Bzprpg - Ko-Wahi

[Tabby: Toa of Cats]

IC:Kivar said,"Your lack of care for the Nui-Rama concerns me. They tormented you without choice. Did they deserve to suffer for it, even if their deaths were the only way? I will help you with the hostages, none-the-less. I can take on any troublesome groups of Hapaka with my element." Cy whispered to Vorok, "Float the prisioner." Velan rose into the air. "I can let you go if you agree to leave the items you stole and go buy them from a proper store. Agreed? Any other course of action would have to be your imprisonment."

[Constructelf]

IC: Londar"We're going to need to make a large cavern," said Londar.IC: The Mafia"How are we going to do that?" asked the MafiaIC: Vile"I'll take care of this," the brown skakdi said. Aiming with his pickaxe, he unleashed a blast of energy at the ceiling that created a large hole in it. "Taller room," Vile said. With that the four went to work expanding the chamber, when they sawIC: Zokan"DIAMONDS! !!! ME SEE IT! !!!" The red skakdi ran up to the wall. Sure enough, there were diamonds in the walls.IC: Londar"We could make some pretty good money off of these gems," thought Londar. "Heck, we could even start our own business; good way to fund the gang."

Edited August 8, 2012 by Constructman

[sunflower]

IC: Naru

IC: ZaukThe Toa of Lightning shrugged. "We could hang around here, perhaps we might find something of use, or go and check out Tren Krom Break. Although, I wouldn't ask too many more questions, to avoid drawing attention to ourselves," Zauk said, counting off their options on his fingers.Stopping for a moment, Zauk looked around at the scenery, glad to be back in his home Wahi.

[Katuko]

IC:Kivar said,"Your lack of care for the Nui-Rama concerns me. They tormented you without choice. Did they deserve to suffer for it, even if their deaths were the only way? I will help you with the hostages, none-the-less. I can take on any troublesome groups of Hapaka with my element."

IC: Madrihk"No, the poor bugs probably didn't deserve it," Madrihk said, not at all happy about hearing that subject come up again. "None of us, on the other hand, deserved being tormented by them for a millennium either. Makuta forced our hand in this. The Nui-Rama were a necessary loss, as it would be impossible to cure them all and their larvae were just as happy trying to maim us as the grown ones. If you want an apology, you can have one from the source of the problem: Makuta... before we end him."IC: NaruStill wondering about the small group, the Toa of Plasma gathered a small ball of plasma in her hand to light the way. She shouted into the tunnel entrance."Are you sure you aren't the ones I'm looking for and just don't want me in on it?"To Zauk, she whispered: "You know, a plasma shot at the roof here and it starts dripping. They've really locked themselves in here." Edited August 8, 2012 by Katuko

[sunflower]

IC: Zauk"Perhaps they have another exit," the Toa of Lightning replied, the hum of staic electricity filling the air. If Naru weakened the roof with her elemental power, it would be simple for Zauk to bring it completely down with his mask.

[Tabby: Toa of Cats]

IC: "You have come as close to an apology as I think you might-and you are right that Makuta holds the greater blame for all the evil that is seen in the Rahi Kingdom on this island. Thank you. I will help you with the hostages. As I said, I can target anyone who causes trouble with sound." OOC: Deflecting the blame to Makuta-an excellent leader's tactic. Kivar's doubts about you will be eased by it.

[Constructelf]

IC: Londar"Nope, just diamond miners. Take a look at what we had found." Even so, he noticed they didn't mean well. "Don't do anything suspicious," he thought to himself. "Ahh," he said, truthfully but also finding it a clever excuse to delay the conversation. "I completely forgot! I need to go to Ko-Koro and get a cart! How else are we going to get these diamonds to the village?" Wih that, he started out the tunnel.IC: The Mafia"I haven't even heard of the forces of nature. I just got here." IC: Zokan"DIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"IC: Vile"Who were you looking for again?" Even so, he noticed they didn't mean well and readied the blast function on his pickaxeOOC: The Mafia, Zokan, and Vile aren't part of the Forces of nature...yet. As of now, they have no clue what you're talking about

[EmperorWhenua]

Nichou nodded. "But can't there be a more efficient way to send us out? Places we could go, or ways we could continue to fight makuta other than that? It seems foolish for mata nui to not want us by your side later in your quests, but he must intend to have us to do some purpose as well that takes us away from you. Maybe we just need to find it."

