av.

IC: So far, things were going pretty well. If I was lucky, maybe I wouldn't have to- 'Nope, obviously not going to be that lucky...' The pain came crashing down faster then I had expected. I muttered a few choice curses under my breath, and cracked my eyes open slightly, glancing around for the small black remote I'd purchased a few weeks back and set on my nightstand. 'Come on, bloody thing has to be around here somewhere...'Finally! I grabbed the square device and pushed the button repetedly, only stopping and daring to open my eyes fully when I noticed the room darkening to a much more tolerable level. "Alright then," I grinned and got out of the bed, ignoring the cracking of my joints as I stood. "Obviously ordering that drink last night was a bad idea, nevermind ordering the three extra glasses." Shrugging on my favorite brown cloak, I stood and put on the Press badge that had been part of my outfit for so long. The nameplate had been replaced with a simple metal plate merely reading 'Rath' and nothing more. Names were powerful things in this city, and there was no reason to give anyone the ability to really track me down. Great Spirit knowing, I had a list of people that would jump at the opportunity to get some dirt on me. Pushing my thoughts aside, I walked out of the bedroom, through the living room, and into the kitchen, pausing only long enough to use the wall terminal to send in some garbage column about the 'Fabulous Destinations of Phan-Metru' that I had hastily written the night before. Hey, it wasn't exactly the most fascinating drivel to write about, but at least it paid the bills. Glancing over at the dinky little fridge I owned, the calm blue-hued display cheerfully told me that there was no food in the entire place. "Well karz." Frowning, I grabbed my set of keys and headed out the door, satisfied with the automatic locking sound behind me. Looks like I was headed out to catch some food from the 'extraordinary diners' of Typewriter Town.

Name: Arath Species: Toa of Earth Gender: Male Appearance: Scrawny and light, 'Rath has white armor, slightly damaged and dented in places. To a certain extent, even scrawny doesn't cut it as a useful adjective, due to his uncanny 'ability' to fit in between hilariously tiny spaces. Rath's snowy white armor is stained with wispy red markings that seem to be bound to the very material the armor is made of. He generally wears a dull brown cloak in an attempt to cover his slightly obvious white armor. Powers: A self-proclaimed master of his element, Rath seems to have a slightly greater proficiency of his element, Ice, then most other Toa he's observed. His mask is a white Great Miru, forged in the shape of a Noble Miru. Skills: As a self made man of Typewriter Town, Rath had it drilled into him very early on that details were always a top priority. As such, Rath's mind is essentially eidetic, only forgetting details every 1 out of 10 times. Flying's a favorite hobby of his, although he's about as graceful as a bow-legged ballerina at the moment, having so few opportunities to actually practice the art. For what he lacks in flight skill, he more then makes up for in use of his element. His above average powers enable him to use his element in ways many people couldn't, allowing him to take the upper hand in fights four times out of five. Weaknesses: Rath's flying is about as calm as a hurricane ripping through a porcelain vase emporium. Because of his lack of expertise with flight, his kanohi Miru is really only helpful for small hops or flights that last one or two minutes, and that's on a good day. Rath relies on his element for most fighting, leaving him at a serious disadvantage in prolonged fights. In addition, because he's so light, he usually takes more damage from hits then bulkier people would. Equipment: Rath keeps a notebook and pen on him at all times due to his job, and rarely uses higher technology if necessary. Call it paranoia, but at least with paper you can eliminate all traces of it in a snap. He carries a lone Earth Claw, modified to not require the loss of a limb to use, along with a dull-green messenger bag. Bio: The Universe was weird sometimes. What qualified as weird, well, waking up in the middle of a bar in some back-alley in the Ghetto one gloomy and raining morning to discover you had no prior memories of your life, and only knowing for certain that you had a blank notebook, some pocket change, and a small knife in your back pocket. Yeah, that was weird. Rath doesn't know anything about his previous life. Flashes or glimpses would be lucky, because then he could try and remember who he was. Good thing he hasn't received so much as a sneeze to clue him into anything. Life was simple after that. By making a lot of connections and falsified claims, he somehow wound up living in an average four-room condo in one of Plaza Nuva's arbitrary skyscrapers, working for one of the many newspapers in Typewriter Town. How do you afford to live in one of the most expensive areas in the city living off of a ###### salary? Well, er, consultant work helps, along with some liberal gambling. Working as a textbook Gumshoe was profitable, at least, up until the whispers of conspiracy started. Nowadays, the real money is made by squeezing connections to get to people, places, and information. Some suckers will just do anything to not get turned into the Coppers, and hey, new coffee makers don't buy themselves.

Name: Arath Species: Toa of Earth Gender: Male Appearance: Scrawny and light, 'Rath has white armor, slightly damaged and dented in places. To a certain extent, even scrawny doesn't cut it as a useful adjective, due to his uncanny 'ability' to fit in between hilariously tiny spaces. Rath's snowy white armor is stained with wispy red markings that seem to be bound to the very material the armor is made of. He generally wears a dull brown cloak in an attempt to cover his slightly obvious white armor. Powers: A self-proclaimed master of his element, Rath seems to have a slightly greater proficiency of his element, Ice, then most other Toa he's observed. His mask is a white Great Miru, forged in the shape of a Noble Miru. Skills: As a self made man of Typewriter Town, Rath had it drilled into him very early on that details were always a top priority. As such, Rath's mind is essentially eidetic, only forgetting details every 1 out of 10 times. Flying's a favorite hobby of his, although he's about as graceful as a bow-legged ballerina at the moment, having so few opportunities to actually practice the art. For what he lacks in flight skill, he more then makes up for in use of his element. His above average powers enable him to use his element in ways many people couldn't, allowing him to take the upper hand in fights four times out of five. Weaknesses: Rath's flying is about as calm as a hurricane ripping through a porcelain vase emporium. Because of his lack of expertise with flight, his kanohi Miru is really only helpful for small hops or flights that last one or two minutes, and that's on a good day. Rath relies on his element for most fighting, leaving him at a serious disadvantage in prolonged fights. In addition, because he's so light, he usually takes more damage from hits then bulkier people would. Equipment: Rath keeps a notebook and pen on him at all times due to his job, and rarely uses higher technology if necessary. Call it paranoia, but at least with paper you can eliminate all traces of it in a snap. He carries a lone Earth Claw, modified to not require the loss of a limb to use, along with a dull-green messenger bag. Bio: The Universe was weird sometimes. What qualified as weird, well, waking up in the middle of a bar in some back-alley in the Ghetto one gloomy and raining morning to discover you had no prior memories of your life, and only knowing for certain that you had a blank notebook, some pocket change, and a small knife in your back pocket. Yeah, that was weird. Rath doesn't know anything about his previous life. Flashes or glimpses would be lucky, because then he could try and remember who he was. Good thing he hasn't received so much as a sneeze to clue him into anything. Life was simple after that. By making a lot of connections and falsified claims, he somehow wound up living in an average four-room condo in one of Plaza Nuva's arbitrary skyscrapers, working for one of the many newspapers in Typewriter Town. How do you afford to live in one of the most expensive areas in the city living off of a ###### salary? Well, er, consultant work helps, along with some liberal gambling. Working as a textbook Gumshoe was profitable, at least, up until the whispers of conspiracy started. Nowadays, the real money is made by squeezing connections to get to people, places, and information. Some suckers will just do anything to not get turned into the Coppers, and hey, new coffee makers don't buy themselves.

1, 3, 7, and 8. #underdogs

7 got my vote in this poll. The others just didn't appeal to me that well.

4, 5, and 8.

So, finally got around to refining and resubmitting Claustrophobia. That being said, Dystopian has my support regardless of if I make it to the finals or not, because it looks -awesome.-

