BZPRPG: Ta-Wahi

IC-Grochi:

"Last I heard, Kal, Mussiki, and Dendron all fought in that big hive battle," Grochi said, now seeming his age, finally. "After that, Mussiki left to join the guard in Ga, Dendron went to Onu, and Kal most likely got killed in Ko-Wahi. And no, I don't need any milk stout, thanks."

IC:

"Can you guys order something? My girlfriend's bed isn't going to buy its own repairs."

-Tyler

IC:

While the Akiri once would have stepped forward and opened the letter without fear, he no longer had the luxury of considering himself expendable. Only a few days after stepping into office, several high ranking officers had approached him and demanded that he be more careful. Which was quite ironic, considering their own hot-headed tendencies.

But he digressed.

A Ta-Toa stepped forward to take the letter from the Matoran, examining it carefully for any sign of poison or other nefarious additions.

IC-Grochi:

"I'll take the entire bottle of Amarone, if you please, and keep the extra hundred widgets I give you."

IC: (Perkahn and Arianna, Lavapool Inn)

Talk about subtext, the Toa of Iron thought at Dorian's complaint, and nodded.

"Give me some Salamander's. Arianna?"

"Same as him," she gestured at Perkahn and again fixed her gaze at Grochi. "You know, you should try to contact your family. Make amends. This seems like a thing you do regret, after all."

"I don't know, Arianna," Perkahn scratched his chin, looking serious, "This is some big stuff, they might just draw a sword on him at first sight. This was... when you were a Makuta worshipper, right? Awhile ago."

IC-Grochi:

"I think it better to leave them to their own devices, now," he replied, shaking his head. "It's better I don't try to interfere with them; it'd only cause more hardship for us all."

IC:

"Alright, take my advice on fam," I butted in again with a cute smirk as I rifled for a bottle of Amarone and a couple glasses. "Sir Bikewrecker is right. You don't wanna nudge your way back in if they're not ready for ya. Two Salamanders on deck. Mind if I take a shot of this Amarone?"

-Tyler

IC:"Not at all, Dorian, I'm buying it to share. How's the new job treating you?"

OOC: Here goes nothing.

IC: NPC

The courier quickly stepped out the door as the letter passed the inspection. It was opened, and the following text was revealed.

Most esteemed Akiri Jaller of Ta-Koro

I write to you in light of the recent months' developments, and how Ta-Koro has found itself nearly crime-free, with some minor exceptions.

One such exception being one Mr. Dorian Shaddix, bartender, part-time Piano player at the Lavapool Inn, Ta-Koro guard consultant and current housemate of Miss Tuara Drigton.

I ask for your forgiveness for being so bold, but under my own power I have conducted some investigations around Mr. Shaddix, to determine whether or not he is to be considered a threat to Koro stability and security.

Mr. Shaddix seems to be a person that would be pleasant to be around; he clearly displays a social trait many would define as "charm", and doesn't steer himself shy of capitalizing on it. He also seems to possess a rather well refined "silver tongue" as the old saying goes.

The main concern, I find, is that of whether or not he maintains criminal connections, on that front my investigations have so far proven unsuccessful. I would like to point out, however that he seems rather occupied with supporting miss Drigton.

At the moment, it is this investigator's opinion that Mr. Shaddix remain under watch, but not necessarily to make a quick arrest.

With the highest regards…

Khervos, Gafna Avenue 22

IC:

"Turn up!" I whooped, pouring myself a shot and downing it. "Anywho, my job? I love my job. I just hate...well...being employed."

-Tyler

IC-Grochi:"Well, it seems you and I are opposites on many a spectrum, then."

IC: (Perkahn and Arianna, Lavapool Inn)

"Go for self-employment," Perkahn suggested. "Self-employment's great. I get time to myself, for my son, for my wife, and I actually earn a decent amount. My hunting and Arianna's healing put together, plus my relatively decent pay as a reserve soldier in the Guard..."

"I still don't see why you didn't sign up for guard service. Would still pay more," Arianna said to him, quietly.

"Less time with you and Jolek isn't worth the extra pay. But yeah, self-employment's great."

