BZPRPG: Ko-Wahi

IC: Darien - Ko-Koro Game Hall -

"Well okay then." Darien said to his sister and Lekori. "Though you're gonna have to remind me how to play, it's been so long I've forgotten the rules." He said with a sheepish smile.

Ic: "If you want to," Ambages replied to Kethrye; the toa nodded and the architect made a facial gesture -- "So be it. Wait just a moment," he said as he walked away and into his office.

He returned a moment later with a cylinder. The manservant cleared the coffee table in preparation for the sheet of schematics just in time for the container to be emptied of its contents. Ambages set the canister aside and rolled the sheet open, revealing the plan for the bettered village walls in great detail, but to Kethrye's chagrin there were no signs of explosives or odd blocks in the wall's design. On another sheet that spilled out was the former ILS leader's signature indicating his consent of the project and the date on the blueprints was a few days after the one on the contract. Picking up that a few discerning eyes had seen the dates, he said, "I gave the Pala-Koro project priority because of the village's vulnerable position in the war, so I started work on the blueprints as soon as I returned from the visit."

IC- Verak - Ambages' apartment

Verak returned the icy glare of both Matoro and the manservant with a smile as they passed, and continued to follow the party, gazing with interest at Ambages' luxurious home. A little too stifling for his tastes, but more spartan than most rich guys.

He also had to respect a man who with a butler strong enough to leave a mark on his arm. Verak rubbed the spot, where the matoran's firm grip had left red marks even through his armor.

Suddenly Verak winced, the wound in his side acting up. He put out a hand, leaning on the wall as his face contorted in pain. He waved away a concerned guard as the pain faded and the wound's sensation returned to a dull ache.

Verak pulled out his hand carved staff he had stored during the Kane-Ra ride to the village and leaned on that for a couple minutes, limping around the apartment as the ILF members discussed things and the pain died down. Ambages' servant watched him closely, preventing Verak from trying anything too rash.

The second the servant looked away, Verak reached out to poke a very expensive vase, and was only stopped when he heard Pala-Koro's wall plans get tossed onto the table.

He quickly walked over, leaning on his hand carved cane and stared over Kethrye's shoulder at the map. His eyes danced over the familiar fortifications, beams, and huts where he had gained his wound. Good memories.

He recalled that when he was fighting there, with that Skakdi (the servant, wasn't she called?) he had assumed the walls were blown up by the Makuta followers, and, if the plans were accurate, it seemed his hypothesis had been right.

Of course, if Ambages did have plans with explosives, they certainly wouldn't be on the table right then. They would be hidden somewhere else- these were likely his fake plans, designed to trick naive fools like these lLF members.

Verak shrugged and went back to circling the room, still eyeing that vase and wondering what sort of items could be hidden in there.

IC: Kethrye (Ambages abode.) -

Kethrye's only reaction to the blue prints lied out before him was was a hmmpf and narrowing eyes. Try as he might, he could not detect any sign of the sabotage they had theorized about since the fall of Pala-Koro.

"And what about this employee of yours?" he said, shifting the line of interrogation elsewhere. "The work team leader? Can you tell us anything about him?"

Ic: "Him? Yes, his name was Trigar and he was one of the more senior foremen from Onu-Koro. That's all I remember from the top of my head. Ummm, his dossier should be in this project's folder," he said. "I'll be right back." He quickly stepped back into his office and a brief shuffling noise could be heard before he returned holding an open brown folder. He flashed a drawing of the foreman's face to the group as if to ask, Is this him? and the few who knew of the foreman's visage nodded.

"... Trigar was a skilled organizer and determined manager who didn't stop for anything. hmm He rose to prominence as an owner of a rather productive shaft of ore and finally sold it to start a contracting business. ... hum hum dee dum... He eventually became a partner with me and built a few projects, including the Lotus Aqueduct and the sand fountain in Casterly Rock-- Kethrye, basically this was an honest man who was simply doing his job in leading the re-fortification of Pala-Koro." His brows rose thoughfully as he had a thought. "I've only heard rumours about the battle that destroyed your village. Please tell me what happened as you saw it."

A terse moment of silence followed; Ambages could feel the distrust in the air. Finally, he clarified, "Look, I am truly sorry for the tragedy that happened to you and your team, and I do feel a great degree of stress about the entire affair. If there was a betrayal somewhere in this project, I want to help you find the ones responsible and deal with it with equal severity. I offered to the Island Liberation Squad my generosity and help and somehow... somehow things went wrong. I want to know what happened because I feel some responsibility for the destruction and I could be of greater assistance if I were to have more information about the event. So please."

