IC Thread: Terra Magna

[Narroda]

For In-Character announcements ONLY.
Only members of Terra Magna may participate.
OOC posts and general discussion about the RP are to be held on the Terra Magna Regional Message Board

[Narroda]

THE CELESTIAL TEMPLE (abandoned)
Location: SUMMIT OF MOUNT MOYA, NORTH OF ONUKARA
Time: 1,000 TM


It has been centuries since the last time the Celestial Temple had been used, as it has been centuries since the nations of Terra Magna had been willing to come together like this.
The nation of Onukara has had a long history of using the Northeast River that originated in the northern foothills of their mountains and ran northeastward until it reached the edge of the Kini Peninsula and fed into the ocean. Merchants from Bonklaxia would frequently send ships across the bay and into the river where they would sail until they arrived at a port to trade with the Onukaranans.
However that has not been the case as of late due to the region surrounding the banks of the Northeast River having suffered from a severe drought. The river is drying quickly, and vessels cannot sail up it because of the now-exposed rapids that stick out like knives. Trade between the two nations has slowed to a crawl and their economies have suffered because of it.
Many Onukaranan traders have resorted to traveling on-foot through a pass that goes south of Onukara, through a gap in the mountain range, and to a river that lies to the north of Pohan-Vor. This allowed them to trade with the Bonklaxians at first, however merchants began to disappear quickly when they left, leading Onukara to believe that the citizens of Pohan-Vor were abducting their merchants. At first war was intended to break out, however other nations have persuaded them to solve things diplomatically, for the first time in many centuries. And thus a meeting was called in the old Celestial Temple between the leaders of the world's nations. Originally it was intended to just include the leaders of Pohan-Vor and Onukara, however complex webs of alliances have drawn in other nations such as Narroda, Ga-Lahii, and Po-Mataru into the mix.
The Celestial Temple is carved out of green marble and is lined with gold and beautiful red carpets. Even after not being used in ages it still retains its ancient beauty. The largest hall of the temple contains a circular table where the leaders of each participating nation are seated.

[Bonklaxia]

IC: Bonkle

I fiddle nervously with my armor, sending quick glances the others' way. Bonklaxia has had a long-standing policy of leaving other countries to their own devices, except in times of war or when trading with them. Being here with all these powerful people, with conflict a looming possibility, worries me. If things go south, I can only hope to protect my people from harm and stay away from the fight.

[Onukara]

IC: Turaga Maxyl

Go to the summit, they said. It'll be fun, they said.

Maxyl was a quite man, but this had hit him quite hard. His close friend and confidant, Toa Volte, was among the missing merchants. He would inevitably demand compensation.

"The Borderlands of Onukara demand nothing less than full compensation for all lost profits from trade as well as compensation for the supplies and transports lost and all the lives lost to you savages."

Maxyl didn't think to highly of Pohan-Vor's populace, obviously.

"We have enough trouble with the Galites, who, as I'm sure you're all aware, have been attacking our trade routes for years, but now we have to deal with Vorox?"

[Narroda]

IC: Zoemetir

Zoemetir had recently arrived in the Celestial Chamber where he greeted the other nations leaders before taking a seat.
The state of Narroda was not directly involved in the conflict between Onukara and Pohan-Vor, however their leader was asked to attend because they too had been impacted by the drought that dried the Northeast River. Trade with Bonkleaxia, their top exporter of fish, had suffered and many of the fishermen of Narroda were rapidly losing profit.
The Su-Matoran sat down at the table and listened as Maxyl gave his opening statement.

[Onukara]

IC Turaga Maxyl

"And to make matters worse, you expect us to stand idly by while our economy goes down the drain? The only reason the Council agreed to this summit was because we're too busy fighting the Galites in the north, despite the fact that Narroda refuses to aid us in any way."

[Ga-Lahii]

IC: Gra-Mali am Noro

What a way to start the first millennium of Terra Magna! Late to an international meeting, the likes of which Ga-Lahi'i had never been to. The Leader of the community, being the only one with any real authority over international matters in Ga-Lahi'i due to it's isolationist ideologies, sauntered in while Maxyl of Onukara was opening up the meeting.

"I understand someone needed fish- oh, I'm sorry sir, I didn't mean to interrupt. Please continue."

[Bonklaxia]

IC: (Matoran) Bonkle

"Ah, good to see more of us arriving. Hopefully this can go smoothly, and we can continue friendly relations?"

[Onukara]

IC Turaga Maxyl

"Friendly? You call this 'friendly?' I'd hate to see what war looks like from your perspective."

[Bonklaxia]

IC: Bonkle

Slightly annoyed, I turn to the Onukaran leader. "I meant that we should start being friends and not squabble over petty issues such as this.

[Pohan-Vor]

IC: Iaredios, as King (Shah'hi) and Gaurdian (Dihagsidi) Deeni-Ta'ali of Pohan-Vor. A tall vorox of average build in his early-forties. A man of intellectual enlightenment as well as spiritual, here he sits in the midst of heathens. Some less barbaric then others, but barbarian-heathens all the same.


