((All credit to Forsythe for this banger of an opening.))
The night air was warm, tinged with the scent of brine. The twin moons and the stars above the island of Avsa Nui shone brightly in the sky. The village of Ora-Koro was silent, save for the occasional night watchman making their rounds in the village, as well as the sentinels posted at the walls of the village as lookouts.
The calm before the storm, as the village elder Turaga Watiri knew even before she looked in the distance over the mountains, where dark clouds were gathering. She was focused inwards, albeit her eyes were open, and they seemed to be transfixed on the darker blot in the sky far away. Watiri was concentrating on using her Kanohi mask. The Noble Mask of Clairvoyance granted glimpses into the future, but they were often garbled and jumbled, leaving it up to her to interpret them. But for the first time since Watiri had been a Toa, the vision she was receiving was clear. Well, as clear as the noble mask would ever offer.
The world around her faded, and she was filled with a sense of danger and dread. She saw an island from far away, a far larger storm raging over it. In the silver sea around the island, the lights of many boats could be seen. And from the boats, armies seemed to be disembarking and marching towards a settlement. And out came Toa to meet them, fighting for the Matoran inside. For a few moments, she thought she was lost in her own memory, rather than receiving a vision form her mask. But on the second look, the island in the vision was definitely Avsa Nui.
The vision then shifted before she could glimpse any more details. She did not know whether it took her further into the future, or to one that was nearer, but she saw a clearing in a forest, with a small hut made out of branches and leaves. Out on the clearing stood several figures - Four Toa with their backs turned towards her, and a Turaga instructing them on something she could not hear. What seemed strange was that despite certainly being the turaga of Air, it was most certainly not Nongu. And yet, she realized she has seen the color scheme of the Toa around Ora-Koro before.
The vision shifted one final time, and it shown her three matoran obtaining what was most certainly Toa Stones from perilous places that she could only guess were hidden somewhere in the unexplored wilderness of Avsa Nui.
The village faded back into her vision, just as first lightning struck the mountaintops in the distance. Watiri took a few moments to consider what she had seen. The first vision left nothing to interpretation: Dark times were once again coming to her home, but this time, they would fight back, rather than flee. It made sense: There was nowhere else they had left to run.
She hoped the second vision was their salvation. Four Toa, apparently arisen from some of their Matoran, would be present to face the perils that awaited them all. She could not make sense of the unknown Turaga in the vision though. Perhaps the Toa may have to leave on a quest to other lands, before they were ready to face their destiny?
The third vision was the most clear, and dare she say most important. It shown the Matoran obtaining their Toa Stones. With this knowledge, they could find the destined Matoran, and give them at least a faint location where to look for the next chapter in their lives. Some of them she recognized immediately, some by face even if the name did not immediately came to her.
She returned to her hut, and picked up a tablet and a chisel, writing down in stone the visions that she has seen, before they faded form memory. As she finished writing though, she noticed one thing that raised a question. "I saw three Matoran... but weren't there four Toa?"
Despite the fact that his living quarters were underground, Pakaru always knew when morning had come. The thumping footsteps from his upstairs neighbor always came when the suns rose. For such a small Matoran, Kroque sure made a lot of noise. Pakaru felt something warm and soft curled up into the small of his back. Teina always found a comfortable spot close to Pakaru, and even if he sometimes pushed Pakaru to the edge of the bed, the fox Rahi was always welcome.
He sat up and stretched, and the movement caught Teina's attention. The fox was a light sleeper, and always seemed to sense when Pakaru was on the move. The Rahi stretched as well, the light from the one small window catching Teina's copper-and-white fur and armor. Pakaru smiled and scratched the fluffy fox behind the ears before getting up, his companion following him like a shadow. His living quarters were relatively small. But Pakaru didn't need much space, luckily. He only needed enough room for a bed, a table, and a shelf for his scrolls and tablets.
Pakaru grabbed his protowood staff from the spot near his desk and used it to knock on the ceiling. He heard Kroque chuckle before rapping her knuckles against the floor. It was a simple morning ritual, one they never missed. But it helped start the day off right.
