BZPRPG - Ta-Wahi

Ta
A vista of Kini-Nui from the Mata Nui Online Game
  • Posted 2021-08-28 19:34:42 UTC
    BZPRPG - Ta-Wahi
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  • ta-wahi.png

     

    The Wahi:

    Ta-Wahi, located near the southeastern side of Mata Nui, is the part of the island in which the Ta-Matoran work and live and Toa Tahu once resided. The skies always have a dark tint from the volcanic ashes in the air, and glowing lava pools and streams illuminate the earth with amber light. Its landscape is mainly charred jungle, a molten wasteland defined by igneous canyons and the slow trickle of lava from the powerful Mangai Volcano above. Local landmarks include:

     

    -The Charred Forest: A section of Ta-Wahi that was burned to charcoal by the Makuta in one of his early attacks on the Matoran of Mata Nui. It is easy to get lost, so several of the locals have marked paths among the trees, which can be seen only by a practiced observer.

    -Mangai Volcano: A volcano near Ta-Koro, which is situated at roughly the center of the island. The lava flows from this volcano spread almost directly north to the sea, leaving ashen wasteland wherever they go.

    -Tren Krom Break: A deep ravine, containing a lava river where Ignalu surfing competitions are often held. Turaga Vakama named it after the legendary figure Tren Krom. The ravine separates Ko-Wahi and Ta-Wahi, and is bridged by an ancient cable car. It is to note that the Ta-Koro Guard occupied an outpost here to defend against the Rahi threat during the days of Makuta. The outpost was abandoned when Jaller was forced to fall back behind the city, but was reactivated after the fall of Ko-Koro as an additional defense against the occupiers. 

    -Ta-Wahi Beach: The easternmost edge of the Wahi meets the sea with a relatively peaceful black sand beach. Seabirds fill the skies with their cries, and a jutting cliff to one edge bears an archaic telescope atop it, with which travelers can observe the heavens better than anywhere else on the island. A modest dock has been constructed in recent times to allow for the anchoring of ships and the easier passage of trade.

    -The Piraka Clubhouse: A bungalow built from scrap metal and driftwood, close to the stretch of beach where their stolen submarine made land, this was the hideout of the six Piraka. If the fence, the sign (“STAY OUT! Especially if you’re Reidak Thok Vezok”), and the dangerous aura don’t dissuade you from entry, then you would find the hideout long abandoned.

    -The Dark Walk: One of six large tunnels dug by Makuta’s Rahkshi during the final days of his rule. Large enough to encompass a walking legion, it runs directly from the doorstep of the Koro down into Mangaia. Exudes a definite aura of odiousness, and is generally avoided. An outpost of the Ta-Koro Guard has been constructed a short distance from its mouth to serve as an early warning.

     

    The Koro:

    Led by Akiri Jaller, Ta-Koro is a unique city, built in the center of the Lake of Fire and in the shadow of the explosive Mangai Volcano. The Koro, built on a protruding rock above the lava lake, is comfortable despite its relative smallness. The villagers of Ta-Koro are reassured by their location and the security it affords them; Ta-Koro is quite possibly the safest village on the island. Ta-Koro is incredibly hard to attack not only due to its high walls and skilled guard, but also because it is impossible to cross the Lake of Fire without the use of a movable stone bridge, the controls to which lie in the Koro’s highly guarded gatehouse.

     

    The architecture of the relatively small Koro follows a tactical mindset that has been adhered to even as it expands. Just inside the village walls are the shortest buildings, increasing in height steadily and nearly uniformly as one progresses towards the center of the village. Accordingly any invaders that breach the walls will be denied the high ground for their entire advance, and Ta-Koro Guardsman will be better able to observe and obstruct any attacking force. The Ta-Koro Guard’s administration is housed in the fortress-like building at the center, a location that has also become home to Akiri Jaller’s official office spaces.  The great hall once used by Vakama now serves as Jaller’s abode but no longer is open to the public except by invitation or appointment. It is always occupied by a vibrant bonfire and the Wall of History, where legends have been engraved since before living memory.

     

    The village has a central courtyard lined with shops and apartments. The Ta-Koro guard will not stand crime in the streets; those who break the law are confined in Ta-Koro’s dungeons, carved into the volcanic rock below the main city and guarded strictly.

     

    With the help of engineers from Onu-Koro, Ta-Koro learned to harness the power of the volcano. A geothermal energy plant powers the entire village. Pumps located underneath the city are constantly absorbing lava and hot fumes from below, funneling them into a power plant’s generator. Electricity, new streetlights, and intra-Koro transportation – a steady monorail wrapping around the outer ring, recently repaired to working order after a sabotage attempt – are all fuelled by the power plant. The Ta-Matoran have also started to dig into the dangerous Mangai Volcano for precious mineral ores like iron, which they then smelt. With this influx of innovation and industry, Akiri Jaller has expanded the military might of the village and has stockpiled vast quantities of weapons in its armories. Rena ore, traded for with Ihu-Koro across the Cable Car, has been added to these reserves as smiths begin to experiment with the substance. Contact with Po-Koro, despite some tensions with the previous regime, has also given Ta-Koro access to the spreading telegram and radio networks. 

     

    The scars of the Piraka’s attack on the village have been repaired but the site of the famous Lavapool Inn remains vacant. Whether anything will replace it has yet to be determined, but the people of the village treat the site as a place of remembrance and reminder. The vacancy is not the only change in place following the attack as more numerous, smaller outposts of the Guard have been placed strategically throughout the city to house Jaller’s Rapid Reactionary Forces. While the Guard has always provided for the Koro’s security, the RRF focuses its efforts on the detection and prevention of threats that have already passed beyond the village’s walls.  In the peace following Makuta’s defeat, expansions into the Wahi have begun owing to the village’s lack of unused space, with small residences and businesses beginning to crop up outside the safety of its walls. Plans are in place, though not completed, to expand the monorail’s reach to these extra-Koro expansions.

