Six Kingdoms: Apocalypse -- Gameplay Topic (IC)

[Kal the Guardian]

IC: Hahvok - Za and Ja Krana of Ice

Location - Kini-Nui Temple

With -  Nuju

 

Hahvok pondered this response, looking at the swirling and shifting landscapes within the portal’s surface. He saw a field of ice dotted with jagged black spots. He saw a massive tree in the heart of a forest, towering over all others with large and rotting yellow fruit on its branches. He saw two planets long since collided, now slowly being sucked into a black hole, their swirl of colors mesmerizing.

Zal scampered onto his head and both of him looked with one mind at the portal as he thought about things. In tandem, they turned to Nuju and both spoke at once, “I shall see if you are right, small white friend.” And another conversation expertly navigated, Hahvok, both of him, stepped forward and entered the Far Shore.

 

OOC: @Unreliable Narrator @Eyru @Vezok's Friend

Edited June 5, 2021 by Kal the Guardian
Spelling.

[Daniel the Finlander]

IC: Niidak (Ko-Pou/The Taku)

Almost instinctively, she was going to say no in response to the offer, but then she stopped and actually thought about it. Scavenging was a difficult and dangerous job, which hardly paid off. On her recent scavenging trip, an Untethered had come after her, forcing her to escape. All she had found was an iStone and a cushion. Everyone on this island was fighting to survive. What use would they have for items of comfort or luxury? Why was she risking her life in pursuit of worthless junk?

While this offer was not comparable to being an arms dealer back on Xia, it provided a reliable source of income. And a home, which she still did not have. Perhaps she should stop trying to survive alone on this Karzahni-island.

After absorbing several spoonfuls of the soup-stew mixture, she finally broke her silence and responded. ”Well. Due to the flooding, I don’t have a home anymore, so I could use a new one. If your ship gets damaged like this regularly, then you’ll certainly need the skills of a Vortixx. But I assume I’d need to sign a contract with the Commander to become a crew member.”

@Tarn

[Tarn]

IC: Triage - The Taku

"No contract," he replied, "you just come aboard and you're crew. Ship's funny that way."

Triage looked towards the cargo bay, although the commander and captain had already left for wherever they were going. "I guess Knichou can see potential in people, or something. Takes anybody on as long as they make themselves useful. Even if..."

He went quiet for a moment, hand slipping inside his satchel and feeling around. His finger touched the empty bottle within.

"...even if you're at your lowest."

Triage looked back to Niidak again. "Anyway, I think you'll fit right in. Welcome aboard the Taku, uh...we never exchanged names, did we?" He gestured to the Matoran symbol for "medic" on his shoulder. "I'm Triage. Ship's doctor."

@Daniel the Finlander

[~Xemnas~]

IC, Atamai: Ruins of Fire

Atamai activated the teleportation power once more. This time, Malhukuraia vanished and reappeared in the air above the Zivon. Using Atamai's elemental power, the fingertips of Malhukuraia's right hand sharpened into points. The deadly hand extended outward as the mech fell toward the Rahi's head.

OOC: @Gecko Greavesy

[Nato G]

IC: Opal - Ruins of Fire

As the shadow fell across her, there was little Opal could do to prevent the full weight of the massive mech from crashing down upon her. The force of the impact knocked her flat against the ground, and horrific pain wracked her skull as her attacker's bladed fingers fractured her exoskeleton and tore at the muscle beneath. 

Her mangled tail, still dripping blood and venom, struck wildly at the mech.

@~Xemnas~

[Daniel the Finlander]

IC: Niidak (Ko-Pou/The Taku)

No contract? How uncivilized. Then again, everyone on this isle had regressed into barbarism, herself included. She took another spoonful of the stew-soup mixture.

What Triage said about being at your lowest made Niidak think. Was she still at her lowest? Or had she managed to climb out of it even a little? She didn’t know the answer, but knew that without change, she’d never climb anywhere.

”I’m Niidak of Xia,” she replied. ”Former arms dealer during the war. Guess I’ll be the ship’s mechanic now.”

@Tarn

[~Xemnas~]

IC, Atamai: Ruins of Fire

The Zivon's stump tail lashed out. It struck against Malhukuraia's back and left shoulder.

But as it did, the bladed fingertips in the Zivon's head grew suddenly, extending quickly. Atamai hoped that would be the end of the Rahi.

OOC: @Gecko Greavesy

[Nato G]

IC: Opal - Ruins of Fire

Opal felt the blades begin to dig deeper, and wrenched her head violently to the side as swiftly as she could manage in the hopes of simply snapping them off. As her tail next struck, it pushed in the other direction, to aid in the effort.

@~Xemnas~

[Smudge8]

IC: Mazor-Kini Nui

Mazor had been so in awe of what Viltia was doing he didn't relise he had been exposed to the mysterious liquid himself. Suddenly he felt power surge into his body, and he braced himself for a painfull transformation.

But the pain never came.

In fact, it was exhillerating. It was similar to when he drained the life force from other beings, but without the feeling of guilt in his gut. He streached, and his muscles knitted themselves back into his frame. Rotted bits of armor regrew themsleves. He could feel pinpricks of pain as his mask detached from his face, no longer enslaving him to undeath. 

Mazor looked down at himself. His armor was bright green, no longer discoloured. His musclles were tight and strong, And out of his back sprung a pair of skeletal wings. He took a deep breath, it was good to have functional lungs again. 

After a moment of admirinng his new form, Mazor looked back up at Where Vilita had dissapeared. "Hey, do you need any help?"

 

Edited June 9, 2021 by Smudge8

[~Xemnas~]

IC, Atamai: Ruins of Fire

The metal extensions snapped; the mech was thrown off the Rahi. Atamai could feel himself starting to slow down. Was it the creature’s venom?

