oncertainty

IC: Aeragot - Bridge of the Chiisai Ryuu Yeah, ok. No surprise, but Lieutenant Ageru Tazera took this kind of thing very seriously. Can't quite get over military protocol to give a thank you. No matter. He'd take the acknowledgment that he came in good faith, and pack things up. As was becoming a running theme today, Aeragot was going to cut his losses. In another running theme, Aeragot held both hands up, palms out. He gave a slight shrug. "Hard to argue with that, Lieutenant. You got it." He looked to Rudra as well. It was hard to see a guy like that go down; all audacity, no malice. Aeragot wouldn't call Rudra's play wise, and if pressed he probably wouldn't even call it right, but who would he be if he didn't respect it? "Thanks for giving me the benefit of the doubt." He spoke with a netural smile, glancing around the room at large. But, with a pointed look to Rudra, Aeragot added a wordless grimace of apology. Then he turned, and stepped out of the submarine's bridge. He gave a polite nod to the Dasaka guards beyond the door. Of course, he only received steely gazes in response, but Aeragot wasn't going to let a tense situation disturb his conduct. One had to comport oneself in a certain way. He enjoyed a glance into the interior of the submarine, his first look at the rest of it given his Kualsi-aided initial entry. Immediately conscious of his prying eyes, however, the Dasaka sailors ushered him along. Aeragot didn't like only receiving the accelerated exit tour, but in this case he had little ground to argue. If he was being honestly with himself, he didn't have the stamina either. His headache, still growing, made that abundantly clear. Even so, just before he was nudged out the door and back onto the pier, Aeragot gazed deep down the line of the Ryuu's hull. He still had prospector's eyes. He had spent years acclimating them to the surface, but he had lost very little in dim light. Had Aeragot been most anyone else, he wouldn't have caught a hint of movement past a series of low bulkheads, and recognized it as a tiny rodent. The creature raised its nose to the air, and rubbed its tiny front paws together. No way it had come over on the ship; Aeragot had seen its siblings a dozen times before, trawling about in alleys and on docks in the early evening. It was thinking of this image that Aeragot chuckled, standing and steadying himself against a rail on the pier. It didn't matter what he, or the Lieutenant, or anyone else did: Mata Nui got in. Though he didn't feel like he could call that much of a win, something struck him about that rodent in the dark. It was evidence, he supposed; whatever it was that was happening, it was at least going to change them all. OOC: @Ghosthands @Razgriz

IC: Dolbren - The Iron Mahi [the absolute back of the second passenger car] Despite—or perhaps because of—his Po-Koronan youth, Dolbren had very seldom ridden The Iron Mahi. He hadn’t even been back to Po-Wahi in some time. The heat agreed with him, though, and he was used to the desert. He was used to the boredom too. For a moment he thought those two were closely connected: the desert, and the sense of boredom. Upon further reflection, however, it seemed that they could not be. Tundra and desert weren’t so different, but he didn’t feel like this back in Ko. The landscape wasn’t the common denominator. Instead, it must have been that he was returning home. Stepping back into the old familiar boredom, then. Perhaps he knew these desolate vistas, seen now in blurred motion from the Iron Mahi’s window, all too well. This was all to say that Dolbren was tense. He wasn’t worried, but for now he had little to do but think. He had rushed inside the second passenger car; if things were to go smoothly it was awfully important that he be in exactly the right place. But this meant that, as the train filled up with travellers, he was left wedged into the very back of the cramped car. He was close to the door to the cargo section, to be sure, but didn’t much like to crane his neck past his fellow travellers to see out the window. He wanted to move. Could have been worse, he supposed: at one point in the planning he was going to make the first leg of the voyage sealed inside a packing crate. Coming out of his reverie, Dolbren noticed he had been picking at a crack on the edge of the tray table. He smiled bashfully around, but as far as he could tell no one had been watching. Then he gave a quiet sigh, and looked to the door behind him. He could trust his sense of time enough to say that it wouldn’t be long now. What a glorious opportunity this was: kicking a sand snipe nest, and seeing what treasures were hidden within. Not a very elegant mixed metaphor he supposed, but it wasn't like anyone could hear him.

IC: Dolbren - Obsidian Outpost Dolbren leapt up from his seat, coming forward to stand in line with his fellow Ba-Toa. He breathed in quickly and gave a thin smile. He did find all this interesting; the threats, the conspicuous lack of macho posturing. He appreciated how serious everyone was about the whole thing. And yet, Quoribay and the newcomer, Surdo, were right. Better to get paid first. He gave Karmine a jocular nudge, "Careful pal, last time you were polite and good-natured everyone felt the need to build some tension. Gotta keep things at a nice median of simmeringly hostile civility." OOC: @Johnny Blocksville @Tarn @BULiK @Nato G @Perp @~Xemnas~