Intro Civilization is a sham. You can pretend to be ‘civilized’ all you want, but in the end it'll be meaningless. We can’t hide our own inherent instincts of our own personality, just as we can’t diversify them into different groupings of ‘civilized’ and ‘savage.’ There are no ‘civilized’ or ‘savage’ people, there are only people, judging others from a manner of perspective. We all act civil, but what purpose does it have, and why do we do it? We do it because people look on, because that’s how society works. If we see someone acting out, or breaking the norm, we condemn them because their actions don’t fit inside of our rounded corner world. But, what if you were to take all of that away? What if the thin façade of civility faded away, only to be replaced by what we once called ‘savagery?’ It’s a flawed perspective, based on commodities, current events, and influences to your attitude. For example, if things are going good, and you feel alright, if you spot a bloke running down the street, out of breath, you might hold the tram-door open for him, and maybe give him a couple of extra widgets or two. But if things are going bad and you’re desperate? Well, if that same bloke is keeping you from something, chances are you’re going to slam the door and step on the accelerator. So, you can take your civilization and shove it. Out here, there’s only one rule, and that’s the rule of the wastes. Savagery is Civilization now, and there’s no place in it for people who disagree. -R -The above note was found at the Onu-Metru Massacre, stuck to a powerless Great Rau. Summary Prelude We should have seen this coming. A year before the Outage, scientists working from the Coliseum had released an announcement that Metru Nui only had enough power to sustain the city for that year. Naturally, people grew alarmed. The Turaga quickly placated them by saying that the Toa were working on solutions, and then the announcement was largely forgotten. They tried everything. The first thought was to harness geothermal energy by drilling deep towards the planet’s mantle. This unleashed far too much energy, and six Toa of Stone and Earth nearly exhausted themselves trying to close the tunnels properly. The second idea never got past the planning stages. It was suggested that lightstones be used as a new power source, and that mining would have to be increased. Under further inspection, the ground under Metru Nui was deemed too unstable, and that idea was scrapped. The third idea was to divert power from the chute systems directly towards the Coliseum, which overloaded the central Chute Station. The total death toll was five Matoran, six Vortixx, and three Nynrah Ghosts. The Metru Nui chute system was down for weeks, and approximately 2% of the reserve power was lost during that downtime. The final idea was to simply infuse Energized Protodermis into the power grid. It was the final act anyone had time to do before the final power left, and it failed catastrophically. The Outage To be blunt, everything exploded. Most of Metru Nui was run on a series of ancient underground power lines anyway, that carried purified Protodermis all through the city. The old metallic tubes that used to transport power across the city had existed for millions of years, with the most maintenance being cleanings and repairs of cracks if necessary. Most of the time, new pipes were added onto the lines, resulting in a mishmash of various different materials down in the underground. With nowhere to go but up, the tubes sprang massive leaks, and burst, causing massive damage to the city. The Outage consisted of two different events. The first event was the surfacing of the mutagenic protodermis that had formed during the Energized Protodermis/Protodermis reaction, but everyone expected that. The second even was much more social in nature. With the collapse of power, civilization itself collapsed. With no one to restore order, the city of legends became a dog-eat-dog world, where you could stab a man in the back while also having a conversation and the person you’re talking to wouldn't even bat an eye. Aftermath Ten years have passed since the outage, and the island still lies in ruins. The mutagen had tainted the city, and anarchy ran amok. The Toa tried to keep order during the early years, but even among them there was dissent. Things came to a head when an angry Toa of Fire killed his leader and collected his mask as a trophy. With no one to turn to, the residents resigned themselves to this fate, and scattered. Now, warlords run the street, and mercenaries are hired in the blink of an eye, each brute wanting to gain an edge over their enemies, be it for land, goods, or simply power. Widgets for the most part remain a stable form of currency, but Kanoka are the most sought-after commodity, because of their light weight and usefulness. Two years ago, the sewers became somewhat useable again. The mutagen is generally only ankle deep at its highest, and takes a long time to affect you, which is perfect if you need to hide from someone or get somewhere quickly. The majority of the city is held by some group or another, and movement between group borders is risky, depending on the group in question. Ko-Metru is divided between two major camps, and three minor ones, but there is a general agreement between them that the Metru is off-limits to outside invasion. The two camps even worked together to repel a Ta-Metruan invasion, but resumed their fighting after the threat was dealt with. Metru Nui itself is shut off from the outside world, as many of the other islands in the underground refuse to even acknowledge Metru Nui as a sovereign island anymore. The island is on its own now, and judging by the current state of things, won’t be receiving external help anytime soon. Life nowadays is simple; Get up, put on a coat, stab a person if they try to break in, and go do what you can to stay ahead of the 8-ball. Factions The Gangs Mercenaries, warlords, criminals, you name it. The Gangs are usually composed of the lowest of the low, and most of them have a first loyalty to themselves, and a second loyalty to stabbing you in the back. Each of the gangs are different, but most intra-Metru gangs are neutral. Ta-Metru for example is all under one warlord, but Ko-Metru has infighting between five different groups who all want to take control of the Metru. On the bright side, it means that if you crave power, half your work is already cut out for you. On the downside, if you're thinking of killing someone over something, chances are that 50% of the people around you are thinking the same exact thing. They're looking to deal with the Feds at some point, but infighting is generally more pressing then dealing with a group that barely fills the Coliseum. Ta-Metru​Ryoxin's armies run the district of Fire. They aren't a gang per say, but don't fall into any other classification. They probably have the strongest chance of reclaiming the island, but they'd need to get Ta-Metru under their full control before moving onto the rest of the districts.[*]Ga-Metru The only known gang (and longest lasting) in Ga-Metru are the Sirens, who notably control two whole Ga-Metru labs. Hey, it's not much, but it's more then any of the other thirty gangs have. And with how often the other thirty break apart, reform, and get killed off, that's a big accomplishment in itself.[*]Le-Metru ​The Monsters are the terrors of Le-Metru. The majority of them are normal species, but they're given their name for their, what some would call stupid, use of mutated residents of Le-Metru in their fights.Disk Jockeys run like wildfire through the chutes. Oddly enough, the Disk Jockeys don't seem to be aggressive to outsiders, only the Monsters. For the most part, they sell Kanoka to other gangs on the island, and are usually seen playing Akilini.[*]Po-Metru ​​Po-Metru's run by the Carvers, three gangs all under the unified control of three Toa of Stone that all hold a loose alliance in the District. If you need materials, you come to them and they'll set you up with it, for the right price of course. Despite their generousness, they take ownership of their Metru seriously, and often attack in an instant, even if they just hear a simple rumor of invasion.[*]Onu-Metru ​The four major players in the District of Caves are; The Archivists, The Gun Runners, the Matoran, and the Underground. The Archivists are made up of the non-matoran workers, who operate both the Archives, and the Market around that area. The Gun Runners are the brutes, the worst of the worst. You need a weapon? Go see the Archivists. You need a weapon that won't leave you in the dust? Go see the Gun Runners. They modify and distribute only the finest weapons that Metru Nui has to offer, guaranteed to leave you five steps ahead of the competition. The Matoran are the new minority in Onu-Metru. Kicked out of their homes, all they want is their district back, and the brutes that profit off of the infighting gone. Most of them are more refugees then anything, but the classification still stands. Finally, the Underground. They're given their own class, because they are their own class. They make up a multitude of different workers, mercenaries, and smugglers who thrive in the underworld playground of Onu-Metru, doing whatever they can, whenever they want.[*]Ko-Metru The five Ko-Metru gangs are some of the most boring gangs you could ever imagine. What's worse is that none of them have gang names. They're mostly known by directional names, with the four gangs in the West being named after the four cardinal directions, and the East Ko-Metru gang being affectionately called the "Ice Cubes" by the rest of their brothers and sisters. Other then that, not much else is known about them, and for good reason to. Despite being so uncreative with their names, they're the most brutal gangs in Metru Nui. Try not to run into them, because even the mutated residents of the District of Screams know turn tail once they see white armor in their sights. The Survivors If you didn't die or join a gang sometime in the last ten years, this is your slot, baby. Most of these fools are wanderers without a cause, getting by on scrap parts and the occasional trade for services or parts to the gangs or the feds. Other times, they rebuild and start up small communities, hoping to bring back organized society back. Both the Feds and the Gangs are usually neutral to the Survivors, provided they don’t interfere with their territory. The Feds All that's left of the old world bureaucracy, conveniently under one figurehead, The Feds are the last of the old administration from before the outage. They all worked for the Turaga in some way or another. Most of them are scientists and Toa, while others are just ex-survivors who have no other place to go besides the gangs. The Feds are actively declaring that they’re looking for ways to get the power up in Metru Nui again, but face trouble from the gangs, specifically Ta-Metru, which doesn't want to give up its autonomy, and Le-Metru, who just slaughter anyone that comes into their land, the savage little beasties. Right now they lack the manpower to run a Metru, let alone take down the gangs, but time will tell. Officially, the Feds are led by an elderly female Turaga of Earth, named Nyx, one of the last from the pre-Outage days. Turaga Nyx attempts to keep her government under control, but due to her age, is generally incapable of overseeing much of the Feds' operations. Because of this, many of the Toa try and gain others support, hoping to take control of the organization from the Turaga's control. Important Information Mutagen/Mutagenic Protodermis Mutagen naturally exists inside the crust of Aqua Magna in caverns, and was discovered in an underground cavern just beneath the Pit of Aqua Magna. Natural Mutagen has been known to react strangely with Protodermis, while Mutagenic Proto is a result of mixing Protodermis and Energized Protodermis. After the Outage, Mutagenic Proto leaked from the power grid to the surface of Metru Nui. Most of the districts have materials that carry some form of Mutagen in them, but for the most part, the land is back to how it was before. Every type of Mutagenic Proto can be purified and separated back into Protodermis or Energized Protodermis, respectively, but there's a catch. Most of the purification methods require a large amount of either energy, or innovation. Any supplies you use to refine the Protodermis will take away from the usable materials you have, and vice versa. On the bright side, there are other potential methods of purification, that haven't been tried. Whether you want to risk experimenting on materials is up to you. Solid Mutagen This type of Mutagen is usually found in Po- and Onu-Metru, although some have claimed that it exists in Ko-Metru as well. In this state, the Mutagen will corrode the small bit of pure Protodermis still left inside the solid, turning it fully into Solid Mutagen. Lacking the stability of the Protodermis, the Mutagen will usually crumble, making it useless for creating supplies and tools. The process is reversible, but only through a great deal of energy. Liquid Mutagen This is one of Ga-Metru's prime imports and exports. Because of the expansive pipelines running in Ga-Metru, the Mutagen did far more damage here than in any other district. The Mutagen has leaked into nearly every body of water in Ga-Metru, and polluted much of the clean drinking water that most of the city relied on. Sometimes, if the temperatures in Ko-Metru are warm enough, you can spot some Liquid Mutagen a brief second before it freezes again. Molten Mutagen One of the stranger off-types of Liquid Mutagen, Molten Mutagen exists close to the outskirts of Ta-Metru, where much of the heat from the Great Furnace is unable to reach, and where the Mutagen isn't affected by the extreme temperatures. Molten Protodermis used to supply the mask-makers with usable materials, but many fear that this has also been contaminated, and take their chances with their cracked masks instead. Frozen Mutagen Only found in Ko-Metru, Frozen Mutagen is a result of the frigid temperatures freezing Liquid Mutagen. For all intents and purposes, it's considered a form of Liquid Mutagen, due to it lacking the corrosive properties that Solid Mutagen has. The pure amounts of Protodermis are still inside the Frozen Mutagen, although trying to heat it up and drink it is still a generally bad idea. Gaseous Mutagen Spawned from a combination of sublimated Solid Mutagen, and experimental vapors from the Moto-Hub, Gaseous Mutagen is found in large quantities in Le-Metru. Common agreement is that it's mostly harmless on its own, but no one has found “pure” Gaseous Mutagen. Stay clear of the Mutagenic Fog covering the Moto-Hub, which will certainly affect you. Unlike the other types of Mutagen, a purification method hasn't been found. The Po-Matoran have suggested using a Poison Removal Kanoka, but no one has quite worked out how to shoot a