Not Quite Dead

IC: "It's hard to believe a makuta-worshipper is lecturing me on the morals of torture versus murder." Brontes turned away from the scene and began to walk back into the hospital, "let them leave if you all please. We have work to be doing."

IC: "Shooting them in the knees causes long term pain and suffering. That isn't really in line with good."

IC: "Killing them would prove simpler in the long run."

They've got a page for all three BZPRPGs on TVTropes, and for some reason all three have equal amounts of relevant content, despite the fact that one lasted the better part of a decade, one only lasted a couple years, and one lasted only a few months.

 

...it kinda needs some updating.  

So some guy called Stronin already used unlimited blade works?

, I thought I was being original

Okay, a little more complete this time. The setting is not in the bionicle canon. Mata-nui is probably not a giant space robot, metru-nui and the inside of said robot may or may not exist, the Skakdi and Vortixx homelands are to the south and west of Mata-Nui respectively. Details of other differences, including how far in the future this is are either unimportant or will be revealed IC

The Setup

The soil and sky is the color of rust. Vegetation is scarce, existing only as sparse jungle or scrubs, ground underfoot by workers and soldiers. The island of Mata-Nui is buried beneath stone and steel, the sprawl of the cities having covered the native life long ago. Makuta, the Great Spirit, Artahka, The Toa Nuva, their predecessors and successors. All of them are reduced to vague recollections at the edges of recorded history.

The southern Federation of Ta-Wahi, Ga-Wahi and Le-Wahi has fought the northern Alliance of Ko-Wahi and Po-Wahi for innumerable years. Small disagreements over issues of taxation, depletion of natural resources and political tension gave birth to a conflict for absolute dominance and victory, no matter the costs. War has spurred the development of the sciences. Technology, weapons and architecture are at the level of lost Metru-Nui.

Nothing but pyrrhic victories have been won for many years. That is about to change.

For all of recorded history, the Red Star has hung above the island. Every thirty-three thousand, three hundred and thirty-three years it brightens in the sky and releases seven bolts of red lightning. These bolts give temporary form to lost heroes and legends of the past, dead elemental gods whose power greatly exceeds that of modern warriors. Their purpose is described at the temple of Kini-Nui, a dead zone owned by neither side. Doors of impenetrable stone stand sealed and ask for the blood of the Red Star. Modern warriors are told to hunt the heroic spirits and bring their heads to the stone doors. When all seven have been brought, the doors will open and power unimaginable will be granted to the hunter.

This event, termed the Great Hunt, has never been completed. The heroes stay manifest for thirty-three days before fading, all recorded hunts have ended in death and failure. However, this time, the nations are ready. Greater numbers of warriors are to be dispatched then ever before. Both sides believe that completing the hunt will give them the strength to crush the other and have dedicated themselves to realizing that victory.

This is where you come in, you will play as a character allied to one of the nations, or to yourself. Co-operating with others to hunt the heroes of the past and realize the dreams and goals of their faction, or perhaps, claiming what lays beyond the doors for their own.

* * *

The Locale

The island of Mata-Nui is divided into six Wahi and the central holy grounds of Kini-Nui, much of the natural environment of the island has been covered in urban growth. All the borders between the northen wahi and southern wahi are heavily militarized and fortified. The heart of the war effort is in these areas.

Ta-Wahi, land of ash and fire. This region contains most of the forges and factories of war for the south.

Ga-Wahi, land of the sea. Runoff from the mainland has fouled much of Naho Bay. Many of the science and engineering faculties of the south are located here. The civilians and schools having moved to southern Ta-Wahi and Le-Wahi for fear of the northern border's proximity

Le-Wahi, land of the slums. In the past, Le-Wahi has home to massive swamps and beautiful forest and jungleland. In the present it is the main civilian area of the south and much has been paved over, entire forests and jungles fell by the saw or by fire. Far from the factories, research centers and factories. Jobs are scarce and poverty and crime is rampant.

Onu-Wahi, the drowned land. Onu-Wahi was a neutral state, it was destroyed many years ago and much of it lays sunken beneath the sea. The entire Koro is thought to be dead. Explorers or looters often enter and never return, lost to the dangerous and flooded caves.

Po-Wahi, land of stone and craftsmen. Po-Wahi is the north's counterpart to Ta-Wahi, all of it's forges and vast stone quarries serving to provide raw material and to process it. There are few civilian areas and Po-Koro is little more than a dusty ghost town.

