Vezok's Friend

Name: Myra Vasquez Species: Human Gender: Female Age: 33 (chronological), Late 20s (biological). Born 21st of January, 2525, Luna. Appearance: Standing 6’9” (2,10m) tall before suiting up, with the accompanying augmented Spartan physique. Very tan, despite constantly wearing armor, due to her Latin American ancestry. Amber eyes. Very dark brown hair, almost black, kept in a spiky crew cut, with one bleached braid on both sides running along the edge of the shaved part of the hair. She has the ODST and fireteam Crimson emblems tattooed on her right and left upper arms respectively and inked on her back are several combat knives, as if stabbing into her - each associated with a name. Rank: Spartan, Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) Specialist. Personality: Friendly in her interactions and with a dry sense of humor, she’s far from the abrasive Spartan stereotype. Despite this, Myra prefers to keep to herself and others at a distance. It’s not that she doesn’t like other people, quite the opposite in fact, but there are some things that just leave a mark. It’s because she cares that she went into this line of work and got into combat rescue: so that others aren’t put at risk. If that means putting her own life on the line to save someone - so be it. As long as it’s her and not someone else. This makes her very self-reliant and willing to take on long odds in missions. Background: Myra was born in January 2525 on Luna, mere weeks before humanity first made contact with the Covenant on Harvest. Growing up near Earth, the war initially seemed like a distant outer colony event that only happened on the news, but as the years went on, and the desperate situation humanity was in kept getting worse, even the most sheltered kids couldn’t ignore their reality anymore. Desperately wishing there was something she could do about the staggering numbers of casualties reported daily, Myra enlisted with the UNSC as soon as possible and served as a Medic, first with the Marines and later as an ODST with the 25th Shock Troops Battalion until the end of the Human-Covenant war. It was during that time as a sergeant squad leader that a mission went bad, which weighs heavily on her to this day. Once again wishing there was more she could do to save others, she applied for the Spartan branch shortly after its formation and was accepted into the SIV program. Straight after augmentations and passing her recruit-armor phase, she was stationed aboard the UNSC Infinity with Fireteam Crimson during the Requiem campaign. There she gained a bit of a lone wolf reputation, insisting on handling a lot of missions solo. Despite misgivings by her superiors, her combat record, competence and professionalism spoke for themselves and led to her being assigned to Spartan CSAR. Not trained from early childhood like the near-mythical SII commandos or intentionally expendable like the SIIIs, the new generation of rank-and-file recruited Spartan IVs required more specialized units for different missions. But with larger numbers, the possibility of Spartans either trapped or captured behind enemy lines became more and more likely. The answer was Spartan CSAR - combat search & rescue. While that was the official term, the enlisted men soon called these soldiers, that only came down from the sky to bring humanity’s mightiest back home, by a different name: Valkyries - due to their distinctive Gen2 armor association with norse mythology. Equipment: Vasquez wears Mjolnir Gen 2 “Valkyrie” Powered Assault Armor with “Scanner” Helmet, painted in a grey splinter camo pattern, with maroon markings denoting the CSAR role. Extra equipment storage pouches are attached to the chest harness and thighs. As CSAR is usually only called in when other Spartan personnel are in imminent danger, the combination of the Scanner helmet- developed specifically for search & rescue - and the Valkyrie armor’s flight system interface perfectly complemented each other. Paired with the extra equipment pouches and medkit, the suit makes Myra equal parts soldier, medic and pilot. M395B DMR: Semi-automatic bullpup designated marksman rifle for medium to long-range engagements. Preferred during Casevac missions to neutralize threats to evacuees at a distance. M20 SMG: Submachine gun for close range combat. The combination of light weight and firepower make it an ideal personal defense weapon. M6H Magnum: Standard Issue Sidearm. A classic and always a good backup to have. Standard issue combat knife. Expanded Medical/Trauma/Repair Kit: Specialized for Spartan rescue operations, the kit is broken down into smaller sections and is more extensive than the standard issue kits and includes the means for basic armor field repairs. Its components are stored in several pouches attached to Vasquez’s suit. Since the pouches are exposed and might get torn off during missions, there is a certain amount of redundancy between them. Skills: Myra has served as a Combat Medic for most of her career and as such has a lot of experience with treating, stabilizing and evacuating casualties under extreme conditions. As a Spartan, that skill set now also includes field-repairs to the Mjolnir armor systems. As her job involves getting people out of hot zones quickly, she also is a certified pilot on the Hornet, Falcon and Pelican and their Covenant counterparts. A former ODST, she is also fully acquainted with the Orbital Drop Pods. In addition to the usual Spartan marksmanship and hand to hand prowess, she is a skilled survivalist, a necessity for going into the unknown to rescue others from deep behind enemy lines. Flaws: It’d be easiest to say she “doesn’t work well with others”, but that would be an oversimplification. She likes being part of a unit and is a team player for the most part, but she has a hard time relying on others, as that means they would potentially put themselves at risk for her, which is something she struggles with accepting. Being Search & Rescue she’s used to being the one putting her life on the line to save others, the one who gets called in when everything else has failed. Meaning she can’t afford to slack off - or people will die. She doesn’t think others are less competent, just that people, no matter how skilled, make mistakes and she’s the one picking up after them in this line of work. That attitude works fine for a solo operator, but can come off as patronizing or controlling when working with others, especially other Spartans.