     

    Akiri Player: Krayzikk

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  • Posted 2021-08-29 02:38:29 UTC
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  • IC: Tuara Drigton - Ta-Koro

    'Tuara,

    Destroy this letter, once you've read it.

    I know you may not understand my behavior, or why I have placed my allegiance with people you've long considered your enemies. But I hope that given enough time and effort, that one day, you'll understand.'


    Tuara stepped inside the front door of her home and into the living room, closing it behind her with a soft click. Upon entering, she paused, her hand tightly gripping the door-knob as her eyes moved about the room. It was the first time since vacating the place eight weeks ago that she had been home, since it had been officially declared a crime scene, and thoroughly looked over by the Ta-Koro Guard. Eight weeks since she shattered every bottle of alcohol against the wall. Eight weeks since she hid a body for her brother Kitea. Eight weeks since she last spoke with Dorian-

    Tuara let out a hard exhale, realizing she had been holding her breath since stepping inside. She let go of the door knob, and set her eyes on Dorian's piano in the middle of the living room on the other side of the couch. She felt her hands begin to shake for a moment, as a wellspring of emotion within her began to swell, but she quickly turned away from the instrument and stepped to her right, into the kitchen.

    'I wish I hadn't dragged you into this. I stayed away from you all these years because I knew my people were dangerous, and I didn't want you to get caught up in it all. But it seems you went and did that all by yourself anyways. It shouldn't exactly surprise me, but it did. Know this - I only came to you because I had no other choice. Believe me. I know that may be difficult considering I've kept my life a secret from you all these years.'

    Busying her hands to distract herself, she reached into the cabinet next to the sink and retrieved a glass. It was short and stocky with a crystalline pattern, and had been used countless times before, serving whiskey. The glass against her lips, the glass against his. The pair, watching each other drink. A hand reaching across the couch to rest on his leg. Dorian leaning over- Tuara purged these thoughts as well, and quickly put the glass under the tap, then up to her mouth, gulping down water. She breathed out, suddenly aware that her forehead had become beaded with sweat. These thoughts had not been purged at all, it seemed. The memories of her self-destructive alcoholic behavior had become entirely intertwined with fond memories, special moments throughout her life - even joyful ones. It made having quit eight weeks ago seem like only minutes sometimes. Eight weeks.

    'I guess I just wanted to say I'm sorry-'

    A sound, from the living room. Tuara turned on her heel, heart pounding, her body immediately pumping with adrenaline. However, in the dim light of the home, all she could see was dust in the sunbeams of the small windows. Whatever the noise, it must have come from outside. She wiped the sweat off her forehead, looking down at the coffee table, a bundle of letters tied together with thin twine, and a Ta-Koro Guard seal stamped on the front. More letters from Kitea, written during his trial, now able to read them since his guilty verdict had been reached.

    'and that one day, we can be brother and sister again. A family.'

    Putting Kitea away had become simple once Tuara had turned in his secret hand-written letter apologizing, and alluding to his work with other Makuta loyalists. She didn't regret it. At least, she thought so. But she knew that no matter what decision she had made, somebody was going to get hurt. Kitea had come to her at her lowest point, and when she was weak, manipulated her into... well. Tuara didn't want to think about the horrible crime she had committed. She scowled at the papers, reached down, and picked them up, staring at the lettering on the front, thinking back on what Kitea had written her once before.

    'I'm not sure what's going to happen if the Guard finds out what we've done. I'm sure they won't let me see you anymore. I hope that's not true. If anybody can figure this out, it's you. I know it.

    - Kitea'


    Tuara's scowl deepened. What would she find inside? More manipulation no doubt. She swore she could still taste Kitea's poisonous words on the tip of her tongue. "God. I really do need a drink."

  • Edited on 2021-08-29 02:40:47 by Palm
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  • Posted 2021-08-29 03:46:56 UTC
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  • IC:

    "Come onnnnnn."

    The chair rocked back and forth, tapping on the stone tile of the Magma Lounge's floor. Seated within it was the most bored Toa that perhaps had ever lived in Ta-Koro, mired in inactivity, desperate for distraction, and overall spoiling for something, someone, anything to hit in the face.

    That wasn't Erzu, she was bored of that.

    "When the Karz did Ta-Koro get so dull? This was the place! There was always somebody who needed punching, or looking for a fight, or something! What the Karz happened?" She groaned again, louder, and rocked her chair harder. "Nothing's going onnnn."

    Saeva let out another groan, turning into a low growl somewhere halfway through the sound. This was awful. It was practically intolerable. She hadn't gotten to hit someone new in ages. Ages! It had been at least a couple of weeks, and that was absolutely unacceptable. But nothing was going on here, not after those Skakdi rolled through and trashed the Lavapool. Blugh. Why did nothing exciting ever happen anymore?

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  • Posted 2021-08-29 03:51:54 UTC
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  • IC:

    "You should always take time to appreciate the times of peace while we're in them, boss," said the sentient pool table, dutifully planking between two walls while Erzu and Torana dueled. "One day we'll look back on these as the best of times, when our brotherhood could sooth all ills and--pfoo pfoo pfoo"

    The Toa of Earth began frantically huffing on the cue ball, attempting to keep it out of his mouth. He failed.

    "Y'schrashed it Ershu."

    -Tyler

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  • Posted 2021-08-29 04:04:10 UTC
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  • IC: "I knew I should have sunk solids first." a voice grumbled, off to the Onu-Toa's right. "Stick's messed up too."

    Youthful and smoky, it carried a tone of befuddled frustration.