Ic: "I don't know what is in store for any of us, Nichou," Stannis said. "And at this point I cannot give you orders, only advice. Go your own paths now, and we will meet again soon someday." I hope, he finished in his mind. He really didn't know if he would even be alive in a week. Mata Nui worked in mysterious ways... maybe his destiny was close to fulfillment. Whatever it was, he had to be brave.The night was in full force and they were running out of wood to fuel the rapidly burning fire. "It is late and I feel we have said all that there is to be said. Now, let us go to bed before it gets too late and go our own ways at daybreak. It has been an honor to call you all my Companions in the night." With that final remark he rose and vanished into his tent, his bright grey eyes glowing through the veil of the tent before vanishing under sheets as he riffled in the confines. One by one the others said their goodbyes and entered their own little abodes as the fire grew dimmer until there were none left and the flames cast no shadows. Edited August 8, 2012 by EmperorWhenua

[Katuko]

IC: Zauk

IC

IC: Naru"Hm, forget it, then," Naru said, once again withdrawing from the entrance. "They're lunatics," she muttered to Zauk, in a quite disappointed manner. "They might be dangerous somehow, but with overreactions like that I don't think they could organize a group even if they wanted to."

OOC: Deflecting the blame to Makuta-an excellent leader's tactic. Kivar's doubts about you will be eased by it.

OOC: Don't you know it. Ah, ILS: Someone wanna check out the thrown rock? Anyone else want to be in the group that goes to trade the "ransom" for the Matoran? The rest will of course see combat if it starts at well, but there will likely be some conversation to participate in.IC: Madrihk"I thank you for that. We'll likely need you, given that we don't actually have any widgets with us."Madrihk laughed somewhat uneasily, though it was a ruse. In his mind he had never expected anything but a fight. The Matoran were not particularly important to him, but making a good impression on the Sanctum Guard was. If the hostages were hurt, it would not be good for him anyhow.

[Constructelf]

IC: LondarAs the other three continued to dig, Londar went to Ko-koro. When he got there, he wrote a letter to The Pyro about the construction of the fortress, bought a wheelbarrow using some of the diamonds he had brought with him, and then returned to the mountain.Construction of the fortress was going slowly. They had only been able to build the preliminary tunnel, which was short; and a small chamber, which was only the size of a small storage shed. But they had found quite a few diamonds

Edited August 9, 2012 by Constructman

[turtleman]

Kot began his descent to the bottom of MT. Ihu. He was weary from his trip up the moutain and just wanted to return to Ko-koro. Sudddenly he was thrown back by a rampaging frost beetle. He got up and ran towards it, he smashed its head with his staff and proceeded to drag it down the mountain. He smiled knowing that this beetle will fetch a high price.

[Constructelf]

IC: LondarThe builders continued to carve their way through the mountain. It was taking awhile, though. They had only been able to make a hole a no more than 10 deep, and they had been at it for awhile.

Edited August 9, 2012 by Constructman

[BBBBalta]

IC: Lekua tossed his pack at the foot of his sleeping bag with a sigh, seating himself on the fabric next to it. Rummaging through it, he withdrew his flute and raised the instrument to his lips. A quiet melody floated through the frigid air, the notes soon swallowed up by the blanket of snow and darkness. A few moments later, the Le-Matoran replaced the instrument and lay back, before long falling into a peaceful sleep.

[Constructelf]

IC: LondarLondar had managed to recruit the three miners (The Mafia, Zokan, and Vile) while they had been digging. Progress was going slow, but well

Edited August 9, 2012 by Constructman

[turtleman]

IC:Kot Kot arrived at Ko-koro and sold the beetle, piece by piece. He then sat down in the middle of the village and unpacked his backpack. " WEAPONS FOR SALE, ARMOR FOR SALE, DISCS FOR SALE, FOOD FOR SALE,"

[Constructelf]

IC: LondarStill working on the fortr-er-diamond mine... Then suddenly, all four of them collapsed.