IC: Aeragot - Bridge of the Chiisai Ryuu Aeragot almost chuckled. The Lieutenant could say whatever she wanted to make her feel like she was the reasonable one here; that weapon had to be lethal, and she was all too happy to use it. And come on, telling Rudra that if you could act under your own laws this would be a capital offense? This wasn't a war. Some people just did not understand the lighter touch. A keen observer could have read this on his face, if he hadn't covered three-quarters of it with his hand. He rubbed his forehead. The gesture wasn't utilitarian: he was starting to feel it in his skull. Despite himself, he felt that this was good news. Seemed like she was losing a little of the belligerence. If it was replaced with thinking he was some kind of fool, well, he would take that. It seemed like they could agree on something at least. Aeragot liked Rudra. It would be hard not to feel a little sympathy, when you understood monomania the way he did. He wasn't a miracle worker though: Rudra being passed over to the Koro's forces might be the best he could do. "Look pal, I meant what I said. I like to think I know something about people. This isn't going to look good for you with either of those options. But hey, your own head be on it. If we can all walk out of here—emphasis on the walk—well, I don't think I can do much better." OOC: @Ghosthands @Razgriz @Vezok's Friend

IC: Aeragot - Bridge of the Chiisai Ryuu Ok. Alright. This wasn’t much to work with, but it was something. Aeragot wasn’t sure what the Lieutenant made of him, but he liked this a lot better than a minute ago. Maybe she wasn’t completely unreasonable. The difference between the two of them was just that, in this case, he was right. "You have to think about how this looks to us. My people, I mean. Your people just show up on our shores, there are a whole lot of you, and you have strange powers, and you’re heavily armed. And look: they're not unreasonable. they’re wary, but for now they’re really just interested. You haven’t done anything to worry them yet, not in a real way.” At least not publicly. He was making a gamble, but he had to assume that she was as in the dark as everyone else, relatively speaking. "But think about how it looks if you drag out one of our people who you just beat to a pulp. What are you going to do, have an execution? It doesn’t matter why you feel justified in that, most people are never going to know what really happened. But they will know that the strangers came and had one of us killed.” He threw an arm back, gesturing through the front window. Despite the impassioned movement, he didn’t let emotion overtly enter his voice. Less risky to stay calm. "People are going to know something is going on; there are probably even journalists out there! ‘Invading force executes Toa’ is going to make even better news than a Koro’s worth of strangers showing up. They’re going to be thinking in terms of sides after that. And—” You can’t plan for this kind of thing, he reflected. Just have to trust that you can make it happen when it matters. "I don’t think you have that luxury. I don’t think your superiors have that luxury. Maybe you can make the Akiri understand. Maybe she’ll agree with you. But this is already bigger than that. I mean, public opinion is what's really going to matter in the long run—” He let a long breath out. For him, the deck of a ship was really not the ideal setting for this kind of thing. OOC: @Ghosthands @Razgriz @Vezok's Friend apologies for the wait all, busy end of semester!

IC: Dolbren - Obsidian Outpost Dolbren shivered in the cold, in spite of himself. He had been in Ko-Wahi long enough, he reasoned, that he should have gotten used to it. Standing in the shallow snow cover in the courtyard of the Obsidian Outpost, the gap between expectation and reality was eminently clear to him. He didn’t know it then, but for the rest of his life he would never feel quite at home in lower temperatures. At that moment, however, he hastened inside. He opened the doors without knocking. He wasn’t sure of the time, but he felt late. He was wrong about that too, as he found out when he leaned into the mess hall and saw only three others inside. He smiled and gave a slight nod to Quoribay. Quoribay, he recognized; that one was something of a known quantity. Minnorak, he knew by reputation and hearsay only. The third figure, the Lesterin, he had no idea. That problem, of course, was easily remedied. He swung out his arms to either side, palms open, closed-mouth smile. “You know, I’m glad I’m not late. I don’t know everyone here, and I’d rather make a good first impression. I’m Dolbren—” Dolbren was unguarded: he said that with an obvious expectation of replies in kind, “—and I’m excited to work with you all. Though I fear you may have the advantage of me; you really weren’t very specific about this plan, Quoribay.” OOC: @BULiK @~Xemnas~ @Nato G