OOC: I have been told that my character, Felek, cannot exist. So I'm fixing the problem.IC: FelekBrought to a strange pool of a glowing silver liquid in a dark cave by the Ta-Matoran, Felek finally realized he had made a grave mistake. The Ta-Matoran, despite his seemingly normal mental state, was indeed a servant of the Makuta."Today," he said, "You will complete your destiny, Matoran... no, Makuta... of Iron."With that, the Matoran grabbed Felek by the arm and tried desperately to throw him into the pool of Emergized Protodermis. The two Matoran wrestled to drive each other away, until finally, Felek got an idea. In a quick motion, Felek switched his Ruru with the infected mask of the Ta-Matoran - and, before he was made into a servant of the Makuta, shoved the Ta-Matoran into the pool.The Matoran emerged transformed - transformed into a Toa of Fire. A Toa of Fire which then proceeded to capture the now infected Felek, and shattered the mask controlled by the Makuta.An ominous moan was heard, as a powerful shadow hand emerged from the broken mask, absorbing the body of the Matoran of Iron.The Toa of Fire narrowly escaped the same fate. After grabbing Felek's Noble Pakari, the toa ran for Ko-Koro.OOC: This toa will be my next character.

I.C. Zenex Magna

The vortixx seemed to be glad for his freedom. His former boss had freed him after he had "borrowed" an expensive energy crystal from his lab. Zenex took a breath of the frosted air. He enjoyed the frozen air. It reminded him of the texture of his own soul.

On his travels, he observed the peculiar transformation of a matoran into a toa of fire. and the death of Felek. It was kind of funny. The big shadow hand eating the little matoran and all. The scrooged mind of Zenex incouraged him to meet the toa of fire.

"Hey, this is a strange place to see a toa of fire." He said to him in a teasing tone.

___________________________________________________________________________

I.C. Vompran (Ambages apartment.)

It was tricky to tell if he was lying or not. He looked nice... And truthful... But things aren't always what they appear. Vompran waited for more information before making any judgments.

OOC: Please ignore my previous post. I have retconned due to its innocuous qualities. It was also simply a poor piece of dramatic writing.

@ Krayzikk: I have some good news. Keep your champion in the snows, if you can.

@Vezok’s Friend: Thanks for being so patient for me to post this. I’ve had a really long and hard couple of months.

IC: Draeverian Joskiir

The funeral was ended. Steaming breath spiraled from Draeverian’s mouth. A mixture of regret and shame trickled down his face. I should have been here. This.... Would have been different. He fought the urge to punish himself more. To exact the game of vengeance not upon an enemy, but upon his own soul. To carve out his heart-light and dash it across the slopes of Mt. Ihu. During the funeral itself, Draeverian had wept loudly as a trio of cenobites gave their requiem for Nuju’s soul. The life of the scholar monk was a double edged blade: it yielded unity of thought, yet promoted a fracturing of duty. Alternating and slipping between each other’s lines, they sang with as much guilt as Joskiir felt now.

You:

Oh shifting snows.

Fractals flush against the moonlight --

Translucent descendants from the Stars;

Drift down to me --

Cure my laden heart;

Release my soul to be at peace.

Draeverian’s gaze, or what would once have constituted for a gaze, looked outwards, his chin jutting forwards to cut the frozen air like the prow of a great ship. He sat on the snow-topped stairwell leading from Ko-suva. Although built for the great toa Kopaka, the ko-suva was nevertheless designed by matoran who had no knowledge of their hero’s stature, forcing Draeverian to remain outside or to bend double through the humble opening. There was an expansive view of the mountain range, as well as the verdant lip of green as the jungle bordered the edge of your sight. He could remember the sights, but now he only had the sounds for comfort. The pillars of solid ice which held up the shrine’s roof groaned in long notes, like the icicles Draeverian had manipulated during his battle with the toa Salamander. Funny. I’ve come full circle. He was able to feel each droning note reverberate through the snow on the stairs, up through his legs, coursing like energetic muscles across his body in a race to the top, pouring out his head with a burst of clarity. For the young toa of sound, it assuaged his grief.

Rivet stood behind him, her body planked against one of the shrine’s archways. A cold piece of protodermic steel, she was lifeless in her physicality. Draeverian left her there on purpose. He didn’t want to talk. Beneath the raw death of Turaga Nuju was a long list of sins, mistakes he could never forgive himself for until they had been washed clean, purged by the paragon he was destined to become.

The top of the list was Rivet.

You know, there’s other ways of conversing with you. Draeverian cringed, body stiffening as he felt the crawling alien presence of another sentience course through his veins. The air slashed his nostrils as she inhaled deeply, enjoying the lavish freedom a body gave. After a moment’s hesitation his lips parted, tongue flickering outwards to probe the extend of its leash.

“You haven’t changed, Drae,” Draeverian said, his voice emotionless, as if beginning a conversation by mentioning the weather. In his mind, a furious struggle was taking place. The silver circles of his sound-world expanded, melting and intersecting with each other like the ripples on a pond. Standing upon the pond of sound were two figures: there was him, the rightful owner of his body, and there was her, the rightful owner of his soul.

