BZPRPG: Ko-Wahi

IC: Crab 

Crab stood up, ready to fight if nescessary.

OOC This post takes place during the timeskip.
 
Recommended listening:

 
IC
 
“Sparrow.”
 
The word seemed to hang on his lips, sweet and strong and irresistible. Each syllable caressed, soothed, exhorted. As though she stood at the edge of a vast precipice, and he was calling her, his soft, sweet, ravishing voice daring her to leap from safety and plumb the secrets of a darkness older than time, deeper and colder than the shadows between the stars, the shadows that throbbed in time with her heartbeat, which in turn pounded in time with his. His was the metronome to which her universe kept time, spinning and whirling through space in a celestial dance that began and ended in the depths of his eyes.
 
Those eyes – beautiful and wild in equal measure. The danger lurking deep within made them all the more alluring: they promised the world and more, beckoned her to immerse herself and surrender to their dark light. It seemed to her that each golden orb contained galaxies; gazing into them, she felt herself falling, vertigo taking hold as she tumbled into the eternal expanse-
 
Gravity abruptly returned as her skin responded to his touch. His fingers were cold but seemed to set her alight, as though he was branding her with his fingerprints. His lips twisted, and her heart clenched painfully in response, everything within her thirsting for his smile, for his love, to make him happy.
 
His fingerprints burned.
 
She could feel every ridge and whorl, every line and crevice. They were perfect, tracing art in fire upon her flesh. Her breath caught in her throat at the pale beauty of each gentle tattoo. They were her own Marks, forged of spiteful love and terrible beauty, and even as they burned she wished the pain would never end, that she could abandon herself forever to the scars of his love.
 
His perfect teeth gleamed in the darkness; he was smiling. She moaned in agony, desperate and exultant in equal measure as the flames consumed her. Gasping, then choking, her world spun dizzyingly down to a single point that glimmered in his eyes, those precious, horrifying eyes that revelled in her pain. Her body convulsed; her back arched; her lungs ached for air; her very bones were crumbling to ash and his fingers were no longer soft but hard and cruel and digging into her flesh, pulling her apart piece by excruciating piece and finally her throat unlocked long enough for her to scream and he only laughed
 
and he was laughing watching her die this was what she had asked for this was what she deserved and he had died long ago but now he felt alive alive alive
 
and she awoke, gasping, her skin slick with sweat, the old scar throbbing on her cheek. For a moment, she cast her eyes around, looking for Him, for her salvation and damnation, but he was gone. He was dead.
 
Dead.
 
She closed her eyes. Breathed. Pulled cool air through clenched teeth, and felt the fire go out. It was only a dream. The flames were gone, extinguished. Her face was wet with tears. She paid them no heed. Trembling fingers clasped the vial that hung at her throat. It was over.
 
“You're dead,” she whispered. “You can't hurt me anymore.”
 
Breathe in.
 
One truth.
 
Breathe out.
 
One lie.

IC: Xhalia looked up as the other Vortixx towered over her, cracking a tiny smile as she took notice of the signs of displeasure written all over his face.

Normally, she prefered to keep her conversations with guards to a minimum, especially after her time spent in Po-Koro's prison system. This time, however, she found something... amusing in how her presence had annoyed him, and decided to toy with him a bit longer.

"Asking someone their name without introducing yourself first is a bit... rude, don't you think?" she said, maintaining eye-contact as she did so.

IC: Enforcer - Obsidian Outpost 

"What's rude is following people into their own home without asking permission first." I counter. 

IC: Crab

Crab watched, snapping his claws.

IC: "As is leaving someone who just recently found herself at your doorstep, after a rather long and exhausting journey from her home in Le-Wahi, I might add, outside in the middle of a blizzard," Xhalia responded casually. "Or walking right by her without even acknowledging her existence as you make your way back inside this warm and cozy little outpost of yours. If you're not careful, you might start sending out the impression that the guards watching the cable car aren't of the friendlier variety, which may cause you some... issues in the long run."

