Arekule's Journal is a Journal recovered by Utu and Tank when they captured Kearrstrun. It documents Arekule's, the apparant creator of the Marks, studies on the Marks (Runes) and his attempts at gifting beings with Marks. It also details Arekule's thoughts on each Mark Bearer, and candidates for Bearers.
Entry One: An Introduction
I found various runes in old texts Turaga Nuju had hidden away. At the time I thought little of them despite the fact Nuju kept them a secret. They were of an old language, presumably before our time, and although interesting, there was little reason to pursue them. They was no other information regarding them, and I have yet to see a trace of any of them around Mata-Nui.
Decoding the writings was... Difficult to say the least. Near impossible, but I did it. My guess is the Marks are a vehicle for something within, a potential I have yet to unlock.
Recently however, I had made a breakthrough, the first step to uncovering the secret these runes are keeping. I have taken a subject into my labs and given her various chemicals I've managed to cook up here. It seems that the effects vary depending entirely on the symbol. This has lead me to believe the Marks are more than just symbols. They hold powers untold, powers I plan to control. The subject died shortly after prolonged use of her Mark, which reacts to certain pheremones in the air, giving the user increased strength, and euphoria. I'm now trying different chemical combonations in order to prevent death from occuring. I'll report my findings soon.
-Arekule
Entry Two: The Candidate Files
I'm documenting possible subjects while I search for an assistant I can trust.
No. 1 - Utu
Among my findings, the most interesting of them all is a Toa of a small village, north of Ko-Koro.
No. 1 - Utu
A massive Toa with an equally sized build. Physically, he is a perfect specimen for the tests I have planned. I'd be interested to see the effect a Mark would have on a body as fit as his. His overall health however appears to be lacking. Mental sickness may or may not plague him. Perhaps his upbringing was not ideal? Regardless, despite his size he appears to be afraid of others in his village. I'm assuming they've been poor to him at a young age, and he's always been too frightened to stand up for himself. (Looking more into that later)
However, he seems angry, bottling up his hatred for his "friends" he has no way to deal with age old problems, providing he's had some. This is ideal for the testing. To test the full power of the Runes, the user will have to use it to it's full extent. This would require much concentration and full investment.
Additional Notes on No.1-
His mannerisms resemble those with extreme disregard for life. All he has been taught is self preservation, and in some cases pleasure. Although morally, this makes him dangerous, it still makes him even more eligible for a marking. Upon closer inspection I have noticed signs of physical abuse. This confirms my suspicions of his upbringing.
I am however worried what a destructive Toa will do with a power so grand as this. So for now, I have decided to leave him be. I will however continue to observe him as time passes.
Do not test Test
I cannot pass up on a specimen as near to perfect as No. 1, I have decided, despite my assistant's impositions, to place No. 1 on the top of the list. The first subject.
No. 2 - Salvinn
No. 2 - Salvinn
This Vortixx has proven to be extremely hardened. He's agile, fast (For his size), and unlike No. 1, is leading a happy enough life. Mostly. So far, I'm mostly interested in the effect a Mark will have on a Vortixx.
He spends much of his time bounding about the jungles of Le-Wahi, exploring, hunting, and enjoying himself. This is odd for a Vortixx. He's a bit of an acrobat too (As far as Vortixx's can go), which I found entertaining to watch. Whenever meeting travelers upon the road he would speak to them. This made it easy to get up close. I spoke to him to find out more about him, apparently, he's lived in Le-Wahi most his life living on what he catches with no real home. He simply sleeps where it looks comfortable.
I'll be returning to get later.
Test
I ran into him again on the road between Le-Koro and Ta-Koro, of course, I'd been going back and forth on it until I found him again. This time I took him by surprise, before taking him away to my lab.
I left him in the forest and watched him single-handedly take care of a group of bandits. Maybe because he felt like it, maybe because the Mark on his arm represents Hope. I'm beginning to think the Bearer is attracted to the feeling their Rune represents.
No. 3 - Leavit
No. 3 - Leavit
The first time I saw Leavit was in a bar, almost radiating a desire for attention. He stood up on his table and started singing, stomping on the table. As disrespectful as it was, it was entertaining, and he knew it. After his little jaunt along the tables, he spent the rest of the night eying the women in the room, trying desperately to get any sort of attention from them. After following him home; he was alone, I noticed a couple things about him. He's almost like a lost puppy and really lonely. Something I had sensed apart from his behavior, was he was angry in his lonesomeness. Perhaps because he feels frustrated, that he can't seem to initiate a relationship, let alone take anybody home.
His actions while alone were very different from his actions while others are present. In the morning, he got up and punched a bag until it broke his fingers (I think). Afterwards, he took a break to wrap his hands before starting again, obviously too angry to care about the pain. This suggests more about where his anger is originating.
I'm curious as to what effect his own emotions would have on his own Mark, if it would do anything at all, or boost the power tenfold. He's a good candidate for an Anger Rune for this reason. But I've since decided against it.
Do not test
No. 4 - The Seventh(?)
No. 4 - The Seventh(?)
An odd name I'm aware. She was first brought to my attention on the road to Ko-Wahi. I had been traveling the opposite direction, off the path of course. The Matoran had apparently attempted at her things, to which she replied with a swift response in the form of fists, leaving the Matoran on the road. I had decided to follow her, knowing at some point I'd need a Matoran to test on. She's got a little bit of a mouth on her though, fairly self-absorbed. From what I gathered with a conversation with her she's from Ga-Koro. Apparently a lot of siblings too.
