Nato G

Okay, so we now have two different fancy masks that seem to be important. Assuming they haven't redesigned the Masks of Life, Time or Light (I hope they haven't) I think at least one of them will be the mask of creation (it can change shape, can't it?) As for the other, it might be some new mask, perhaps something the GB's made and hid away because it was too powerful? That would be pretty awesome.

I get the impression that things will be getting rather... explodey. My favourite way for things to be.

A person's perception of what constitutes the "wrong hands" is entirely dependent on who they're playing as. Since one of my characters is pretty devoted to team evil, I think the Legacy's hands are the "right hands" and that if the people of Ko-Koro are incapable of defending their city, then they don't deserve to have it. That said... if they do defend their city, then I still think the Legacy deserves to have it. If the Ko-Koroans fight back, then the city is worth something, which is all the more reason for us to take it. Either way, I vote team evil. Like I said, it's a matter of perception.

Yeah, but I'm gonna be gone a month. With so many people playing as bad guys, I just can't see Ko-Koro lasting that long. The odds are seriously stacked against them. You know, unless reinforcements actually do arrive, in which case this may take longer. If the battle is still ongoing when I return properly to the forum, I shall endeavor to take part, and ensure a Legacy Victory. This will be an interesting battle, and I think I'm going to have a lot of catching up to do when I get home.

Let's make the best of the image while it's still here to be discussed. Even though Lego likely didn't want us seeing it, it technically isn't barred by our leaks policy, so I'm all cool with it. And the mask itself does look awesome. Besides, it's made its way into a few dozen avatars already, and it shall soon be circulating all throughout the interweb. It's too late for Lego to stop it. The cat is out of the bag, and the rumours are confirmed. We win, the naysayers lose. YAY!!!

It's starting to sound like this battle will be over rather quickly... and with my limited internet over here and no characters in Ko-Koro leaving me no way of maintaining a consistent interaction, there's no way I can take part. Curses! Farewell Ko-Koro...

Man... our first ever battle for a major location and I'm not going to be around to enjoy it... not that I had any characters in Ko-Koro to begin with anyway, but... meh. Can't wait to see how it turns out...

OOC: Using the airport's free wifi. Sorry if my prose kind of sucks, I'm utterly jet-lagged. IC: Lash. "I've heard some interesting things about your vault." Lash tentatively stood. "I hear there is a vast repository of a material known as Antidermis, which has particularly piqued my interest. As a Vortixx, I have no use for masks, and I've seen enough fancy technology to last me a lifetime, but this Antidermis is something I've never heard of before. I'm curious to see what it can do. If, when you return to the vault, you would show me the way in, so that I may see this antidermis for myself and negotiate with whoever may be willing to give it me, I would be most... grateful." She kept her eyes down while she spoke, not daring to meet Hakann's hellish gaze, maintaining a tone or reverence with a slight undertone of respectful fear. Hopefully that would be enough to convince the crazy skakdi to let her into the vault.

How exactly can I try to avoid setting off the emotional time bomb?

I'm not finding that even remotely reassuring... In fact, I think that makes me feel even worse. Thanks.

So much guilt... I didn't intend Natharius to be a lying prankster when I started writing him. Grokk has truly corrupted me. And now I've gone and exacerbated the situation by dragging another person into it. This isn't going to end well, I can already tell...

IC: Lash. Lash let out a slightly-too-audible sigh of relief. All of the tension seemed to drain out of the air as Kavala knelt before Hakann. The three Rahkshi, wraithed in darkness, hovered menacingly behind him, weapons still leveled at his back. Surely the crazy skakdi was happy now? Lash hoped so, because she had nothing left to give. She'd surrendered herself, thrown her life at Hakann's mercy. What happened to her next was up to him. She would agree to help him, for now, but first chance she got, she'd find herself someone less... unstable... to follow. Surely Hakann wasn't the only one of the Piraka still down here. One of them might prove to be more amiable, or at least less likely to kill her simply for the fun of it. She remained crouched, hands still gripping her weapons, eyes downcast once more, waiting for Hakann's next words. OOC: And THAT is why I want my own enslaved Rahkshi. So much fun.

I have no idea what anybody is talking about... this is what I get for not paying any attention to the Kentoku Archipelago topic.

OOC: Thanks for clarifying about Hakann. It makes so much more sense now that you've explained it. Cheers. IC: Lash. Lash became even more tense, if that was even possible. The silence was almost deafening. She couldn't stand it anymore. She raised her head to glare at Kavala, who was still standing, steadfast and defiant. Was he crazy, or stupid, or both? If he didn't back down right now, someone might get their heart ripped out after all. All of the anger that had moments before been directed at Lonefeld was now focused on Kavala. But that anger vanished when she turned her gaze back towards Hakann, his blood-red face coldly impassive, as always. Somehow, that made him all the more terrifying.

Okay, so, just a heads up to everyone I'm currently interacting with. Tonight I'm leaving on a month-long holiday to Italy, and I'm not certain how often I'll have internet access during this time. I'll post when I can, but if I'm not around, feel free to sort of shunt me along with the story, and I'll rejoin when I can. So, yeah, I apologise in advance to those currently with Natharius and Lash. I'll try to be around when I can. I've recently thrown two new characters into Ta-Koro and Onu-Koro, namely Zaara and Reson, so don't bother starting any interactions with them, as I won't be around to respond to them. So again, sorry. I'll be online when I can to follow-up on whatever it was we were last doing.