IC: Aeragot - Bridge of the Chiisai Ryuu It couldn’t have been easy, could it have? Aeragot scanned the room. He looked from Lieutenant Ageru Tazera (long name, but saying her rank out loud made things clear enough) to the second Dasaka who had just burst through. She standing in the doorframe and trembling slightly, her hand on her hilt, not making a move yet but obviously poised and waiting for her officer’s order. His gaze then came to rest Rudra, fists wreathed in crackling light and held out in both directions, and Aeragot furrowed his brow. The submarine’s mooring lines had snapped, and this high in the water, well— karz his eyes, he wished he had sea legs. —He needed to focus, a task he could keep up for the time being. Aeragot had dared to hope, for the briefest moment as the door burst open, that Rudra would see his odds were getting slimmer and try to make a break for it. That wasn’t what happened though, was it? Instead, his countryman was basically pontificating. Aeragot agreed that it was strange: a new voice had rolled through the bridge, given them a 5-second lecture, and then dropped out for good. The voice didn’t introduce themselves, but they called the Dasaka foreigners, so they had to be local. Too bad they were so quick to justify retaliative murder; it would have been nice to have someone on the outside trying to calm things down too. As it was, this was rapidly developing into a diplomatic incident. Despite the fact that it was no longer sinking, Aeragot was feeling ever more like he was being forced to go down with the ship. And then, the whole thing had crescendoed into Rudra spouting off about some kind of conspiracy. Brainwashing? Well it wasn’t inconceivable he supposed, but if they could make people do whatever they wanted them to do, why hadn’t they just taken down Rudra that way? They hadn’t been here long, so if they were mesmerizing people it couldn’t take all that much time... It was something to look into. Maybe. For now, try to get this situation dealt with. "Hey look pal, I mean even if you were right—" He nodded back and forth equivocally. "—well, we’re not in a locked room anymore. Don’t you think you should make this less about getting away with it, and more about just getting away?” He watched Rudra carefully. Perhaps if he had powers like the Dasaka, he could be sending him a psychic message. Get out of here, lie low, live to scheme another day. We can all still walk away unscathed. With powers over the earth alone, though, he could only speak aloud. OOC: @Ghosthands @Razgriz

Hey I mean, so far as Aeragot is concerned he's only as morally dubious as the statement "Maybe we shouldn't use lethal force on people who board our submarine without asking," he wants to fight the Makuta just as much as the next Toa And yeah I've already got a character pretty involved in the submarine debacle, this new character would definitely be all aboard with the possibility of a train heist though!

Anything in the morally dubious to evil range happening that could use some extra muscle? I'd like to introduce a semi bad guy character and get him involved in some interesting stuff, without necessarily approaching some other ethically ambiguous characters as if he just has a criminal element detector.

IC: Aeragot - Bridge of the Chiisai Ryuu Aeragot winced when he caught sight of the Vo-Toa’s wound. He eyed the Dasaka and her weapon, now held menacingly forth. Seems like he had to adjust his evaluation of both: no way that thing was non-lethal, and it didn’t seem like that bothered her much. Perhaps his countryman wasn’t the one most likely to ignite the situation after all. The guy definitely didn’t deserve capital punishment for this one, though Aeragot granted that he ought to have expected the Dasaka wouldn’t much like someone trying to pinch their submarine. He gave the officer a placative smile as he too circled around, open hands still held to either side. He stopped between the two others, forming the third point of a rough equilateral triangle, keeping both in view. The bridge wasn’t tiny, but as he felt the familiar weight of the blade slung sheathed across the back of his waist, it was starting to feel a little cramped. Not that he was going to put down the cards and fold yet, but he saw the possibility more clearly now. He looked from one of his fellows to the other, and spoke quietly but with clear projection. "For what it's worth, I’m Aeragot—” he gave a slight nod at his own declaration, “—and I’m thinking we should just wait a moment, and not do anything hasty." OOC: @Razgriz @Ghosthands @Rahisaurus @Vezok's Friend

IC: Aeragot - Bridge of the Chiisai Ryuu Aeragot gave a small smile. Of course he knew what the Vo-Toa was saying. It had been a long time since he had been home, but he wouldn’t disagree with that assessment of Nuparu either: the engineer would accept the submarine gladly, and he probably would build a whole fleet of the things. Probably would have done the same thing even before he was Akiri. And returning to Onu-Koro as some kind of hero? Well of course that was appealing. And yet. And yet Aeragot knew himself. Money wasn’t going to do it for him, and while he wouldn't mind doing right by the people back home, this wasn’t the way he would make it happen. It would probably bother him if he went through with it, anyway. He noticed something as well. He was feeling sicker again, and faster. He knew that ordinary waves, the kind that always made him feel this way when he was on the water, travelled along the surface of the ocean only. The boat had been getting steadier as it went downward, but now he was really starting to feel it. He couldn’t speculate on why it was happening, but it wasn’t much of a leap from there to figure that they were surfacing again. That would probably give the Dasaka a chance to retake control. Ok then. The Vo-Toa hadn’t hurt anyone so far, and Aeragot hoped he was being genuine when he said he didn’t want to. Maybe all three of them on the bridge could get out of this unhurt. This wasn’t him trying to save the others, no; Aeragot didn’t like to feel like he was standing above anyone like that. The way he saw it, they were all three working together on doing that, even if the other two might not know it yet. So let’s keep talking. "You figure you can sail this thing out of here, then? Find one of those undersea caves and get to that place we’re both thinking of? Don't you think you might need some help that actually knows how to use it?” OOC: @Razgriz @Vezok's Friend @Rahisaurus @Ghosthands

