EmperorWhenua

IC Stannis | Kini-Koro "My once-brother could say the same thing about us," Stannis said to Whisper. He looked at Oreius with a strange far-off look in his eyes, somewhere unknowably between admiration and disheartenment, and considered his statement more carefully. There was fire to his words but they were betrayed by the sullen nature of his tone. The Last Maru was conflicted because what he said was not what he felt, not really, not in his heart of hearts. In his heart of hearts, he didn't want to feel pain anymore. In his heart of hearts, he did not want anyone to experience the loss he did. He was a selfless giver of his attributes but was just as selfish as anyone else in the end. What he said had spirit, but it was all bluster, a lie, and... Oreius was not a good liar. Instead of calling Oreius out on this and shaming him in front of Whisper for giving a hypocritical argument, Stannis chose to redirect the conversation elsewhere. "This is neither here nor is it there. Philosophies will differ, but all pathways lead to the same end, and this cycle is nearing its climax, which unless it is derailed or stopped will cause nothing less than an apocalypse to everyone and time, immutable as it is, is not on our side. Do you know of Miserix?" Stannis asked of Whisper. "That's the Aspect the warskak Nektann has imprisoned, isn't it?" she replied. "No longer. She roams free, not that she was ever truly imprisoned in the first place. Others still persist, including Mata-Nui and Miserix, and if left unchecked they pose as great threats to you and I as they do to the denizens of this place. You want answers to mysteries; I want the power to give answers; together we can be in more places at once than if we work alone. "I propose we desecrate each other and combine our powers." @Eyru @Nato the Traveler

IC Yumiwak + Zai | Irnakk's Pit The respite of reunion was not long enough for us. The time for thinking and planning was passed—suddenly the enemies we faced were real and physical again, and the corners of our grimaces curved upwards in shared insidious anticipation. The nightmares of our minds had been batted away, replaced by foes of our own kind. It filled me with glee and colored my vision with an eagerness for combat such that when the sudden eruption of lava danced murderously like forks of flame in front of me what I saw was a mesmerizing splash of fresh blood across a black satin sheet. I stepped away from the brink of being burned as rivulets of superheated stone fell to the ground where I stood an instant before, but the river of lava was not abating and still spurted from the earth. It dawned on me what the Mesi's stratagem was, stymying me with obstructions and traps, and hoping I would either be overwhelmed before reaching the Mesi or be so discouraged that I would retreat. We were, after all, in the Mesi's element—underground—and whoever the band leader was here was clever enough to use the surroundings to choke the tunnel off for me. It was a good plan, but it wouldn't stop me. "Zai, take my hand," I commanded quickly and did not await her compliance, which was assured. "My power is yours. Sap the heat from the lava and seal the floor! Kor and Ys, move ahead when it's clear and immolate the tunnel with lightningbolts. I'll be right behind you." *** The severely attached fire Skakdi took Yumiwak's hand instinctively as soon as she saw it being presented. Obeisance to her captain's orders was so ingrained in her mind it was barely even second nature by that point. She would die for Yumiwak if it was so asked of her, and was all too happy to simply bask in her power by sharing an elemental link. The binding of wills to control their elements had taken an almost ritualistic role in her life, making a rote action between any other two Skakdi into something incredibly intimate and sensual, and she almost begged for Yumiwak's power to course through her like an addiction. Indeed, it was theorized by others who witnessed her attachment to the vagrant princess that Zai had invested all her attachment trauma into Yumiwak's persona and any sort of attention from the vagrant princess gave her a boost of dopamine strong and addicting as Dorian's Powder. She took Yumiwak's hand and felt her power double inside her. It grew and then boiled over like a hot pot at its tipping point until her elemental energies suddenly burst forth from her being and she could feel, truly feel, the fire around her. With dutiful compliance she did as Yumiwak said, absorbing the heat from the lava and into herself slowly at first and then faster as her control grew, and the red fire died down to a silver-lustred ropes of igneous rock. While the floor's hole was not completed sealed yet the flow was abated enough to make it safer than before. *** I mentally sought the warlady out. (Zataka!) (I'm not leaving anyone behind. That includes you. Where you at, gurl?) @Nato the Traveler @Vezok's Friend @pokemonlover360 @Tarn