He chuckled. Again, not Draeverian. How did you -- Draeverian attempted to grasp control over his tongue, but only the intention floated to the surface of his consciousness, not the action. Another chuckle and the toa of rhetoric batted his half-formed question aside with a decisive victory;

“You said ‘death do you part’, so until you’re dead, we’re hitched.”

Draeverian’s body stood up, stretching to the full limits of his well-toned capacity. Turning around, he went to walk towards his toa-tool, but slipped and fell down the flight of steps, bouncing the short flight down to a precipitous landing, ankles dangling off the mountainside. STOP IT! You’ll get us BOTH killed!

“I’m already dead, remember,” said, gritting her teeth as a memory of sulfur and death filled their shared mind. Draeverian’s body pulled its limbs inwards, like a small beetle scrabbling to right itself. “Being blind sucks.”

Tell me about it. Draeverian’s consciousness was curled up comfortably in his world of ripples. They never touched her, not one. No matter how hard she tried, how long she waited before pouncing, each silver strand would slip through her grasp. She was miserable. Draeverian felt the hot rush of shame curl around his throat like a garrote, tightening with each failed attempt she enacted. This was too much. He was going to snap.

Go back.

She paused, the snow fluttering to land on her shoulders. The words tasted like acid as she repeated them. “Go back?”

Go back. Draeverian was standing, an arm pointing outwards, pointing towards his sword at the top of the stairs. If you could get into my mind, you can get back into your blade. GO BACK.

“I.. just want to be alive again. What’s so wrong about that?” She was crying, hot tears rolling down Draeverian’s face even as he felt the headache begin to grow. The headache was pounding a vicious drumbeat now, each pulse of life-essence crashing like cymbals between his ears. If you kill me, there will be no hope for you returning to your body. Now, go back!

There was the sensation of being sucked into a vacuum, of his body being bent like hot taffy, melted into a single line as her sentience split from his body. He heard a jangle of metal clattering to the ground. Draeverian coughed. Freedom. Sweet freedom. Tentatively he climbed the steps back to the suva, feeling the harsh bruises that had bloomed across his body. Almost daintily Rivet was collared in her sheath.

I come here to grieve, and you almost kill me.

You came here because you needed an attitude adjustment, brakas.

Draeverian pause a moment, then descended the steps back to the village. He would need to find the Aitua. There was something important he had to do...

A terse moment of silence followed; Ambages could feel the distrust in the air. Finally, he clarified, "Look, I am truly sorry for the tragedy that happened to you and your team, and I do feel a great degree of stress about the entire affair. If there was a betrayal somewhere in this project, I want to help you find the ones responsible and deal with it with equal severity. I offered to the Island Liberation Squad my generosity and help and somehow... somehow things went wrong. I want to know what happened because I feel some responsibility for the destruction and I could be of greater assistance if I were to have more information about the event. So please."

IC: Kethrye -

"An honest man he well might have been," Kethrye shrugged, leaning over Ambages's shoulder to peer down at the dossier. "But the man who killed him was not."

He paused a moment before continuing his tale. "On the night of our first real confrontation with the followers of Makutu, one of your men turned on the others, murderer his foreman and attacking members of the ILF before breaking into our HQ, an event which came immediately prior to the village walls exploding from within, which is a fact I can attest to personally. In the conflict's aftermath, several of our allies succeeded in capturing the traitor and wringing a confession about who he was and who he was working for.

"He claimed to be part of a conspiracy of beings called "the Peers", and we expect you of being one of them."

Ic: "'The Peers?'" Ambages asked incredulously. "My, it must be a disappointment to your will that I say I'm not one of those, er, 'peers.' Besides, I'm a creative man -- the groups I'm a member in have more interesting names than that!" he joked.

"But it's interesting that you say this was an inside job. I believe you but I wonder how... Ah,, hm, it must have been a regular worker," he concluded after a moment of thought. "The foreman was my only employee. The other workers were people he found and had in his own employ. One, or maybe even some, of those people he hired must have been the villain. I'm stricken by the fact that a mere bad apple or two could have erased s much hard work, both on your side and mine," he mused.

IC: LoJak

LoJak hissed in pain from Valria's attack. It had been her first real blow to actually hurt LoJak during their short sparring match, and had confirmed LoJak's assertion that the female Toa could be faster than him. Taking a few moments to recover, he briskly turned to face his opponent again.

"I'm from Onu-Koro and I was raised by a Turaga of Plasma. What about you?"

LoJak laughed, but quickly regretted the action. Valria's attack had packed more of a punch than LoJak had realized.