IC: Aeragot - Bridge of the Chiisai Ryuu That was really something unexpected. Aeragot prided himself on staying cool under fire. He barely reacted when the enterprising Vo-Toa had fired off a crackling bolt into the great glass window behind him, though a keen observer might have noticed Aeragot’s eyes widening for a moment through the angular eyeholes of his mask. However, Aeragot did tense involuntarily when Commodore Umbraline Ayiwah’s voice came rolling from nowhere throughout the bridge. It was only a moment before his mind started going again. Might have assumed that she was projecting from outside of the locked door, but the voice wasn’t muffled at all. Not to mention, he realized with amusement, the other side of that door was probably completely underwater by now as well. That left a couple of options. Could be a mask he was unfamiliar with; that was possible, but unlikely. Maybe this was another manifestation of the Dasaka’s powers. He certainly was no expert on that matter. In any case, he had no idea whether this link was two-way: best to act as if it was, then. Not that it made much difference in what he was going to say, but it was good to keep in mind. Aeragot looked to the Vo-Toa, holding his hands out to either side, palms open and facing forward. "Look pal, I appreciate the offer. I get the impulse too, though wealth just isn’t my vice." He meant what he said: it was nice for someone to offer to cut him in mid-heist. All the same, he expected the guy would cut him out just as happily, given the chance. On account of this distrust he stayed in a fighting stance, ready to move, even as his body language otherwise signalled deference. "But stealing the most recognizable vessel on the island right now? How are you gonna fence this thing, when the buyer would have to not mind having a whole navy after them? I just want us all to get off the ship alive—" His eyes flicked over to the Dasakan officer for a moment: she was still circling, probably to keep him in sight. No surprise there, he was only now giving her any reason to trust him. "—and I’d rather no one got hurt in doing it." OOC: @Ghosthands @Vezok's Friend @Rahisaurus @Razgriz

OOC: Just going to use BZP time and say this is happening moments before Leah gets over, depending on how fast the Chiisai Ryuu is sinking. IC: Aeragot - Ga-Koro (Pier to Chiisai Ryuu) The submarine was sinking fast, the crew still on deck probably weren't going to want to discuss how much a civilian wanted to get on board, and if Aeragot took the time to ask them he wasn’t going to be able to get in anyway. On the other hand, the great deck window wasn’t yet so far underwater that he couldn’t see clean through. If he wanted to do something, he had to make a call. Aeragot stared into the now-underwater bridge, and focused. He appeared just inside the bridge, back to the front window, without a sound. The floor was angled beneath him, and he held his arms out to either side to steady himself. He scanned the room for what was immediately important: tall, seafoam green Toa on one side, Dasaka in a smart-looking coat with some kind of energy whip—he had heard they could do something like that, but it really was another thing to see it up close—on the other. Didn’t take much to guess who was supposed to be on the bridge, though he supposed it might be rude to assume. Smell of burnt wood and melted protodermis, not exactly a good sign. Even with it mostly submerged, he could feel the back-and-forth motion of the waves working their way through the hull of the submarine, and he winced. He ought to have taken that into account. All the same, he slid one foot outward, assuming a moderately wide stance. No sense in getting knocked down when one didn’t have to. He took a breath: "I don’t mean to interrupt anything, but I’m realizing only now that there might be seriously differing opinions on what I should do to help here.” Too light of an opener? Probably. Not much he could do about it now. OOC: @Ghosthands @Razgriz @Vezok's Friend

I'm thinking of introducing a Lesterin character on Seprilli, is your posse taking applications?

IC: Aeragot - Ga-Koro (Docks) All at once a shudder went through the crowd, Ga-Matoran and Dasakan alike, and a great din of mass movement rose up among them. This, Aeragot could tell, was something. Anyone else could have told this too, but they wouldn’t have been quite so pleased. At that moment Aeragot did not wade into the shifting crowd, for while he exceeded the majority of its members in height the combination of the Dasaka returning to their vessels and the Matoran jockeying for a better view would have made getting to the other side challenging. Instead, he peered over and past them, staring at an open spot at the edge of the huge lily pad platform. Aeragot concentrated for a moment upon that spot, and his eyes unfocused and blurred until, for the briefest moment only, his vision failed. And then, he travelled without moving. At the edge of the platform, Aeragot grinned behind his Kanohi Kualsi. He could see what was going on now, and it was interesting. The submarine, previously surfaced and sitting above the water, now was trimmed by the bow. Observing the vessel for a moment, he noted as well that it was sinking at a not-insignificant rate. It was a good question, and he was going to have to get closer to find out the answer. Again he concentrated on a spot, this time the edge of the pier alongside which the submarine was sinking. Again, a moment later, he was gone. Then Aeragot stood before the submarine. He admired the vessel, it really was beautifully crafted when you got up close. He smiled, in an excited reflex: maybe it was time he got to figure something out. And help some people, of course. OOC: Hope it's all good if I get involved in this one!

