Locations: Rebirth

GSR Head/Metru Nui Ruins:

Split off from its body by asteroid impacts and the wear and tear of millenia adrift in space, the head of Mata-Nui plunged into a rapidly decaying orbit, eventually entering the atmosphere and impacting on the Western half of the island of Zakaz. Metru-Nui, contained in the cranium, already ravaged by the Barraki’s invasion, was devastated by the impact. As the head fell, the entire island was flung forward and the combined force of the outer and inner impact cracked open the skull of the GSR, causing the silver sea to leak out and parts of the island to jut out of the opening.


 * Ta-Metru, already damaged by a terrorist attack and deliberately sabotaged to halt the league’s advance into the city of legends, has been reduced  to slag after the impact. The great forges and refineries exploded or ruptured, spilling molten steel like lava, destroying what was left of the once-great Metru. Whatever wasn’t utterly destroyed has been salvaged or scavenged by the survivors. Consider this Metru dead.
 * Onu-Metru and its great archives had already been a dangerous place that was impossible to monitor properly. After the league invasion and subsequent massacre, this was even more true. Now, after the impact, the area has become an underground maze of collapsed tunnels, rifts, and all manner of Rahi freed from their stasis tubes by the loss of power. Only the brave or foolish venture here to salvage what little is left. Nobody lives here.
 * Po-Metru was devastated alongside Onu-Metru when the massive underground archives collapsed for the most part. Broken statues reflecting broken dreams litter its ruins. Consider this area dead.
 * Ga-Metru was left mostly intact during the invasion, thanks to the non-violent manner of Takadox’ takeover. Most of the damage here occurred during the sudden draining of the silver sea after the impact, causing many structures to collapse, though a number of the scholarly buildings remain. The great temple somehow managed to survive as well, serving as a refuge for a great number of survivors. However, it is now sitting on dry land, at a slant on the massive pillars that held it aloft in the sea. This is where most of the Barraki’s forces have made their new home.
 * Le-Metru and Ko-Metru took the brunt of the impact and are now a massive tilted maze of fallen skyscrapers and broken chutes, jutting out of the ‘wound’ in the GSR skull. Effectively forming the entrance to the remains of the city, the league’s forces have begun fortifying the region and are slowly trying to salvage and rebuild these Metru to be habitable once again. They have managed to activate one chute, connecting the still functional Metru and Coliseum.
 * Coliseum: What used to be the center of Matoran civilization is now largely defunct, but remains one of the only parts of the city that settled level after the impact. In addition, the Barraki managed to reactivate one of the Vahki hives contained within and several of the major functional rooms, including the Cortex are intact. This is where Pridak has set up his throne and is planning his next moves. Pridak's throne room is specifically in Dume's old office on the Private Floor 50 (of the 100 floors above ground). The broken glass floor to ceiling windows have been replaced in the past week, but construction continues on a section of the roof that caved in. Pridak moved the piloting chair from the Cortex into this space, and uses it as his new throne. The throne room sits level with where the pupil would be in the empty eye socket of the GSR skull, allowing Pridak a view of the world beyond.

Zakaz

Zakaz once represented a beautiful tropical island, but thousands of years of conquest, disregard for the environment, and the crash of the GSR's skull changed things. The Northern half is a desolate wasteland of dunes and rocky plateaus. The deserts of the North are easy to get lost in, and the skakdi who live there in warbands live in fear of giant, burrowing sand worms and other monstrous rahi. The Southern half of the island is scraggly plains, toxic bogs, and putrid marshland. Banyan trees and other plants grow in a massive forest over the marshes. The center of the island is home to an active volcano whose magma runs to the East. A forest of charred trees remains in the cooled magma. The entire Western side of the island's mountain ranges were flattened by the crash of the GSR from space, and now a great moat of toxic liquid from the Silver Sea surrounds the impact zone. Underneath the island are warrens and caverns of rahi and Masi.