"A purple Toa from the village of Earth and raised by a Turaga of Plasma? I'm sure growing up must have been interesting, wasn't it? As for me, a little more boring. Just a regular Ta-Matoran from Ta-Koro. Most of my family was killed by one of Makuta's raids, so I generally raised myself. You should count yourself lucky for that Turaga."

LoJak took another look at Valria. She was sweating and breathing heavily, obviously exhausted. And yet still she forced herself to fight on, to train and prepare herself for the future. LoJak thought the quality rather fresh, and attractive as well.

It's rare to find a quality like that among Toa nowadays. Most just give up when they come up to a challenge, forgetting the Toa Code. But Toa are mean't to face every problem until they solve it, overcome any obstacle they may face. And it looks like at least one of the Toa here are what they're supposed to be.

LoJak readied himself to attack again. He dug his heels into the ground and leaned forward. Without moving he materialised a fireball that instantly began flying towards Valria. He ran behind it, hoping the sudden elemental attack would startle Valria and hide him from direct vision. It would disappear just before it reached Valria, at which point LoJak would appear and wrestle her to the ground.

OOC: Just so you know, Zenex would be a little hesitant to give Rya his real name because he is guilty of some crimes in the area. He would most likely have given him a false name.

We'll just say Zenex gave him his real name because Rya isn't from around here.

I.C. Zenex Magna

"Oh yes, of course... It's right this way. Past this snow drift..." They passed the snow drift... "Ok... It was THAT snowdrift." Sure enough, as they walked, the village of snow was within eyeshot.

"So what do you plan on trading your ruru for? Some sort of weapon perhaps? Or maybe some snowshoes."

OOC: Echelon, Utu and Vidar from Onu-Wahi

Timeskip because I can't be bothered to post yet another long, boring journey through Ko-Wahi

IC (Echelon)

The Necromancer stood in the central chamber of his glacial abode with his two companions. Utu stood motionless, statue-like; Vidar leaned against the wall nearby.

"So," Echelon said. "Which is it to be, Vidar? Do you wish to come with me, or shall we part ways?"

IC: (Valria)

 

IC: LoJak

Still keeping Valria trapped, LoJak saw her move her eyes and look at the scars on his left arm. Normally he disliked people staring, but for some reason he didn't mind now. Perhaps it was because of his recent inspiration to become the Toa he was mean't to be, or maybe it was because of the person staring.

"Well I guess we...um shouldn't overextend ourselves."

Moments passed by.

"Ohh, yes of course not. We wouldn't want that" he said quickly, hurrying to get off Valria and stand straight. He reached down his hand to offer to help her up.

"You're definitely a fighter, if in need of a little practice. If you'd like we can have some more sparring matches during our stay in Ko-Koro, there's still a bit you can learn. I know some great places where we can train, absolutely amazing views of the mountains."

OOC: Vidar from Onu-Wahi...

IC: Vidar – Ko-Wahi – Echelon’s Lair

Vidar was not at all pleased to hear of the leak – and yes, it was a leak of information. Even though Vidar still admired the Dark Toa’s wisdom, such an act could have gotten him killed.

But the fact that it didn’t, led Vidar to believe that the Makuta perhaps wanted this, in order to get a food into this mysterious group.

While Mata Nui was often said to work in mysterious ways, few would admit that Makuta could work similarly, and why not? They are brothers, after all.

“So. Which is it to be, Vidar?” The Rankshi-armored Toa heard Echelon ask while they stood in the necromancer’s lair, “Do you wish to come with me, or shall we part ways?”

Vidar thought for a moment, and as he ran his thoughts through his mind, he couldn’t help but grimace as he felt his silent but ever-present slug-like companion feed him its own opinion.

Go with them. We must learn about these “Peers”, the voice hissed.

Vidar obeyed his Parakuka and nodded.

“I shall come with you on your travels,” Vidar said, “Our- I mean- my curiosity… is piqued”

OOC: Feel free to do minor, non-combative bunnying this time, if you need to and if I’m not able to post. I have many other characters, both canon and personal, to attend to.

Ic: "'The Peers?'" Ambages asked incredulously. "My, it must be a disappointment to your will that I say I'm not one of those, er, 'peers.' Besides, I'm a creative man -- the groups I'm a member in have more interesting names than that!" he joked. "But it's interesting that you say this was an inside job. I believe you but I wonder how... Ah,, hm, it must have been a regular worker," he concluded after a moment of thought. "The foreman was my only employee. The other workers were people he found and had in his own employ. One, or maybe even some, of those people he hired must have been the villain. I'm stricken by the fact that a mere bad apple or two could have erased s much hard work, both on your side and mine," he mused.

IC:

For someone just accused of being an evil mastermind he's taking it awfully well, Kethrye thought, eyes trained on the architect's kanohi. There is such a thing as being too good at deception, Ambages.