Edited August 8, 2012 by Constructman

[turtleman]

IC: KotKot after selling his items decided it was time to leave his home region, He stared at the horizon and thought.

[EmperorWhenua]

Ic: It was still dark when Stannis began to move. He never fell asleep and instead waited for the right moment to raise his fellow Chosen brothers. The wind blew strongly enough to disguise the noise of fiber on fiber and the gears whirring in his back as he emerged from his tent, but while nature was loud enough to make his movement silent it was not enough to blot out the snoring of his friends.He looked around the darkness and mentally pictured the tents and their flaps from when they were set up hours ago, identifying which ones belonged to Aurax and Lepidran. He came closer to those tents and was assured each time with the distinctive sleeping sounds. He opened the flaps and entered each tent and awoke the man inside. "Awake, Brother. It's time for us to move before the others awaken," he said first to the Cy-Matoran and then the Le-Matoran. "Abandon your tent and bring only what is needed -- everything else can be left behind. In this mission we can't be slowed down."And with that the three matoran fled from the rest, headed down the mountain valley quickly but carefully. The glacier spilled into a lush green realm that seemed far away, but it was known as Ga-Wahi. The three would start their search for the others in the village that lay below. The others, still in their hammocks, would awaken to find their friends gone, vanished seemingly without a trace, their footsteps long since covered by the ice blown about by the wind...

[25K Now!]

[iC: Rannin]"So, Toa of the Green. We need to find one."

[Mad Scientist BioBeast]

IC:Ankt"Saved you a lot of work?" Ankt asked, tilting his head curiously. "What, did you already challenge her?"

[Visaru]

IC"Oh, no, brother." Verak said, turning around and walking backwards. "She was goin' to pay me to hunt down some enemy of her's. Jade, I think the name was. Anyway, now she's lyin down unconscious and I got all this here money-" Verak jangled Vielah's bag of widgets in front of his face. "-fer free!" he smiled and spun around again.

Edited August 9, 2012 by Visaru

[Mad Scientist BioBeast]

IC:Ankt"So, you're a Bounty Hunter?" Ankt asked, following Verak as they headed for an unknown destination. "Ever fight any actually tough opponents?"

[25K Now!]

IC: [iegasa]"Now now, this shrine is a rather public institution. It is not that hard to connect the fact that this is a Shrine to the Makuta to possible gathering place for worshippers."

[Visaru]

ICVerak looked over his shoulder at the toa. He was following Verak. The toa of stone took a second, wondering why this ma was following him, before continuing."I'm not a bounty hunter, not really," he told Ankt. "I'm just an individual lookin' for work with no moral compass. Oh, well, I did help someone fake a death instead of killin' the person for real, but my companions screwed it up, and the girl got a clingy and annoyin'. Aaanyway, yes, I have fought many tough opponents. But I prefer to let others do the work, ad get out of it if I can." He walked for a few second, before turning around. "No, that's a lie. Fightin's a load'a fun. But, I'm not in the mood right now, so I'd rather not do anythin' of that type. Savvy?" He raised an eyebrow.

Edited August 9, 2012 by Visaru

[Constructelf]

IC: The PyroThe Pyro arrived at the Ta-Ko border and look at a hole in the mountain. Pushing aside a crude door, he saw four figures lying on the ground. "Give it up," The Pyro said. "If you really want a fortress, it's gonna take more than a YEAR to build."IC: LondarLondar had just woken up when he saw The Pyro standing at the cave entrance. Weakly, he pushed the cart of diamonds over to The Pyro.IC: The MafiaThe Mafia woke up, but couldn't get up. Lying on the ground, he weakly asked Londar "Is that the leader?"IC: Zokan"Zzzzzzzz... Diamonds..."IC: Vile"Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz..."

[Flex Lord Splash]

IC: PurgatoryPurgatory followed Pyro into the hole in the mountain. "Four followers eh? Not bad." he said. "Perhaps we could located my former follower, Sheena a Skakdi of lightning." he said. "She isn't overly sadistic like me, but she is willing to do what I say, and she's tough for a girl." Purgatory said. "Who are your friends?" he asked, pointing with a clawed hand at the other figures.