disk at a gaseous cloud yet. Locations Metru Nui The City used to be an island reserved for the Matoran, but everyone from all walks of life ended up on the island when the Outage occurred. At the moment, the population of Metru Nui (citizens and tourists alike) is estimated to be more then 50,000, decreased from the Pre-Outage statistics of 100,000. For the most part, the Matoran tend to stick together amongst themselves, while the other species go to do whatever work they can find. Most of the Nynrah Ghosts have been employed or enslaved, while many Skakdi are employed as mercenaries. The island is its own little isolation bubble in the Universe, kept separate from the outside world because of apathy and inaccessibility. During the Outage, a mighty quake shook the area, and the Sea Gates connecting Metru Nui caved in. Both the Order of Mata Nui and the Dark Hunters thought to head up north and infiltrate the city, but were blocked off at the dome's edge. The two parties sought to clear the tunnels and gain access to the island, but lack the ability to do so. Coliseum Because of the numerous pipes that that used to run directly into the building, the ground below and around the Coliseum has been subject to the worst flooding in the entire city. The area between the Coliseum and the Metru is entirely flooded, although bridges and chutes remain above the water. The Feds have claimed this building as their own, although the claim is in spirit, as reaching the complex is nigh impossible. Few care, due to the massive amount of repairs that the building needs. Much of the lower levels and sublevels are flooded, and most people see the higher levels as the only things worth saving. Ta-Metru The District of Fire emerged from the Outage as the strongest of the six Metru, and autonomous to boot. The corrupt Toa Ryoxin, who killed his own leader, now runs Ta-Metru, and uses the Great Furnace as his base of operations, hoarding the power and energy from the giant machinery for himself, and occasionally his Metru. While the warlord is highly powerful, he is not omniscient about the goings on in his Metru, and his power is limited to areas that the Furnace reaches. To escape this, many refugees go to the outskirts, where instead of facing oppression, they take their chances with the mutagen, and invasions from other Districts. The Great Furnace has an explosion of activity, now. Because the warlord’s army is strictly made up of Fire Toa, the Army is based here, and with it, all of Ta-Metru’s mask-makers, forgers, and crafters. Ryoxin himself uses the Furnace as his own palace of sorts, and many makeshift government buildings are set up here. Many makeshift camps exist around it, but because the area is so guarded by Toa, infiltration is like signing a death warrant. Molten Mutagen isn’t a problem near the Furnace due to the area’s high temperatures. Once the pipes start to cool down away from the area, the Mutagen thrives. The outskirts suffer the most from the Mutagen, as the power lines in that area were some of the worst maintained on the entire island, causing dirt, scum, and buildup to mix in with the purified proto, in addition to the strange molten mutagen. Ga-Metru The District of Serenity is still the same, although the water isn’t entirely clean anymore. When the pipes burst, the Protodermis Canals were infected. Once the Canals fell, the city was doomed. Because they were designed to be the lifeblood of the city, they spread everywhere, into everything. Liquid Mutagen runs all over the district, and finding a source of clean drinking water is like trying to find a toothpick on the Southern Continent. But, because the Energy Feeding Points are tainted, people take their chances with the tainted organics like dirty water, and stale food. No one’s died or experienced any mutations yet, but the chances grow higher every day. Territory here changes nearly every day. There are so many gangs squabbling with one another, it’s impossible to list all of them. No one gang here has a majority, but the fighting is generally kept to a minimum, as much of the best supplies can be found in Ga-Metru, as long as their whole. The Feds operate out of this district, and have a goal of trying to push further into Ga-Metru and claim the district as their own, but that goal is a long time coming, with recent numbers being so low. The Great Temple is a wasteland. It lies in ruins, and holds no significance to anyone. For this reason, most gangs share an uneasy alliance here, and the ground is usually used for neutral territory for meetings between two groups. Le-Metru The District of Screams haunts the residents of Metru Nui. The minute you step into Le-Metru, your life has instantly become that much more valuable. The amazing technology inside the district has all been affected by nature, and much of it lies as scrap along the streets, shrouded in darkness and hidden from the city above. The Moto Hub’s structure was built to last, but the delicate pipes and systems weren’t nearly as structurally sound as the Moto Hub was. The Gaseous mutagen mixed with the experimental vapors and mutated the various workers inside into grotesque mockeries of their former selves. The Skakdi are the worst, and their screams can be heard echoing through the chutes, sometimes even into other districts. The blackish fog pours from the Moto Hub and blocks out the sun, shrouding the entire District in darkness. The Chutes are dangerous, same as always. Many of the singular chutes are starting to fall apart, merge with other close chutes, or just run straight into the ground. Airships are still useable and many of the other gangs pay big money to have them recovered from Le-Metru. Salvage teams search the streets in waves, looking to make some easy money by supplying technology. All factions regard Le-Metru as a wasteland. The cons far outweigh the pros, and most people regard the entire district as a lost cause. If the beasts could be dealt with, the place might be hospitable, but if even the Le-Matoran suggest leaving their own homes, chances are that it’s not worth the trouble. There are only two gangs in Le-Metru and neither of them have any permanent settlements in the district, nor a large enough power base to claim the entire Metru. Po-Metru The District of Stone is in the control of three gangs known as the Carvers, all working together in a mutual alliance. All imports and exports are controlled by them, and they usually work together to make a profit. Generally they sell high end Solid Protodermis to the Gangs, but have been known to take orders from the Feds, on occasion. Solid Mutagen makes up 20% of their total stores. One of their best cons was a shipment of Solid Mutagen to Ta-Metru, for use in the army that was desperately lacking supplies. The Carvers got their payment of course, but when Ryoxin learned about it, he ordered a boycott of Po-Metru imports. The Carvers were only too happy to entertain this boycott, and began funding invasions of Ta-Metru with the profits they had made upon the con. The Sculpture Fields send shipments to various points in the city. The Po-Metru chutes are some of the highest maintained chutes in the entire city, necessary to keep profits coming in, and others out. The entire District is cut off from the other five by a hideous mockery of nature. The waterways surrounding Po-Metru are full of Liquid mutagen, and the only way to reach the Metru is by highly patrolled access points. Walls are built all around the district, and the District of Stone remains one of the friendlier Metru. The Canyon of Unending Whispers is full of Solid Mutagen. Everything here is useless, and is often shipped as scams to the other districts. The roars of the occasional Rahi can be heard echoing from one end of the canyon to the next, and the only things that break the eternal silence are the voices of explorers or the rush of rocks tumbling down into the Canyon. At the North Rim of the canyon is the Edge of the Earth Bar and Grill, which is often the starting point for where explorers and miners meet. Onu-Metru The District of Caves has become the most popular district in Metru Nui. The entire Metru seems like something out of a 1920-1930 crime movie. In the Underground, entire pockets of civilization are providing the city with entertainment, refreshment, and more. The underground could be thought of as its own city, because of the large population. But on the streets, the gangs run wild. Just like Ga-Metru, there are too many gangs to mention, and they all want something from the District. Fights in the streets are all too common during the day, but once the sun goes down, the undercity lights up brighter than Las Vegas, delivering all form of entertainment to its residents. With the end of modern civilization, the Archives have turned into the most lucrative business in the entire city. Most of the free Nynrah and Vortixx work at the Archives, and try to help out their brothers and sisters whenever they can. In the area just around the Archives, a Market was set up nine years ago, originally to just sell items and technology back to the Archivists. Within a couple of years, it quickly became the largest black market in Metru Nui, where a Metruan can get anything from weapons, to supplies, to scraps and food. Using the amazing technology inside the Archives, the two species began to construct new weapons out of old broken down items in the Archives, or from the scraps that the Metruan sold to them. Regardless, the Archives are the best place to go if you need to kill somebody. The Lightstone Mines flooded early on with Liquid Mutagen, and were sealed off with heavy chamber locks. The interior of the mines look like a gold-tinted water world. Over the years, many fools tried to break into the mines, to steal some light stones. Without being able to withstand the Mutagen, they all died, and now their bodies lie in a glowing graveyard, forgotten. Ko-Metru The District of Slush is a fraction of its former glory, destroyed by the anarchy of years and years of fighting. The frozen mutagen has transformed the very landscape, destroying many of the Knowledge Towers that lined the skies. East Ko-Metru has nearly melted into nothingness, and all that remains are a multitude of ice sheets, floating on a mutagenic sea. Many of the sheets hold a Knowledge Tower, although the Ko-Matoran question how this is possible. Some theorize that the sheets are actually much thicker then they look, being able to support that much weight. The highly important documents have either been moved to West Ko-Metru, or fallen down on the landscape below, waiting to be snatched by salvagers. Most of the residents of Ko-Metru now reside in the Western section. The entirety of the West seems as it was carved out of a glacier by the old Toa of Ice. Mio-thick walls of ice line the borders, keeping most refugees out except for at specific points. Much of the gang fighting goes on inside the walls. The cold, apathetic personalities of the Ko-Matoran have been shed, and five vastly different gangs jump at the chance to secure the Metru for themselves, ready to kill anyone who crosses their path in an instant. Not much else is known about life behind the walls. Only Ko-Matoran are allowed in, and the ‘foreigners’ who live there resided there before the outage. The mercenary business runs rampant in the district and Skakdi march through the gates every day, looking to make good money. Profile Format Name: As always, no real world names and the like. You should all know this by now. Gender: Male, Female, Genderless, Not Specified. Species: Any species is from the Matoran Universe is allowed. I’ve decided no custom species this time around. Sorry about that. A side note, there –are- more than just Skakdi and Nynrah Ghosts on the island, and I would love to see you all make a way for them to fit into the new ‘society.’ In addition, I’d love to see you break away from the traditional roles that I’ve given the above species. Have fun. Appearance: What your player’s going to look like. Feel free to put as much or as little detail as you feel comfortable with. Tools: What you have on your person, like Kanohi, Kanoka, Weapons, etc. Powers: What are you capable of? Elemental, Vision Powers, whatever. Personality: A short summary of how your character acts, why he is that way, what makes them tick, etc. Short, mind you. Mutations: This section is entirely optional. Feel free to have a mutation, but don't make it overpowered. Faction: What's your place in this world? Are you simply trying to stay alive in this harsh world, or are you part of a larger cause? Are you a lone wolf, or do you prefer working with others? Or are you going to take advantage of this chaos and carve out a name for yourself? Biography: What was your life like? Explain what happened to make you get here. Feel free to be as creative as you want. It is another world, after all. Rules and Consequences Rules 1. All BZP rules apply, obviously. 2. No God-Mods. It’s no fun, and it ticks off other people. 3. Three characters is the limit. I seriously doubt you’ll need more than this. 4. Have fun! If you can’t think of something to do, go invent something, it’s a big island after all. 5. It’s the end of the world, so why not go out with a bang? 6. Silliness is ok, in light doses. You all should know what I’m talking about. The line between funny and annoying is a thin one. 7. Rule-breaking is frowned upon, and has consequences. If you can’t play by the rules, you don’t get to play at all. 8. One more thing, don’t control other people’s characters without their permission. Letting another character land a damaging hit on you is one thing, but straight up control falls under god-modding. 9. Profiles, Discussion, and the Game each have their own topic. Try to keep it that way, mmkai? 10. Ten's a nice round number. Consequences First Time- Warning It was probably an accident this time around, no worries. You’ll get a slap on the wrist, and a reminder not to do it again. Second Time- Punishment I warned you once. This time, you’ll get a small mutation. If you’re good, it’ll go away in time. Third Time- Harsh Consequences Serious mutation time, this one being permanent for your character. This mutation will be dealt out based on whatever you did this time around. Your character will be hovering on the brink of death. Fourth Time- Death Your characters will die. You’ll be left with one, regardless of if you actually used two or not. Do try and keep this one alive, as it’s your last chance. Final Time- Banning You've had five chances, so there should be no excuses. Your character will die, and you will be banned if this happens to numerous characters. Endgame There’s more than one way to win this, so don’t worry. Although, that’s a long way down the road, all dependent on your actions of course. Don’t worry, whatever happens, there’s still a lot more story left to tell, even if you don’t fix things just yet. Have fun. -Av