IC: Brekan

Terror, absolute terror. There was no other way to describe the feeling. The villages were filled with so many people, constantly moving about and speaking. That was the problem with people, you had to speak to them sometimes. She didn't like talking, it made her nervous. She also didn't like talking to people she hadn't at least a few times before, it also made her nervous.

It was a combination of those factors that caused the problem. She was what could be called a treasure hunter, seeking out hidden riches and lost valuables. She once had a friend with whom she worked, but a horrendous fight had ended that alliance, likely permanently. That was the reason she had come to the village of fire, why she was standing off the the side of a street, staying as far away from those passing by as she could.

She was here to find another person willing to work with her, as the job could find itself rather dangerous at times. Then came about what was stopping here. She needed to speak to others to find someone up for the job... and she couldn't bring herself to speak to any of the people around her.

It had been nearly three hours, and she was facing no luck, having moved not in the slightest from that spot the whole time. feeling resignation wash over her, she decided that there was one thing to make the day worthwhile. She was going to get something to drink.

IC:

Nei sat about, doing nothing.

OOC: Nei, open for interact~

IC:

 

Nei sat about, doing nothing.

 

OOC: Nei, open for interact~

IC: Baranx

Baranx was bored, bored and frustrated beyond belief. The last three months had been deadly dull, and at the same time almost bizarrely frustrating. His own home village of Po-Koro had whisked away all roads to it, leaving it hidden in the desert, and all the other villages also seemed to be gearing up for war.

Baranx let none of this frustration show as he saw down next to Nei, however.

"Hi" he said simply.

ΙC-Ραξα:

Stepping through the streets of Ta-Koro, Raxa sighed. He'd helped fight in the battle against the Rahkshi, a slight bit, though not much; now that there was little to do but observe the intrigue among the villages, he felt rather bored. He could, of course, do more to fuel the flames, but that wouldn't really aid anybody, would it? So, instead, he was living a life at ease, though soon to search for something to happen.

However, as he walked down the streets, he nearly ran into a female Toa on his way to the Guard House. He muttered a quick apology to her, stepping back, before noticing just how nervous the Toa seemed to be.

"Ah...are you alright?" he rather bluntly asked. "Because you certainly don't look like it."OOC: If you can't tell, TDC, that's Brekan.

IC: Vorlik

The Toa of Lightning sat down on one of the benches. What was it that made him feel at home here? Probably the fact that the element he wielded was energy based, just like fire. It could be something else, something entirely different, though.

OOC:

Open for interaction.

IC:

"Hey," The Ga-Matoran replied.

To be honest, the Makuta's defeat hadn't really made her feel happy at all. Her encounter with the Rahkshi... News of Embok's betrayal... It was all a bit crushing to her.

IC: Fiera, Akira

It has been months since Akira left Ga-Koro. Her time in the wilds have strengthened her. Her combat skills were as sharp as ever. Her vocal cords healed. She even constructed herself new armor. And most importantly, she meditated. In every second of spare time, she dived deep into her own mind, searching. Searching for a reason to exist. For a reason she survived. For her destiny.

At first, only the nightmares surfaced. Time and time again, the no man's land between the villages would be filled with agonized screams as memories of her time as a captive surfaced, phantoms of pain suffered long ago coming back to life. But in all that, bits of her past surfaced as well. A tip of the iceberg, but enough to provide her with answers to the most fundamental of her questions.

She remembered who she was. Not every day of her life, but enough to renounce the nickname given to her and assume her rightful name once more. She was Akira, a Mender elite of the paladin order. She fought for one thing only: Ensure the safety of all matoran by any means necessary.

And she remembered why she was here. She remembered the atrocity done to her comrades. She could still feel the evil done to herself every time the phantoms returned. But she survived. And she will have vengeance. But to do that, she needed to do one thing. She needed to revive the order.