    For the third time that game, the pool cue was disseminated and reformed with slightly different grain structure from the palm of a simian calloused hand that begged for a sword in its' place.

    Emerald eyes narrowed beneath a furrowed brow, as the vagabond son of the Salvajemono deftly plucked the white orb from his massive pool table's mouth, his preternaturally sharp vision managing to discern its form from the pearly whites it had nestled within.

    "Alright, take your reset."

    He tossed it above and across the broad chest in front of him.

  • Edited on 2021-08-29 04:20:56 by Razgriz
    i genuinely will delete this editor
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  • Posted 2021-08-29 04:49:50 UTC
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  • IC: AND YOU MAY FIND YOURSELF

     

    LIVING IN A SHOTGUN SHACK…

     

    AND YOU MAY FIND YOURSELF

     

    IN ANOTHER PART OF THE WORLD…

     

    She was okay. At peace with herself.

    The last month and a bit had been a whirlwind of emotions for her, and truthfully? She almost couldn’t handle it at times. Life had changed in ways she really hadn’t expected, taken turns down avenues she’d never even dreamed of before. And, well, she did a lot of dreaming. During the night… during the day…

    AND YOU MAY FIND YOURSELF

    She’d made friends - real friends, not like those- 

    She really didn’t want to think about them. Not right now. She was thinking about her friends. People who genuinely cared about her well being, laughed and joked together… Karz, she just didn’t want this vacation to ever end.

    Was it even a vacation?

    BEHIND THE WHEEL OF A LARGE AUTOMOBILE

    She really didn’t want it to be. If she had it her way, she’d never set foot in Le-Koro ever again. #### that place. She couldn’t stand the sight of that stinking pile of-

    Focus, Tor. Focus on the here and now.

    Focus on your friends.

    Erzu Salvajemono.

    AND YOU MAY FIND YOURSELF IN A BEAUTIFUL HOUSE

    Saeva Sareta.

    WITH A BEAUTIFUL WIFE

    Redhot.

    Focus, Tor.

    Huh. What was she doing again?

    AND YOU MAY ASK YOURSELF

    And then the cue ball hit her directly on the nose.

    “Aaaaaagh!”

    1009665418_sameasiteverwas.thumb.png.71fe33a985b2aea2c34c668441583aab.png

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  • Posted 2021-08-29 04:52:30 UTC
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  • IC:

    "Don't worry, Torana. Our brotherhood will soothe that schnozz."

    -Tyler

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  • Posted 2021-08-29 05:08:46 UTC
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  • IC: 

    "Brotherhood. What he said."

    ...

    "For real, you good?"

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  • Posted 2021-08-29 05:18:38 UTC
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  • IC: Torana - Ta-Koro, Magma Lounge

    LETTING THE DAYS GO BYYYYYYY

    Ow.

    She rubbed the bridge of her nose with one hand, tapping underneath it with a finger on the other and bringing it back in front of her eyes. No blood. Phew.

    Ow. She let out a fairly loud sniffle and righted herself.

    “Yeah, yeah, Brotherhood will soothe blah blah. Heard ya the first time… I’m okay, Erzu. Thanks.”

  • Edited on 2021-08-29 05:19:49 by Perp
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  • Posted 2021-08-29 18:30:57 UTC
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  • IC:

    "Forget peace. Peace sucks. What about violence?"

    "Look," The chair clattered one more time before its occupant rocketed to her feet in an defiance of boredom's inertia. Saeva spun around on the planted foot, a full rotation, and stamped the other lightly upon the floor. "Tor messed up her nose and it wasn't even fighting. Peace is the danger, Red. You're gonna want ice."

    She picked up the glass and planted a finger in it, letting it chill and crackle as she sucked the heat out of it and it began to freeze. Once it was solid enough to have a degree of integrity she twirled her fingers through it, breaking the ice into smaller chunks as it continued to freeze. Withdrawing her finger and flicking off the excess she held the cup out for use on the schnozz in question.

    "Here. Come on, guys, I don't wanna fight E again. Red won't spring back. I gotta do something. Tor, you wanna take a swing?"

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  • Posted 2021-08-29 18:42:21 UTC
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  • IC: Zelvin (Magma Lounge)

    The elderly Toa sat with her hand twirling a half-empty glass of liquor absently in her hands, her eyes appearing to be studying the vortex she was summoning forth as if within there was an answer to a question she had yet to find an answer to. She was sitting off by herself, absently people-watching with stolen glances now and then. On the table before her, an iStone's screen flickered brightly before it went dead, idle long enough to kick into sleep mode. She took no notice of it.

    Zelvin was halfway down the battle that stood next to her on her table. It wasn't for lack of trying that she wasn't particularly drunk yet.

    "Accursed technology" she dared to mutter to herself as she fired up the iStone's screen again. She did actually have something to go over here. She just needed to take a moment to get her bearings. It was high time she found something to put her skills toward, if she hoped to keep them sharp.

    OOC: Zelvin's open at the Magma Lounge

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  • Posted 2021-08-29 19:19:22 UTC
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  • IC: Torana - Ta-Koro, Magma Lounge

    Tor gratefully accepted the chilled glass, and relief rushed through her as she began to ice her schnozz. It also had the secondary effect of helping to hide the colour of her flushed cheeks, but any sheepishness soon dissipated as Saeva let loose her proposition, putting Tor, well…

    UNDER PRESSURE

    A beat.

    “Right here?” Her voice rang out uncharacteristically nasal as she pressed the cool glass harder against her face. 

    “Or do you wanna go outside?”

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  • Posted 2021-08-29 19:54:41 UTC
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  • OOC: Agni from Ko-Wahi.

