Ic: Kakaru Kakaru leaned back in his chair, his feet scraping across the cold stone floor. The clatter of tools and the hiss of steam droned through the halls, filtering in from the Great Mine. He exhaled slowly and adjusted his scarred, patched-up mask of repair, just in case a prospective customer would wander in. Mercenary business was slow. It wasn’t that there was a lack of jobs; indeed, reports of wild Rahi attacking Matoran in the wild or roaming around the outer walls of the six villages came in almost daily. It was that nobody thought it was "necessary" to pay a Toa to do his job. Oh, please. Like it’s that easy to come by another toa with electrical powers? The villagers should be grateful he hung around at all. Really, what’s 200 widgets per Rahi dead? That seemed like a reasonable price for safety. The dim lightstone embedded in the wall flickered, reminding Kakaru how long he had been living here. It seemed like just a short time ago he had washed up by the rocky cliffs on the northern edge of the island, and an even shorter time ago that the villagers had lent him a place to stay, a small private chamber accessed through a side door in the Great Mine running parallel to the Marn Tunnels. From there he set up his mercenary business, relying on unusual tips about trouble in other Wahis when work was slow and food was scarce. A knock on the door snapped him out of his memories. He sat up and adjusted his mask again, as a reflex.
IC:Fiva Fiva grinned as he walked though Onu-Koro. He was looking for a buddy as his last buddy, Zyck, had been erased with the RPG restarting. And he knew it too. "I miss old Zyck. And Shrakk. We had fun beating up people. Mainly each other." he said to himself sadly as his frown turned upside down. "I hate not having a friend anymore..."
IC (NPC) Another Toa, a mercenary friend of Kakaru's by the name of Ulden, entered. "Morning, Kak," he said. "How's business? I know, I know - " he chuckled " - non-existant. I just wanted to tell ya, I heard there's someone in Ga-Koro looking for some sort of crew."
IC Oura - Walking: The Toa of plasma strode across the rocky terrain that was Onu-Wahi, not at all phased by the deathly scene that surrounded him; no water, caverns left right and center, and the fact that it was not possible to see any end to the terrain as far as his eye-sight went. Still, he walked on, a strong and fierce look upon his face, that of a true Toa. He glanced down at the piece of flat stone in his left hand, and he stopped, he held the stone up so he could read it (For there was writing upon it). -I know you are a hard man to find, Oura, even harder to speak to; I have a job for you, one that involves your favorite past time, yes, I need you to kill someone. His name is Ruyke, and he is a simple Matoran of Stone, in Po-Koro. He's learned of a few of my rather... harsh secrets, and I cannot allow him to spread them. Eliminate the Matoran before nightfall, tomorrow, and you will be paid in full the next day. Your dear employer,Gralth- Oura read the note twice more, and although it was not as descriptive of the job as he would have liked it to have been, it would have to do. Oura continued on walking, heading for the old Koro of Po. OOC: Oura to Po-Wahi. -Oura
Ic: Kakaru "Mata Nui, Ulden," Kakaru sighed and leaned back again. "And here I thought I had some actual work coming through the doors. You know I don't like Ga-Koro."His stomach growled, forcing him to reconsider. Last time he had a proper breakfast was two days ago."Any idea where I can find this guy?"
IC (NPC) "Black Spot Inn, where else?" Ulden replied. "Besides," he continued, giving Kakaru a playful punch on the shoulder, "it'd you you good to get some fresh sea air."
Ic: Kakaru Kakaru stood up, snatched his satchel and broadsword off the table, and sighed, trying to hide the grin on his face "I suppose so. Were you looking to apply or are you still on that Kini-Nui job?" He stepped toward the door, only half-expecting a reply.
IC (NPC) Ulden laughed. "Oh, you know me, Kak, never been one for boats," he said. "Well, good luck!"
Ic: Kakaru "Fair enough. I'm off to Po-Wahi then." Kakaru tightened the straps on his scabbard and satchel and walked out the door, calling back as an afterthought: "Thanks for the tip, mate!"Po-Wahi, he thought. That means sun. And dust. Oh Makuta, I forgot how much I hate the desert.He took off at a light run across the circumference of the Great Mine, heading for the lift. He sidled on next to a loaded cart right before the doors closed and grabbed the railing as the lift lurched upwards."Hello, surface-dwellers," he mumbled, "and goodbye peace and quiet." He laughed weakly to himself.