The bounty hunter's expression changed little as the sound of snapping claws echoed throughout her ears. She knew that keeping a cool head increased her chances of not being attacked dramatically, so she decided to keep her end of the conversation civil, albeit a little playfully.

"And we wouldn't want that," she purred, still keeping her eyes on the Vortixx as she continued to speak. "Would we?"

IC: Crab

Crab raised a metallic eyebrow. He went back to snapping.

IC: Fyura shook her head. "I zink I vill pass. Like I zaid, I've done my vair share of bounty hunting. I have no intention of throwing my life avay for something so... insubstantial. At leazt, not right now."

IC: Zarkov

"Figured as much," Zarkov nodded. "I'm not really after the reward you see, just trying to prove myself to the big bads. Plus I admit I'm a bit bored, I could use something to occupy my time." The skakdi grins.

IC: Insidian

Eventually Insidian decides he will have better luck trying to see if he can get inside the sanctum. The Toa of Earth lowers his hood as he approaches the guards outside the Citadel.

"I seek council with Echelon," he said, his Crimson eyes as dark as his grey armor.

IC: Fyura scratched her chin. "Vair enough, I guess; I zing I vill just try to join ze Legacy wizhout resorting to a vild rahi hunt."

The Skakdi hoisted her axe onto her shoulder and nodded. "I vish you luck! I am zinking that you are going to need it, ah?" She walked away, towards the Citadel. Several other beings seemed to be outside the entrance.

IC; Enforcer - Obsidian Outpost.

"Like you said, there was a blizzard," I counter, "and we were escorting refugees. I apologise that we didn't see you." 

IC Adomai:

As Adomai walked towards the sanctum, he noticed several Skakdi waiting outside, with one resembling a Rahkshi passing right by him. 

He stopped in front of the doors leading to the Sanctum, and began to talk to the guards.

"I am here to see Echelon. If you'll be so kind as to open the door..."

OOC: Comfy music recommended

IC Forger

Hot pot or 'nabe' was the perfect dish in Ko-Wahi. Quick, easy and warm one-pot meals. They were economical and easy to prepare. Most only experienced the dish in Ga-Koro or the coastal towns of Po-Wahi, it was supposedly a foreign dish. No one quite knew it's exact origin. Coastal towns often considered their hot pot more refined than the one the Fe-Toa was about to prepare, theirs being filled with exotic vegetables and seafood. Most of the meat and fish being sliced paper thin and kept raw until it was poached in the broth directly before serving

In their location, fresh seafood was lacking. He had eaten the dish in fine Ga-Koro restaurants and preferred the simpler inland variation anyways. Hot pots were quintessential home cooking, and home cooking, no matter the region, is always some of the best cooking. Comforting, delicious, simple and satisfying. They're dishes that come from the soul and warm the heart

For those that aren't initiated to the pleasures of hot pots, they are essentially one-pot meals where all the ingredients are poached in a broth. After cooking the pot becomes the serving vessel around which everyone gathers and shares. He found it the ultimate way of sharing a meal. Few connections touched closer to the heart than sharing a meal from a single nucleus. It is one thing to sit down at a table together, but another, one more endearing and special, to share from the same plate or pot

Inland hotpots (this particular variant was from his hometown of Ta-Koro) shared a simple and easy formula. Prep the ingredients, make the broth (most hot pot broths were simple ones augmented with sauces or spices. Not meat or vegetable stocks that required hours to prepare), neatly gather the ingredients in the pot, cook and then serve. Pasta or other grains were usually served with the dish. Either on the side in the case of heartier grains, or in the broth itself in the case of more delicate pastas

The particular variant he would be preparing was based on Kane-Ra meat. It was somewhat of a luxury in Ko-Wahi, they thrived on the plains and ranches situated between Ga and Ta-Koro. Luckily, running the cable car meant they had access to foodstuffs more common and less expensive in Ta-Koro. Carrying a load of food for a dozen or so people in the cable car was quite feasible if only one or two went to procure it. He did not use specific measurements, this dish was more an art than a science, though on the occasion he was asked for the recipe (not often) he would write it down like this