[Constructelf]

IC: The PyroThe Pyro turned away from the pathetic sight and turned to his new recruit. The Fe-Matoran, Londar, is my secretary; I don't know who the other 3 are but they seem to be recruits. Oh, and by the way, people around here know me as simply The Pyro. I have one other recruit, Hantak, but I don't know where he is (OOC: Toa of smooth Jazz? We're going to Xa-Koro after this. Coming along?)IC: Londar and The MafiaLondar finally got up and attempted to wake Zokan up. The Mafia tried to get up to help him, but was too weak to get up. Finally, getting fed up, Londar tossed the skakdi in the diamond cart. The Mafia, finally getting up, chucked Vile in the cart as well before falling in himself.IC: Zokan"Diamonds..."IC: Vile"Zzzzzzz... Ummph?" Vile awoke to find The Mafia on top of him. "Where am I?" he panicked, sitting up and throwing The Mafia out of the cart.IC: The PyroThe Pyro rolled his eyes. "When you guys do get it sorted out, we're headed to Xa-Koro."

Edited August 9, 2012 by Constructman

[Hanako Herupa]

IC: (Kino Iho)"Well trying to sell me out would be the worst decision of your life anyways." Kino sighed. A few minutes she paced around the room. As she paced back and forth in the shrine, she sipped the tea, she enjoyed the citric taste to it. Still pacing and reflecting on her plans and the ones she wished to reveal the Toa of Air, hidden behind white spoke again."We've been going at this the wrong way. We need people to spread the good word of Makuta. We need to make people realize that Makuta is only protecting him. He is the shepard and they are his sheep. Mata Nui has done nothing for this island or these people. His followers, those Toa Mata? Would true heroes vanish? No they would be vigilant. They would act as guiding hands leading the people forward." Kino took a few breaths and continued."I have heard from a member of the ILS that they had tortured and killed a man. Sure he had attacked them, but a group of "heroes" tortured a man, to death, and publicly I might add. I'm sure the people would be estatic to know that their "liberators" aren't that stable?" Kino grinned, but the grin could not be seen as her face remained covered."So we must create a plan. We need people to realize that Makuta has been on their side this entire time. He is a watchful god, a protector and he treats those who follow him well and his punishments are only because he wants to see the best in his followers. We must have the goodwill of the people on our side. Then we have some other goals. Dissent and fear are our allies but they must be used effectively and not as wantonly as they have been. Destroy upstart warlords and criminals as well as these heroes. Don't out yourself as an obvious Makuta follower unless you want to play the peaceful priest. Get in close to these "heroes", and then dig the knife in their back when they least expect it. Our missionaries would spread the word while our warriors would protect it. They would investigate those who seek to undermine us." She giggled a bit before wrapping it up."First we need allies, the Kumu Islets is our best choice at the moment. Mata Nui has turned his back on those poor people and we, Servants of Makuta can be their saviors. We can create order in a place where there is none. Now does that sound like a plan to you?"

[Flex Lord Splash]

IC: Purgatory"Mmm they seem like real winners." Purgatory said sarcastically, it didn't even seem like they could stay awake. "You like diamonds huh?" he said walking over to Vile. "Unless you want to end up choking to death on them, get the Karz up." he sneered. "You heard your leader, we are going to Xa-Koro." he growled. "There is no room for the weak in this organization." he said, before turning to leave the cave. OOC: I'll probably make Sheena a profile later, she could always join too, who knows

[Constructelf]

IC: LondarLondar had fully waken up. "Did you say Xa-Koro?" he said excitedly. "I've always wanted to go there; heard much about it and it sounds nasty; perfect for the likes of our gang.IC: The Mafia"Must find a mask, must find a mask," the Toa of Plasma said to himself, dizzily staggering from being thrown out of the cart. Then he hit the wall and was jolted awake.IC: VileVile got out of the cart. He then noticed Zokan was still in there. He lifted him out and tried to wake him up. When he didn't,he smashed his body against the floorIC: ZokanZokan woke up suddenly. He must have thought that Vile was an enemy because he picked up his flamethrower and started shooting fire wildly. Luckily, The Mafia got the cart out of the way just in time.IC: The Pyro"Ok..." TYhe Pyro looked at the contents of the small cart. There were about quite a few gems in there. He picked them up and inspected them. most of them were either quartz, ice, or just plain rocks. He did find a few that did have a bigger price attached to them. "We go to Xa-Koro," he said.OOC: The Pyro, Londar, The Mafia, Zokan, and Vile to Kumu Islets. I'm assuming that Purgatory's coming too. I haven't heard from Hantak (if you want to stay with the group, go to Xa-Koro)

