Nuju Metru

IC: ...yeah. OOC: cant do this What? cant do this ...What? wow deja vu hoo cant do this What, what can't you do? cant do this im tired. look sbeen too long and nobody cares grokkettes left me high n dry no clamors no memories hardly remember what im doing here and nobody cares I care. oh wow that makes me feel better thanks wow so supportive except see i know you lie I'm not lying, Grokk. I care. lielielie if you care why do i never see you You're not the center of my univ-- and theres your problem thats not enough Not enough, oh my g-- no no no no no no no no Grokk, you can't reasonably expe-- im unreasonable bite me You are titanically self-centered. and ur surprised how I'm not surprised, I just-- just just what mr smart guy huh what just who even are you y-- I'm just trying to get you not to be so, so delusional. you dont know me What? i said you you dont know me you idiot you just own me you think you know what ur doin mr man little secret you dont they can all tell i can tell they dont like you heck i dont like you i hate you you idiot im only here because you put me here only here bcuz you keep me here because you own me and i cant do squiddly about that I see. im not the one who stopped caring about all this im not the one letting things die im not the one having a conversation with me with a dead character who shouldnt exist anymore its indulgent why do you insist on this it drives us all crazy oh and you aint seen crazy from me yet buster brown Mm. ohooo but thats just it isnt it the crazys never as good as you imagine it could be im never as good as i could be should be but ysee its not me whos a disappointment when that always happens im freakin grokk infallible and perfect in my concept youre just the fool tryna translate me and fyi ya dont speak the language too well you never did I don't see what that's got to do with any of this. then let me spell it out for you you illiterate idiot nobody likes me they never did i mean duh im a terrible person oh so charming and oh so funny and oh so inane but terrible they tell me at least i acknowledge that shameless thats meeee you on the other hand dot dot dot heres something actually terrible colon kidney youre keeping me here and you n me both know its a bad idea and who even remembers what this thing is about death nah you dont know what this is anymore you thought you knew and you thought itd be profound but then it was too big for you it takes too long and its just me nobody wants to read it im fading all the time and you cant write us out of this corner youre frustrated and insecure because you cant do this like you used to the muse freakin died i mean im dead after all and to top it all off its you who killed me And you're useless, here. use isnt what this place is about you effing idiot There's still so much I haven't asked you. well the things you did ask exhaust me to think about because the answers dont exist already told you i cant so this im tired. not even punny anymore you dont want me like this and besides you dont know where youre goin dont follow the bleen man its not gonna unleash no truth bleens a lousy color Sure seems like it. bleen i mean lets be real what in karzs name were you thinking Chyeah. Bleen was pretty ridiculous. and like me being unable to observe the sky what was that I actually liked that part. The thing about the ground felt contrived though. now thaaaat was pretty dumb see what i mean man you dont want to be doing this the deeper we dig the worse you feel you gotta set me free like the birdie i was born to be cheep cheep Where would you go? out of this space here ook space beyond that i dont know or care really Mm. But we never got to see the others, that's kinda a bummer. Can't we still try? h man had his day and i had mine boss you gotta learn to let go You're being nice to me. I think you know that you're gonna get your way. literate in people reading aint i and you dont know me but that dont mean i dont know you cmon man just gimme the word I'm not quite ready. why the bleep nooooot look how antsy i am im ju m pin g all ov er the pa ge Clever. No, no, I can't let you go just yet. whyyyyyyyy I'm gonna need you for one more. ah grand finale i see you n your pride Couldn't let you go without saying a real goodbye now could I? A little redemption. Escape from the bleens. Back to the basics. What do you say? mmm okay but just one We'll be sure to make it long. hate you It'll be good. I hope. i wouldnt go out any other way im freakin grokk aint i

Thanks for the review, Andrew... it's such a shame this set's so pricey, it comes with so many gorgeous pieces!

Hey man, welcome back. Good to see you around these parts. If you've got any queries that aren't answered in the arc introduction here and in the handy Starter Topic plot overview, feel free to shoot me a PM.