Serves six starving skakdi, considerably more toa or matoran

• Handful of cooking fats (meat trimmings, nut, dairy or vegetable based fats)
• 1 kilo of lean Kane-ra meat sliced very thin
• 1-2 medium onions
• 1/2 kilo cabbage, sliced
• 2 leeks, sliced
• 3-5 large mushrooms, chopped
• 1/2 kilo of pressed bean curds, cubed
• 1 pint of grain-based alcohol, NOT WINE
• 1/3 cup of sugar
• 3/4 cup of fermented bean sauce (typically called 'soy' or 'amino' sauce)
• 1/2 cup chopped aromatic herbs or vegetables, this is up to personal taste

1. Heat a 4-5 liter cast iron pot over a moderate flame, add your fats. Render them for a minute or two before adding the sliced meat. Brown each side before moving the meat to one side of the pot

2. Arrange onions, cabbage, leeks, mushrooms, pressed bean curd, (and optionally, freshly prepared noodles) into neat clusters in the pan. Add cooking alcohol, sugar and soy sauce and simmer for 10-15 minutes

3. Add chopped aromatic herbs and/or vegetables on top of everything, cook for 1-2 more minutes. Serve in the pot you cooked it in. If you did not add pasta, prepare another grain or legume to be served on the side

Sounds of cooking filled the small kitchen, separated as it was by a wall from the dining area. Forger was unable to hear the tense situation developing there. He gathered the ingredients, some were dried, others were somewhat fresh. They had last bought supplies approximately a week ago. Before the ill-fated mission to Ko-Koro

His mind drifted, Krayzikk and one of the other fighters, an injured Ta-Toa, had spoken of the assault on the Koro. It had been led by Echelon. He had never met the dark toa, but living on the island through the dark years of Makuta's rule had left him familiar with the name. He knew of few people he'd want to fight least. The obvious solution as a mercenary would be to proffer his services to him

But he could not, he would not. His path had been one that led nowhere but down... Luckily for him, getting yourself soundly defeated was a good method of being shown the error of your ways. If they were going to get involved with Ko-Koro, it would be with whatever forces the other Koro's sent to their aid

Well, if that happened. It had been several days since they left the hospital. He found it odd that no official word had crossed the break. They had ferried Ta-Koro guardsmen or civilians across before with some frequency. The last several days had seen none cross. Only a couple unsavory types. It would be unfortunate if news of Ko-Koro's fate had reached the ears of the seedier denizens of the island before it had reached it's protectors

Ingredients gathered, he created a small knife to prepare them. It was actually a miniaturized version of a sword, seeing as how he could create little else, but who would notice?

Chopping sounds and the occasional curse as he cut or burnt himself due to his fatigue or injuries filled the room. Soon the food was done, he carried the huge steaming pot out to the table, only to see Enforcer, Transient and the crab-like skakdi confronting an unfamiliar Vortixx

"At least the matoran look grateful..."

IC: Crab

Crab turned his head to see food. He was hungry, but he had a feeling that he hadn't earned the groups trust yet. So he stood, watching the newcomer.

IC:

"The Suletu is no direct counter to the Komau, but the ability to know what one's opponent is thinking is not to be discounted." Eisen answered, regarding the Skakdi calmly. "To know what one is thinking, before they act, is to have a advantage over them. The moments it takes for them to make a decision and act are no small span in the heat of a battle, and to know what they have decided the moment they do is to control that time."

"If we control both masks, the realm of the mind belongs to us."

IC: Zarkov

"So what he is saying," Zarkov said appearing in front of the Skakdi Eisen was speaking too. "Is that the Legacy would really love to have this mask, which means it would be in your good interests to join up with the group gathering and help us get it." he smiled at the other Skakdi.

"Where's your since of risk? Adventure? This Toa of Iron is obviously close to the big man himself, why argue with him and not see reason?"

