Six Kingdoms: Rebirth - Gameplay

[Harvali]

IC Kanohi - Central Mountain Range

Kanohi strained to see across the mountains. It looked like the dust had mostly tumbled off the mountain sides, forming massive mounds of dust on the west side. And it looked like … on no.

Below he could see large feline Rahi with treads for hind legs scavenging the remains of Mahi and other beasts, their prey had been caught in the avalanches, most died from the impact, the rest were too bruised to fight back. Some of these scavengers clashed with each other, tearing carcasses apart as they fought for the easy food.

So much death from the Impact. And worse, the Vo-Matoran… 

He grappled down to the group, his hands fluttering wildly and his heartlight unsteady. He stumbled on the landing, shaken. He swallowed and tapped against his armor, trying to calm himself with the melody of the metal clangs. Like chimes in a windstorm.

Finally he spoke “I have b-bad news. Some species of large Rahi appear to be s-scavenging Mahi and other Rahi that were caught in the landslides of dust. E-even if Voka was still alive … these predators might already have found her.”

OOC: @Toru Nui @Tarn @Biological Chronicler

Edited April 13, 2020 by Harvali

[Nato G]

IC: Zaliyah - Metru-Koro

With no one having impeded her progress at the entrance, Zaliyah continued into the village, searching for a more prominent or important-looking structure that might indicate the residence of whoever had taken charge of this place. 

[Lady Takanuva]

IC: Keitara (Metru-Koro)

Keitara walked over to the Muaka, scratching the fohrok-va on their headplate affectionately. "Getting Skorm's ride ready for us? I am ever so grateful. What a little cutie!"

Kei turned to Skorm. "So, how should we break up fuel duty? Should we split it even fifty-fifty, or do you need to conserve your light energy so you don't run dry?" She stopped for a moment, then added sheepishly "If you don't mind my asking, I mean. I know I was out of line back at Turaga Sans' hut, and that seemed to unnerve you a bit."

She looked back up, stimming nervously with a small engine component she had picked up and the va had, presumably, replaced. "If we're going to be fighting together, I want there to be trust. We still have no idea what we're getting into, and we don't need to be watching our backs as well as our fronts. My memory is still shot, but I'll answer any questions you may have for me to the best of my ability."

Having said this, the Av-toa clipped her collapsed lance to her back alongside her rhotuka shield. and climbed into the passanger area of the vehicle.

(OOC: @Keeper of Kraata)

[Toru Nui]

IC: Ulkarr and Klawne (Mountains)

Klawne eyes sunk to the ground and she sighed wearily. There was no surprise. Only resignation. She had expected something like this would happen.

So did Ulkarr, but that didn't change anything. "Regardless, we should press on and find her, alive or dead."

@Harvali@Tarn@Biological Chronicler

 

IC: Ostrox and Navu (Metru-Koro)

Ostrox found the lack of welcome shameful. If the situation had been reversed, Metru-Koro's diplomats would have been welcomed immediately - for a given value of 'welcome'. Regardless, he followed Zaliyah into this ramshackle slum. The sight of the proud Matoran being cast out from their precious city and forced to survive in cruel, harsh reality made him happy. Maybe their fall from grace would make them more reasonable... no, no, he was fairly certain they were still mad zealots. Still made him happy, though.

Navu saw the ship - and saw those who came out of it. One, a purple Toa-like figure in body-concealing robes. The other, some sort of blue bipedal Rahi, it looked like. The purple one looked cheerful - the blue one did not. Probably best to stay out of their way, all things considered.

@Nato the Traveler

[Tarn]

IC: Nale Vella - Zakazian Wilderness

Nale opened her mouth to reply to Klawne just as Kanohi returned with...not the best news. "There's...still a chance," she said, turning her head towards the Fe-Matoran, "there's still a chance the Matoran you're looking for is alive. I wouldn't let go of that hope just yet."

@Harvali@Toru Nui

IC: Rose - Cargo Hauler

"Nnnope," Rose said, wagging her finger. "Try again."

Man, you guys are bad at this.

@Snelly@Toru Nui@Conway

[Toa of Plastic]

IC: Pardehi - Wilderness @Tarn@Toru Nui@Harvali

He turned to Nale Vella, lying on the rock. "Our you ready to keep going, or do you need to rest a while longer?"

IC: Tugarak - Metru Koro @BULiK

"You fool! Do you think I can't tell you're bluffing? You corpse-worshippers have been poor and desperate ever since the crash. I doubt you could afford firefly crackers, much less any kind of explosive ordanance worth squat. Soon, you'll be begging us for your cut of the protodermis pie."

