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Crimson Jester

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  1. Crimson Jester
    IC: Korruhn, Uhuraz High Korruhn contemplated his words a moment. He could barely contain the excitement at getting to talk to another being as ancient as ruins themselves; living history in the flesh. "Tell me more about this Dreamweaver. Why was he, why did he leave?" OOC: @EmperorWhenua @Gecko Greavesy @Unreliable Narrator
  2. Crimson Jester
    IC: Korruhn, Matoran Degrassi "What the karz..." Korruhn exclaimed, his voice trailing off as his eyes and mind began to wander the cabinets and the trinkets they held. The Cartographer was at a complete loss; in all his years, he never imagined something quite like this awaiting him in a temple ruin. They were soon greeted by a Toa, who began to speak. "The Builders were the last ones here?" Korruhn asked. "Did they all worship this Lord Uhuraz; who exactly is he?" OOC: @EmperorWhenua @Gecko Greavesy @Unreliable Narrator
  3. Crimson Jester
    IC: Korruhn, Kumu Peninsula The Void-touched did not react to the revelation that there was a tithe; at least not visibly. Korruhn could feel the void where his leg once was, the stump nestled in the prosthesis. Yes, Korruhn was well familiar with the concept of tithing in these old ruins; he had already given much of himself to these ancient places in pursuit of knowledge, and he would gladly sacrifice more. As he placed his hand on the dome, he felt it's connection to him; foreign, and yet like home. He knew not of this Uhuraz, but surely if he had such a unique temple dedicated in his honour, he must have much to offer. And for that, he gave up the might of his Kanohi Calix. OOC: @EmperorWhenua
  4. Crimson Jester
    IC: Korruhn, Kumu Peninsula "Indeed," Korruhn replied to Grime. He couldn't believe how quickly he'd resorted to spilling his blood without even thinking of where. Time and void were slowly eating away at what Korruhn once was, and his haste and desperation weren't helping. The bulbous domes rose as half-spheres from the ground, painted or stained red exactly as in the images. "Your wisdom far exceeds your stature, Builder." Korruhn walked over to the dome, and stood over it. He held up his wrist, removed the bandage, and his his blood drip down to the dome. OOC: @Unreliable Narrator @EmperorWhenua @Gecko Greavesy
  5. Crimson Jester
    IC: Korruhn, Kumu Peninsula Korruhn wrapped his wrist with a strip of cloth. Something was missing. The blood was certain. The offering was certain. What was he missing? "Well... uh, sorry..." Whisper said, upon seeing nothing happen. "Maybe we try using the little guy's heartlight next?" Korruhn spun on his heels to face the lesser Aspect, whatever it was. "You so much as lay one of those slimy appendages on him, I'll send us all somewhere you're not coming back from," Korruhn retorted to Whisper. "Use that brain that I'd hope is somewhere in there. Look at the images again. Every other temple I've been to based on offerings had a specific place to do so. We need to figure out where that is." OOC: @EmperorWhenua @Unreliable Narrator @Gecko Greavesy
  6. Crimson Jester
    IC: Korruhn, Kumu Peninsula "What are we mulling over? Let's get this over with," Korruhn stated. Whether it was a trap or not was inconsequential. They were here now; may as well see it through so they could Carry on. He looked down at his void-touched right arm. "Wouldn't be the first time I've spilled blood in a temple; won't be the last, surely." From the depths of his cloak he withdrew a small dagger; a vestigial tool of his days as a temple-rat. Gripping the worn handle in his right hand, he delicately slashed his wrist open; just enough to draw a good amount of blood without it going out of control. He held his wrist in front of him, towards the obelisk, and let the blood run to the floor. OOC: @EmperorWhenua @Unreliable Narrator @Gecko Greavesy
  7. Crimson Jester