     

    IC: [Agni - Ta-Koro, Guard HQ]

    A puff of dust got kicked up when Agni’s suddenly appeared on the ash paved path outside the Ta-Koro guard main building. The two guard Matoran at the main door instinctively raised their spears, but the Toa of fire raised his hands, palms out. 

    “Relax, it’s just me.” he said with a sigh. The guards exchanged a look, then one of them nodded his head towards the entrance. Agni gave a nod of thanks in return and entered the lobby.

    He quickly made his way through the building and to the upper floors until he stood in the anteroom to the Akiri’s office, once again faced with a duo of Matoran. Another nod to them. In greeting this time. He stepped up between them and cleared his throat.

     

    “Akiri? It’s Agni. Got a minute?”
     

    OOC: @Krayzikk

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  • Posted 2021-08-29 22:11:51 UTC
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  • OOC: just gonna retcon all that jazz about him escaping prison

    IC: Sir Dahkapa (Ta-Koro Guard Prison)

    Despite his pleas, the guards had not allowed him to go free and participate in the liberation of Ko-Koro, his home. They refused to trust a worshipper of Ak'rei'an due to their bigotry and misconceived beliefs in a false, dead god. At the very least, by listening to the guards' conversations he was able to learn that the followers of the Dark Spirit Makuta had been routed, and breathed a sigh of relief. Yet he still felt uneasy, for unclear reasons. A shadow haunted his dreams. Was the victory in Ko-Koro a hollow one? He prayed that was not the case, and that Makuta's servants would not rear their ugly heads again any time soon.

    He was not sure what he was imprisoned for, as there hadn't been any trial. This simply proved to him that these heretics were corrupt. They preached about justice yet allowed their preconceptions to cloud their judgement. Hopefully they would eventually release him, for he had committed no serious crimes. In the meantime, he was content with continuing his life of calm meditation and prayer.

    OOC: open for interaction in the prison i guess

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  • Posted 2021-08-29 23:25:13 UTC
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  • IC:

    "Uhhh, I don't really wanna pay for any property damage. So outside I guess. Guards are easier to duck than angry innkeepers."

    IC:

    "Come on in."

    The Akiri called from inside his office, just beyond the guards. The door was generally kept open during normal hours for this very purpose; skipping the time needed for his guards to check if the person outside was allowed inside saved hours of time in the long run.

    "Close the door on your way in, Agni, please."

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  • Posted 2021-08-30 00:24:56 UTC
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  • IC: [Agni - Ta-Koro, Guard HQ]

    The fire Toa did as he was asked as he stepped past the threshold and into Jaller’s office proper.

    “Apologies for dropping in unannounced like this sir…” he started, sounding a little uncertain. That tangle of emotions was still balled up tight in his chest. Come on, focus!

    He forced himself to stand up straighter. Clear voice, eyes forward. Go.

    “Maybe you’ve already heard, but there is a very large fleet of those sparkly Dasaka types landing in Ga-Wahi as we speak. Saw them myself just earlier today on the way back from the Ko-Wahi border.”

    He hoped that would just come across as regular patrol activity. He didn’t particularly feel like sharing the actual reason for his being there in this particular circumstance.

     

    OOC: @Krayzikk
     

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  • Posted 2021-08-30 00:38:15 UTC
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  • IC:

    "Unannounced is fine," The Akiri said waving the idea of an inconvenience away with his hand. "If I couldn't be interrupted someone out there would have said so. They're the taskmasters that remind me about the dull things that need doing."

    He flashed a grin at one of his longtime subordinates but he could tell there was something else behind his demeanor, too. Something different from the norm. Nothing so serious as to push about it yet. Agni's business was his own and he'd earned that privacy after so many years of service. And he'd earned the trust that if it was affecting his work he'd say so. His report was of more immediate concern for certain, either way.

    "A fleet?" Jaller rocked back in his chair, tapping his fingers on the arm of it quickly and deliberately. "That could get complicated pretty quickly. Alright. Any idea how many? Best guess?"

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  • Posted 2021-08-30 05:33:15 UTC
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  • IC:

    By all accounts, urbanization had hit Jolek like a kick straight to the jaw. He'd spent the grand majority of his life— the one he remembered— in the jungle, where trees grew lawlessly and wherever their seeds fell into ground that saw light. Green carpets of foliage, dead or very much living, would break pathways in half and then clear into voids within the span of a single breath. The ground beneath one's feet could be soft and loamy, then hard as stone, then loose suspensions between upturned roots. Inclines were often dangerous, the terrain rising and falling with the flow of the many small streams that fed the emerald canopy. It was a chaotic mess of a landscape, untamed and unfiltered. It was a far cry from the... rigidity, maybe, of a city's regimented structure.

    "Huh... Think I was standing right about there." he murmured, squinting golden eyes and pointing to a vantage point some 45 feet back from the alleyway's mouth.

    For instance, the young Toa of Magnetism, fresh-faced save for a scar along one of his sharp cheekbones, had never seen an alleyway before Ta-Koro. While many had described the myriad avenues as labyrinthine (and not been entirely wrong to do so, there were a lot of them in the sprawl), he couldn't deny that they lacked that same spontaneity of the Le-Wahi thicket. The ground beneath your feet on one was always flat, often paved, and wide enough for at least two-three Toa to stand shoulder to shoulder within. Rarely did they have much of anything to hinder one's movement— objects like waste bins that took up space, perhaps, but never true obstacles like fallen branches, a sudden cliff, foliage so thick you needed a heavy blade to even see two bio ahead of you. He'd never seen corridors that had that much regularity.

    The alleyway in question was anything but regular, however.