IC [Kunok McGrokk]: “Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hang on a second there, hoss!” the trader interjected, placing a hand on the frame of the bike to keep the other from simply getting on. “That’s it? ‘Thanks for the bike’ and then goodbye, stranger, smell ya later? Ain’t even gonna tell me your name? Gotta tell you, that’s not very beautiful of you, friend.” OOC: @Biological Chronicler IC [Strange Tunnels - Bear witness]: The first thing that struck Providence as he poked his head out from behind the edge of the tunnel exit was the sheer number of beings in the cavern below. The congregation was gathered around something in the middle of the cavern, lit torches spread among the crowd casting dancing, stark shadows that obfuscated their true number. There were dozens of them - maybe even a hundred. It was hard to tell in this light. But it was enough to make out some details of the beings gathered below. They were Skakdi alright, very similar to Zak-Yak in appearance, except some of their bodies were far more twisted than his, hunched over and there was just something off about their bearing.. They were ghastly pale, and whatever grew on the tunnel walls in this cave system was growing on them as well. Mosses and fungi clung to their backs and spines, attracted insects and other parasites in turn. But most unnervingly, many of them were partially or entirely without eyes. Not just blinded, but born without the sense entirely, brutally adapted to their savage underground existence. These were the Mesi, writhing, screeching, shouting and chanting in their strange language that only their fellow Mesi, Zak-Yak could understand. “Bring it forth!” “Let us see!” In the middle of a room, ringed by lit braziers, was a large, raised circular dais. Three steps led to the top, and at its center in turn was a dark pool or well, but if there was water or something else at its bottom was impossible to tell from this angle. Obscuring the view, on the edge of the pool, stood an altar, a simple rectangular slab of rock. Draining grooves carved into the top made sure the lifeblood of the body placed atop the altar would run into the pool. Judging by the spine and frills sticking out, it was - had been - a Skakdi-Xa. In front of the altar stood another twisted figure, silhouetted by the firelight. This one appeared more bulky, and wore a ragged cloak and all sorts of ornamentation: rahi feathers, jawbones of multiple species and other bits better left unwritten - a gruesome collection of tokens. Zak-Yak recognized this Mesi for what he was - a shaman. And he was in the process of drenching a strip of cloth in the draining groves. The shaman took the blindfold, now red and soaked, and raised it to his face and fastened it behind his head. The blood immediately began to run down his empty eye sockets and cheeks. Combined with the torch light the appearance was monstrous. He raised his arms and he spoke in the Mesi tongue: “Spiriah, you are our light, take these offerings and help us see!” On cue, part of the gathered Mesi sprang into action. They reached behind another rock in the cavern, and dragged someone who was definitely not a Skakdi to their feet. Watching from above, Providence, Varian and the others could see a warrior, lithe in statue and clad in partially blue, form fitting, armor. He struggled against his captors as they dragged him towards the dais... OOC: @Burnmad @Dane-gerous @Snelly @Sparticus147