Edited August 9, 2012 by Constructman

[BenLuke]

IC: Madrihk

IC:"I'll tag along too," Kethrye said, reaching up and gripping the handle of his axe, ready to draw it at the slightest provocation. He felt a shiver run up his arm, and it certainly wasn't from thee cold."Good changes of this going bad, you'll need as much help as you can get if. . when it does."If they've so much as scratched those civilians, those kidnappers are dead, he thought. They'll probably be dead anyway, once this is over. Leaving them around to pull more stunts like this is a liability I'd rather not take."With me and Madrihk, who are both literally in our element here, and the rest of us, these piraka won't give us much trouble, right guys?" - - - -"Now now, this shrine is a rather public institution. It is not that hard to connect the fact that this is a Shrine to the Makuta to possible gathering place for worshippers," said the being that seemed to run the shrine. "You don't say?" Feongulf replied, quashing the smirk she knew was forming. I expected crazy, but I was thinking "murderous madmen" crazy, not like this loony, not at all.Feongulf kept her face from betraying her as a Toa whose mask was obscured by her cloak put forth a plan of action for the group of Makuta's servants, even feeling herself nodding in agreement. Well, they don't need any pushing in the direction we want them to go, makes my job easier."Cleansing the island of this misguided "Island Liberation Squad" is a worthy goal, especially if who you say is true"," she said quietly, turning her head up towards the Toa. "as is trying to fix Xa-Koro's corruption. I've lived there, if you could call existence there living. The people there have had any hope they might have once had crushed out of them, they deserve better. Safekeeping the village from crime and corruption would be the first step towards doing that." Edited August 9, 2012 by BenLuke-116

[Hanako Herupa]

IC: (Kino Iho)"I would know...I was born in the Kumu Islets and lived there, imagine your entire childhood spent there. There is no hope and criminals just keeping taking advantage of that poor village." Kino sighed, shaking her head, her head looking towards the ground before looking back up. "We'll need more people but Ko-Koro will need our help as well. I would advise caution though. Any mainland village is going to be initially hostile to us. There's many criminals there, so we'll need to send a message that we are the bigger Muaka, the bigger predator. We'll also need to start recruiting. We need order in Xa-Koro, that is what those people want and need. You know of any major criminals there, people we can remove. I know whatever passes for the Xa-Koro Guard hardly works in the interest of the people. Xa-Koro will require sweeping reform. So we should probably get an idea of talents among this group so we can plan accordingly. My name is Kino by the way. Figured I should tell you that."

Edited August 9, 2012 by The Mask

[BenLuke]

IC:

"imagine your entire entire childhood spent there."

"Don't have too," Feongulf replied, grimacing. "Seems our lives haven't been very different. I'm Feongulf."The Fe-Matoran cocked her head to it's side, then frowned. "Major criminals, major criminals. I could direct you to their corpses, but if you want the current people in charge the answer is. . there isn't any. Ferrin and his men were betrayed and then offed by the ILS, and one of those Mark Bearer people decimated the Crimson Novas, there's a ton of smaller gang competing for control, a situation that might work to our advantage."