Each region, of which there were once six, has two temples. These are built in the matoran style the Refugees remember from their lives in the GSR. Find and explore them for more details to be posted below. A shortlist of locations on Zakaz are listed here. See below the short list for an expanded description of each region.


 * Refugee Camps: small camps have popped up across Zakaz housing refugees from Metru-Nui. These are places to regroup, survive, and find a new place to call home.
 * Metru Koro: one of the refugee camps, led by Turaga Sans.
 * Irnakk’s tooth: Named after the nightmare creature, the tallest mountain towers over the center of the island. Being volcanic in origin, it is honeycombed by cave systems containing all sorts of mysteries. The Nightmare Pits are located within this cave system. (See Ash Barrens)
 * The Rig: Located just off of the eastern coast, accessible by a ramshackle bridge, this assembly of scrap metal is home to one of the major Skakdi factions. Half anchored to the sea floor by foundational pillars and chains and half floating on massive pontoons, the Skakdi use jury rigged wave energy generators, underwater turbines and other scrapper tech to power their habitat. As a recent addition, salvaged forge tech from Ta-Metru now dumps slag and waste into the coastal waters. Beings unfortunate enough to wind up on the Riggers bad side hang from chains or spend the end of their days in cages suspended from outriggers, until they expire. Their remnants are left as warnings.
 * Fort Nektann: The Warskaks desert stronghold in the far North. Built into the natural terrain surrounding the oasis supplying the warband with water, this Skakdi village could be called almost quaint, if it weren’t for the spiked metal walls surrounding it and the fleet of wasteland raiding vehicles they operate.
 * The Under Hive: deep below the surface of Zakaz are the Mesi’s fungal caverns and villages. These tunnels extend the length of Zakaz, and surface dwellers can be seen caving in entrances regularly to try and shun the Mesi away. Mesi also pose a problem to the Barraki as they can access the underside of the broken GSR’s skull.
 * The Fau Swamps: the Southern half of the island is covered in a toxic bog. Ancient temples and ruined towers extend above the canopies of massive banyan groves.
 * The Kumu Islets: these islands are the home of the Aspects of Makuta. Ruined temples dot the landscape, with labyrinths below. The skakdi dare not venture to these islands, instead performing the rites of desecration when Aspects visit the mainland. Natural hot springs of liquid antidermis exist in the islets.
 * Aqua Sphere: a strange floating glass sphere hangs above the island of Zakaz, high above the cloud line. It can be seen glinting far away on sunny dies. It travels in a mysterious pattern that defines normal weather and provides rain to the island below. The rain, however,  makes anything living younger. A trail of sapling plants and baby rahi is often left behind the rain's path from the Aqua Sphere. Treasures undoubtedly exist in this broken floating sphere for those brave enough to venture into the sky.

The Ash Barrens:

The desolate region to the East of the Zakaz’s active volcano, nothing grows in this hospitable land. The steam of constantly cooling lava fills the air with noxious vapors, and burned and petrified forests cover the view. No skakdi lives here, not even a very stupid one. Notable locations include:


 * Dead Forest: a once massive forest now petrified and covered in the ash of countless eruptions. The Dead Forest contains many mysteries, and even more corpses.
 * Fire Suva Temple: located in the center of the lava rivers flowing from Irnakk’s Tooth to the eastern coastline and cooling on the seaside.
 * Irnakk’s Tooth: named after the nightmare creature, the tallest volcano towers over the center of the island. It is honeycombed by cave systems containing all sorts of mysteries, including the infamous Nightmare Pits where skakdi perform the Rites Of The Tahtorak.
 * Ruins of Fire: a crumbling ziggurat ruin is located deep within the Dead Forest, and is one of the many ancient structures remaining from a time before the skakdi’s arrival. Untold mysteries are hidden within.
 * Valley of Bones: near the Southern edge of the Dead Forest lies a deep valley where the soldiers of a great conflict were buried in a mass grave. It is here Kal has made his new home and created his Blood Keep.