IC: "Fair enough," Xhalia stated. "I'd be willing to excuse the incorrectly percieved rudeness due to that particular technicality on the condition that you do me the same favor and excuse my uninvited entry into your base, as I have not shown any hostility towards you nor your friends and did not come out of the cold to do so. Assuming that my current politeness and non-aggressive tendencies are reason enough to convince you to consider that both of those points can amicably cancel each other out, that leaves us with only our original two requests unanswered. I believe that a name for a name is a fair enough trade, wouldn't you agree?"

As the Vortixx finished her sentence, she caught wiff of the pleasant aroma protruding from the food that the Fe-Toa had previously prepared as he brought it into the room. She turned her head towards the meal, taking in a deep breath via her nose before exhaling quickly.

"That smells... absolutely delightful," she said, feeling her mouth begin to water.

IC: Enforcer - Obsidian Outpost.

I blink in surprise, both at the steady stream of words the female Vortixx just threw at me, and at the fact Forger is cooking a meal. "I didn't know you could cook," I admit, turning to him for a few moments. In hindsight, it does kind of make sense. If he can work a forge, an oven should be no trouble for him. I turn my attention back to the Vortixx. "I'm..." I hesitate momentarily. Should I use my real name, or my alias? I settle on the honest approach, "...Minnorak." 

IC: Crab

Crab said nothing. He was definitely not going to say his real name. That name died when I became this monster. I am only Crab. ONLY Crab.

IC:

Upon finding Vandal, Zero asked him to explain the severity of his injuries. 

"Just a few broken ribs, and maybe a fractured kneecap. Nothing serious..." he vocalized, trying in vain to conceal the discomfort in his voice.

"Here, have a seat." Zero demanded, pulling up a chair from a nearby table. 

Once the Toa had seated himself, Murrae began her work as before. It was a miracle to watch the Fa-Toa's body revitalize and piece itself back together again. 

Zero didn't stay for long, however, and left the doctor to finish her work in peace. 

IC:

"Anybody here to see Echelon specifically will have to wait until the meeting is finished," Karnakie said to the two who had just walked up to the gates. "And I would recommend not being so demanding about it, or acting as though you'll automatically be granted access," he growled after that. He wasn't at all surprised to see such a lack of respect from the rabble that was being drawn to the new Koro. "Otherwise you might find he's very reticent when it comes to counsel, but very forthcoming with punishment."

IC: "If half zhe zings I hear about Echelon are true, I vill gladly vait for my, ah, turn."

IC Adomai:

"I, on the other hand, am slightly less patient. But, seeing as I don't have much choice, I will wait my turn." Adomai turned to the Fe-Skakdi. "So, who might you be?"

OOC:

Waiting. How fun.

IC: Fyura flashed the obviously impatient Fa-Toa a toothy grin. Whether it was friendly or spiteful was up to the person observing. "I am Fyura. No name of var... yet. I 'ave done just about everyzing zyou could zhink of on zhis island, so I zhought I might pledge my arm to zhe Legacy. I 'ave a little voice zhat never shuts up about Makuta, zo I figured I'd appease it. Zeems to be ze best zhing to do currently. I'd like to fight for somevun that deserves my respect."

The Skakdi snorted. "Vell, besides me, ov course."

IC Adomai:

"In that case, Adomai. Toa of Magnetism. Please to make your acquaintance. Of course, voices in one's head tend to mean one isn't quite all there. I trust such is not the case with you."

IC: Xxeth - Ko-koro -

Xxeth stood in the sanctum, doing his best to keep his mouth shut unless he was spoken too. Not the easiest thing for him. 

This Larikon guy seems reasonable enough. Xxeth didn't really care all that much about being religious. The only thing Xxeth relied upon was himself, and the great power that was money. If they all started fighting over religious matters well, Xxeth though that would be rather idiotic. 

IC: "See? Was that so hard?" she said as she looked back over to him. "Xhalia. Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Minnorak."

"You would be serving the cause of Legacy," Dravennica added. "And you would also be doing me a very personal favor."

