Mel

[Ga-Koro, Outside The Great Takea (Ranok)] Ranok listened until Nichou’s footsteps faded, and then leaned the staff against the side of the building. He appreciated the offer, but if any killer plants came bursting out of the building he put a lot more faith in his utility knife. He resisted the urge to blow a few contemplative notes on his harmonica, listening for anything that might be moving aside from the footsteps of his companions. OOC: Everyone else is in the building so... @~Xemnas~ I guess?

[Hanaloi, Forest (Falki)] There was little use getting fancy in battle if simplicity would do. Hambra, in her focus on Caana, had let Falki slip from her mind. They always do. Falki sheathed the damaged katar in one smooth motion and drew her kukri. The blade, a matte turquoise crystal, cast no light as she ran forward. She had fought enough sighteyes to estimate how much deeper she would need to cut at the ash bear’s exposed calves to reach true flesh. As she cut forward with her weapon, the kavinika surged forward, leaping to bite at limbs, ready to bring down this large prey like they had so many before. [Semeraed] Semeraed was straddling a thick branch like a wooden Soko, bow drawn and ready to shoot. But she couldn’t shoot Falki, despite the cold and unholy darkness that had taken hold of her beloved’s heart. As the mind reading rakshi skewered Riko, she knew with a surety that it must be her target—but she would only have one shot. Forcing herself to breath naturally, she turned her single sighted eye back and forth, judging the distance and preparing. [Hanaloi, Observatory Entrance(Fanai/Murasaki)] Fanai recognized the pressing feeling and the rush of water for what it was, an illusion. Still, it was a struggle against the feeling, even if she knew that the sighteye had no power to actually stop her breathing. Murasaki was panicking. Murasaki was not breathing. ::Breath.:: Murasaki’s consciousness was luckily used to small intrusion of Plangori-style willhammering, but Fanai couldn’t mislead a sighteye like she could another willhammer, only calm the frantic racing of Murasaki’s mind. Luckily, the sighteye had seemed to use all their energy on the auditory and tactile senses, and the Plangori warriors could still see enough to stumble away from the pursuing kavinika and their kraata riders, toward their allies. Fanai sensed something else, a familiar and yet twisted mind beyond the trees. ::An enemy illusionist above us:: The keen arrows of the scouts would be welcomed here. [Mari] Rakshi dwelt in shadows. They clung to them, found safety in their embrace. Despite their Zataka-given cunning, the shadows were a comfort that they could often not resist. Usually, this was a place where Menti feared to tread. Unfortunately for every rakshi that had faced Dastana Mari, this place of comfort held none of the safety they were used to. The menti’s eyes were almost completely closed now. She could picture every texture etched in stark relief, and the visual spectrum was more of a distraction at this point. The obscuring darkness of the cloud was simply non existent. The cloud evaporated, its conjurer pined to the ground by a mindarm-aimed dart. Mari spun her spear, slicing a kraata in two as it attempted to jump for her. The creature had been counting on surprising her—but it was instead the one on the end of a sharp surprise. She had no doubt the rahkshi would attack again once it realized the kraata’s trick had been ineffectual. [Rina] Crack! The other end of the pack was also having a bad time. The hated weapon of light and pain seemed to be everywhere, biting and slicing, forming shimmering arcs that bisected any who dared attempt to get close to its wielder. And the wielder herself was concealed from their eyes, seeming to bend the light and slip into a space where darkness could not reach. They could sense something there, a mask to infect, but it was too vague for them to do anything but jump in the vague direction what they detected, driven by the greater will that compelled them. Ironically, it was they who where in the dark. The more intelligent kraata held back, hoping that their mounts could get close enough. The brief window of darkness lent them the boldness to actively attack. Rina felt a slimy texture smack into her right shoulder, even as a Kavanika’s jaws closed inches from her left ankle. (She knew she had picked the Huna for a reason.). She didn’t have the time to bring her whip around, so she instead snatched the kraata with her left hand. It dissolved in her grip, frantically teleporting out of her hand, but Rina was ready this time. She whorled her whip in a circle in front of her own face, hearing the satisfying sizzle of psionic energy dissolving slug flesh. Then the light came back, along with a seizing pain in her muscles, spasms that made her stumble and… A familiar force pulled her back, out of range of the kavinika’s bite. A strong arm pulled her up. ::Don’t get greedy.:: Of the eight or so kavinika that had attacked the pair initially, only four remained, one missing its teleportation kraata rider courtesy of Rina, and one limping from a half-severed paw. The menti readied her weapon, paying particular attention to the blue and red creature that had given her the nasty shock. ::Oh, but we’re Dastana.:: OOC: @Keeper of Kraata @Goose I have darkvision blindsight an Arthron. :] @Nato G

Welcome! Always nice to see new players. If you're looking for a place to come in with very little knowledge, may I suggest becoming one of the refugee fleet from Kentoku that just arrived on Mata-Nui? If you're playing a dashi (matoran) artisan, like @~Xemnas~ 's Eita, you probably weren't involved in any of the big events on Kentoku, and you'd be coming onto a completely new island that you know little about. You can't have a vahi tho, sorry lol