    IC: Korruhn The Void-Toa looked around, as though to look to see if anyone had seen him attempt to stabilize himself against nothing, he deactivated his power. The recent months and it's events had certainly served to make Korruhn paranoid, and the strange, seemingly organic nature of this temple did not help to set his mind at ease, nor did the fact that Grime was out there, no longer under Korruhn's watch. Korruhn shifted his focus back to the room; for as much as he was a Toa, he was also a Cartographer, and he would get out of here much faster if he devoted his attention to the mindset of his former career. He looked around the room again, noting the few features that spoke to him through the darkness. This certainly didn't seem to be a temple of records, nor was it quite a tomb. Korruhn couldn't place it, but it almost felt more like a home, or a prison? And then, he noted the nature of the pulling force that seemed to permeate every cell of his being in this room. There, in the darkness, beyond the reaches of Korruhn's vision at the far end of the room. It could not be seen, could not be heard; could not be felt. And yet, it was unmistakably there, and it called to Korruhn in a way he could not explain. He took a few steps toward the veil of darkness. "What being calls to me beyond the pale?" Korruhn asked into the shadow. He looked at this void-touched arm. He figured he'd try speaking first, before moving on to poking and prodding, lest he have a repeat of the Ko-Metru Hideaway, all that time ago. OOC: @EmperorWhenua
  8. Crimson Jester
    IC: Korruhn, ??? The room was warm and wet, and the dim red glow emanating from the protrusions in the "wall" seemed to cling to every surface like dew, and reflected up from the glistening floor. It felt more like an oversized terrarium than an ancient temple; although, Korruhn likely wasn't even in the temple anymore. The door seemed again to be a portal, like both of those he encountered in the last complex. The air reeked of stale moisture, sour to the nostrils. Beware the lies of your friend, Miserix spoke into Korruhn’s mind. Stannis dances to the tune of an enemy. Expect this is a trap. Guard yourself, I have business elsewhere. Whether or not she was gone Korruhn couldn't say. The worm on his back wriggled in anticipation of whatever awaited them in this dark place. Friend. Foe. Whatever the mysterious, illusory wizard was to him was redundant. It didn't shake the feeling of unease from Korruhn's shoulders, and the intuition formed from years of temple-hunting blared like klaxons in his brain. His hands gripped his Staff of Power Scream, held in front of his chest, ready to strike. Korruhn's eyes peered across the room. Where his mind had previously filled the space with more of the lamps, was actually a peculiar... He didn't know what it was. It was certainly something, but it was also most certainly nothing. But it called to him; not with a voice, but with a pull. A very strong one. The Toa suddenly realized the effort he had been subconsciously exerting the entire time to resist the pull. He called upon the powers of gravity to anchor him. But would gravity even apply in this strange new place? OOC: @EmperorWhenua @Unreliable Narrator
  9. Crimson Jester
    IC: Korruhn, Kumu Peninsula Korruhn stared at the door with great intensity, an intrigued frustration, if one will. All the doors he had passed seemed to require activating via taboo; and yet, it seemed this one was a riddle of sorts. Hm. Perhaps that was the question? "Stannis, all the other doors I encountered here required a taboo, and those temples don't look any different than this. Why is this one's door different?" OOC: @EmperorWhenua @Gecko Greavesy
  10. Crimson Jester
    IC: Korruhn, Kumu Peninsula "Due to your uncanny link to it, you are the authority on the Far Shore, as I see it. What did Icarax's dungeon feel like to you in contrast to the upside down plane?" Stannis asked. Korruhn pondered the question. There came many times in the Cartographe's life where he had been an authority on a place; it was the nature of his job to be the first contemporary across many frontiers. But the fact that he'd been to the Shore twice now, and was no closer to answers, confounded him. It was not like exploring a ruined temple back on Metru Nui, that much was clear. "Although both appear to be accessible dimensions from here, it seems that's where the similarities end," Korruhn replied. "Aside from Nuju himself, I believe I remain the authority on the Far Shore, at least on this island." Across the fire from him, Whisper the Aspect replied to Korruhn in turn. "And who, or what, are you now?" Whisper pondered. A plump, lone electric bug wandered up to her, summoned from nearby by her powers. She reached down to gently pluck it up from the ground, letting it crawl over her hand. "Besides a man ashamed, or perhaps afraid, of what he has become?" Korruhn smiled, the best his mask could muster. "Now that is the question, isn't it?" he asked the Aspect. "I cannot be ashamed or afraid of that which I do not know. I am but a Cartographer; any other role is just a result of the territory." "So," Grime piped up, his newly reforged armor gleaming even in the dim light of the dying campfire. "Are we going to Kini-Nui like Icarax told us to?" Korruhn turned to his companion, his friend, dare he say. Grime was wise, far beyond his form, but Korruhn felt compelled to make a side trip first. "We should go into the temple there, across the old stone road. Between the group of us, it shouldn't take long to fell the Rahkshi and see if we can acquire anything else for the journey. Agreed?" OOC: @EmperorWhenua @Gecko Greavesy @Eyru
