DragonRage

"Hey over there!" Alexandria strides into the scrum of street thugs around Heidrun without a hint of fear of either the gangsters or the possible disease. Because neither is any threat as far as she can tell. "I am afraid I shall have to advise you both to back off, before someone does something rash."

"Well, 'Rahi' literally means 'not us'. It used to be used to refer to anything that wasn't a matoran. So, uh, all of you would technically qualify," Halhi shares, "But meanings shift over time. Now it's come to be more of a term for wild creatures, things that can't speak and don't have a village to call home." "Down here that mostly means burrowing Rahi," Nuparu pans his lightstone around the corridor nervously, "Blade burrowers, giant worms, several flavors of twenty ton bug, Fikou spiders if we're really unlucky. In this light, their webs are going to be practically invisible. Fortunately, they usually prefer the surface."

"Iiiii.... Iiii.... I don't know, really," The dragon admits uneasily. "Miiiy parents just saiiid I had to or the humans would come to slay me. Iiii asked once, but... They saiiid they'd tell me when Iiii was older. Iiii don't thiiink they knew eiiither. Humans come and slay dragons in theiiiir metal shells wiiiith metal claws, unless we scare them away or slay them fiiirst. That's what they saiiid." The young dragon drops out of the tree next to Lucine with a quiet 'thump', revealing a serpentine reptile whose shoulder would be level with her waist if both were standing. He's covered in small, black scales with iridescent edges, and a crest of nubby horns sprouts from the back of his head. More nubby spikes run down his spine, and his slit, yellow eyes seem to have two sets of eyelids when he blinks, one of which is clear. "But you don't have a shell, and you diiiidn't run or fiiight. ...Nobody said that was an option."

Since the choice seems to have been made to go for the Earth Stone, Nuparu and Halhi lead the group to a tunnel hidden under a large tree. The way is twisty and dark, lit only by a glowing rock Nuparu pulls out of his backpack, and similar rocks set in the walls near higher-traffic areas. Other matoran, armored mostly in black, purple, and orange, pass by at times, but don't seem inclined to confront you once they notice your local guides. Nuparu consults a map on a stone tablet a few times, but he seems fairly confident of the way as he takes you deeper underground, and the air and walls begin to warm... If you have anything you'd like to do before you reach the Toa Stone's resting place, now is the time.

"Sorry, but it's like a maze down there," Nuparu taps at his mask in thought, "I don't spend a ton of time on the surface, and I don't go that deep very often. Not because I don't know my way around, but because there's a lot of things down there that would love to eat a matoran if they could catch one. Believe me, I'd love for you to be able to go in there without putting my neck on the line, but even if it was possible... There's a fair number of critters willing to eat soil or rock down there too. I don't fancy your chances if one of them happens by while you're retrieving the Toa Stone if you go alone. United we triumph, divided we get eaten by a Blade Burrower or something."

"Only an axe? Shouldn't be any trouble then," Iowa asserts, "We've got enough guns among us he'll never get close enough to use that. And since when was being defeated a reason to commit suicide? That's quitter talk, that is. Uh, what's a cyborg? I can't seem to find that word in my dictionary either. It must be some more of that future lingo."

"This seems to be a day for introductions. I am Lexiel. Might I inquire of your name?" The angel greets the newcomer cautiously. She's still waiting for the other shoe to drop.

(Morale check 8v4) The squirrel, harrassed by the bats, has had enough. Pausing only to hurl an uncannily accurate acorn that bounces off Freya's forehead, the fluffy rodent scampers off and leaps to a nearby tree, where it chitters angrily down at the necromancer and her bats. Law has survived Mortal Kombat! Yay! ------------------------------- "Iii can melt faces!" It seems that Facemelter's hissing was put on to sound scarier; his voice cracking was not. Without the hiss he sounds around ten years younger. Regardless, a pitch-black reptilian snout protrudes from the trees and opens, displaying rows of needle-sharp teeth. Facemelter takes a deep breath in, and spits a stream of vibrant green liquid that hisses and spits where it lands in the grass, creating a large patch of dead and partially dissolved grass. "My acid breath can melt... Well, Iii've never used it on a human before, but it striiiped a crocodile's face down to the bone once! Pretty cool, riight? Scary! Riiight?"