[Nuju Metru]

IC:The black-armored being trudging up the mountainside was highly visible, though nobody was near enough to see it. Like a raven strutting across a world of paper, he made his way through the sun-bleached snow step by step, dark feet leaving impressions in the still powder. The midday sky was bright, clear blue, and the wind was a dull razor. There was nothing up here save the steep desert of snow, and the occasional gray crag that popped above its smooth surface like the tip of an ear through a wave of gleaming hair. No relief of shade was to be found on this motionless tabula rasa. The only shade was the one that moved, gradually but surely, upwards. The snow under his feet made soft noises; the wind, though frigid and sharp, howled no wordless song. The only noise was the shade's labored breathing; he had been climbing a while. He held no weapon, no parcel or backpack. All that he carried was himself, but even that seemed too heavy a burden; his stance was, after the merciless trek upwards, somewhat bent with exhaustion. Nevertheless, the dark being forayed onwards.But something in the snow caught his foot, and then his eye. It was a smallish rock, of a similar hue to the being's own armor. He picked up the rock in both hands with maybe the slightest bemusement, and in doing so, revealed the scattering of other smaller stones beneath. The dark being knelt slowly, as though the motion pained him, and began to dust aside the powdery snow in the area. Soon enough, he cleared a spot of brown brittle earth out of the seamless white blanket, on which rested a jumble of different sized rocks. They were all knocked over, but had clearly been arranged at some point. Who had done so, and why, was a mystery to the dark figure; he was miles from any vestige of civilization or even habitability. Up here, near the white peak, nothing grew, and none could live. He was utterly alone; but someone had clearly been here first. The basic setup of the stones was ascertainable, though they were not proudly standing. The dark stone that he had found first was surrounded by various others of differing, seemingly random, size and shape. Then, to one side was a cluster of six stones of similar proportion. The figure looked at these most intently, with a curious glint in his eye. His lips pursed slightly, and he slid one of the six rocks meditatively away from the others, so that it rested alone. Thereafter, he stood up and continued to trudge through the snow, leaving the rocks and the space he had cleared for them untouched. ...Far enough away from the odd stones, Heuani felt comfortable to sit at last. He rested eagerly; he had been worn out by the journey uphill. The sun was too bright up here for him to move with his normal energy, but he didn't mind that. The Toa of Shadow planted his feet in the snow, and wrapped his forearms around his upright knees, sitting lazily. His eyes, slightly squinted against the wind, looked out at the landscape before him. Most of his vision was the white of the mountaintops or the azure of the atmosphere, but at the periphery, near where the two colors met, he could make out a dim grey; the world below the mountains was merely a blur so high up.Heuani sat in near-total stillness, and after a few minutes, closed his eyes. He wasn't cold up here, and though he preferred the darkness, such a blinding white as the one in which he currently sat was a pleasant sort of torture, once in a while. Heuani was entirely without energy; he had exerted himself continually on his hike, a hike in conditions that continually weakened him anyway. He questioned why he had come here today, why he had come so many times in the past, when every time he ended it feeling half dead. Heuani didn't know the answer, but the Toa of Shadow did know that he was able to ease into the snow in ways he wasn't able to anywhere else, once he finally sat down. Perhaps he enjoyed reposing so high because he felt more alone with his thoughts. Makuta lay at the other extreme of altitude, deep below the island's surface. While Heuani had no idea if the physical distance between him and the darkness he served would isolate his mind, he felt as though it did, and that was a comfort in itself. The knowledge that he was constantly being monitored by his master was a strenuous sort of knowledge, after all. That hadn't been part of their agreement, but with his master, Heuani knew that contractual negotiation was no option anymore. He humored himself; contractual negotiation, as though Heuani would want to change his status quo. He doubted he could change his circumstances, anyway, but that was besides the point, because he did not want to. Heuani was satisfied with his place, as much as he expected he could be. Makuta had made him irresistible, and did not discriminate against his tastes. The darkness did not interfere with Heuani's search for pleasure. The Toa of Shadow liked it that way. He liked his freedom. He liked that he worked on his own terms. He liked that he was unrivaled by any other Toa on the island.Eyes still easily closed, Heuani leaned back, letting go of his knees and letting his legs slide flat. He put his arms at his sides, hands palm-down on the ground, and lay in the white. It had not melted around his body at all. Heuani focused on his breathing, how he sank into the snow, how his lithe body conformed with the earth. He felt the unveiled sun draining him, and gave himself to the light, though it made him dizzy. On a whim, Heuani rolled onto his stomach, and held out a hand in front of his face. Using the small shade cast by his body, he summoned a tiny tendril of blackness, basically dimensionless, to prick his outstretched finger. He felt a new rush in his head; using his element had cost him still more energy. With his other hand, which was by now shaking, Heuani squeezed the pricked finger until a tiny drop of blood had formed against his armor. He shook it free, and it landed in the snow, where it made a drop of unabashed crimson. Heuani looked at his blood in the snow, felt a passing desire to watch it freeze. He cracked the knuckle of the pricked finger, listened to the wet pop as it disappeared into the thin air. Heuani rolled over again to his back, slowly and lethargically, and faced the sun. Looking at the sky near it was almost a blinding of its own for the Toa of Shadow, and he squeezed tight his eyes again. The first image that was burned into his eyelids was a familiar face, a Toa of Water. She was beautiful, with a visage both elegant and kind, and eyes that betrayed as much humor as they did sageness. She was the first being that Heuani had taken. That was one of the earliest memories he could summon, aside from fragmented recollections of when the hands before his eyes had been of a different hue than the color of night. He remembered her body; athletic, toned, and graceful. He remembered the effortless swing of her arms and the sureness of her feet as she had walked through the tall doors, into the darkness. She had approached him with eyes that said too much, unusually expressive eyes that had been opened uncharacteristically wide by her overwhelming and conflicting emotion. Heuani had had nothing to say; he simply needed her.She needed him, too, and she hated it. Heuani could read the betrayal in her face, and it still haunted him.But her submission, her hunger, were still the sweetest he had known. It was because of her eyes... They had changed. Heuani had to believe that they had changed for him. ...He stayed lying in the snow until nightfall. Only then did the Toa of Shadow regain enough of his energy to stand again and walk, proudly upright once more, down the mountain. He had seen no one, and no one had seen him.