[Ga-Koro, Industrial District] "I think I'll keep watch by the door, I think," said Ranok. "If things go wrong and we need more support, I have the most practiced lungs. Also, I can't fight." OOC: @~Xemnas~ @Harvali @Rahisaurus @Tarn @BULiK @Umbraline Yumiwa @Lady Takanuva @ARROW404

[Fort Garsi, Environs (Ipsudir)] Ipsudir couldn’t see very well in clouds of smoke and dust that were shaking the battle field, but her warriors lower down in the fort informed her that the would-be-invaders were unloading with their full firepower on the area around Fort Garsi. Their approach was anything but tentative, as assaults on the fort usually were—some Heui:nii trying to sneak through the ocean of traps before opening the fortress from the inside. In a way, these whelps were doing better than usual. They were effecting things, setting off traps and blowing vast holes in the landscape. This was the joy of battle: making a mark on the world around you. Yet Ipsudir knew better than anyone that some marks took time to make. Time, and a plan. And Zanakra the Hammerblunt clearly had no plan. Ipsudir didn’t just have plans, no, she had contingencies. It looked like for once she wouldn’t have to use one just yet, however, for the Razorfish “warriors,” in their quest to set off every last trap, had succeeded too well. The hillsides around Fort Garsi (ah yes, hillsides) were honeycombed with traps, tunnels and trenches. Even a skakdi with x-ray vision or a lesterin with an akaku would have trouble parsing the shear amount of defenses. Some of them had been carved out of the bedrock itself, but most had been constructed of loose boulders and gravel. Add an incline just slight enough to not stand out but just steep enough to have momentum, and you had the recipe for a multi-stage trap. For the overcautious, there were plenty of traps and hidden sensors, and for the trigger-happy well…the hill wasn’t just filled with traps. The hill was a trap. And the little welps were ever so enthusiastic. Gravity, prematurely exploded grenades, wide shots, vision powers, Zanakra’s hammer…there was just so much force working on the hillsides. Something had to give. Only the sonic skakdi were able to catch the minute rumble underlaying the roaring sounds of battle. The rest of the warband had precious less time to throw themselves behind T’harrak’s wall, which couldn’t have been constructed too soon. With a groan growing to a roar, the landscape in front of them shifted. A few of the skakdi throwing vision powers at the ramparts couldn’t move far enough before they were buried under several tons of gravel, bolders, barbed wire, and energy hounds, some of them somehow still living. The wall shook with the weight of the debris that hit it, but remained firm for the time being. The skakdi in the iron cage who had released the hounds hand been exposed by the mass of debris sliding off the hill. He gave his nakihl rifle one final polish before cocking it and fixing the bayonet. He knew he probably wasn’t going to survive this one, but he’d give these Heau:ni something to remember. He’s served the Garsis for hundreds of years, and the blood he spilled would be a passage to the hall of his ancestors. — Back inside the fort, Ipsudir turned on her radio, which luckily hadn’t been effected by the crystal shattering that had taken part below. “Kirik, would you ever so kindly get the cycle going? I think our guests are looking a little sleepy. Perhaps they need a little jolt to wake them up.” OOC: Be careful with fireworks, fellow people. @Nato G @Zeal@ARROW404 @Snelly @Smudge8 @Sparticus147 Oh and @Visaru ? Fire up the hog...😈

[Ga-Koro, Outside The Great Takea (Ranok)] “So,” said Ranok. “Perhaps I should lead you to where you can get some miracle cactus. There should be someone out there that would have caught sight of this particularly enterprising lesterin.” — [Ga-Koro, Outer Docks] About a half-an-hour later, the group of assorted beings was standing in a darker area of the docks while Ranok tucked some mushrooms from an Onu-matoran whose eyes kept on shifting to Timak and Kimala as if to gage how likely they were to immediately report them to the marines. Ranok sighed as he turned to Kanohi and Eita. “I’m afraid they’re out as of a few days ago. Looks like our plant-loving friend was buying up a lot of stock, and their suppliers got suspicious that something else was going on. We do have a location though,” he said, taking out an obviously well-loved map of Ga-koro and tapping a location near to were they were currently. “This used to be an abandoned warehouse until he set up shop there. I think most people here want him gone as much as you do.” OOC: @Harvali @Snelly @ARROW404 @~Xemnas~ @Lady Takanuva @Tarn @BULiK @Rahisaurus phew, all here. use the buddy system. [Ga-koro, South Docks, close to Sunset (Talli)] Talli was about to attempt a half-hearted laugh until she noticed the woman wasn’t joking. Wow, so these people really did need help. “Here.” She thrust out her mariners record so that the Po-lesterin could catch the important-looking seals on the surface. If she cared to read it, she would find a record of about five ships, as well as guard work in the outer districts near the docks. “Also uh, I’ve been on fishing boats pretty much since I could speak in full sentences. Maybe before, don’t remember that era of my life too well. I hope that’s sufficient.” OOC: @sunflower is water wet etc.

like warpaint or dried tears . : )