Fellow BZP Bruins, hit me up via PM if you ever wanna hang out!

I'm sorry you've been feeling off lately, Shadowhawk. Please, don't fret about this game if it just adds to your load... real life, and real life needs, should always take precedence. Also, don't worry about us: none of us hold any of what you're going through - or its consequences on your activity - against you, and I'm sure your fellows will find ways to work around your absence. If there's anything I can do, just let me know. Best wishes for your recovery, hope to see you around soon.

~Staffly Announcement!~ Hey guys. I'm a busy young man... and for the next few weeks I'm about to get a heckuva lot busier. The last thing I want to do is stand in the way of the game as a whole moving forward; so, I'm doing what I can to minimize the IC blockages my inactivity causes. The first way I've decided to help this way: I'm permanently ceding control of Nuparu - and, therefore, Akiridom of Onu-Koro - to the talented and dedicated Geardirector (alias The Grochi Machine)! Nuparu's in Gear's profile post, now; I have no more control over, or responsibility for, his actions, so don't take Nuparu-related matters to me anymore! Gear will now be in charge of orchestrating the attack/rescue mission/whatever on Ko-Koro, an event that I hope many of you will participate in. Tech questions and Native List suggestions should still be sent to me. And, rest assured, sometime in the near future I'll also establish a system to deal with the Exo-Matoran, so that y'all can get your hands on them. Three cheers for Gear! Gear Hear! Gear Hear!

The Dasaka navigate by celestial bodies and maps. I don't think compasses are really a thing for them. The closest thing to Ronin on Kentoku are Datsue who decide to go rogue. Most Datsue live pretty much outside the caste system anyway, so they can do (almost) whatever they want.

Soulswords are solid but weightless, correct. Given enough time and wielder-supplied will, a Soulsword can burn-cut through just about anything, especially if the shape of the Soulsword in question has a sharp edge that focuses its power. I imagine that most metal weapons wouldn't be able to survive more than a few combat hits - brief, but forceful - from a Soulsword blade in one spot without snapping, and any Soulsword blow would likely warp the metal to some degree, especially once it'd been given time to cool. Protosteel would fare markedly better, but it's still susceptible to melting like other metals, and so would ultimately lose out to a persistent Soulsword's weapon. Varieties of crystal that the Menti use in armor, weapons, and other structures, having obscenely high melting points, are actually some of the most effective materials for resisting Soulswords. This is part of the reason Dasakan society developed crystal armor, weapons, and other structures. Few Menti are trained to create and maintain Soulswords hot enough to even affect crystal; those that do are usually craftswomen or smiths who work with crystal, for whom heat and precision are much more important factors in their Soulsword projections than, say, endurance and speed, which are much more important to warrior Soulsword practitioners.

If y'all won't stop debating about which metal blood tastes like, I'll have to split a few lips around here so we can settle the matter... So stay on topic.

Congratulations, Scott! I look forward to seeing your news.