    He was walking a similarly regimented, structured, and mind-numbing boring  carefully self-contained path down one of the Koro's main roads, a part of his patrol he'd come to know well in the eight months since he'd joined the Guard Force. Coming up not even three intersections to his right would be one of the city's most beloved ruins— those of the Lavapool Inn. One of Ta-Koro's most storied stops for food and drink, it had become the site of a pivotal siege when the Chaotic Six had struck the city he'd been half-heartedly calling home. More specifically, it had been bombed (another new thing he'd learned, people could reverse-engineer overripe madu fruit), and then been the site of the siege, with two of the Six holed up within the newly-smoking ruins. 

    Jolek had been more or less spending time doing a thoughtless, aimless version of vigilante work back then, so when he'd heard thunder crack and saw no blankets of greyed storm overhead, he had come running into the fray. A small team of similarly-minded people, Samaritans sans Frontieres, had posted themselves up in that same side path. He knew without looking that it would hook to the left in another ten or so feet to look out upon the ruins firsthand— ones he'd watched crumble in real time, searching for a way to draw the two Skakdi out without sacrificing lives.

    "Fat lot of good it did."

    The two had proven too dug-in, even when more arrived to reinforce their glorified alleyway crew. Brown One and Blue One, as he'd taken to calling them, had gotten away with nary a scratch for all their careful measures and calculated risks in that alleyway. The fact alone stung— but what added injury to insult was their method. Green One had appeared out of nowhere just as Korero , he, Elysi, and Zelvin had crept up upon the first two, Korero forcing them out by feeding smoke from the explosion back into the building, and...

    He didn't know how to explain it.

    One moment, a Skakdi. The next... a swarm. Like Locusts, they— he had clouded the area, taking advantage of the confines of the alleyway to fill the air with himself and knocking Korero out before any of them could find their bearings, let alone react. Jolek had been trying to restrain or even fistfight Blue One, but after this...

    Have you ever tried to punch a bunch of bugs?

    Yeah. 

    In the confusion, robbed of two of his strongest senses in sight and hearing, Jolek had fell prey to a similar fate as his Le-Toa compatriot— clocked in the brainstem by the very same Skakdi he'd been locking down. Forced by outside circumstance to lose a fight. It was one thing to have those three slip away from the long arm of justice... but to have been unceremoniously knocked out like that was another thing entirely. He prided himself on knowing his way around a fistfight, better than anyone he'd met— but he knew, deep in his heart, that that ugly, grinning, blue Brakas had counted it a win.

    The frown in his mind had long reached his face. When he'd come to, immediately after reaffirming the safety of his comrades he had wanted to hunt that one down and thrash him like he deserved. No outside assistance, no interference, just man-to-man, strike for strike. He thought signing up for the Guard would sharpen him up. Get him into more fights, close the holes that let such a thing happen in his awareness, give him the experience he needed.

    He walked on, reaching the foreground of the memorial site proper, and turned his gaze back into the opening to the south, the mouth of the corridor that had been his stakeout point. Those buildings were so tall... he'd needed his Pakari to jump high enough to crest their walls on more than one occasion. No chance of repositioning between them easily, they'd all been funneled.

    Trapped on either side by high walls of stone. A thick cloud, taking away his sight of the foe in front of him. Only one path available, because there was only one path made. To tell the truth, the guard was beginning to feel similar to that day. He joined with what he figured to be good intentions, and he figured everyone like him had as well... But the process of it was sapping at that. Walking his same beat path, arrests leading to paperwork, memorizing routines and protocol and warrants and formalities and—

    Angelus these days... He always feels like a caged Muaka. Bogged down, drowning in papers. Sitting in the office, wasting away. He isn't getting out there and busting heads— is that where this whole thing all ends? I write so many reports my job is just "reports forever"?

    "Is any of this growth?"

    He wondered aloud in a low, pondering voice to nobody. A long time ago now, he had made a promise to part ways with his only brother in the world, and experience something. Get out there. Have adventures. Get strong. Overcome limits. To know the deepest things, and know the shallowest things. Learn everything he could of the world he had not yet known.

    Is this what I call that?

    Sure doesn't feel like it.


    Everything he could of the man he was, and the man he'd be. 

    If the passing civilians had heard him, they made no mention, only continuing to mill and shuffle by as one of "Ta-Koro's Finest" continued to stare into the ruin.


    OOC: Open for interaction

  • Edited on 2021-08-30 06:14:05 by Razgriz
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  • Posted 2021-08-30 06:55:56 UTC
    BZPRPG - Ta-Wahi
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  • IC: Zelvin (Ta-Koro) 

    "You look thoughtful" 

    The remark came from a little off to the side. There was a lot that could be said about the way someone who knew this sort of environment could almost magically disappear and reappear in and out of the crowds who sometimes filled the streets. True solitude was a rare luxury. 

    Zelvin was no stranger to it, but she was in the sociable mood, for once, and she she even spotted a familiar face, she decided it was as good a time as any to exercise that long-neglected muscle.

    "Zelvin," she introduced herself, "we've met before" 

    OOC: Hey hey, Jolek

  • Edited on 2021-12-09 11:42:27 by Geardirector
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  • Posted 2021-08-30 07:42:40 UTC
    BZPRPG - Ta-Wahi
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  • IC:

    Old Cy-Toa, a little off to his left. Weathered, experienced, yet somewhat kindly in the voice. She was right, they had met before, come to think of things. Odd coincidence that she'd shown up during the one moment he'd believe in his ability to put her name to her face— maybe the spike in adrenaline had jogged all the dark parts in his brain enough to retain a little.

    But yeah, speak of the devil... What was that nickname, again? Elysi, the smart-mouthed Vo-Toa, had said it a lot. Nearly supplanted her real one in his head. No sign of her around... Well, mercenaries had ways of meeting and parting, so he'd heard. Wouldn't pry into it unless he'd suddenly need to.

    "...Mama Clench, right? Glad you didn't bite it out there."