[25K Now!]

IC: [iegasa]"I'm not really that much of an adventurer," said Iegasa, drinking his tea. "I've mostly retired from that life ever since leaving the Ta-Koro Guard. But I recommend that if you wish to help portray our lord in a more positive light, attempting to recruit from criminals is a rather illogical idea."

[Katuko]

IC: Madrihk (ILS, Place of Shadow)"All right then," Madrihk said, turning around to look down at the canyon below. "Kethrye, Volin, Lerongu, Kivar and of course Alexin with the ransom illusion... we're going down there."The ILS leader gazed down over the snow-clad slope, trying to make out the shadow of any beings that might be lurking below. He saw nothing, but given the amount of illusions that had been used recently he didn't trust his eyes completely. They still hadn't managed to find the exact location of the cave where the hostage takers would be hiding. Well, they would learn soon enough, when the hostages appeared."The rest of you, be ready to move at a moment's notice," the Toa of Ice said as they began walking. "We'll give you a signal, but do keep watch from here. I don't know how far we have to go to meet our adversaries."With that, Madrihk and the others began their walk into the Place of Shadows to meet the elusive Shadow Hapaka. Madrihk could see that the canyon's layer of snow wasn't as thick as the rest of the mountain, and a few places brown dirt could be seen peeking through. From a distance, some of them looked like cave mouths, obscuring which openings were real and which were just shadows amidst the white.OOC: ILS moving to meet Shadow Hapaka.

Edited August 9, 2012 by Katuko

[25K Now!]

IC: [Ril]"Got it chief."

[sunflower]

IC: Naru

IC: Zauk"Lovely," the Toa of Lightning said, the blue arcs of power disappearing from his hands, however, the smell of electricity remained. "Just what this island needs."Picking up a clump of snow with his mask, Zauk began to randomly shape it without paying much attention to what he was doing. "So," he asked, the snow forcing itself into a cube. "What now?"Zauk already had some ideas, but he wanted to hear what Naru had to say.

[The Swimming Beard]

IC: LeronguLerongu followed, keeping his hand near his weapon.

[Hanako Herupa]

IC: (Kino)"Contrary to popular belief not every criminal in Xa-Koro wants to be a criminal. Most do it out of necessity. Still like our hospitable host her says recruiting criminals will only serve to harm our potential unless we can "reform" them." Kino said, holding her cheek as she thought about and then moved her hands to her hips, thinking. "We assume control of the Guard or we make our own. Recruit those who want a second chance at happier life. Protect store owners. That's how we'll get control. So Feongulf, and my other friends should we head there now? Or wait a bit longer?"