Nialus

"Only those willing to kill will survive in this world. I am one of them."
— Toa Nialus

Nialus/"Cryptic"
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Species	Toa
Element	Gravity
Kanohi Mask	Great Matatu
Alignment	Neutral
Weapons/Tools	Death Reaper scythe, dual shotels
Powers	Elemental Earth; the power of the Matatu
Occupations	Antique/bookstore owner, mercenary for hire
Group	The Outsiders (honorary)
Status	Alive, active
Creator/Player	Jakura Nuva
Too many parameters

Nialus is a lone, hard-headed yet intelligent Toa of Earth and debt-bound member of the mercenary organization, The Outsiders. In the Outsiders, Nialus' real name is unknown - he goes by "Cryptic" (previously known as "Transient").

Timeline

Biography

Pre-BZPRPG

Nialus began his life as a simple miner in Onu-Koro, where his primary job was to locate water sources that could be used to replenish miners who were too far away from the Koro to get constant water shipments. The isolation and peace was perfect for Nialus, who preferred the silence of his job to the noise that accompanied the mining crews and their machinery. The isolation, however, would affect him later in life, as he would need to learn teamwork and compassion. Nialus loved reading and sketching the Koros, and did so frequently on his breaks.
One day, Nialus dug his way into an ancient tunnel, the likes of which had been unseen before. When he explored further, the young Matoran discovered a strange stone tablet atop a pedestal. Upon journeying back to Onu-Koro and presenting the artifact to Turaga Whenua, Nialus was astounded when presented with honors for having discovered the slab, which happened to be the Chronicles of an old Toa.
The excitement he had felt when exploring the tunnel and finding the artifact encouraged Nialus to pursue a career as a Chronicler. Retiring his pickaxe for a handmade Chronicler's Staff, the young Onu-Matoran set out to explore Mata Nui and record it's secrets.
The rest of Nialus's Chronicling career is mostly unknown, as he refuse to discuss it in detail to this day. It's known that he wrote down every adventure and significant occurrence, as well as copied down stories and legends from past and present Chroniclers and eyewitnesses. He owns hundreds upon hundreds of tablets detailing his quests, all of which he keeps locked in a special archive section of his current store. At some point in his travels, Nialus befriended and trained a Kewa bird, which he still owns to this day.
Although it is unknown when, where, or by who, some point during his final adventure as a Chronicler Nialus was transformed into a mighty Toa. He set forth for Le-Koro.

As with his life as a Chronicler, Nialus's life as a Toa is mostly a mystery. It is rumored that, despite abandoning the title of Chronicler, he continued to catalog his adventures for future reference. Traveling with Skratch, his trained Kavinika, Nialus journeyed into Le-Koro in search for adventure. What he found was a brutal Rahkshi attack, which he helped defend against. After teaming with a couple other Toa and winning the battle, Nialus took the spear from his first enemy defeated as a Toa. Later, he would remove the blades and have them fashioned into an a specialized weapon for himself, which became his prized possession.
After the battle, Nialus was pulled to the side by a young Ba-Toa whom he had fought beside - Varan. Varan complimented Nialus on his fighting moves and control over his powers, and asked him to join his Toa team. Having never been part of a large team before, Nialus agreed.
The rest of his history with the team is mostly unknown. It has been said that, despite working well with others on the battlefield, Nialus was a loner and tended to wander off when not fighting. His love for the island and it's beauty sometimes distracted him from other people, whom he often considered noisy and unappreciative of what they had. He was very quiet, and was known for performing numerous successful recon and espionage missions for the team - his knowledge of the Wahis and silence of step allowed him to be a master at stealth, and he taught many of his techniques to Varan. The sole being Nialus really connected with was a young female Toa on his team (currently unknown), whom, though clumsy, prideful and loud-mouthed, felt a strange attraction to the quiet and solemn Toa of Earth. Nialus returned her affection eventually, and eventually ended up in a relationship with her. This was noted as one of the happiest times of his life. During a crucial mission in which Nialus greatly proved his worth and courage, he was promoted to deputy of the team by Varan. It was also around this time that He retired from using his Rau and instead took on a Matatu, gifted to him by the female Toa.
One day, Nialus and the team ventured into Mangaia on a vital quest. They were ambushed by Rahkshi, and half the group was killed. Only five of the ten escaped - and all but one suffered amnesia as to what truly happened. That one was Nialus, and to this day he refuses to acknowledge the truth.
Ever since the death of many his comrades - among them the female Toa he had had a relationship with - Nialus has steered clear of adventures, and Toa in general. He has isolated himself completely from the outside world, presumably to deal with his sorrow and guilt, and opened a book/artifact shop in his home village of Onu-Koro. There, he sells copies of legends and adventures he has chronicled or recorded down from previous versions, as well as numerous valuable trinkets found on his adventures. He lives in the upper floor of the shop, and beneath the ground level of his shop (where he keeps the tablets, books, and scrolls) are the valuable artifacts he sells - below that floor is his secret archives, where he houses his personal chronicles and artifacts too valuable or special to him to sell.
Some time during his life as a Toa, Nialus became involved with the mercenary group, the Outsiders. All that is known is that he owes a large debt to its leader, the Skakdi known as Zero, and has been trying desperately to pay it back fully for years. He does so by giving over portions of his income, letting the organization use his shop sometimes as a rest-stop, housing artifacts found by the Outsiders, and even doing the occasional mission. He has recently rejoined fully, gaining a permanent nickname for himself.