[Hanaloi, Forest (Semraed and Falki)] There is a misconception many new fighters have about rage. The idea is that if you make someone angry, they will be stupid, take risks, make mistakes. This is only half true. Rage dulls the higher reasonings, leads to split-second decisions that have no regard for the future. In a fight of life or death, however, these are the only decisions that matter. Thus was Falki’s mind clouded by rage. She did not consider the closing kavanika, the window of escape that was rapidly disappearing. All she was focused on was fighting Caana, and yet her rage did not make her any worse at this. Caana was fighting opponent smaller than her, already inside her range. In any other situation, a polarm would have been a superior weapon, but in this one it was not. Whatever the speed of thought, jumping was always a risk. Gravity kept her own time, and in order to get enough height to go over Falki’s head, Caana telegraphed her jump far in advance. Falki did not look up—that would be asking for a staff through the forehead. She waited to move until the very last second, stepping a fraction to the left, just as Caana’s staff came down, the wind of it caressing her shoulder as all the momentum of Caana’s strike embedded the blade in the ground. Falki had already stepped back, as her right blade whirled around to bite into the armor just below Caana’s knee. It chipped as it collided with the scale mail, but the broken edge still carried enough force to cause a bruise that would bother Caana for weeks. Then one of the kavanika leaped forward, its open maw straight at her, and Falki had to step forward to meet it, her blade loosing purchase before she could attempt to strike again. She drove the blade in her opposite hand up into its jaws, straight through the roof of its mouth and into its brain. But Falki’s rage had already led her astray, not to death at Caana’s blade, but to the kraata that leaped from the dead rahi onto her mask. She tried to slash at it, across her own face, but its body shifted and flattened. The blade met empty air, and then fell to her side as the hand holding it went limp. The cold darkness that drove into Falki felt none of the surety of belief that had been present in Vazaria. Nor was there any purchase in her rage—it was too unselfish, too wrapped up in her love. There was something beneath it though, a festering desire that it lighted upon: the sadness in Caana’s eyes, the laughter in Imperial mentis’. No matter how much her clan gave her, she would never be respected. She would always be seen as a mere girl, a saihoko playing at a menti’s job. They will respect you, said the cold infinity. And then they will die. Falki had never heard the stories that Hatchi had, never been warned of the poison that lurked at the top of Mount Koshiki and in the depths of all living hearts. She felt only the cold certainty of power, power that had been hidden from her. No longer. — Semeraed’s shot went into the already dead Kavinika as the kraata twisted impossibly out of the way. She had another arrow knocked, but she couldn’t shoot the creature without hitting Falki. She tilted her head from side to side, trying to judge distance with her one good eye (her one good eye skies and seas she was never going to see with two eyes again) ready to shoot just as soon as it detached. But when she saw Falki’s face again, a cold dread stilled her hand. Falki’s eyes had always been a warm orange, the color of glowing coals around a beach firepit, but now they were blood red, hard as a ruby blade, and with a cold and unholy darkness behind them. In the fleeing moonlight her noble miru appeared to be streaked with strangely symmetrical lines of rust, like warpaint or dried tears. Falki looked up at Hambra and sneered. The kavanika flowed around her. She was part of their pack now. “So eager to die for Imperials. Let me help.” OOC: @Goose @Keeper of Kraata Well, quite a situation we have here. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a profile to write--after all, Makuta deserves his murder-hobbits too. : )

[Hanaloi, Observatory Entrance(Fanai)] The gravity-wielding rakshi temporary dealt with, Fanai shifted her Perception to a wilder field, pinpointing the poison consciousnesses of the kraata in the trees. She brushed against the influence of the mind-reading creature, but retreated for now. Her own ability to remain concealed on the mental plane seemed to be working in her favor—the kavanika seemed totally focused on Murasaki, allowing her to fell one with a well-placed jab of her staff into its neck. [Murasaki] Murasaki saw the opening that Fanai had created and went for it. Calling upon the power of her mask, she leapt into the air, springing off the dead Kavanika’s head and landing shoulder to shoulder with Fanai. The two Plangori warriors stood back to back, weapons up as they moved toward their allies. Surrounded as they were, Murasaki’s machete wouldn’t be effective for much more than killing kraata, and the kavanika were now very aware of Fanai. [Mari] Mari had trained her body hard, learning the physical fitness that supported the power of her discipline, but she had never relied on just her hands. She let go of the staff as soon as she felt it being pulled out of them. Calling upon her mindarm, she added her will to the momentum driving the creature backward in one sharp push. The staff, already stuck in rakshi, drove it back and threw it off balance. As the rakshi recovered, it bought Mari a precious second to deal with the kavinika. Using the full power of her mindarm, she threw the darts out in a spray. Two of the bou shuriken found their mark in the eyes of the hounds, while others struck less vital but equally painful places. A normal rahi would have been sent yelping away, but these hounds were driven something else. Mari didn’t wait to ponder the effectiveness of her method. Her second staff was already in her hands, positioned so one end pointed to the rakshi and the other to the group of kavika. She backed away towards her clanswoman, eyes darting between the enemies on either side of her. [Rina] Rina’s soulwhip had its disadvantages when facing a single, powerful opponent. For one, she had to hold back, for fear of the flexible, wide arcing weapon injuring one of her allies. She had no such disadvantages when faced with a horde of ravening beasts. With a thought, the end of her whip became razor sharp, cutting through the air. The kraata riding one of the infected creatures died before it had even time to comprehend it, cut in half as the entire upper jaw of its steed slid off with it. Another snap and one of the kavanika fell forward, its left front leg severed. The invisible figure cut a whirlwind of light and gore as she moved to protect Mari. “Bad doggy.” OCC: @Keeper of Kraata oops, got a little too enthusiastic there. I've edited the post, and ran it through the mods first to ensure it's up to snuff re-how mindarm matches up to the physical capabilities of the rahkshi @Goose I’m going to be working on a post for Falki and Semeraed, but it needs GM approval for some things I will be describing. Thank you for your patience as always. (Also--hello @Nato G! I feel we might be better acquainted soon.)