The night air was warm, tinged with the scent of brine. The twin moons and the stars above the island of Avsa Nui shone brightly in the sky. The village of Ora-Koro was silent, save for the occasional night watchman making their rounds in the village, as well as the sentinels posted at the walls of the village as lookouts.
The calm before the storm, as the village elder Turaga Watiri knew even before she looked in the distance over the mountains, where dark clouds were gathering. She was focused inwards, albeit her eyes were open, and they seemed to be transfixed on the darker blot in the sky far away. Watiri was concentrating on using her Kanohi mask. The Noble Mask of Clairvoyance granted glimpses into the future, but they were often garbled and jumbled, leaving it up to her to interpret them. But for the first time since Watiri had been a Toa, the vision she was receiving was clear. Well, as clear as the noble mask would ever offer.
The world around her faded, and she was filled with a sense of danger and dread. She saw an island from far away, a far larger storm raging over it. In the silver sea around the island, the lights of many boats could be seen. And from the boats, armies seemed to be disembarking and marching towards a settlement. And out came Toa to meet them, fighting for the Matoran inside. For a few moments, she thought she was lost in her own memory, rather than receiving a vision form her mask. But on the second look, the island in the vision was definitely Avsa Nui.
The vision then shifted before she could glimpse any more details. She did not know whether it took her further into the future, or to one that was nearer, but she saw a clearing in a forest, with a small hut made out of branches and leaves. Out on the clearing stood several figures - Four Toa with their backs turned towards her, and a Turaga instructing them on something she could not hear. What seemed strange was that despite certainly being the turaga of Air, it was most certainly not Nongu. And yet, she realized she has seen the color scheme of the Toa around Ora-Koro before.
The vision shifted one final time, and it shown her three matoran obtaining what was most certainly Toa Stones from perilous places that she could only guess were hidden somewhere in the unexplored wilderness of Avsa Nui.
The village faded back into her vision, just as first lightning struck the mountaintops in the distance. Watiri took a few moments to consider what she had seen. The first vision left nothing to interpretation: Dark times were once again coming to her home, but this time, they would fight back, rather than flee. It made sense: There was nowhere else they had left to run.
She hoped the second vision was their salvation. Four Toa, apparently arisen from some of their Matoran, would be present to face the perils that awaited them all. She could not make sense of the unknown Turaga in the vision though. Perhaps the Toa may have to leave on a quest to other lands, before they were ready to face their destiny?
The third vision was the most clear, and dare she say most important. It shown the Matoran obtaining their Toa Stones. With this knowledge, they could find the destined Matoran, and give them at least a faint location where to look for the next chapter in their lives. Some of them she recognized immediately, some by face even if the name did not immediately came to her.
She returned to her hut, and picked up a tablet and a chisel, writing down in stone the visions that she has seen, before they faded form memory. As she finished writing though, she noticed one thing that raised a question. "I saw three Matoran... but weren't there four Toa?"
Despite the fact that his living quarters were underground, Pakaru always knew when morning had come. The thumping footsteps from his upstairs neighbor always came when the suns rose. For such a small Matoran, Kroque sure made a lot of noise. Pakaru felt something warm and soft curled up into the small of his back. Teina always found a comfortable spot close to Pakaru, and even if he sometimes pushed Pakaru to the edge of the bed, the fox Rahi was always welcome.
He sat up and stretched, and the movement caught Teina's attention. The fox was a light sleeper, and always seemed to sense when Pakaru was on the move. The Rahi stretched as well, the light from the one small window catching Teina's copper-and-white fur and armor. Pakaru smiled and scratched the fluffy fox behind the ears before getting up, his companion following him like a shadow. His living quarters were relatively small. But Pakaru didn't need much space, luckily. He only needed enough room for a bed, a table, and a shelf for his scrolls and tablets.
Pakaru grabbed his protowood staff from the spot near his desk and used it to knock on the ceiling. He heard Kroque chuckle before rapping her knuckles against the floor. It was a simple morning ritual, one they never missed. But it helped start the day off right.