    He tilted his head forward, nodding up towards the locale of his reminiscence as though pointing with his chin. He was sure she'd recognize it if he could.

    "Mind wanders when you let it. I guess I'm in a nostalgic mood."

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  • Posted 2021-08-30 08:01:01 UTC
    BZPRPG - Ta-Wahi
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  • IC: Zelvin (Ta-Koro) 

    "That's right. Pleased to see I made an impression" she answered, standing with her hands behind her back, holding onto her weapon by its grip as the blade poked out right behind her head.

    She tilted her head ever so slightly to follow where he'd been gesturing with his chin.

    "Feels oddly long ago now, but thank you. I've had quite a bit to do since then."

    Zelvin nodded extra sagely at his last remark. She knew the habit well.

    "Indeed. Only the very youngest of us miss out on that experience" 

  • Edited on 2021-08-30 11:45:50 by Geardirector
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  • Posted 2021-08-30 15:01:06 UTC
    BZPRPG - Ta-Wahi
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  • IC: Torana - Ta-Koro, Magma Lounge

    “Ah, fair point.” She finally removed the glass and gave her nose a cursory massage - still tender but better for her Ta-Toa compatriot’s aid. She retrieved the Yari she’d been using as a pool cue.

    “Lead the way, Hot Stuff.”

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  • Posted 2021-08-30 17:46:48 UTC
    BZPRPG - Ta-Wahi
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  • IC: [Agni - Ta-Koro, Guard HQ]

    “I honestly can’t give one. Too many to count. If I had to hazard a guess...easily enough to empty one of our Koro and then some.”

    “If you haven’t heard, then it must be a very recent development.”

    OOC: @Krayzikk
     

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  • Posted 2021-08-30 18:04:44 UTC
    BZPRPG - Ta-Wahi
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  • IC: Loren - Ta-Koro - Lavapool Inn Memorial

    Major events leave major memories. The attack on the Lavapool hadn't exactly been a wakeup call for Ta-koro. No sudden realization that the world was a dangerous place. Mata Nui had always been dangerous for as long as anyone could remember. It had left a mark though. Some reorganization of the Guard. A certain sense of caution and mourning by the townsfolk. The most physical mark was of course the ruins of the popular establishment. No longer smoking but certainly still ruins. Left as such in respect of the people and memories lost within.

    Loren had made a habit of coming to see the place he and many others had failed to stop the Piraka all those weeks ago. It helped to remind him of what was at stake in his job.When he failed in his Duty it meant good people died and bad people got away. Which meant more good people dead. The thought centered him and drove him forward. Gave him a sense of drive that helped the commander of the RRF to work through the mountains of paperwork his position demanded.

    It also helped him to keep track of certain people. Ta-koro was large and growing larger seemingly every day. Even so, over time it was not hard to pick out regulars. People who visited the memorial on a daily or weekly basis even this long after the tragedy. Loved ones of those who had been lost. Or people like him who felt responsible for allowing the disaster to happen in the first place. More than once the tall De-toa had found himself comforting a grieving father or distraught daughter. Taking care of the aftermath involved more than just picking up the physical rubble.

    Like a young guardsman that Loren remembered seeing at the fight. Or at least had seen in the area at the time and had later heard about what he'd done. Brave kid, skilled too. Going hand to hand with one of those bruisers was no easy feat. Although if what his file said was any indication the kid probably wasn't the best fit when it came to The Guard's ordinary duties. People like that could be valuable members one day if properly cultivated. Maybe now as a good time to give him a pat on the back.

    "The older you get the more you have to be nostalgic about."

    He hadn't been meaning to listen in exactly. As a sonic elemental he was by nature listening in to everyone constantly. It did make for a good party trick when combined with his mask's ability to let him appear out of thin air though.

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  • Posted 2021-08-31 00:57:08 UTC
    BZPRPG - Ta-Wahi
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  • IC:

    A hand fell on his back, and he felt it accompanied by a slight puff of wind as air was shoved free from the space a body now occupied. A moment later, a voice off to his right, opposite Zelvin, and similarly familiar. Only difference was, this one belonged less to an old, former comrade and more to someone who still very much counted as one.

    "Well, I don't have many nostalgic things to work with, in any case. Even for a young guy."

    In fact, the second voice, belonging to a tall Toa of Sonics with a shiny RRF badge somewhere on his person, counted as a superior. Part of that decorum and bureaucracy he had been getting on about earlier. Snapping his gaze free from the ruin, Jolek's eyes met Loren's, and the younger man snapped off a salute a practiced, yet lax salute— the type that spoke to simply taking in the broad strokes of the movement and matching them. 

    "Loren— Sir."

    Saved it.

    He'd fought alongside him at the battle, too. He wasn't a bad guy, had a good heart set in the right place, but Jolek hadn't forgotten how casually he'd spoken with the older Toa on that day, either. It made the shift in tone he had to begin taking... strange to him. While he respected the man's character and actions as much as anyone, he still felt it odd... subordinating to someone he'd met as equals. , he'd fought to save the guy's life, and now he had to pay lip service to his rank?

    He didn't begrudge the man, but the expectations his simple presence carried, those of the context of their positions, were just one of those things.

    "Been another quiet day. Sometimes I think the amount of us that signed up after all that scared everyone off."

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  • Posted 2021-08-31 01:10:06 UTC
    BZPRPG - Ta-Wahi
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  • IC: Loren - Ta-Koro - Lavapool Inn Memorial

    The lax nature of Jolek's response brought a smile to the older man's face. It seemed he had been correct in his estimation of how well the new Guardsman would fit into The Guard's ideas of proper procedure. Not that Loren could blame him for that. He cultivated a somewhat more relaxed air within his own little branch after all. It helped keep men and woman who were always on edge from losing that same edge.

