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.

IC Kanohi - Ga-Wahi - Ga-Koro Kanohi wrote his answer, then hesitated. He needed to be careful, he might have said too much and might risk exposing himself. So many here had once known Dece, he might want to restrain himself more. Without noting the irony, he drew his lighter and burnt his first draft of his message into ashes. Then he scribed a few circles to simply say, “I will join you.” His hands twitched as he showed the message to Aurax, he preferred to specify more. But he needed to be discreet. Despite his arson. Wandering again. He had wandered plenty of times in Le-Wahi, following his visions or distant cries of distress to find people in need. It would be different in a big group though. He had not done such since the Companions. And on the topic on companions, he wrote a third message, just for Hakari. “It would be good to travel with you a bit longer, Hakari. I hope you will find your homeland and her friends of old. You and Lapu were the first companions I have had in a long time, and I will miss you, but I hope you will have success on your adventures.” He showed it to her, looking away from her gaze. OOC: @ARROW404 @Snelly @Rahisaurus @~Xemnas~@Lady Takanuva @Tarn @BULiK @Umbraline Yumiwa @Mel

Anyone interested in interacting with a lost (in many ways) Turaga of Stone? She’s currently wandering the desert trying to follow Iron Mahi tracks to find any town

IC Kardaka - Po-Wahi - The Motara Desert The Turaga of Stone was hopelessly lost. Kardaka had been wandering for what felt like sixteen months, trying to follow the tracks of the Iron Mahi. But every time she had followed the tracks for a few days, a sandstorm had kicked up and blinded her. When the storms faded the tracks would be buried and she would have lost her sense of direction, and so she would hike in a random direction hoping to run into more tracks. Kardaka was a Turaga of Stone blast it. Her elemental control was weak compared to a Toa, but she still could sense the rocks in the Motara Desert even during sandstorms. Yet she so easily lost her way. And that was only her struggles finding her way in the desert. She still had yet to understand why her Koro had abandoned Unity. Maybe things were better now. Years might have passed since she left Po-Koro, forsaking her Toa Powers in shame for Akiri Hewkii driving a wedge between the villages, stockpiling weapons, and demanding submission for his own Koro like the Makuta himself. How? How could the right hand of the late Turaga Onewa betrayed the virtue Unity, how could such a beloved Po-Matoran go so wrong? And how could the whole Koro follow him into his madness? The Makuta was gone, how could the Matoran have turned on each other? She sighed, she was no closer to understand what went wrong after the Toa Maru succeeded than when she went into exile, hoping to meditate and understand. She lacked the wisdom of a Turaga, despite her body. Kardaka stumbled as she walked, thrusting out her staff to catch herself. She leaned on the long staff, before using its leverage to push herself more upright. Her large feet were unsteady, far too big compared to her legs. And in general, as a new Turaga, her body still felt wrong, too short and stocky. It lacked the lean height of a Toa. Her hand reached for her canteen and she took a deep drink, before capping it and continuing her trek. With each step she used her staff as a cane to stabilize her balance, trying to keep herself upright. She let out a sigh, her journey seemed utterly endless. And it felt like she was only going to get more lost before she had her answers. OOC: Kardaka open to interaction