[Fort Garsi, Outer Wall] The remaining cordak rockets hit the walls of the fort, sending minute cracks through the outside, but the rebar that formed the base of the walls held them firm. Ipsudir switched radio channels. So the welp had some bite to her after all. She would have to test that. “Looks like our guests are getting a little too comfortable. Why don’t you send them a bit of a welcoming party?” In one of the many tunnels leading from Fort Garsi to the land below, a gate slid open. The skakdi who had remotely triggered it from his own iron cage held his breath as the skeletal forms swarmed out of their holding cell. The energy hounds were barely tame and kept hungry, so it often was a coin toss whether they would attack their handlers along with any invaders. Luckily, the lead creature had picked up the scent of easier prey. — As T’harrak shouted her plan, she was suddenly interrupted by the baying of creatures on the hunt. Krex was about to have her cover. OOC: @Geardirector @Nato G @Snelly @Smudge8 @ARROW404 @Zeal @Visaru Always wanted to do that.

[Ga-koro, South Docks, close to Sunset] She was half-surprised that her counselor had been enthusiastic about the proposal. The other matoran had written a considerable note to be included with her application, detailing her history and “needs.” It made her feel like a child again, or one of the plants her mother tended so carefully during her long days at work. Still, it would be good to get out, providing they accepted her. Talli couldn’t imagine they would have a reason not to, head problems aside. She was Ga-koronan born and bred, as comfortable on a boat as on land (more comfortable, in fact.) She’d had experience on vessels both civilian and military, and living in a poor family had given her the patience and skill to dress up even the most pungent and bony of fish stews. She even had relevant experience as a ship’s cook, though that had ended badly. Still, it wasn’t like her cooking had sunk The Invincible. Really, that name had just been tempting fate. The Fowadi did seem to loom significantly more the closer she got however. She wondered how something so solid could float at all—would she even be able to feel the rocking of the boat beneath her? Well, only one way to find out. She approached the obvious Po-koronan. “Talli Anach. I’m here to apply for a position on The Fowadi.” OOC: @sunflower ahoy

[The Warrens (Ipsudir)] “Excellent,” Ipsudir replied. “I am ever so curious as to where that old gentleman came from, and what may be his reasons for kicking that little arena back to life.” Ipsudir had always thought The Place’s forbiddance on violence to be a might ironic. Skakdi had bled there, had died there, all for the amusement of the Lesteri:nii. Surely the mock combats were more of dishonor to their name than a true war, the same kind of war that had freed them from their chains with Irnakk’s blood price. “Do name you price first, when you find something,” she continued. “And we’ll see what we can do.” Ipsudir was going to make Vrinak remember that she was not her father. She payed her debts, in iron or in blood, and some day Vrinak would have to become more familiar with that second kind of currency. Not today, but someday. [Fort Garsi, Some Time Later] Ipsudir lounged next to one of the openings of the fort which housed an opening, just the right size for a telescope. Or a rifle. She’d heard of the upstart warlord who went by the name Zanakra. By all accounts, she was a capable fighter herself—though her choice in lackeys left much to be desired. She had definitely decided to go for quantity over quality. Gossip spoke of a heard of followers consisting mainly of outcasts and Sarke wrestlers who had never tasted blood. Still, if there were enough of them that could be a problem, but it looked like the young warlord had left enough of her force back to defend her freshly built fort from the hoards of spineless marauders that squabbled over the bay. This would be fun. Ipsudir picked up her radio and messaged Krex, who was surveying her newest rig of traps from the top of the walls. “Looks like we’ve got a little situation here. What are our options?” — Nearby to the approaching hoard, a hidden speaker suddenly activated with a crack of static. The voice that issued from it was pleasant, drawling, but with an unmistakable undertone of menace. “Well, I do declare, is this a visit from the neighbors? And with a housewarming gift. So polite. I am rather occupied at the moment, however—would you mind leaving it on the front steps?” OOC: @Ghosthands feel free to end the meeting how you see fit. @Geardirector, let me know if you have any ideas. @Visaru sit tight for now, you might have to clean up later. As for @Snelly@Nato G @Sparticus147 @Smudge8 and @Zeal ... So, you want to kill Ipsudir? Great, so do I. She was never meant to be any more than a one-arc character, and if she is not dead by the end of this year I will be very disappointed, personally. However, I do have a reputation to uphold—she didn’t get where she is by not being one of the most cunning and ruthless people alive, even by Zakaz standards. So I will be going all out—attempting to maim and kill as many people as possible on the way down, and that includes PCs. If you commit, you might just be rewarded, but anything half-measure isn’t going to do it. That said, may the best Girlboss win. :]