It was clear that this conversation was pointless. There was no point in picking fights on a diplomatic mission, especially not with a toa. Even unarmed and barely armored, toa were still dangerous. It would be unwise to risk his anger. He knew that attrition and poverty would be far more effective measures against the heathen than any weapon a mere mortal such as himself could wield. He was about to hang up the intercom, but felt the need to include one final message.

"You say we destroyed the universe, but I'll have you know you're wrong. You're the ones who killed it, with your falsehoods and self-destructive hypocrisy. The Great Beings gave you the duty of maintaining the body of our universe, but you shirked and neglected that duty. You allowed yourselves and the universe to become weak and diseased. Just as a rotten tree does not survive a forest fire, the universe did not survive our cleansing fire!"

He slammed the intercom down with rage, visibly frustrated. As much as he hated the sight of matoran, he would have to put up with them for now. It was what his duty to Ehlek demanded. More importantly, it was what his duty to the Great Spirit demanded. He had made sure he would not fail in his duty again.

IC: Karai - The Taku

Most of what he heard from Tugarak meant nothing to him but the semi-coherent ramblings of a fanatic, but one thing he said had been right. They were running low on protodermis. It wasn't that they hadn't tried to ration it, thank the Maker. Turaga Sans had seen to that. Now, instead of running out in the span of months, it would be years or more before there present stock of supplies gave out. It was plenty of time to ignore the issue, focusing on whatever trivial matter captured the public attention at the moment.  After that, time, however, they would indeed be helpless, against the league, the skakdi and whatever else was out there.

No matter, what, they had to find a new source somewhere.

[Burnmad]

IC: Barius - Northern Wastes (Nektann's War Party)

"Barius," the Skakdi boomed, between even breaths. He enjoyed the run up to the fight; it was like a warm-up jog.

"And does the boogeyman have a name?" He grinned as his question was punctuated by the whoop of Fyura, as her buggy shot to the front of the pack. There was one of those fools he'd been thinking about moments before.

OOC: @Conway @Keeper of Kraata @Unreliable Narrator @Nato the Traveler

Edited April 13, 2020 by Burnmad

[Harvali]

IC Kanohi - Edge of the Central Mountains.

Kanohi nodded like a buoy in a hurricane, rocking unsteadily back and forth. They … they couldn’t leave her corpse to be devoured. And if she was already eaten they … they at least should recover her mask.

Finally he said, “You are right, Toa. And even if she is dead … we can’t let her body be devoured. T-Turaga Klawne, do you think you could use your Huna to sneak among the Rahi? I … I can try to distract some of them, grapple around the mountain to make them chase me. And with your connection to Earth, maybe you could find her body if she is  buried by dust.”

He swallowed, “Toa Ulkarr I … I do not think I know your element, but m-maybe, could you be ready to help Pardehi get past the Rahi, if she can be saved? Either by sneaking him past, or by protecting him from the Rahi? And p-possibly being ready to rescue me and Turaga Klawne if something goes wrong?”

He blushed, “I … sorry, what are your plans?”

OOC: @Toru Nui @Tarn @Biological Chronicler 

[Tarn]

IC: Nale Vella - Zakazian Wilderness

"I'll be fine," she said, getting to her feet with the aid of her spear. 

@Harvali@Biological Chronicler@Toru Nui

IC: Triage - The Taku

"I think you upset him, Cap."

@BULiK

[Toru Nui]

IC: Ulkarr and Klawne (Mountains)

"Well, I guess I can do that. I have no guarantee of this working, though."

"Your plan is serviceable." Ulkarr looked at Pardehi, waiting for his support or refusal.

@Harvali@Biological Chronicler@Tarn

[Keeper of Kraata]

IC: Skorm (Metru-Koro)

It looks like the others already took off. Skorm gunned the ignition, and the Muaka's engine whirred to life. He took the interceptor alongside the tracks of the cargo rig, easing the accelerator to close the distance. "It runs off the sun, so there's enough juice for catching up to them and cruising. If it gets cloudy or we enter conditions where we need to be fast, like combat, you may need to channel some energy into the engine. For now though-" Skorm paused, looking into the storage pod behind them. "IV, grab one of the empty lightstones!"

The drone hauled a canister with a drained lightstone into the front. "One of these can keep us going for a night. I'll charge the battery directly a bit as we drive and if we stop."

Skorm tried to keep his focus on following the tracks. "Funny, my memory's shot too. I don't remember anything from before I became a Toa."

OOC: @TL01 NUVA

 

[EmperorWhenua]

1 hour ago, Nato the Traveler said:

IC: Zaliyah - Metru-Koro

With no one having impeded her progress at the entrance, Zaliyah continued into the village, searching for a more prominent or important-looking structure that might indicate the residence of whoever had taken charge of this place. 