Ic: Dark caves, loud machinery, bustling matoran workers, the smell of grease and friction all mixed to create the savory smell and ambiance of Onu-Koro. Antrim didn't much care for it, mainly because of the many hidden dangers that existed not only in the caves but even in the walls. It felt unsafe, living under tons and tons of rock and ore, but that was the main reason Antrim didn't call this place home. He was on business, and despite his dislike for the location, the ingenuity of the locals was something to appreciate. He hoped to be able to get the services of the people to help him solve some of the problems he had in his domain; somewhat trivial issues, but nagging ones nonetheless. He inhaled the industrial and earthy air one last time before finally entering through the gate into Onu-Koro's lightstone-lit passageways and roads, followed close behind by his attendant. He had only taken a few steps into the village before he was reminded just how friendly the people were. "Hello, sir!" one matoran hailed him. "What brings you to our fair city?" "Hi, there," Antrim replied. "I need an engineer, and the best one available." "Wiremu is the best one I can think of. I dunno if he's available right now, but you'll find him just to the left and down the way."Antrim took the advice and went down, though he soon regretted not asking for further directions, soon becoming lost in the maze of earthen pathways.
IC: Wiremu sat atop a wooden stool at his stone counter. The surface was perfect, smooth - as to be expected from Matoran as skilled as those of Onu-Koro - broken only by minuscule grooves in irregular patterns. By pressing down on one end of a grooved-off section, Wiremu opened one of the half-dozen compartments he had installed himself into his work desk, and pulled out a dainty hammer. His hands, while large, wielded the tool with deftness. Wiremu was an Onu-Matoran. He was small for his kind, though - only about shoulder-high to the powerful Onu-Koronian guards, and a half-head shorter than an average one of his peers. Wiremu was an engineer, a very skilled and quick one, and though he was humble, he did not understate his talents. Wiremu's innovations had saved the Koro hours of work and plentiful manpower. He loved to work on machines, loved to fiddle with parts. This was what he was doing before Antrim entered his earthen hut. The lightstones above Wiremu's desk and along the walls, while being enough light for a subterranean inhabitant like himself (that being not much - light irritated the eyes of Onu-Matoran), were probably insufficient to his visitor. Not having had much experience with people from other Koros, Wiremu wasn't at first aware of the issue. It was only with Antrim and his attendant squinting that Wiremu realized their vision impairment. "Oh, my!" Wiremu squeaked, his voice light and mildly effeminate. "I'm so sorry, I didn't realize... please, give me a moment." Wiremu walked to the door, and softly closed it. He also shuttered his glassless windows. From under of another lid in his work table, Wiremu pulled out a lightstone, through which a strand of metal ran. He donned a black cloth over his eyes, and then twisted the metal strand. The lightstone lit up the inside of the house like daylight, and Wiremu winced noticeably. It was clear he cared more about politeness to his guests than his own comfort, though. So he settled again on his stool, and gestured at the door and windows. "I'm also sorry about the stuffiness. I've just gotten complaints before about excessive lighting, I hope you don't mind." Even with his eyes covered by the tied cloth, Antrim could probably see the expression of more-than-polite interest in Wiremu's face. Wiremu wasn't very good at concealing his emotions, but he was good at reading them - Antrim's reaction to his fascination alarmed him into adopting a more sober face and a blush. "Oh, I'm sorry for staring. I don't get many visitors from above the ground," Wiremu apologized, with a nervously twittering laugh, as though he was afraid of scaring Antrim away. "What can I do for you, sir?"
Ic: Antrim grinned lopsidedly, in part because he was thankful for Wiremu's hospitality and humility, and in part because of the way the matoran behaved and blushed. "I am Antrim," he said, deciding to withhold his title for now, "and I have some land I call my own on the surface with some tenants. However, I do have a few issues my people have brought to my attention and I have noticed their effects. We are few and our resources are limited, so we turn to your imagination and creativity to help us create machines to help us." "What sort of issues?" Wiremu asked. "To start, we live in a cooler climate with plenty rainfall, and our crops, although meager, fail because of irrigation and temperature control issues. Some sort of mechanism to keep the crops warm and dry would be wonderful. Furthermore, we have tried to devise a method of defense by using mounted guns that fire javelins, but I have no engineers and all our mechanisms have failed. Those weapons are needed to protect us against bandits and wild rahi. Disk launchers just won't cut it in my area," he explained. "I am able to compensate you for your labor, of course," he added.
IC: "Oh, I see," Wiremu said, nodding. "That sounds feasible. Certainly so, I'd say. And, erm, compensation won't be an issue, sir," Wiremu added hastily. "I'm not really interested in money. But, if I may be so bold, where exactly above-ground do you live?" Wiremu didn't really care about the where, really, because anywhere that wasn't Onu-Koro was fascinating to him; he would have even appreciated the charred forest of Ta-Wahi. Wiremu had only been above the surface a few times, when Whenua had "lent him out" to other Koros who had needed his help. Mostly, though, Wiremu was too busy to leave. His home community relied on him, and Whenua was loath to let him go about. Wiremu bit his lip. He prayed against reason that somehow, he'd be able to go on this adventure up to the surface, that he experience the countless new things Wiremu was a very curious Matoran. Eyes having adjusted more to the light in the room, he removed his blindfold, turned to his desk, and took out a piece of pressed flax paper. A stick of charcoal occupied him as he sketched some potential ideas to himself, awaiting Antrim's response.