Not that we have much evidence of your deception, though. No one's going to arrest anyone on my feminine intuition, now are they?

"Then mayhaps you should choose foremen with better judges of character then this Trigar fellow did," Kethrye returned. "Considering subterfuge on this scale would require the entire rest of the workforce it from him, wouldn't it? Either the foremen was not the saint you make him out to be or there's more to this story then it seems."

He shrugged again. "Regardless, I hope you wouldn't mind if we poke around your property, just to make sure. An honest man has nothing to hide and so on."

IC: (Valria)

I took LoJak's hand and got back to my feet, although what was supposed to be a light sparring match turned out to a lot more tiring to me. My breathing wasn't as heavy as before, but I was still exhausted. I wobbled a bit back and forth, having difficulty maintaining my balance. As I heard LoJak talk about more training a tired smile crossed my face.

"I would love to train more, when we have the time of course." I smirked weakly, my knees felt like buckling, my whole body was against the very concept of standing up, let alone trying to maintain conversation. Maybe when we got some rest in Ko-Wahi we could talk more. He had been nice, and he definitely helped the group with keeping warm. He also had agreed to train me and didn't really hold back too much. He didn't baby me like so many others had. So far this group itself had been a welcome break to the life I was previously living. Giving up, I finally sat back down, trying to get some rest before we had to journey once again through the snow. I turned my head back to LoJak for a second.

"Thank you." I said, before turning back to the fire, still wearing that tired smile.

Ic: Now this was an eventuality Ambages had successfully anticipated and he mentally gave himself a quick applause. "It's completely possible this man wasn't working alone, but I can't help much in that regard, honestly. If what happened was a bad hire who somehow weaseled himself into position to, I don't know, put explosives in the building supplies, then there was something more to it all. But if there's a conspiracy, I think it would lead more to the Makuta followers than anyone. After all, from what I've heard, the walls blew up when the dark one Echelon and his army attacked. Seems too coincidental if you ask me," he said. But there was no warmth from the guests in his living room. He gently set the papers on the table atop the schematics and sighed.

"I can't help but feel you don't trust me, Kethrye," he said. "That's understandable, I suppose. Pala-Koro's defenses, that I designed, failed you at a very inopportune moment in a spectacular manner, but I don't agree with how you are going about this... Well, this witch hunt of yours. You're looking for blame in all the places you can point your finger in, but that's not smart or proper," the architect said. He spoke affably, though his words carried weight and held a hint of disdain. It seemed almost as if he was giving Kethrye advice, almost scolding him in an as subtle manner possible, though Kethrye and Matoro were both intelligent men and caught the hidden sense of betrayal in Ambages' speech.

"You say this 'Peer' of yours was captured by people allied with you. And somehow you took whatever this man said and drew a hypothetical line to me? Frankly, I'm appalled you were so rash to jump on me based on a-- a-- an unfounded hunch." Ambages knew who the only man they could have captured was: The scholar. He also knew what his former pal would have said, and none of it could have been linked to himself or the other Peers. That was their creed -- no names, no identities, only a whisper in the wind and a promise for coming destruction. Though it may have seemed, dear reader, a guess on Ambages part, his talk was quite well versed. "You come in my house with other toa like I'm a dangerous man, with guards as if I am an outlaw, and you seem to have tossed aside my willingness to help you sort this matter in favor of some guess you made, apparently erected from second-hand words.

Ambages seemed exhausted from the display of dignified protest and leg his chin collapse to his chest and breathed deeply, then raised his eyes back to Kethrye and Matoro. "But... you're right about your last point, and I am an honest man. If I must prove my innocence by letting your little posse search my abode, then so b,e it. I'll give you warning that you will find nothing here that proves your doubts, though."

I.C. Vompran -Ambages home-

Who couldn't help second guessing themselves in an investigation? He figured Kethrye wouldn't he was usually pretty hard-headed in what he did. No doubt he would still be suspicious. Still... Something wasn't right. Still trying to figure out what...

Vompran warily looked at Verak. There is no way I am letting him look through a rich man's things without an eye watching his every move. He thought.

I.C. Zenex Magna -Just outside of Ko-Koro-

"Axes are pretty useful. I use one myself. It's a light-weight version. The only trouble with them is the inability to block attacks. They are far too bulky, but if you're fast like me, you don't have to block. Just get out of the way."

The two entered the village and Zenex nervously tried to ignore the guards. What a curse to have to hide yourself every time you walk by someone you think you know.

Once past the guards, Zenex spoke again. "If you don't mind my asking, who was that matoran outside the village?"

IC (Echelon and The Illusionist)

"I assume you'll be needing me, then," came a voice from nearby. Vidar and Echelon turned their heads quickly to see a Toa leaning against the wall. He was tall, black-and-lime armoured, and bore a menacing-looking fanged mask. In short, he was the spitting image of Echelon. "Unless you think the Ko-Koronans will take kindly to three of Mata Nui's most wanted walking into their village?"