IC [Kunok McGrokk]: The trader’s look turned quizzical as he waited with folded arms for Balkan to reply with an adequate offer. The other Skakdi could see his jaw moving slightly and tongue run over his teeth behind closed lips, all while tapping his foot. Signs of growing impatience. Finally he let out an exasperated sigh. “Fine. I can see this whole trading favors thing isn’t your style. Okay. Come to think of it, I got something for ya. Bit of a brain teaser that’s making it hard to catch shuteye. Maybe you can help, cause I need my beauty sleep. Heard a rumor a while back about some kinda ruin on the way north, uncovered by the last sandstorm. If you're taking the most common route it should be visible in the dunes west of the trail at some point. And since you’re headed that direction anyway, you might as well do me a solid and see if there’s anything of value in the place. If there isn’t, no harm done. If there is, I want a cut. Whaddaya say? I’d go myself but I’m tied down here.” McGrokk motioned for the other Skakdi to follow him. Besides the stack of stinking furs Yumiwak had taken with her, there were also a whole bunch of crates. The small etched piece of wood the trader held turned out to be a keychain, which he used to unlock a rather large, metallic crate at the bottom of one of the piles which was partially obscured by some other junk, which he shoved out of the way. McGrokk pulled the crate open. It’s side opened along bottom hinges and hit the dirt with a cloud of dust and a heavy thud. As it settled, the contents of the crate became visible: A bike. Well, kind of. The front was mostly traditional, but instead of a back wheel, there was a belt track. Every other link was lined with spiky protrusions. This thing was clearly made for the wasteland. A Muaka skull was stencilled on the side. “Meet Ripper. Ripper, meet...well, a new friend who hasn’t told me their name yet. How silly of me.” OOC: @Biological Chronicler Balkan has a quest now: Find the ruins. And a bike if he wants it.

IC [Strange tunnels]: The Matoran had barely finished his sentence when the wall came alive - no, it had been alive the entire time! Triki didn’t get to see the results of his handiwork as the earth around them started to shake and small rocks began to fall from the ceiling. The section of ‘wall’ disappeared from view mid-transformation. It was definitely turning into something more malleable though. Whatever this thing was, it was big - and it clearly didn’t like being disturbed, especially not by having it’s form forcibly altered. There was a low rumble and growling sound as the unseen creature moved, the falling debris preventing the group from getting a good view.. Triki thought he saw some sort of insect-like legs through the falling dust - or were they tentacles? Or maybe his eyes were playing tricks on him. And then, after a few seconds that probably felt longer than they were (except to the Vahki’s boring linear chronometers), it was gone and the rumbling receded. Where the wall had been the group was now faced with a dark opening. One of the Vahki stepped forward, and poked its head into the opening, mandible lights cutting through the dark. Looking around, it tried to catch a glimpse of the retreating monster, but it had already disappeared from view. The tracks they were following were still cut off, this time by the ground dropping away. The Vahkis flashlight revealed why: Whatever the creature had been, and whatever Triki’s power had turned it into just now - it had dug a much larger tunnel perpendicular to the one they were in just now. The floor at the bottom of this new passage was several feet lower than the one they were in just now and it was easily thirty feet across. Somewhere on the other side of that, they would find the continuation of the tunnel they were in before. Hopefully before the thing found a way to turn around and investigate who'd reconstituted it. OOC: @Toru Nui @Edelgard @Jakura Nuva @xccj

IC [Kunok McGrokk]: “Me? Need anything? Oh no, I need nothing. You, you need something. And I am a trader. You know, exchanging goods and services for money or favors and well...since I don’t need anything right now, what can you offer that’s worth me helping you out?” OOC: @Biological Chronicler

IC [Abandoned Camp - Into the tunnels]: With the lack of light now solved, they started the long trek into the darkness. Luckily for Triki, the Vahki’s LEDs were easy enough to follow and he soon caught up to the rest of the group. While they could see where they were going now, the smell wasn’t getting any better. The tunnels stretched on for what felt like the length of the island and it became clear there was an entire network of them stretching below the surface. If it weren’t for the tracks they were following, they would most certainly have gotten lost or worse with all the possible wrong turns, and what looked like signs of Rahi activity. And then, they hit a wall. Right in front of them, the passage was blocked. They looked around, to see if they’d lost the tracks somehow, but they were right there, leading in the same direction they had before, until being abruptly stopped by the foot of the wall. In fact, some of the footsteps were cut off mid-step. Nu-8020s memory core pulled up comparisons of the tracks to bad holograms often found back in Metru Nui, with clipping objects. Their quarry had definitely come this way. Somehow. OOC: @Toru Nui @xccj @Edelgard @Jakura Nuva IC [Kunok McGrokk]: “Ah old friends. Used to have many of those. Most of them dead now.” McGrokk shrugged, then adjusted his collar. “Oh well. Less old friends means less people to stab you in the back.” He began to rummage around in the inside pockets of his robe and produced a small wooden token with a symbol etched into it. “I may have...something. Well, if you can offer something in return. Got any ideas?” He smiled, gold teeth flashing. OOC: @Biological Chronicler