  11. Crimson Jester
    IC: Korruhn, Kumu Peninsula "I've played the role so long now, and been in the company of your lot long enough that I'm starting to feel like one myself," Korruhn said, flexing the fingers of his void-touched arm. "What do you mean, home? You may have a lot of words, but you never misuse them. Why don't you say your home?" The Toa smoked from the fine Ga-Metru pipe, and passed it to Stannis again. "Chronicler, indeed. He called me one, as well," Korruhn replied. "He seems to know an awful lot. What about that place he brought us to? It wasn't the Far Shore." Korruhn inhaled the pipe again, before returning it into the pouch. The pale smoke wafted up and away, dancing through the air as it dispersed toward the ceiling. "Of course she does. She has provided little else though, our pilgrimage would have endured in silence were it not for Grime. I'm sure she'll provide something soon; I cannot walk among my people while like this." He pulled the cloak from his chest, revealing a black void where his heartlight once shone. The other Aspect spoke up. This one intrigued Korruhn. It exuded calm, controlled power. "Nor do I, it seems. I am Korruhn, Cartographer of Ko-Metru. Or at least, I once was." OOC: @EmperorWhenua @Gecko Greavesy
  12. Crimson Jester
    IC: Korruhn, Kumu Peninsula The darkness of the evening draped the party at the dying firelight like a blanket; Korruhn wore it with great comfort. He felt at home in the night more and more, even his vision had become more accustomed to it. The night was his time to hunt. "Aspects." Korruhn grabbed his staff in his right arm, and walked away from the fire, only checking to ensure Grime followed. "The land you call home intrigues me. These temples -- whatever they may be -- hold many things that will aid us in both our personal quests, and that of Icarax." From within the confines of his cloak, Korruhn withdrew a small pouch made of a beautiful patterned woven fabric. Pulling back the mouth, sealed by drawstrings, Korruhn removed a small carved pipe, packed. He lit it, put it to his mouth, and drew a breath, before handing it to Stannis, who now walked beside him. "From Metru Nui. Only grew in Ga-Metru. I was saving it for an occasion; you'll never come across it again. "What do you two know of Icarax? Who is he in the hierarchy of Aspects?" OOC: @EmperorWhenua @Gecko Greavesy
  13. Crimson Jester
    IC: Korruhn, Kumu Peninsula Korruhn had remained silent after his chat with Stannis, as ruminated on the plethora of information he was absorbing, observing it as though the words hung in the cold air in front of their mouths. Grime still had much to teach the Chronicler, but he would rather learn his secrets in private. He had earned at least that much. The rest spoke of plans, but seemed unable to make any sort of concrete parties. Seemed everyone was bound by their own respective masters, and Icarax all in the same. Korruhn dug his toes into the black gravel of the ground, and dug around, looking down as he contemplated his options. "It seems I'm the best choice for leading the party to the Shore to get the rest of the Makoki stones," Korruhn said to the group, standing up from his seat. He walked away from the fire, towards the arena where he slew the Rahkshi; it's mangled corpse still spread across the ground. Walking to the ruins of one of the stone columns, he picked up a dark piece of fabric from the ground. He wrapped the tattered cloak over his shoulders, and drew the hood over his face. Nearby lay his khopesh, filthy and bloodstained, but unharmed. He grabbed it too, and returned toward the fire. "I'm going to need to spill a little more blood if we want more than one shot at it, though," Korruhn's voice rose in volume as his form approached the light of the fire again. His silhouette formed flesh as he stepped back to his seat, and wiped the blood from his khopesh before returning it to the scabbard on his back. "I have a place in mind, but I'll need someone with me to get that done. Stannis makes sense, we can use your bond with the other to return to the party when we're ready." Korruhn's cloak caught the wind as he turned to Grime, and the gold of his melted mask glistened in the firelight. "Grime, stay close." He turned back to the others. "Any input?" OOC: @EmperorWhenua @Gecko Greavesy @Kal the Guardian @Unreliable Narrator