This is Zai, one of Dane's characters who was a foil to Korio on the Tactical Panda II. To preserve that dynamic and keep continuity of the Panda'sroster of crew, she is ported over as a Minion Character until, and unless, Dane returns and wants her back. Until then pls let me have her as a mook. Zai, the Fanatical Minion Name: Zai Breed: Female Wasteland Ta-Skakdi Faction: Yumiwak's warband Brief Description: Crimson, tall, terrifying. Somewhat sickly in build, but this is remedied by the unnerving look she has, with smaller spines and spikes across her arms and back, standing up behind her frills making her look almost like an angry hedgehog and red eyes that stare, constantly accusatory. She carries a long, thin scar across her left cheek. Role: Fighter Flaws: Suffers from psychosis and is clearly unwell; hearing can sometimes not work properly; is obsessed with Yumi and probably has a terrible traumatic attachment disorder. Powers: Her Skakdi Ability (Primary Ability) is a blade of pure energy she can summon from her chest. The ethereal sword does not do any physical damage, instead causing immeasurable, excruciating pain. The blade itself is a glowing red when summoned, and can be used at any time. Her vision power (Secondary Ability) is Impact Vision. Breed quirk: Innate elemental fire that she cannot unlock without another Skakdi. Equipment: A large kukri that she keeps strapped to her leg, a couple throwing knives, and a rigged up weapon built from a Kanoka launcher, that fires superheated metal discs (utilizing her element to heat the discs up).

IC Stannis | Kini-Koro As his once-brother boiled over with righteous indignation Stannis held back—held back his words, his feelings, his assessments, his truth. If Oreius were any different of a man the way to meet his words would be through supplication, understanding, and placidity, but Oreius was an angry man fueled by eons of maltreatments and mind numbing warfare that had cast his moral compass into fields of blacks and whites with no room for greys and tolerance. Stannis knew the feeling, if only from an academic viewpoint, well enough to understand the only way to sway his perspective was by offering facts and turning the conversation towards self-reflection. If he could get Oreius to look inward at his soul instead of studying the world around him, perhaps... knowledge would find a way. "Look in your heart of hearts," he said. "Remember what you said to me. You—" he inhaled sharply, knowing what he was about to say hurt as much as it was true— "'can't lose him again.'" A beat. "Again." He let the memory sink in. "Cycles happen because people let them turn, like a boat giving up control because it is in a strong current. Creation becomes destruction, order devolves to chaos, and life begets death, which begets life, which begets death, ad intinifum, ad nauseum. Cycles are pain, once-brother, and nobody truly wants to suffer pain, not even you, which is why you wished for an eternal life with your beloved. You wished for an end of cycles. My promise is to deliver knowledge for people who want it so that cycles of pain will no longer repeat. "We were faced with a number of pathways of Fate in those days and weeks. Ask yourself, would you have allowed things to go as they did if you had known what consequences lay in wait along all those paths? Would anyone? The answer is no... you would have done things differently, we would have chosen a different strategy, or we would have avoided conflict entirely. It is a wish you hold in your heart, and in everyone else who knows pain, to avoid it, and to never be forced to look at history with regret and sorrow. "So no, I do not wish to control Fate, and Whisper does not want to escape death, Oreius... you do. Would you refuse yourself what you so desperately crave?" @Eyru @Nato the Traveler

IC Stannis | Kini-Koro "No," Stannis said simply with a gentle shake of his head. "The Builders—the Matoran—are not mere pawns. They made the game."

IC Stannis | Kini-Koro ”And what do you have to accomplish to get there?” Stannis asked. He’s offered up what his next step was; surely Whisper would share in kind?