From the lukewarm red rocky mountains and the dark green trees that blanket the hills surrounding the great earthy-red mesas down to the deep blue River Vor and it's farms that all make up the heartland of Tselechi'i, and through the brown barren mountains that lead to the Celestial Temple upon Mount Moya has Dihagsidi Deeni-Ta'ali, or Guardian 'Keen/Sharp-One', traveled through. With the smell of smoke and dust in the air (smoke coming from the torches), Deeni-Ta'ali sits at his uncomfortable chair, his tail forced to go in-between his legs, with chitin-plated bodyguards several feet behind him, all the while still as amazed at the design the 'barbarians' have come up with for this building as when he first walked through it's doors. But he is not distracted. Deeni-Ta'ali was given this adult name for a reason.

He sits in the silence that been sustained since the last of the echo that spawned from the lips everyone else had died, thinking of an appropriate reply, while also mentally marking how ugly everyone's animated metal faces were while showing showing no emotion of it. Deeni-Ta'ali calmly broke that silence with careful choice of words that have been chosen from the period of silence and coughing:

"Head of Onukara", said the moderately deep, thick accented voiced vorox, "I trust you have dragged me away from my people for only a short amount of time. I mean no offense when I say the following, but must you jump to conclusions? My people had nothing to do with the disappearance of your traders. The desert has many monsters, be the ones that our chitin plates derive from, or more sentient variants in the form of black-market scum. Either one of them could have encountered the traders. If you want, I can enlist aid to find your missing people, but do not blame my people for it," he said with calm authority in the back of his voice.

[Ko-Vara]

IC: Dane, current leader of the Disputed Territories of Ko-Vara
The green Komau wearing matoran watched silently as the two regions argued.

[Bonklaxia]

IC: Bonkle

This Dane fellow seems friendly enough. I scoot over ti him discreetly. If things turn sour immediately, I'll need some allies.

[Onukara]

IC Turaga Maxyl

"Oh, come on, Shah'hi! You barbarians have been a thorn in the side of all civilized species for years, and now you come here, blaming this on desert creatures and a few black marketeers? No. I will not stand for this. Your people have taken ours, and now you stand here before this council and you dare to blame it on someone else? This is insanity, pure and simple."

[Narroda]

Zoemetir:

The Su-Matoran frowned when he heard the less-than-subtle jab at him by Maxyl. He said nothing and allowed for the discussion to continue, straightening his gold-lined red robes that covered his body. He remembered what he had told himself earlier, that he would try his hardest to remain quiet during the meeting. He didn't want the attention to come to him, because when it did, it often involved a lot of people remembering to the so-called "abuses of power" and "corruption" that were often associated with his name. An association that only existed outside of his nation.

[Pohan-Vor]

IC Deeni-Ta'ali

"A thorn how? Because we never conformed to your ways while enslaved by that dark god of yours, or his viceroys? We vorox have always been picked on and bound by other races. Should that give me clause for hatred of all and bent on destruction of every race we have encountered? No, because the individual people that did such things are either dead or the afflicted have been dead. To have such thoughts is to be immature about history. I have accepted what has transpired, and through are our hardships it all led to us being unified and at peace, thank The Potter. If we are a thorn in the eyes of your kind because we do not natively speak your tongue or have our own customs, then so be it. We will be the thorn to cause you slight displeasure but not break the skin. You might try to remove us, but we will always be present, free and unified or enslaved and divided. Besides, how do you know if your racial brothers here have the same feeling as you?"

Deeni-Ta'ali relaxed himself after his speech, "Would you like to investigate yourself? If you would be so kind to offer inspectors we will give them permission to look at non-sacred areas. We will watch them carefully, however. Again, I will help in the tracking down of these people if you will let me. Last thing the Vorox need is conflict. Besides, why would we do this to your traders? Our economy needs to be worked on, harming those that are the lifeblood of it does nothing for us."

The Dihagsidi of Vor folds his hands and rests them on the table, quietly awaiting a response.

[Bonklaxia]

IC: Brakas

I am beginning to grow suspicious of this Vorox, myself. I wanted to keep myself neutral, but something is off about him.

[Narroda]

Zoemetir:

Zoemetir folded his arms. He admired the Vorox's way of delivering his point to his opposition.
Pohan-Vor could become a very powerful ally in the east, he thought to himself. If war would to break out we could give the Onukarans a two front battle if Narroda sided with them. Narroda has very little influence in the affairs of the southeastern nations, this could be an opportunity to change that. But on the flip side, they could also be a dangerous enemy. I'll have to approach this situation cautiously.
He leaned back in his seat and continued to observe the interactions.