Doesn’t matter, he thought to himself. Once more he called on his elemental power. The metal that had snapped off inside the Zivon’s head suddenly began to grow offshoots, extensions, branches. Atamai hoped they would damage the Zivon’s brain and take it down. 

OOC: @Gecko Greavesy

[Harvali]

 

IC Kanohi - Tobduk-Koro

Kanohi relaxed a bit, releasing a long held sigh, “If they are willing, yes. We … we will need their help. Disks have limited use, and are at their strongest when used with force. If we can use their knowledge, and my experience helping make my Kiril Staff, we can forge something like a Kanoka Blade of Remove Poison.”

Sucordak coughed and Kanohi pulled the current disk out of the furnace, before the Matoran of Plasma began to hammer it again. “It would be good to at least go over the process once, then Kanohi and I should be able to do it on our own. Make Kanoka Blades of Weakening too.”

OOC: @Sparticus147 @Toru Nui

…

IC “Komisti” - Kini-Koro

The Big Bruiser waved after them, “Let me know when it’s time to go, I will try to help the refugees until then.” She turned and resumed wiped the poison off the refugees with her cloth, her powerful armors rubbing them aggressively.

Komisti nodded and followed after Ulkarr, their steps wider and quicker. With the poison leeched from their body they found themself as energetic as before. As they walked they spoke to Ulkarr, “We cannot deprive the village of their resources, but we still may want to request to bring a disk of poison removal with us, in case we run into more of that breed of Riteborn.”

OOC: @Unreliable Narrator @Sparticus147 @Toru Nui

…

IC Mahrika - Aqua-Sphere

The Desecrated Ga-Matoran did not respond at first, still turning the disk of freezing around. She … she should do it, after all, with her mask frozen to her, she could test the abilities of her mask’s new power, see how well she could heal. And it would prevent her from loosing this wonderful mask. A mask blessed by her new friend, whose lens was built by her beloved.

With a tap she knocked the disk of freezing to her head, before rolling it around where her head met the mask. The cold stabbed at her sensors, but only for a second. Almost immediately she felt her body shudder and adapt, the cold no longer overwhelming, the wound from frostbite diminished.

”T-there,” she shivered briefly as she continued to heal and adapt to the damage she had done to her head, “N-now, what were we doing?”

OOC: @Kal the Guardian @Unreliable Narrator @Burnmad @Eyru 

…

IC Kardaka - Ko-Pou

The Turaga of Stone flinched, and averted her gaze. “I … I had not meant to worry you. I…” she struck her arm suddenly with her Badge of Office, striking her over and over. Finally she asked, “You said this flying boat is headed to a village, where the survivors of Kini-Koro fled to, correct? I … I suppose for now I can try to secure the refugees housing.”

OOC: @Tarn @Snelly @Onaku @Toru Nui @Vezok's Friend

[BULiK]

IC: Exuze, Kini-Nui Lakeside

"Exuze," the lesterin answered, unamused. "Who's this?" he asked, nodding his head in Zataka's direction.

Edited June 6, 2021 by BULiK

[Unreliable Narrator]

IC: Reliable Narrator | Kini-Nui Bunker

VIltia slid into the cockpit of the mech and felt it close around her. Much as Sidra NUVA described, the machine shifted to match Viltia’s aesthetic preference inside the cockpit as strange glyphs and circuit lines lit across the space and pulsed with energy pulled from Viltia’s essence of self. 

Shackles snapped.

The Kaita ACR crawled from its tomb and towered above Mazor.

It spoke. Viltia heard the words, feeling as if they came from his own mouth as they were spoken. “I am Twekohui, Great Kaita of Strategy, bound in my casket and shroud. My plans are ordained by stars. My pilot is Viltia Nuva, one blessed in the light of Tren Krom.” 

A great Rahi Grenade Launcher appeared in Twekohui's hands, a circle with which to carve a new dawn. 

“I now give myself to my pilot.”

OOC: @Smudge8, @Kal the Guardian

[Tarn]

IC: Triage - The Taku

"Xia. Now there's a place I haven't heard of in a while," Triage said, seeming to reminisce for a moment. "Funny how we went from all those islands, to just one. Now it looks like we're on track for a couple more landmasses, again."

@Daniel the Finlander

IC: Jutori - Kini-Nui

"Odd fellow," said Jutori, rubbing the back of his neck. He turned to Vashni. "Well, if you and Kilo are ready, so am I. You can warp me wherever we need to go next, or...whatever you can do now," he said, gesturing to Kilo.

@pokemonlover360@Snelly

[BULiK]

  IC: Knichou, Elemental Temple Ruins of Ice

The two Toa trekked past the settlement. Frosted fields of grass crunched under the weight of their boots, eventually giving way to the firmer texture of snow and ice. Knichou's armor looked slightly puffier as it adapted to the colder environment, with nanite metal strands weaving in a clothlike pattern to form a scarf-like flap to help guard his neck from the chilly winds. The moonlight bounced off the white snow, making the night feel much brighter. It was a cool, pleasant darkness, not an all-consuming one.

The ziggurat grew ever closer, basalt surface covered in a thick glaze of ice. Were they not on a mission, Knichou would have certainly taken some interest in the architecture. They entered through a large rectangular threshold, and Knichou felt a tingle in his spine as the glyphs along the walls felt eerily familiar. The hallway was as long as it was cold, and Knichou began to regret forgetting to bring Nale the adaptive armor he made for her. 

Well, actually, this was a problem he could solve. After all, one more spare couldn't hurt.

Nale felt her partner begin to slow down. Their paces slowly came to a halt. Was this another one of Knichou's 'moments'?

"With all the dreaming going on, I forgot..." Knichou began, looking into her optics. His Kanohi began to glow, and she felt his grip tighten. "For a while I thought too much about it, trying to make yours... special somehow, because that's what I thought you deserved."