IC [Kunok McGrokk]: “Soooo...where are you planning to go that requires you sailing into a storm, hm? The islands down south perhaps? Heard they’re haunted. Might be monsters there. Or you trying to get close to the big noggin? Across that lake. Definitely has monsters there.” OOC: @Biological Chronicler

IC [Abandoned Camp]: The smell that hit Mahryo as he entered the tunnel was...not good, to say the least. It wasn’t all that intense, but there was something rancid in the air. Looking around, he and the Vahki could see the tracks were clearly visible on the ground and led deeper underground - where they quickly disappeared into the darkness. The light just didn’t reach that far and even with adjusted eyes, it’d be hard to follow the trail, especially if the tunnels started branching. OOC: @Toru Nui @Edelgard

IC [Kunok McGrokk]: The trader harrumphed, then looked past Balkan, back along the long way he had come from, towards the Rig. Then he turned back to the newcomer and cleared his throat. “How bout a little impression: ‘Hello McGrokk, how are you today?’ - ‘Fine, how about you?’ - ‘Splendid! Say, would you know where I might find a boat around these parts?’.” The sienna Skakdi tilted his head and raised both eyebrows. Get it? Manners. One thing he wished he had on stock for sale. So many needed them. “So. Boats. The old rust bucket back there finally run out of everything floating?” OOC: @Biological Chronicler

IC [Strange Tunnels]: With his shadow powers active, Providence noticed that the tunnel they were in was not the only access point to the larger chamber. Now that he had actual cast shadows to work with, he realized there were others nearby, some leading into the chamber ahead at the same level as they were on now, but other openings were higher up, overlooking the cavern hosting the assembly. OOC: @Burnmad

IC [Strange Tunnels]: The tunnel led the group on, gradually sloping down. As it went deeper, they could feel the air getting warmer and as a result, the smell of the fungi and other slimy things covering the tunnel walls became more and more intense. The only one who didn’t notice was Zak-Yak, who was used to it. They talked and laughed. And in response to Providence’s laughter, another blood-curdling scream could be heard, much closer this time. They froze, staring ahead into the darkness, only to see it wasn’t dark anymore. The tunnel went around a bend up ahead, and coming from beyond was flickering, orange fire light, casting bizarrely dancing shadows onto the wall. The chittering that had guided them here was now a cacophony of voices shouting incoherently about death and rebirth and other metaphysical concepts. But how many exactly there were and what they were up to - they would have to get closer to find that out, at the risk of being discovered. Unless they could find another way that left them less exposed. The tunnels honeycombed down here, maybe there was an alternative approach - they had a local with them after all. OOC: Alright, time to sneak an Exo-Toa into a cult meeting =P Feel free to come up with approaches! @Snelly @Sparticus147 @Dane-gerous @Burnmad

IC [Kunok McGrokk]: “Looking forward to it…” the trader replied to Yumi’s smiling threat, with a chuckle. He watched the trio leave and went to return inside, when he spotted another potential customer approaching. OOC: @Biological Chronicler that'd be Balkan, sorry for not getting back to them sooner ^^

IC [Vahki Transport - Rocky Maze]: As they went about collecting all the strewn about items, the Vahki and others noticed that the footprints that had led them here were spread around the camp site as well. Most were clearly from clawed feet, but not all of them. The tracks from the canyon entrance all led towards the campsite, but they didn’t go back that way. The group soon had a decent collection of personal items belonging to whoever had made the fateful decision to camp out here. Most of it was useful things to have out in the wild: Rusty and dented cooking utensils, Kane-Ra jerky, a compass, an all purpose knife, storage pouches of various kinds, an iStone with a cracked screen, a canteen, length of rope, heat stone, unused fire wood, a sealed plastic bag of raisins and the rumpled bedroll. OOC: Vahki CSI is a go-go @Toru Nui@Edelgard@Jakura Nuva@xccj

