"It's been some time," the translucent blue spirit of Scorpix said, "hasn't it, Lycor?" "It has." Lycor replied evenly to the chi ghost. "I needed closure on this." Scorponok explained. "When you'd told me about Scorpix's sacrifice, Lycor, I'd thought there was no way to prove whether or not you were telling the truth. Today, though, I learned about the existence of chi ghosts, and how to summon them." "I, too, didn't know it was possible to return to the living realm until now." Scorpix added. "It's a pleasure to see you two again; Lycor, the adversary I respect more than any other, and Scorponok, my blood brother." "So then, what did you learn, Scorponok?" Lycor asked. "Are you satisfied with what Scorpix told you?" "I am." Scorponok answered. "Scorpix confirmed that his end was a sacrifice for the sake of Chima, and while I obviously wish things would've happened differently, I bear no more ill will toward you, Lycor. You have earned my respect." "I'm glad to be worthy of it." Lycor said genuinely. "Now, there was another matter I wanted to discuss with you, Scorpix." The blind scorpion said, turning his head in an attempt to be facing the chi ghost again. "Should I now rejoin the main Scorpion Tribe, which, as I told you, the Republic now presides over?" "I'm not sure I understand the question." Scorpix said, crossing his immaterial arms. "The Republic of the Claw is your legacy, my brother." Scorponok said. "And instead of cooperating with them, I defied them and formed my own faction, unknowingly being influenced by the Phoenix in doing so. Perhaps... most of the Brotherhood members will be willing to merge back with the main tribe once they learn the truth about the Repub--" "Say no more, Scorponok." Scorpix said, raising his hands even though the other scorpion couldn't see him. "I don't want to hear anymore talk like that out of you." "Huh??" Scorponok asked, baffled.
"You are my blood brother, my dearest friend," Scorpix replied, "but you are your own man, Scorponok. Your legacy doesn't have to be tied to mine in the slightest. Just as I respect Lycor despite him being my enemy until the end, I respect and admire your decision to form your own faction, despite it not aligning with mine. If anything, the fact that you are now free of Zarak's control means that you, and the Stinger Brotherhood, can and should continue to thrive and evolve." "I see..." Scorponok said thoughtfully. "So we should stay separate from the main tribe?" "That's your decision to make." Scorpix said, shrugging. "I was simply saying that I approve of your choice either way. Though you don't need my approval anyhow." "Thank you, Scorpix." Scorponok said. "Then the Stinger Brotherhood will remain its own faction, existing alongside the Republic of the Claw." "That sounds great to me." Scorpix said. "Now, Scorponok, Lycor. I bid you two farewell for now." "Going back to the afterlife?" Lycor assumed. "I think not." Scorpix answered with a deep, booming laugh as he grabbed the chi ghost concoction out of Scorponok's claw. "While I appreciate the summary of events you gave me, Scorponok, I simply cannot pass up this opportunity to see the state of my tribe and of Chima with my own eyes." The ghost floated upward, carefully carrying the concoction that'd summoned him. "I'm sure I'll cross paths with both of you again before too long." Scorpix said as he glided away. "I wish you luck with your future endeavors, my brother." "Well, that's that." Scorponok said as the spirit disappeared from view. "Now I just need a way to rendezvous with the Brother--" "Scorponok!" A voice called out over a sudden whir of helicopter blades. "We've found you!" Lycor looked up to see Stinger-Copters flying over the forest, and several scorpions jumping down from them, skillfully landing on their feet. Lycor glanced at the Forever Rock and noticed the Mistress twitching her left ear at this, but she didn't make a move otherwise. "Are you Brotherhood scorpions?" Scorponok asked, turning in the direction of the voice.
-last edited on Oct 14, 2021 22:38:38 GMT by The J
Post by The J on Oct 14, 2021 22:35:44 GMT
"Yes sir!" Answered a scorpion. "At last, we've reunited with our leader!" "We'd followed your tracks into the Northern Outland mountains," the scorpion explained, "but found that they abruptly stopped." "Yes, well," Scorponok replied, "I've a lot of explaining to do. First though, take me back with you to the Northern Outland Mountains." "Back to the... Northern Outland Mountains, sir?" The scorpion asked. "You heard me." Scorponok affirmed. "Head for the far northeast. I believe that will be the perfect place for a headquarters." "Wait, Scorponok," the scorpion said, "what happened to your eyes? Why are they... grey and white?" "Remember the Stinger-Copter crash in the Iron Mountains?" Scorponok replied even as Lycor opened his mouth to speak. "The glass from the cockpit shattered, and took my eyes in doing so; a necessary sacrifice. Just one small price to pay." "Small??" The scorpion started, but Scorponok turned back around and held out his claw. "As I said, you have earned my respect, Lycor." Scorponok affirmed. "I presume there will be no conflicts between the Lion Tribe and the Stinger Brotherhood henceforth? That is what I desire." "Then we have the same desire, Scorponok." Lycor agreed, shaking hands with the scorpion. "I will do everything in my power to ensure that peace between my tribe and your organization is ensured. And... I'm sorry, about everything." "You need not be." Scorponok said quietly. "I now understand that... some sacrifices are necessary." Lycor thought about Scorponok's words, as he watched the Stinger Brotherhood scorpions guide their leader onto one of the Stinger-Copters, and soar away.