Particle by particle, a cloud of nanites began to grow in front of them like a crystal, the fractal structure filling out the space until it appeared to hit some kind of invisible barrier, forcing it into the shape of a rectangular prism. On the widest side, the surface was irregular, with a raised pattern that resembled the front of a chestplate. There were no buttons, hinges, or holes, and this was only thing resembling a marking on the slab of nanites. It floated in the air under Knichou's powers, waiting to bond with its new owner.

"But you don't need me or it for that - you're what will make it special."

On 6/4/2021 at 12:46 PM, Snelly said:

IC: Skyra Daring - The Taku (Bridge) -

"Oh sure, I have loads of stories. Like this one time, I was testing this hoverbike that used two Kakama to power it, the engineers designed it for pure speed and not much else. For whatever reason I was the only one willing to actually test it out on the testing track, so before I took it out for a spin I removed the limiter on the acceleration and then I floored it. Let me tell you, I reached the end of the track pretty quick...I don't remember much else between that and the hospital..." 

@BULiK@Tarn

IC: Berys, Ko-Pou, The Taku, Bridge

"I suppose that's one way to learn why they designed such a failsafe," Berys commented.

2 hours ago, Tarn said:

IC: Triage - The Taku

"Xia. Now there's a place I haven't heard of in a while," Triage said, seeming to reminisce for a moment. "Funny how we went from all those islands, to just one. Now it looks like we're on track for a couple more landmasses, again."

IC: Arnex, Ko-Pou, The Taku, Meeting hall

The Onu-Matoran noticed a twinkle in the Bo-Toa's eye, as if he was seeing some time long past.

"You ever been out as far as Xia? The one good thing about being in the army is getting to see the other domes on Dume's dime, right? Where have you been? If you don't mind me asking."

Edited June 6, 2021 by BULiK
typos and missed a sentence

[Snelly]

IC: Skyra Daring - The Taku (Bridge) -

"Yeah I was pretty reckless back then I'll admit." 

 @Tarn @BULiK

 

[BULiK]

IC: Berys, Ko-Pou, The Taku, Bridge

Berys raised an eyebrow, thinking back to Skyra flying out alone to fight the tahtorak without being ordered to.

"Back then?"

[Tarn]

IC: Rose (MC) - The Taku (Bridge)

"Back then?"

@BULiK@Snelly

[Kal the Guardian]

IC: Forgemaster Viltia NUVA - Toa NUVA of the Green

Location - Kini-Nui, Opened Bunker

With - Mazor, Mauka NUVA Proxima

 

Viltia missed Mazor’s question, so wrapped up she was with experiencing the revival of her powers and the connection to the Kaita spirit trapped within the machine. He moved on his own, taking them from his bunker and out into the open space of the valley and the light of late-morning. He announced his presence, voice booming from the mouth of the mech, then he gave himself over to her control and suddenly a familiar feeling washed over Viltia.

She saw from the mech as if its optics were hers, as if its sense of sound were hers. When she thought to move her hand, it was the mech’s that moved. Yet she was still able to move about the cabin while still having the mental capacity to pilot the mech’s body simultaneously. It was exactly like merging with her tethers, minus the actual tethers. It was incredible!

Viltia looked around the valley, noticing that she was actually a little shorter than when she used her Legendary Mask of Growth. Actually, it was her innate power now, not a mask. Still, it was silly to realize she felt a little short in a 100 foot tall mech.

Actually, she should be able to use her powers now on the level of a Kaita. Just how big could she grow with a Kaita powered growing ability?

There were so many things to try out!

But not now. Since she had her powers back, she needed to go wait for Korruhn and Whisper to arrive at the Wall of Prophecies.

She hated to do this so soon, but she backed the mech into the bunker. Using its Kaita level control over the Green, she completely filled the bunker with freshly dried ironwood, enveloping it like it was submerged into water and ensuring it couldn’t get up and roam about on its own.

Viltia opened up the cockpit and used her now half as powerful element to create a small tunnel for herself that closed after she moved past, keeping the wood seal perfectly whole.

Upon exiting the newly sealed bunker she gave Mazor a quick look over, smiling. “Hey! The pure energized protodermis really did help you out. That’s awesome. Anyway, I need to go to the temple over there.” She pointed to Kini-Nui. “And wait for the others to show up.”

Viltia started to walk that direction, continuing to talk as she did so, “So, about that Krom Sphere, since Sidra didn’t want to keep it, do you think I could see it for a moment? Maybe I’m supposed to or something.” She shrugged.

Her Muaka rolled up alongside her, keeping pace. He was glad to have her back in his sight.

 

OOC: @Smudge8

Edited June 8, 2021 by Kal the Guardian
Powers did not work as I thought they did.

[Nato G]

8 hours ago, ~Xemnas~ said:

IC, Atamai: Ruins of Fire

The metal extensions snapped; the mech was thrown off the Rahi. Atamai could feel himself starting to slow down. Was it the creature’s venom?

Doesn’t matter, he thought to himself. Once more he called on his elemental power. The metal that had snapped off inside the Zivon’s head suddenly began to grow offshoots, extensions, branches. Atamai hoped they would damage the Zivon’s brain and take it down. 

IC: Opal - Ruins of Fire

As soon as the attacker squatting on her skull was dislodged, Opal's uninjured claw reached up to grab at the wound. She scrabbled for purchase once, twice, managing to pinch the protruding metal with the tip of her pincer on the third attempt. As the metal grew, she pulled, tearing free a chunk of her carapace in the process of uprooting the metallic tree twisting through her. 

She flung it aside, and let her claws flop to the ground. Streams of ichor poured down her skull, blinding one of her eyes, and pooling in the ashen dirt below her.