"Illusionist," said Echelon, even as the Toa's form shimmered and changed as he approached them, transforming into a diminutive Turaga. "What excellent timing. Well, since our party is gathered...let us pay Ambages a visit."

***

Several hours later, an inconspicuous group entered Ko-Koro. Disguised as a Vortixx technician team (courtesy of the Illusionist), they walked through the icy streets in the direction of the more luxurious quarter, gathering only a modicum of second glances from the locals. The Ko-Matoran were known for keeping silence and minding their own business; that could be advantageous to those who did not wish to be noticed.

Ambages' house was hard to miss; it even had a sign. Evidently the Architect liked to maintain an air of openness. However, Echelon stopped in his tracks when he saw the beings standing guard outside: even from a distance, he recognised them as members of the ILF. Fortunately, the guards were looking the wrong way and were far enough away not to have their attention drawn by Echelon's raised arm as he stopped his companions.

"Not now," he said quietly.

As the Necromancer turned and led his three fellows back the way they came, a by-now familiar dark presence manifested in Echelon's mind.

There is another way in.

IC: Vidar (disguised as a Vortixx) – Ko-Koro

While Vidar still felt like himself, to the world, they would see a Vortixx equipped with a belt carrying all types of specialized tools, as well as protective clothing. One Vidar’s side was a stone slab with a chisel connected to it via a string.

He continued to follow Echelon until the three stopped several meters from Ambages’ abode.

“Not now,” Echelon said quietly. Vidar nodded. As the disguised Dark Toa turned to the Necromancer, he noticed a look on his face quite similar to the look Ronkshou often had from time to time. Was the Dark One sending him a message?

Regardless, Vidar remained silent. He really had little idea how extensive this illusion was. The Makuta’s illusions could affect all five senses, but the Illusionist was probably just a talented Mahiki user.

That probably went that Vidar should limit his talking. So he waited. He would silently follow Echelon’s lead when he gave the signal.

IC: Matoro -- Ambages' abode

Matoro shifted his feet and remained stoic, despite his reservations from the architect's words. The talebearing merchant class would surely level against Matoro and his leadership now... especially if no evidence was found after invading a citizen's privacy.

IC: Lekori – Ko-Koro Game Hall

“I’m down,” Lekori said, “C’mon, let’s go to this table”

“Well okay then,” Darien said to his sister and Lekori. “Though you're gonna have to remind me how to play, it's been so long I've forgotten the rules.” He said with a sheepish smile.

“Oh it’s… easy…,” Lekori said, haphazardly. In actuality, it really depended on the rules that this game hall was using.

“Do you know what the house rules are for this game hall, Visenya?” Lekori asked.

IC- Verak - Ambages' apartment

IC (Kaiapo)

The Toa of Earth watched from his place by the fire as the two Toa sparred, his green eyes betraying nothing as he carefully followed each movement.

When at last they finished, the ebony-armoured Toa stood to his feet.

"We must move on soon, if we want to reach Ko-Koro before nightfall," he said. "It will get even darker and colder than it is now. Perhaps training was not the best idea, but at least your blood is moving."

He looked out of the cave he had fashioned, at the swirling snow outside.

"You'll need the warmth. Five minutes more, then we must move on."

I.C. Zenex Magna

"Well, Vortixx are an evil species in general. Guards are very suspicious of us from time to time. It makes me uncomfortable, even though I haven't done anything."

Now that was a lie, although no one could tell.

"So, on the subject of a noble species, what do you plan to do with your life? Help defeat Makuta? Save matoran from lesser villains and thugs? Or simply be awesome."

_____________________________

I.C. Vompran Looked about the area. He was mostly concerned about finding something like a hidden passage or compartment. He looked many places. He felt the walls and floors, and telekinetically pulled (very lightly) on various parts of the ceiling via his matatu to search for an attic or passage or something of that sort. He looked under furniture and various places like that.

He still kept an eye on Verak.

IC-Iulius:

"Oh, you're about to move on to Ko-Koro, are you?" Iulius asked of Kaiapo, deactivating the Huna he'd been using, standing closer to the fire. "Why'd it take you so long to get into Ko-Wahi in the first place, though? Too much detouring to check out the nightlife of each Koro?"

IC GennoWhen the others started to search the house, Genno began to look around as well. Pulling open drawers, opening closets, he found nothin of suspicion. "Not that you'd find anything," he thought to himself (or was it Ronin?). "If he did have any evil plans, he'd probably be hiding them somewhere private.IC Sur"Whi's that?" Sur asked, looking up at the toa of sonics that had just popped into their midst. She didn't have much to pack, so she was all ready to go-not that she wanted to. She wasn't looking forward to more trekking through the snow.