Ko-Wahi, land of ice. The great centers of knowledge lay in Ko-Koro. The walls of prophecies and libraries are one of the north's greatest treasures. The wahi is home to the massive Mount Ihu and it's network of research facilities and colleges, built into the rock of the mountain to provide safety. Many of the north's civilians make their home in Ko-Koro or the surrounding area, many refuges from Po and Onu-Wahi poorly adapted to the cold weather.

Kini-Nui, land of the dead. The great temple sits nearly in the center of the island. The land around has been scorched and deforested by war. The temple itself stands alone, fronted by a large pair of stone doors. It has inscriptions in ancient languages detailing the Great Hunt, little of which has been translated. The only inhabitants are the members of a small church built nearby, that worship the dead gods summoned in the hunt.

* * *

Profile Creation

To create a character you need to fill out a profile giving information about them. I will approve them individually in the profiles topic. Here is a sample, consider these the minimum requirements for a profile. Keep in mind that this RPG is not set in the canon universe. So custom species and masks are allowed, they will be approved on a case-by-case basis

Name : Avoid using common human names

Faction : North, south or neutral

Species : Matoran, Toa, Turaga, Skakdi, Vortixx or custom

Equipment : Weapon(s), Kanohi, etc. No legendary masks like the Vahi, Olmak, etc.

Powers : Elemental and/or vision powers. Additional powers or custom ones will have to be approved. No light, shadow or time elementals

Biography : Describe your character's appearance, their history, personality and motivations.

Weaknesses : Self explanatory

* * *

Rules

No autohitting, bunnying or godmodding. Overall RPG forum rules apply. Play nice.

IC Forger, Obsidian Outpost

Champion, Enforcer, Tracer and himself. "Force, stealth and leadership. Good chemistry."

He stood, "any other volunteers? If not, we will brief you on the mission."

IC: "Didn't I say we needed to hurt those two earlier?" Brontes thought, it seemed the vortixx and ta-matoran were still thorns in the side of the hospital. They had no time for this now, they needed to be moving, and fast. He saw that the Ko-Toa with the Iden was freezing the air and water vapor around the fighters. With the explosions and fighting, the air was thick with ash and soot, making it a perfect conductor of electricity. It was unfortunate the plant Toa Verulas was caught in the fray. But he was a mercenary, they weren't to be trusted.

He threw a bolt of electricity, strong enough to stun at the ice and snow covered ground below the fighters, aiming to electrocute all of them through conduction.

IC Forger, Obsidian Outpost

I observed Champion, his technique was exact, but savage and brutal. He treated his weapon not like a piece of art, but like a well worn tool. The way I would treat my hammer. I liked it. His mace was beautifully crafted, most likely foreign in design or origin. The crushing weapons made on Mata-Nui were brutish affairs. Useful in the same way an idiot with explosives was.

"Champion. Zero has called a meeting. Please report to the chamber with haste." I interrupted his training, speaking between one of his powerful swings. He did so silently. He was one of their newer recruits and either did not yet feel comfortable with me, or was merely a reserved person. I walked further on, telling Judge of the meeting. Afterwards continuing to our shooting range, Tracer was practicing archery.

I thought of myself as an archer of sorts, one with the strongest arrows and truest aim.

"Tracer. Zero has called for us. A meeting is being held to discuss our next actions." She acknowledged the request and we walked to the chamber. Enforcer and Champion were already present. I took my seat on the right corner from Zero and waited.

IC Forger, Obsidian Outpost

"Concentrate."

His attempts numbered in the dozens, if not hundreds. Rough shards of broken metal and warped blades littered his workshop.

"The hilt, this is where the grain twists."

He channeled his elemental energy into the metal, willing it to take the shape he held in his mind. He put his hammer aside, this was delicate work.

Time drew itself out. It could have been minutes, more likely seconds. But for him it felt as if hours or days were passing. He was rudely awoken when a signal came from the depths. A meeting called by Zero, he had been waiting for the summons. It had been nearly a week since they had last gathered as a group. There were issues to discuss, jobs to review. He himself wanted to bring up the events surrounding Ko-Koro, nasty rumours had spread from the frozen region.

He stood, metallic dust fell off or was stirred by his movement, shimmering ochre in the Ta-Wahi sun. The sword he now held was one he had dreamt of recently, he felt sure he had seen it's use in some long past battle. It was a long and elegant sword, a flamberge with a simple T-shaped crossbar. He was sure the actual weapon was a thing of both beauty and power. He gathered the scrap iron and failed attempts into a large statue before him. Any of the weapons he owned could easily cut it.