IC Stannis | Kini-Koro "Now," Stannis began, "we work together. And I will tell you what I am, Whisper." He gestured to the silent, hulking Toa Maru beside him, and motioned quickly back and forth between them and Whisper. His cloak billowed at his back in a ripple of shadows that flitted like ripples of nighttime as he spoke. There was no deception in his tone, he was speaking plainly to the others, and his voice emanated from his mouth and from his chest, almost as if his whole body rumbled with speech. "I am Caedast, the All-seeker, True-guesser, and Wizard; my portfolio desire is the Knowledge of Fates. This body once belonged to a man named Stannis, a selfless leader and a visionary recorder among the Builders, who was raised to toahood after the Ark ascended and later became one of the most prized of warriors in Mata-Nui's universe. He and I made a bargain and shared this shell—two minds, one body—when we found each other and our mutual lusts for knowledge: He wanted to understand why things happened and I... I wanted to show him. Years passed, and then so did he, leaving me with his body and a legacy which I have tried to honor. "This is Toa Oreius Maru, Once-Brother. In eons before, when the League of Kingdom's war for conquest and freedom was still nascent, we fought together, bled together, and saved lives together, but in the end I betrayed his confidence in me and revealed what I am. It was meant as a kindness but I realize it was not kind. Oreius has no reason to trust in me but I still place my trust in him, and he kept the truth of my nature secret as I asked. "I am the solution to the basal desire to know why events transpire as they do, the wish to control Destinies that seemingly cannot be controlled, and the deep desire to solve riddles and mysteries. My Grand Wish is to become an oracle and banish ignorance from the lives of the Builders, my secondary goal is to end the cycles of violence, and to help anyone who seeks to know. My wish is near completion, and my next step is to obtain the Mask of Light." He stopped, then, after disseminating the vast majority of his existence to Whisper and (he realized) to Oreius in one fell swoop of words. "Now, tell us about you. "Please." @Nato the Traveler @Eyru

IC Stannis | Kini-Koro The Wanderer studied Whisper carefully, wondering to himself and gauging the reliability of the other's statement. In the end, he realized, it didn't matter. Whisper was as disconnected from any one morality compass as another, and the only thing that could be counted on was her nature to achieve her Grand Wish. Her sentiments of the Builders and others was, in effect, irrelevant when her need for them as implements was just as great as Stannis' own. She needed the Matoran to continue to exist... as did Stannis. "That will do," he finally said. "With our Fates connected from this point, I'm inclined offer you my wisdom and power in manifesting your Wish iffff... you will do the same, in turn, for me. There are others of our kind who's paths would cut either of ours short should they succeed. While Mata-Nui's concept of Unity is hubris and pretext, there is power in alliances. And there is no dishonor greater than failure." @Nato the Traveler @Eyru

IC Stannis | Kini-Koro It was true, of course. Their intentions were aligned, and while their end goals were different there was a certain harmony to their motives and the knowledge that they shared a path was a comforting power by itself. The caution came from the amorality of knowledge itself, and so while Whisper had been taught something she was looking for, the question now became what she would do with the information. Her intentions were one matter; her dispositions were quite another. "Indeed. But then, answer me this: Do you care what happens to the Builders?" he asked directly. @Nato the Traveler @Eyru

IC Stannis | Kini-Koro "Every day," the Wanderer responded with a strong tone. "This is the farthest my spirit has ever gotten, and that is all the more reason for me to fight harder and stronger to stop the cycle."

IC Stannis | Kini-Koro "You needn't tear Whisper to scattered dream dust," Stannis said coolly to his once-brother. "So, you see my powers now. I preached on the deceitful nature of Shadow and you did not believe my words—nobody believed—because nobody could consider fathoming that all that time I was talking about me. I spoke with authority on matters of Shadow because I am from the Shadows. But I am also from the Builder's dreams. And yet, somehow, I feel so strongly that I must fight to preserve the lore of the past so that everyone can create a better future. But I have never truly lied, only rationed truth. Do you believe me now?" he asked.