OOc I'm referring to Iulius. Also, we have a discussion topic for OOC only postsIC Genno"Still haven't found anything," Genno thought as ye opened more drawers.

IC: Eniblad - Ambages' House

Apparently, it was no longer inappropriate to poke around in this "Ambages" guy's stuff (which a few members of the group had to remind Eniblad on occasion), which meant that the amnesiac's nigh-insatiable thirst for knowledge could once again be sated.

Springing into action, the Toa grabbed the nearest thing he could lay hands on, which happened to be a number of cushions from around the room. After amassing a small collection (since he figured that they were similar enough to be considered the same thing - not unlike the whole "we're all Toa" deal, the Toa realized), he hurried over to Genno, a childish smile on his face.

"These important?" Eniblad asked excitedly, woefully unaware of the truth.

-Void

OOC: Okay, I am getting the Aitua back into the action (and they are sorely needed, as I see), so, I try to get everything right but please excuse me if I don't address all details that happened. Unless you want a post that's as long as the 6 pages I just read up on.

IC:

One would think that Toa coloured darker than night would stand out more in the village of ice, but as the people of Ko-Koro that had come to mourn the death of their Turaga rose from their seats and started to file out of the sanctum, together with guests from all over the island that happened to be present, the group did not draw attention to themselves. Combined with their hundreds of years of experience, the Aitua went virtually unnoticed among the crowd. As they stood up to trickle out with the rest of the common people, Draeverian excused himsefl quietly and quickly slipped away, moving through the crowd with unexpected skill and disappearing out of the door. Aparangi looked after him disapprovingly, but Tupua placed a hand on his shoulder, shaking his head slowly. The message was obvious. Leave him be.

In the meantime, Kehua was more focused on Ravage. He had quickly come to accept the beast-like Toa as a friend and comrade on their travels together so far; and so he noticed that he wasn't looking like usual. There was something in his expression, somewhere between indifference and...what? he would have to ask him later. But right now there was just too much going on around them to deal with personal issues.

Aparangi gruffly shrugged, making his brother let go of his arm, but he didn't say anything. Instead he nodded towards the door, signaling the team to leave the sanctuary along with the crowd, but as he did, Rewera nudged him with her elbow. Aparangi looked to her and she gave the briefest glance to the front of the room. Aparangi nodded slightly, waited a second and then looked as well. "Well, look who's here..." Mariko said, barely audible to the others. Matoro was standing at the front of the room and in front of him, appearing as if to pay their respects, were Kethrye and others from the ILF.

Aparangi's eyebrows rose slightly. News did indeed travel fast when it came to the well-being of the Turaga. Or their deaths. He looked back at Rewera. She nodded at the door now. "I got this." she said. The rest of the Aitua fell in line with the departing Matoran, while Rewera stayed on a little. using her impeccable sense of hearing she concentrated on Matoro and Kethrye and listened:

"Greetings, name's Kethrye, leader of the Island Liberation Front. I'm sorry if I seam overly terse, but time is not counted among our allies. Our purpose here is twofold; One, we're here t- we're here to join you in mourning the fair Turaga's death," his voice stuttered over the words before almost instantly returning to his stoic, focused self."And to inquire onto the exact circumstances surrounding this tragedy, if that's at all possible. We hope to aid the hunt for those responsible in any way we can.

"Second, we are here on the hunt for one Ambages the Architect, who we suspect to have betrayed us, the Matoran of Mata Nui and the Great Spirit himself, and request leave to search his house for any evidence that could aid us. If the piraka is in fact at home, then we also ask for the right to detain him for questioning. A compliment of any of the Sanctum Guard that can be mustered would also be most obliged."

Matoro looked taken back, but quickly caught himself, before replying.

“What you ask is no small request. The Cultured Gentry have a lot of political power in this village and they will not like one of their own being searched without good cause. Follow me to the Sanctum Guard HQ, and we can exchange for information there”

Rewera had heard enough for the moment and with the last mourning Matoran, left the sanctum as well. The others were waiting nearby (except for Draeverian) and Rewera quickly updated them on the situation. Tupua was the first to speak for a change. "We should split up. This move by the ILF is rushed and we need to keep an eye on them, but we also need to cover the remaining villages. And we still need to rescue Taipo."

Aparangi harrumphed. "I don't like it." he finally said. Tupua looked at him. "Do you have a better idea?" he asked. The leader of the Aitua looked at the tip of his feet angrily, but in the end he sighed and shook his head. "No..." Tupua looked at the others as well nodded slowly. "Then it is decided."

"Who should stay and who should go?" Mariko asked. Aparangi thought for a moment, then looked at Rewera. "You and Ravage can track the fastest cross-country, you should go on and try to find Taipo." Rewera nodded. Kehua spoke up then, saying: "I'll go with them." he said. "You said he disappeared near Kini-Nui, Tupua. I spent some time there and know the area a little."