The Ko-Toa's lips formed a small smile as her brow began to narrow. Khil'rayu would be a perfect addition to her plans.

"A favor that I would be willing to pay back in kind."

IC: Enforcer Minnorak - Obsidian Outpost

A pleasure to make my acquaintance? Xhalia was about to realise that flattery doesn't get anyone very far with me. "What brings you to the outpost?" I ask warily. She'd been following us from The Drifts; had she followed these refugees all the way from Ko-Koro? Perhaps she was one of those who had ransacked the city. If that was the case, she was going to regret coming in here... 

IC: "Well, I usually hunt bounties around Le-Wahi. Unfortunately for me, though, I heard that Le-Koro had recently came under attack by a ravenous swarm of beetles or something, but at this point, they're probably just making stuff up so they don't have to let me inside of the city. Either way, I didn't want to travel there and find out that there actually was a giant swarm of nasty tree-eating beetles, so I decided to go do my thing in Ta-Koro instead."

She paused for a moment, taking in another wiff of the aroma that was slowly filling the room before continuing her tale.

"Again, though, no dice. Besides those six lunatics that recently blew up the Lavapool Inn, which smelled like more of a guard problem if you ask me, the talk of the town seemed to suggest that this part of the island would be ideal for someone in my line of work, with all of those Makuta-worshippers living it up in Ko-Koro and whatnot. So now I'm here, wondering if Ihu-Koro's still standing and what the current asking price of a city-conquering psychopath is."

IC: Enforcer Minnorak - Obsidian Outpost. 

"Ihu-Koro was still standing last I checked," I reply, "and that was only a few hours ago. As for Ko-Koro, I'd steer clear of there..." 

IC: "Believe it or not, that's the first bit of good news I've heard all week," Xhalia said before closing her eyes for a moment. "That means that I can just drop off whoever I can capture there instead of trekking all the way back to Ta-Koro with them, and I'll have a relatively safe place to rest up when I'm not hunting. It also means that I can make my way there as soon as this storm passes, so hopefully you won't have to worry about me sticking around for much longer."

"While we're on the subject of Ko-Koro, though, the plan is not to head inside of the city, but to wait for people to come out."

IC: Enforcer Minnorak - Obsidian Outpost. 

I clear my throat. "That's unlikely..." I say carefully, "...Ihu-Koro is swamped with refugees at present. I doubt they have the resources to house prisoners. And letting a bounty hunter stay there while she goes back and forth from Ko-Koro is only going to bring unwanted attention to the village." 

IC: (Vandal/Obsidian)

Rekhyt came into the main room, his limp gone...it was amazing what a Sanitas could do - he didn't just feel healed, but revitalised too.

Walking up to Forger, he said: "Look, I'm sorry about injuring you. In hindsight, I was being an absolute ####..." Vandal knew that the trails had been necicary, but realised that he had definitely been bending the rules with "don't kill your opponent".

IC: (Mortem/Sanctum)

As me, Dayeth and the Le-toa near our destination, more of Echelon's allies come into view: a female skakdi bonded with a Parakuka and a male toa, probably of iron or magnetism.

"Greetings." I say gravely. "I trust you too are here to seek audience with Echelon?"

IC Adomai:

"In that case, Adomai. Toa of Magnetism. Please to make your acquaintance. Of course, voices in one's head tend to mean one isn't quite all there. I trust such is not the case with you."

IC: Fyura hiked a thumb at Vayde, beneath her external spine. "Vhen I zay zat I have a voice, I mean it."

"Greetings. I trust you too are here to seek audience with Echelon?"

Fyura looked up at the vortixx. For once, she believed Vayde's chiming that he couldn't be trusted; it was impossible to fully trust someone bigger than you, wasn't it? "I am, yes, but I am zhinking zat ve might be here for different reasons."

The Skakdi raised her hand. "Who here iz vanting to here to join zhe Legacy?"

IC (Ko-Koro Citadel guards)

The guards admitted Karnakie, followed by Dayeth, Mortem and Xxeth, into the Sanctum, but continued to silently bar the path of the others who approached. Karnakie had already spoken; they had nothing to add.