To simply remain standing was a struggle in of itself, exhaustion and pain weighing her down. She swayed like a branch in the breeze, her vision fuzzy and balance askew. She knew she was beaten. She couldn't retreat back to the Nightmare Realm where she belonged, and whatever strangeness was slowing her movements meant she couldn't keep up with her attacker's teleporting antics. She couldn't defend this territory.

So she did the only thing she could do.

She bowed her bloodied head in a sign of supplication, and began to stumble unsteadily backwards away from her attacker, conceding the territory to him.

@~Xemnas~

[Daniel the Finlander]

IC: Niidak (Ko-Pou/The Taku)

She focused on consuming her soup-stew mix as the conversation diverged from business and the Onu-Matoran joined in. It sounded like the crewmembers weren’t entirely familiar with each other yet, probably because they hadn’t been together for that long. Little time had passed since the cataclysm at Metru-Nui, but it felt like a much longer period. Everything was strange on this island. Perhaps that included the passage of time.

”At this rate there won’t be any islands,” she muttered in response to the Toa. ”Maybe being on an airship is my best bet to survive.”

Deep inside, she still held hope that they would return to their home islands, somehow. They were still out there somewhere, weren’t they? Surely there was a way to go back, so they could all return to their old lives?

Probably not.

@Tarn @BULiK

[Tarn]

IC: Nale Vella - Elemental Ruins of Ice

Nale wasn't a fan of the cold, but the presence of her partner brought a kind of warmth that was unmatched by any winter gear. She had less interest in the architecture of the building like Knichou had, but the temple itself brought back memories of the upside-down ziggurat they had seen in Po-Metru--which now felt like a lifetime ago, lightyears away--that had been unceremoniously brought down. Part of her wondered if they were somehow related, these structures. In the meantime, this place had managed to avoid that kind of destruction, and the Toa of Magnetism hoped it would stay that way for now.

As long as no one nearby had a Weaken Disk.

Nale raised a hand towards the slab, at first seemingly about to touch it out of curiosity, before retracting it. She could tell by the shape how this was meant to be interacted with. She looked to Knichou and nodded. "You always know what to say to a girl," Nale replied with a sly smile. "You're quite the sweet talker that way, Knichou. But you should know I'm a simple woman--and as long as I get my jetpack, and as long as I have you with me...well, I'm happy."

She stepped forward and pressed her chest into the shaped slab of nanite. Almost immediately it responded to its new owner and began to spread across her body from the torso to her arms, then down her legs--immersing her like liquid, and covering the battle-scarred gunmetal and black armor she had worn since her transformation into a Toa and solidifying into place. Hard edges were smoothed into sleek shapes, her overall appearance becoming more streamlined. The back of her mask was filled in like a helmet around her loose "hair." Like before, as a final touch, the nanites turned a shade of blue to indicate an ally (or in this case, far more) of Knichou. One would have been forgiven for mistaking the Fa-Toa for a water elemental now.

Once the process was completed, Nale looked over herself, taking in her new appearance. She then looked back to her Nynran partner, turning to show off her new set of Adaptive Armor. Already it was adjusting to the cold of the area, creating extra layers and a scarf-like neck covering like Knichou's.

"Well, how do I look?"

@BULiK

IC: Triage - The Taku

The medic sat up straighter. Arnex made it sound more like a vacation, and although his time in the Metru Nui military had been far from that, she was right--you did get to see the world. Unfortunately, he just saw the world being torn apart. "Well...I never really got to set foot on Xia as part of the Silver Sea campaign. But I knew what it was like. Industrial, smoggy...dark buildings built around a scary-looking mountain. I think Pridak controlled it even before the war broke out."

Triage realized admitting he had never actually been to a place like Xia might make him sound boring to the Onu-Matoran, so he continued.

"Got to see a lot of other places, though. Mostly smaller no-name islands, stepping stones on the path to Metru Nui that were getting caught in the middle of the fighting. I don't know, I guess it's hard to really appreciate the sights when you're busy bandaging people up or using your mask to undo the kind of wounds that otherwise would just be certain death. A lot of time spent with your head down."

@Daniel the Finlander

[Kal the Guardian]

-Snip-

Edited June 8, 2021 by Kal the Guardian
Powers did not work as I thought they did.

[Tarn]

IC: Korio, Kanohi Dragon of Loyalty - Irnakk's Tooth

As Korio circled the Panda, the ground below burned with his fire.

The pleasure of his new existence, however, was interrupted. Bursts of noise hit, making his ears ring and distracting him for just long enough for a pair of barbs to strike his sides, piercing between his mask-shaped scales. Korio let out a roar of pain, twisting his serpent-like body around to find the attacker...no, attackers. Green things. Three of them, all looking the same, but acting different. His frills flared out and he let out another roar--this time of anger. Were they here to destroy him? No, he would not let them. He would not fail Yumiwak.

Summoning his newfound elemental power, the riteborn unleashed fire from his maw directly at where the mechs were, adding to the firestorm already happening.

@Kal the Guardian

[Smudge8]

IC: Mazor-Kini-Nui

"Why yes, I'd say it has."  Mazor replied. "What are we going to..." But Viltia was already in motion, putting a complex plan into motion. Mazor sighed and flexed his wings. He may as well test out his new powers. He flexed his wings and took to the sky. This new ability to fly was exhillarating, no longer would he have to slog through the swamps and jungles, he could travel quickly and actually make a difference!

“There is Zivon hiding in its other dimension. Right there.”

Mazor's eyes followed as Vilita formed summoned a black cloud around the area she had pointed at.  He felt a lump form in his throat. Something big was about to happen.

[BULiK]

IC: Exuze, Kini-Nui, Templeside

"####..."

[EmperorWhenua]

IC Stannis & "Docent" | Uhuraz' Plane

"Right, so, cool beans. Our story begins as all things do: At birth." 