IC [Kunok McGrokk]: “Knew I could count on you, laddie.” the trader said, watching Korio unflinchingly take care of the furs. “Well then, Yumi, you better be off. Hard to leave such wonderful company as myself but it can’t be helped. Or did ya need anything else? More tea?” OOC: @EmperorWhenua@Tarn@Dane-gerous IC [Strange Tunnels]: The odd group followed the tunnels, which fortunately remained consistently large enough to allow even the Exo-Toa easy passage - almost as if they’d been dug out or widened manually where necessary. In addition, Vent found that they could finally see the tunnel walls properly - somehow, it had gotten brighter. The thumping drum beat got steadily louder as they approached, until eventually they noticed another sound. It was almost like listening to the ambient chatter in a crowded room, but when they listened more closely, they couldn’t make out any words - except for Zak-Yak. The words were in his native tongue, and many of them repeated, such as ‘sacrifice’ and ‘witness’. OOC: @Snelly @Burnmad @Sparticus147 IC [Vahki Transport]: NU-8020S’s temperature sensors went up as they disembarked the transport. Despite not in direct sunlight, there was plenty of heat trapped in these canyons. The group followed the trail of numerous footprints to the narrow end of the canyon, where it opened up into a larger, roughly circular area. The surrounding walls had a pattern of layers - there must have been water here at some point - and arched inward as they rose up, creating an overhang all around and making the opening above smaller than the area below. The source of the smoke turned out to be the remains of a dying fire next to a small, wrecked campsite. There was only one rather dirty bedroll that was left rumpled in the sand, but the leftover gear strewn about clearly showed there’d been more than one person here originally. But who exactly it was couldn’t be discerned yet, unless there were clues left behind among the remains. What was clear was that there’d been some sort of fight. The numerous footprints and dried stains in the sand told that much. OOC: @Toru Nui @Edelgard @Jakura Nuva @xccj

IC [Kunok McGrokk]: The trader chuckled again, his relaxed face in complete contrast to the disgusted faces of the other Skakdi. “On account of the smell she says! Remember where you’re headed - the dead won’t smell much better, ” McGrokk reached into his robes and produced a rolled up piece of vellum and held it out to Yumi. “I took the liberty of drawing up a map. Neatly marked. Can’t miss it. If you get lost...look for the carrion circling overhead.” As Yumi reached for the map, he raised it quickly just out of reach. “You come back with proof of delivery...and the gun is yours. Besides, no ammo means it’s dead weight on the trip anyway. Don’t worry, it’ll be here when you get back, nice and shiny.” OOC: @EmperorWhenua

IC [Vahki Transport]: Between the smoke trail in the sky and the tracks they’d found, the Vahki transport started to finally navigate the maze effectively. The only challenge now was to make up for lost time. Smoke and footprints weren’t as easily followed by night, and in these ravines, the light was lost quickly. Eventually, the trail led them into a canyon that grew narrower as its walls grew taller, until it was clear that this would be as far as the Vahki transport could reasonably go. Luckily, looking ahead, the smoke was dead ahead behind the narrow exit of the canyon. Whatever the source, they’d find it there. OOC: @Toru Nui @Edelgard @Jakura Nuva @xccj

IC [Vahki Transport]: The lizard was dumbfounded. Sure, Skakdi footprints in sand were somewhat ungainly, but destroying the trail by stomping all over it with the strange transport seemed counterproductive. What if you wanted to follow the footprints somewhere, or find the ones who left them in the first place? OOC: @Toru Nui @Edelgard @Jakura Nuva @xccj

IC [Strange Tunnels]: The unlikely quartet stayed still, waiting for the something to emerge from the darkness - but nothing came. After a few seconds of remaining silent, they recognized the noise. It sounded like...drums. Drums in the deep? OOC: @Dane-gerous @Snelly @Burnmad IC [Kunok McGrokk]: The trader briefly looked at his hand, turning it over and rubbing his index and middle against the tip of his thumb, somewhat surprised they were still attached.This was Yumiwak he was dealing with, after all. It had been a calculated risk, to see how much she was willing to put up with in order to get the information. She wants this lady baaad… “No catch.” he finally said. “Well...beyond the nature of the goods.” he added, with a sheepish smile. ----- A minute later, the trader and the trio stood outside the back of the shoppe, facing an outbuilding. The buzzing of myriad insects was all around them - insects drawn to the building by the foulest stench in the air, the funk of seemingly fourty thousand years. Said funk emanated from a rather large pile of hides stored right in the entrance to the barn. They were completely unprocessed, shaggy, covered in mud and dirt and things best left unsaid. Seemingly unperturbed by the horror on display, McGrokk picked up the topmost one from the pile and held it up into the sun. Underneath the layer of grime, a striped pattern was barely visible. “Fresh Muaka furs.” OOC: @EmperorWhenua @Tarn