And so, after weeks spent outside of civilization, she packed up her possessions and set off to another village, shunning the cursed Ga-Koro. Her steps lead her to the village of fire. The guards gave her a few looks as she walked by, her new armor the reason no doubt. But after she knelt down and wordlessly healed scarring on one of their wounds, she received no further trouble. The word of her arrival spread and soon she found herself in a group of hurting and sick, all hoping she could help. To her dismay, she couldn't help all of them. She might have remembered she used to be a Mender elite, but no mender could exist without medical knowledge. It was then where she was approached by a large matoran who spotted a nasty cut on her hand. That was something she could do something about. Akira took her hand...

The weird Toa of water was said to settle in one of the least populated corners of the village. Normally i would have gone to a proper medical facility, but from what I heard, the Toa's power healed instantly, and if there was a chance I could hold my bow again, I was willing to try. The Toa was easy to spot. Not many others were walking around looking like some horrible victim of a kanohi tryna. Yet still the Toa looked calm. She waved me to approach without a word.

"Could you help me please? I've been forced off duty by such a stupid thing, but I can't hold my bow, and without it, i'm no good to the guard." I explained. "I do not have much to give you though." the Toa smiled. "I require nothing in return. Show me." she said, taking my hand. That was when I saw it. The ring she was wearing. It looked exactly the same as mine. "Do you like it?" The Toa asked, noticing my curiosity. "How could I not," I replied, "When I have exactly the same to call my own." I said causally, but the Toa froze. "What's wrong?" "These rings... they are very special. And just the fact that one found your way to you means that you are special too." she said and finished healing my hand. To my surprise, it really worked. The flesh mended under her touch, leaving nothing but scarless palm. "ME special? You must have me confused with someone else. I'm a lowrank guard, nothing more." I said in disbelief. The toa stood up. I watched curiously as she removed the rahi skull she was wearing on her head to reveal a battered mask of a shape I have never seen before. It spotted a large dent on it's right cheek, and the horn that probably used to rise from the mask's forehead was broken at the top, ending in a jagged line. "Those rings belong, or did so, to the paladins. An order of Toa who were dedicated to protecting the Matoran no matter the cost. My name is Akira. I am the last of them." she spoke, and I could feel great sorrow as the last sentence left her lips. "May I see yours? I have been dormant for so long I lost some memories. Perhaps it would help me recall more." Akira said. "Sure." I agreed. Her story was intriguing. If nothing else, it could get me a discount at the Gafna.

It was a short walk to my home. That is, it would be, if the Toa didn't insist on sticking to the sidelines. I could hardly blame her though. She must have been through Karzahni and back. I couldn't see much through the armor and suit under, but her hands and neck were full of black scars, her mask was damaged beyond recognition, and her armor appeared to be a ragtag replacement of the original. The way she carried herself was similar. The water toa was tensed, often looking around as if expecting somebody to jump out of a dark corner to make an attempt on her life.

We arrived to my hut. It was never meant for a Toa, but Akira managed to get through. "Tell me more. About you. About the paladins." I said, going over the room to find the ring she desired. "To be honest, I do not remember much. I know we fought, we failed, and we fell. I can tell you one thing though. Do you know the difference between a Toa and a Paladin?" I looked at her, shaking my head. "The Toa are the honorable protectors everyone wants them to be. They are bound by their Toa code. And that is why they are insufficient as protectors. The paladins were different. The sixth commandment of the Edict says: Show no mercy to the Wicked. Do not hesitate to make war with them. Paladin does not contain the threat so it may one day escape again. Paladin removes the threat and asks for forgiveness." the toa (or, the paladin) said, sending shivers down my spine. "That is not true. The toa protect us. They always have. We are still here thanks to them!" I tried to defend, but a part of me agreed with the other warrior. "I have seen toa gone evil on this island. I've seen them impersonate protectors only to gain power. Tell me, matoran, which toa do you speak of?" Akira asked. "The Toa Maru defeated the Makuta!" I said without thinking, getting angry at the paladin for disrespecting the heroes of the people. "They did not defeat the Makuta." Akira said. "WHAT? HOW DARE Y..." I yelled, one step short of drawing my bow on her. "They killed the Makuta." she interrupted. And just like that, my anger was all gone. The one word made all the difference. The paladin was right. there was no clearer example to prove her logic. I sighed, resigning. We stood in an awkward silence for a moment before I turned around and wordlessly started searching for the ring again, trying to pick up the pieces of my shattered beliefs in my head. But I couldn't. "You're right." I finally admitted. I couldn't help but feel the same. Why throw them in prison when they clearly wouldn't change? "In a way, they are greater paladins than I ever was. But you see now the paladins were necessary evil then. and they are most certainly needed again, right now." the water paladin said. "I wish I could be. I wish I had the strength to make that decision." I said. "Perhaps you do. If you wish, i will train you in our ways." Akira offered. I wondered why she would bother, but reluctantly, i agreed. More training couldn't be bad, right?