IC Stannis | Metru Koro

After bidding adieu to Waveahk's group, the Wanderer continued to explore the nascent settlement's paths. When word of a newly arrived Toa Hordika reached him, he chose to intercept the individual, curious if it was who he knew or someone else entirely. He was not disappointed when he finally found her, but his curiosity on burgeoned upon his suspicion's confirmation. 

He stepped out from the row of ramshackle huts and into the thoroughfare, not bothering with stealth and not caring for confrontation. Whatever Ehlek's lapdog was doing in the refugee city had nothing to do with assaulting its beleaguered inhabitants. "You're a long ways from home, Zaliyah," he said and cocked a brow at her. "Why?"

 

On 4/11/2020 at 6:17 PM, Onaku said:

IC: Okuo - Archives Depths

Okuo sighed and nodded. "I know what it's like to be alone. For the longest time I found myself on my own too, back when Metru-Nui was still... well, not sitting half-way out of a beheaded robot's skull like it is now. I thought I didn't mind back then... only to realise later down the line that I did. I always had. I'd just... never faced it, I guess..."

He pondered on this for a moment, before looking up at the door again. "Do you have a name?"

IC ???? | Archives

"Loneliness is a feeling Toa Stannis of the Maru speaks of to great lengths, when he comes. My creators are less talkative, but I imagine they are also less isolated than him.   But yes, I do have something people can call me. "

A pause. "What do you know about Toa Stannis of the Maru?"

Edited April 13, 2020 by EmperorWhenua

[Toa of Plastic]

IC:Pardehi - Wilderness @Toru Nui

"Toa Ulkar, will you hide me until I can make it across the gap?"

[Nato G]

11 minutes ago, EmperorWhenua said:

IC Stannis | Metru Koro

He stepped out from the row of ramshackle huts and into the thoroughfare, not bothering with stealth and not caring for confrontation. Whatever Ehlek's lapdog was doing in the refugee city had nothing to do with assaulting its beleaguered inhabitants. "You're a long ways from home, Zaliyah," he said and cocked a brow at her. "Why?"

IC: Zaliyah - Metru Koro

"We're all a long way from home, Stannis," she replied, weighing up whether to cooperate with this particular Toa. "I'm here on business, as an envoy of Lord Pridak. If you could kindly point me in the direction of whoever's in charge here, I'd like to open amiable negotiations." 

[BULiK]

IC: Knichou, Above Metru-Koro, Bridge of the Taku

Knichou was flummoxed by the outburst from his league counterpart. "Corpse-Worshipers? That's a new one," the Toa joked to the others on the bridge, clearly unfazed by the rant. While Knichou's general rule of trash talk was 'what goes around comes around', there was clearly a point where antagonizing the other captain any further might endanger the fragile peace that Metru-Koro desperately needed to stay intact. Knichou had fired enough verbal shots to prove that he was crazy enough to fire nonverbal shots if he needed to, and for Knichou's purposes that was all he wanted to accomplish. Knichou kept radio silence, not dignifying the madman's ramblings with a response, despite however many flaws Knichou wanted to point out in the other captain's speech.

"Handing you the reins, Berys. Keep her steady," Knichou said, pressing a button to transfer control to the co-pilot. Time to start practicing delegation - he had no need to be in direct control while they were waiting for a docked ship to leave. He got out of the pilot's chair and looked around at the assorted being on the bridge, but couldn't think of much more to say to them. He instead flicked his mask's microphone on, setting it to broadcast only with the ship's internal intercom.

"All hands, captain here, give me a status report."

While the Taku was in decent shape due to his repairs, Knichou wanted to keep the new members of the crew alert now that the imminent threat of danger was gone. This was their first flight together after all, it was important to get used to operating as a team. An array of voices replied back one after the other, as each crew member activated the microphone near their station to respond.

"Hey skipper, crane here, awaiting orders."

"Bay 'ere, cap'n. All cargo secured."

"Patrol here, sir: no abnormal activity."

Edited April 13, 2020 by BULiK

[Unreliable Narrator]

OOC: @Kal the Guardian, thanks for your patience.

IC: Pridak | Barraki Fortress

Seybo’s neck grew sore with the weight of his mask before Barraki Pridak finally noticed him. The barraki paced for several minutes, his armor burning in the reflections of torches lit in sconces placed along the balcony once belonging to Turaga Dume. He felt a momentary shock when he did finally notice Seybo. A maskless toa on a knee and waiting in his throne room, how… he couldn’t really think of a good word to describe a maskless toa kneeling to him, Pridak, the barraki leader who swore to eradicate the matoran who could not see the light of truth. Now here he stood, with a subverseviant toa at his disposal. Would using the toa of water be a personal betrayal?