IC Kanohi - Ga-Wahi - Ga-Koro Kanohi listened to both Ranok and Aurax as each spoke of events gone past. Some Kanohi knew like the days of the Companions and the fall of Ko-Koro, but much he did not. Dece had been imprisoned and tortured for some time by the false Makuta, and after that Kanohi had lived in the jungles of Le-Wahi rescuing travelers. He had not been knowledgeable of current events for some time. As Aurax finished his tale, Kanohi had a realization. He pulled out his tablet from out of his masks and began to scribble out circles in charcoal. He inscribed a rough timeline based off both stories, the script was messy, but it summarized the major events of the island. Leading to the fight with the mad botanist and Aurax being reborn. Ever since the torture, certain things seemed jumbled. Nichou shifted in his mind from a Matoran to a Toa of Iron named Knichou who wore a legendary mask. Kanohi had known Nale before he met her, though in the vision she was a Toa. His visions still had use in them, but there was confusion instead of clarity. So perhaps this list of events should ground his mind. Should he become confused again, he could pull out this paper and remind himself of what was real. Kanohi did not dare put his own past and life here. Cowardice or not, he still feared being tracked down. And the weakness of Dece might diminish the few accomplishments of Kanohi. The cross-wired vigilante stowed away his notes, before writing a more public message. He turned around the tablet and held it out to Aurax, showing him the message, “I am sorry for your adopted home of Iki. Is there something we can do for your second people?” Kanohi had not heard much of this land across the sea, but Rahkshi had devastated Mata-Nui for a millennium. These refugees did not just resemble Matoran, but they had suffered their enemies. And for a civilization to be wiped out and the survivors driven from their home, it was Ko-Koro on a bigger scale. A thought brushed against Kanohi’s mind as well. If Aurax had been reborn among the Dashi, perhaps his Destiny was a bridge of sorts. To unite two war ravaged people against the Makuta. But it was clear that despite his visions, Kanohi was not important enough to know fate. And right now Aurax had enough to worry about without being asked questions of his Destiny. OOC: @ARROW404 @Snelly @Rahisaurus @~Xemnas~@Lady Takanuva @Tarn @BULiK @Umbraline Yumiwa @Mel

IC Kanohi - Ga-Wahi - Ga-Koro Kanohi was not a genius. He was decent at tinkering, but he was not capable of inventing something that could change the course of Mata-Nui. His social finesse was limited too, he struggled to parse the subtexts in conversations, and often overcompensated. Neither was he a great hero. As a vigilante he focused solely on rescuing people, not making decisions or working as a group, nor did he ever fight. Working with heroes such as these was new for Kanohi. He had not tried to since the Companions. The point was, he was not the best at reading the intent of fellow Matoran. His thoughts were jumbled, trying to process if this claim was a sick joke, some sort of humor he messed. Was Elta taking advantage of his social struggles to mess with him? But he was saying this to the others, and he likely did not know who Kanohi had once been. And that vision, the cactus was plucked from Aurax’s corpse. Was that the point of the vision? That if the botanist had claimed the cactus, he would have stolen it from Aurax? Because Aurax would not have remembered who he was if he had not ingested the substance? It seemed impossible, that after all this time Aurax could be back. Kanohi would be a fool to believe it. But Aurax had been chosen to be among the Wanderer’s Company. He was one of only a few in the Companions who had been selected to have a great destiny. And then he had been slain, killed before he could become a Toa. Stabbed by a medic Rahkshi. It had always haunted Kanohi since he first witnessed visions of Aurax’s death. That if even a chosen one could die before fulfilling his destiny, it only stressed how unimportant Dece was. But … if Mata-Nui or someone else had intervened in a death, it would have been someone whose destiny was cut short. Someone denied their fate. And … the idea that a former member of the Companions as well as the last Matoran member of the Wanderer’s Company was brought back to life, shortly after the Makuta returned? It felt like the work of Destiny. Kanohi ultimately decided as a vigilante, he was no fighter, but a rescuer. So he wrote on his tablet the simple message. “The Makuta has returned, despite the work of the Toa Maru. If there was ever someone to return from the dead, it might just be the one member of the Wanderer’s Company who died before he could become a Toa. I may be gullible, but I chose to believe Destiny is working now to fix the course of what went wrong when the Toa faced the Makuta.” OOC: @ARROW404 @Snelly @Rahisaurus @~Xemnas~@Lady Takanuva @Tarn @BULiK @Umbraline Yumiwa @Mel