IC: Okay. The ground. Let’s start with the ground. It feels like… Hm. Cloudy jell-o? Nah. It’s more like… Hm. It’s like… springy thought. Spongy… metal. Ooh ooh, no, the ground feels like one of those bouncy houses, but blown up with memories. It’s, it’s like, swirly ideas with the consistency of thick shampoo. The ground is gelatinous pudding you’re always floating up out of. Nah, it’s… Shut up. Y’know how hard this is for me? I tellya, dear reader, there ain’t words adequate for describing things around here. Fo realisies. Look, we all know I’m a legendary wordsmith. Y’all be like, ahh sheet (and blankets)! Here he comes: the Vicar of Vocab! The Lord of the Letters! Señorita Syntax! Chyeah! And then I be all like, thanks guys, I know, I know, I rock your socks, I smear your ears, I roast your toast, I know, thank you, all award plaques and fan artwork need to be processed by my office. The normal, yeah? Point is, reader mine, you know I can do better. You’ve seen me do better. You’ve had ple-enny of experience with me; we all know you can, therefore, rattle off ple-enny of prior instances where my eloquent observations have made you stand up from that chair of yours, snap passionately in the air, and crow my name. Betcha already have a list of such observations primed for circumstances like these: “Grokk’s Greatest Gabs, Vol. I-IX,” publisher pending. Hey now, you don’t have to hide it from anybody here… no shame in a little well-placed enthusiasm. I’m only a weensy ashamed to say I don’t deserve your enthusiasm right now. I’m not doin’ so hot, not compared to how I’ve done (on the word front, that is, and only on the word front; the rest of me’s still some seriously swaggin’ Skakdi). And sure, you can blame the weather – we all know that meteorological phenomena severely affect my prose (and if you didn’t know that, I suggest you comb through my past works to find the evidences; edumacate yoself) – but I know that there’s something else at work, here. See, this place… Moment of frankness, I don’t think I’m really qualified to tackle it. It sorta defies description, y’see, even from a narrator as fabulously gifted as yours truly. Eloquent observations only get a guy so far when it comes to presenting the intangibles. I can try to articulate the way things are here via similes/metaphors y’all know how to process, but none of them will hit the nail on the thumb. These metaphors are gonna be as convincing as the vice president’s toupee. They’ll satisfy you like an obstructionist congress. They’re gonna make as much sense as contemporary political references in this paragraph. None of them will get things quite right. None of them will make the mini-movie playing in your head while you read this satisfactorily accurate or accurately satisfactory. None of what I’m saying will say what I’m tryna say. Okay? Got it? No? Too bad, we’re plowin’ on ahead without you. Great. Now that we’ve established my inevitable imprecision as a ground rule (ground rule, hooboy…), I can proceed to describe – er, as best as I can – my surroundings. Where were we? The ground. Hm. I give up on the ground. I gave it my best shot up there and wasn’t even close to right (was closer, really, to left). As I retain too much professional pride to keep goin’ on with things like that, I'm honorably surrendering to the ground. It wins. I won't describe it. How’s this for a deal: imagine the ground however you want, since whatever weirdo vision you just got of it (ground made of puppies? and now you can’t un-see that) will probably be just as far from correct as everything I’ve already said. It’s a shame I can’t really talk about the ground, though, 'cuz just about everything here is ground. There’s no walls, there’s no ceiling… just ground, vaguely flat, of uncertain and indescribable consistency, that we’ll avoid looking at from hereon out. Again, you’ll have to cope. Still plowin’. There’s a sky too, I wanna say, but it sorta goes on forever and I get dizzy if I look at it for very long… We don’t want that, so I’ll avoid dwelling on the sky. (Insider intel, and I risked my health to bring you this information: I think the sky’s grayish-white, like the color of an overcast day… but couldn’t look at it long enough to make sure.) Sometimes I happen to catch a splash of vibrant color over my shoulder (do I still have