[Ga-Koro, Outside The Great Takea (Ranok)] Ranok tried to get a read on Kanohi as the masked vigilante shifted his attention elsewhere, seeming to grow ever more distressed. This need to find a particularly nasty lesterin seemed to verge on an obsession—though he supposed that came with the territory. Unfortunately. He hoped he could talk more with the other matoran at some point. “Well,” he said, his singer’s voice projecting over the crowd, though not too loud. “I am definitely aware of where one can pick up some miracle cactus. Usually I’d advise splitting up, but with the guards occupied with the new fleet I think we should be alright as long as we keep our heads down.” OOC: @Harvali @~Xemnas~ @ARROW404 @Snelly @BULiK @Umbraline Yumiwa @Lady Takanuva @Tarn

[Hanaloi, Observatory Entrance(Fanai)] Fanai continued to close with the blue-silver rakshi, striking out to force its attention toward her. Despite its uncanny reaction speed, it had to meet the blows of her staff, which gave Murasaki her opening. [Murasaki] The change in gravity threw Murasaki off, but her mask compensated, turning the helpless fall into a controlled roll. As her illusion ran off in another direction, she darted up and behind the rahkshi, her soulsword coming down perpendicular to its right shoulder. Machetes did have their uses. They were great for chopping off limbs. [Rina] Rina had been expecting resistance from the aqua rahkshi, but not this much resistance. While she wasn’t fast enough to avoid the creature’s blows, her invisibility lent her reprieve from the full power of the creature’s grip. She landed with a skid, barely avoiding the Kaazi warrior. Alright, so this thing had some sort of soulsword resistance. That meant she was running distraction. Luckily, she was very good at distraction. She conjured her soulwhip once again and swept it at the rakshi in a glowing arc, sidestepping to give Lana more room to attack. “Hey hot boy! You want some more?” [Mari] Mari was not about to let the rakshi ignore her. As it became clear that the creature would not fall, she swept the point of the staff she had been stabbing down with back, switching the other point forward. Her front hand stabilized the staff while her back hand and her mindarm thrust the weapon forward at the aqua rahkshi. The forward lunge was far more difficult to block than a slash would have been. [Hanaloi, Forest (Semraed and Falki)] Koshi Zrupgar are not just trained in all sorts of weaponry—they are trained to fight menti and win. This means knowing how to counter each of the mental disciplines. That started with knowing what they were fighting. Semeraed was already moving further back as her chakram missed, trying to get a better read on the situation. A sighteye would have used their ability by now, as would a mindarm. That left only two, and surely a soulsword would have summoned their weapon already. That left only— Without the advantage of mask that allowed her the luxury of thinking out every move, Semraed had only a split second to realize that she had miscalculated before she felt Rika’s arms jerking her back and the left side of her face exploded with light and pain. "Koshi Zrupgar, take to the trees, the kavinika cannot climb!” The kuychar were a people of plains and sea, and climbing was a strange skill to them. Hours of practice at the forest’s edge fled in pain and adrenaline, and she scrabbled up the nearest tree, keenly aware of her exposed back and the stories of the Empress’s chest carved open by a soulweapon. She twisted as she managed to hoist herself onto one of the higher branches, searching for Falki, for she knew Falki… Falki landed in the dirt, falling to one knee as she struggled to regain her balance without plunging her daggers into the dirt and loosing valuable time. With a heave of her legs she stood and pivoted, just in time to see Caana send a streak of energy at her lover’s face. Fighting soulswords was, on paper, the simplest of the Koshi Zrupgar arts to understand. Don’t get hit, and hit them first. The rules of combat writ large, easy enough to understand. But understanding is not the same as execution. "Koshi Zrupgar, take to the trees, the kavinika cannot climb!” Falki did not listen. With her fast reaction time and beserker fury she had always felt most comfortable facing a foe with a weapon that did require much thinking to counteract. Thinking was Semeraed’s job. Caana was a ranged soulsword. She wanted distance. Falki would not give her distance. Her next attack was a run rather than a leap, dogging the menti’s heals as she slashed forward, aiming for Caana’s calves. Her vision narrowed only to her opponent. All she needed was to take out one leg, and the Menti could not run… OOC: @Keeper of Kraata @Goose @Nato G

[Sado, Streets(Morie)] ::Make sure she doesn’t run away. We can’t afford to loose any more menti, regardless of their abilities.:: Subtly, the collection of menti around Morie began to shift. “Well, you will certainly find no sustenance or safety here. The remainder of the empire is quartered in the Imperial Gardens. We would have returned there after our patrol, but we can escort you there now.” OOC: @Perp

[Ga-Koro (Ranok)] Ranok frowned, tapping his chin. “I do know of some…extralegal places that sell plants—though usually they’re of the the more recreational kind, if you catch my drift. Still, might be worth going there to ask around. I’m rather famished, though. I’d like to catch a bite on the way, if you don't mind.” OOC: @Harvali @Snelly @ARROW404...and @BULiK @Umbraline Yumiwa as well as everybody else

It was not the face of child. (Thank you for your patience, everyone. Follow up posts shouldn't take as long, I promise.)