Many hazards present themselves to travelers braving the cruel Ash Barrens. Irnakk’s Tooth is prone to frequent eruptions, leading to lava rivers flooding their banks. In the aftermath a poisonous smoke lingers for days, causing severe nausea and dizziness in acute mild exposures and anaphylactic shock and death in chronic and prolonged exposure. Beyond the terrain, mounds of Charcoal Beetles house colonies of fist-sized relatives of the hoto bug who are dangerous, deadly, and extremely territorial. Beyond the physical, the Ash Barrens are rumored to be haunted by dead forest spirits, and it is said they lead travelers to their death with sounds of chimes and childish laughter.

The Fau Swamps:

The Southern end of Zakaz is covered in the bogs, marshes, and toxic waterways making the Fau Swamps. The waters are murky, filthy, and full of garbage. The marshland northern border of this region quickly becomes a blossoming fungal jungle clouded in acid rains, and toxic spores fill the air. Large trees with massive sprawling roots act as the solid base for much of the ecosystem. The rahi in the Fau Swamps are dangerous, mutating with successive generations, and mostly giant insects. Locals know to make as few sounds as possible so as to avoid gathering the attention of an insect swarm. Large conical nui rama hives dotting the Fau Swamps are best avoided. Notable known locations include:


 * Mar-Koro: the secretive village of Gaius and other indigenous matoran villagers living in hiding from the warring skakdi of the rest of Zakaz. By the owning player’s request, Mar-Koro is not a playable location at this time.
 * Sorilax’s Village: an Aspect living in the Fau Swamps has assembled a small village of under fifty refugees from the fallen head of Mata Nui. Sorilax teaches the refugees how to survive in the Fau Swamps, but how long his project will last no one can say.
 * Radiation Zone: after the fight with the gargantuan manas crab, Giruga, the hex (6,11) became full of toxic radiation. Simply passing through this hex will give your characters radiation poisoning. They will need to seek immediate medical attention once exiting the hex.
 * Grand Temple Ruins: Ancient temples and ruined towers extend above the canopies of the Fau Swamps as part of a massive ancient complex of unknown purpose. No one, not even the indigenous population, can remember when these structures were built. A hive of territorial nui rama built their nest inside a portion of the ruin, posing as a threat to visitors. Toa Stannis spent a short period of time looking at the ruins on his own after the Great Impact, and what he deduced from the temple walls greatly disturbed him. Explore these ruins to learn more!
 * Suva Temple: hidden somewhere in the Fau Swamps is the Suva Temple for the region. Explore to find it!
 * Desecration Rock: a spit of dark granite that juts into the sea from the southernmost point of Zakaz and has a  view of the Kumu Islets. The surface of the rock is covered in the carvings of Skakdi prayers and wishes, as well as various religious symbols. It is Zakazian custom for those seeking to form a pact with an Aspect to make the dangerous trek to Desecration Rock and fast there until an Aspect forms a pact with them. Some Aspects will wait until a Zakazian is delirious with thirst and hunger before approaching.

Very few make a life in the Fau Swamps, and are destined to succumb to a multitude of illnesses from their toxic environment. Two of the most common are Corodi and Brachel Spurs. Corodi is caused by breathing in toxic spores and turns organic tissue to glass over a process of several years. The glass breaks and shatters inside the body, killing those suffering from the inside. Brachel Spurs are painful growths that form on the inorganic matter of a protoderm, most commonly on the soles of the feet. Some healers say the spurs are actually polyps for an infectious worm that lives in the marshy waters. The only known alleviations for Corodi are regular healing sessions using a kanohi kiril or slowing but not stopping the transformation by chewing the root of a plant found in the Fau Swamps. The only known cure for Brachel Spurs is a mask of healing and avoiding the waters of the Fau Swamps.