BZPRPG: Ko-Wahi

[iC: Rannin]"Amalod was a Toa of Water wasn't she?"IC: [The Seventh]"Already have some."

IC: Bruntoa - School Grounds -"Yes, let's ask her...you know where she is?" Bruntoa asked. IC: Wraith - Wraith's Home, Ko-Wahi -"Then we have nothing else to gain from being here, ready to head out?"

IC"Well, the green toa here wants to settle something with ye, and I'm not goin' to stop him." Verak had enough enemies.

[iC: Rannin]"No idea, let's try the village."IC: [The Seventh]"Yep."

IC: Bruntoa - School Grounds -"Good idea." Bruntoa began to walk toward the village, Rannin probably following. "Let's not mention the Takea Sharks till after she fills the holes." IC: Wraith - Wraith's Home, Ko-Wahi -Wraith nodded and opened the door, he held it open until Seven came out. As soon as they were both out in the cold of Ko-koro Wraith shut the door and then froze it over with a thin sheet of ice to keep it from blowing open. Wraith then started walking toward the Ko-koro gates.

"Wait, what happened?" she asks the Toa; only just arriving at the scene. The Toa hadn't heard anything about what had happened.-Mef Man

IC: Velan:"I was scavenging..." Velan explained, "And out of nowhere, these brakas attacked me!"

[iC: Rannin]"An excellent plan."IC: [The Seventh]Seven followed.

"Well, can you get up?" she asks the Toa. It appeared as if the gravity being was holding her down, but maybe she was released now...-Mef Man

IC: Kotok walked around the edges of the koro, glad to be free.OOC: Open for interaction.

IC: Velan:"No..." The bounty hunter said glumly, "You two, Toa of Air and Gravity, you two wouldn't force a girl to chill to death in snow now would you?"

IC (Desilix):The first thing Desilix noticed when he got back was the message written in the sky about the hostages, not the best "Welcome home" the Great Spirit could give him. He was looking at the sign so long, he nearly bumped into Kotok."What happened here?" he said, gesturing to a damaged village nearby.IC (Grata):Grata was getting impatient, and felt the need to break somthing, soon."When will they come?"

IC: Bruntoa - Ko-koro -After a bit of walking the two arrived in the village. "Now...where do you suppose she'd be around here?"IC: Wraith - Ko-Wahi -As the two began to make their journey through the desolate land of ice, the wind started to pick up a bit violently, it was starting snow as well. "A storm is coming...we should probably find shelter..." Wraith started heading toward to where he remember their to be some caves...they could wait the storm out there.

[iC: Rannin]"Always check bars first."IC: [The Seventh]Meanwhile, Seven had collapsed due to a lack of courage. Again.

IC: Suminaxe:"If they're several hours, maybe a day late, then we'll know they have the money. We'll have to check it to see if it's real if they arrive soon," Suminaxe stated.IC: Zanthos:The Toa of Gravity walked around the Academy, looking for the headmaster's office.

Amalod stands up from off of her bed and walks toward the door.I wonder where Nova is. I'd like to talk to him some more...The Toa of Water walks down the room and knocks on (what she guessed was) the door that led to being's room.-Mef Man

IC: NovaNighttimeBedroom, Ice Howl InnKnock, knock."Wha--?"Nova's head emerged from under his bedcovers. Blinking groggily, he looked around himself. Still night. He sighed; why couldn't sleep come easier--?Knock, knock.His heart leapt. "Coming!" he called, pulling the covers away and sliding off the bed. Two long, quick steps brought him to the door. He rubbed his hands together, cleared his throat, and opened the door.Amalod stood there. "Um -- hey, Amalod," said Nova, surprised. "Uh, did you... want anything?"

"Oh, you're asleep; I'm so sorry," Amalod apologizes. "I thought everyone was still awake, so I thought I'd come and talk to you. I'm not ready to sleep yet, I guess."-Mef Man

IC: NovaNighttimeBedroom, Ice Howl Inn"N-no, I wasn't asleep," Nova assured her quickly. "And, uh... I'd be fine with, with talking. I wasn't anywhere near sleep, anyway."