[Onukara]

IC Deeni-Ta'ali

"A thorn how? Because we never conformed to your ways while enslaved by that dark god of yours, of his viceroys? We vorox have always been picked on and bound by other races. Should that give me clause for hatred of all and bent on destruction of every race we have encountered? No, because the individual people that did such things are either dead or the afflicted have been dead. To have such thoughts is to be immature about history. I have accepted what has transpired, and through are our hardships it all led to us being unified and at peace, thank The Potter. If we are a thorn in the eyes of your kind because we do not natively speak your tongue or have our own customs, then so be it. We will be the thorn to cause you slight displeasure but not break the skin. You might try to remove us, but we will always be present, free and unified or enslaved and divided. Besides, how do you know if your racial brothers here have the same feeling as you?"

Deeni-Ta'ali relaxed himself after his speech, "Would you like to investigate yourself? If you would be so kind to offer inspectors we will give them permission to look at non-sacred areas. We will watch them carefully, however. Again, I will help in the tracking down of these people if you will let me. Last thing the Vorox need is conflict. Besides, why would we do this to your traders? Our economy needs to be worked on, harming those that are the lifeblood of it does nothing for us."

The Dihagsidi of Vor folds his hands and rests them on the table, quietly awaiting a response.

IC Turaga Maxyl

"I care little for cultural debate. If you want to worship a flying block of cheese, so be it! If you want to speak the language of ants, so be it! If every Saturday you dress in a purple hat and eat chocolate-covered takea sharks, so be it. But I don't care what my racial brothers believe. The Onukaran people have been beset upon for years by your kind. When we fled from the Terak Valley all those years ago, we turned to you for protection, and you turned us away!"

"But not only did you insult us then, you openly insult us now! 'Dark god?' How dare you!"

[Pohan-Vor]

IC: Deeni Ta'ali

Realizing how what he said could be taken the wrong way, Deeni Ta'ali corrected himself, "I do apologize. When saying 'dark god', I meant not of your Onua, but rather the titan that once enslaved us all and flies through the Second Heaven as we speak; the word 'your' was in reference to the people of the Metal Realm as a whole and his relation to it. And for what happened at that time, the Heaven's Shower, that was a different Guardian, and I would have done differently than her.

But enough insults, whether on purpose or not," The vorox said, hinting at his opposition, "I have extended my help to your problem, to our problem. I suggest you take it. In fact, as a sign of good will, when I return to my palace I will order a search to begin, whether you will assist me in doing so or not. The fate of your traders now lies in your hands, as I will be doing my part. Blessings of Tsui Sifalkote, Great Potter, to both you and your lost ones. Amen." Said the king with a sincere smile, hands folded and quickly bowing to Turaga Maxyl at the end of the last sentence.

[Onukara]

IC Turaga Maxyl

Oh.

Whoops.

Maxyl sighed. "And if this investigation should lead to a so-called 'sacred area?' Will we be turned away, or..."

[Bonklaxia]

IC: Suaku

This is where I step in.

"If lives are at stake, if people are missing, sacred grounds are of little importance."

[Pohan-Vor]

IC: Deeni-Ta'ali

"My people are wary of outsiders going into the sacred lands," said the despot. He sat there with chin in hand to think of a solution, then switched to trail the top of his index finger up and down the ridge on his chin where his jaw could separate. His eyes lit but then grew worried. Deeni-Ta'ali had come up with a possible solution but was not sure if the turaga would be welcome to it.

"The vorox look down upon slavery and persecution. To help with trade I would like to expand east, to the coast. You might need to go through our sacred lands. How do all of these go together? The key, turaga, is your farming-ones, your agori, the ones your people call 'Ackarites'. We will provide you permission to have only two inspectors go through the sacred lands while being watched by a priest and two guards, if you were to allow your Ackarites to have the choice to leave their land and head towards the empty river lands just east of us. They will be under our protection and under our banner, but be allowed to have a large amount of autonomy. This will most likely appear to be an equal trade in the eyes of the vorox.This may seem like a lot for you, but you must understand that it is against our laws for outsiders to venture into our burial grounds and most holy of places. It is possible factions might form against me once I announce this to my people. I am willing to allow a small passage be crafted to ease political tension, but once the inspection is done they must leave at once."

The worry that took his heart could be seen slightly breaking into his confident face, and Deeni-Ta'ali said, "Turaga Maxyl, and all of you, I might be the Guardian of Pohana and King of the Vor People, but I am ultimately the supreme servant of my people, and by doing this they might see it as treason and dispose of me. I have ultimate authority over all in our land just under the Great Potter Himself, but as it is an Enlightened Despotate, once a ruler has deemed to have lost his enlightenment and His blessing he is only a dictator and must be replaced, by force if necessary. It has never happened before, but there is always a first time for everything if The Potter wills it."

[Onukara]

IC Turaga Maxyl

Maxyl realized this was an offer he couldn't refuse. This was his last chance.

"Hm... Fine. However, I will need to finalize this deal with the Council. Unlike you, I am not the leader of my people. Well, most of them, anyways."

[Pohan-Vor]

IC: Deeni-Ta'ali

"Alright then. If no one has anything else to say I think we can have this meeting adjourned." Deeni-Ta'ali looked at the others at the meeting table and awaited a response.