IC Stannis | Kini-Koro "It does not bring me joy, Whisper," Stannis said evenly, though inwardly he struggled to retain his composure. He hated asserting himself upon those who he desecrated, and there was a certain irony in summoning Oreius to his side as he did, as while the once-brother was both the most foolproof of beings he could summon he was also the one he most regretted enslaving as he had. "Some knowledge is a curse instead of blessing, some revelations blind instead of enlighten, but all knowledge carries its costs, and once it has been bought... it cannot be returned." He looked back to Oreius, his once-brother, the man he previously trusted more than anyone else and loved as a family member as much as an Aspect could love the idea of a family. Stannis wondered what would have become of Oreius had Inu not nearly perished and the desecration ritual not occurred. Would Oreius have retained his spirituality and been less of an absolutist in the face of war and suffering? Some things, even Stannis did not know. "Hello, Oreius, and welcome to Kini-Koro." @Eyru @Nato the Traveler

IC Stannis | Kini-Koro The wizard-Aspect stared into Whisper's... face... sight... parapets... and knotted his brows again. Whisper asked for something more difficult to deliver than she probably thought, and most of the attributes she likely considered natural to Aspects was a more special case with Caedast's body. Desecrating someone wasn't an option without a willing participant, and knowledge of the taboos alone was not a sufficient enough proof of his nature. Stannis could stab himself in the chest with his spear... buuuut he'd rather not. Then he realized the most prudent exhibition of his nature was also the most potent proof of his status and power. He almost chuckled yet again at the thought of it, though instead he simply smiled weakly to himself. This will be fun. It also could go badly, but thankfully the person he had in mind was as beyond reproach as himself in the eyes of the Builders, and would be a powerful ally if things went awry with anyone in the village. Stannis looked up to the sky to note where the sun was and then looked to the ground. Stannis' seated shadow was cast to the left of him and was a small window in the midday sun that shone down from a promontory in the sky. He closed his eyes and saw through another set. (Once-brother.) An anguished groan could almost be felt in response, though perhaps it was merely imagined. Stannis was simply glad his desecrated was already sitting. (... Watch your ###.) "An Aspect of Makuta who has reached their fourth milestone in their Wish quest possesses the ability to teleport to the shadow of their desecrated," he prefaced his magical act, "but an Aspect of the fifth level can teleport their desecrated to them..." And then Stannis mentally yanked at the invisible tethers that bound Toa Oreius Maru to him.

IC Stannis | Kini-Koro "You doubt me," he said with another deep chuckle. "You are right to be skeptical but you are already coming to believe. If I spoke the immutable truth it could be taken at face value; if I told a lie it would be clearly perceived; but you know it is a challenge in decoding where an Aspect's deceptions begin and where they end. Shadow obfuscates, after all," he reflected. "What proof would you ask of me?"

IC Stannis | Kini-Koro The Wanderer chuckled then, mirthlessly smiling and looking off a little to the side. Now, he thought, Whisper was starting to put it together—a little bit by bit. The façade was still there, but just like a tree shedding its leaves in preparation of the dead months Caedast allowed the pretenses to slip away for Whisper to see. It was not without a purpose, as very few things the old man did were for out of pure chance, and the Aspect of Fate tempted her portfolio with the intent to spread knowledge to Whisper. Whatever the other Aspect's intentions were would become plain to see as she used whatever information was given to her, but whether she chose to become an ally or an opposer to the elder's mission did not matter to Caedast. Knowledge had no morality, it had no compass, and who was she to think she was any North Star to base others upon. In the end, Whisper would come out far more aware than when she arrived, and she would use that to do what she willed. "I have been around for a very long time, Whisper," Stannis said, looking evenly back to the floating being by then. "I have come to realize that things exist because the Builders create and destroy in a constant cycle, and exercise the power of Tren Krom in their own way, so I integrate myself among them as unassumingly as a stray orchid in an abandoned garden. I seek to understand them, and in turn to spread understanding to them, and while I have a role it is not as a controller. "People have always asked why things happen the way they do—what if they had gone a different way?—what if we had known then what we know now? History repeats itself. I represent the knowledge of those cycles, in the hope, with the intent, that the nobody will have to suffer through a cycle again. You see, Whisper... in a way, we're not dissimilar."

IC Stannis | Kini-Nui The wizard scoffed in mockery at the reference of 'his' cycles and creased his forehead in mock disdain. "These are not new Builders," Stannis intoned, "nor are their desires different from the ones that birthed Aspects of yore. Same dreams—different manifestations. But you are correct that nothing has changed. This land, Xa-Kas, shifts constantly under the burden of entropy and swirling ethereal forces, but all things and peoples return to it... in time. "Even myself."