Just leave it as it is. I mean, the whole point for BS01 being up is simply to be reference, right? As far as I'm concerned, HS01 is fine staying as simply a reference site. And really, the only "activity" that ever happened on BS01 was mostly just related to downtime fixups, or user stuff on Talkpages or other stuff. xP

Voted 5, 6, 7.

Voted 3 and 4.

Voted 1.

When you have to spice it up, you're trying too hard.

Intro The pressurized doors closed behind Raijavik as he entered, and the entire lift shook as it was unhinged from its uppermost anchor with a hiss and a lurch. All around him, the calm voice of a pre-recorded Ga-Matoran lift operator only served to irritate him, rather than calm him down as it was supposed to. "The City of Onu-Metru would like to remind you that they are not responsible for any injuries that may occur due to visiting the Archives. Please stay seated until you have reached the station, and keep away from the doors at all times. Thank you." Raijavik groaned in annoyance. The Archivists must have used these lifts how many times a day? The safety regulations were unnecessary and only served to waste time. To his relief, however, the lift doors shut, and it began descending below the Onu-Koro Mines. Within a few minutes, he could see the top of the cavern that served as the barrier between the empty space that contained Metru Nui's own mechanical "cavern," and the myriad of other lifts that connected the two islands. He was broken away from his view by a sharp shudder, and the slowing of the lift. When the lift returned to its previous speed moments after, he dismissed it as a rogue air current, and returned to his thoughts. Fifteen minutes later, he was once again jerked out of his thoughts by the lift slowing to a halt, and the lights in the tunnel blinking out, with the only source of lighting being the lightstones embedded in the Nui Cavern ceiling. All around him, other lifts also experienced the same light failure. Below him, the protodermic tube pinched off, and the semi-permeable dome that cut off Metru Nui from the Nui Cavern became hard and rigid, and mechanical plates locked into place with a loud crunch, sealing off both the city, and the passengers stuck between the two islands from the outside world. For a moment, there was silence. And then the walls of the cavern shook, and then burst with a mighty explosion. Before his eyes, Raijavik looked on in shock as wave after wave of mutagen water rushed into the cavern, devastating all in its path. The walls of Metru Nui held under the onslaught, but the lift passengers weren't as lucky. The protodermic tubing collapsed out of existence, and he could only look on in shock as his lift fell into the waters, disintegrating on contact. Summary After The Flood Five thousand years ago, the empty space between the crust of Aqua Magna and the subterranean dome of Metru Nui flooded with Mutagen from the waters of the planet above. Because of the mechanical dome the Matoran constructed that surrounds the city of Metru Nui, the island was spared from the horrible waters that cut them off from their brothers and sisters on the surface. Since that day, the waters have receded somewhat, but the cavern is still too full of mutagen to safely open up the walls around the city. In addition, the other caverns have shut themselves off from the City of Legends, ridding them of the small amount of mutagen that entered their domes by pumping it outside of the dirt walls that make up the underground caverns of Aqua Magna. If only the Metruan could follow their lead, but they are so trapped by the waters that leaving the city is an impossible dream let alone trying to build some sort of pumping station. To make matters worse, the mechanical panels that make up the walls of our city have started to rust and corrode due to the flooding and the pressure. The leaks are mostly harmless, but without the influx of protosteel from Xia, repair efforts are at a standstill, and it would make more sense to try and escape this tomb while possible, rather than stay and live here forever, trapped by the very walls that protect us. Supplies are beginning to run low as well. Some of the panels over by Ga-Metru have begun to rust and leak, sending a stream of mutagenic waters down into the Protodermis Canals. As a result, the production of Ta-Metru has slowed to a halt without any useable source of protodermis, so masks, disks, and other supplies are unable to be created, and supplies are being pulled out of reserves, for however long that lasts. Present Time It has been unanimously decided between the citizens of Metru Nui that some form of escape needs to occur. Of course, no consensus can be made on just how everyone will escape. Suggestions that have been tossed around include building some form of submersible transport to get through the Great Barrier with. Others suggest simply rebuilding the panels to last and contact the outside world and wait for rescue. One of the more desperate suggestions was to try and repair the lifts to break through the walls with some large lift to get everyone out in one swift movement. The only thing everyone can agree on is that time is running out at an alarming rate. As the chances of rescue grow slimmer, the populations desperation grows larger. Being trapped will tend to do that to you. Whatever you do, just stay safe. Game Info Mutagen/Mutagenic ProtodermisMutagen naturally exists inside the crust of Aqua Magna in caverns, similar to how Metru Nui does. The Nui Cavern shares a wall with a rather large Mutagen cavern, which was directly responsible for the flood five thousand years previously. Mutagen has been known to react strangely with Protodermis, and each state of Mutagenic Protodermis is vastly different from both their main components. Every type of Mutagen can be purified, but there's a catch. Most of the purification methods require a large amount of either energy, or innovation. Any supplies you use to cure the Protodermis will take away from the usable materials for an escape attempt, and vice versa. On the bright side, there are other potential methods of purification, that haven't been tried. Whether you want to risk experimenting on materials is up to you. Solid MutagenThis type of Mutagen is usually found in Po- and Onu-Metru, although some have claimed that it exists in Ko-Metru as well. In this state, the Mutagen will corrode the small bit of pure Protodermis still left inside the solid, turning it fully into Solid Mutagen. Lacking the stability of the Protodermis, the Mutagen will usually crumble, making it useless for creating supplies and tools. The process is reversible, but only through a great deal of energy. Liquid MutagenThis is one of Ga-Metru's prime imports and exports. Because of the leakage coming from the Ga-Metru section of wall, Mutagen has leaked into the waters around Metru Nui and polluted much of the clean drinking water that most of the city relied on. Sometimes, if the temperatures in Ko-Metru are warm enough, you can spot some Liquid Mutagen a brief second before it gets frozen again. Molten MutagenOne of the stranger off-types of Liquid Mutagen, Molten Mutagen exists close to the outskirts of Ta-Metru, where much of the heat from the Great Furnace is unable to reach, and where the Mutagen isn't affected by the extreme temperatures. Molten Protodermis used to supply the various Energy Feeding Points throughout all the Metru, but many fear that this has also been contaminated, and take their chances with the biologic method of energy consumption instead. Frozen MutagenOnly found in Ko-Metru, Frozen Mutagen is a result of the frigid temperatures freezing Liquid Mutagen. For all intents and purposes, it's considered a form of Liquid Mutagen, due to it lacking the corrosive properties that Solid Mutagen has. The pure amounts of Protodermis are still inside the Frozen Mutagen, although trying to heat it up and drink it is still out of the question. Gaseous MutagenSpawned from a combination of sublimated Solid Mutagen, and experimental vapors from the Moto-Hub, Gaseous Mutagen is found in large quantities in Le-Metru. Common agreement is that it's mostly harmless, but no Metruan has stuck around long enough to test that theory. Unlike the other types of Mutagen, a purification method hasn't been found. Some Le-Matoran have suggested using a Poison Removal Kanoka, but no one has quite worked out how to shoot a disk at a gaseous cloud yet. (Important note here, this game does not take place in Mata Nui's body. All locations are instead underground Aqua Magna, except for the island of Mata Nui.) Luckily for you, your job is to escape the city in one peace. Or not, it's your choice if you just want to continue living in the City until the inevitable day when the walls collapse, and the entire city floods under Mutagen. Unfortunately for you, Metru Nui is the worst possible place in the Universe to be right now. On one hand, you have the Mutagenic waters surrounding the City, waiting to gain entrance and flood the entire dome. On the other hand, you have some of the widest variety of characters in the entire Underworld, and not all of them are safe, or comfortable about being trapped like a rat. Metru Nui is about as half as big as Mata Nui, not like that helps you any. Isolation makes people do crazy things, and power and insanity do not mix well. Warlords spring up from time to time, attempting to bring the Metru under their control, sometimes even outright lying to gain devoted followers. It's insane, but hey, desperation makes you do crazy things. Good news is, if you choose to escape, all you have to do is get past the walls somehow safe, and you're home free. Locations Well, not exactly. Known Metruan knowledge only extends about 1 kio outward from the walls around Metru Nui. The ancient computerized systems in the city were designed to warn if anything came within that radius, but the last known warning was around 2,500 years ago, when a portion of the seabed above the Nui Cavern collapsed inward. Some people suggest that the Coliseum houses ancient machinery that could strengthen the walls, but others have dismissed it as a wild goose chase, believing that the risks of going there far outweigh any possible reward that they would find. Some don't even believe that there's anything left, and suggest trying to breach the Nui Cavern gates to go south into the Underworld, to Karzahni and beyond. Here's your map of the Wall. It runs from top to bottom, coded by district, and by individual panel. Functioning panels will be colored white, leaking panels will be colored brown, and broken panels will be colored black. At the start, the bottommost panels in Ga-Metru are leaking, and Mutagen pools close to the leaks, or moves close to the Metru with the currents, sometimes getting into the Protodermis Canals. Po-Metru and Onu-Metru contain Solid Mutagenic Protodermis, but the panels in those districts are functioning properly. Mata NuiMata Nui was home to all of the artisans, entertainers, athletes, and other "common folk." Most species used to spend their lives here either in comfort, or trying to find some way to get into the City of Legends. All that changed after the flood. Mata Nui hasn't been contacted since the flood, and many in the Underworld believe that the Surface has simply given up on them and went back to their lives. One of the more outrageous opinions is that the island