“No, I think not.” Pridak muttered to himself.

“Rise toa. Your respect is appreciated. I assume you are one of the many today who have grown tired of finding something to do on their own. You’ve arrived just in time. I have a task only a toa can complete in mind. But first, tell me about yourself. What are you good at?”

[EmperorWhenua]

1 hour ago, Nato the Traveler said:

IC: Zaliyah - Metru Koro

"We're all a long way from home, Stannis," she replied, weighing up whether to cooperate with this particular Toa. "I'm here on business, as an envoy of Lord Pridak. If you could kindly point me in the direction of whoever's in charge here, I'd like to open amiable negotiations." 

IC Stannis | Metru Koro

"Sure, but — something more thing comes to mind," the old toa said, pretending to exert an unnecessary level effort on remembering something. Recalling faces and names from centuries past was one thing, but Stannis arguably knew his enemies better than his friends, and Right Shark was near the top of the stack of dossiers he kept in his brain. "Pridak isn't the sort for 'amiable negotiations' and wouldn't even think of engaging in diplomacy unless a spiritualist told him he could gain from it. Someone else came up with the plan that brings you here..." he said, wizened eyes drinking Zaliyah in.

"My guess it was you. So: Why?" he demanded. 

Edited April 14, 2020 by EmperorWhenua

[Nato G]

15 minutes ago, EmperorWhenua said:

IC Stannis | Metru Koro

"Pridak isn't the sort for 'amiable negotiations' and wouldn't even think of engaging in diplomacy unless a spiritualist told him he could gain from it. Someone else came up with the plan that brings you here..." he said, wizened eyes drinking Zaliyah in.

"My guess it was you. So: Why?" he demanded. 

IC: Zaliyah - Metru Koro

"Because I don't share his desire to bring about the eradication of the entire Matoran species," she replied, chillingly glib for someone discussing genocide. "And there's not much sense in us to continuing to fight each other for control over a universe that we aren't even in anymore." 

[Lady Takanuva]

IC: Keitara (aboard the Muaka)

Keitara looked at the va's activity with interest. "You can charge a lightstone with light energy?" she said over the noise of the engine. "Interesting. Seems simple, in principle, but I'd have never thought of it."

She cast a curious glance at the other toa. That seemed... an odd coincidence. She began to wonder if they were the only two members of the amnesiac squad, and if there was any relation between their conditions.

"So. You remember nothing before your transformation. As far as you're aware do you have all your memories after? Sorry to be nosy, but maybe whatever happened to you might be connected to my memory loss. If there is a connection, maybe we can work together to remedy it and get our memories back."

"I think I can remember most of my life before I became a toa, but the event itself and anything beyond  is hazy at best."

(OOC: @Keeper of Kraata)

 

Edited April 14, 2020 by TL01 NUVA

[Sparticus147]

IC: Zak-Yak (Mesi Tunnels)

Zak-Yak was making his way through the tunnels, dragging behind himself another bound large mole ready for sacrifice to his idol when he heard the screaming. "What was that, another skakdi, something else?" muttered Zak-Yak. Either way, his idol was in danger and he had to protect it. Zak-Yak let out his own scream, in response to the first. And then it stop, the other scream, hopefully that was enough.

After a few more ,moments of dragging, the sound of a crashing noise occurred and Zak-Yak could not resist the urge to instantly turn ethereal. Now scared for his idol, he left the bound mole, hoping it didn't escape, and he stealthily made his way up the tunnel. And that's when he saw his idol, his god, his aspect walking and talking. "Oh, great and almighty aspect, you have at last awakened from your slumber thanks to my due diligence and boundless sacrifice. Oh, please, grant me the power that I seek." Zak-Yak bellowed out to the room, directed to Varian and not noticing the presence of Vent or Providence as his ethereal veil gives way revealing himself.

OOC: @Dane @Burnmad @Snelly

Edited April 14, 2020 by Sparticus147

[Keeper of Kraata]

IC: Skorm (Muaka, following Cargo Hauler)

The cargo hauler with the rest of the expedition aboard grew ahead of them as Skorm drove. "I..."

Don't tell her don't tell her don't tell her

Skorm's eyes flicked to the scattergun strapped to the ceiling of the vehicle for easy access. He leaned back in the spacious seat and dangled his arm out the window, feeling the whipping wind as he channeled some light energy into the paneling. "I don't remember my transformation, either. Back on the inside, during the War, I worked for Takadox. I don't know if he was responsible for whatever happened to me, but the first thing I remember is him giving me orders, and they felt right. He had me in his thrall for years, until his brainwashing was broken just before everything fell to pieces." As the Muaka caught up with the cargo hauler, Skorm turned slightly to ride its flank. "For your sake, I really hope that there's a different reason for your memory problems.