IC: Aeragot - Ga-Koro Aeragot was leaning against a railing and keeping to the edge of the crowd, a sea of various shades of blue which shifted and trembled much like the real ocean all around. He reflected that, perhaps, he should not have come here at all. If he was a diplomat, a reporter, maybe he might have been able to get close enough to find out something interesting. But with this crowd? No way he was going to get to talk to somebody who really knew what was going on. Not that it was a complete wash, of course. Whole new civilization showing up on shore? Dragon flying in? Exciting to be sure, but seeing something exciting is just an unanswered question. A poet friend had once told him the whole world could be found in unanswered questions, but Aeragot had yet to be convinced. It would have been easier had he been anyone else, and just taken the ferry from Forsi to Ga-Koro. Would have been a shorter walk across Po-Wahi, at least. As it stood, however, it wasn’t worth the sickness to take the boat. He wouldn’t have minded walking so much either, but then the prevailing wind carried in a little rainstorm just as he passed the border of Ko-Wahi going towards Ga-Koro, and the clouds hung around against the mountain range the whole time. He always found Ga-Koro a little difficult too, when he first arrived. Just the slight motion of the floating bridges and the grown walkways, undetectable to anyone who had been there long, made him a little tense. He could feel the potential for a headache just just hanging around the edges. And yet, when he had heard from a contact that the whole fleet would be arriving, he left immediately. More out of a sense of obligation than anything else. How could anyone take him seriously as a student of history and seeker of knowledge if he didn’t show up to see this. He had seen their submarine surface once, from the cliffs on the edge of Ta-Wahi. And yet, now that he was here, he was standing before a crowd like any other. Countless people in awe, but it’s hard to get any real information from that. OOC: Aeragot open for interaction.

