They

OH JEEZ. YOU"RE RIGHT. KARZ DRAE WHY YOU BE A PYRO?!

IC: Ropurungui "Indeed, Brother without name. I welcome your sword in this battle." To my shield side comes a man of arms and I am grateful for his appearance. To fight alone against the darkness is the way of the Drifter, but to fight together is the path of the Guard. For I am both Drifter and Guard, and I am but the host of such power as could banish the evil as seen below to-day in the image of an overgrown shrubbery. No, a toa of plantlife, for she talked and moved her wicked body as if to command her slave. She calls me meat. In truth she is correct: I am the flesh of the people, the martyr who still lives. I would gladly give my meat for their freedom. And as the snow settles in the wake of their destruction I am ready. "My brother in arms is right," I announce as my descent down the stairs begins, only one step for now. The icy ascension to the citadel is slippery, and caution of the utmost importance. To use my powers of gravity only to root myself would be folly in such conditions. I continue. "None shall need bow to those who would use fear as their weapon! I call you out as honorable combatants and you reply with disrespect. Speak your names and take to heart the light once more. Only then will I kneel to help you up, but as a friend. No? You do not give up your vile ways? Or if not at then remember the name of the man who will end you. Then it is to arms and strength we must turn. Let us see who's god is greater, shall we? I have the light on my side, and when the light is brightest the shadows hide."

Bring it on, you overgrown shrubbery. Oh yeah, good to know that photothermic powder we spent MONTHS collecting will actually... pay off.

Someone want to have a smack down with hammer man at the Citadel?

OOC: We need more good guys.*pops knuckles* IC: The Man, the Citadel Some consider me to be a harbinger of justice, others a man of the law with a way of getting those who would test its boundaries. Craven beware, for I carry with me the badge of the Sanctum Guard, and with it all the privileges it bestows. In my fist is the power of gravity, and in my heart is the power of order. My family has for generations protected the harsh and inhospitable snow-lands of Ko-Wahi. Snowshoe Lord we have been called, and it is no surprise for our lives are spent running into combat against the foul things that linger in the cold places of the world. Would it be any surprise then if my ancestral hammer, Kraknash, is in my hand and the shield of the guard strapped in place? Of course it is not, for I am Drifter, and when those who threaten the peace reveal themselves it is my duty to put them to rest. Yes, rest. An eternity in Artahka, for I am a crusader of Mata Nui who forsook the path of the Toa Creed, taking upon me the sins and after life of Karhzani in hopes of sparing the few I protect of such a torturous fate. I am a martyr already, for my life and body mean nothing. This power I wield is in the name of Mata Nui, He Who Sleeps. And who are those I shall put to rest to-day? The sinners and usurpers stand at the foot of the stairs to the great citadel of this city. It is their place to look up forever at the higher beauty and virtue of the light, and I stand in the light of the doorway ready to challenge any who might desecrate these hallowed steps. The clang of hammer on shield renting the sounds of abhorrent chaos. It is a pure sound, ringing about the press of other vulgar. My voice is a mighty bellow; "I AM ROPURUNGUI, SNOWSHOE LORD OF THE DRIFTS, SON OF KOTRO VINT'RASQUE AND HARBINGER OF YOUR DIVINE JUSTICE. WHO DARES VIOLATE THE SACRED CITADEL DEDICATED TO MATA NUI? STEP FORTH AND ACCEPT MY CHALLENGE!"

Ooh, it'll be good to see the Brotherhood back in action. Also, as awesome as that post was, didn't Ko-Koro still have gates or did I miss the post where they were torn down?

Or you can have a different attitude. Most large scale fights take a rather long time, and Pala-Koro took several days if I remember right, of PC on PC conflict. Was it even more than a week? In any case, interaction has gone down considerably since the Book One arc (2012 Arc), and I wouldn't be surprised if this takes far longer than Pala-Koro. It is a canon location, after all.