above was also devastated by a flood, and that escape to the surface would be pointless. The UnderworldMetru NuiThe City of Legends exists now only as an isolated bubble in a mutagenic sea. With the mechanical panels that make up the Walls of Metru Nui failing, the entire city is at risk for streams of mutagen occasionally leaking through and flooding. At the moment, the largest reported stream is only about as big around as a kanoka disk, so the flooding isn't too bad. The panels do occasionally re-align and shut themselves, but the damage is already done by the time this occurs.The City used to be an island reserved for the rich or talented, but everyone from all walks of life ended up trapped when the Flood occurred. At the moment, the population of Metru Nui (citizens and refugees alike) is estimated to be more then 50,000. ColiseumBecause of the old lifts that used to run directly into the building, the panels above the Coliseum are the weakest, and so this area has been subject to the worst flooding in the entire city. The area between the Coliseum and the Metru is entirely flooded, although bridges and chutes remain above the water. Good luck if you do try using those. From what it looks like, the entire place looks unstable. If anything that could help the city is there, it's probably been flooded or destroyed already. But, it is the end of the world after all. Couldn't hurt to take a look, right? Ta-MetruThe District of Fire has changed the most, but also the least. The small trickle of Mutagen that did end up in the Molten Protodermis reacted badly, and now the Mutagenic Protodermis, as it has been dubbed, behaves in a manner strangely similar to Energized Protodermis. You can either become mutated, or you get destroyed. A poor Matoran was lava-surfing one day, and fell into the Mutagenic Protodermis. His armor melted off, began to "heal" into some grotesque mockery of armor, and then melted again to continue the cycle. The counteraction to this effect is extreme heat, so Mutagenic Protodermis is really only found on the outskirts of the district, where the protodermis is far away from the center, and has usually lost most of its heat. The Great Furnace has seen an explosion of activity. After it was discovered that no Mutagenic Protodermis could exist near the Great Furnace, large makeshift camps were set up here, with residents numbering in the thousands or more. Other residents aren't so lucky, and are forced into old mask-maker’s forges, which are still susceptible to containing Mutagen. Ga-MetruAlmost 25% of the Water District has been contaminated, and with it went nearly the entire hope of the city. The Protodermis Canals were designed to be the lifeblood of the city, and with their exposure to Mutagen, they’ve infested nearly every available source of liquid protodermis that could have been usable. The old Protodermis Labs still function, although the sheer volume of Mutagenic Protodermis is so large, that any purification efforts barely make a scratch of progress. The Great Temple lies in ruins. The strip of land that used to connect it to the mainland has sunk into the sea, and no one wants to waste their precious time or supplies to go and repair it. Le-MetruThe District of Air has suffered the worst out of all the Metru. All of the amazing things that the Le-Matoran built have been taken apart and used for scrap supplies, if possible. Chute technology, vehicles, parts of buildings, nothing is safe from salvagers. With many important pieces of machinery being stolen from Chute stations, the protodermic chutes are starting to merge together with other chutes that either cross their path, or simply exist near them. Things like this make The Notch look like an empty chute station. And that’s only if you’re really lucky. Other times, the chute will cut off and leave you hurtling down onto the streets of Metru Nui, often with no warning. The Moto Hub is still standing, as it was built to withstand all manner of crash or explosion. The chutes that connect it to the rest of the city weren’t so lucky. They’ve either fallen apart, or have been “salvaged”, leaving the Moto-Hub isolated from the rest of the city except from the ground level or via aerial transport. Po-MetruThe District of Stone has almost shut down due to the leaks. Mutagenic Protodermis has infested a good portion of the useable stone around the Metru, leaving it with an almost mud-like quality, unusable for sculpting. The Sculpture Fields have been shut down, and the Protodermis Warehouses have been locked up to hopefully try and keep a portion of useable materials safe in case all of the stone in Po-Metru becomes tainted. The Assemblers Village has been abandoned, and many Metruan try to stay close to the other Metru, in case the entire District becomes inhospitable to sculptors and other artisans. The Canyon of Unending Whispers has become even more frightening. Possibly the only thing stranger then hearing your footsteps echo off the rock walls for miles, is the absolute silence that replaces it. No sound travels naturally here, and the only things that break the eternal silence are the voices of explorers or the rush of rocks tumbling down into the Canyon. Onu-MetruComposed entirely of natural earth, the District of Earth experienced conditions similar to what Po-Metru felt, but not as costly to them. The majority of the Metru continues on with everyday life, although there’s not much point to mining or managing the Archives when the threat of death looms over your head at every moment. Common law in Onu-Metru dictates that all mining is to be done aboveground, to ensure that no accidental Mutagenic Protodermis leaks into the City and floods the mines. Because of this, much of the skyline has been brought down in elevation, and only Metruan buildings like the Archives and other Homes stretch into the sky. The Lightstone Mines were the first loss after the Flood. Because of the unique way that they were dug, the flooding was easily containable, and the Mines were sealed off by heavy chamber locks. It’s still possible to look through the metal doors, and the interior of the mines looks like an underground water world, tinted gold by the color of the lightstones. Ko-MetruThe District of Ice stands tall and proud over the Metru Nui skyline, or at least it used to. Today, Knowledge Towers have fallen over and scraped the sides of the walls, and the freezing cold turns the Mutagen into solid chunks that come rushing down to pelt anything in their path. On some days, these chunks might be unusually large, and take out a section of a Knowledge Tower. The Towers of Thought that used to cluster around the center of the Metru now lie in shatters on the ground, dumping thousands of years of delicate equipment, research, and other experiments onto the frozen wasteland. The Ko-Metru Hideaway has also been devastated by the Frozen Mutagenic Protodermis, and has been turned into a large, inhospitable crater. Other LocationsAccording to known information from over 3,000 years ago, the Great Barrier flooded, and might not even lead up to Mata Nui anymore. It's worth a shot, if you choose to try. The Sea Gates have been closed and barricaded by the other domes since the Flood. If you wanted to, you could take a page out of Xia's book and build a pumping station to pump all the excess water either out of the Cavern, or out to the Surface. OrganizationOne of the notable aspects of this RPG is the lack of defined organization at the beginning. Players are all Metruan, and no defined villains and heroes are present. Players are free to start their own organization, provided it is approved by a Game Host. These organizations can be anything, from a escape group, to a warlord's followers, to even a simple salvager party. Profile FormatName: As always, no real world names and the like. You should all know this by now.Gender: Male, Female, Genderless.Species: Any species is from the Matoran Universe is allowed. If you're using a custom species, list it in your profile and wait for a Game Host to approve it.Appearance: What your player’s going to look like. Feel free to put as much or as little detail as you feel comfortable with.Tools: What you have on you, like Kanohi, Kanoka, Weapons, etc.Powers: What are you capable of? Elemental, Vision Powers, whatever.Personality: A short summary of how your character acts, why he is that way, what makes them tick, etc. Short, mind you.Mutations: This section is entirely optional. Feel free to have a mutation, but don't make it overpowered.Organization: What's your place in this world? Are you simply trapped and trying to escape? By yourself or with others? Or are you going to take advantage of this chaos and carve out a name for yourself?Biography: What was your life like? Explain what happened to make you get here. Feel free to be as creative as you want. It is another world, after all. Rules and Consequences Rules1. All BZP rules apply, obviously.2. No God-Mods. It’s no fun, and it ticks off other people.3. Three characters is the limit. I seriously doubt you’ll need more than this.4. Have fun! If you can’t think of something to do, go invent something, it’s a big island after all.5. It’s the end of the world, so why not go out with a bang?6. Silliness is ok, in light doses. You all should know what I’m talking about. The line between funny and annoying is a thin one.7. Rule-breaking is frowned upon, and has consequences. If you can’t play by the rules, you don’t get to play at all.8. One more thing, don’t control other people’s characters without their permission. Letting another character land a damaging hit on you is one thing, but straight up control falls under god-modding.9. Profiles, Discussion, and the Game each have their own topic. Try to keep it that way, mmkai?10. Ten's a nice round number. ConsequencesFirst Time- WarningIt was probably an accident, so this time you get a slap on the wrist. Metaphorically, though. I'm not going to walk all the way to your house to slap you on the wrist.Second Time- Light PunishmentJust your luck, you've run into some Mutagen. You're healthy, so you should recover.Third Time- Medium PunishmentThis time you'll be subject to a serious mutation. Maybe you'll grow a squid leg, or maybe your mask will melt away. Who know?Fourth Time- Heavy PunishmentSerious injuries will occur. You'll be teetering on the brink of death. You should recover, but there might be some permanent side effects.Final Time- Death/BanningYou've had five chances, so there should be no excuses. Your character will die, and you will be banned if this happens to numerous characters. EndgameThere's more than one way to "win" this. But, that'll be left up to the characters actions, and not everyone may share the same ending. Some of you might escape, others might die, we don't know. That's up to the players to decide.Have fun. -Av

'Was pretty fun, bro. Wish you three could have gotten with us earlier. Me, TNU, and Spawn were stuck on the final Wave 6 of Coal Town. Those giant heavies...V_V

Fortunately for your supply of cash, but maybe unfortunately for you, Three comes out for Windows on November 20th. Really lame, but hey. At least now you can try and beat one game before getting the other.

d'arnit chuls, this is why I tried to stop googling things that appear in blogs. on the bright side, as soon as those fifteen seconds worth of words that we do all know comes up, i'm gonna own it.