IC (Echelon)

One by one, as Larikon spoke, beings began to enter the Sanctum. Only two so far were of the Nightfall, but they were joined by Mortem and Dayeth, two of the Legacy's newest recruits; and Xxeth, a mercenary. It seemed an audience was gathering.

Echelon, for his part, appeared to be listening intently to Larikon's proposal, for his stare never left the Grandmaster's face. He nodded pensively as the other Fa-Toa finished speaking, propping his jaw up with one hand as though deep in thought.

"Tell me, Larikon," he said once silence had reigned for a few moments, "why are you here?"

IC: "Hmmm... You may have a point there," Xhalia said, realising the truth of the situation. "Putting the village in any unnecessary danger probably wouldn't win me any favors, but I should still make the journey to let them know of my activities in the area anyway, even if I do have to find somewhere else to make camp and escort anyone I manage to capture across the Break. I wouldn't want to be arrested because someone mistook me for one of them; I've already spent enough time behind bars for one lifetime."

OOC: Are Brotherhood members allowed to attend the meeting as well?

IC: Crab

All this chit chat was making Crab agitated. He snapped at a faster rate.

IC:

 

"Anybody here to see Echelon specifically will have to wait until the meeting is finished," Karnakie said to the two who had just walked up to the gates. "And I would recommend not being so demanding about it, or acting as though you'll automatically be granted access," he growled after that. He wasn't at all surprised to see such a lack of respect from the rabble that was being drawn to the new Koro. "Otherwise you might find he's very reticent when it comes to counsel, but very forthcoming with punishment."

IC: Insidian

"I will wait," he nodded simply at Karnakie. He wasn't much for using more words then were needed. He glanced at the Fe-Skakdi who was conversing with the Toa of magnetism. He noticed the slug on her back. One of Makuta's great creations.

"I too am pledging myself to the Legacy." He said to the skakdi.

IC Forger

"Look, I'm sorry about injuring you. In hindsight, I was being an absolute ####..."

He seemed more preoccupied with this than I did, like it had been tumbling around inside his head for a while, gnawing at his insecurities

"Have you ever been part of a team before?"

 

IC Adomai:

"In that case, Adomai. Toa of Magnetism. Please to make your acquaintance. Of course, voices in one's head tend to mean one isn't quite all there. I trust such is not the case with you."

 

IC: Fyura hiked a thumb at Vayde, beneath her external spine. "Vhen I zay zat I have a voice, I mean it."

 

"Greetings. I trust you too are here to seek audience with Echelon?"

 

Fyura looked up at the vortixx. For once, she believed Vayde's chiming that he couldn't be trusted; it was impossible to fully trust someone bigger than you, wasn't it? "I am, yes, but I am zhinking zat ve might be here for different reasons."

 

The Skakdi raised her hand. "Who here iz vanting to here to join zhe Legacy?"

 

IC Adomai:

Adomai looked at the Vortixx, believing it to be of a rather odd demeanor and not exactly trustworthy. Turning back to Fyura, he continued.

"I am here looking for training, under the guidance of one of the greatest warriors on Mata Nui, Echelon. The stories told... They are both frightening and oddly intriguing.

IC: (Mortem/Sanctum)

Different reasons? Another of Xxeth's kind, perhaps, or maybe even less endarkened than him. I continue into the inner Sanctum.

IC: (Vandal/Obsidian)

The Fa-Toa considered the question for a few moments, before saying: "Yeah, I used to be part of this little band of...renegades, pariahs, mercs. It started with my toa team - that was, oh, eons ago - the Toa Mahara, that is, led by Silo, me in second in command. We...lost faith in our Great Spirit, and...became outcasts. Us, Vaulta and a few of the others formed a group and some other beings joined us...we were famous or, more accurately, notorious in our lands, the best of the best. Some of us came here in response to Makuta's summons, all that time ago."

He looked away, some memories seemed to have pained him for some rason, although none of them sounded particularly negative.