Mata Nui: Name: Aeragot (AIR-uh-got) Species: Onu-Toa Gender: Masculine presentation, he/him pronouns Mask: Kanohi Kualsi, Great Mask of Quick Travel (shaped like a noble Mahiki) Appearance: Aeragot is of average height for a Toa but small and lean of build, not unathletic but clearly unable to match some other Toa in strength. His armour is close-fitting plates of dull, greenish grey, and deep black; it’s light and movable, but it lends little further bulk to his slight frame. His mask is a flare of bright orange, seeming even brighter by standing against the rest of his ensemble. His slightly large and round eyes are a pale seafoam green, in stark contrast with the mask around them. He is quick to smile, and his eyes are always flitting about. He walks quickly, with a steady and even gait, and has a tendency to pace when in thought. Equipment: Aeragot’s primary weapon is a one-handed smallsword, flexible, durable, and primarily intended for parrying. He wears it slung across the back of his waste. The belt on which he has his sheath also has a series of pouches across the front. In one of these pouches Aeragot carries a notebook, which has a carefully constructed and waterproof-sealed metal exterior. Powers and Abilities: Aeragot has Toa-level control of earth, and while he is not a grizzled veteran, neither is he new to his capabilities: he wields his element comfortably. Aeragot is an adequate fighter, evidencing practice more than any natural skill, with a close-ranged and strongly defensive style. He might be able to buy time against a more skilled combatant in a duel, but his offenses are dependent on reactions and ripostes. Personality and Traits: Aeragot is good-natured and affable, albeit with a tendency to be stuck in his head. This, however, can be overpowered by a curiosity and drive to investigate which at times borders on monomania. When the opportunity is given he can do no other than plunge into the unknown. Though this can easily lead him into trouble, it lends him much good as well. Aeragot has bravery in his seeking, and it gives him the confidence to follow knowledge as far as he can. He is confident as well in danger, so long as he is on the trail of something interesting, and this confidence allows him to keep his head about him. His mind is sharp and analytic, and thus far it has kept him alive. History: As a Matoran Aeragot served as a prospector in the Great Mine in Onu-Koro, but a chance discovery of some minor archeological relics buried in Onu-Wahi led him to Ta-Koro and the Wall of History. Aeragot spent several months studying the recorded history of the Island, and the academic interest instilled in him during this period led him further and further afield. He spent some time with the astrologers of Ga-Koro, and at the Wall of Prophecy in Ko-Koro, but mysteries still called to him more than prophecies. At some point during these wanderings Aeragot became a Toa, and put his new powers to the same pursuits. Aeragot made only minor, though well-intentioned contributions to the effort to free the Island from Makuta. He has yet to forgive himself for not solving the riddle on the wall of the vault. Weaknesses: Terra Firma: Aeragot, raised on the unmoving earth, is afflicted by motion sickness. In any motion felt but not seen, be it on the pitched deck of a ship or the back of a Gukko or Ussal, he develops headaches and, after sufficient exposure, nausea. This can be overcome, but it is enough to noticeably decrease his ability to focus or fight. Parry and Riposte: Aeragot is a firmly defensive fighter, relying on reactions for his offenses. Against better fighters, of which there are many, his defenses are strong but his stamina is not limitless. Timetur Lux: While he is more used to the light of day than many of his brethren, Aeragot can still be stunned momentarily by especially bright light. In Search of the Unknown: When on the trail of knowledge or mystery, Aeragot will not be denied. This can easily overrule common sense and practical wisdom, and a trap set with the right bait would be irresistible to him. Name: Dolbren (DOLE-bren) Species: Ba-Toa Gender: Masculine presentation, he/him pronouns Mask: Kanohi Calix, Great Mask of Fate (shaped like a Miru) Appearance: Not especially tall, but broad shouldered, Dolbren has evidently honed his physical capabilities. His physique is not overly muscular, but rather lean and endurant. Even in repose there is a sense about him of the compressed spring: tension always ready to be unleashed into movement. He is wreathed in thick armour plates, coloured in a slightly garish scheme of warm purple and teal. His mask is the latter hue, and is uniquely carved with wider openings than usual for his eyes. In movement Dolbren occasionally exhibits a curious habit of gesturing in one direction, then moving or speaking in the other. These seemingly extraneous movements broadly do not hinder him. Dolbren has an expressive face, changing quickly and unwilling to conceal emotion. Equipment: Dolbren favours a long and curved single-edged kriegsmesser. Its hilt is long enough to enable one-handed or two-handed wielding, though the total length of the sword means wielding it in one hand demands ample strength. This weapon is most often sheathed in a baldric worn at the shoulder. Because of the size of his preferred weapon, Dolbren also carries a thin-bladed dagger. It serves easily as a weapon, but is otherwise used as an eating utensil. He has it constantly at hand, in a sheath on his belt. Powers and Abilities: Dolbren uses his Toa-level control of gravity with the practised skill and familiarity of a longtime soldier. Because it requires significant concentration to sustain the gravity-changes it enables, he tends to use it in brief spurts to augment his fighting abilities. A particular favourite is giving his weapon more weight suddenly on a well-timed downswing. Athletic in his youth, Dolbren’s talent has only been augmented by years playing hired muscle for ventures both legitimate and illegitimate. His idiosyncratic way of moving shows itself in the heat of combat to be a canny defensive decision; a lightness on his feet and unpredictability of movement which makes him hard to pin down in a melee. This skill is helpfully augmented by his Kanohi Calix, which with concentration allows him to continually operate at the top of his physical capabilities. This defensive style does, however, leave him with no way to lessen a blow he can’t dodge, and is less well adapted to dealing with a ranged combatant. So far at least, he’s been tough enough to get back up from anything that managed to hit him. Personality and Traits: Dolbren makes no bones about it; he’s a mercenary, condottiero, hired sword, whatever you want to call it, and most often the work he does is not strictly legal, nor is it really a nice thing to do. But he insists, typically with a downward flick of his gaze and an apologetic smile, that he really isn’t such a bad guy. And his self-assessment mostly bears out: Dolbren is pleasant and affable, perhaps not proactive at avoiding conflict, but not fomenting it either. It isn’t that he changes in moments of combat, either; Dolbren is willing to do what needs to be done, and he clearly enjoys combat, but he isn’t out to cause pain. Dolbren reconciles these things in a couple of ways. The first is that Dolbren is just good at fighting, with natural athletic talents well-suited to the sport of combat. The second is that Dolbren has belief. His personal philosophy, which he thinks of in terms approaching religion, is centred around the inherent value of revelation. This intersects most boldly with his life in his belief that war is essentially good. In its life-or-death severity war insists that those who participate hold nothing back if they wish to survive. For this reason he also mostly eschews sanctioned arena-style combat: an opponent who isn’t fighting to survive neither reveals as much about themselves nor forces Dolbren to be so open about himself. Dolbren is not much of an evangelist of this creed, though he is convinced he has discovered the true principle by which the universe operates. History: Dolbren is open about his unremarkable early life. He built his strength as a youth farming in Po-Wahi, a time which is still evident in his respect and fondness for the ornery forthrightness of the Mahi. Farming and shepherding being both highly solitary (and to Dolbren highly unsatisfying) he developed a taste for inward contemplation, seeking meaning in his life. This philosophical orientation led to him finding what he believed to be a greater purpose, upon becoming one of the scores of forced Toa created following the First Toa’s failure. Thereafter, Dolbren sought to propagate the same kind of revealing of inner truth which he himself underwent when he was shown to be greater than an ordinary Matoran. This has mostly taken the form of working as a hired sword, as Dolbren is perfectly happy to combine his talents with his beliefs. In recent days he ended up in the Legacy-controlled Ko-Koro, but he opted not to go down with that particular ship. Nothing much would have been revealed by him fighting an impossible battle and likely being captured or dying in the attempt, he reasoned. Instead, he slipped out among the refugees. He has since continued around the island no differently than before. Weaknesses: Sword to a Gunfight: Dolbren uses melee weapons exclusively, and his power over gravity does not effectively cover this deficiency. Unlike many elements, gravity does