"Oh, good," she replies with a smile. "Would you, um, like for me to come in or would you like to come in my room?" Amalod asks the Toa of Fire.-Mef Man

IC: NovaNighttimeBedroom, Ice Howl Inn"Uh... we can, uh, talk here," said Nova. He shuffled to the side, widening the gap in the doorway. "You can... come in."As she stepped inside, Nova suddenly realized his blankets were still strewn across the mattress. He dashed to his bed and fixed them quickly, then darted to a desk and pulled out a chair. "You can sit on the bed," he said; "it's comfier."

"Okay, thank you," Amalod says as she takes a seat on the bed. "So, Nova, why are you so interested in the mythology of the stars?" she asks suddenly. The Toa of water had noticed that Nova seemed alot more interested in the mythological aspect of the stars than the rest. Maybe he had a reason...-Mef Man

IC: NovaNighttimeBedroom, Ice Howl InnNova shrugged. "It's... interesting?" He wrapped his right hand around his left upper arm as he thought, trying hard not to glance to the ceiling, the floor, anything but Amalod's keen eyes. "I mean -- well -- it's nice to know what they mean to people, I think." He winced at his uncertain tone. "And mythological aspects have always interested me because, um, because... they're the result of imagination, that's it. It draws me like a dream would, you know? So..."He smiled apologetically. "Sorry, I don't normally... verbalize, that's it, my reasons for liking things."

"And great reasons at that," Amalod says with a smile. "And...you don't have to be uncomfortable around me. We're friends," she adds; still smiling.-Mef Man

IC:Rewera nodded and the two made their way back down to Ko-Koro. The damage to the village still fresh and the Matoran busy everywhere, almost nobody noticed the two Toa carrying another dead Matoran through the suddenly rather busy snowed-in streets. Not long after, Ravage and her arrived at the inn Rewera had spotted earlier. The female Toa gently set down the body of the Matoran and asked Ravage to guard it, while she talked to the landlord inside. A few minutes later, she returned."I have explained the situation to the inn-keeper. He is willing to acommodate us, him included," she said, pointing at the body, "but he asked us to come in through the backdoor, to not disturb the other guests."Picking up the body, they rounded the building until they arrived at the rear. The door the matoran had mentioned to her wasn't open yet, so they waited for a few minutes. Rewera used the time to ask: "So Ravage...why do you prefer to move the way you do?" she asked.

IC: NovaNighttimeBedroom, Ice Howl InnNova fidgeted. "'Friends'?" he repeated, as if testing how the word sounded. He looked to the floor, wrapping one thumb over the other, before glancing back up and focusing not on Amalod's eyes but her forehead. "Um... yeah. I guess. Friends," he said, and smiled weakly. "I'm sorry, this is just -- this is how I act. I, well, guess I just need some... some time to, uh, get used to company."

IC: RavageRavage shrugged. It was a gesture not normally seen on him, since he was usually on all fours. "I grew up in the jungle. I had to learn to hunt like the great predators of the jungle, including the Muaka.""I'm used to it. It's more comfortable to me, even though it made me even more of an oddity once I joined the world."

"Then, let's get to know each other," she says; while wiping her forehead. What was he staring at?"Have a seat right here," the Toa of water suggests; patting the empty space beside her on the bed.-Mef Man

IC: NovaNighttimeBedroom, Ice Howl InnNova hesitated on the precipice of his chair, his eyes flickering rapidly between surprise and indecision, and his gaze roving across the room before landing on the part of the bed Amalod indicated. His expression looked faintly ill now, but he nevertheless stood and, with stiff movements, sat on the bed beside the Toa of Water.He exhaled silently, his eyes' light tremulous. He glanced to Amalod and back down at his own lap. "Um. So... how does this work? Do we just ask each other questions?"OOC: Did Amalod close the door behind her or no?

OOC: Yes, she closeed it. Forgot to mention that, sorry.

Amalod giggles slightly. "Whatever you want to talk about is fine with me," she replies. "How about Ko-Wahi. Do you like the snow?"-Mef Man

IC: NovaNighttimeBedroom, Ice Howl InnNova shrugged. "I'm indifferent. I'm a Toa of Fire; we, uh, aren't fans of the cold." He tried again to look Amalod in the eye but failed; her beaming face was like a spotlight in the dark. "Do you like the snow?"

