Name: Toa Monton Species: Toa of Earth Description: Typical Toa of Earth; bigger, bulkier, well muscled but not necessarily tall for a Toa, mainly black with underlinings of grey. His armor and Kanohi Iden are tattooed with a luminescent green ink [derived from organic substances subterranean plants] that glows as his spirit enters or leaves his body. Gender: Male Powers/Weapons: Element of Earth Tech: [none at present] Weaknesses: As Monton spent a long time in exile underground his senses became closely entwined with the earth and the life it supports. Harm done to any part of it is greatly disturbing to him, as all life is invaluable. As a member of the Avashkan Cult he is shunned by the general populace of Onu-Koro. The exposure to the aura and odiousness of The Dark Walk have left him prone to anger and fear, a heightened fight-or-flight response, making him overreact to low-threat situations. His views and priorities seem narrow minded as he holds little [if any] political stances and values the well-being of the earth of the island equivalent to that of its inhabitants. Moodiness makes Monton a poor teammate, preferring his unity with the earth. Another major result of his occult life is his reverence for shadows and loathe for light. Any intense/pure light is harmful to him, and any venture to the upper world is only made at night. He avoids killing, but uncontrolled rage and fear make this goal difficult. Alignment: His beliefs and self-considered home lie in the Avashkan Cult. As a result of their teachings his true love lies with Mata Nui's creation. History: Monton was originally a guardian of Onu-Koro until he joined the Avashkan Cult. The Avashkans [a matoran word meaning "shadow seeker"] were originally a political party within the Koro who vied for a halt in production -- a cease to all mining and construction -- until technology adapted for the Koro to return resources back to the earth, rather than continuing to rob nutrients from it. Desperate, their leaders began to explore The Dark Walk as a means of solution. The Avashkans began to show a reverence for the shadows and the things that grew within it, disturbing the villagers with experiments and discoveries that shared properties with the Makuta and rahkshi. The party began to drift from political to occult, to the point that began to reside at The Dark Walk. Avashkans may now enter but are not allowed to reside within the Koro. Not that they would be accepted by the villagers, Avashkans only wear black and are easily identified by the luminous tattoos that signify their members. Despite their eerie appearance and dealings with the dark the common view of the cult is misconstrued. Rather the Avashkans cherish the earth of Mata Nui and its children -- including the villagers who reject them -- and in their exile they have found ways to coexist with the natural in the dark. They get their bad rep from their traditional rituals that include exposure to the odiousness of The Dark Walk and ventures towards the Mangaia. Monton was at first a scoffer of the Avashkan ways and their pitiful attempts to end the prosperity of the Onu-Koro. His opinions changed when he studied the properties of the earth with Omand, founder of the Avashkan party and whose knowledge he respected greatly. Monton studied under Omand as the party made pivotal shifts towards cult, and his teachings had a heavy impact upon his pupil. Monton began to see the world as a living organism, constantly dying and being reborn from the same matter, reconstituting its surroundings into itself. He also began to see that the dark was not to be feared for its own sake, and that it gave way for light to be; night is as essential as day for all that is living. When the cult seceded the Toa left willingly with it, causing a great stir in the Koro. For years he has lived as an Avashkan on the fringe of society, meditating, pondering the well-being of nature and society, engaging his spirit form in the earth and shadows, studying the properties of creatures of the deep, and even venturing near the Mangaia. He refuses to kill, resorting to putting himself in harm's way as last resort. Exposure to the odiousness of The Dark Walk is something possible as a Toa but lethal to a Matoran, making him an essential member. Years spent in meditation have helped to control his weaknesses towards rage and fear after he once murdered an entire mining expedition from Onu-Koro that was experimenting with a new explosive. The murder was mistaken for a cave-in and Monton remained unidentified, yet he continues to be tormented by the ghosts of his victims, especially in his spirit form.