    "I'm off duty. You can call me by name" At least as off duty as he ever got. "One could say that not having such to be nostalgic for is a good thing. Memories of the past are important. What we do here in the present is much more so."

    He turned to face the lean youth more fully. Some conversations required you to be able to see the other person properly.

    "Something is bothering you, Guardsman. What is it? Maybe I can help."

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  • Posted 2021-08-31 02:51:32 UTC
    BZPRPG - Ta-Wahi
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  • IC:

    So was it names, or ranks?

    Just go with his lead, I guess. He said it was fine.

    "I dunno, Loren." he chuffed, offering a slight shrug and a wan smile. "I'm not altogether sure of it myself."

    He turned fully to face the man, taking a quick, cursory glance around the street— still just regular people out and about. To be fair, you'd need to be pretty bold to attack the centerpiece of Ta-Koro with two guards present, and another dozen or so almost guaranteed to be waiting in the wings close by. Lavapool had fallen to an attack once. Nobody here would let it happen twice. The Chaotic Six hadn't had much in the way of copycats.

    He met Loren's eyes again.

    "If anything, it's that. I've started second-guessing a lot of things lately. Never used to before."

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  • Posted 2021-08-31 03:08:01 UTC
    BZPRPG - Ta-Wahi
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  • IC: Loren - Ta-Koro - Lavapool Inn Memorial

    "That can happen when one's life slows down. Things stop moving at a breakneck pace and suddenly you have the chance to think over all your actions. Wonder if you did the right thing in a situation. What might have changed of you had done things a little bit differently. Or if your life is on the right path."

    It didn't seem like the other man was quite floundering but he could definitely do with a push forward. Something to get him unstuck from what was starting to look like a bit of a rut.

    "Sometimes second-guessing ourselves can be the right call. Occasionally it takes time and distance to admit that a mistake was made. Usually it's a sign that something else is wrong. We find a problem and second guess ourselves about how we got there. So tell me. What are you second-guessing yourself about?"

  • Edited on 2021-08-31 03:08:20 by Silvan Haven
    Colors
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  • Posted 2021-08-31 03:12:58 UTC
    BZPRPG - Ta-Wahi
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  • IC:

    "Me."

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  • Posted 2021-08-31 03:17:54 UTC
    BZPRPG - Ta-Wahi
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  • IC: Loren - Ta-Koro - Lavapool Inn Memorial

    An eyebrow raised at that. To say that it was laconic would be an understatement.

    "What about yourself are you having a problem with?"

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  • Posted 2021-08-31 04:00:21 UTC
    BZPRPG - Ta-Wahi
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  • IC:

    Dial it back, you smoothbrain. Don't descend into dramatics. Clarity.

    Clarity!


    "Clarity." he spoke again, brow now furrowed as he held the bridge of his nose, plainly wearing his frustrations on his Pakari. "I'd say it's clarity. I feel like there's a path forward, but I can't see it. I don't know if where I'm at, all this Guard stuff—" he swept his hand in a brief line, its arc following the street in which they stood. "I dunno if it was the one to take, after it's been all quiet like this."

    He stretched his back, pulling lats open wide as his arms crest skyward.

    "Maybe I'm just bored, I dunno. Maybe if I get back on my beat something'll happen and I'll get my shot of adrenaline and it'll all fall to the wayside. Like I said, the Way is clouded."

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  • Posted 2021-08-31 04:16:51 UTC
    BZPRPG - Ta-Wahi
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  • IC: Loren - Ta-Koro - Lavapool Inn Memorial

    Loren was silent for a several moments as he mulled over the younger man's words. They were important and deserved to have thought put into their answer. It was the least he could do for such a driven person. Jolek obviously wasn't happy with the doldrum of regular guard duty. That made sense. He was an energetic young toa that had grown up in an environment that almost required constant action just to survive.

    "It sounds like you aren't fitting in very well with the position of an ordinary patrol officer. It's an important job but what action they see is usually low level or extremely violent and extremely abrupt. It's a position that deserves respect, but..." Another pause as the De-toa rubbed his chin. "If I see an opening for a more active position I'll put your name forward. We all have our place in the Guard but sometimes it takes a bit of searching to find that place."

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  • Posted 2021-08-31 04:27:06 UTC
    BZPRPG - Ta-Wahi
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  • IC: Chiaki - Ta-Wahi - The Charred Forest
    I've been needing a more drastic change of scenery for a while, but it still catches me by surprise.

    I don't notice the increasing lack of color until all that surrounds me is a sea of never-ending grays and blacks, a harsh land whose scars still have not faded.  The grass ceases swishing around my ankles; now, it crunches underfoot and with every whimper of a breeze that passes.  Tall black husks of what once were trees cluster tightly together as if huddling for heat, groping at the sky with brittle fingers.  There is little sound beyond what I make, a tense silence as if the land itself is on edge.  It's easy to be saddened by the sight.

    To me, however, it only confirms what, until now, I've only had a vague idea about.  This is the Charred Forest, which means I'm in Ta-Wahi, which means I've been travelling steadily northeast.  If I keep going the way I have been, sooner or later I should reach Ta-Koro, which is exactly where I want to go.

    I've heard whispers and rumors from Le-Matoran on the border that this place is very easy to get lost in.  To them I ask, are they not Le-Matoran?  Can't they simply climb to the top of a tree and scan the area from up there?  That's what I do now.  Few branches split off of the burned trees, but those that do look strong enough to support my weight.  I hoist myself up until the grays are gone and the horizon is so much clearer.  The jungles behind me, the slopes of the volcano to my left, the coast to my right- I thank Mata Nui that he has allowed us to live in a land with such wondrous sights.  And there, not far from the coast but not too close either, is the telltale orange glow and billowing smoke I'm looking for.