IC: Ishi Polzin, Mangaia (stairs to Abettor's Lair) "If you plan on visiting the Abettor as you are I recommend a better plan: don't." Ishi's voice was surprisingly calm. "Things have changed for the darker since last rumors exited into the light of day. If you value your god more than your life, go back to civilization, pick up a kohlii stick, and try to get a division for toa started. With luck you might be a champion again and could finally settle down for good, not some short respite in The Massif but a real proper retirement after being a paragon of the virtues in the ring. Otherwise you're only asking to get ground into meal, literally. I know a guy who'd be happy to do it." He shook his head slowly. Whatever Joske was planning, coming alone into Mangaia at the moment was suicide. A part of Ishi liked the thought of him being defeated in his Master's home, and if he'd been assured in his success he might have moved to strike with his own blade. The more neutral part wanted Joske to live long enough to see Ko-Koro in ruins. Angering the hero would only feed fuel to the fire of chaos. Besides, a Joske alive meant more knowledge to learn than a corpse ripped to pieces by Hakann. Ishi'd heard a few things. Ishi stood up and deftly slipped the loop of the drawstring bag across his shoulder. Instead of moving to one side, however, he positioned himself in the middle, left hand held out from his side at chest height with the palm facing Joske, as if to say stop. Instead, what more than likely caught the toa's attention was the scar in the shape of an 'X' on the palm. "Sorry firespitter but I can't let you pass. We stand, Joske, in the middle of a great conflict between light and darkness. Of course you've taken your side of the argument and I've injected mine, but that doesn't mean we can't be civil about this. Turaga Onewa treated me fair enough despite my allegiances. I don't see why I can't return the favor, if only once..." He trailed off for a moment, knowing full well if Joske wanted to he'd easily push past and knock Ishi to the floor. It wasn't too far away, but the impact would still hurt and the thought of falling twice in one week wasn't pleasant. "Besides, I'm curious about you... there're all the rumors about the legendary Joske Nimil. That he defeated Echelon with a hammer of light -- who I can assure you is alive and well so obviously you did a poor job of it -- and paved the way for the Maru to defeat Makuta. That he traveled in the company of criminals, murderers, and cops. That he stormed a holding of evil and then... disappeared. Where have you been, I wonder, while the world has slipped into our hands?"

IC: Ishi Polzin, Mangaia (on the stairs to the Abettor's lair) In the mixing light sources they summed each other up. Joske with his elegant blue flamberge and Ishi with his little yellow lightstone. Joske seemed weather-worn, as if after completing some monumental task he was suddenly informed of another even more pressing trial. It was the same stress Ishi saw in Ambages eyes or when he looked in a mirror, and yet even reading it proved difficult in the present case due to the light pouring from Joske's eyes, as if the warrior's very soul was shining through. Ishi found it hard to look at them and shifted his gaze to the rest of the toa. Something in him felt violated by their brightness. Joske Nimil was an athlete in his prime. His armor complimented the fact, favoring small interlocking components instead of bulkier plates, and the red of his sub-species was decorated in gold and silver trim. Even the kakama was gold. Ishi couldn't help but wonder if Joske could remotely hide in a crowd. Then again, he wasn't exactly one to talk. "In that case it's a pleasure to meet you, Joske. You don't mind first name basis do you? I'd shake your hand but," Ishi paused to stare at his hands before giving a sheepish smile, "That's not really an option, is it?" There was a momentary lull as the gravity of the situation sank in for Ishi. Here he was sitting on the stairs between Joske Nimil and the Abettor, let alone the rest of the nasties lingering in Mangaia. Most left earlier for Echelon's grand plan to take Ko-Koro, the mass of warriors moving through the Dark Walk as loudly as they dared without arousing the suspicion of feral rahkshi. Ishi stayed behind for his own reasons, but planned to catch up in time for the real festivities. He had a few plans of his own, after all. If Joske was here, then... things had suddenly become quite deadly. Of course, the reason for why wasn't yet set in stone. "You here for Mr. We Do Not Eat upstairs?" Ishi asked, jabbing a palm in the direction of where the Abettor waited. "Word of warning: don't call them out on family issues or their dietary plan. I got thrown out the hole. They're a really sensitive sextet come to find out." He stopped for a second, realizing he'd forgotten something important. "Oh, and in case you're wondering who'd be insane enough to read a book in Mangaia, feel free to call me Ahkmou."