One slash, horizontal.

Another failure. The pieces of the shattered blade lay on the floor. He tossed the ruined hilt aside. Clearly, he did not yet own this sword.

He left his workshop and moved to the courtyard, he needed to make sure the others knew of the summons.

IC: The hospital loomed in the distance, at first no more than a squat and pale shape through the blizzard. Brontes had been using his Calix for nearly ten minutes, pushing his muscles and lungs to perform near the level of professional Kohlii players and other athletes. He saw the hospital now had a hole blown into the wall, and more people. Many more.

He was on the far side from the entrance, he rounded the corner and passed near the hole in the wall. "Not good," he thought, fearing that enemies had already attacked the hospital, or that their captured foes had broken loose. He heard snatches of conversation through the hole. "Not good... Sanctum has fallen, or is in the... and the doctors are all loaded with patients... me to deal with this on my lonesome."

He walked to the breach and entered, seeing a female Toa and a Ko-Toa with an Iden. They already seemed to be discussing the Koro's fate.

"Ko-Koro has fallen. The Citadel and Sanctum are breached. Dozens, possibly even hundreds of enemies are within the walls now, the gate was blown apart hours ago." He told the two and anyone listening. "We have to begin evacuating the hospital as soon as possible. It could be hours or even minutes until the enemy is upon us here."

Okay. Verulas is currently running around, looking for a doctor for another character, and I was planning on having him get lost. Realistically, what are his chances of stumbling into the morgue and bumping into the body of a Su-Matoran he knew for an "oh no..." moment? 

The chance of tragedy is always 100%

IC: My blade swung through empty air, my target had stepped back to avoid me. I did the same, quickly backing off several meters. The attackers swelled in number with every passing minute, the situation degrading from bad to worse. Brontes knew they had to get out of this situation.

"Dahkapa, I am going to retreat to the hospital, they have to be told exactly how little time they have." Brontes still saw the fire and determination in his new friend's eyes. He only hoped it wasn't going to get him killed or captured, fighting a battle that was as good as over.

He was tired and low on energy, truthfully he struggled to remain standing. He was not a battle hardened warrior like so many here. "But next time... Next time I will be ready." He swore he would finish this one day. He needed to be ready to fight and kill, not beat a self-glorified retreat as a messanger.

He activated his mask and ran as fast as he could out the ruined gates and through the blizzard-swept landscape, with the mask urging his body forward he would be able to reach the hospital in ten minutes he thought.

Well, time to valoriously flee.

IC: (Goran)

 

Goran got out of the snow, and realized the Kane-Ra were leaving. They had beaten the heathen guards. Glory to Ak'rei'an. He needed to find Rakona, he thought, find his mistress and join her in attacking the city. Getting up, he however noticed Sir Weiss and Sir Zekev being attacked by heathens some feet away. Taking a Katana to each hand, he went towards the three. Letting out a guttural cry.

IC: "I am a Toa, and my Duty is to protect my people and their homes. You'll enter this city over my dead body, cultist." Dahkapa had spoke with a firmness and strength that Brontes had not expected from the outwardly calm Ko-Toa. It bolstered my own resolve, clearly he was not going to go down without a fight, I would stand and aid him as long as I could.

"Dahkapa, if things continue to worsen I will carry news back to the Hospital. Until then I shall stand with you." Brontes quietly spoke to the him, making sure their enemies did not hear.

Unfortunately, he noticed a new enemy had appeared, another dark Toa. A fire elemental by the looks of his reddish armor. He held two swords and seemed in a rage. Brontes brought his shield and sword to bear and leapt towards him. Thrusting his sword at the Ta-Toa's left side.

I beg to differ.  I prefer to think of everyone's characters as PCs, just as meaty and easily bloodied as anyone elses', so long as the kill is pre-approved.

I agree, I try to hurt my characters as much as reasonably possible.

It makes clever comebacks/turnarounds more awesome.

I've never even wounded someone severely.

That's because the protagonist never dies/gets hurt, they have plot armor.

And everyone is someone's protag 'round TBRPG land.

IC: (Weiss)

 

A flurry of snow brushed his face, as Weiss grabbed his glaive and raised it in defense. Around him, the snow dissipated, and the Kane-Ra Riders fled into their heathen city. They had won the first battle, these were just the last outliers. He felt the air warm slightly, as warm as it could be in Ko-Koro. He knew his enemies would no the same.