The docent pulled the group of four guests down the hallway. On one side of the corridor were the usual trinkets and treasures stored behind invisible barriers and on pedestals just high enough for Grime to look at them closely, and on the other side was the wall that was adorned with a full mural from floor to ceiling that stretched down the whole length of the hall and around the corner. It looked like it was painted by hand and not by professional workers, with a multitude of cartoonish-looking caricatures adorning a background splash of reds and greys.

“History belongs to the victors, but people forget the past when they are not reminded. It is my honor, then, to remind you of a past the Builders seem to have forgotten. I could speak for hours on history, but, uh, my voice is tired. So I’ve prepared a PowerPoint presentation for you. Pictures, you know, speak for thousands of words.”

The docent forcibly pointed at the wall and it suddenly sprang to three-dimensional life, and the reds and greys blended in a macabre flow that seemed to fall off the wall and drift into the passageway itself, creating scenes of violence and control in the visitor’s very paths. Sigils previously camouflaged in the wall glowed with wicked intensity, recalling the scene from the monolith in the antechamber when it rumbled to motion, and the pictures moved with the fluidity and liveliness of ocean waves contained in a tube. While it was quickly realized to be illusory by a discerning person, the wizard Stannis had been watching the two matoran very closely and noticed that the docent merely gestured at the wall for it to shift in nature entirely—this was no mere illusion, it was magick intrinsic to the docent and the plane. He shelved the thought and helpfully minded Grime not to try any theft of artefacts as well as he could.

“In the beginning, people warred without purpose. Chaos reigned as the Builders’ wills contested against each other. Gods were many but far in between, and the great Timekeeper in the sky had not visited to give chronology to existence for an eon. What do children do when left alone? They fall prey to their own devises. Children want structure to feel comfort, and when they are not provided that they wish for it.

“And so Uhuraz was conceived from the aether all Aspects are born from. You know this, right? All Aspects come from the… Okay, cool beans, we’ll skip that part. Uhuraz was conceived with one purpose: To provide order where there was none.”

The living mural spilled out in a tapestry of military formations and organized civilizations. Streets and causeways were tidy and thriving. Towers and edifices were erected from the ashes of battlefields, pulled into being by rows of slaves of all kinds, all under the watchful gaze of taskmasters holding flails. “And order was crafted from the chaos. But it was not enough. Not everyone complied, and barbarism still existed. Not everyone had heeded the structured calls of the savior their own needs and desires had brought into being. Uhuraz ushered in a new age by moving to bring those dissidents into his burgeoning empire and other Aspects of Makuta seemed to be powerless as he grew in might and prosperity. Other wishes succumbed to his underlying principles of Unity and Order at the cost of all else, and Uhuraz’ greatest drive was to achieve the pinnacle of perfection by manifesting as an everlasting Great Spirit of Order, ensuring that all future generations would forever be in line.”

Images of a great and tall warrior welding a whip and a sword came to life, overwhelming every foe he confronted and fighting in the trenches. They were the same armor and sword they’d seen on the throne dais in the auditorium, only this time with all the vivacity and bloodlusting virility of a warforged king. “Uhuraz, you see, was an idol long before he would truly become one. He was a master of both war and peace, a fighter and administrator of the same caliber, and when he led he did it in the front lines. People did not simply hear about Lord Uhuraz, they bore witness to him, either leading their army or helming the attack that would inevitably prevail against them. People who survived swore fealty because they were in awe of him. But, the stories go on to say, the cycle was not yet finished for Uhuraz.

“He almost ascended, you see. He almost became a Great Spirit to watch over his children and give existence to Order forevermore. While Chaos and Order are two diametric opposites, one is not the bane of the other. The bane to Order and stoicism, see, is Change.”

Stannis did not notice any perceptible indications of judgement from the docent towards Whisper, but there was an edge to his tone when he said the last word, the way a zealous devotee would rebuke anything that contrasted to their god. It reminded the Wanderer of Grime and his connection to Miserix that precluded any other bonds from interfering, and he looked at the dirty matoran more closely out of absentminded curiosity. The taboos and tattoos all over the Builder’s body evoked memories of another being, just as the docent had, only this time he could recall the name exactly: Dume. 

The wizard’s face was still mostly shrouded by his hood’s cloak, but underneath it went ashen. Should he look back, all Grime would be able to see were those damnably silver eyes boring past his skin and into what was left of his soul.

“People wished for Change from Order, and their wish... it delivered what they wanted. At the eleventh hour, an Aspect to champion their desires stopped Uhuraz’ ascension and brought an end to his empire with a final clash between that aspect and Uhuraz in his glory, which left the power armor damaged beyond mortal understandings. When Tren Krom eventually returned it was a future without a Great Spirit of Order, and so the cycles were doomed to repeat without structure."

"Uhuraz was recreated, of course, birthed just as he had been before from the mists of desire with the same goals as before, but the people did not pray to him as they had anymore. While powerful enough to craft this haven to receive supplicants he decided to wait until he had the strength to give Order to people again and reclaim all that he had before. The legends on these many walls speak of how Uhuraz will return to the Builders when his armor is refinished. So it waits here for Him to obtain the final piece while we learn from the past.” The docent went on, pulling the visitors through another doorway and then, once again, somehow, they were in the auditorium again, Jural and Velox waiting for them on the stage at opposite sides.

"You can imagine the surprise we had when the opportunity to turn the tables of history came and the Aspect of Change comes walk—erm, hovering in, and with it some of the same people who fought in the last war, and the world outside has collapsed to chaos that needs our Lord and Savior to bring it to heel once more. You'll find the tethers you have to your Aspect patrons will do you no good here. We would offer you the chance to surrender," the matoran said, "but that isn't Uhuraz's style.