Appearance and Tools

Nialus used to be as stocky and bulky as the majority of Onu-Toa, but a lack of field work has caused him to grow slimmer and weaker then before. He is around average Toa height, though slightly hunched. His torso and limbs are black and gunmetal grey, and the majority of his armor is black, with occasional purple highlights.

His original Toa tools were twin Earth Slicers, double swords that also acted as tunneling devices. After losing them in an undersea battle, one of Nialus's old teammates forged for him a Great Axehammer, which featured an axehead on one side of the head and a hammer on the other side. After feelings of insecurity recently, Nialus destroyed the weapon and took on dual reinforced shotels. After his battle with Faora, Nialus aquired a scythe, christened it in the blood of an enemy and named it the Death Reaper. He now carried this along with the shotels. Nialus' overgrown, naturally sharp claws also function as tools.

Nialus' Great Matatu, the Mask of Telekinesis, is adorned with an Akaku eye-scope for the left eye. The scope has a variety of features, from infrared and telescopic vision to minor translation powers (all extremely limited).

Abilities and Traits

Nialus's personality is much more similar to that of a Ko-Toa than an Onu- one. He often prefers to be alone, and can even be driven slightly mad by spending too much time around others. Despite his lonesome nature, Nialus has astounding courage, and quite a degree of stubborness. His reading, Chronicling, and exploring have made him quite wise, though he would deny it. Nialus's frosty persona and preference to maintain an aura of mysteriousness when in the field have earned him the title of "Cryptic" among the Outsiders.
Although he is cold of heart in battle and around strangers, Nialus is much more relaxed around friends. He is neither arrogant nor spiteful, and would sacrifice his life for what he believes to be the greater good. He has no qualms about using extreme violence, and, since he no longer considers himself bound by the Toa Code, will willfully kill. He is always pondering where his allegiances truly lie, something that can be used against him.

Nialus can harness the elemental power of earth, and utilizes the powers of telekinesis as directed through his Matatu.
The Toa's studies have drastically increased his intelligence, and his strength and endurance are, as with most Toa of Earth, more powerful than seen in other Toa, due to his experiences with tunneling and mining. His lack of field work, however, has taken hold of his body, causing him to be slimmer and weaker then he used to be.

Relationships

Allies

• Skratch: Named for the scratch lining her left eye, Skratch is a Kavinika trained by Nialus to serve him as a shop guardian. The Rahi has been taught to defend her master's shop to the death.
• Forger: One of his oldest friends, Forger and Nialus share a close bond as brothers in arms and species.
• Enforcer: Another one of his oldest friends, Enforcer taught Nialus everything he knew about being a mercenary, something that Nialus is always looking to pay him back for.

Complicated

• Outsiders: Though he owes debts to the mercenary organization and it's leader, Nialus is not completely confident in his "membership".

Enemies

• Any enemies of the Outsiders
• Varan: After Varan foolishly managed to lead half his team to their deaths, Nialus, enraged at his leader's poor choices, challenged him and lost the fight. He still hates him to this day, and their recent reunion caused old enmity to stir again.

Quotes

"You know, you don't have to be such an isolationist - you're welcomed here."
"Perhaps..."
— Varan and Nialus on the concept of a team.

"You know, Kaama says you're crazy - that you're just a cross-wired, ex-Chronicler, Toa-wannabe. What do you have to say about that?"
"Screw him."
"Oh... well, okay."
— [Classified] doing her best to engage Nialus in conversation.

Trivia

• Nialus has been through multiple design stages - originally, he was meant to be a Toa of Fire, and then a Toa of Gravity. His name had been changed numerous times, revolving around Ensilus, Jakura, etc.