EDIT: My original tone was really nasty. My apologies, since I realized it after posting. Let's wait and see who mounts a defense! It'll be fun to have more players given a chance to jump in. :3

OOC: Hey Friar Tuck. Mind if Ahkmou and Takua say hi? IC: Ishi Polzin, Mangaia and The Vault (a day before the Ko-Koro Assault, with permission of Ghosthands) Joske's flickering light illuminated the figure of a matoran idly resting on the curved stairwell, his legs crossed and spread across the length of a step. He was deep in the pages of a small, black leather-bound notebook; a little lightstone held by a string around his head illuminated the pages with a soft yellow glow. As the approaching footsteps echoed through Mangaia Ishi looked up from Ahkmou's diary and took note of the approaching toa. The days traveling with Echelon, meeting the Piraka, and listening to the ravings of his dark companions had brought a wariness to the informant's gaze, and with a quick perception he deduced what he could. A toa of fire wearing a kakama climbing the stairs meant either an ill intending criminal or a naive adventurer come to visit the Abettor, a creature now bent to the will of Zaktan. Beyond the kakama were the blue eyes and strong physique of an athlete, and then the colors of the armor. The most striking and helpful detail was the sword, a pale flamberge of crystal glowing with its own luminescence. A toa of fire had carried such a weapon into Po-Koro once, and stayed in the Massif for longer. Ishi closed his mismatched eyes to think for a moment, rooting through the information in his mind palace stored from whispers, letters, and spies. "You must be... Nimil." Ishi said opening them again even as he closed his journal with a thud. It was then apparent his fingers were missing, hands nothing more than flippers, and yet the hilt of a knife peeked out from below his right armpit. The Hapaka gave gave a low nod as if to approve of his own statement, the white tip of his kanohi kaukau bobbing comedically in the near dark. "Nimil as in Joske... Joske Nimil. Yes?"

I am laughing so hard about the little birds... Okay, so evil people: what's the plan for busting through the gate? Are Ak'rei'an followers gonna take point, or is it just everyone for themselves?

Oh, so you mean Ambages? He does happen to be the richest man in Mata-Nui.

IC: Krios My smile, I remember, was a thin one. Of course, the skakdi would invariably connect our unequal ratios of alcohol intoxication to some grander scheme, for it was a common tactic used by the swill of society to extort services from those with less of a tolerance for drinking. Tivanu, as he had named himself during our rather obnoxiously drawl conversation, had been drowning himself in spiced wine to my expense. However, I felt such cost was more than worth the profit of his lava hawk on the black market. "I've been told friends select someone to stay sober when they drink in groups." I tapped my fingers on the rim of my cup; the ceramic gave a dull ring in response. "That's what responsible people do. Now, Tivanu, you seem rather up in your cup. What do you say to a little stroll, something to freshen your eyes and ears. I know the perfect cabaret in this town with food far above this place's... accommodations." OOC: So, Vox, what'd'ya say to Tivanu getting mugged drunk in a back alley?

So, been browsing the profile topic for tech... The majority seem to be guns or zamor launchers with varying effect. Have to say, Jin's electrical shock devices are pretty nifty... Would anyone be interested in a list of all the foreign tech so far created?

West was a typo. The direction should have been East, according to information I got from Nuju and other staff. kentoku is to the EAST of MN.

Gosh that quote chain was gorgeous. Hey, so... Anyone want to be in a riot/ambush in Kentoku?