not give him access to ranged bolts of elemental power, and the focus over time required to make best use of its capabilities at range leaves him only more vulnerable to an effective ranged fighter. His style of defence, focusing on dodging and playing with melee range, does him no favours in this area either. Bellicose: It isn't hard to draw Dolbren into a fight. He likes fighting, and he has a philosophical interest in testing himself and others. Directed in the right way, he can be manipulated. If his opponent was planning on this, he would easily walk into a trap. Name: Gonrae (GONE-ray) Species: Le-Matoran Gender: Male presentation, he/him pronouns Mask: Powerless, shaped like a Kanohi Kakama, Great Mask of Speed Appearance: Gonrae is taller than the average Le-Matoran, a fact both made apparent and accentuated by his habitually straight-backed posture. He combines this with a more sedentary lifestyle than many of his fellows, resulting in a build that approaches portly. Atop his natural armour, a blend of light greens and deep emeralds, Gonrae wears a pocket-lined bandolier of thick brown cloth. His mask is of the standard form for a Kakama, but he often attaches a pair of concave glass lenses to it with small magnets. These lenses go some way towards ameliorating his nearsightedness. Equipment: The pockets of Gonrae’s bandolier are filled with drafting tools, pencils, and notebooks. These materials are necessary to his preferred methods of working; at all times, and often outdoors. He also places his corrective lenses in a pocket when they are not required. Powers and Abilities: Gonrae is an accomplished technician and engineer. He can visualize in his mind’s eye how machines work with ease, and in great detail. He has a fairly intuitive sense of how various machines might be improved. He is capable of making his designs real, tinkering and building, though he prefers to leave that part to other people. Personality and Traits: Gonrae is at once both feckless dreamer and compulsive worker. This contradiction in his nature resolves to drive him to toil tirelessly on one project, then just as soon flit on to the next thing. This has not compromised his career as an engineer, though it is easy to get the impression that his lack of focus may keep him from reaching his potential. Nevertheless, Gonrae is a shrewd and creative designer. His intelligence serves him well in other areas of his life, though his flightiness remains always. He is not much of a big picture thinker, and can be easily talked around to largely accept another’s perspective while still remaining sufficiently unconvinced that the next perspective will sway him just as well. Gonrae is stubborn on his position only in questions of design, otherwise sharing a version of the easygoing mien stereotypically associated with his Le-Matoran brethren. History: Gonrae’s first dream was a dream of flight. Like many a youth in Le-Koro, he looked with wonder to the pilots of the Gukko Force as they flew above the treetops. However, despite his starry-eyed admiration of them, Gonrae was categorically ill-suited to the life of a soldier. Both his eyesight and his temperment made him a poor fit for aerial combat and regimented living. Dimly aware that such a path was beyond his capabilities, Gonrae instead took easily to a life of indolent leisure. He persisted in this pursuit for some time, until as a lark he designed some improvements to a well-traveled bridge in the treetop Koro. Though his design seemed quite obvious to Gonrae, a more senior engineer to whom he showed it deemed it rather innovative. Thus Gonrae began to work as one of Le-Koro’s corps of civic engineers, and thus he remains. He insists that engineering is just something to do to stave off boredom, but his experience and skill is by now evident. Weaknesses: You just can’t do / things your body wasn’t meant to: Not only does he have the physical limits of a Matoran, his capabilities are decidedly below average. He is not a fighter, and it is hard to imagine that he ever could be. Zakaz: Name: Shind Qorl Larin Species: Fa-Lesterin Gender: Male presentation, he/him pronouns Appearance: Typically Lesterin in size and build, Qorl is thin and weather-worn. However, his condition is not due to being used to hardship: his clothing was obviously once fashionable and expensive, and similarly his physique is that of one who has recently been forced to give up a life of some luxury. Qorl is athletic, though more by necessity than natural inclination. He habitually stares into the middle distance, but is quick to give both a raised eyebrow and a quizzical squint. Equipment: Qorl carries what he needs to survive, as he has spent his time on Zakaz-proper travelling with bands of his fellow Lesterin, be they merchants or bandits. With this in mind, he wears a worn rucksack. Among other items, the rucksack carries a waterskin, a coil of rope 10 bio in length, and a collapsible metal pole which measures two bio at full extension. Qorl wears a finely-wrought sabre at his hip, of the typical Lesterin naval style. Technological items (and, if Foreign Tech, which staff member approved the item): A Najin-powered revolver, weathered but kept in fine working order. (standard stuff) Tero-Podos or Demon’s Feet: A pair of sandals with hobnailed soles, composed of antique and unrecognizable hides. Ancient Lesterin sorcery was used in their making, and it can be activated by tracing a certain rune across the side of the sandal. Once activated, the sandals cause the wearer to sink into solid matter they come in contact with, as if it were a slow-flowing fluid. No other properties of that matter are altered. If the wearer stands still, they will begin to sink into the ground. By moving they are able to stay on the surface. The malleability of matter under this power allows the wearer to climb sheer surfaces or push through walls. Matter displaced in this way returns to its original shape immediately when the wearer of the sandals is no longer in direct contact with it. As the sandals do not otherwise change the properties of matter, the wearer cannot breathe if fully immersed. When the wearer deactivates the sandals, any matter they are in direct contact with remains affected until they are no longer in direct contact with it. (approved by Tyler) Powers and Abilities: Like all Lesterin, Qorl’s elemental powers manifest only passively. He has a strong internal compass, and is unusually resistant to magnetic pulls. Personality and Traits: A manner typically associated with high breeding on Seprilli, recently faced with substantially changed material conditions. Such is not an inaccurate assessment of Shind Qorl. However, he is not simply that. Zakaz has awakened the drive in him, not long ago sleeping under the persona of a sybarite. If what the Skakdi creation myth says is true, then much of his people’s lost knowledge lies sleeping on Zakaz. Qorl wonders if he might be the one to discover it. These are his dreams, but he is also faced with necessities. It is not easy to survive on Zakaz, especially not as a free Lesterin. And Qorl has retained the pride ingrained in him by his upbringing; he does not prefer enslavement to death. He is amenable to certain other compromises, however. In his relatively short time on Zakaz he has been both merchant and bandit, and found his scruples could adapt to either. History: Qorl is an exile from an outcast people, but it was not always so. Qorl was once a disappointing younger son to a councillor in the Assembly. His family counted many wildly successful merchants among their ancestors, and remained wealthy in the present era of Seprillian social marginalization. Despite this, Qorl was entirely uninterested in perpetuating his family’s way of life. Instead, he passed his time in idle pleasure-seeking. His days were spent in playing games and practical jokes and spending his ample wealth, and his nights were spent in the beds of other wealthy merchants’ scions. This made him a disappointment. And then, something happened that made him an exile. Perhaps it was a jape gone too far, or perhaps it was revenge for a perceived insult. Qorl does not speak of it, and his countenance grows dark if he thinks of it at all. Whatever happened, someone ended up dead. Qorl would do anything to not face the judgement of his family and his people. Even go to Zakaz. He snuck aboard a merchant vessel bound for Zarrava, and slipped out at the destination. There, he became anonymous. Though remaining a free Lesterin on Zakaz was not easy, he made do. He plied his trade as a hired hand on merchant caravans. He worked the route between Zarrava and Khy;Barr, because at least both ends were places where he did not fear enslavement. When times were hard, his adequate skill with blade and pistol found him working on the occasional bandit raid or pirate crew. He had left Seprilli so as not to face up to the law, and he would do whatever he had to do on Zakaz to remain unfettered. Weaknesses: Dog among wolves: Qorl can handle himself well enough. He has been forced to learn how to do so very quickly. And yet, he is no natural-born fighter. He cannot count himself among the best warriors of his own people, not to mention his Skakdi neighbours with whom he now lives in relatively close quarters. Pride goeth: Qorl is proud. Though this can manifest as motivating magnanimity, it is also a hubris that leads him beyond his capabilities. Furthermore, it can be taken advantage of. To him, insults ought to be answered in kind and challenges met.