IC [Vahki Transport]: The lizard watched as the strange transport scuttled on, wiping out more of the tracks in the sand. Kinda rude, they thought. This was their home. OOC: @Toru Nui IC [Kunok McGrokk]: Kunok watched Yumiwak’s reaction and frowned, eyes narrowing for a second, then widening in realization. “Oh! Oh, you think…!? HAH!” He continued to deeply laugh for a few seconds. “No, nothing quite so...sinister.” he said, still chuckling. “A mere delivery. I told you I saw your mystery woman on a supply run. Small tribe, very folksy. Bit odd, but who isn’t? We did a bit of business, see? But unfortunately they needed furs, which I did not have with me at the time.” The trader paced back and forth a few steps, before spinning in place, only to come to a stop facing Yumiwak. He took a few steps closer to her. “And since you’ll be heading out that way...well, I trust you can handle a quick delivery, hm?” On the hm?, he lifted a finger and booped her on the nose. OOC: @EmperorWhenua @Dane-gerous @Tarn

IC [Strange Tunnels]: Zak-Yak’s dramatic way of speaking was accompanied by the continuous thumping from somewhere deeper in the tunnels. And it was becoming more intense. OOC: @Dane-gerous @Snelly @Burnmad IC [Vahki Transport]: A small lizard sat in the sun on a ledge above and watched the Vahki transport clumsy make its way through the narrow paths of the rocky maze. While the vehicle itself remained unperturbed by the rough terrain, the unstable ground caused it to slip every so often, making the ride exceptionally bumpy for the beings inside. The small Rahi blinked, tongue darting out to moisten its eyes as it watched the vehicle crunch over the clawed footprints in the sand underneath its hull that had been there for some time. The lizard felt a bit sad at seeing the tracks destroyed. He’d liked the pattern they made in the sand. OOC: @Toru Nui @Edelgard @Jakura Nuva @xccj IC [Kunok McGrokk]: McGrokk’s head leaned left and he smirked broadly. His voice took on an apologetic tone that clearly wasn’t meant the way it sounded. “Ah, this is where we cut to the heartlight, where we leave the realm of stories and enter the realm of commerce! Sooooo I find myself forced to ask...what’s in it for me?” He scratched the back of his head at the base of his spine, took a sip of tea before tossing the empty mug into the sink and began thinking out loud. “Hmmm, yes...what could you offer to make this a fair trade? Some...currency or goods of equivalent value, perhaps. But then again I know for a fact there’s nothing on the Rig I might want, practically everything you got there came from me to begin with so...information in turn for information...no, no, you wouldn’t have come here if you knew more than me…” The metaphorical light bulb went off. And probably immediately burned out. “Oh, better yet: A favor!” He clapped his hands and rubbed them together excitedly, his mind made up. “Yes, yes. I know our trade! I’ll point you the right way - and on that way you’ll do something for me in turn. Sound good? To me, it’s music!” OOC: @EmperorWhenua