OMG is the dead matoran the dasaka just discovered in fact the matoran killed by the piraka earlier this arc and has been floating out at sea this whole time???

OOC: KNI, glad to see you join the fight! However, I was under the opinion the naginata and spear fighting was not up in the building where Higashi was but down in the street below. If I'm incorrect please let me know. Also, Ghosthands, earlier when the wounded menti pointed out Kamari to Tani how did she see the Hogo? I had written Kamari was under the disguise of her huna, but perhaps the blood had given away her location? As such, are Hunas deactivated once a PC goes to attack or do they stay invisible throughout the time if they're concentrating? IC: Kamari of clan Hogo, Coliseum district Ambush Kamari stood with her wounded leg, the left, forming the back of her stance. Her falcata was in a bind on the same side, grinding against Tani's weapon. As such, Kamari's right arm was extended across her body in an arc, having been turned from a low guard to a high from Tani's parry made slash. Tani pulled her power hand away from her hilt to backhand Kamari. The Hogo guardswoman pressed the advantage and stepped into the strike, letting the fingers smash into the crystal gorget around her neck instead of hitting her face proper. Tani was now at a disadvantage, despite the minute ringing in Kamari's audio-receptors. Her left had was in the open, away from her hilt and so all her training in the menti yards became null and void, the sword being a two handed weapon where direction came from the right and power from the left. There were few things for the rebel to do, save jump back, when Kamari thrust her elbow forward toward Tani's chin, the act pushing both swords wide of the menti. Kamari was far too close for comfort and the instant she could she'd slink away to regroup with one of her Hogo clansisters. OOC: Technical descriptions are technical. I hope it isn't too boggy.

I'm sure somewhere out of the 706 characters there is bound to be one that can be brought out of inactivity. XD I've decided to stop calling this a text-based RPG. It's now a TBMMORPG. EDIT: Btw Lorax, do you happen to have a list of what kind of foreign tech players used?

Tuck here just illuminated why I got into the BZPRPG. Actually, Friar Tuck was responsible for me even returning to BZPower in general exclusively for for rpg. I hear him on a podcast episode for the forums, and the way he talked about being able to tell stories with each other was so enthralling I just had to give it a try. Here I am, four years later, still playing because every time things got dark and player politics got messy, or people started calling out that there was nothing to do, I'd remember his words and sometimes even quote him in this topic, and suddenly things would improve. I think his words, despite having been GM for several long years, ring true in a universal sense for this kind of play. Thanks Tuck!

Hey, just wanted to say I'm really enjoying the start of your story. Setting it just as the GSRs started nuking each other with planets was an interesting choice, and although I've only read the first chapter so far I look forward to getting caught up. Keep up the writing! Also, welcome to the BZPRPG. I saw you'd joined and seem to be getting interaction from the infamous Grokk, so you're in good hands there.

IC: Krios "What happened to my dikapi?" I repeated, as if the thought had yet to cross my mind. In truth, such rumination hadn't, but a smile and a laugh can often make the truth seem so much less sincere. "I left him in Onu-Koro, along with a friend to keep him company." OOC: I'm terribly sorry but at the moment my mind is stagnant for this character. Vox, do you have a way you'd like to proceed?