That's great, thanks again for the help!

This is very helpful, thanks all! Just a few more: Have there been any major events since the arrival of the Dasakan fleet at Mata Nui? I understand a large part of the Dasakan population remains on Kentoku -- is life there somewhat similar to life on Mata Nui during the height of Makuta's power, insofar as it isn't safe outside of major population centres? As well, I see that the starter topic says making an open for interaction post is a good way to get started -- would you still say that is the case? I ask mostly because it seems like the player population was larger at that point, and I imagine that could affect this question.

Alright cool then, I've got a couple things I'm interested in setting wise off the bat. I realize this kind of stuff can be a little bit up to individual interpretation in forum RPGs but I would be interested to hear what the prevailing thoughts are on some of it. By the same token, if I'm asking for too much specificity here let me know lol. So right off the bat: What does religion look like on Mata Nui? I've seen some mention in character profiles of priests of Mata Nui -- how organized or disparate are those kinds of institutions in this setting? Are the three virtues part of that structure, and does the average person on Mata Nui think of them as significant in their life? It seems like the population of Mata Nui is much larger than in other sources, am I right in thinking the major Koros should be thought of as more like cities than the villages they appeared to be in the MNOG, for example? Do any smaller forms of settlement support populations outside the major Koros, are there the equivalents of rest stops along roads or hamlets or some equivalent? I realize that kind of settlement didn't make sense when Makuta had a strong presence on the island, but did that kind of thing pop up in the time that he seemed gone forever? Perhaps this is written down somewhere and I missed it, but how much time has passed in game since the beginning of play? There's good information on how Skakdi think of Lesterin, but how are Lesterin seen in Matoran society? As well, did Seprilli Lesterin have any contact with the Kentoku Archipelago before Kentoku had major contact with Mata Nui? Have the Piraka been absent since the retaking of Ko-Koro from the Piraka-Legacy Alliance?

Hey, I'm interested in getting involved -- I've read through the story so far posts and the descriptions in the locations topics so I feel like I have a decent idea of the broad strokes, but I'm wondering if anyone would be willing to talk about some more conceptual stuff before I really get into it. Perhaps over PM or somesuch, I don't want to clog up the discussion topic if I don't have to. Thanks!