IC: Reson Ance. Reson woke up the same way he did every day: drunk. Very drunk. He couldn't remember how long he'd been on the island of Mata Nui. A year, a century, who knew? He drank himself into a stupor one week, tried going sober the next week, then drank away all the memories of the sober week the next drunk week. And so the cycle continued. Today, he had one ###### of a hangover, so he decided it was time to start another sober week. He sat up, looking around. He was in an upstairs room in one of the local inns. He didn't know how long he'd rented the room for, or whose money he'd stolen to pay for it, so he decided to get out and move on to a different part of town before he was recognised. As he stumbled down the stairs, he felt a sick feeling growing in the pit of his stomach. Not the kind of sick feeling that signaled that he would be throwing up soon, but the kind of sick feeling that told him something was very wrong. There was a storm coming, which was impossible since he was underground. He shook his head violently, throwing himself off balance and tumbling down the rest of the stairs. His brain was addled, and none of his thoughts were making any sense, so he decided to ignore them. But the feeling of unease didn't go away, and Reson began to suspect that this was going to be a bad week to be sober... OOC: Please don't waste your time interacting with Reson right now, as I'm going to be offline for a while, and thus won't be around to respond to any interactions. Sorry. I just felt obliged to add him in before I disappeared.

IC: Zaara "What in the name of Mata Nui happened here?" Zaara wondered out loud as she wandered the ruined streets of the fortress city she now knew to be Ta-Koro. In the back of her mind, she wondered how she could remember the name of the Great Spirit, but practically nothing else about her own past. One of the many perks of being a Toa, it seemed: not being able to remember diddlysquat except for the name of the guy who'd presumably taken her memories. And a few things about herself, of course. She was Zaara, a Toa of plasma, with a mastery of throwing knives and adequate skill with the bow. Not that she really needed much skill with any weapon, since her reshaped Kanohi Sanok did all of the hard work for her. But still... what the heck had happened here? It looked like a crowd of rioting psychopaths armed with explosives had rampaged through the city (which wasn't that far from the truth). She stopped in front of a deep, exploded crater that she was sure had been some kind of important building, judging by the number of Matoran and guardsmen still loitering around it. "Who did this...?" she breathed, taking in the admittedly awe-inspiring slew of damage radiating outwards from the building's shell. "Wow..." At that moment, she had only one goal in mind. Find out whoever had done this, and make them pay. OOC: I'm likely going to be offline for a while, so don't bother interacting with Zaara, as I won't be around to respond. Sorry about that. Just wanted to add her into the story before I left.

IC: Lash Once again, silence fell in the dank, near-unlit tunnel. Lash gently pulled back one of her hands and picked out the red light-stone out of her belt pouch, placing it the dirt before her, to help illuminate her surroundings a little better. Hakann seemed not to notice, or perhaps he didn't care. In the blood-red light, his crimson skin appeared even more nightmarish, and his eyes burned like indiscriminate coals. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking, but Lash had a few ideas, solely based on how she would react if their roles were reversed. Perhaps he was musing over Lonefeld's cryptic suggestion, or maybe he was focusing on Kavala, who remained silent, still standing. Defiant. Lash stayed kneeling, but she was tensed, ready to spring at moment's provocation. There was a feeling in the air, like anticipation, but not the good kind; she could feel it, everyone could. Whatever happened next would decide all of their fates. So she waited, with bated breath, to find out what that happening would be...

That awkward moment when you completely misinterpret something someone's said IC...

OOC: Why Norik? Just... why? Thanks for clarifying... about the stuff... IC: Lash. For a few seconds after Lunefeld knelt, there was silence, all eyes turning towards the fourth being, who was still standing. Then Lunefeld spoke up once more: "If I may, you wish to see devotion. Anyone can kneel before you. Surely that is far from a stringent test of loyalty. Ask of us something that only the most determined would do." Lash bit back a flurry of angry insults. What was this guy's problem? If Hakann made the four of them fight again, she was going to make sure Lunefeld died first, and she had a feeling that some of the others might help her with that. But Lash still didn't say anything. She was quickly learning that with Hakann, speaking your mind was a bad decision. Maybe a lesson that Lunefeld would soon learn? She hoped so.

OOC: Did Hakann devour a dictionary? I had to double-check a thesaurus to make sure I interpreted his instructions correctly. IC: Lash Lash was very good at suppressing her emotions, so she swallowed her pride and did as Hakann bid. Following Aurum's example, she went down on one knee and bowed her head, removing her weapons from their holsters and laying them down before her. She kept hr hands splayed over them, ready to strike out if things went awry. If that happened, though, she had a feeling the skakdi wouldn't give her a chance to defend herself. She didn't say any words, though. A silent act of submission felt more realistic to her. There was no need for flowery promises or displays of faith. She wasn't a Makuta worshipper. She was a mercenary. Besides, the only words that came to her mind were "are you happy now?" which didn't seem a good choice. Antagonising Hakann further wouldn't be good for her long-term health. She kept her head down as Hakann turned his attention to her, and waited silently for whatever would happen next.

For story and sets, I loved 2007-onward, but I voted 2008, simply for the brilliant plot twist.

Whatever he was, he isn't it now. His mutations were reversed by the Ignika same as all of the other Barraki. The mystery shall remain forever unsolved...

IC: Lash. "Followers? You come for weapons and plunder. The acolyte does not determine their loyalty." Okay, so the crazy killer skakdi may have had a point there, Lash was forced to admit. She knew she was awful at predicting how other beings thought, and Hakann's response to her rather innocent remark just confirmed it. "Prove your consecration. I will not bequeath power until devotion is clear." "You know what, we could spend the next month down here guessing and making pointless suggestions, but how about we just cut to the chase." Lash cut in. She was growing tired of his mind games. "Instead of all of us making empty offers as proof of "consecration", how about you just tell us what you want? What will it take for all of us to convince you that we'll devote ourselves to your cause?"