Rockwall

"The village really nutted up. Ketan's in for a bit of a shock if he wants his vengeance."
— Dorian Shaddix

Rockwall is a fortress under the dominion of Ga-Koro, located in the Kumu Seas. The fortress is built around the old Xa-Koro Lighthouse and contains the growing colony of Nokama Port.

History

After Captain Commander Iraira claimed the Kumu Sea for Ga-Koro, and returned to Ga-Koro, a commision of government officials decided to cement their claim with a settlement. This was to ensure control of any treasures of any treasures in the ruins, and establish a strategic port in the south of Mata Nui.

Summarily several ships full of workers and engineers arrived upon the Xa-Koroan Lighthouse. After cleaning and repairing the structure, they set to work and built up the village with grown lilly-pads and wood. Over the months, a small village had been made operational, and ships of colonists had arrived to people it. It was dubbed 'Nokama Port' after the late Turaga.

Hahli, upon her first visit to the colony, raised the idea of a self-sufficient fortress around the lighthouse. Under Hahli's own eye, several of the Marines' best engineers and creative minds raised Rockwall, one of the most advanced structures on Mata Nui to date, and certainly one of the most nightmarish to lay siege to. A Marine commander by the name of Thessa was placed in charge of the settlement's garrison.

Description

Nokama Port is a village based around the last remaining part of Xa-Koro, the Lighthouse. To the west of the structure are wooden docks, suitable to dock a wide variety of ships, and a fair many of them. To the east is the village, a small collection of homes, a handful of shops, a tavern or two, a chapel, and an inn. All are made of lily pads.

The Lighthouse serves many roles. It serves its original role, of course, as lighthouse. Also as offices of the Governor, the customs office, military garrison, armory and prison. Each service is has its own floor. With the prison being in the lowest, formerly-Cannibal ridden level. And the Governor's offices being the level directly below the light.

Rockwall itself is hard stone, built in a semi-circle around the lighthouse out of hard stone with foundations in the very bedrock of Xa-Koro. Instead of towers, wide drum-shaped archery turrets have been raised across the settlement's walls, allowing for Marines and colonists both to hold every available ounce of wall between turrets. The thick grate that raises to allow ships passage through Rockwall is steel, furnished with bronze climbing hooks on the grate's inside to allow Marines to clamber up onto the wall. Behind the walls and grate themselves, there is about ten to fifteen yards of water - this acts as both a moat to swallow up projectiles and allows the colonists a space to fish, collect water, or even go for a swim. In the event that Marines need to cross from the walls to Nokama Port or vice versa, the Marines have fashioned two massive, taut rope bridges that can be rolled out over the water.

Overlooking the entire structure is a giant statue of Toa Mata Gali. The structure is about a third of the size of Xa-Koro's lighthouse, crafted of bronze dyed various hues of blue to allow a closer resemblance to Gali.

Defense

Rockwall is defended by a trained squad of Marines, handpicked by Hahli and Kotu. These Marines, a dozen strong under the command of Commander Thessa, are tasked with both policing the settlement, and defending from pirates. To do this, In addition to the Marines, most customs officials and most settlers are armed and trained, so Rockwall can fight to the last man or woman.

Gali is Rockwall's guardian angel - metaphorically and a little bit literally. The statue is largely hollow from the knees up, acting as one massive turret to allow heavy fire on any enemy blockade moving against Rockwall. Tunnels made of the same material as the Ga-Koro greenhouses start at the statue's foot and trail into the lighthouse, allowing a garrison to move safely from the statue into Rockwall and then back without incident.

Estimates run by Kotu and Thessa state that Rockwall could survive up to a year (perhaps a year and a half) of protracted siege without pause thanks to the constant replenishment of resources from inside the structure itself, the variety of creative and cutting-edge defense techniques, the unbreachable walls and the fortitude of the garrison.

Trivia

• Rockwall was originally a structure in the Kumu Islets during the NBZP, and after the Kumu Islets Dive Expedition it was reimagined in its original capacity as a Ga-Koro settlement.
• In the NBZP incarnation, Gali's eyes were home to powerful twin lasers that could slice an enemy ship in two. Rumors of a similar device exist throughout military circles in this canon as well, but whether there is any truth to them has yet to be ascertained.