  14. Crimson Jester
    IC: Korruhn, Kumu Peninsula The old wizard pursed his lips slightly before his reply, a brief moment of hesitation, but one nonetheless. He knew more than he was letting on. In fact, he may even know who had the other two. Interesting. He asked of the Far Shore, and Korruhn's attunement to it. He was right, the void-touched Toa had caught the familiar scent of wet death that seemed to permeate the whole of the shore and those who entered it. It hung onto him like rain after a storm. "If that's the case, then I'm your best shot at getting the other three," Korruhn surmised. He placed the stone in his pocket, and leaned toward Stannis, putting his weight on the staff he took from the dead Rahkshi. "It is a time out of time. Between the threads that hold the universe together. It ebbs and flows with the world, but it is not the world. Or is it?" Korruhn smirked. "Those I bring from the Far Shore do not originate there, although they exist there now. They crave life, life through consumption. Through balance. Who created it? Who knows. Maybe it's always been there; maybe not. If you want to know more of the Far Shore, you need to speak to Nuju the Perjurer. But have fun with that. He has his own ideas." "Who exactly is Tren Krom? If these stones summon him, that could work. I've been looking to have words with him." OOC: @EmperorWhenua @Gecko Greavesy @Kal the Guardian @Unreliable Narrator @Eyru
  15. Crimson Jester
    IC: Korruhn, Kumu Peninsula Korruhn rolled his eyes. Clearly Stannis was going to be, well... Stannis. “Alright. How many pieces are there? And who has the others?” OOC: @EmperorWhenua
  16. Crimson Jester
    IC: Korruhn, Kumu Peninsula "I would consider myself experienced with portals, whether I like them or not," Korruhn replied. "But what exactly is a Makoki stone?" OOC: @EmperorWhenua
  17. Crimson Jester
    IC: Korruhn, Kumu Peninsula Korruhn again found himself with the stone in his hand, his eyes fixed on it as he slowly shifted it around between his thumb and fingers. He could certainly feel the grooves in it, but they were far too small, and mostly incomplete, and thus interpreting them was off the table. Yet still, he studied it as he did any other artifact, while his ears absorbed all the information Grime seemed suddenly so eager to spill. Korruhn was more than a bit miffed that, after all he'd done to help Grime, he chose to wait until others were around to drink from his fountain of knowledge. Whatever. If things went the way they normally did, Korruhn would be far away from these strangers soon enough. And if not, perhaps they had something he could make use of in his upcoming plans. The void-touched remained quiet for the most part, choosing to receive more than he revealed. Viltia seemed friendly enough; but the other Aspect rubbed Korruhn the wrong way. Perhaps it was because they hadn't yet spoke, but there was nothing Korruhn could do about that. He'd been away from civilization for a near-immeasurable amount of time; a conversation with a stranger felt like a foreign concept at this point. In Korruhn's observational state, one moment in particular from the last few moments stood out. When Stannis first arrived, he rightly noticed that Whisper and Vilta had been given keys. And yet, he gave pause when he saw Korruhn, momentarily surprised, and adjusted his number. Fascinating, as one would say. "And what do you know of this one, Stannis?" Korruhn interjected, holding the stone up in front of him. "You've seen this one before, haven't you?" OOC: @EmperorWhenua @Unreliable Narrator @Gecko Greavesy @Kal the Guardian
  18. Crimson Jester
    IC: Korruhn, Kumu Peninsula The void-touched Toa smirked at the mention of it, and his cursed arm twitched excitedly. It had been a while since his last trip to the Shore. He almost... craved it. And he still hand't finished his conversation with Nuju. "Ah of course, the sand of the beyond yet clings to your visage!" Korruhn replied. He looked down at the golden handprint on his forearm, it's eye transfixed on Stannis. "I'm due for a trip there myself. But for now, please tell me of your journey." OOC: @EmperorWhenua @Gecko Greavesy @Kal the Guardian
  19. Crimson Jester