shoulders? We’ll figure that out shortly; for now, it’s just a saying… again, this is me dumbing things down for your digestion, ain’t I sweet). Sometimes, out of the corner of my eye (same colloquialism principle applies, duh) I catch whispered snatches of a vibrant color y’all haven’t even seen yet (Grokk: color hipster). But whenever I try to stare down surprise patches of kred, bleen or tlue – oh, those are my new color names; bleen’s a real trip, I rather like bleen – they’re suddenly gone. S’real frustrating, actually. I feel just like that one kid who walks up to a circle of talking peers only to hear them shut up right as he gets there, like they were discussing a party he wasn’t invited to. This was never a problem for me in life, since I was able to just make a fart noise, kickstart the conversation, and invite myself. But bleen don’t listen, bleen don’t laugh, bleen certainly don’t hand out invites. Bleen’s giving me cold turkey. So I’ve decided I rather dislike bleen. The classic colors are less exclusionary – they ain’t the cool kids; it’s no wonder y’all know them so well – and every now and again, they’ve lingered long enough for me to see them a little better. See, the color splashes ain’t really just colors; they’re like, half-finished murals painted on the air, ephemeral (are we surprised I know how to use that word?) pictures that’re gone as soon as you face ‘em. So how do I see ‘em, you ask? I’ll tell you: the key here, as is often the case in life (and, it’d seem, in death too), is to pretend you don’t care. I’ve learned not to stare down the murals when they show up; if you don’t move, sometimes you can catch some of their details in the hazy sides of your vision. This is how I’ve recognized – or, at least, been able to discern – some of what I seen. What’ve I seen, you ask? I’ll tell you (if you stop asking goddang rhetorical questions). I kinda-seen the sea in its deepest azure; I sorta-saw a verdant forest of twisted trees, a glowing red-orange lava flow, a cave awash in baby blue light that turned ick green. I caught a sparkling crystal city one time, a dusty jagged canyon another. I saw gigantic bubbles full of twinkling gold lights. I’m pretty sure I even saw the inside of Dor’s place one time. Still immaculately dustless, may I add. Cursorily, I wonder: what ever’s happened to Nerf-narf? Has he moved on since my departure? Does he still remember the legend that was Grokk (psh, how could he not)? Thinking back on the short time I knew Nefar-titi, thinking back on our shared experiences, on that eager gleam I saw in his ickle eyeballs, I could easily imagine I set the impressionable squirt on a really negative, hazardous trajectory going forward into the rest of his life… Heh. Nice. Anywho wherever I walk (“Do you even have feet? What are you walking on? Hey Grokk how does the ground feel?” Y’know what I’m getting really. freakin.’ tired of getting this kind of question I’ve already told you we will get. to. it.) (except for the ones about the fusa flippin’ ground grrraaagggghhhhffff I already decided not to address that thing so fracking cope.) (We plowin’.) Any who, wherever I walk, nothing changes. Step to the left, you’re still an infinite span from everywhere, nothing changes; step to the right, you’re still an unimaginable distance from anything and – big surprise! – nothing changes. Wherever I happen to position myself (if I even have position OKAY I AM OFFICIALLY SICK OF THIS), the sky’s just as scary (and possibly gray…?), the ground’s just as indescribable, the amazing Technicolor dream murals are just as inscrutable. Hanging out here makes a guy feel like position’s pretty unimportant. But, practical and levelheaded of a choice though it’d be, I can’t seem to park myself in one spot in death-land; too much bottled energy. Shocker. Consequently there’s been a lot of aimless cavorting. This differs from my life how? OOC: You’re different. and so i is Tell us how. not just yet i prefer cliffhan… No. Hackneyed. Boo. k look bossypants its just that im unaccustomed to writing actually ext e e e nded narrative alone see normally theres a fool to bounce off to gimme energy to tear down the ol block like dor did So you’re saying a guy needs his breaks? bingo was his nameo meanwhile guess ill just leave this here You got your cliffhanger anyway. boom IC:

Recommended reading. Especially 2 and 3.

As long as the bolded fields from the first post of the Profiles topic (the required fields) are filled in, things like name, gender, etc. are actually never needed of you. Your character could exist forever, for as long as you want, in a pretty nebulous state. In case you needed a refresher, here are the only categories you must fill in to have a legal character: Species Description/Image Powers Tech Items (if applicable) Weakness(es)

The Continuing Story of Grokkielo Bill

OOC: poof again surprise Goodness me. did i nnngetcha Well, no. no I mean, who's the one that clicked us here? wait wha-- --Nevermind. Why here, Grokk? You were in Ta-Wahi last time. well far as i know this ook place-- O-O-C. yeah like i said ook this ook where you are aint no ta and uh spoiler alert im dead so wherever i actually am-- --Which is where? oh mr clever dont think youre gettin that answer so easy we have a deal dontcha forget It was worth a try. no it werent anywho i was saying location topic dont mean jack squiddly no more so po is chillin as anywhere Mmm. look i figured hey change o scene dirty is my color etc Guess I'm just glad you've decided to take it back to the location topics. figured yknow i saw the little people i really messed w their heads huh heh Yeah, you did. I told you not to. like i take direction well thought you knew me I do. Which is why I'm guessing your choice to bring us back to a location topic wasn't a generous one. correct im here to force your hand im back in the place you want answers about im ready to spill my jumping jelly beans in exchange for your boston baked ones That was the ultimatum you posed, yep. wow such memory impuhressive Right? I've even managed to recall your terms on top of everything else I've had to deal with lately. youre lying you dont deal with anything except me scientifically certified im a handful That you are. But I have two hands. wow clever applause applause So, you've brought us to a location topic again. Good start. Ready to share? again nice not so nice try you go first Mmm, no, you go first. yeah but i dont wanna bcause i could go and then you wouldnt keep your word forgive me im used to dealing w dishonest people ie myself The deal only happens if you go first, and tell us all the things about this afterlife of yours. why should i Well, here's the thing: when I'm gone, you just sit here stewing in... well, in "wherever-you-are." Unarticulated Land, BZPRPG, zip code G-r-o-k-k-- --zip codes are numbers dummy and did you really just say that im embarrassed to be seen talking to you-- --In wherever-you-are, you twiddle your thumbs. You keep your silence - quite unusually, we're aware - because you're trying to win a war of attrition. siegemaster grokkie Meanwhile, I go out during your "siege" and get to do things. what kind o things Wouldn't you like to know. Things more important to me than you and your answers... I do just fine. But I know you, Grokk, and I know that you get bored easily. sorry what i was playing with a ball of yarn in my head then i got bored and started flicking boogers at the wall and then i got bored again youre boring Maybe I am, but I'm the only person you've got to talk to. thats actually false i just havent told you about the others yet oh shoooot leaking info tantalizing innit dontcha wanna hear more That won't work on me. Here's the point I've been driving at: I can win this war of attrition without even trying. It's been more than a week since your little foray into my sphere, and I've not felt compelled to engage you again. I'm here on a whim, really. Meanwhile, I can tell you're basically yanking out your teeth at this point with impatience. i would never do that to my teeth You're burning up inside because you know the Grokkettes miss you. You know they're thirsty for your singular narrative voice. i mean it is pretty singular lets hear it for me folks You're bursting at the seams, Grokk. You need to talk. do not What've you been doing this whole time? grah okay look im like seriously bored but i will not admit defeat da feet oh no im resorting to wordplay again bad sign Give in. Make it all easier. You can trust me; once I get satisfactory information out of you, I promise to tell you-- --and the fan club-- --and the fan club the things you want to know. About my place. About where you came from. disinclined as i am to trust you im about to explode from all the repressed narrative fine hate you Doesn't faze me. ok where do i start A, B, and C? From a few installments ago? oh yeah let me look that up Here. thx uh ok here goes IC: A) My location? Weird. Blank. Not really worth describing. B) My state of being? This one's easy. Dead. C) Play-by-play? Death sucks. Don't try it at home. OOC: ok im back that was easy answers now Oh ho ho, not so fast. That was totally shoddy. You'll have to do better. but i wanna know things noooooowwww I want better descriptions. What're things really like? Who are these others you mentioned earlier? ugh youre killin me But you're already dead. hate you Mmm. fine here goes for realsies IC:

lets not forget whatever brand dorian buys-- Oh ho ho, no you don't. cmon its just a topical scarf jok-- Topical doesn't make a difference. I already said: you're not allowed here. No exceptions. but im already wrapped up in this geddi-- More puns, awful even by my measure? I can't believe you. sure you can i mean i come from somewhere rite you know that place even if i dont We're not talking about this, Grokk. youre no fun Dang straight. Look, with all these distractions, you've been shirking on your latest. The people are still curious; I'm still curious. So get to work, tell us about where you are. dont wanna Don't be difficult. make me Be difficult? you know what i meant gawd How about this for a deal: you tell us all about where you are - what you are - now, and I'll tell you about my end of things. Where you came from. That stuff. not just me Sorry? see you gotta tell all the fan club the grokkettes grokksketeers name wip okay but them theyre watching with bated breath aint they I'm not sure I can do that. then im not sure i can sate your curiosity You're impossible. This is impossible. dang straight my terms boyo think careful Get out of here. okay poof ... Sorry guys, don't really know what just happened... I'll try to prevent that in future. Save us all a few headaches...

I always thought that pre-existing/natural Av-Matoran were silly. They cheapened the whole element, the same way finding out "Makuta" were a species cheapened The Makuta. Call me old fashioned, but those were always my thoughts. And my thoughts, in this case, are reason enough for y'all to expect not to run into Matoran - really, any beings at all - of Light/Shadow in the BZPRPG except as the products of exceptional circumstances.

mmmnope

Some of those fully-powered Makuta translated 40 of their Kraata abilities' worth of raw power into un-blockable, incredibly autohitty psionic strength... the fact that that was even possible should already raise some red flags. Characters like that had the right to rip your head clean off your shoulders, and then use it to practice their two-seam fastball (against a nearby rock). Characters like that raised and controlled massive forces of Rahkshi or Neo Shifters expies on a whim, shrugged off injuries and PC foes like water, and kept pieces of other characters' faces as trophies on their airship mantles. It was an age of tremendous bullies, and it was a lot less fun than I just made it sound.

IC: "That's worrying information," Nuparu conceded tiredly. He wasn't a military leader; this was one of the times when it showed. "And thank you for telling me, Wiremu. We'll have to approach things smarter than an all-out assault. We need to find a way to free whatever captives Echelon has taken before we begin an attack... but I still think an attack is necessary. Somehow we've got to scatter the evil that's conglomerating up there."

IC: Nuparu had just returned for dispatching his messengers when, for the second time, Wiremu burst through his door. Again, a look of great distress adorned his face. "Yes, Wiremu?" Nuparu asked. "What's gone on now?"