IC Kanohi - Ga-Wahi - Ga-Koro Kanohi had followed the group, but had not partaken in the cactus for two reasons. Firstly, his visions were already nonsensical enough since his captivity, he did not know what this cactus would affect them. The strangely colored De-Matoran, Ranok was his name, right? Kanohi though he had implied there was something sketchy about Miracle Cactus. The cross-wired vigilante had enough mental health struggles without trying a substance he knew nothing about. The second reason he hesitated though was he did not eat. Kanohi did not like chewing food, or digesting with his mouth. He was not even sure he could do it, the idea repulsed his body too much to try. Instead, he would draw the energy out of food through his hands, letting meals crumbled to dust at his touch. The Matoran were a sliding scale of animalistic to mechanic, and he tended towards the latter. So instead of partaking in the cactus, Kanohi had stood watch in case anyone had an adverse reaction, or if allies of that Lesterin struck back at them for shutting his operation down. The vigilante still was unsure of many details surrounding this adventure, from what they knew he had spent the past few years as a merchant, until suddenly my he changed in manner and personality. From the sound of the timeline, he changed around when Hakari regained her memories. It’s possibly he had reverted to his personality from before he washed on Mata-Nui’s shores. Please Mata-Nui, do not return my memories from before I awoke on the shore. Kanohi was jostled from his thoughts by the sound of footsteps. He shifted from his perch to see Eita shaking Nichou. Kanohi had been unfocused for much of this, and Eita was whispering, but as he grappled over to make sure Nichou was unharmed, he caught the last sentence. ”Aurax is back!” OOC: @ARROW404 @Snelly @Rahisaurus @~Xemnas~@Lady Takanuva @Tarn @BULiK @Umbraline Yumiwa @Mel

IC Kanohi - Ga-Wahi - Ga-Koro The cross-wired vigilante nodded, they needed a way to secure the Lesterin. Though … ideally not something too rough. It was hard to describe, but as he looked at this stranger overpowered by a Matoran, blade at his throat and mobbed by a small army, it felt … familiar. Not precisely and not like how a vision would feel, but the feeling of being overwhelmed and helpless. Kanohi’s heartlight flickered in memory of that cave in Ko-Wahi, that deluded Matoran binding and torturing him, and that terrible flame that smothered his throat with ash. He … Kanohi could not recall having someone at his mercy before, but these memories haunted him. As horrible as what the Lesterin had done to Rahi, in this moment, he wanted to be merciful. He turned away from the Lesterin, only for his optics to zero in on his own Volo Lutu Launcher. The one he had bound to his arm using bandages he bought in Le-Koro. Bandages, meant to be attached to a chassis. Kanohi reached underneath one of his wooden masks and produced some of his spare bandages, offering them to Eita. OOC: @ARROW404 @Snelly @Rahisaurus @~Xemnas~@Lady Takanuva @Tarn @BULiK @Umbraline Yumiwa @Mel

IC Kanohi - Ga-Wahi - Ga-Koro Underneath his many wooden masks, Kanohi felt his face go red under Knichou’s stare. Ugh, no, his name was Nichou, and he was a Matoran. Not a Toa of Iron. Get that right. And Nale … she was not a Toa of Magnetism either, just a Fa-Matoran. Why were his memories so distorted? Well, he knew why, staring at the flames for what felt like years, he was forced to have so many visions that many were nonsensical. A city of metal the size of an island, a barren island where a colossal god’s head lay crashed on the west side, those felt as real to him as Mata-Nui. He needed to focus on what was real. And the Lesterin, Hakari, Lapu, and Nichou were real. The vigilante realized he was staring while lost in thought, and turned redder. He shifted his gaze away away, hopefully any reaction had been buried by his masks while he had stood there silently. He grappled up to the rafters, to search for anything that— Had … had that gold and blue Matoran captured the Lesterin? Kanohi grappled down, landing in a tumble besides Eita. As Kanohi looked up he saw some sort of coolant dripping off a mostly translucent Lesterin, his throat pierced by the Matoran’s blade. It was only a shallow thrust, but it looked like it was digging in deeper to his flesh. Kanohi felt his heartlight flash he … he had not thought of this. Obviously the Lesterin needed to be stopped, but he did not want anyone else to … die. But he could not defend the Lesterin against these new allies, not after the abominations he had made and his calloused disregard for life. But he could die. Knocking out the Lesterin would make him no longer a threat but Kanohi was … he was no fighter, he couldn’t bring himself to harm another. Cowardice or not, he could not let alone else suffer. But it could save his life, On the other hand, he could disarm him. Kanohi reached to the Lesterin’s face and wrenched off his mask. Tossing it aside, he began to click frantically with his telegraph. “He’s powerless now, barely stronger than us. We have him.” Nothing further needed doing, right? OOC: @ARROW404 @Snelly @Rahisaurus @~Xemnas~@Lady Takanuva @Tarn @BULiK @Umbraline Yumiwa @Mel