Ic: "Maybe you've heard of the Massif," Antrim tried to explain. "That is my domain. It lies on the brink of the Ko- and Le-Wahis, due west from the Kini-Nui. My settlement is in a set of huts and bungalows nestled in a saddle between two hills, at the foot of the Massif." As he said all this, he watched as Wiremu's face looked eager, as if he wanted to leave this village and explore above ground. Antrim wasn't too happy being confined in this place, either. There was something about the caves and tunnels of this wahi that unnerved him. Maybe it was the sense that the walls were always right next to you, or maybe the lack of safety he had. After all, anything or anyone could be hiding around the next bend, and with the cramped places, he wouldn't stand a chance with his greatsword. Above-ground meant certain safety for him, and he eagerly awaited the fresh air that waited for him. "But what do you mean about compensation?" he queried.
IC: Uughhh. Nichou groaned as he stepped out of bed. he opened a shelf, grabbed a lightstone, and closed it again. He put the lightstone in his pack, which he put on after he grabbed the lightstone.He walked around the desk and throught the small door, which wasn't built for toa. he mumbled to himself after that thought, while he was straightening the sign above him, and switching the smaller sign around, to side where it said: OPEN By that time Nichou was about to eat breakfast, while he waited for a customer. But this was no place for him. Onu koro doesnt have trees. They dont use wood much. Nobody needed a carpender these days. He ate his breakfast in silence, waiting for someone to walk in and buy something.
IC:Fiva Fiva saw an open sign on a carpenter's shop. He decided to check it out and went inside. "Hey!" he asked Nichou. "What do you sell here?"
IC: Nichou looked up from his breakfast at the front door. Putting his fruit back on his plate, he straightened his purple Kakama and said, "I sell wood carvings and take custom orders for wooden parts" he nodded at his creations, which were laying beside the door."the right type of wood is alot lighter than stone ya'know"he took out a stone tablet. "so, what brings you here?"
IC:Fiva "So you're kinda like a woodsmith?" Fiva asked, looking at the fine wooden carvings.
IC: Nichou sighed, and replied,"yes, so why did you come here? do you need a custom piece? a replacement limb? or are you looking for decorative carvings?"
IC:Fiva Fiva drooped at the affirmative answer. "I miss Zyckel!" he moaned sadly. "And yeah sure, I'll take that one right there." Fiva said, pointing towards a decorative carving with a picture of a beast on it.
IC: Nichou picked up the carving with the beast, blew off some dust, and gave to Fiva. "That will cost 5 widgets, sir"
IC:FivaFiva handed over the widgets. "Thanks, what's you name again?"
IC: Nichou said, "Nichou, the carpender, recommend me to friends!" I need more business, he thought.
IC:Fiva "Well my last friends were swallowed up by the reboot of the reboot." Fiva said with another sigh. He hung his head in sadness. He then perked up, but if I make any new ones then I'll be sure to tell them." he said happily.
IC: Nichou waved goodbye as Fiva left his shop. Then he went back to eating his breakfast, Waiting for another customer. OOC: woah this is fun! its my first time playing the bzprpg, so thanks for giving me confidence
OOC:Yep it's fun. If you want Fiva can recruit Nichou to help him for a good pay. IC:Fiva"Oh before I leave," Fiva said poking his head back in the door. "I was wondering, could you would help me do some bountyhunting? It doesn't look like your pay is that good, and the bounty is pretty high."
OOC: ok IC: A grin spread on nichou's face,"sure, I'm not the best fighter, but i'm sure I can make some snares, and onu-koro isn't that much in need of wood. so, when do we start?" he said, while he turned the sign around, where it said: CLOSED and then he began to pack while he waited for a reply.
IC:Fiva"Whenever you're ready." Fiva said with a grin. This was just like old times with Zyck. Except this guy wasn't a blacksmith. He was a woodsmith. "By the way, I'm Fiva." Fiva informed Nichou.
IC: Nichou nodded, and continued packing more of his strange wood creations. After that he took a small protodermis shortsword, a survival knife, a bamboo disk that doubled as a shield, and his trusty carpender's axe. he also packed multiple nets. he then took some wood out of his pack, shifted his pack, and then declared he was ready. taking a lightstone off the shelf, he went outside of his hut to meet Fiva."So", he asked, "where is our first job?"
IC:Fiva"I don't know. We're supposed to track down and capture some Skakdi of Ice." Fiva said with a grin. "I say that we look in Ko-Koro first since that's where a Skakdi of Ice would feel at home. What do you think?" OOC:That would be Aexias.