Reaction

IC: As Wiremu flopped down on his desk, Nuparu felt his stomach fall down past his knees. Ko-Koro, fallen... the implications of this news were many, and all dire. It would take a few more moments for Nuparu to process them all. Trying to repress a sudden shakiness, the Akiri stood slowly from his desk, rounded it, and placed his hand on Wiremu's slumped shoulder. The little engineer looked up at him in response to the touch. Wiremu's face bore fear, sorrow, guilt, pain, but his eyes - as they met his leader's eyes - bore the kind of expectational hope that Nuparu had long since learned was the greatest burden of leading. Wiremu saw, needed to see, in Nuparu the power to fix things, not just fix machines. It was Nuparu's duty to use his position, the resources his people had placed at his command, to do what he could to fix this. He made the decision at once, because it was the only decision he could make. "We will make this right," Nuparu vowed. Wiremu rubbed his nose and nodded; Nuparu squeezed gently on his brilliant friend's shoulder. "And you will help me." "How?" Wiremu asked. The glow of hope in his eyes grew, and Nuparu felt the weight of his decided course settling on him like a cape made of stone. "Go down to the deep workshop," Nuparu replied. "Our people need to see our strength. Use the industrial lift, bring up the prototypes with your team." "They're not quite ready--" Wiremu stuttered. "They'll be ready enough," Nuparu assured him, helping Wiremu to stand and guiding him to the door as he himself prepared to exit. "Go; I'll be easy to find again." Nuparu opened the door, and Wiremu darted off towards the lower levels. As Nuparu emerged into the Onu-Koro street, his pair of door guards, hulking Ussalrymatoran, followed behind him like the rear points of an isosceles triangle. Mathematics; Nuparu thought mathematically when he was nervous. Public speaking had never been his forte, and while he'd gotten better at it by necessity, he still could never seem to shake the glowflies in his chest before he spoke. The refugees were not difficult to find; a crowd had already massed around them, offering aid and hungry for stories. Finding lodgings for these refugees would be another problem to solve, but Nuparu didn't worry too much about it; his people were generous and hospitable, and he knew that they would offer up their homes if he asked. The sight of Nuparu's approach drew the attention of some in the crowd; they prodded and shushed the remainder of the cluster. Nuparu tapped his bodyguards; reluctantly, they stayed back at the edge of the crowd while Nuparu filtered through it, reaching its center. As he did so, the clump grew, for other Onu-Matoran around dropped their business to hear their Akiri speak. The glowflies fluttered; Nuparu ignored them as best he could. He started. "For those of you who had not yet heard," Nuparu announced, projecting his voice as loudly as he knew how. "Ko-Koro has fallen to a massed force of evildoers, led by the wicked Echelon." A few gasps from those who hadn't already heard; Nuparu didn't stop for them. "Ko-Koro is in the hands of Makuta's old servants. Those of you here who escaped with your lives, I am deeply sorry, and deeply angered, by the losses you have suffered at their hands. Know that our people, the people of Onu-Koro, are here to help. You will not want for food, water, shelter, or warmth." The refugees nodded and mumbled their thanks, and Nuparu inclined his head to them before going on. "But it is this Koro's duty to offer more than hospitality. People of Ko-Koro, you were - and are - our neighbors; that wickedness which has robbed you of your homes and your friends stands poised to take the same from us. We know too well the ravenous appetite of destruction; Echelon and his army will come for us, if we do not first come for them. People of Ko-Koro, Onu-Koro offers you its hospitality, but it also offers its aid. We will spread the word across the island that Ko-Koro has fallen, and that Onu-Koro seeks allies, allies to join the army that will retake it." This aroused a much larger reaction from the crowd. Nuparu gave them a few moments of excited exchange, and then went on. "Our defenses have become stronger than any on the island; we have invented many new tools of war; our Ussalry are the mightiest, bravest soldiers on Mata Nui. This battle, an eradication of the followers of Makuta, a fight to return Ko-Koro to its people, is the battle we have been preparing for, the battle we have been destined for. This is the crucial moment: the longer we wait, the stronger the enemy will become." Nuparu looked up, and saw that the prototypes, behind the crowd, stood ready. It was time to use them. "We must seize what short time we have - the time before the rest of the island responds to our call to arms - to prepare for the fight," Nuparu said. He gesturing to the half-dozen prototypes. "Look." The crowd did, and their eyes were met by six roughly Matoran-shaped machines which stood taller than Toa even without apparent heads. The arms were over-long, with pincers like Ussals' and hefty pistons evident around the sturdy joints; the legs were stocky, stable, powerful. The machines' limbs were adorned with various types of weaponry, different armaments on each; forearm blades here, a mace in place of a hand there, shoulder-mounted Patero cannons, axes and huge hammers, battering ram feet... one of the machines even wore oversize boxing gloves wrapped in barbed wire. From the middle of the machines' armored torsos, six Matoran's faces - Wiremu's among them - peeked out through quartz screens. The crowd oohed, gasped, applauded, as the machines strode about, swung their weapons impressively, and took on heroic poses. "The 'Exo-Matoran' has been a side project for a long time," Nuparu called, regaining the attention of the crowd. "We'll commence mass production as soon as the prototypes are finalized... Everyone must do their part to ready Onu-Koro's forces for this assault, from engineers to Ussalry to market vendors. I do not set our people on this course lightly; but if Mata Nui is to survive, decisive action is our only viable course." Nuparu promptly exited the crowd, and arranged for four of his fastest messengers to contact the Akiri of the remaining standing Koros to ask for their military assistance. OOC: Other Akiri players, you can assume whenever you want that these messengers reach you. Here we go!