Soz. You know how we get sometimes.

Jedi. Oh...wait.. But not one of those lame Coruscanti Jedi. One of those other ones that didn't die. :POr yeah, like Sisen said, I'd study at Hogwarts. And hopefully not die. Man, a lot of these professions are fatal...

I think you meant to say "One Hundred Thousand" years, right? The giant robot didn't even exist One Hundred Billion years ago. I haven't heard of the Watchguards, so I'm going to assume that's something you've invented. Interesting.Heh, whoops. Thanks for catching that. I've fixed it. Should be "ourselves".Also fixed. Whoa...that's a bit of a jump there. You've gone from the dismal state of Mata Nui to Matoran free will? Isn't the malfunction more about Makuta free will or Mata Nui's free will than the Matoran?Well, I was going for a bit of a different angle. Lasora's argument is that while things are still bad with Teridax running the Universe, but that's the result of the Matoran's actions, and it's still better then the alternative of having a Watchguard step in to "correct" the problem, which usually ends up doing more damage then it fixed.Anyway, it's a nice explanation for why the Great Beings didn't interfere with the robot when it crashed on Aqua Magna. Aside from the above nitpicks, it's a decent story, if little more than a philosophical conversation. But a good one, for all that.Thanks.

“Brooding again?”The being looked up from his perch overlooking the city, watching the sky fade from an copper-toned hue to the cold black of an obsidian shard. He shouldn’t have been surprised, after all. It seemed that the same conversation repeated itself, day after day.“As you seem to think I always do. Checking up on me again?” Kraeth could feel his lips turn up in a smirk as he visualized the look of annoyance that was probably on her face right now.“We’ve all told you about this time and time again. I’ve told you, Raipa has told you, Taikara has told you, even the Elders have told you. This is a waste of time. You know as well as I do that we can’t interfere.”The resigned look that Kraeth gave her as he stood up was a mixture of emotions much like a stew that hadn’t cooked properly, boiling, bubbling, and changing every so often. His face flickered from anger, sadness, grief, resignation, determination, and back again. “It’s not a victory, but I’ll take it.” Lasora thought. “Now maybe he’ll finally give up on this ridiculous ritual of sitting out here every night.”“But why?” She could feel her heart nearly break at the almost devastated look he gave her. “Why do we have the power to stop time, yet be cursed with the duty of making sure time runs according to plan in this universe?”“It’s meant to be.” His expression was unreadable, and he lifted his cloak up over his head and turned around, walking back inside their little “home” in an abandoned section of the Po-Metru Sculpture Fields.“How can you be so sure about that?” And again, the roles were taken up.“We can’t interfere for a reason. The Matoran are autonomous. They’re only meant to be influenced by Mata Nui, and only in dire emergencies, if necessary to complete his mission. We all know the rules and repercussions. That was what we signed up for.” Lasora felt herself slipping, her arms drooping ever so slightly, tired of the repetition of the endless conversation that would always happen, one way or another.“But can’t you see?” He turned, almost incredulous at how willing she was to obey a rule set down millennia ago at a far different time, by a far different generation. “Look me in the eye and tell me that you don’t feel this is exactly the kind of time where we need to step in! Forget the ancient rules, they’re useless now! We should be stepping in to salvage what’s left of the situation now that Mata Nui’s gone!”Her thoughts churned angrily in her head. Couldn’t he see just how dense he was? Before she knew it, words were spilling out of her mouth uncontrollably. “You want to know why we don't step in? Why we give the Matoran free will, and why we let them choose what happens to their universe? It’s because of people like you, people who let their emotions control them, and everyone around them. You want to know why we do this? I’ll tell you.”His eyes widened as she finally realized just how escalated the conversation had gotten. “One Hundred Thousand years before the Great Cataclysm. The Xians have tried to rise up, and look to create an empire. A Watchguard named Xeratos steps in to “fix the problem.” He cleans things up his way, and we let him carry on, unconcerned with anything of unimportance. 5,000 years later, we end up with a power hungry Watchguard as the head of one of the most important groups in the Matoran Universe, the Hand of Artakha.” Kraeth dipped his head down, almost ashamedly.“Since you seem to find yourself lacking in words, I’ll continue.” She spoke swiftly now, letting the words flow like a rushing stream. “36,000 years later, we decide to step in and in our words, unify the Matoran. Long story short, we end up with the League of Six Kingdoms. And that wasn’t even the worst part. We ended up with Teridax, and now he thinks of us as little more than the world’s most powerful cockroach.”Lasora moved away from the ledge that Kraeth was perched on, and brushed the cloth entrance to the side, pausing momentarily to offer one last comment to him.“We do what we do, to protect them. We don’t give them Free Will as a gift for being so trustworthy. Every time we've tried to "correct" the problems in the Universe, we end up inadvertently making things worse. That's why things are just better left for them to handle. That's why we give them free will, because we simply can’t trust ourselves to Determine every aspect of their lives fairly.”----------Well, I'm back. Figured I'd use this to launch my way back into this forum. Hopefully as I get back into the flow of things, the writings will start to get better again.Anyway, comments and critiques welcome!

While I would love to say double spinneys to represent 11-onwards, I'd have to go with something plain, but still Hero Factory or LEGO in general related.The Golden Tohu could represent an end to the "Golden" BIONICLE-oriented era of the site, and a plain object related to Hero Factory such as a Hero Core could represent the site starting over as a LEGO site.But, what do I know. Just my two cents. :-PqEDIT: Or either a full Mata Nui body, the UDD logo with the planets represented, or just a spinning BZP instead.

Well, my next RPG will have nothing. That's right, nothing at all. There's going to be absolutely no land, water, or anything. You know you're going to want to play it.#missingtheconcept

I wish I could say that my master plan worked, and I fooled you all, but I'd be lying.Honestly, I had no idea what compelled me to write that horrible first entry I submitted, when I had this beauty lying around in the old Documents folder.The Story's changed, but the Name is the same. (I didn't want to unnecessarily bug B6. )So, go check it out. Links in the sig.