***
Leodus turned as he heard rustling in the bushes. Lycor stepped back into the clearing that'd been created as a result of the many trees cut down during the battle. "Are you satisfied with the result concerning Scorponok?" Leodus asked. "I am." Lycor answered. "He is alive, and we're on good terms." "That's good to hear." Malgus II said. "King Leodus and I were just discussing what our next course of action will be. It's become apparent that I must take my unwell father into custody, and become the Mammoth King in his stead."
"I," Leodus added, "will be securing Malgus' former Fire Wing Harness in the Golden City. I realize I could destroy it as Senix had before, but, let's be honest, someone would inevitably put it back together again. Better to lock it away." "You're probably right." Lycor agreed, pulling out his pocket radio and slotting a fire chi orb into its compartment. He looked at the small screen. "I, meanwhile, will be returning to Lion City. My uncle, the Supreme Regent, has been trying to get a hold of me. It seems something big is happening, or about to happen..." "Very well." Leodus said. "Then, gentlemen, we all have places to be." "Wait, King Leodus." Malgus II said as the felines started to walk away. "What is to be done about the Elemental Balance? The Icebears still dwell in the south, and it's only a matter of time before the Sabertoothes' second invasion. We can't just convince them to stay in the Arctic with some sweet-talking. You fought to prevent a complete Illumination, but we've seen how an incomplete one will just make everything worse." "I don't believe so." Leodus said firmly, shaking his head. "It seems an incomplete Illumination will manipulate reality in whatever way will most effectively fix the current problem. In the context of the Sabertooth Tiger-Lion War, forcing the Sabertooth and Mammoth tribes into the north was the only way to save Cavora and Chima. In the context of our current predicament, I suspect that it'll have the opposite effect, removing the Hunters of your ice powers, and thus restoring the Elemental Balance to its natural north-south state." "Alright," Malgus II said, shrugging as he got into the Mammoth-Copter. "Let's hope you're right, though I suppose it won't make much of a difference for my tribe either way." "In any case," Leodus said quietly to himself as he trudged through the forest, "what we've learned here today is deeply disturbing. I wonder what you would've thought of this... Valum?"
Malgus II was described as "young" in Chapter 3, despite being physically 37, and even older than that due to 100+ years in his "zombie" state. I'll say that he is considered young in comparison to other Ice Hunters such as Malgus and Senix.
In Chapter 4, Zarak says "I see you were extremely lucky with your reincarnation", despite being blind at the time, and unable to have seen Fal'qar's form. This is because the "multiple voices speaking at once" will be recognized by any phoenix as the voice of their tribe's current Emperor.
I've realized that the flashback in chapters 6-8, regarding the end of the Sabertooth Tiger-Lion War, takes place in the year 163 BR. This is a conclusion I came to based on the timeline of that era, Leodus' age (more on that later), the time period between that war and the Bear Civil War and Icebear-Leopard War, etc.
In Chapter 13, Tenebrae says that he and the Phoenix Triumvirate were never able to destroy a Fire Wing Harness until he became a wizard. This was necessary to explain why they didn't simply get rid of any of the Harnesses over the centuries, however it does create a discrepancy concerning the Harness Vamprah had destroyed in the Iron Mountains (the one that was rebuilt/fused into Scordon Freeman's armor by the Forgotten). I will aim to explain why Vamprah was able to destroy the Harness in another story I'm planning on writing.
In Chapter 17, Malgus says to Leodus "You may look decades younger, but I know you're older than me", despite the fact that Leodus was definitely born after Malgus. The reason Malgus thinks of Leodus as being his elder now, is because the mammoth was frozen for nearly 163 years, while Leodus was still aging (despite being visually younger, as Malgus mentioned).
Speaking of Leodus' age, I'm changing it from 162 to 192. This fits better with that time period (making Leodus 29 in 163 BR, when he became a wizard), and I don't believe it contradicts anything. If any character, even Leodus himself, ever referred to him being 162 in the RP, they simply got it mixed up due to the sheer amount of time he's been alive.
-last edited on Nov 21, 2021 21:31:11 GMT by The J
Post by The J on Nov 21, 2021 21:27:04 GMT
Appendix B: Trivia/Behind the Scenes
The Zarak/Scorponok reveal had been planned ever since Scorponok started having the "fire visions" in the Roleplay, however for a long time I couldn't think of a way to implement it.