OOC: @TL01 NUVA

[EmperorWhenua]

45 minutes ago, Nato the Traveler said:

IC: Zaliyah - Metru Koro

"Because I don't share his desire to bring about the eradication of the entire Matoran species," she replied, chillingly glib for someone discussing genocide. "And there's not much sense in us to continuing to fight each other for control over a universe that we aren't even in anymore." 

IC Stannis | Metru Koro

"How magnanimous you are, lieutenant."

Stannis could feel she was telling the truth, but there was no warmth to show for it it regardless. The universe had blown apart when the war was at its climax and tensions were never resolved. No truce had been established in the wake of the disaster, and the refugees were as much on the run from the cataclysm as from wartime occupation. If Zaliyah was there to have discourse at all it would have to be with survival in mind for both parties. 

It was a hard pill for Stannis to swallow, and not just because the medicine was large and he could choke easily enough on it if he didn't take it with liquid. The war against the League was a losing proposition he had fought for millennia, he had seen the travesties wreaked on civilization, and felt as disempowered as a child as the world was ravaged by conflict all around him. He was righteously angry, deeply forlorn, and yet... serenely hopeful. Despite his feelings he was wise enough to know this too will pass, and the cycle of rebirth would continue as always before, and there was no time like the present to witness the cycle turn again.

He let out a deep, old chuckle then. "The turaga of the Metru Nui refugees is currently the very same who last tried to kill Pridak. I will take you to him, and then I would like to hear what you have to say."

[Nato G]

IC: Zaliyah - Metru-Koro

"Of course he is," Zaliyah grumbled. That made things simultaneously far easier, and far more difficult. "Lead on."

[Sparticus147]

IC: Uraborask (Central Mountain Range)

Uraborask has been hunting this pack for some time now, being hired by a particularly spiteful skakdi who lost his caraven to this pack. Uraborask didn't care much for the skakdi and his own grudge, but hearing of an alpha capable of tearing through a skakdi driven ACR like its nothing, that interested him.

It has been difficult finding a good opportunity, as the pack rarely kept to one place for long and more then once did he have to loop back around to figure out where they went. But at last, the chance to take down the alpha has come. The landslide has given him a perfect opportunity, the pack, busy in one place digging up the remains of what once was a mahi herd. All he needs to do now is to find the alpha and to line up his shot to hopefully take it down in one blow and to pray that both his gilly suit and his kraata can keep him hidden after he makes the shot and doesn't kill it.

OCC: @Harvali @Toru Nui @Tarn @Biological Chronicler

Edited April 14, 2020 by Sparticus147

[Eyru]

IC: Taja | Aboard the Taku, Metru-Nui Outskirts

"She says... unlike Pridak, she doesn't want to eradicate all Matoran," Taja said, straining to keep her focus on the League envoy and Stannis. "She doesn't want to fight."

That was all she could catch before her concentration wavered and the faraway conversation was drowned out by the sounds of the airship.

 

OOC: @BULiK

[Lady Takanuva]

IC: Keitara (the Muaka)

Keitara's eyes went wide, then dimmed slightly. There was silence for a few seconds, then in a thin voice barely audible over the wind and engines of the two vehicles came the words "I'm sorry. That...that sounds horrific. I felt bad for my situation, but at least I know my will was always my own. I-I'm glad that you're free now, and that you've found a group of friends like these." She gestured to the cargo hauler where through one of the windows Skyra could be seen gesturing at various objects ( OOC:@Snelly I hope I got that right). "That's not something anyone should have to face alone. I only know Takadox by reputation, as far as I can recall, but remember stories of his...proficiencies."

She turned to the twi-toa while reaching her hand out the window to trace lazy patterns in the wind. "If I can ever be of... I mean, if you..." She took a deep breath and looked straight ahead out the windshield. "I don't know what you went through, but if you ever need to talk to somebody I'll listen."

Turning her attention to her hands, she nervously turned the scorched plug she had scavenged over and over nervously. Instead of the breezy confidence she had shown before the av-toa now gave off a feeling of nervous shyness, as though she had let down a barrier and was inviting Skorm in. She seemed subdued now, as though this display had taken a bit out of her.

(OOC: @Keeper of Kraata)

Edited April 14, 2020 by TL01 NUVA

[BULiK]

IC: Knichou, Above Metru-Koro, Bridge of the Taku

Knichou's attention was captured by Taja as she began to speak. Apparently she was concentrating on... hearing better? Knichou didn't know exactly what to expect, but this turned out to be a useful skill. Maybe if Knichou made the ship less noisy she could hear better... Knichou would have to see if he could change that whenever he went about performing those upgrades he was planning.