    Ta-Koro.  I'm so close now.

    Feet back on the ground, I change direction slightly and press on.  It's rough going- cracks, boulders, and small drop-offs plague my path- but I'm grateful for the change after dealing with marshes for so long.  I feel better than I have in a long time.

    OOC:
    open for interaction

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  • Posted 2021-08-31 05:11:12 UTC
    BZPRPG - Ta-Wahi
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  • IC:

    "Oh, don't put yourself out, man. I'd feel bad, you got a lot of other things do do."

    It was tempting, he was willing to admit that much. Anything to relieve the monotony— but he understood that anybody labeled "Commander" of anything was probably drowning in papers, incident reports, audits, warrants to issue, all of that. He wasn't sure if it was the bare essentials of etiquette that Arianna Highwind, one disappeared mother of his, had hammered into him or his own sense of self-reliance. He wasn't sure it mattered which, either. The fact of the matter was, he didn't want to get anything by complaining. It didn't sit right, even when it made sense to take the help.

    ...So that was one thing then, huh?

    A small, small start.

    He couldn't, likewise, drop everything that had troubled him onto Loren. It'd be too much for the man to worry about, if he was already this concerned over one guard having a wistful day.

    Well, probably not fair to represent it like that. He did say he was questioning his decision to join against a career guardsman, after all.

    Regardless.

    "I'll figure myself out sooner or later, sir. It's one of those things you can't have other people do for you, you feel?"

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  • Posted 2021-08-31 08:12:13 UTC
    BZPRPG - Ta-Wahi
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  • IC: Zelvin (Ta-Koro)

    Zelvin remained silent for some time, idly following the conversation between Jolek and Loren. Ta-Koro Guard Bureaucratic Minutiae wasn't the most riveting conversation topic in the world, so she didn't bother to interject. One hand had let go of her scythe, instead reaching within her cloak idly to find a grip on the iStone she had been poring over earlier, maybe she should...

    "Officers," she spoke up, "I hate to interrupt, but I was actually going to ask the guard about something. Do you have time to help an old woman out?"

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  • Posted 2021-08-31 16:33:32 UTC
    BZPRPG - Ta-Wahi
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  • IC: Loren - Ta-Koro - Lavapool Inn Memorial

    He was absolutely still going to put Jolek's name forward. Maybe an opening  would pop up in the RRF. The younger man didn't need to know that yet. Best to let this latest distraction take his mind off of things for the time being.

    "Go ahead Ma'am. What seems to be the problem?"

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  • Posted 2021-08-31 16:56:57 UTC
    BZPRPG - Ta-Wahi
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  • IC: Zelvin (Ta-Koro)

    "I'm a bounty hunter, and I'm currently in the middle of tracking one down" Zelvin exposited, holding up her iStone and activating the display.

    "The Sanctum Guard has a number of outstanding warrants for people they suspect of collaborating with the occupiers or otherwise profiteering off of the whole debacle. I'm currently on the lookout for one such fugitive, and my search has lead me here."

    Zelvin looked up to regard Loren and Jolek in turn, "so, I want to know if someone like the good patrol officer here might have seen someone fitting the description I have"

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  • Posted 2021-09-01 01:37:19 UTC
    BZPRPG - Ta-Wahi
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  • IC:

    "I don't remember anyone out of the ordinary so far, but I can keep an eye out." he replied, content that his words had been enough to have things settle on the issue for now. He owed Angel a fair shake, after all— even after eight months of drudgery, he'd signed up to lend a hand to a friend. He couldn't just take a half-measure.

    He'd been trying, even when he should have scoffed at some of the stuff he'd made routine. A man's word only carried as much weight as he provided it, right? That was obvious even to him— trust doesn't come easily given. They both ran on similar ideas, even if Angelus had adjusted far better to the world they now called home than Jolek. That shared upbringing meant shared understandings. You needed to be a reliable person, and you needed to know when others weren't.

    That could be life or death.

    "What are we workin' with?"

  • Tags:
  • Posted 2021-09-01 12:45:03 UTC
    BZPRPG - Ta-Wahi
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  • IC: Zelvin (Ta-Koro)

    "Nothing visual unfortunately, hold on a moment..." Zelvin muttered. She was still not used to the all the features of these fancy gadgets, but she wasn't going to let herself get flummoxed by the mere basics.

    "There's two of them, actually," she began "a pair of Skakdi. One Plantlife and one Fire, they even have a silly name for themselves, the Ash Lads"

    She did not comment on the irony of this remark

    "Distinctive features include: for Plantlife an eyepatch over his left eye, teeth with a bit of a yellow-ish tinge, laser vision, and walking with a slight limp. For fire: Impact vision, missing two fingers on his right hand, and a spine that has had some... work done on it. Perhaps in compensation for something else"

    "They're wanted for taking money to help suppress the Koro during the occupation, and opportunistically helping themselves to people's valuables. They're stuck together tight, you never find one without the other, and they tend to stay away from civilization most of the time. Had you seen them, they would just be here for supplies."

    "I suspect there's a real possibility that they've taken up shelter somewhere in the charred forest."

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  • Posted 2021-09-01 17:00:47 UTC
    BZPRPG - Ta-Wahi
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  • IC: Loren - Ta-Koro - Lavapool Inn Memorial

    A frown crossed over the tall toa's face as he searched his memory. Bounty hunters could be a mixed bag but this one had a solid reputation. She had brought in more than a few criminals who had managed to escape into the broader wahi. If he could help her track down these two he would gladly do so. Unfortunately he was also drawing a blank.

    "Sorry ma'am, nobody fitting those descriptions has come up on the Guard's radar recently. Where are you staying? If there's a sighting while you're in town I'll send you a runner."

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