IC Stannis | Kini-Koro “Your Wish is chaotic and nefarious, is it not? What you did to Taja, desecrating her heartlight in an experiment without her full awareness of the risks, fits that description, indeed. You, like all Aspects, strive to satisfy an onerous itch people possess. Aspects feed off of the Builder’s deepest and darkest emotions and desires.” He gestured widely, first at Kini-Koro, then to the barely visible crest of the monolithic Arc-head in the distant horizon, barely peeking over the mountaintops from the temple valley. “The people of this world are Builders and have such immense power to create... but if you look into their hearts you’ll see they also have the power to destroy—wars that sundered realms, feuds that shattered familial bonds, and innocent wants that spiraled into chaotic bargains are habits that flow in their veins just as Antidermis pumps through your host body.”

IC Stannis | Kini-Koro “In a sense, yes. The line becomes blurred somewhat, but Mata-Nui’s existence was a direct response to the Builder’s subconscious desires, and a small and otherwise innocuous wish for some deity to place faith in created a spirit with a craving to be worshipped so great that it spelled a certain doom for the Builders. Sometimes I think Destiny almost has a sense of humor.”

IC Stannis | Kini-Koro The Wanderer sighed; Whisper was a terrible conversationalist. He would have to wax directly. "What do you think you are, Whisper? You have a Grand Wish that stirs in your sense of self like a snake in a sack, writhing inside with a primal sense of urgency. Why do you think that is?" he posed. "You are not the only one to desire a break away from the Cycles of life and make things different in the spirit of nihilism, there are many Builders who harbor similar thoughts. Vulimai, I think, is just one other such example. The point is there are many others with the same deep desire, and you... are the answer to those desires. "I do not speak flattering things about any Aspect of Makuta. Yes, I did know what Mata-Nui is. He, of course, dwells on a deep longing for Faith in something greater than the self. The Builders love that sort of malarkey and were enamored with the idea of worshipping a god. As I said before, all gods are born and all gods die... only some don't stay dead so long as people believe in them. Strange, how Mata-Nui only seemed to gain power the more people died in his name..."

IC Stannis | Kini-Koro "I only speak truth, Whisper, but truth—much like mathematical statistics—can be skewed towards or against a certain audience. I find myself compelled to share you truth from a different angle than what I illustrated in Ko-Koro."

IC Stannis | Kini-Koro "Only that it's been here for a long while and holds answers and instruments not found on this plane. The old legends speak of it only vaguely, but it could be as much of an Ark as the one I sojourned on with the other Builders for untold millennia. I've never been there but I have a feeling I will have to be eventually. Many paths seem to lead there." He seemed to consider his next words again carefully, knowing that the last time he spoke with any authority on what he was about to broach in Whisper's presence it was nearly damning, if still true. "You said you are searching for answers to understand what Aspects are and what you are. In this matter... I can provide wisdom."

IC Stannis | Kini-Koro He touched his chin in consideration and seemed lost in thought for a moment as he pondered Whisper's question. He sought to remember the ancient tomes he'd read, the old manuscripts written back in the Time Before Time and the Time That Time Forgot, and the etchings inscribed on the surfaces of temples and shrines all across the island, and of the bits and pieces of lore he'd found and entombed in his mind. "Alive? No. Dume was a Forgemaster—he still held trappings that indicated as much—but he has been made dust. Neither the Chroniclers Takua or Icarax have been seen or heard of in eons. I cannot think of anyone who would fit the mold of a Grand Builder, and the ancient texts did not point towards any one Builder holding that title. It is possible, I suppose, to find these beings from other timelines, such as what Atamai did with the warlord Axonn... and what Tuyet has been doing in all her traverses... but that is a risky endeavor."