Before parting ways I had already decided to Mark her. Courage was fitting enough. The next day she'd be waking up on the northern tip of the Kumu-Islets.
Additional Notes on No. 4-
Turns out there are a lot of issues with Matoran Marks. It seems. She's had some side-effects, getting close to dying in the past day. I'm not yet sure if Matoran Marks all act this way, if they're more sensitive to the possibility, or if Seventh is simply a special case. I'll have to try again with another Matoran somewhere down the road.
No. 8 - Dorian
No. 8- Dorian
{C}It's been pretty difficult digging information up on this character. Kearrstrun was the first to point out his possible profession was the reason for his constant hiding. Turns out, being a professional killer causes you to live in hiding most of the time.
He's pretty good at it too. Not good at killing in the sense that Utu is good at killing, but he's been the most precise, exact as expected by a Toa of his stature. The majority of the times I've seen Dorian, he's been killing somebody. This has been perfect for observing his technique. A mixture between the style Salvinn employs, and R'ralrun's style.
I've yet to investigate what kind of person he is however, which after Utu, I've been more careful about. (Kearrstrun was right)
Additional notes on No. 8-
The fact that a potential Bearer who is a skilled killer would make my observations a little more acute. I'm sure he's not the healthiest mentally, but he has shown no signs of psychosis. Not yet.
He's cynical. Not so self absorbed as Leavit, but he's confident. Has a lack of belief in destiny.
I think I'll give him some.
Test
No. 12 - Reaver
Not a candidate, but I'm writing information on this Toa down now so I don't have to recount it later. Besides. She is an interesting case.
I found a Toa in the middle of the ocean. Perhaps a ship wreck. Regardless, when I brought her back to the safe house, neither Kearrstrun or I could get any credible information from her. She's lost, she couldn't even remember her own name. Since we found her, we've been feeding her, and letting her stay with us. Of course, if she tried to leave we'd have to stop her, we can't risk having her reveal our current location. Moving is a huge pain.
If she does not remember who she is soon, we're going to have to craft an identity for her ourselves.
She's showed no signs of remembering who she is.
We're going to put her under soon. It's been a long time since Dorian, and between my personal assistant and her, I'm picking her as a Bearer. We need the program to run as smoothly as possible, and everything must happen in a consistent manner in order to work. The only reason I've chosen her is simply, we're out of options.
No. 12 - Reaver
I carried her myself to the shores of Ga-Wahi after wiping her mind. We've broken off contact, but plan to continue observing her as time goes on.
Test
No. 20 - Praggos
No. 20 - Praggos
Kearrstrun had pointed me in the direction of Praggos. A scholar, one of the few Toa who works at the Wall of History, Praggos doesn't talk much (Toa of ice obviously) but one thing I've noticed is the way he holds himself. It seems he is attempting to hide his absolute loneliness. Nobody speaks to him in the workplace, and from what we've seen has no other relationships. After work each day he just goes home. The only reason Kearrstrun suggested him to me is his mind. He Believes he might be able to control the Mark, bringing it to another level. I disagree. He's nothing special.
Do not test
Kearrstrun has found a journal in Praggos' home. They contain plausible ideas for weapons, mechanical (and biological? Looking into it*) marvels. And it's chalk full of equations, some of which I have never seen. They're extremely complicated but I think I can figure them out with some time.
- It seems I'm not the only one interested in weapons built to give powers. Praggos is ahead of our time in terms of biological technology. His calculations however, are incomplete. They'll never work. Not if what he's planning is anything like what I've seen.
Test
Entry Three: Kearrstrun/The First "Test"
I have finally found an assistant I can rely on. A poor Toa that bears a Kakama (Ideal for possible errands) and a desperate need for money. Of course I had to make sure he wasn't planning on sabotaging the program. I've decided he's not. Kearrstrun is his name.
Kearrstrun has been very helpful to me. He's also very polite.
Last night we took Utu, the procedure went smoothly. He hadn't suspected anything. The embroidering was the most difficult part as he had woken up suddenly. Apparently, Utu has a bit of a resistance to the anesthetics, but all in all, everything went well. We dropped him in Ko-Wahi near his old village. Just to see what he'd do. He didn't disappoint. Effortlessly, and mercilessly he killed each and every one of them, literally tearing many of them apart. The Toa certainly knew a thing or two about fear. Those that attempted to fight back were cast aside like a broken toy when Utu was done with them.
Oddly enough, he spent more time with those who attempted to flee. Perhaps he feels a form of pleasure when he senses fear. I did choose the Mark of Fear randomly, but he seems to take pleasure in it. Or maybe he's just entirely and utterly insane.
But I didn't choose him because of his mind. I chose him to observe the Mark. He proved the power it could wield. The strength far exceeded a Pakari.
Entry ?: The Temple
The temple we found on the Kumu-Islets were littered with Runes upon the stone door. We can't drill in, or smash the door down. Whoever built this must've been a technical engineer, because no matter how we approach it, it will not bust. However, we've decided that we need to collect all the Bearers together in order to open the door, as all the Marks on the front seem to be significant. They are identical to the ones in Nuju's files.
Despite this, it takes a back seat to testing. Perhaps once this is all done, I'll open the temple. See what's inside.