"So die, for Order."

 

OOC | @Gecko Greavesy @Crimson Jester @Unreliable Narrator 

You can try dialogue, but at this point it's initiative rolling time. Full profiles for Jural and Velox will be updated. 

[Kal the Guardian]

-Snip-

Edited June 8, 2021 by Kal the Guardian
Powers did not work as I thought they did.

[Unreliable Narrator]

IC: Administrator | Kini-Nui

"You are more simple minded than I imagined, air breathers," said the Administrator. "You imagine I would tell you all the secrets of this ancient place? That I would reveal how to read the reality of our world in the Wall of Prophecy? That I would enlighten you to the incredible abilities of the Ignika. Why should I help you learn how it creates or destroys life, or that its energies were the source of a regenerative rain that blessed the island below for thousands of years? You were ignorant then, and shall remain so."

A moment passed.

"Wait. Hold up. Why did I say all that?"

OOC: @Kal the Guardian, @Harvali

Edited June 7, 2021 by Unreliable Narrator

[EmperorWhenua]

IC Yumiwak | Irnakk's Tooth

My ancestors were right to trust me with their knowledge, I thought proudly as I walked back to my ship. Nothing ethereal troubled me on my return to the Panda, I'd already received the boon from my god and there was nothing to fear here. The roars of my dragons filled the heavy and hot air and I walked as quickly as my battered and bruised body could take me in a race against the natural dangers of the volcano as it frothed to another eruption.

When I reached the Tactical Panda it was exactly as it was when I left it. Korio and Zai's screeches and rumbles were already loud and everywhere at once around the Tooth's region and ash was falling from the sky as a firestorm brewed from their manifestation and the crew had helpfully stashed the sails for safe keeping—we didn't need them anyway. The bond Korio and Zai had to me was never stronger than now, though, and their hearts beat as mine, and I could feel Marrow was far off near the northern reaches. 

"Where's Ysocla?" I asked as I boarded. 

"Ma'am, first engineer Ysocla went to a nearby ruin, I think. Where... is Korio and Zai?"

To reply I simply pointed skyward and let the realization creep into their eyes. Nobody said a word about it afterwards, a discussion for a different time. "We wait for Ysocla, then we cast off from this place. I feel I have gotten all I can have here."

But at what cost?

Edited June 7, 2021 by EmperorWhenua

[BULiK]

12 hours ago, Tarn said:

IC: Nale Vella - Elemental Ruins of Ice

"You always know what to say to a girl," Nale replied with a sly smile. "You're quite the sweet talker that way, Knichou. But you should know I'm a simple woman--and as long as I get my jetpack, and as long as I have you with me...well, I'm happy."

She stepped forward and pressed her chest into the shaped slab of nanite. Almost immediately it responded to its new owner and began to spread across her body from the torso to her arms, then down her legs--immersing her like liquid, and covering the battle-scarred gunmetal and black armor she had worn since her transformation into a Toa and solidifying into place. Hard edges were smoothed into sleek shapes, her overall appearance becoming more streamlined. The back of her mask was filled in like a helmet around her loose "hair." Like before, as a final touch, the nanites turned a shade of blue to indicate an ally (or in this case, far more) of Knichou. One would have been forgiven for mistaking the Fa-Toa for a water elemental now.

IC: Knichou, Elemental Temple Ruins of Ice

The Fe-Toa blushed at Nale's comments before she put on her new armor. Her gaze was still utterly disarming, so an enraptured Knichou stood and watched one of the moments that reminded him why life was worth living. The couple knew that they both loved each other no matter their flaws... and yet seeing the adaptive armor wash over Nale's body, cleansing the storied armor of its many scuffs and imperfections, inspired awe. It was truly a sight to behold.

And behold, Knichou did.

This wasn't about fixing Nale. As far as Knichou was concerned, her outsides were just getting even closer to matching the beauty of her insides. She was a survivor, like him, but they didn't have to let that define them. The exile knew how even though they were both stronger because of their injuries, the marks that reminded them of their mistakes and darkest hours did carry an invisible weight on the soul. Without the shameful branding on Knichou's armor, and without Nale's armor carrying the reminders of mistakes in an untold number of battles, they resembled themselves at their best. The heroes and lovers they became, not the scuffed individuals they had overcome and improved.

12 hours ago, Tarn said:

IC: Nale Vella - Elemental Ruins of Ice

Once the process was completed, Nale looked over herself, taking in her new appearance. She then looked back to her Nynran partner, turning to show off her new set of Adaptive Armor. Already it was adjusting to the cold of the area, creating extra layers and a scarf-like neck covering like Knichou's.

"Well, how do I look?"

Knichou's optics darted in many directions as Nale twirled, taking in her whole form as he searched for words. After a moment where silence resounded from his dropped jaw, he chuckled, and cracked a spontaneous smile that was capable of making the couple feel warmer inside than their adaptive armor did.

"Good. Real good," the former Nynrah Ghost eventually stammered. "Breathtaking."

Knichou lost himself in her icy blue eyes. He wanted to move in closer, feel Nale in her new armor, but he also instinctively held himself back - maybe if he didn't move a muscle, he could stand in this moment in time forever. A few moments later the statue of a Toa continued.

"Blue... really is your color, isn't it?"

IC: Arnex, Ko-Pou, The Taku, Meeting Hall

Arnex looked less disappointed and more apologetic in the wake of Triage's answer. It's hard to remember the good without the baggage that came along with it.

"Ah... shame. Understandable... you saw all of the worst of what war could do..."

Edited June 7, 2021 by BULiK

[Kal the Guardian]

IC: Sorilax Life Seeker - Aspect of Light and Silence

Location - Elemental Temple of Light

With - Mahrika, Bellicus Kastus, One, Two

 

The crystal pillars continued to flicker with strange symbols that ran vertically down their surfaces from vaulted ceiling to submerged floor. Sorilax’s up close analysis did not offer any new details. The Administrator, however, did.