I found the ring at the bottom of the storage chest. I reached down for it. And to my surprise, it started glowing. "What's going on?" I heard the paladin shout, but it was too late to react. In a fragment of a second, several bright lights escaped Akira's ring, one of them heading towards mine. And when the light sunk in, bolts of raw power shot from my ring straight to my chest. I fell on the ground, feeling a strange sensation running through my essence. It stopped as abruptly as it started. I was dazed, but I managed to get up, only to notice the stunned expression on the paladins face. "What? What are you looking at?" I said but it hit me a second later. The world seemed a little bit different. I stood taller than my visitor.

Looking down on myself, I couldn't believe my eyes. Gone was the Matoran known as Fiera. What I saw was a giant clad in black and crimson armor. "I'm... A Toa?" I whispered, not believing my eyes. "Wrong." Akira said, folding her arms on her chest. "You are a paladin."

OOC: Fiera's transformation approved by EW. Everyone who decided to make/would like to make a paladin character that reside in Ta-Koro, they transform at the same time.

IC: (Tarotrix/Lavapool Inn/Ta-Koro)

Tarotrix went into his house, and put on his Rahkshi-shell armor. He then proceeded to tack on a Ta-Koro Guard badge, right above his right breast. It was a good feeling, officially getting back into the Guard and all that. And to celebrate, he decided to get himself a nice drink.

Calmly, he walked on in. Taking a seat at the bar, he looked around. Aside from the usual crowd, he saw Perkahn and company, talking and drinking. Not anything to panic about. Taking hold of his cup of whiskey, he took a small sip.

IC:

"I was self-employed a little while ago," I replied nonchalantly, pouring myself a shot. "A...lot of people died."

The bar didn't exactly quiet, as everyone here had pretty much heard weirder, but I'd said it mainly to get a rise out of some Matoran cop who looked like he polished his armor with his tongue just so he could look at himself while he worked. He was nursing a whiskey and looked happy, which kind of irritated me; aside from the ex-cop I currently was sharing a bedroom with every night, I'm still not the biggest fan of police in general after...well...my entire life.

"So I serve mixed drinks to cops and take care of the bad guys for them. It's a win win for everyone...except the criminals. But hey, they suck worse and worse these days anyway."

-Tyler

IC-Grochi:

"Indeed." Grochi had noticed Tarotrix come in as well, and frowned. Despite their celebrations afterwards, he still didn't get along well with that Matoran, and he still had misgivings as to whether Tarotrix was in the guard for the glory or because he genuinely wanted to keep his Koro safe.

Standing, he said "Well, I'm afraid it's my time to go. Hopefully the guard won't decide to do what I know some of them have been thinking to do and arrest me as a spy, regardless of whether or not they think I am...Ah, well, I don't blame them. Paranoia's been running high lately." Inclining his head towards Dorian, Perkahn and Arianna, Grochi briskly walked out the door.

IC: Nnnnnothin'.

The Toa of Magnetism exhaled a shallow sigh of disappointment, deftly disassembling his last snare trap. This trip had garnered absolutely zilch in the way of game. Was he getting rusty, maybe?He shook his head. No. Perkha--Dad's been keeping me busy with this enough so that it can't be that. Just a bad day. Happened in Le, it'll happen here too. Besides I don't actually need the food this time around. Still, it'd be nice to have some less brittle branches to work with...He shrugged. Take what you can get and work with it. That's how it's done, yeah?Turning back to the Koro, he started off at a brisk jog. Another thing these trips were good for. Cardiovascular training. The diligent pugilist had always had respectable endurance, but making a habit of this had greatly increased his ability to push the pace of a fight and maintain it.