IC [Vahki Transport]: The crawler made its way into the ravines that hadn’t seen a machine of this size in a long time - if ever. The vibrations of its movement caused smaller rocks all around to start falling. Hopefully, nothing larger would fall… Up ahead, the dried out gorge forked and became somewhat narrower, though not enough to stop the transport - yet. OOC: @Toru Nui IC [Kunok McGrokk]: “Ahh, Yumiwak, you feisty Skaklass! You’ve always known exactly what to say to warm an old trader’s heart!” McGrokk chuckled. He stood before the trio, sunlight from somewhere above, a gap in the roof or an intentional skylight window. It hit his face, causing him to look up and squint, tongue playing around gold canines before clicking. “Well one hears many things while out and about as an entrepreneur of my caliber. Almost too much, it all just becomes one big blurry adventure! The specifics often get lost, you understand, I’m sure.” Yumi held up a hand, stopping him: “They wore cool pants.” The trader stroked his chin thoughtfully. “Cool pants...cool pants. Pants. Yeah I know pants, seen many pants, belonging to many people. Usually on my floor, but that’s neither here nor there. I may have seen who you’re looking for, maybe. Now I can’t be sure, I only caught a glimpse, but oh what a glimpse it was!” As he spoke, he motioned for them to follow him a little deeper into the shop. Rounding a corner, a small kitchen space came into view. “You see I was on a supply run down south, easy come, easy go. Ran into a bunch of utterly spooked Warskaks. And you know they don’t spook easy. They told me about an odd sight near my route, but no details. I figured I’d risk the detour. Quick as you like, really. Well, up until I came over that one hill and thought the world had ended - again.” McGrokk rummaged around a cabinet and pulled out 4 mugs and a dirty bottle with a resealable lid. He thumbed it open and filled the mugs, offering one to Yumiwak first. Her companions looked rather doubtful. “It’s medicinal.” he explained, then added, “Tea, you see? Try it.” He started handing out the cups to all three, then took his own and lifted it, before promptly taking a gulp. “So, top of the ridge. What’s the word for it? Moussaka? Mascara - doesn’t really matter. Point is: Mesi. A whole bunch. Dead. D-E-D. Dunno if it was your mark alone that did it, but if so I think she did a whole tribe - or close to it. All different too. Some cut, some burnt. Some...all over. Oddest were the ones that looked like they took care of each other. In the back, right? Friendly fire. Strangest thing, really.” He smacked his lips and inhaled with a hiss. “I didn’t want to stick around to meet whoever was responsible at first, but the thing is: I got this morbid curiosity. Couldn’t help myself really. You know what that’s like? Like you know you shouldn’t but you gotta do it anyway? Sure that’ll be the end of me someday - or not and I’ll live forever! Where were we? Finding stuff, yes. Well, I did linger just long enough to stumble across this -” With a grunt, the flamboyant trader pulled a massive weapon out from underneath a draped cloth. He turned it over in his hands, letting the rays of sunshine play across the metallic surface.. “Now, I dunno what this is called, but I know what it is: A real beauty. Rapid fire, quick swap magazine, six shots per drum. Too bad it's got no shots left, would’ve loved to try it out. Must have used them all on the Mesi. Poor fellas. Probably why it got dropped.” “But yes there I was, newly in love with this when I spotted a glint of something in the dark up ahead. And there she was: larger than life, striding through the wastes. Lost child of the stars, clad in splendid iridescence. Quite a sight to behold, believe you me. Only saw her for a second before she turned and disappeared into the dunes.” OOC: @EmperorWhenua

@Onaku Rangi & Varah are approved. Time for a new horn lord to rise @Burnmad Morangad is tentativley approved. Nothing wrong with the powers or skills, but just be mindful that this is a new island for players to explore. Even if your character's been around since before the dawn of time, there's a limit on how much they can know about Zakaz. @Smudge8 Informant is almost ready to go. But for fairness sake, no regrowing of lost limbs. However, if they can manage to hang on to a lost limb, it'd be okay for the healing factor to allow them to reattach it and it healing together again.

IC [Vahki Transport]: The smoke was now dead ahead, but as the vehicle approached it became clear that it wasn’t a straight shot to its source: what had looked like mere hills from a distance turned out to be an eroded maze of rocky ravines and gullies.An eerie howl could be heard, of wind rushing through the formations. Some appeared to be dried out river beds, their walls beautifully shaped by ages of getting sanded down. But as pretty as the terrain might be, it couldn’t easily be traversed. OOC: @Toru Nui

IC [Vahki Transport]: NU-8020S’s optical sensors scanned the landscape. It truly was desolate. Rocks and shrubs as far as one could see. One the horizon, craggy hills were visible. And there, somewhere behind the ridgeline, a thin plume of grey smoke twirled into the sky. OOC: @Toru Nui IC [Kunok McGrokk]: “Well, you can’t choose family, at least not the one you’re born into. But later on...” The Skakdi trader trailed off, nodded towards Yumi, then Zai and shot the latter a big wink. OOC: @Dane @EmperorWhenua @Tarn

IC [Kunok McGrokk]: The trader flashed the offended Skakdi his best smile again, ignoring her tantrum and turned to the other, draped in cloth. “Oh that is some fine fabric you got there! Tell me, how is the rig these days?” OOC: @Tarn IC [Vent, Providence - Strange Tunnels]: Vent's scream echoed in the dark...and continued. Or was that another scream somewhere in the caverns, answering? The heartbeat like thumping continued. OOC: @Snelly @Burnmad @Dane