Aparangi nodded. "Good. I will go after Kethrye and the ILF, to see what they are up to." "And I am coming with you." Tupua said, which Aparangi accepted without protest. "That leaves you, Mariko."

The shortest of the Aitua nodded. "Well, we are missing Drae right now...I will go with him to Onu-Wahi when he comes back."

"Very well." Aparangi said. "We all have our assigned tasks...let's get to it. I do not like to part ways so soon after reuniting our team, but we must cover more ground. May the great spirit watch over your travels."

Kehua nodded. "Over yours as well, brother."

And with that, the group split into smaller teams, walking in different directions, except for Mariko, who remained in the square in front of the sanctum, waiting for Draeverian to return.

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

As they departed and walked through the quiet streets of Ko-Koro, following Rewera's lead, Kehua couldn't keep it to himself any longer and turned to Ravage. "Alright, be out with it...what's bothering you?" he asked him.

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

Aparangi and Tupua in the meantime headed for the headuqarter of the sanctum guard. But they had only gone halfway, when they saw Matoro and the ILF again, walking back from the headquarter and through the village. Despite the difficulty of blending in, the two of them followed the group through the village without notice, until they reached a rather costly-looking estate, obviously the home of Ambages. The two Aitua quickly left the path and ascended the slope nearby, using the snowdrifts atop as cover, from which they had a good overview of the front-side of the building. Lying on their stomachs, peeking over the edge, the Toa quietly watched the group below knock at the door of the mansion, where they were greeted by a Matoran that Tupua thought he had seen at the funeral of Nuju. He was obviously, a butler. A few moments later, the group went inside; and Aparangi and Tupua exchanged a glance, before quietly continuing to watch the house...

IC: Ravage

Ravage kept walking, snow gathering on his claws as he moved. He stuck out like a sore thumb in the white landscape, unable to blend in without the use of his mask.

"Nothing." The Rahi-Toa replied after a moment.

IC GennoDaheck?"Um, unless you happened to find any pieces of paper with writing on/in them, then no," Genno replied, an incredulous look on his face. "Can you believe this guy?" Ronin asked in his head. "Hey," Gebno thought back. "Give him a break; he's like that."

IC: Eniblad - Ambages' House

For a moment, Eniblad's face drooped with disappointment ("But, they're so weird! How can they not be important?"), but quickly righted itself back into a broad grin. After all, he now had a starting point for which to search for clues.

"Pieces of paper with writing," he repeated excitedly, dropping the cushions, and rushing back around the room, snatching up every scrap of parchment which happened to have even a scribble on it.

-Void

IC Genno"Oh dear," Genno whispered. "What have I done?" With that, the gianttoa returned to searching for clues.

IC: Atrin

"I see him." The Valkyr replied quietly, eyes fixed on Argentum. "He has one minute to depart."

IC-Aclaraung:

"We're killing him now? Interesting."

IC-Iulius:

 

"Oh, you're about to move on to Ko-Koro, are you?" Iulius asked of Kaiapo, deactivating the Huna he'd been using, standing closer to the fire. "Why'd it take you so long to get into Ko-Wahi in the first place, though? Too much detouring to check out the nightlife of each Koro?"

IC: (Valria)

"Um...who are you?" I ask after my initial jump of surprise as another Toa appeared seemingly out of nowhere. I would be lying if I didn't admit that I was at least slightly nervous by the sudden appearance of this Toa. My eyes scanned over the Toa, trying my best to figure him out, but I had no such luck. He was tall, taller than me. His body was grey but his armor was a bluish green, teal to be exact.

IC-Iulius:

"Why, my name is Iulius," he said, somewhat amiably. "And, judging by the appearance of my friend Kaiapo here leading you, you're all the ones who I've been waiting here for, for the last...two or three months, I think. How are you?"

OOC: Remember, I'm using Old Latin rules for the name. Iulius=Julius.

OOC: Huh? Awesome. I'm being targeted by a Valkyr and a Dragon thing....and I'm pretty sure I still lack the full skills to stay fully alive.

Yay.

IC: Argentum

Sighing, he slumped onto his back, happily ignoring the others for several seconds. But he kept his eyes open, and in his moment of calm, he also started to focus more on his surroundings.

IC:

"Oh yes..." Came the musical voice of the hulking dragon. It was quiet obvious that he was looking forward to this. The frostic dragon had a thing for fighting... moreso than most of his kind. And that was saying something, considering that he basically came from a race of dragons.

IC-Aclaraung:

"Calm yourself, Okav, we haven't decided yet," Aclaraung chided the younger Dragon. "Remember what I told you about how getting into fights all the time wasn't a good idea."