"It's okay, but you should see Ga-Koro," she says; face lighting up even more. "That's where I first landed on this island. The beaches are beautiful, the water is so nice, and the temperature is beautiful. I...hate that I had to leave," she says, eyes drifting down to the floor. Quickly, the Toa looks back up toward Nova and adds,"But, I wouldn't had been able to meet you or the others if I hadn't left."-Mef Man

IC: NovaNighttimeBedroom, Ice Howl InnNova nodded. Unsure whether he should express happiness or commiseration, he opted instead to ask another question and thought for several seconds in awkward silence."So... What do you -- uh -- think of the rest of the group? I mean like in... in overall qualities. Like, how much you enjoy being around them, I guess..."

"I think Sucugo is a bit...scary," she admits, her face turning into a more solemn look. "But, I think I can get him to like me with time. As for the rest, I find Esao attractive, funny, and smart. Krayzikk is a funny, handsome being. Riversong is adorable and so cute! And, you are nice, smart, and you also have very good looks," Amalod adds with a smile; trying to compliment the Toa of Fire and help him feel more comfortable.That may not make him feel good, actually...-Mef Man

IC: (Uar)"So, do you know anyone who has any idea about where Havon may be?" Uar asked Dekuna.

IC: NovaNighttimeBedroom, Ice Howl Inn"Um."Nova's right-hand fingers drummed upon his thigh at an alarming rate. He would probably bruise in the morning. He wasn't thinking about that, though, only the heat that rapidly intensified beneath his Kanohi Kakama."Uh... thanks? And, uh -- you're nice, too -- like, you act nice -- not to say you don't look good, though -- I mean, uh..."He couldn't look at Amalod now; his stomach felt like it was churning. He made an effort to appear nonchalant about it, but now he couldn't turn to see Amalod's face, only look so far as her hands where they lay upon the bed."Sorry," he finally said.OOC: I'm leaving for math class. I'll be back in about four hours.

"Thank you," Amalod says with a smile. Change the subject before he faints."How about that unicorn in the stars? That's a weird constellation."-Mef Man

IC: Bruntoa - Ko-koro -Bruntoa stroked his chin. "Hmm....I don't know...she didn't seem like the drinking type to me...she's probably at an inn..." IC: Wraith - Ko-Wahi -Wraith noticed Seven's collapse immediately, despite how loud the wind was howling all around them, wordless he picked her up and began to carry her toward the cave. If they didn't get out of this storm they'd be in trouble. Wraith used a bit of elemental energy to clear some of snow from his vision, making it a bit easier to see. "Just hold on...we're almost to the cave."

IC: Riversong (attempting to sleep in the Ice Howl inn)She awoke to the faint sound of voices, presumably emanating from another room. Riversong sighed; once she woke, it was usually quite difficult to get back to sleep. Placing the pillow over her head, the Toa of Water closed her eyes, doing her best to rest.