OOC: Hari open for interaction IC: Hari As Hari trudged along the Onu-Koro Highway, he realized he could never be an Onu-Matoran. Everything here was so cramped and claustrophobic. Everywhere there were tight corners, twisting passageways, and steep ramps. As he walked he pondered the design strategy that whoever built the place used. If there was one, he couldn't readily find it, which probably meant that it had been built randomly as the Onu-Koronans pleased. It probably fulfilled their needs of space as it got deeper and deeper. The Ko-Matoran noticed something else while he was walking. Despite the busy reputation of Onu-Koro, given all the miners and engineers that worked there, there seemed to be absolutely no one on the Onu-Koro Highway. Then he remembered something he had read a long time ago. The highway was deserted. That didn't mean much to Hari, unless it meant that it was deserted because of some danger or structure failure. Well, no matter. Hari tried not to think about it. Besides, he was light anyway, and he hadn't seen any dangers or structure failures yet. Up ahead in the distance, Hari could see a glow large enough to be from several lightstones. This meant he had gotten to Onu-Koro. The darkness was so menacing, too. It seemed to be pressing down on him from all directions. He had even bumped into the walls a couple times because he couldn't see very well. At last, Onu-Koro. To others, it may be a familiar home, but to Hari, it was a splendid new adventure. Now, time to meet people, he thought. He was ready and eager to gather new ideas to think about.
Ic: Kakaru The sign above the large passageway, chiseled in with the precision and care so common in the Matoran of the earth, read Onu-Koro Highway, and chiseled below in slightly smaller letters: To Ko-Koro. Kakaru's eyes began to adjust to the shadows as he turned his back away from the safety of the underground community and the artificial lights within. Scarcely had he taken two steps down the tunnel when he bumped into a pale-white matoran wrapped in a grey cloak. Kakaru stumbled and blurted something inappropriate.Mata-Nui, they need to put more lightstones in this tunnel, he thought. He coughed out a hasty apology and laid a hand on the wall to steady himself.Ooc: That's you, Captain Marvel. Take it as you will.
IC: "yes, that would be a good place to look for it" Nichou agreed. "so, should we use the old highway to get there?" OOC: when will we move to the ko-wahi topic? do an OOC when we will
IC: Hari "Oh, goodness!" Hari exclaimed as somebody bumped into him. "Are you alright?" he asked, concerned not so much for his well-being as for the other being's. Good, Hari thought, a concerned expression on his face. Now I can finally meet someone who might have ideas to show me!
Ic: Kakaru "Yeah, uh, I'm fine." Kakaru glanced around, trying to avoid eye contact. It wasn't anything personal, it was just that iceheads - Ko-Matoran - had a long-standing feud with the earth-dwellers: The scholars of Nuju looked to the night skies and into the future for answers, the followers of Whenua, to the archives and the past. There was always a bit of unspoken tension when the two groups clashed unannounced."Sorry about that," he mumbled repetitively, adjusting his mask. "What's an icehe- er, Ko-Matoran doing down here? Did Turaga Nuju send you?"
IC:Fiva"That's a great idea. I was gonna take a longer route but your way works also. Let's go!" Fiva said with glee as he raced off towards the old highway. OOC:Fiva to Ko-Wahi.
IC: Nicheo went to the ko-wahi tunnel behind Fiva. OOC: see ya in ko-wahi!
IC: Hari Noticing the stumble of the word that Hari assumed was icehead, he could tell the stranger had a dislike for Ko-Koronans given the long-standing conflict between the worlds of ice and underground. No matter. That didn't affect Hari in the slightest. "I am a philosopher," he said calmly, trying to sound as amicable as possible. "I came here to open my mind to different views on many subjects. Since there was a road that led from Ko-Koro to Onu-Koro, I decided to come here first," he finished, unbuttoning his cloak clasp and revealing his full face to the Toa of Electricity. "By the way, my name is Hari," Hari said, a little embarrassed that he had forgotten to mention his name to the stranger. His face flushed a little, and he looked away. "Sorry," he said meekly.
Ic: KakaruKakaru relaxed a little. It was obvious that this matoran had no hard feelings towards Onu-Koro -or if he did, was trying hard to supress them- and was here for a peaceful visit."My name's Kakaru, Toa of electricity and soldier of fortune. I was on my way to Ga-Wahi to apply for some sort of crew. Uh." He paused and motioned towards the village. "If you're looking for information, I suggest you find Sirraus in the archives. He spends most his time reading through the archives. I don't know how he stands it." He absent-mindedly grabbed a corner of his mask and tilted it to the left. "If you'll excuse me, I was heading to Po-Wahi. Good luck." Ooc: Kakaru to Po-Wahi. I'm creating Sirraus' profile now and he'll stick around.