[Hanaloi, Old Docks (Ilykaed)] The Sokomaster stood next to Ilykaed, watching the two koshi zrupgar progress into the forest. At first, her descriptions were bare and practical, as usual. Then, as the sun was setting, her body tensed, and she pointed to a place in the forest where Ilykaed could not see. “Kavanika. But Kavinika do not behave like that.” She squinted, the lenses on her mask whirring as she strained to get a closer look at the creatures. “Something…is on them.” She swept the forest once again with her akaku, her teeth set on edge as she watched the various groups on their collision course. “We should join them.” The two menti turned and looked down to see Sedskar, reigns in hand, his husi straining beside him. The Sokomaster nodded and reached for her bow, but Ilykaed put a hand on her warrior’s shoulder, shaking her had. She locked eyes with the koshi zrupgar, his ice blue eyes stark against the warm colors of the setting sun. “Sedskar, I will not stop you. But this clan needs its zrupgar. It needs everyone. It will take hours to reach them, enough for the battle to resolve. We need to leave now.” Sedskar nodded, turning away to the forest and mounting his husi. There was no resentment in his eyes, only concern for the safety of his lovers. It made Ilykaed feel a twinge of...she was used to being resented. But Sedskar had not been born a Kuychar, and he had not developed that bitter shell despite all his years there. “We will leave a fast canoe of our best archers off the shore, for at least four hours,” she said. She was good at compromise, and if anything stood a chance against an unnatural pack of kavinika, it was Sedskar, or rather Dapys—his extremely fast and equally bad-tempered husi. She turned back to her Sokomaster. “Come, we should prepare.” The night was clear, and the wayfinding red star shone bright in the heavens. Sedskar did not look back. [Hanaloi, Observatory Entrance(Fanai)] The first attacks of rakshi on Sado had been devastating, not just because of their little-understood and destructive powers. Willhammers had been a core imperial power since the ascension of the first empress, and so the natural instinct had been to deploy them with the other menti in defense of the capital. This had been a mistake. Morie, the then-Toroshu of Plangori, had been on Sado taking care of political and business interests, and she had experienced this mistake first hand. She had indeed seen well-trained Menti drop dead with the fear of Zataka in their eyes. However, she had not allowed this to dissuade her from finding a use for the discipline. One could not persuade a rakshi, that was certain. The creatures were united by a will stronger than any individual menti could hope to stand up against. But this didn’t mean their will couldn’t be ascertained. A menti who never delved too deep, who focused only on the creatures immediate actions, and who kept their own metal presence as unobtrusive as possible could hope at least to predict the creatures next move. But this kind of subtlety could not be learned easily. The discipline was called Willhammer, after all. There were exceptions. The Plagori’s own approach to Willhammering was much safer to use in this respect—with it’s emphasis on playing defensively and detecting the presence of mental influence rather than exerting one’s will via force or deception. And there was no one who had refined this ability to perceive others while remaining elusive more than Plangori Fanai. Fanai perceived and Fanai reacted. There was nothing else from the moment the koshi’s warnings faded. She moved through the parallel realms of physical and mental by pure instinct, the same instinct that she now was able to perceive in others. She had been moving to cut past the blue rakshi, fighting against the oppressive weight with no annoyance, just a perception of heaviness. Askah’s words made her change tactics, with no time for judgment. She met the blue rakshi’s staff with her own. Although she lacked the speed and strength of the son of Zataka, she floated on the surface of its consciousness, perceiving its will just in time to halt its action. The staves clashed, and she stepped back, yielding to the creature’s attack but remaining firmly planted on the ground. [Mari] Mari had taken out one of her own staves in preparation for battle, using her mask to become familiar with the sonic landscape of the land around them. The enemy might attack under darkness, but she would yield no such advantage to them. Had the situation not been so dire, she might have admonished Askha for commanding them all, but there was wisdom in the ex-mercenary’s words, and no time for anything but action. She had been conservative with her mindarm so far, and the presence of the closing kavanika urged her to hold back still. But this rakshi needed to die now. She could feel Rina coming around to knock the beast off its balance, and she hoped the Taajar could assist her. With her mind, she reached for the crystal darts at her side and flung two of them straight at the blue creature’s eyes. As it moved to respond to her attack, she stepped forward and to the right, thrusting her staff downward at the soon-to-be-prone creature. Unknowingly, she echoed Caana’s attack on her ally just a few lengths away. [Rina] Dastana Rina was known among her friends as a bit of a motormouth and a thrillseaker—part of the reason she had chosen the unconventional and unpredictable shape of a whip for her soulsword. Yet, even she knew bait when she saw it. She smirked at the creature, despite the heavy press of gravity, and disappeared. The darkness that cloaked the rakshi’s attack also blurred and stretched her shadow to incomprehensibility. And while the mind reader could certainly