IC Kanohi - Ga-Wahi - Ga-Koro Kanohi felt his heartlight sputter as vines encircled around Nichou, yanking the Matoran into the air along with another. He took a step back, clutching his Volo Lutu Launcher through trembling fingers, even as another vine entangled Lapu’s arm. Of course, the Toa was stronger than a Matoran, and his element was the jungle itself. The vine began to shudder, absorbing into the Toa’s chassis, even as the rest of the plant relaxed it’s grip, dropping Nichou and his fellow like a fabled Toa Cannister crashing to an island. The cross-wired vigilante’s optics blurred as Nichou fell, he could see Aurax falling now, not through the air but through the jagged staff of a Rahkshi. And Nichou flickered in and out as milliseconds passed, shifting into a Toa of silver and red and back into a Matoran. But he, that was nonsense. Nichou was a Matoran, as fragile and weak as one could be. He could not lose another Companion. Not when he could act. Kanohi fired his Volo Lutu Launcher right below Nichou and with a lurch grappled at him, hoping to catch him as he fell through the air. As the vigilante hurtled through the warehouse he could not help but stare at that other Matoran as she fell. Failure, a real hero could save both of them from the fall. Toa Stannis could have with ease, same as any of the Maru. He would be lucky if he could help one. Please Mata-Nui, have someone save this other victim, as I cannot. OOC: @ARROW404 @Snelly @Rahisaurus @~Xemnas~@Lady Takanuva @Tarn @BULiK @Umbraline Yumiwa @Mel

IC Kanohi - Ga-Wahi - Ga-Koro Kanohi tensed up as he spotted the beast approach. Spiny Stone Apes towered over even Toa, and while the parasite that infested the Gukko had seemed uncoordinated in that Rahi and failed to fly, this parasite seemed to have more control. It puppeted the ape in halting lurches, but it did not flop, and the floor quaked at its fists. The vigilante swallowed, seeing those familiar flowers. The Gukko’s parasite used those flowers to search for light sources, it had been drawn to heartlights and fire. And it had burnt itself to ash trying to reach fire. Kanohi shifted towards Hakari, and tapped her thigh. Then cautiously and without facing her directly, he offered her his lighter once again. He did not know if this parasite would be as weak to fire, nor did know if it would be as simplistic as to not recognize it was burning itself. It might be smarter than the first, and that might be why it puppeted the ape so well. Still, no one here wielded the element of Fire, his lighter was one of the few weapons they had, especially given how fast the first plant regenerated. And Hakari knew how to use his lighter against such an infestation. He trusted her to succeed and return the lighter too. As for the vigilante himself, he now saw his many targets. The plants were spreading and trapping the group here, they might be able ensnare the Matoran or even the taller people if they got close. And the Spiny Stone Ape was certainly another threat too. And that voice came from somewhere, though he could not tell where. He needed to be ready to rescue anyone who got too close to the plants, or got in reach of the ape. It was a lot to focus on, hopefully he could manage. OOC: @ARROW404 @Snelly @Rahisaurus @~Xemnas~@Lady Takanuva @Tarn @BULiK @Umbraline Yumiwa @Mel

IC Kanohi - Ga-Wahi - Ga-Koro That was the cactus? Such a small thing, this was the miracle the botanist plucked from Aurax’s corpse. Obviously his visions were not always the most literal, but still, it did not resemble Aurax at all, it looked simply like an inert plant. Kanohi was not a fighter by trade, call it cowardice or prioritizing life over death, but he knew that if fighting started, he would fill a support role. If he could focus, he would be grappling around to rescue people in the fight, or shuttling them around the battlefield to wherever they needed going. He stumbled slightly. Focusing would be the problem, he was still a bit disoriented from Hakari shunting him and Lapu to Ga-Koro, the sheer speed of a Kakana was astounding. How was Hakari able to withstand the sheer turbulence of running that fast, let alone having the reflexes to turn and adjust at that speed? Was the mask giving her a degree of agility and durability too? Lesterins were certainly powerful to able to harness the powers of masks. On their own this green Lesterin would be a great threat to the Matoran, but thankfully they had their own Lesterin, not to mention Toa were even stronger than that. And the Maru far stronger. Self-depreciating aside, with the sheer number of folks present, they should be able to defeat the mad botanist quickly. Still, Kanohi recalled his parasitic plant, he could not help but suspect there would still be dangers. The vigilante prepped himself to dive at any of the party present, to grapple them to safety if something went astray. OOC: @ARROW404 @Snelly @Rahisaurus @~Xemnas~@Lady Takanuva @Tarn @BULiK @Umbraline Yumiwa @Mel