Soryn would find himself clad in red and silver. When he attempts to draw blood from his reservoir, electricity comes instead, briefly coating him in a crackling energy field. He supposes it makes sense that in a land populated entirely by mechanical beings, a vampire would be draining energy rather than blood, but it'll doubtlessly take some adjusting to. ------------------------------------------------------------ Gozer tests his earthwalking and finds that he can in fact travel through the ground in his new form. However, his sense of the earth tells him that there's a layer of something deep underground that he cannot pass through this way. It feels like both earth and not earth at the same time. Still, as long as the Earth Stone is above this layer, Gozer should have no trouble earth walking to it if he can find out where it is. ----------------------------------------------------------- "The earth stone wouldn't be a bad first choice," Nuparu chips in, "I'm from Onu-Koro, the underground village, and I used to work as a miner. I know the tunnels pretty well, so I can get us close, as long as you guys are ready to help fight off any Rahi beasts, infected by the Makuta or otherwise, who take interest in us. That far underground, there's no telling what sorts of nasty things might try to eat us."

(Strength Check 8 v 9) Law and the angry squirrel seem dead even in strength. He's unable to push it off him, but it's also unable to force its way past his makeshift shield. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Facemelter of Facesssss iiiiisssssn't sssscary?" Now the voice sounds like it's pouting, "Iiii thought haviiiing your face melted sssounded pretty ssscary. You're ssssure you're not afraiiid? Even a liiittle?" --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Freya's bone bats enter the treetops and discover Law grappling for his life against an ordinary grey squirrel! (Intelligence check natural 1 v 10) Law does not notice the undead bats, his attention being very focused on the other rodent.

The squirrel attacks! (Strength 2 v 5) Law is barely able to hold off its fearsome jaws and enormous teeth with his shield! He feels like his arms could give out at any second, and is really regretting skipping arm day. And also everywhere else day. ------------------------------------------------------------ "I am the fearssssome dragon of the sssswamp!" Facemelter of Faces hisses, "You wiiiill fear me! You wiiill run! ...Why aren't you runniiiing?" -------------------------------------------------------------- (Intelligence 19 v 3) Freya runs toward where she thinks Law was going, and notices a tree filled with hissing, chittering, and shaking. It sounds a lot like two small animals are fighting in there...

Law scrambles up the tree with (climb check 14) a surprising amount of agility and (stealth check 3) a lot of noise. He makes it to the top, and notices two things. First, Lucine did not in fact pursue him. Second, there is a very fluffy and very angry looking squirrel staring right at him. Raging Squirrel Initiative: 5 Law Initiative 1 ---------------------------------------------- "I wiiil melt your bonessss?" The creature in the tree tries, sounding just as squeaky but a lot less sure of itself, "You will ssssssuffer before the iiiiend?"

Lucine and Law run off in opposite directions. Law, surprisingly enough, is able to keep his bearings. Lucine, however, finds the trees looking basically identical as she blindly flees the area. Soon, she finds the area start to get marshy, and the squishing of the waterlogged ground under her boots distracts her from her panic. The young girl stops to catch her breath under a large, gnarled, bushy tree along the edges of the swamp, when a hissing voice calls out above her, bringing with it the stench of some very bad breath. "Who daiiiressss invade the terriiitory of the dread dragon FACEMELTER OF FACES?" Screeches the thing above her from its perch hidden in the leaves, its voice cracking several times as it speaks, "Begone, mortal, or I shall fiiieast on your flessssssshhhh!"

Lexiel vents the mana charge from her gauntlet and drops back to the ground, folding her wings down into a tight, feathery bundle across her back. "Kaladesh? I've never been there myself, but I've heard it would be a beautiful place, if not for the nearly all-powerful, astonishingly corrupt government that doesn't even bother to try to glove its iron fist. Yes, I can see how a place like that, where law and order are misused for the benefit of a few, might produce angels one would not wish to meet in a dark alley. I am Lexiel, archangel of balance, for those of you I have not yet met."

Nuparu considers Dackly's request, and then grabs a rock from the beach and hands it to her. "Behold," He gestures grandly over it, "The fabled stone stone, sacred relic of my people, given to us long ago by the Great Spirit Mata Nui, hidden through obscurity until a great hero might come to awaken its power." He doesn't do a very good job of selling his bullcrap. "Well, according to the chronicles and legends, the water stone is located in an ancient, underwater temple just outside Naho Bay. It's mostly protected by being too deep for a matoran to dive. We can't hold our breath for long enough. I don't know how Turaga Nokama put it there, but she says the method she used wouldn't work anymore," Halhi shares, "The air stone is said to be hidden deep in the jungles of Le-Wahi, under the tallest tree. I don't know how it's defended. Turaga Matau didn't do anything to deter seekers, so the Makuta probably did. He doesn't want the stones found. The ice stone is supposed to be somewhere on the peak of Mount Ihu," She points up to the tall mountain in the distance, "It's cold and snowy up there, and blizzards are frequent. The fire stone is in Ta-koro under guard; the only challenge there will be convincing Captain Jaller that we should be allowed to have it. Showing him the other five stones might do it. The rock stone is hidden in a ruin in the Motara Desert, protected by deadly traps. Turaga Onewa set a few of them, but he says servants of the Makuta put up more after he left it there. I know how to get around his traps, but not the others. The earth stone is in the ancient tunnels below the mines of Onu-Koro. Nuparu could lead us there, but... The oldest tunnels weren't safe before the Makuta started turning the beasts against us. There's a lot of nasty, predatory things that live deep underground."