 

"The fight for the gate is over, we outnumber you! Go into your city!"

IC: Brontes knew the dark Toa was right, the defenses around the gate were falling back into the city. They needed to move to a safer position, and do it quickly.

"Dahkapa, he is right. We need to find your friend and get him to the hospital."

IC: Zekev

 

Ah ######.

 

The new electric Toa (Bronte) was going to do a fist slam into Wiess unless I did something.

 

Well, it's only my right shoulder that's shot, so...

 

I quickly fired a laser at the first Toa(Dahkapa) to keep him busy, before lunging at Weiss, knocking him away. I quickly rolled over and used my good arm to swing my axe at where the Electricity Toa would land at. Hopefully a nice solid clunk would signal that we was down for the count.

 

Oh, right, the other Toa blasting snow. I launched a laser blast at him, hoping to hit him while he charged.

 

"Weiss, stop him while I get this electric flying joker!"

IC: With a metallic crunch, the Skakdi's axe slammed into Brontes' shield. Pain shot through his arm, he was sure he now had several minor bone fractures. "Better that than a lost arm," he thought, steadying himself and regaining his defensive stance.

He was now within several meters of his sword, he raised his shield and channeled his elemental energies into it, producing a blinding light he directed at the Skakdi, as he did this he also moved backwards and retrieved his short sword, ready for his foes next attack.

IC: Brontes was now to the left of the Toa and Skakdi, he had charged his fist and shield with electrical energy and used to Calix to perform a powerful running leap at the gravity Toa, intending to ram him to the ground and disarm him.

I considered Vault Loot, but my character isn't actually evil. Oh well, I'll just have to be more careful when making new characters. 

Getting corrupted is always fun, you know. "man I wish I had the power to beat this dorian and company," then learning of the piraka's offer of power, morph yourself with antidermis and become revenge/insane guy, etc etc

I've seen it before

I kinda feel bad now, considering all I've been doing in the game so far is randomly intruding on other people's plot threads.  Sorry if I'm being a hassle or anything.  >_<

That's the best way to get into things in my experience.

IC: "Other then my cracked ribs and cracking armor," Brontes thought, this new arrival seemed unaware that Ko-Koro was a battlefield.

"Sort of, to both your questions. I am defending this Koro, alongside Dahkapa over there." He pointed to the Ko-Toa, now advancing on the gravity Toa and his Skakdi ally. "Those two," he gestured at the aforementioned pair, "are decidely not good guys." Brontes had regained his composure now. He eyed the gravity Toa warily, he was outnumbered for the time being, but his element was one with a large range of effect, and the other Legacy forces outside the gate could arrive any minute. They had to end this quickly and push through to aid Dahkapa's friend caught beyond the gate.

"Well, I plan to go kill those two. Aid us or not, don't get in the way. My aim is not the best." Brontes advanced, strafing in a circle around the gravity Toa, readying his shield and channeling electricity into his hands. If he had to fist fight, so be it.

IC: "They sound like the life of the party. How do they want us to prepare for their coming to this Koro?"

IC: Brontes cursed his stupidity, he had bent over the purple Toa and begun unbuckling his pack when he had been flung up and sideways into one of the large lamp posts that populated Ko-Koro's streets. His sword had been knocked from his hand. The dark Toa, of gravity, Brontes now realized; had gathered the wounded Skakdi and backed off several meters, he had no weapon drawn that Brontes could see.

"Well, I was right about them being our enemies." He muttered, colliding with the lamp post had been painful and unavoidable, there were no acrobatics he could perform with his Calix while floating weightlessly. Brontes was on his feet again, but he did not have the necessary energies for a direct and lethal blast yet. He gestured to Dahkapa, who had his warhammer at the ready. "Your move."

IC: "I've seen these kind of battles before. You're asking me if I want to flip a coin; one side signing my paycheck, the other signing my grave." Skoll side halfheartedly. He had no illusions that the scattered forces of a dead god would be able to crush the island's resistance.

"But a vault of treasure? I wouldn't mind seeing that," he added after a moments thought. He took his bottle and crudely broke it open on the counter, he was becoming too sober to continue this conversation. He let the silence grow for several minutes, finishing his drink and brooding. "I wouldn't mind disposing of it's current owner either, start making the shots, rather than listening to others call them out." Finally, he spoke.

"Luckily for you and them, I enjoy flipping coins. Tell me of these beings and their plans if you would," he offered his hand. "My name is Skoll."