Isolation Story Space. It doesn’t change, doesn’t shift with the winds, or fall under a heavy torrent of snow. It sits unchangeable; an eternal void. And it has stood, a vast eternal plain, for over 150 Billion years. During its birth, it created something out of nothing, and brought with it the Ultimate Gods, the Great Beings. And during this time, Spherus Magna was created, explored, and shattered. The planet came into being already in a habitable state, almost as if it was handcrafted to be the spark that ignited both life, and the Plan that would follow. 15 Billion Years passed until the Shattering, and after that, the Great Beings started to work on their Plan. This would be known as the Prime Cycle. From the Dark Cycle between the end of the Prime Cycle to the beginning of the First Cycle, experiments were conducted in separate systems from one corner of the universe to another. During this time, the planet Tharu was constructed. By all expectations, it should have been the Ultimate Experiment, the Magnum Opus of the Great Beings. With all the technology and planning that went into it, you’d think that the system itself was supposed to be the finished product, not merely a prototype. In any event, it was supposed to be the precursor to the Matoran Universe, designed as a physiologic experiment to see if an isolated system could support itself for a Cycle without resulting in a cataclysmic failure, or the utter devastation of the planet. It was a fully synthetic planet, one of the first things the Great Beings ever truly “created.” The planet was built from the inside out, with the “Axis Mundi,” or World Core created first, to act as a control hub where the success or failure of the project could be measured. It was eventually decided to kill two Kahu with one Kohlii ball, and to test multiple projects simultaneously. So, a prototype AI was constructed, and given control of the Center. The rest of the “planet” was built thereafter, and everything from the weather to the night sky surrounding the planet was synthetic, and controlled by the AI. Finally, the Crown Jewel of the Experiment was put in. To ensure that all evidence of the test was erased, a Purge Cycle was built into the base coding so that not only would the project be kept a secret, but so that the system could be kept on standby for future test trials, and that the buildup of errors would be purged away from the system after the time limit expired. After all, 15 Billion years is a long time, especially for a computer. You’d have to be idiotic to expect to go that long and not run into any errors. What the Purges would do is erase every memory everyone had about the last cycle, except for things like languages, motor skills, and the like, create a transparent “layer” of ground for buildings and inhabitants to live on during the purge, and then delete and reload the synthetic planet tiles underneath the temporary layer, reverting them to how they were after the Great Beings left the planet. Man-made creations would be untouched, due to the potential consequences that an accidental purge would have on a civilization if it went off before the scheduled time. A protosteel box was constructed and placed into the World Core by the Great Beings, which held a leather-bound journal that was to be updated with information telling future Cycles about previous ones, and what to do and be prepared for once a Purge occurred. I'll put it bluntly for you. The Great Beings are not infallible, contrary to popular belief. Most of their mistakes were made in the First Cycle, but to be fair, you can't blame them. A cycle is a long time, and one can only remember so much information at any given time. Officially, the experiment was listed as "Successful, Completed, and Shut Down." This was true, to an extent. The First Cycle was successful, and since it was meant to only go on for one cycle, it was completed, but it was never shut down. The honest, blunt truth? The Great Beings lost the system. Yes, the results were transmitted every year as successful and the risk of cataclysmic failure was "Slim to none," but I know we were never shut down. Contact was lost with Bara Magna around 13.7 Billion years in, and eventually everyone just...forgot about us. Life continued on. A civilization grew out of the initial experiment, and nations formed, lived, and died out. All of the present day Metrus grew out of absorption of neighboring nations, and it was eventually decided to unite the Metrus under one banner. Civilization evolved to begin using the feudal system due to the Middle Age level technology, and thus, the Tharuan Kingdom was created 30,000 years into the Second Cycle. Because it was the first area that the Matoran settled, the Valley of Lights was named the capitol of the Kingdom, and society continued on for the next couple billion years as normal. From a historian’s standpoint, the Valley and the Metrus evolved very differently. The Valley quickly grew to become a jewel of the Kingdom, where the nobility would reside. Everything related to the Metrus was shunned, and wealth and power became the traits that everyone looked up to. Meanwhile, the Metrus faced an entirely different story. Citizens here became the peasant class, and had to work themselves to death to scrape out a mediocre living. This culture difference split the regions, and some theorize it was one of the reasons that the “peasants” were so willing to go to take up arms against the valley later on. But, even the well-polished systems can fail. One drawback of the Purge Cycles was that it had to erase massive amounts of data from the Core, as fast and efficiently as possible. This was not the safest idea they thought of. As it turned out, errors began to appear towards the end of the Second Cycle. Imagine waking up in the morning, walking outside to go catch some fish, and instead of seeing a calm blue rippling ocean, seeing a gaping hole in the earth, filled with wires crisscrossing the entire planet. The Kingdom quickly moved to damage control, and tried to placate the Metrus. Logically though, people are prone to extreme fits of panic when they step into a puddle and go falling into the wired guts of a planet. Citizens in the Valley tried desperately to both solve the problem without needing to start a Purge Cycle, and keep the Metrus placated as well. But, we all fear that which we don’t understand, and when the world crumbles around you, you start to lose rationality fast. In the end, the Metrus gathered up their weapons, fought their way to the Valley, convinced the King to let the Cycle end, and descended to the Axis to initiate a Purge. It wasn’t our ancestor’s smartest idea, but it was our only option. Plus, there was always the hope that maybe the base code could be fixed through a system purge. So our ancestors descended to the Core, and began issuing a wipe, erasing everyone’s memories of the awful tribulations the planet was forced to go through. Fortunately, the brave heroes’ deeds would not be in vain, as a young scribe had the foresight to write down a record of the events that occurred, so that future generations would remember the “heroes” of the Second Cycle. So, the Third Cycle began and with the knowledge that a select group of individuals saved everyone, a Tournament was set up by the King in remembrance of the “Purge Wars.” (Matoran are notoriously bad namers.) Each Metru would send two Gladiators to compete for the honor of being named the Tharuan Champion. So it went through the years until the beginning of the Fourth Cycle. You see, during the Third Cycle, the previous Queen had been a bitter, insane old Makuta, who had been cheated by a Vortixx peasant in the Tenth Metru, and began to plan for her eventual revenge, even if she wouldn’t be alive to see it. Being the Queen, she had access to the World Core, and replaced the Historic Journal with something of her own design. In this book, she wrote that the Arena Isle was used to punish specially chosen Metru Gladiators for their crimes against the “empire that I so lovingly ruled over for the Third Cycle.” The book attempted to delude the next “Emperor” into believing that the Metrus were responsible for the system errors, and that the Tournament could instead be used as a Massacre to hold off the errors until the next year. The next time the Queen’s journal was found was after the Purge, far too late for anyone to do anything to stop her influence from spreading. And thus, the Fourth Cycle began with a transition from Kingdom to Empire, and Tournament to Massacre. As of the present day, Four Cycles have passed, and the Fifth Cycle is the current era. But nothing is right anymore. The Purge from Fourth to Fifth Cycles was terrible. In written records, it's said that the very core of the planet shook, the continents trembled, and the skies blacked out as a sound like a mashing of gears rang out through the planet. After the purge, the site where the entrance to the Axis Mundi should have been was gone. Even after miners were brought in from the Metrus to dig deep into the earth, nothing was found. Some believe the Axis simply vanished from the planet. During the Cataclysm, it’s theorized that something related to the Purge cycle messed up the base coding horribly. So now, the Fifth Cycle has gone uninterrupted for 45 Billion years, when we should be on the Eighth Cycle. All this time, massive errors continue to pile up, but the location of the Axis Entrance has been lost to us. Some people think that the Core might be on Ascension Isle. Each day, the errors get worse and worse. System flashes will randomly occur. Things so simple like the "sun" will periodically fizzle out, or shift colors. And occasionally, the land and sky will disappear, and be replaced with a wireframe instead of a cloud, or mountain. From what I’ve gathered, the Empress is so concerned with keeping her power, that he’d rather watch the world around her crumble then initiate a purge and lose all of it. I've heard the stories. Legends talk about the Old Times, before the Massacre, and Ascension Isle remains the only unexplored place left on the system, and I'll bet that's where the Axis Entrance can be found. What really bugs me though, is, with what should be the Ninth Cycle coming up, and the Isle so close to the Valley of Lights, why hasn't there been a purge yet? Oh well, I'll write more later. I have to get back to work, after all. -Azibo, Scribe, Valley of Lights. TL; DR After the Shattering, a prototype for the Matoran Universe was built, to see if an isolated system would actually work, or fail miserably. This planet was called Tharu. It was fully synthetic, and had a prototype AI which controlled the entire planet from the World Core. To erase all evidence of the planet at the end of the experiment, a purge cycle was built into the “code” of the planet, which would occur every 15 billion years. The experiment was only supposed to last for one cycle, or 15 billion years. The Purge would make sure that nothing the inhabitants built got destroyed, and the Great Beings left a “non-permeable” box behind that they used to hold basically a big history book that got passed on from cycle to cycle. But, the Great Beings lost contact with Tharu, and so the experiment was called off, and the Second Cycle began. Eventually, the present day system of “Metrus” grew out of mass accumulation of other nation-states, and they all banded together to act as regions in a Tharuan Kingdom. Civilization evolved similar to Feudal Europe, and the Valley of Lights was named the capitol. Valley citizens were the nobility, while Metruans were peasants. One flaw in the Purges was that a “git-r-done” approach was used to make them happen quickly and effectively. Think of it like going through massive amounts of coding, being lazy, and just deleting entire sections to get done with it. This caused errors in the code, which freaked Metruans out, and made them storm the Valley and force another Purge to hopefully fix the problems. And it did, which started the Third Cycle. Plus, because of some writer’s great foresight, all of this was written down, and a tournament was started to honor the “brave heroes.” For this tournament, the Metrus would send Gladiators to fight and see who would come out on top and be named Tharuan Champion. Towards the last days of the Third Cycle, this peasant Vortixx scammed the insane Makutan Queen, so she plotted to use the Purges to get revenge on the metrus. She replaced the history journal with something of her own writing that said that she was the Empress of the “Tharuan Empire” and that the Tournament was really a Massacre designed to punish the Metrus for creating the system errors. Gladiators would be forced to fight to serve as a sacrifice to ward off the errors for a year. The next time the Queen’s journal was found was after the Purge, far too late for anyone to do anything to stop her influence from spreading. In the present day, it’s the Fifth Cycle, except there’s a problem. The Great Cataclysm occurred during the Fourth-Fifth Purge, and this one was really bad. It messed up the planet code, and caused the World Core to be lost. An even bigger problem was that shortly after the Cataclysm, Purges stopped happening, and so now the Fifth Cycle’s been going on for 45 Billion years, when we should really be on the Eighth Cycle. Right now, the errors keep building up, but there's nothing we can do to stop it. And even if the Empress could, I think she'd rather doom the planet then give up even a percent of her absolute power. Gameplay "But why do I care?" You ask. Because it’s your job to fix the problems if you so choose. Or if you don’t, you get to represent your Metru, aka: try and stay alive for one more day. But, between you and me, I'd rather pick having to save the world over serving in the Massacre. On the bright side, only 24 people at the most can be Gladiators. On the downside, Gladiator selection is usually random, and it's a Last-Man-Standing competition. "Ok, so what can I do in both cases?" Man, with all these questions, you could be an interrogator. Alright, so. If you get chosen for the Massacre, you get to fight for the grand prize of...living one more day while the world collapses around you. But, it'll be hard. You have to pour all of your being into them if you even stand a chance to win. The terrain is brutal, and so are the enemies. On the other hand, if you choose to start a rebellion like your forefathers