IC Kanohi - Ga-Wahi - Ga-Koro Kanohi nodded at the strange Matoran. He was dressed in crystalline armor, his chassis blue and gold. It was an odd combo, one would expect a Matoran of Stone or Crystal to don crystalline clothes. But much the same could be said for Kanohi, a Matoran of Iron dressed in hand-carved wooden masks, who had spent much of his recent life grappling across the jungles protecting travelers. The cross-wired vigilante scribbled another series of circles, before showing it to the whole group. “That sounds like I good idea. I am not sure where to track down the Lesterin, all we know is he is green, male, and dresses in a cloak. The latter might mean he wishes to hide his identity.” Kanohi winced, that hit a bit close to home. He continued, “I am not sure of his element either, though Jungle is possible given his work.” Kanohi paused and wrote down, “according to the merchant, the Lesterin claimed he was a trader from Seprilli. We wondered if he was trying to provoke strife between Le-Koro and Seprilli, by causing Mata-Nui to believe the parasite was a terrorist attack. The plant had tried to spread to the merchant, if it had gotten a foothold in Le-Wahi…” He then turned to Hakari and wrote, “Hakari, about when did your memories of Seprilli return? If our foe’s memory returned at around the same time, and if his plan with the merchant was to cause tension between islands, maybe he came up with the plan when his memories returned. And then maybe his mannerisms changed then too. If we look for a green male Lesterin who suddenly began acting different, maybe we could have a lead?” Then he added, “but do any of you have any other ideas for tracking this individual down? Maybe by looking into the rarer plant trade?” OOC: @ARROW404 @Snelly @Rahisaurus @~Xemnas~@Lady Takanuva @Tarn @BULiK @Umbraline Yumiwa @Mel

IC Kanohi - Ga-Wahi - Ga-Koro The cross-wired vigilante’s words seemed unnoticed by Lekua and Nichou, and maybe that was for the best. Kanohi did not know how much the general population remembered Stannis’s Companions, his recollection and endorsementof the earlier group might have been suspicious. Made them figure out who he was. Or rather, who he used to be. A Ga-Matoran and Hakari both spoke up with concern, and beneath his masks Kanohi blushed. He scribbled down with his left hand, “I am a bit stressed, but I can manage. I have to. Stopping the Lesterin is more important than any unease I feel.” Then a strange blue and gold Matoran spoke, Kanohi felt his heartlight pound again, “I wrote something down, before showing it to Eita, “Hakari here is a Lesterin, they are tall beings with the passive elemental abilities of Matoran, and the ability to use masks of a Toa. They hail from a distant land, recently Hakari’s memories have started to return of that land, she remembers it was once known as Seprilli.” He wrote more, “The Lesterin we seek is a botanist, who also seems to remember some things of Seprilli, based off what the merchant said. He has some mastery of plants, he was able to turn a flower into a parasite that could puppet a Gukko as a marionette. Maybe he would also be seeking this miracle cactus, since it’s a rare plant. I feel like the merchant had mentioned he had said to her that he was after a miracle too, though I forget her wording, it’s been a few days.” That last part was from his most recent vision, not what the merchant said, but hopefully Hakari would not question it. More importantly, it now hit him that Lekua and Nichou were here along with Kanohi. And his vision was of something being ripped out of Aurax’s corpse. Was this a coincidence? Or were some of the former members of the Companions being driven back together after what felt like decades? Was this Destiny? N-no, it couldn’t be. Kanohi was too unimportant for Destiny to take notice of, and this was Dece’s past and that name mattered far less. Still, he knew enough about interpreting fate with his visions to take notice. OOC: @ARROW404 @Snelly @Rahisaurus @~Xemnas~@Lady Takanuva @Tarn @BULiK @Umbraline Yumiwa @Mel