find her position, it couldn’t see her. Probably. She sung a bawdy tavern song in her head as she barely avoided the rakshi’s staff. Just in case. Then, Ashka made her move, and she was free to sprint past the silver rakshi, leaving it to engage with Fanai. She moved to flank the blue one with Mari, and the magenta length of her soulwhip flashed into existence, throwing dancing shadows over the whole scene. She flicked the shard of her will and it wound around the creature’s leg, searing the metal exoskeleton. She threw herself in the other direction, hoping to trip the creature into Mari’s waiting strike but keeping her stance low and stable. [Murasaki] Murasaki had felt like the forest was full of eyes ever since that awful slug creature had dropped from the ceiling. An itch was growing under her skin—she didn’t understand why they hadn’t attacked earlier, when it was still light they knew where— She yelped as the glowing eyes of the koshi appeared in the trees. The Taajar’s excited chatter and the howls of the Kavinika followed in quick succession. Paradoxically, this finally freed her from that horrible feeling of being watched. They were here—the forest was alive with noise, as any good rainforest should be at night. And Murasaki had been raised in the jungle. She could deal with it. Her soulsword flashed into existence, its red-purple glow barely lighting the darkness around her. She wished not for the last time that someone, anyone, had thought to wear a ruru. As it was, she had to focus on the rakshi in front of her, even though she knew there were other creatures hiding in the trees. The plangori signature weapon was at most times, less than impressive. While most other clans had been drawn to the elegant, duel-ready shape of the katana or the lightning-quick rapier, they instead favored the machete, something that had started as a simple tool for moving through the undergrowth. No matter how they had refined it, it was still essentially a barely foot-long blade with a fighting style that could be best described as “hacking.” Yet, in the jungle, where the trees pressed close and a vine could mar the perfect drawn strike, it had its uses. For all their artistic concern for ideals, they still had a streak of practicality. “HaaaAAAAAAAh!” Murasaki charged toward the silver rakshi, using her mask to slip past and around as Fanai intercepted it. Teeth gritted and one eye on the trees, she started hacking. [Hanaloi, Forest (Semraed and Falki)] In the empire, dashi can only hope to go so far. Theoretically, they are the second class of the empire, the salt of the earth that powers the magnificent works of art, philosophy, and psychometry, the rich broth that provides the base for a peerless soup. But while menti, even with their power and their strength, can still fall to the status of saihoko, the opposite is not true. No matter how proficient their craft, productive their farmlands, or erudite their words, a dashi can never hope to rise to the highest caste. They will be respected, but never feared—always a little like children, children that will always be protected, but never protectors. Except among the few taajar clans that still trained koshi zrupgar. It was not a common practice, with good reason. Imperial suspicion fell heavier on those who upset the Zuto-nui-given order. While the origin of the practice was cloaked in the smoke of violent history, it was generally believed to be tied to the ancient taajar, who believed in strange gods and a plasticity to existence that imperial society did not tolerate. So koshi zrupgar had to be very special individuals indeed. Dashi with the hearts of warriors, if not the bodies. Semraed and Falki were both young. The frantic flight from the rakshi that day when the mountain spouted lightning had been their first taste of true battle. Yet, that inexperience was built on decades and decades of training with katar and bow and throwing knife, years of assisting in the slaughter of mukau and hunting of wild rahi. Young they were, but their hands were as calloused as any sailor in the imperial navy, and their weapons just as sharp. Semraed, who had already begun to suspect that something odd was going on, reacted first. Without the advantage of a mask to aid her, she had to rely on the instinct drilled into her by countless repetitions. Caana swept the Jahagir’s legs and she stepped back, taking in hand a near-transparent throwing disk—Caan was raising her staff—she spun it around her finger once, twice, building speed until it whistled—the tip of Caana’s staff descended toward the Jahagir and she released, aiming the spinning disk at the back of Caana’s neck. Falki took several more moments to figure out what was going on. Shock painted her face for a second before her mask contorted in a snarl of rage. It was not the face of a child. With no time to set up a throw, she instead flexed her arms, releasing her katar from their wrist sheaths. The familiar grips of the push-daggers slid into her hands, the triangular obsidian blades reflecting nothing in the approaching dusk. As the form of the Jahagir split and refracted, she leaped forward, striking at Caana’s exposed legs. OOC: Alright @Keeper of Kraata @Goose @Nato G. I’ve divided up all the characters here for organization purposes, but all of them with the exception of Ilykaed and Fanai are still NPCs. This does mean that they are all open to being killed or infected—and indeed I do expect this fight to result in at least one death, probably more. I’ll try to be realistic with character behavior and consequences. However, in the instance that you feel one of these characters should die, please PM me the details and we can work out together how it happens. Let the carnage begin!