    IC: Korruhn, Kumu Peninsula "The Alp?! The old bird still flies, eh?" Korruhn chuckled. Metru Nui didn't exist anymore, and yet that stupid, gaudy ship was somehow still afloat. "You still can't beat Metru Nui craftsmanship. Nor the resolve of the alpinists of Ko-Metru!" "And what of yourself? What new things have you gleaned since my untimely absence, Wanderer?" OOC: @EmperorWhenua
  20. Crimson Jester
    IC: Korruhn, Kumu Peninsula Korruhn manipulated the stone between the sharpened fingertip of his void-arm, as the eye in the center of the golden handprint burned into his arm peered at the various members of the firepit band. He mulled over Miserix's words in his head, noting the curious lack of Icarax in there. Indeed. The green one overshares, it will be her undoing. The jellyfish is suspicious, I sense an odd energy about that one. But, what of Icarax? What do you make of this plan of his, and these gifts? As if on cue, Viltia, the green one, turn her head to Korruhn, meeting the furrowed brow of his gaze of deep thought. “Hey, um, Korruhn, was it? Yeah, just so you know, you have an Aspect like, inside you. I don’t know if that’s very healthy.” Surely Korruhn must have assumed that one imbibed with the rite of desecration could sense that upon another. And yet, he found himself briefly taken aback. "Huh? Oh. Hah!" Korruhn chuckled slyly, a small grin forming on his golden face. "My acquaintances seem to have great trouble keeping up with my travels!" He paused, and looked to Stannis. "Were she not hitching a ride I fear I'd be two days ahead of her by now!" Korruhn turned his attention to Stannis, one of those very acquaintances. "He gave all three of you keys of a sort." He looked directly at the stone in Korruhn's hand. And then, he peered seemingly right into Korruhn's soul. It was as though he was looking at Miserix herself. "Fascinating." "Indeed," Korruhn replied flatly. "Something about he had a tool and he needed me to wield it. He called the Aspect the mind, and the green one the heart." Stannis gestured to the lightly crackling campfire they were somewhat gathered around and moved to sit on a rock. "Come, then. Let's talk further of where you all should go and what you should do. Fate can go a myriad of different ways from here for each of you, and without the knowledge you need you will stumble in riddles for two months and three weeks, and if I can give help, it will be yours." Korruhn set Grime down near a fallen stone column, and sat next to him, on the column's old plinth. He tucked the stone away, and leaned his Spear of Power Scream against his shoulder. Tugging at the rough leather straps, Korruhn made adjustments to the remains of the Rahkshi carapace and spine lashed to his left arm, and the helmet mounted to his shoulder. "Firstly, I'd like to know how my cold-brother Leklo is. Have you seen him?" OOC: @Gecko Greavesy @Kal the Guardian @EmperorWhenua @Eyru @Unreliable Narrator
  21. Crimson Jester
    IC: Korruhn, Kumu Peninsula And just like that, as quickly as the moment had appeared, it fell away again, and once more, Korruhn found himself standing at the fire he had erected earlier with Grime and Miserix. Flanking him were his two new "guests" (although he really hoped he wouldn't have to keep acquaintance long. Korruhn had grown quite used to his solitude, and any interruption from a stranger now felt more like an intruston). In his arms rested Grime, alive, but still weak from the process of rebirth, and in his hand now rested the glowing stone once held by Icarax, Aspect of Dominion. How it had got there was beyond Korruhn, for all thoughts about it were clouded by the sheer power emanating from it. What I need are the hands to wield it, the Aspect had uttered at him before his departure. It seemed Korruhn had found a new task now, a new service. A bearer of... something. He still didn't know what this stone was. Nor did he know much else. The vacuum left where Korruhn expected to be filled with answers was glaring, and had not gone unnoticed. Icarax played his cards as close to his chest as most anyone else... Miserix! Korruhn shouted into the depths of his own mind. You've been awful quiet. What do you make of your brother's plan? "Just don’t tell Sidra I taught you this. I don’t want to upset her. She hasn’t been quite the same since getting NUVA.” Most anyone else. Not this one, the "heart" called Viltia, apparently. Korruhn felt his normally-cold Ko-Metru blood boil in his vascular system at mention of that mere name, long before his brain even processed the part at the end. NUVA. He gritted