It really did seem like it was beholden to obey input commands. And thankfully this time it actually answered him. Without its direction, he would be lost in this room.

Sorilax was busy inspecting the crystal pillar and so missed what Mahrika had done, but he heard her question and replied, “We are figuring out how to safely interact with the room.”

Two had seen what Mahrika had done and was very confused by the action, but he did not mention it to the others since they were busy.

Sorilax, with One’s help, limped over to the Wall of Prophecy. The Matoran letters still raced by with indecipherable speed. If reality was stated here, then maybe he could figure out how to use this room. This wall definitely seemed like the safer thing to start learning how to interact with, though his mind pondered the implications of a Mask of Life.

“Administrator, how do I make the text of the Wall of Prophecy readable?”

 

OOC: @Harvali @Unreliable Narrator

[pokemonlover360]

IC Kilo-M9 NUVA - Kini-Nui:

Exiting sleep mode.

Processing conversation logs from previous 5 minutes.

Processing complete. Multiple angles of approach are available.

Analyzing current situation for best action.

Analysis complete.

After taking a look at the events that were happening at Kini-Nui, The now-awakened mechanical enforcer placed its metal hands upon its allies and said, “Teleport.” Space shifted around the trio for a moment until the area around them was replaced by the Taku’s cargo hold. The machine looked around the room for Skyra before venturing deeper into the ship’s hold, gesturing for its allies to follow.

“Ally Vashni, there was previous mention of Barraki Ehlek,” said the machine. “Please elaborate.”

 OOC: @Tarn@Snelly@Kal the Guardian@Vezok's Friend@BULiK@Unreliable Narrator

IC Ysocla - Exterior of Irnakk's Tooth:

Ysocla rode hard and fast around the volcano towards what must have been one of the zivon she had created. The mental connection suddenly became filled with so much pain that the engineer had to stop moving to recover. That turned out to be a good idea as the ground immediately rumbled from the force of yet another eruption from the nearby peak. Ysocla squinted through the clouds of ash and smoke to get a better view of the emerging twin dragons. One predominately, one partially red, both clearly hated one another. Her heart realized their former identities shortly before her brain did, but she was still not prepared for the new knowledge.

Part of her immediately jumped to the conclusion that it was Zataka’s doing, that the titan had somehow surprised the others and cast them into the pit. It was a sad idea, but a calming one. The rational side of her swiftly took over and presented a far more probable scenario. Despite the heat from the volcano, a chill ran through her spine as she watched her former friends claw at each other in the sky. Turning her bike around, she began riding back towards the Panda. Ysocla had not grown up a sailor, she was more a mechanic by trade, but you didn’t need to spend much time to learn the vocabulary appropriate for this sort of situation.

Ysocla swore. An increasingly vulgar string of obscenities fell from her mouth as she rode onwards.

OOC: @EmperorWhenua

[Void Emissary]

IC: Parnassus | The Fau Swamps

"Ostrox, let's save the rough-housing for later, can we?" Parnassus said, noting the way that the resident Zyglak's nostrils seemed to be flaring and raising a hand towards their abrasive crew-mate.

"If that's the case," they continued, turning their attention back to the Builder, "then it seems like we're both searching for the same thing. My compatriots and I were headed to the Caldera anyway. It's the holiest site for Aspects and, with any luck, you'll find the answers you're looking for there."

And if you're unlucky, they thought, you won't live long enough to put them to any use.

"Leklo, shall we continue our flight?"

OOC: @Toru Nui @EmperorWhenua @TL01 NUVA @Keeper of Kraata

-Void

[Daniel the Finlander]

IC: Niidak (Ko-Pou/The Taku)

The bowl was almost empty by now, so Niidak refilled it by grabbing a pot and pouring more stew into it. While she was doing so, she replied to Triage.

"A flattering description of my home," she said. "Yet accurate, I suppose. Though the Mountain isn't that scary after you've actually climbed it, as all Vortixx have to do. It's a rite of passage of sorts, a male and a female attempting to reach the summit at the same time. Some don't survive, but mostly because one of the two partners betrays the other. It's easier to just work together, which is what I did. However, the social status of the one who returns alone is far greater."

Niidak didn't care for status. Her climbing partner later became her closest companion. While other Vortixx mocked them, she didn't care about that either.

She only cared about him.

The bowl was full again, so she put the pot back on the table and continued. "As for Pridak, well, we never cared who ruled over us. What mattered was that we got to make a profit by making and selling weapons. The politics of the stupid war were of little concern to us."

@Tarn@BULiK

Edited June 7, 2021 by Daniel the Finlander

[Vezok's Friend]

 

IC [Zataka - Kini-Nui]

She decided to ignore the comments about her and Kalmah. Tuyet was clearly babbling.

“You sure you’re the same Tuyet? Because the one I remember was a lot more organized…guess we’re all changing these days.” the titan replied. She suddenly sounded much less teasing. There was a hint of exhaustion in her voice. All she wanted was to find a mask maker yet this Nuju character wanted to send her on another quest instead. She’d have to get back to him in a minute too. Despite the tense history between her and Tuyet, she could relate to the feeling of putting in so much effort , only for the goal to just keep moving further and further away…

She was pulled out of her thoughts by the arrival of a rather stern looking lesterin. She glanced at him, sideways and down. 

“The name is…” she started, then paused as she saw the massive silhouette of the Kaita emerge from the shelter she’d noticed a moment ago and step forward thundering footsteps. She was not used to having to look up like this.