Alexandria follows through the portal, and immediately walks out toward the street to have a look around. "Hm. I have to say, I like the look of this place, garbage and all. Reminds me of home, in a way our other destinations really haven't. Can you feel it in the air? Smells like progress! Also carcinogens and illegal dumping, but nowhere is perfect."

"I suppose I can reserve judgement until I see for myself," Iowa allows grudgingly, "Bah, why can't people be rational and stick with democracy? Nothing else works half as well..." Iowa declines to take any of the probably heretical items.

Halhi and Nuparu engage in a short conversation consisting mostly of meaningful glances and hand gestures, before Halhi speaks up again. "Well, the legends say that if all six Toa Stones are collected from their hiding places and brought to the great temple of Kini-Nui, the Toa would be called to the island. We've tried doing that ourselves, but... The stones' resting places are too dangerous for a matoran. Only one has been retrieved so far, and Jaller almost died getting it. He's not going to be keen to let it out of the vaults in Ta-koro without a very good reason." "We can lead you to the general areas, I guess," Nuparu chimes in, "But once we get close, you'll have to do the rest. Pick your poison; water, air, ice, rock, or earth. Yes, I know calling it a 'rock stone' sounds stupid. I didn't name the things. At least it isn't a 'stone stone'."

"I dearly hope I am missing important context here, because it sounded a whole lot like you just said you dismember people for parts," Lexiel flies up a bit, out of easy reach of Sorina, and starts channelling mana through her focusing gauntlet, causing the Izzet insignia to light up red and blue, "It's always the ones that look nice. They invite you home for tea, you talk about their grandkids, and then you find a freezer full of somebody else's organs in their basement..."

"Hey, if your weapon needs work, I might be able to help. I'm good with machines," Nuparu offers, patting his much larger and cruder-looking gun, "Though it doesn't look like you need it." Sure enough, Jade's shots are just as accurate as he remembers, and if anything, he was able to get them off a little faster than before. "The Makuta? He's the lord of lies, the spirit of evil, the master of the shadows! He's laid us matoran under siege for as long as anyone can remember, using his infected masks to force rahi beasts to attack us and keeping sunlight from reaching our crops with his shadow powers. It's said that after a thousand years the Toa, great heroes all, would come to save us from the Makuta, and they would be heralded by the stars. But the stars converged a year ago, and the Turaga, our village elders, say a thousand years have passed," Halhi shares, "And the Toa never came. Matoran are disappearing or dying a few every month, and if things keep going as they are we're not going to have enough people to make everything we need to live. Some matoran thought that if our heroes weren't coming, it was up to us to take responsibility. Takua went to look for the Toa. Hewkii tried to organize a resistance against the infected Rahi. They're both dead now. You aren't Toa, but maybe you can help us?"

Cell would find his orb now occupying the back of a biomechanical creature's head, essentially identical in function to the body he had before except for the addition of the Kanohi mask and Heartlight. Its armor appears to be colored silver. Cicivexia should be somewhat relieved to find that while it takes a bit more effort than usual to call upon his Mana Ward, the defensive spell still responds to him. It feels a bit different, but as long as it works, right?

Upon realizing she's falling, Lexiel reflexively extends her wings and manages to at least land on her feet atop the pile rather than slamming face-first into the ground. Hopping down to more stable footing, she starts checking the surrounding area for anything that looks dangerous, keeping half an eye on the seemingly-harmless old lady. "You likely know more about where we are than we do at this point, ma'am," The angel shares, "I am Lexiel. I'd call it a pleasure but if the pattern holds we're shortly going to have someone show up eager to spout exposition or bullets at us, and that sort of experience is rarely pleasant."

"Hm. Removing a powerful artificial intelligence from a mainframe they don't want to leave is a tall order. I don't suppose there's any physical object his programs are tied to?" Alexandria asks, "If he can simply distribute himself over the entire network, we'll probably have to knock the building down and disintegrate the rubble just to make sure we've gotten all of his bits. The physical barriers shouldn't be too much of a problem, but scraping all the digital pieces of Deus out of the building without destroying said building could be. Depending on how computerized the place is, he could be hiding backups in every light fixture, every smoke alarm, and every desk." "Mar, it's a metaphorical highway. He's actually talking about a network of advanced machines capable of supporting life of in this case highly debatable intelligence."