his teeth, and his fist clenched around the stone. He hated that being. That bog-leech, clinging on to Korruhn and Leklo at the Suva... Leklo. What had Sidra done with him? Before Korruhn had a chance to do something he may regret later, a familiar visage stepped out from behind the lesser Aspect. That of a strange old wizard, one he hadn't seen since Fort Nektann, what seemed like a lifetime ago. "Stannis? Fashionably late, hah!" Korruhn said, chuffed as he could muster at his friend's arrival. In spite of the isolation and frustration of the last month, it was a welcome sight to see a friend again, as Korruhn had yet to reencounter any of his friends after they had departed company. "You and I have a lot to talk about." OOC: @Gecko Greavesy @Kal the Guardian @Eyru @Unreliable Narrator @EmperorWhenua
  22. Crimson Jester
    IC: Korruhn, The End of the World "The Mangaia." Korruhn's thought train stopped dead in it's tracks. The place mentioned in Stannis' tome, and more recently, by the mouth of Miserix. He still didn't really know what Mangaia was, or what it entailed; but it surely seemed important to the many Aspects he'd crossed paths with. Perhaps the map on Grime's body would lead Korruhn to it, whenever he was done in whatever this place was. He had no time to respond though, as right before his eyes, company appeared around the circle. Two more, an odd-looking green-and-violet Toa he didn't recognize, and another. Although he didn't know outright, he could feel the power, the darkness emanating from this one. Another Aspect, Korruhn presumed. They must have accessed two of the other gates in the Peninsula, but Korruhn wondered, had they had to fight Rahkshi too? No matter. The Toa of Ko-Metru set down his companion, and signaled to him that there would be time for talk later. Korruhn turned his attention back to Icarax. "And I am to presume that this path you speak of lies ahead of these two, as well?" He wanted to badly to ask the presumed Aspect what it was that his children lacks, what it was that drove him to assemble this rag-tag band. But he held his tongue. All would reveal itself in due course. OOC: @Eyru @Unreliable Narrator
  23. Crimson Jester
    IC: Korruhn, ??? Korruhn stepped back, stammering as Grime rose from the dead right in his arms. The power of this being was both awesome and terrifying, and Korruhn couldn't decide whether he was afraid of it, or envious of it. His focus was broken when Grime began to speak. "You're alright, relax," he stifled the excitement in his voice, at least until he could be sure if Grime was in fact alright, or even Grime for that matter. It had to have been the power of a taboo, but he couldn't say he'd seen it before. "The Rahkshi is no longer. Meet our friend, it's him you have to thank for bringing you back." It was then Korruhn noticed the tattoos. They covered most of Grime's body, and were of a foreign design. And yet, it was somehow familiar? But where? "Those tattoos. Star charts. How did you end up with those?" OOC: @Unreliable Narrator
  24. Crimson Jester
    IC: Korruhn, ??? He couldn't tell if the being was omniscient, or simply a great chess player. Regardless, each sentence was a move. If Korruhn was going to get anything out of this, he was going to have to play the game. "The greatness I sought is out of reach now. True, I have walked a path that may not bring me the simple glory enjoyed by the Toa. But there is greatness to be found in the depths of shadows. And a vast wellspring of knowledge that my kind fail to tap." The being leaned closer to Korruhn. "This? Ha! No more a tool than a sword. To be used for a purpose, and discarded when it no longer serves me," he stared directly back at the eyeholes of the mask, presuming he was locking eyes with whatever spectre haunted it. He was not trying to threaten or intimidate, but the creature would know that Korruhn would not roll over easily. "This one, beside me. He has walked the path." OOC: @Unreliable Narrator
  25. Crimson Jester
    IC: Korruhn, ??? Korruhn chuckled. He had never considered himself something as prestigious as a Chronicler before; that title was usually reserved for some hero-type. It was good to get some recognition, even if it was from... whatever this thing was. "My journey has been a lonely one, I will admit. My control of the Far Shore has been intermittent at best. Thus, I don't seem to keep company very long. This one was killed by your some before he could share his tale with me." OOC: @Unreliable Narrator
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