As for how to get players into participating in a plot, all I can say is something that cropped up in my meeting with a few friends this evening. We were talking about writing, more specifically what makes us as writers want to develop our craft. What I mentioned, and also seemed to resonate with others at the table, was how I found myself feeling best about my writing and truly wanting to hone my craft when I was pursuing something of my own volition, not having it shoved down my throat. As you can see I fit perfectly into public education based on that statement. Anyways... (Kughii Commentary, please understand this is simply my POV and not meant as a personal assault on any players beliefs or feelings.) For bringing a character into a plot there needs to be a couple of things in my mind; the first and foremost being recognition that this is a game and played for fun (supposedly). If players aren't having fun, aren't getting the joy of "bouncing off each other," as Veef put it so eloquently a few days ago to me, then the interaction is invariably going to fall to pieces and players will drift off to the next thing that catches their eyes. Keeping in mind the player needs to actually want to participate, and that they want to have fun while participating, seems to be the key. The story, adventures, rewards, and memories are all secondary to those main facts. They have their place, and are very important (who wants to go through a near death experience to have their character rewarded with nothing but a pat on the back), but the focus needs to stay on the game and the players' interaction with those stories as a game. If the story doesn't appeal to what the player considers fun or exciting then, well, the story is never going to really get rolling. Take, for example, the beginning of the 2013 Arc (or as I've started calling it, Book 2 Chapter 1). The story of the six akiri leading their villages into mass civil warfare is a compelling and intriguing idea on the surface. The mechanic of giving six chosen players complete control of an entire region/faction and resource rich locale was, again, a really cool idea. However, the large majority of players seem to prefer, as a trend I've noticed, more open and explosive conflict than the shadowy cold war type espionage and sabotage that happened during the beginnings of Chapter 1. As for myself I was a pig in mud, since I love riddles and games with puzzles. However, the reason I was enjoying the Chapter 1 arc so much when others seemed to be wallowing in disappointment was because I was having fun and seeking plot involvement actively. Many wanted those upfront chaotic and straight up aggressive conflicts where swords clashed and powers filled the field with landmines of mana just waiting to trip PCs up and just simply were not getting them in a staff organized format, which in Book 2 seemed to be the only way players felt capable of having serious interactions. We, and I say we because I too felt similarly, wanted large and powerful villains like Heuani to throw our PCs against and eventually, after several grueling encounters, defeat in combat. Unfortunately, things stayed in the cold war stage and those villains, which should have been entire nations, never came into full being.* So, what happened? Players got bored. Players got mad. Some players seemed to feel that a split between "veterans" and newcomers had occurred, and all the power shipped off to the veterans. (I won't speak on that subject, since it's been covered by several other wonderfully written commentaries by other players in the past.) Once we as a whole lost interest in the plot, lost the sense of fun we were relying on it to provide, Chapter 1 fell to pieces. Players drifted off, did their own things, and felt unheard until Chapter 2 rolled around and presented something new, fresh, and potentially fun (along with a promise of more conflict either between clans or races). A final issue I want to stress in my belief of the subject, and again this is entirely subjective and no more than a commentary to what I have seen in this community and in my experience playing games with many, many people: players are responsible for their interaction and integration with plots. This goes back to my discussion this evening with those friends about what makes us tick and itch to be better as writers. Getting criticism or mass critique without actually asking for any can be a real downer, and so can gratuitous and false praise. What we found made us tick was when we actually wanted to pursue the craft, wanted to feel the pen coursing along page after page and slowly, surely, getting better. We enjoyed critique the most when we were ready to seek it out. In this way, rather than waiting around for somehow to hit them with a cold bucket of interaction in a form they despise, players of a game need to seek out the interaction they desire, create the conflict and tension that brings about the resolution of their fantasy, For that is all this game is: a beautiful fantasy. ------ *Having Ishi diffuse and mislead a goodly portion of the tension during the Monorail Bombing was probably a horrible decision on my part. There was a ton of potential upfront conflict that didn't happen (and this community seems to enjoy conflict), and instead everything went very much behind the scenes, causing plenty of player vs. player trust issues and "he said she said" behaviors. For my part in that occurrence, however small or large it truly was, I apologize.

I know staff would be great at answering this, but I just wanted to chip in how I've always used a sanok, not that it's the right way mind you. I think of a sanok as a +2 accuracy item, if you're familiar with that sort of thing. Basically it's an accuracy buff in my mind. At an immobile target the sanok user is going to hit 100% of the time if within range, but if the target is moving although the user may have an advantage to accuracy they still may not hit the desired target. EDIT: Ninja'd by staff. Wow, having more staff really gets things moving quickly...