"Well, that's... good and bad news. They're continuing to confirm they are here for diplomacy for now... but, their leader is still preparing for our genocide."

The Toa of Iron took another sip of his beverage.

[Unreliable Narrator]

IC: Reliable Narrator | Irnakk’s Tooth, Death’s Doorstep to the Nightmare Pits

The dark shadows of the wide hallway they entered clung to Xane and Enra as if they were oil. They felt watched. The floor was a thick white mist and rahi bones crunched beneath their feet. They were watched. The pungent smells of sulphur and burning oil filled the air with a thick cloying scent, and the heat singed the surface of their armor and burned their optics. In the darkness of the tunnels waited Xane and Enra’s darkest memories, ready to pounce and crawl up their spines. Irnakk himself seemed to wait at the edges of their vision. He was there just as their reflection waited in the mirror when they walked past in the middle of the night half asleep. Each time they turned a corner or came to the landing after a flight of steps the feeling of being watched returned. No one else was there. 

They were watched. 

Something smelling of vomit and rancid oil and tar waited for them at the end of a twisting corridor of bones. Would they continue past their own despair to the Nightmare Pits? Would they fight their fear?

Or would they do the sensible thing and turn back?

OOC: @Nato the Traveler, @Toru Nui

[Keeper of Kraata]

IC: Skorm (Zakaz - Expeditionary Convoy)

Chuckling, Skorm smiled grimly. "I wouldn't exactly call them friends. Tekmo and Irna are the only two I've met before yesterday, and of those two I tried to kill Tekmo last time I met him." Remembering his promise to the Zyglak, he kept the details about her vague. "Tekmo is actually the main reason I'm here at all. I was fighting him and two other toa when he managed to disrupt my kanohi," Skorm said, pointing to his own mask. "It's rare, maybe unique; it allows me to split into two different beings, each embodying an element. Though now I think it might work differently. I thought it was because my Light was partially drained and replaced with Shadow, but I think it really fragments my personality."

He gripped the wheel with both hands, intently focusing on the route ahead. "Turns out I'm good at compartmentalizing. My mask split me into the components of my psyche. As far as I can tell, they did something that neutralized the brainwashing." Skorm shrugged. "I don't know, it was all very metaphysical at the time. Bottom line is, when I was pulling myself back together, I promised the three of them I'd find them. And," Skorm looked at the cab of the cargo hauler to where Tekmo was sitting, "Tekmo is the first I've found. Figured I owed him one favor, and this is it." From behind them, IV chirped solemnly. Skorm smirked again. "After all, it was the first thing I decided to do with my free will; might as well follow through."

Skorm was silent for a moment as they drove. He still couldn't hear the other group's conversation. "Thanks for the offer to lend an ear. But now it's your turn." The Twi-Toa glanced at Keitara. "Back in that Turaga's hut, I brought out those shadow slugs, and you recognized them. What's up with that?"

OOC: @TL01 NUVA

[Unreliable Narrator]

IC: Reliable Narrator | Ice Suva Temple

Sidra scrutinized the temple columns in the darkness of early night for a long time. They revealed nothing more. It was only when she backed away from her close inspection and took a broader look that something stuck out to her: the twelve pillars were arranged around the temple equidistant from each other, and two directly opposite each other were on the Northeast and Northwest of the temple floor plan. 

A chill wind coming from the South cut through her thinking. It smelled of rain?

OOC: @Nato the Traveler

IC: Reliable Narrator | On The Trail of The Sphere In The clouds

In Mazor and Gnabol’s travels East through the grasslands just south of Irnakk's Tooth following the trail of rejuvenating rain they came across a strange glade by the next morning full of the softest grass seedlings just sprouting through the moistened earth. In the center of the glade stood the erected tents and camping gear of a small skakdi warband, but neither refugee could determine where the raiders were. Had they simply left in the middle of the night, leaving their belongings behind? 

And why were the two refugees hearing the crying sounds of several young skaklets?

OOC: @Toru Nui, @Smudge8

Edited April 14, 2020 by Unreliable Narrator
added mazor and gnabol response

[Lady Takanuva]

IC: Keitara (Zakaz- expiditionary convoy)

Kei nodded. "I'll give you everything I can remember. They're called 'kraata' and makuta can basically yank them out of their essence. The matoran I lived with separated them into two main supergroups. Bright kraata were tied to powers of light and photomanipulation. Dusk kraata were tied to more destructive abilities, as well as having an intolerance of light and high affinity for shadow.

"The only time I remember seeing one was inside of a Rahkshi. From what I understand they sort of act like a krana brain for them. Only I was told to not get too close because-"

Her voice trailed off for a moment, then turned towards the back of the Muaka where the bag of dessicated slugs lay. "...because they carried Shadow Sickness. The dusk varieties at least."