He grinned, clearing the Charred Forest.Tarex was in for a wild ride when they next met.

IC: Vorlik

What was that? A Matoran was hit by energy beams coming from a ring, and turned into a Toa? Vorlik understood Matoran being transformed into Toa with Toa Stones, like he had, but never anything like this. He had to investigate this further.

Vorlik got off his bench and started to walk toward the two Toa. One's armor was made out of the bones of animals and the other was large and bulky, with a color scheme of red and black. Vorlik walked over to them.

OOC:

Vorlik's going to hang around the paladins but not actually become one.

Loren- Ta-koro

IC: After his short conversation with Ril, Loren headed off for one of his unofficial patrols through the streets of the koro. He preferred not to take the tram, since getting to the different places on his route quickly kind of negated the point of patrolling the area. Matoran waved to him as he passed, recognizing him either from when he had saved their lives several months before, or from his frequent trips through the area.

There must have been something about the bar that mad it attract more more people then other places, because the route that the Toa of Sonics led him past the same establishment that the group was in. He walked by just as the other Toa exited.

Waving he called out, "Hey Grochi! Its been a while since I last saw you. How have you been doing these last few months?"

IC-Γρώχι:

"Ah, Loren. Good to see a friendly face amongst the guards," Grochi said, smiling wearily at the guard. "Aside from the paranoia some of your colleagues have and are directing towards me, I've been doing well. Yourself?"

Loren- Ta-wahi

IC: "Ah well, give them another month, I'm sure most of them will turn around."He caught the gleam of a particular suit of armor through the closing doorway. "Ah, like that guy. As I said 'most of them'. Some people are going to hate you for any reason they can find." He looked back at the other Toa.

"Anyway, I've been doing well. Could have wished for a promotion after the attack three months ago, but if they gave one to everybody who deserved it, we would no longer have any basic Guardsmen. This recent tension between the villages is something I could do without though. Sure, now I have everything I could want for my section, but I would rather not have it at the risk of having to fight other villagers."

IC-Γρώχι:

"I know how that feels," Grochi replied glumly. "Part of why most of them are acting so paranoid towards me is because my home is far enough away from the village I'm not under constant surveillance, and they don't like that." He shrugged.

"Well, Loren, I'll have to see you later; it's nearly time for dinner, and my stomach is notoriously bad at resisting hunger," he joked. "But you're always welcome to visit my house, if you like. I'm sure they have it marked as 'potential danger/invasion point' on that big map in the guardhouse."

Loren- Ta-koro

IC: "Haha, no I think it was labeled, 'Potential Enemy Headquarters'. See ya later Grochi. Don't get eaten by a Muaka."

With that he turned and continued on self assigned patrol.

IC:

My name is Lux Saran. I'm 315 years old, 5'11" and leave in the deep city of Ta-Koro at the moment. I'm self-employed as a blacksmith, and operate out of my house, which I've partially converted into a workshop. I was raised in the caverns of Vol-Nui (roughly meaning "The Great Hiding Spot"), otherwise known as "The Great Refuge". My best friends used to be Delta Stratos, Readra Servio, Hakilve, Zaveno and Solia.

Just for the record, that's not me bragging. I've got all that carved into the armour of my right forearm, and I force myself to read it every morning before I get out of bed. It's that, or I start forgetting everything all over again.

help

The last three months of my life have been the clearest I can remember. Working metal and flame down here, in the heart of the volcano. Jamming it up in the treetops of Le-Koro. Hanging out in Delta's old workshop down in the caves of Onu. Alright, I don't do that last one as much as I once did -- I think I gave her old place to Readra when I left. Right? Is that what happened?

help me

Before all of that...I think there was some sort of battle, or something. I remember the colour red, staining the world around me-- there's blood everywhere; the world has devolved into a miasma of flickering lights, flashing iron and broken death--

...