I eventually planned the events told in this story after the events on the first two pages of the Northern Outland Mountains topic; so, this story was meant to be a "sequel" to that earlier arc, and was originally going to be a series of posts on the Roleplay. Though as I developed the arc and it got longer and longer, I realized that it would've just been me writing a book on the Forever Rock topic, so I adapted these planned events into a story here on the main forum.
The inclusion of the deceptive "Sorceress" into this story was added later down the line; she was a villain created for the lore (more on that later), and for the "Legacy Trilogy" I planned long ago, which I may or may not still write. Thus, I added her to the Phoenix Triumvirate, and wrote her in a way so that I can say the reincarnation is alive if I do write the Legacy Trilogy later, and say she's indefinitely incapacitated (probably frozen) if I don't write it.
Much like the Zarak/Scorponok plot point, I'd planned the full explanation of Senix' motivation a while ago, but didn't know how to implement it for a long time. I knew that Malgus needed to win in the Northern Outland mountains arc so he could get the Fire Wing Harness, and an exposition dump from Senix in his last breath would've been odd, to say the least. I'm satisfied with the way this turned out, though, since the reveal of Senix' and Malgus' true motives much later made for a big plot twist.
I had actually mentioned the "Sorceress" in the RP a while ago, when Galvanor referenced her on the Arctic North topic (on page 7, after Malgus revived Galvanor in the Purple City), solidifying her as a character in the lore. Speaking of Galvanor, though, he was originally going to be the third member of the Phoenix Triumvirate in her place!
It would've been a Zarak/Scorponok situation, and Galvanor would've regained control of his body and escaped to Eagle Spire at the end. The thematic twists here would've been that Malgus had revived one of his enemies without even realizing it, and that Senix had fought one of his allies earlier without knowing.
However, the more I thought about this idea, the more it didn't work; firstly, this story both takes place before, and was initially written before, Galvanor's identity reveal in the Roleplay, so Erdrik's mask would've had to stay on for the entirety of the story (which would've been impossible, considering the phoenix in control of his body during that time would've surely taken the mask off out of curiosity, and while talking to his allies). Secondly, it would've felt more like a contrived cameo than something that actually mattered; the events of this story have next to no relevance to Galvanor's story in the RP, aside from him maybe trying to initiate an incomplete Illumination to restore the Elemental Balance before starting his war with the Mantas, but that would've given him and Lycor the same goal, messing with that whole conflict. Thirdly, this story was planned before Colt became active again on the Roleplay and started the Phoenix-Eagle conflict which happened at the same time chronologically as this story (since both events happened immediately after the Tribal Summit), so that would-be contradiction was the final nail in the coffin for this idea. Don't get me wrong though, it's partially thanks to Colt that I swapped out Galvanor's role for the Phoenix "Sorceress", which I feel was much better and made a lot more sense.
Zarak's name is yet another Transformers reference to go with Scorponok, since in the Marvel comics, Zarak was Decepticon Scorponok's "Headmaster" partner, and thus they essentially shared a body (or alternatively, in the Headmasters anime, Scorponok was the name of the little guy, and "Mega-Zarak" was the larger Transformer that acted as his suit). In terms of Chima RP lore, however, I imagine his name was originally Farak, and he changed it to Zarak in retaliation to his tribe.
The inclusion of the Dragons as the Gods of Chima was added later down the line, both so that the Fire Wing Harnesses having reality-transforming powers would make more sense, and to create a thematic link with the Legends of Chima Fanon Roleplay. These are not to be confused with those Dragons, though, since this Chima is probably in its own dimension separate from the Sixteen Realms (case in point; the mortals of this Chima going to the Chi Ghost Realm instead of the Departed Realm).
Just like Scorpix, Tenebrae's chi ghost was originally going to be left in the mortal world, and would fly off, at the end of the story. This was the plan for a long time, and was even in the final outline I wrote. However, I realized by the time I got to chapter 20 that it wouldn't have made sense. Tenebrae would've naturally been trying to fly away before the battle's end, and Malgus, of course, wouldn't let him escape to tell more people the truth about the Great Illumination. Thus, Malgus sending Tenebrae back to the Chi Ghost Realm was the very last change made to this story before its completion.
Finally, I want to thank the mods of the original Lego Message Boards, for giving me the inspiration for this story. You see, in the ancient days of 2014-2016, I had been browsing that website's Chima Roleplay forum at some point, and saw that there were two of each location topic; one new, and one locked. A reset had occurred. I went to an announcement topic, wherein a mod had written something along the lines of, "A Great Illumination has occurred, and the world of Chima has been reset!" And there you have it; the idea of a Great Illumination actually resetting the universe came to me thanks to the original Chima Roleplay.