She turned back to the front. "Then again, I was told something similar about zyglak, but none that I've met seem to be anything like the seething plague pits other matoran always made them out to be. Irna's very nice."

A slight flush crept to the Toa's face at the mention of Irna's name, but she acted as though she hadn't noticed. "Then again, perhaps the unique qualities of your mask are what protected you. Hard to say. Anyhow, that's really all I can recall. Them being fused to skakdi is a new one, I will say. Perhaps the ones here on Zakaz have somehow evolved to be parasitic? It wouldn't be the first time the shadier parts of the Brotherhood toyed around with the island's inhabitants."

(OOC: @Keeper of Kraata)

[EmperorWhenua]

3 hours ago, Nato the Traveler said:

IC: Zaliyah - Metru-Koro

"Of course he is," Zaliyah grumbled. That made things simultaneously far easier, and far more difficult. "Lead on."

IC Stannis | Metru Koro

Stannis led the way somberly, keeping Zaliyah in his peripheral vision all the while. She may not have been there to cause harm but his wisdom made him wary of her regardless. As they walked, he spoke, not to necessarily strike conversation but to learn what he could, and maybe even sow seeds in her mind. 

"When we last faced each other Toa Vashni offered you an opportunity you refused. Tell me, Zaliyah — what prevents you from changing who you are?" he asked. 

[Unreliable Narrator]

IC: Nektann | Po-Koro

On the road they met a sand skater. It rushed across the gold and red desert dunes in the afternoon heat, toothy maw attempting to destroy the tires of the war rigs and drag the ACRs down into the earth. The warskaks filled it full of lead and ran it over. Only two skakdi died, unimpressive, and no one stopped to collect their teeth. They did no great deeds. Their family didn’t need the shame of uncarved molars. Later in the day Boss swore he heard squeezebox music, but couldn’t locate the exact source over the sound of the flaming bone-pipes player strapped into the top of one of the war rigs or the raucous hollering of excited drivers doing donuts in the sands and attempting to catch air driving up the dunes.

At long last, in the mid afternoon of their ride on the second day traveling Southwest, Boss knew they arrived. He didn’t need eyes to see. He had Miserix. And Miserix saw a small village nestled into the rocky plateaus of the shaved down mountains. With the powers of their bond Boss saw the lone matoran walking the sentry walls hastily built in the past week, noticed the grain storage, the meeting yard, and the small huts of varying sizes made of baked clay and elementally constructed stones. The windmill was cute. Boss appreciated the terraforming from the Great Impact, as some were beginning to call the gargantuan head’s collision with Zakaz’s western side. He didn’t appreciate the new village. The change in terrain would make their travel easier in the mountain regions, but he did worry about the Mesi finding it easier to crawl into the desert wastes. Part of the reason he lived so far north was to avoid the pestilent inbred cave troglodytes. Offbreeds, the warskaks called the Mesi, and for good reason. What the Mesi worshipped wasn’t an Aspect, or even a god. It was just a cult of horror deep in the putrid bowels of the underworld. Boss wanted nothing to do with those mossy, mushroom eating freaks.

He remembered what he told his raiders, all twenty or so iron rahi war rigs and ACRs, that morning before they broke camp and started their machines for the day’s ride:

“There’s a new village half a day’s ride from here in Amaru’s territory. He owes me tribute from the past rainy season, so I think it’s only fair we collect. Let’s go say hello to these newcomers on his land, give them a warm Zakazian welcome, and break a few masks.”

He didn’t care what the village was named. It wasn’t going to be a village by the end of the day. The war rigs and the ACRs at his command rumbled out of the sand dunes and into the rocky plateaus north of Irnakk’s Tooth. While the imposing volcano in the center of the island of Zakaz had been named after the mythical skakdi beast of nightmares, Po-Koro was about to meet a very real nightmare: Boss.

 

OOC: hello Po-Koro you are under attack.

Edited April 14, 2020 by Unreliable Narrator

[ZippyWharrgarbl]

IC: Yaushe - Later, Nerds

Yaushe was so distracted by thinking about the sick prank she'd pulled on the robot that she didn't notice her handbrake wasn't on. She had an idle sort of notion that she thought she'd been rolled further forward in the transport, which turned into a lurch in the pit of her tank as she felt her back wheels drop off, followed by the front ones.

Thankfully, she landed right side up, on all fours. Not so thankfully, the transport was still going, from what she could see. By the time she put these facts together, still rattled by the sudden shock, they were well on their way... wherever they were headed.