Yeah, it comes back like that. Shattered images superimposed over half-rotted memories -- like the theatre adaptation of a book, but if the director had only based his performance off of the title itself. They came randomly, unbidden, disjointedly...when they came at all, that was. It's a miserable existence, like living with your house on a unexploded bomb, never knowing when the ground will shift enough to set it off.

I ground my teeth between sips of Bula Berry, leaning on the polished wood counter of the bar, like your stereotypical bad guy. I glance around the room, noting the various occupants -- the Lavapool seemed full of celebrities; there was the noble Perkahn and (I assumed) his wife, the respectable Tarotrix and the notorious Dorian, all of whom seemed to have gathered around each other at the counter.

I brought my glass back up to my lips, but it left my tongue disappointedly dry. Sighing, I glanced over at the tattooed bartender, sliding the empty container over.

"Um, uh, excuse me, sir?" I began uncertainly, still just as awkward around people as ever, "Could I, uh, have another glass of Bula juice, please?"

Was I completely happy about having my food and drink served by a convicted criminal? Karz no. Was I thirsty enough not to care? Karz yes.

-Void

IC:

"Sure. Props for saying please. It's a dying art, you know."

I reached under the counter and grabbed a flask of Bula, popping off the cap and pouring the cup about three quarters full of the shimmering juice before sliding it back over to Mr. Manners and toweling off the light trail of condensation it left. A single bead of sweat trailed from behind my temple down, so I wiped it nonchalantly, making it look like I was stretching and just rubbed the towel against my face on the way up.

"In any case, I like it here," I told Perkahn amiably. "Great pay. Easy tips. Hot girlfriend. Grand piano. I'm living the Dream."

-Tyler

IC:"One day, someone will tell me something I don't know."Jaller muttered to himself, tossing the letter down on the corner of his desk. "Whoever wrote it forgot a bit of their research; we hire the piraka for consultations when the street cops are baffled.""Any other letters out there? Or unannounced arrivals? No? Good."

IC-Ράξα:

"Are you quite...sure...Well, whatever," Raxa muttered, his original calling after the Toa dying off rather quickly. Onward back on his former path. After a moment or two he found himself in the Lavapool Inn, an idea of what to order already running through his mind. After a moment's thought he turned to the bartender, calling out on his way to the bar itself:

"May I have a glass of white zinfandel, if you have any?"

OOC: What a fine butt-monkey I've created.

IC: (Tarotrix/Lavapool Inn)

Tarotrix's feelings towards Dorian was mutual. He saw Dorian as a foppish little scumbag, his scarf-wearing bartender saw him as an evil henchman of the man. Usually he would have snapped at the ex-con. And summarily threaten to send hind into the dungeon. But as of now, he was in a nice, mellow mood. He wasn't picking fights, he wasn't trying to start anything. But then, Dorian mocked him. His pride had been wounded, his anger was rising, but he tried to restrain himself. He tried to stop himself from making up a trumped up charge and arresting the Fe-Toa on the spot.

"Now, now, Mr. Shaddix," Tarotrix said. "I don't want any trouble. You keep to yourself, and I keep to myself. Please, do not insult me again."

IC-Ράξα:

Go figure, he walked in to hear an argument make an attempt to start. This was going to be a wonderful trip to the bar, he could tell.

"Well, Mr. High-and-Mighty, I think the only way trouble would start would be by your not ignoring the man, and deciding to do just what he would likely want you to do: Get mad. I recommend finding some friends to talk to, and not fighting with the bartender," the Toa of Crystal semi-cheerfully supplied.

IC:

"Yeah. Just make friends. How hard could it be?"

-Tyler

IC:

I twitched uncomfortably as I watched the dual egos of Dorian and the Guardsman rammed into each other like male Mahi during mating season. I could envision a million scenarios where this could turn ugly in the time it took for one of these fellows to say something misguided.

"Hey guys; let's just, y'know, relax and stuff. We're all here to blow off a little steam -- how 'bout we have a drink and chill."

-Void

IC-Ράξα:

"I believe that a wonderful idea," Raxa said, rolling his eyes at the person who suggested almost exactly what he had, before turning back to the bartender.

"So, do you have any white zinfandel?"