OOC: This post intended to take place before the crazy onslaught in Ko-Koro but, due to my and Nuju’s schedules, had to be delayed until now. A jam session. This post doesn’t mean that Nuju is back yet, but it does mean that I am.IC:Stannis walked alone on the path. His companions were too far ahead to see, having been let loose before he left. It was getting darker; the sun was setting, and the low sun was casting huge, long shadows on the road as sheer cliffs on both sides seemed to grow taller every second. It was cold in the road, but Stannis felt fine, his aura of heat protecting him from the chill.He then noticed another Matoran as he crested a ridge of the path. The Matoran was trudging up the icy mountain as Stannis was going downward. The Matoran bore a bag over one shoulder, which appeared rather full and due to his stance seemed rather heavy. Stannis gave a polite nod to the other Matoran, who returned it. They passed each other. A few seconds later, a ripping noise caught Stannis' attention. The Matoran's heavy-looking satchel had split open, and its contents spilled forth. It had merely been filled with various rocks.Stannis had been on alert already, and upon seeing another person going the other way he put himself into even greater vigilance. His tenseness did not subside when the stranger passed him, and Stannis' hand still lingered open-palmed, ready to grasp his pike in a millisecond. But he never twitched a finger or quivered in anxiety and instead simply imagined all the steps he would take to draw a pole arm and defend with it. The sound of ripping caused him to turn quickly but unexcitedly, and while he expected the worst he was surprised with literally nothing special and responded the same. "Need any help there?" he asked."Yes, please," the Matoran replied gratefully. "I have to bring these rocks up the hill a ways. But, since my bag is broken, I can't carry all of them alone. Could you spare a moment, Stannis, and take a few of them?"Stannis froze. He thought for a moment. He did not share his identity to those who did not need it and there was no reason or way for his companions to spread word of him without reason -- and there were no reasons, not even on the road. He then moved, and while still wary of this stranger's movements he still helped. "How do you know my name?" he asked as he picked up a few stones."The same way Nuju did," the Matoran said with a shrug, "And the same way he knew to call you the Wanderer. Thank you." He led Stannis up the path again a ways, until they made it to an icy plateau. The Matoran dropped his armful of rocks, and directed Stannis to do the same. He proceeded to arrange the rocks. "You have discovered much," the Matoran finally said. "Gone farther than any others in your search for the truth. I admire your doggedness. But there is yet more to be found, and still more to be done." The Matoran stood up from where he had been on his knees, arranging the stones. A large blackish one stood in the center of many smaller stones, and a cluster of six rocks stood apart of the others. Seemingly satisfied with this setup, the Matoran stood and dusted the snow off of himself. "The Second Great Prophecy is in your mind, Stannis. Surely you have already realized you are also a part of it.”"I know these things," Stannis said simply. "Right now I believe myself to be at a loss. My bridges have been burned, but roads cut off. The trail has gone cold. Have you come to convince me otherwise?""Not only to convince you otherwise," the Matoran said, looking out at the white landscape before him. "But also to give you the next clue, and moreover, to tell you that the trail is far longer and far more dangerous than you had anticipated." He looked back at Stannis, his eyes unreadable as they scanned the Matoran of Plasma. "I need to know that you are still willing to follow this path, the path of the Second Great Prophecy.""It is my destiny to serve this prophecy, stranger. I refuse to see it any other way.""I am glad to hear you say it," the Matoran nodded, a slight smile breaking his face. "Now, I am here to tell you that you are not alone in serving this prophecy, friend. There are others. Five others, in fact, whose names are also written into the wall of destiny. It is your part to be their leader.""Curiosity demands that I ask who they are, but I feel it is even more important that I know who you are. The other luminaries I've met were people I knew, but you are not. What is your name?""Does it make any difference what I am named?" the Matoran asked. "What matters is what I do. Trust me on what I do, not on what others call me. I can, however, give you the names of the others, because you must gather them. I have told them all to await the Wanderer.""And they are?" Stannis pressed."Sulov, Reordin, Lepidran, Oreius, and Aurax," the Matoran answered. "Two are only a short walk away. The rest are scattered across the island, and it is your task to find them.""I know the close two. The rest, I do not," Stannis said. "Where can I find them?"The Matoran chuckled. "I don't know, actually" he said. "Unless they've stayed exactly where they were when I last spoke to them. But they shouldn't be too difficult to locate." The Matoran paced slowly around the little pile of six stones he had set up. "Now, Stannis, I would like to have an exchange of trusts, if you would be open to it. I need to know the exact words of the Second Great Prophecy, for they have long since fled my memory; in return, I will answer any questions you may have, to the best of my abilities."Stannis thought, regurgitating the memory of the prophecy."At the darkest hour,In unrivaled power,The greatest foe will stand.His servants grim,They flock to him,Shadows grip the land.Yet hope has remained,As goodness ordained,A light must spread anon.New heroes unite,The darkness will bite,Still the truth will awake at dawn.Tests they must face,Dark foes give chase,All places the heroes shall look.Enduring their strife,Mortality’s knife,The heroes will find what he took.The Wanderer’s tread,Leads to what lies ahead,A place of shades and deceptions.To seek hidden lines,And follow the signs,Will make them the only exceptions.At the darkest hour,In unrivaled power,The greatest