A mysterious, grey capsule, twenty feet long and eight feet in diameter, appeared in the castle during the battle against Fake Gilgamesh. After several science bros took a look at it, Edmond eventually translated the inscriptions around the rim of the device as autopilot instructions, and a plea for help, both in a computer language he’d never seen before. He asked around, and Hiroki, Jade, Cicivexa, and Dackly volunteered to come and investigate. Gozer followed Dackly into the pod, as he always does. Edmond locked the coordinates in, the pod sealed itself shut, and the six occupants found themselves dozing off… The next thing the group knew, the pod opened with a loud hiss, and hurled them out upon a beach of beautiful, white sand and clear, glassy water. A lush, dripping jungle begins where the beach ends, and over the trees a huge, snow-topped mountain peak is barely visible. But the assembled heroes could be forgiven for not focusing much on the excellent vacation destination they had found themselves in, for each of them was changed by their journey. Where flesh once was, flesh remained, yet it was no longer alone. Armored plates, mechanical components, just as responsive and sensitive as flesh alone yet far more resilient, covered the body of each of the six in gleaming armor and cybernetics. Each of the six now sports a distinct color scheme they did not before, accenting their new armored bodies; Hiroki in shades of blue, Dackly a uniform green (she was green before, of course), Edmond in white and grey, Cicivexa in red and ultramarine, Jade in brown and tan (much like he was before), Captain Forgotten Realms in silver and blue, and Gozer in black and tan. Their eyes glow brightly with their original color, from behind a sturdy, steel-grey mask, along with a sense of power not previously present… Equipment Acquired: Toa Heartlight (Untyped) – The ancient mechanisms of the Toa Canister have transformed you into a creature of Bionicle! But without a source of elemental power, only some of its features have been unlocked. Grants +2 damage reduction and +2 to a stat chosen when equipped. Cannot be unequipped at this time. Deals 5% of your MHP in nonlethal pure damage to you each round until you pass out. Self-damage can be negated if you wear a Kanohi Mask of Power. Equipment Acquired: Matoran Kanohi Mask – This artifact allows beings of Bionicle to properly control and contain their powers. Without one, even the mightiest Toa can be humbled. Some masks can also grant special powers, but these do not. They are enough to keep you alive and healthy, though. Can be knocked off by a critical hit, requiring a round to recover and put back on. The party’s old equipment seems to have been transformed into a version that their new bodies can use as comfortably as their old could, and given the same color scheme as their wielder. This could use some investigating… Or you could instead talk to pair of the small biomechanical beings staring up at you, the blue one in naked relief and the black one in suspicion. “The Toa! You’ve come!” The blue one exclaims in a surprisingly high-pitched voice, “The legends were true! We- We’d almost started to think you might not…” “They’re not the Toa, Halhi,” The black one pulls a strange contraption from his back and aims it in the party’s general direction, “That red one’s shorter than I am, and none of them look anything like the statues or carvings. They’re probably some trick from the Makuta. Mata Nui, the black and green ones look as much like Rahi beasts as people!” “But they might be able to help. They don’t have infected masks, Nuparu,” Halhi observes, though she does take a few steps back and place a hand on the machete sheathed at her waist. “If we don’t take any chances, we’ll never beat the Makuta. The Toa haven’t come. Maybe… Maybe it’s time for us to find our own heroes, instead of just waiting for them.” “Take chances, huh? Be our own heroes? That’s what Hewkii said,” Nuparu growls wearily, clearly retreading familiar arguments, “You know where he is now?” “Kitty chow for an infected Muaka,” Halhi rolls her eyes, glaring daggers into the other being’s skull. “We all miss Hewkii, but he wouldn’t want us to just sit around waiting to die like he did!” “Kitty chow for a- Hey!” The barrel of Nuparu’s weapon drifts away from the group as he turns to face Halhi. It seems they could be at this for a while…

"So what you're saying is you want us to rescue a living pagan idol, suppress lawfully gathered protesters because they don't agree with your religion, and then fight mobsters?" Iowa lights up a cigarette, and then gives Historie a look that expresses exactly how dubious she finds this whole pitch. "Telling the people they can't have their freedom of assembly or freedom of speech is a step towards tyranny. Not to mention violating the Bill of Rights at least twice, and probably more. There is a distinct and disturbing lack of safeguarding the rights of the people in this shindig. And if the opulence of our surroundings is any indication, more than a bit of corruption. Maybe if you were spending money on useful things instead of locking it up in wannabe-Catholic churches, the people would be more inclined to like you. As things stand, it looks a lot to me like they've got legitimate grievances that you, the tyrant and possible theocrat, are trying to sweep under the rug."