 Her eyes narrowed as she felt Weaver’s agitation across the veil. Her monstrous ally clearly had a bad feeling about this one. But then, after a moment, the massive biped turned, and ducked back inside its bunker, which seemed to start getting instantly overwhelmed by plant growth on the inside. Zataka turned to look at the others, a few of which looked rather unsurprised. 

“So...this is a regular thing here?”

She glanced at the other bunkers that were ringing the area. All looked ancient, but a number showed definite signs of having recently been opened. If each of those housed such a being, there were some intense days ahead.

“Good to know you have something to fight back against the giant beasties…” she eventually said, although in the back of her mind she contemplated the fact that all the beasties seemed to come from Irnakk - as did she, although not by choice. She wondered if that mattered to the Kaita...

“I hope those are here to protect people.” she continued, then focused back on the lesterin. 

“The name is Zataka. And I’m looking for help.”
 

-----

IC [Scarrow - Irnakk’s Tooth, Beyond the Veil]

Don’t interfere.

Behind Opal, there was a shimmer in reality. Before the Kaita’s renewed attacks could hit their target, they were fired upon in turn with globs of webbing. Had Opal fired those?

Don’t interfere.

Then, another pair of claws emerged behind the staggering Zivon in order to yank her back into the nightmare realm. Scarrow didn’t know why they’d done that. They were territorial loner apex predators, only held in check by the people they were bound to in the tooth. So it was no surprise that Scarrow was unable to recognize the lingering loyalty to the other Zivon as a remnant of their past life. They just knew they had to help - this time.
 

OOC: @Unreliable Narrator@Gecko Greavesy@Xemnas@Kal the Guardian@BULiK and anyone I'm missing at Kini Nui.

Edited June 10, 2021 by Vezok's Friend
Edited as the Kaita confrontation was retconned.

[Tarn]

IC: Nale Vella - Elemental Ruins of Ice

Nale smirked. "I guess so."

She drew her polearm, extending it to full-length and twirling it around, and taking on fighting stances to test the flexibility of her new armor. Pleased with it, she turned back to Knichou with spear in one hand, the other on her hip. It was like she had just become a Toa, wanting to see all that she could do in her new body. "Feels like a new me, almost. Haven't felt like this, since..."

...since Iradra healed me.

Nale put away her weapon, the nanites of her adaptive armor absorbing it and making it almost appear like part of it. "We'll have more room to test it out when we leave. I do feel a bit rusty, maybe some training is in order before we link up with Aurax."

@BULiK

IC: Triage - The Taku (Meeting Dinner Table)

Triage nodded to Arnex. Hearing Niidak's response, he was worried he might have offended her in how he talked about Xia. "Right. I suppose that makes sense," the medic said. The Vortixx were always profit-oriented about everything before the impact, but that didn't mean much. They were weaponsmiths, and they were good at their work, and if you were good at something you didn't do it for free. "Rite of passage, huh? Interesting culture."

He paused, optics staring at a spot on the table before him that, apparently, only he noticed. He looked up at Niidak again. "Do you miss it? Xia, I mean."

@BULiK@Daniel the Finlander

IC: Jutori - The Taku

Well, that felt odd. Jutori's optics came into focus and he realized he was on board the Taku, for the first time in a very long time. There had clearly been some work done.

"Ehlek?" Jutori asked, following the pair. "I thought we did away with him back in Le-Metru?"

@pokemonlover360@Snelly

Edited June 7, 2021 by Tarn

[Snelly]

IC: Vashni - The Taku - Cargo Hold -

Vashni didn't have time to react to the chaos that was happening around them before Kilo had teleported them back onto the ship. Well, this was kind of a good thing in a way. With apparently there were more riteborn, and at Kini-Nui no less. She mentally sent a message to Skyra, who she assumed was still on the ship, to meet them in the hold. 

Vashni shook her head at Jutori's question. "He's still active, apparently experimenting on Matoran and other beings. Knichou and Nale have intentions of stopping him, and I'm going to help. But both of you need to focus on getting Skyra NUVA right now and stopping the riteborn. That's just as important, maybe even more so. Leave Ehlek to us non-NUVA for now. We have many enemies, and we need to divide and conquer to deal with them." 

IC: Skyra Daring - The Taku (Bridge) -

Skyra looked absolutely indignant at both the Matoran and her wife before she suddenly stood up. "Kilo is back gotta go!" She was already gone as she was speaking. She was moving about as fast as a Toa could without wearing a Kakama. 

--------------------------------

"Yo we ready to go!?" Skyra said as she skidded to a stop, looking right at Jutori. "Ah you must be Jutori, nice to meet ya!" She gave him a friendly slap on the back.

@BULiK @Tarn @pokemonlover360

Edited June 7, 2021 by Snelly

[Vezok's Friend]

IC: [Nixie, Vhisola & Co. - Inside & Outside the Taku]

“Look, Turaga,” Nixie said, moving closer to stop the elder from further hitting herself with her staff, her voice firm, but kind, “I think it’s best we all stick together for now. I don’t know exactly where we’re going but there’s a lot of talk trying to right what is wrong with this place and I have a feeling we’ll find something to do to aid in those efforts if we help them out first.”
She nodded her head towards the Taku, then turned to follow the very strange Vahki aboard. They were some of the last ones left outside.
-----
Back where people aboard the ship were eating, Vhisola shrugged at Okuo’s comment. “I’m not even questioning these things anymore. Yesterday I was a lizard. You get used to change real quick after that one.”
 

OOC: @Harvali

[Tarn]

IC: Jutori - The Taku

"I...alright," Jutori replied, feeling like he was being scolded, almost. Before he could say anything else he was startled by a slap on the back. He turned to see a hyperactive Toa of Air. "Uh, yes, that's me. Nice to meet...you?"

The Toa of Gravity raised an eyebrow. "You're Skyra Daring, right?"

@pokemonlover360@Snelly