foe has stood.United as one,The foe is undone,His malice defeated by good.""That is the Second Prophecy," Stannis said, finished.The Matoran closed his eyes and inhaled deeply as he listened to the recitation of the prophecy. "Thank you, Stannis," he said. "As I'm sure you've been told, Prophecies only remain in the mind when they are spoken aloud. Now the verses will stay with me again. But, in future, I'd urge you not to offer up your end of the bargain first," he chided. "I could very well have been Makuta in disguise. Luckily, I am not.""I know you are not," Stannis said. "If you were, my companions would be dead. But there they are," he pointed down into the valley the pass spilled out into and the small dots that lingered there."I would not be so confident," the Matoran advised. "If Makuta wished them dead, they would be dead. We all stay alive either because he does not notice us, does not believe us a threat, or because he believes he can use us." The Matoran shuddered a little; whether it was due to the icy wind whistling across the plateau or something else was unclear. But, now I uphold my end of the bargain. Ask away, Stannis. I'm sure there's something you want to know, or you wouldn't have given me the Prophecy.""What is Kapura's riddle?" Stannis asked, calmly but quickly."If only I knew," the Matoran replied sadly. "I honestly do not... Each clue was entrusted to only one of the Chronicler's former company, and to them alone. The clues were so divided for the safety of what they lead to.""Then tell me what you can of Takua. Where is the other Wanderer?""Takua was the Chronicler. You are the Wanderer," the Matoran corrected, before tapping his finger against his face pensively. "Takua, Takua... He went into Makuta's lair with the Toa... It’s believed that he emerged again alive, and escaped with the rest of his Company. I would assume that the Great Spirit had conveyed to him the Second Great Prophecy in those moments, as he ran through the jungle, because as soon as the Chronicler's Company were out of harm's way, Takua instructed Hafu to chisel odd markings, which Hafu did not understand, down onto a shale tablet. We of course know now that these markings were the written form of the Bird Speech, and that they were the words of the Second Great Prophecy. But after the Company scattered, Takua's whereabouts, if he is even still alive, remain unknown.""You tell me nothing I did not already know or suspect," Stannis said, appearing unimpressed. He was beginning to think that this man was not as well versed as he had hoped, though he finally thought of a good enough question to ask again as a final resort. "In a recent battle, a toa was seen fighting in the name of the Makuta. Black, shadowy, powerful. Tell me what you can of him and the Makuta's other minions."The Matoran gave Stannis a grim smile. "You are beginning to ask the right questions. The dark Toa of whom you speak is named Heuani. He is Makuta's fingers... Heuani was not always as he now is, for Makuta took him and changed him; Heuani gave himself to the transformation, though what he is receiving - or believes he is receiving - in return is unknown."The Matoran flexed his shoulders, stretching them. "He will be the one trying to stop you and your company. Heuani is deceptive and seductive, and stronger than any Toa since the fall of the first six. Avoid him at all costs, and if he finds you, you must flee. The other servants," The Matoran went on, "Are either thoughtless without their master's orders, or follow darkness without purpose. Though dangerous, they can be overcome with enough caution. I do not believe that Makuta has created himself another lieutenant of Heuani's stature, because he is loathe to share power.""And what other hardships can I expect to come into the path of destiny?" Stannis asked further."If I knew the answer to that question," the Matoran sighed, "Then these things would be too easy." He laughed a little. "There shall doubtless be many trials of mind and body, which only loom as hazy shades in this moment. But I can say with certainty that, if all goes as the Great Spirit hopes, the final destination of your path is the lair of Makuta himself.""I can only hope that when that glorious moment does come and I descend into the dark one's lair with the others that I am more prepared than The Toa were when they went down," Stannis said with a tingle of apprehension and dread. Not dread at going down there -- he wanted to do that more than anything -- but dread that he may be as useless, as futile as his predecessors. After all, they were prophesied ones, too."The Toa were destined to be our heroes," the Matoran said. "We all expected them to be. They could have defeated Makuta. But destiny played them a dark trick, and they fell instead. We can only cling to the desperate hope that destiny will not be so cruel twice. The Toa were the heroes we expected; with luck, you will be the heroes we needed.""Then we should also try to be the heroes Mata Nui deserves, too," Stannis added.The Matoran nodded. "I hope I have answered your questions satisfactorily, Stannis... I told you everything I could. You may ask me one more question, but then I must be gone. The longer I stay here, the more danger we are both in.""I don't think I have to ask any more questions," Stannis declared, a fire burning deeply in his soul once more. His eyes beamed with grey light as his hope sparked again and re realized he had a purpose once more and a path to go on. "Now is the time to act and move. I am the Wanderer, after all, not the Wonderer." He paused to reflect on that statement. "That was Takua's job. It's my job to forge ahead on new ground. Answers will come when valid questions are made.""How sage," the Matoran smiled with a slight air of amusement. "Very well. Find the other five, they will follow you. When you have all come together, you must take them to the Charred Forest. I will reconvene with you there, when I am able. Good luck, Wanderer. It is time that your company was formed."With a little wave, the Matoran kept walking up the mountain, leaving Stannis alone. He was lost from view quickly; the stones Stannis had helped him carry were all blown over by a gust of clear, icy wind.