IC Stannis | Kini-Koro The old man said nothing. He almost asked Whisper if she couldn't simply pull Taja to them but thought better of it before he opened his mouth to speak. They walked in silence for several moments, with Stannis not opening the floor to speak and Whisper—determined to be the most courteous tentacle monster who ever floated—politely did not interject yet. The old man had promised an audience and made clear that he would deliver imminently, and so silence reigned for the time being. Finally, once they were in a secluded area at the far western edge of the shire-like village, Stannis stopped. They were in a grove of trees, an offshoot of the neighboring rainforest, and were surrounded by all sorts of verdant life. Thick grasses lazily brushed his calves and vines gently choked the lower stumps of the trees, while the soft whispers of deciduous leaves murmured with the passing of a breeze overhead. The lake of the Kini-Nui lapped just off to the side, no more than three stone's throws away from them, adding to the peacefulness of the setting. With all the fastidiousness of a preparatory upperclassman the Wanderer tied his cloak around his shoulders with its sleeves like it was a sweatshirt, turning it into a sort of short cape that hung limply as a bundle at his back, and then he sat down on a nearby stump. "So, you want to get this Codex of Absolution," Stannis said, letting the suspense build tenfold as Whisper's floating body warbled in place in rapt attention. He sighed. "I do not know what that is. But what I know I will tell you. Ask me your questions, Whisper."

IC Stannis | Kini-Koro The Wanderer nodded once. "The time... is right," he said simply. The place was yet to be ascertained, however he simply waved a hither gesture as he walked away and invited the other Aspect to go with him.

IC Stannis & Leklo | Kini-Koro The deal the Wanderer and Alpinist struck was an easy one to forge, and an alliance was brokered between two warriors who ostensibly were waiting for the other to arrive at the right time. They both had a motive to find Korruhn: Leklo, the errant-toa, wanted his friend back and had a renewed sense of purpose in uncovering Kor's ultimate fate at any cost, and Stannis, the vagrant Aspect, wanted to exchange knowledge and wisdom with Korruhn and avert a temporal apocalypse in the process. Both of them wanted to find Korruhn and help him, and in turn choosing to help each other required absolutely no concessions, though they both wanted to prepare the other for the mission ahead. Each asked for something from the other, then. "Toa Stannis—" "Call me a brother." "Brother Stannis," Leklo restarted, testing the word on his tongue and quickly realizing he felt the term was an inadequate expression for what he thought of the man even Turaga Dume thought of as a folk hero of a sort, "if Korruhn went to the Far Shore when he turned to ink, then I'm inclined to think there must be some clues about his condition to be found there. We should go there, though the portal in the Kini-Nui, and start our hunt where we know he went." Behind his words was a spirit of enthusiasm Stannis quickly ascertained verged on recklessness. "I haven't bothered to enter the portal because I just considered it a separate puzzle to the one I'm currently working on, but if there's any connection at all, then... we should go in together." Leklo paused and glanced at his Book of Lists that sat neatly on the bedside table, next to the iStone charging dock. He hadn't touched it in weeks, but he still mourned when he scribbled the latest entry to it, thus locking his focus at overcoming the task listed with a singularity that others would consider obsessive at worst and inflexible at best. Stannis nodded, seeing the potential value in checking the Far Shore out. "This Far Shore... is it a dangerous place?" he asked. "Nuju seems to think so, which is why we may need each other there." The old man thought a moment. He was not sure what to expect, and he doubted he could get straight answers from Nuju either; if the Far Shore was anything like what Korruhn described it as, it would take all of his wits to stay in control there and come back out. "I will go, Leklo. You will stay. Ah, ah, my mind's made up," Stannis asserted himself with a placating gesture. "If anything should happen to me while there you are the next-best equipped to go south and look for Korruhn. In the meantime, my airship is yours to safekeep. Be mindful of Knichou, he gets google eyes over anything that can rival his own bird, and no conscripting it to service under Vulimai, either. We will need it when I come back." "Sending you in alone seems risky, it's not safe," Leklo murmured. "It's not," Stannis admitted, realizing he was taking the responsibility of the journey all to himself and stymying Leklo's initiative, "but it is what is wisest. I am old, and I no longer cling to life, but you still have unbound potential. Realize that, and never stop improving yourself. When I come back, I expect you'll be a proper toa-savant." "And if not?" "Then I'll train you," Stannis said with a weak smile, "and we'll unlock your energies together. For now, though, I must away. My cloak needs mending." The wizard unceremoniously got up from the floor and soon enough was out the door, headed for the marketplace. OOC Stannis open for interaction. @Nato the Traveler, now would be the time.