in the Second Cycle did, you'll have to start it under absolute secrecy. The Empress will execute any conspirators with no hesitation if she finds any resistance to her rule. After you get that started, you have to go find the World Center. Your best bet would probably be snooping around on Ascension Isle. Good luck getting there, though. All passage east of the Valley of Lights or west of the Edge is forbidden, not to mention it'd be quite the challenge, whichever way you go. The Edge is supposed to be holding the most dangerous weather on the entire planet, and the Isle is the most heavily guarded area on the whole planet. After you've gotten there, you just need to find the Axis, and you'll be home free. Probably. "Factions" The Imperials: The main villains of this saga, the Empress rules over the Metrus with an iron fist. Any hint of rebellion is crushed without hesitation. You'll have to get past them if you want to get to Ascension. People over here, they’re dangerous. Some of them have grown up despising the Metru citizens; others empathize with the Metruans plight. If you manage to get here, be careful, even just walking around. You can’t trust anyone here. Many of them have grown up in the sheltered life of the Valley, and so they don’t know a thing about the real value of work, or how hard the life outside the Valley actually is. Don’t rely on them for any physical work, let’s just say that. There used to be a Grand University in the Valley, but it was torn down around the Third Cycle, and the effects have shown. Intelligence is viewed as unnecessary and material things are the only things necessary in most of the nobility’s minds. • The Imperial Military, while once the strongest during the Makutan Queen’s reign, has now been tasked with guard duty by Empress Karora. Many officers feel that this is a waste of their time, and General Rasal himself stated that they had much better jobs to do then “playing babysitter for a bunch of painters, miners, and fishermen.” The Metruans: The Metruans make up the other 99% of the entire population. Everyone here, they’re looked at as peasantry, unworthy of the Noble’s time or resources. The situation here is the opposite of the Valley, oddly enough. Material things are viewed as nice, but somewhat unneeded, and the value of hard work and cooperation are at the forefront in most people’s thoughts. Sadly though, intelligence is still viewed as unnecessary, something that “you’d only need in the Valley. And you’re never getting there, that’s for sure.” Gladiators: You poor souls. You are the ones fighting not only to the death, but for your life. Theoretically, you could all band together against the gruesome Massacre to save all of your lives. But, the thirst for blood taints the arena, and honor, reason, and morality are hard traits to come by in the Arena. Keep in mind, being a Gladiator is both volunteer-able, and a punishment. If I feel you've been a bad citizen of the Empire, to the Massacre you'll go. But more on that later. Locations Big maps, just a warning. Region Map Bare Map (For Less Clutter.) Valley of Lights • The Capitol sits in a lush, fertile valley, which is strange, considering the valley rarely sees the light of day ever since the "sun" shrank. Due to near-continuous darkness, the city relies upon artificial lighting and bioluminescent plants to light up the city. It is from here that the entire empire is run, as well as the Massacre. • The Arena lies on the isle below the Capitol, but the land bridge between the two isles is heavily fortified by a large protosteel barrier called the Wall. The Continent • The Metrus make up 99% of the known, populated area. They’re all pretty similar, being how the continent isn't really that diverse in terms of environment. Their total area extends from the Capitol to the Edge, not counting the Archipelago. • While not related to the continent per say, the Archipelago is still part of the metrus. The Twelfth Metru lies just before the Chain of Storms, and so the main island that makes up the archipelago has only been colonized up to the middle of the island, not that you could safely go any further. The Expanse Ah, the wilderness. Hope you're ready for a fight. Imperial Guards surround the Expanse, guarding against intrusion. Ascension Isle is the most important feature here. Everything else is just a small islet, rock outcropping, or ocean. The Expanse is defined as everything that’s not marked by a metru or Valley border. It stretches from the Eastern edge of the Continent, to the Western edge of the Archipelago, or the Chain of Storms. • The Chain of Storms makes up the entirety of the Archipelago’s waterways. It’s named because violent storms often stretch from East to West, snaking through the skies. • The Twin Rivers surround the main continent that most of the metrus are on. Most of the time, they rush fast to empty out into the Ascension Basin, but sometimes waterways can be found where the waters are calm, and inter-metru transportation harnesses these pathways. Another thing, if you’re ever navigating down the Twin Rivers, be sure to get off before you reach the Basin. If you can’t find a suitable place to disembark, ride the North River down to Metru 12. It was colonized this way, and you can usually find transport back to the mainland if you need it. • Ascension Isle is the last place that can claim the title of untouched. The entire island remains as unmarked as the day it came into being, and is heavily patrolled by Imperial Guards. Profile Format Name: As always, no real world names and the like. You should all know this by now. Gender: Male, Female, Genderless. Species: All the usual Spherus Magna+Matoran Universe species are allowed. In addition, I will be allowing custom species, but if it gets too out of hand with powers and the like, you can consider that little gift taken away. Appearance: What your player’s going to look like. Feel free to put as much or as little detail as you feel comfortable with. Here’s a note though, Metruans look different then people from the Valley residents. If I had to take a guess, I’d say that Capitol citizens look like nobility, or upper class citizens whereas Metruans look almost like peasants, due to the harsh treatment they all receive from the capitol. Tools: How do you stay safe in the world? Tools can mean anything. Kanohi, Weapons, Supplies, whatever. Powers: What are you capable of? Elemental, Vision, whatever. They all apply here. Personality: A short summary of how your character acts, why he is that way, what makes them tick, etc. Short, mind you. Allegiance: Who do you support? Do you agree with the Empress, that the Metruans are to blame? Or do you support the Metrus, who say that it’s the Empress’ fault for not trying to initiate a Purge? Occupation: What is your purpose in the world? If you intend to volunteer for the Arena, state that here. Otherwise, just put regular jobs and such. Biography: What was your life like? Explain what happened to make you get here. Feel free to be as creative as you want. It is another world, after all. Important People Name: Empress Karora Gender: Female Species: Unknown Appearance: Karora takes her Emperorship in stride. She wears sleek, shining bronze protodermic armor underneath an elegant coat, along with the Crown that crown that adorns her head. The armor was specially designed under the design of a hundred Nynrah Ghosts, and is supposedly capable of taking massive amounts of damage without shattering. Tools: Rhotuka Battle Axe, and a Black Fire Sword. Powers: Iron, Gravity (Reports Unconfirmed.) Personality: Karora is cold, calculating, and subtle, commanding her Empire through a combination of fear, natural manipulation, and subtle bribing, while also using any methods she can to keep her subjects in line. Allegiance: The Empire Occupation: Empress Biography: Karora has been the Empress for almost the entirety of the Fifth Cycle. Under her reign, some of the most brutal, dishonorable Massacres have passed. Metruans are "encouraged" to help out their Gladiators to keep the sport going, and drag out their deaths. Born in the Third Metru near the Inhospitable Plains, Karora started from humble beginnings, and used her brilliant stratagems to rank up in the Imperial Military, where she got close enough to kill the former Emperor just before the Fifth Cycle started. Her enemies claim that in not starting a search for the Axis Mundi, she feels comfortable ruling over the world, even as it collapses around her. The Empress is notably paranoid, and never lets anyone into her personal chambers, preferring to meet with her advisors in a formal meeting hall. While she knows no one would be foolish enough to poison her, she still takes her meals alone when she can. The Empress is a highly intelligent individual, and some reason that her disgust with both the Metruans and the Nobility stems from the fact that she views them all as uneducated, and finds that society has stagnated too much for anything to change. She’s rumored to keep an expansive library in her personal chambers, and keeps a private observatory in pristine condition. Name: General Rasal Gender: Male Species: Skakdi Appearance: The general takes a utilitarian approach to his armor, and only wears what is necessary. A simple cloak hides his metallic silver armor, and any needed supplies are carried on a military belt. Tools: Warhammer, and a Cordak Blaster Powers: Fragmentation and Sonics Personality: Rasal is a hot-tempered General, preferring to use military might to crush his opposition quickly, rather than to adopt the Empresses’ “wait and strike” approach to dealing with enemies. Allegience: The Empire Occupation: General of the Imperial Military Bio: Rasal has been the General ever since the Empress herself started out as a low ranking officer. Because of his immense knowledge about Karora’s upbringing, he is kept under constant watch, to ensure that he doesn’t spill any of her secrets, or worse, use them against her in a military coup. In addition, Rasal is one of the only members of the Imperial Government who openly backtalks the Empress and Karora seems to either be indifferent to this, or understanding of it, for she lets it continue. The General refuses to take any part in personally guarding Ascension Isle, and spends his time mostly between his personal fortress in the Arte Mountains, and the Valley of Lights. Name: Krym Gender: Male Species: Toa Appearance: Krym wears specially designed obsidian armor, and easily towers over everyone, not with his height, but with his presence. His armor is unique, in that it features smoke like strands of white that shift around on the armor. He wears a silver Huna in the Hordika style, and his calm blue eyes shine from behind it. Tools: A Magnetic Pulse Rifle, and Electrified Chains. Powers: Twin elements, Lightning and Magnetism, but both are halved in their power. Personality: While mostly cynical and dark-humored, Krym takes his job seriously, and puts defense of the World as his first priority. Allegiance: The Metruans Occupation: Game Champion/Shipwright Bio: Krym was the champion of the 15 Billionth Massacre when the Sixth Cycle should have started. When four million years passed and the cycle never started, Krym became disillusioned with life, and started to hire himself out as a worker, doing whatever jobs he could. Eventually, he overcame his long bout of depression, and realized just how distorted and immoral the concept of the Massacre were, with the stench of bloodlust expanding over the entire arena, not to mention all the souls that must have died on Arena Isle. Talk has been secretly spreading, and those who know him say that he’d be a prime candidate for leader of a revolution, similar to how his ancestors ignited the Rebellion in the Second Cycle. Warnings and Rules Rules 1. All BZP rules apply, obviously. 2. No God-Mods. It’s no fun, and it ticks off other people. 3. Three characters is the limit. I seriously doubt you’ll need more than this. That’s one character for each “faction,” so you should be fine. I might adjust this later if I need to. 4. Have fun! If you can’t think of something to do, go invent something. It’s a big world, the possibilities are endless. 5. The World is crumbling around you. It’s the end of the world, so why not go out with a bang? 6. Silliness is ok, in light doses. You all should know what I’m talking about. The line between funny and annoying is a thin one. 7. Rule-breaking is frowned upon, and has consequences. If you can’t play by the rules, you don’t get to play at all. 8. One more thing, don’t control other people’s characters without their permission. Letting another character land a damaging hit on you is one thing, but straight up control falls under god-modding. 9. Profiles, Discussion, and the Game each have their own topic. Try to keep it that way, mmkai? 10. One last thing. With custom species, if you intend to join the Massacre, you must let the staff know in your species biography so we can decide if it’s fair to the Arena. Consequences First Time- Warning It was probably an accident, so this time you get a slap on the wrist. Metaphorically. I'm not going to walk all the way to your house to slap you on the wrist. Second Time- One Exclusive Trip to the Capitol This time we're giving you a getaway to the capitol, but not to be pampered. You get to be thrown into the Arena for a punishment. Because it's your second time, you get a ration of supplies so you don't die. But, that's your final chance. Third Time- Serious Injuries in the Arena You will be in the Arena, seriously injured. You might be able to find medicine, but only if you really start playing by the rules. Chances for escape on this time are slim to none. Fourth Time- Death in the Arena And not in the honorable way. You will be shot by a firing squad, and tossed into the arena, where your corpse will serve as a warning by the Empire to coerce the Gladiators into behaving. Harsh? No. I gave you *four* chances to play nice. You deserve this. Author’s Notes Just to make this clear, the main focus of the RPG isn’t going to be the Massacres at all; it’s going to be about the need for a Purge Cycle. The Massacres are still a pretty important part of the game; they’re just not going to be the center point of the RPG. If there’s a big enough demand for it, I guess the Empress can maybe demand for more Gladiators to fight in the arena to settle her thirst for blood. -Av