She could follow them. The transport had left identifiable marks in the sand... but who knew how long those would last, with the wind? And she hadn't fared too well with her current tires. She definitely didn't want to break down out here. So, with a hiss of hydraulics that sounded roughly like a word that would get her banned from BZPower.com, and motions like the vehicular equivalent of a tiptoe, she carefully made her way, hoping to find a road nearby. Roads typically led somewhere, and wherever that was, hopefully she could get word to her companions to pick her up. Or a nice undercover parking lot to nap in. Either way.

Edited April 14, 2020 by ZippyWharrgarbl

[Nato G]

IC: Xane - Irnakk's Tooth

Despite his determination to learn, the inherent, overpowering wrongness of this wretched place gave Xane pause. Old, unbidden traumas clawed at the corners of his memory, reminders of societies he'd left behind. This place was far, far worse than anything he'd experienced or imagined before.

"And the local skakdi... they worship what's in here?" He blanched, stopping at the mouth of the corridor and glancing at Enra.

@Toru Nui

______________________________________________________________________________________________

IC: Sidra - Ice Temple

Sidra sat back against the Suva, drinking in her surroundings. There were too many pieces, too many possibilities, and she still couldn't figure out which ones were supposed to solve this puzzle. There were mosaics, paintings, and carvings all showing her different things. The clues were pointing to northeast and southwest, to the beach and the stars and everything else in-between. 

Most annoyingly, she'd only found one thing in the entire temple with any kind of mechanism to it, and it was a karzing pain to move. 

But it was all she had to work with.

Sighing, she tried pushing the suva back to the right, trying to line up the panel depicting the six Matoran upgrading the Toa with the northeast column. 

@Unreliable Narrator

______________________________________________________________________________________________

IC: Corrivalis - Mad Skaks

The Tahtorak stomped to a halt atop a sandy rise overlooking the soon-to-be-obliterated village. Corrivalis smiled as he drank in the sight. Moments like this - flickering instants filled with dread and anticipation and the promise of battle - made him feel alive. 

And soon, those in the meager village below would not be.

______________________________________________________________________________________________

IC: Zaliyah - Metru-Koro

"I've already changed. I have no desire to go back to what I once was, physically or mentally." 

@EmperorWhenua

Edited April 14, 2020 by Nato the Traveler

[EmperorWhenua]

IC Stannis | Metru Koro 

The answer continued to intrigue the old toa. Destiny had a strange way of working and there was no better analogy to its unchangeable course than the present state of the matoran universe. Or was there?

”You have likely seen and done unforgettable things before but they do not have to define what you truly are tomorrow,” he genteelly said as he walked. “Our whole universe seems destroyed, and yet we work towards making it whole again. There is no reason to lose hope in a future because of the gravesites of the past.”

[Nato G]

IC: Zaliyah - Metru-Koro

"You sound like a Turaga," she grumbled, her tone making it clear she didn't intend the words as a compliment. 

[Dane-gerous]

IC: Falh - Zakaz, Metru-Koro

And so, as Ostrox and Zaliyah disembarked, the overzealous Ko-Toa hovered closer, glaring at Ostrox in particular. He didn't like the Legionaire's grin.

OOC: @Tarn @Toru Nui 

IC: Mega - Zakaz, The Scrapshop

What Yaushe might soon see, as the red sands stretched, was a quaint but practical looking building, a huge garage attached and a small figure leaning on the wall outside. Faint smoke seemed to rise from the figure's hand which was close to their face.

Mega coughed as she moved the cigarette from her mouth, and squinted into the distance.

Wassat?

OOC: @ZippyWharrgarbl

[ZippyWharrgarbl]

IC: Yaushe - Impromptu Road Trip, No Roads

Oh thank goodness. Yaushe might have lost the bulk of her memories, but she sure knew a garage when she saw one. She picked up her careful pace until she pulled up  to the garage, and the figure. Hopefully, as the figure was Matoran-sized, they wouldn't be able to see in the front seat.

She cracked the window a bit for appearances and said, in mechanical noise that hopefully sounded just close enough to a person, "Hey. Fell... I mean, my... van, fell out a transport. You happen to have wheels for desert travel? Or know where the nearest settlement is?"

[Dane-gerous]

IC: Mega - Zakaz, The Scrapshop

Happy to see that the shape was indeed a vehicle, Mega shot the apparent driver a grin, stamping on her cigarette to put it out. 

"Well, you're in luck. You got scrap to trade, I can getcha four Skakdi technical tyres. Might take a bit of work to modify your rig here, but you give me the scrap and I'll get what ya need, darlin'." Mega approached the vehicle, excited to have something to do. "What brings ya out here, anyhow? Those tyres can't have gotcha far."

OOC: @ZippyWharrgarbl