[Ga-Koro (Ranok)] As the trio approached The Great Takea, Ranok caught something out of the corner of his eye, prompted by the patterned clicking that reached his ear first. It couldn’t be…could it? Ranok of course new a couple songs about Le-koro’s masked vigilante—he was great inspiration—but he’d never gotten a chance to confirm their accuracy thanks to the man’s elusiveness. The De-matoran tapped Nichou on the shoulder as a way of warning. “Be back soon, I just caught sight of some interesting people. Business, you understand.” He threaded his way through the crowd with practiced ease until he had reached the motley crew, who looked rather intimidated by the village itself. “Pardon me,” he said, offering a hand. “Ranok Selli. As a wandering bard, I have an instinct for a quest, and you look like you’re on one. Perhaps I can point you in a promising direction?” OOC: @Harvali @Snelly @ARROW404 @Rahisaurus @~Xemnas~ @Lady Takanuva @Tarn @BULiK @Umbraline Yumiwa ...and now we all run into each other I guess

[The Warrens (Ipsudir)] The Warlord clasped her hands, regarding Vrinak with her usual lazy menace. “Oh just the standard trade to start with, my friend. The ore veins have been generous, as have our neighbors. I trust you can spare the nakihl powder in exchange for some excellent quality raw materials. I might even throw one of those ever so eccentric rocks lying around. Perhaps I might even be interested in another one of those charming energy extraction rifles.” “But…I also have needs considerably more…esoteric. Particularly of the informational kind. Have you heard of that stadium up there near Irnakk’s jaw? Been untouched for nearly a decade now, but all of sudden some elderly gentlemen shows up ready to put on a tournament.” She put three cubes of sugar into her tea (from her own pouch, of course). “You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you?” OOC: @Ghosthands @Visaru @Geardirector

[Hanaloi, Forest (NPC)] Falki’s eyes narrowed in thought—she clearly thought the kanohi dragon was a stretch as well, but it didn’t seem to diminish her fascination with the weapons. Semraed turned back to Hambra and nodded. “We would be glad to go with you—although we are unfamiliar with this forest terrain, perhaps we can aide in other ways.” OOC: @Goose@Keeper of Kraata feel free to skip to everyone meeting near the observatory

[Hanaloi, Observatory Entrance(Fanai/NPC)] Mari sighed, rubbing her temples. “Look, I don’t want to leave this island infested with Rakshi and…whatever that thing in the caves was. However, we’re an exploratory mission—we’re hardly built to handle the kind of threat that you’re dealing with already.” ::Explain what we found at the observatory:: she sent to Somei. ::Maybe once they have a better idea of what they are facing—and once their Toroshu has returned—we can come up with a plan. If they truly think it hopeless, we’ll take some minimal lumber, enough at least to restore Toroshu Morie’s baubles, and then leave. I’d say we return later with more muscle, but I don’t think the war council or the Kaazi will like that.:: Fanai’s expression did not change, and Askha had only the seconds of mental silence to tell her that Fanai was considering her words. ::I believe I can guide you back to yourself, just as I could guide you towards a state of mental emptiness. However, if you truly fear loosing yourself, I can understand. The other option is that we could exchange masks.:: OOC: @Keeper of Kraata [Hanaloi, Forest (NPC)] “Well met, Caana,” said Semeraed, clearly the more diplomatic of the two, because no sooner had the words left her mouth than her companion blurted out, “where did you get those weapons?” The koshi zrupgar put a hand near Falki’s elbow, a soft touch all that was needed to convey a warning, but the smaller dashi squeezed her hand back, undaunted, as if to reassure her. OOC: @Goose [Sado, Streets(Morie)] Morie could have easily scanned this child’s mind to ascertain the truth of her statements, but she didn’t need to be a willhammer to tell she was obfuscating something. “Sado,” she said, icily calm, “is under siege. It has been for the last six weeks. I assume you have not gone outside since before this attack occurred, Daikura Suzume.” She fixed the young menti with her iron stare. “Is that correct?” OOC: @Perp

For my own part, I'm involved with two clans on the island. The first is the Plangori--a traditionalist clan of dyers who sponsored the Mashtet mission on the island. Morie, their leader, is an elderly menti who fully expects not to survive the war to retake the islands. She is actually Mashtet on her maternal grandfather's side, and sponsored the mission with the ostensible goal of restoring her heirloom Mashtet carvings. However, she believes that there is something more to the clan's disappearance--and that the Fursics are probably involved somehow. Right now though, she's run into a young daikura menti with absolutely no life skills whatsoever while patrolling. Also involved on the island of Hanaloi, though a lot less intentionally, are the Kuychar. The Kuychar are a fairly traditional but cautious Tajaar clan who had to flee the invasions of rakshi at the beginning of the arc. They stopped on Hanaloi to resupply and noticed the strange happenings on the island, and some of their dashi warriors are examining the situation more closely. And then there's Hatchi a (stealthed) non-binary former caravan leader who escaped to Sado with clan's horses and is involved with the M*A*S*H larp while they find out what in the world they should do next. (It will probably involve that little group on Oki once they reach Sado.)

I can't speak much to Ta, but I am running a couple clans on the Archipelago and it would be nice to have another rper to play off of. Do you have any particular types of characters you want to create?

[South of Spineless Bay, Fort Garsi (Ipsudir)] Ipsudir swaggered into the room, a broad grin on her face. Her retinue trailed behind her, somewhat more tense. The warlord was a powder keg, and there was something about the diminutive arms dealer that got under her skin. Luckily for them, Ipsudir had expended a good amount of energy that morning and so her frame of mind was distinctly more pleasant. “You train them so well,” she said, taking a seat opposite The Broker. “Such pleasant manners.” She might have been talking about a kavinika. OOC: @Ghosthands, also @Visaruand @Geardirector if you would like to participate