The Iron Toa

Actually, I think I will keep the legs the way they are. I can't take credit for the shoulders, really, it's just the Roodaka design with different armor. The silver Bohrok eyes are weapons, they're his throwing knives, as darkslizer said. The 'red piece' in his chest is actually his heartlight. The weapons could be better, I know, especially the shuriken and also the knives. If I had something suitable, I'd use it. Some particular minifigure weapons would come in handy if I had them. I'm glad the sword came out okay, but I wish it was more katana-like. What parts do you think should be changed to gray, Nine Ball?

I remember Greg saying that they can't possess corpses, actually.

#1. Not as we do, but they do 'eat' by absorbing energy through their hands. They can get this energy from some sort of power well, or if those are unavailable they can get it from meat and plants. They just don't chew and swallow, they convert the food into energy with their hands.#2. The first Matoran were made by the Great Beings. We don't know how Matoran reproduce but we know it had something to do with machines that are in the Matoran Universe and must be taken out if the Matoran are to reproduce on Spherus Magna. We also know that there are some of these machines in Metru Nui and that Turaga can arrange for more Matoran to be made as needed.#3 Absolutely. Matoran, Toa, and Turaga are weakened without their masks, and Matoran will go unconscious if they go without a mask for a little while, but masks can be removed without doing any damage or permanent harm and as long as they're not in any danger it should be no problem for them to put on another mask that they have handy.

I tried putting armor on the lower legs and thought it was better without, I'll try adding some again and taking a picture for comparison. As for the colors, I don't have those hands in black, so he has to be part dark gray. And those light gray pieces he has I only have in light gray. I also wanted the 'hair' to be silver to match Roodaka.

I'm pretty sure Vakama's disk launcher turned invisible with him in the fight against Teridax at the Great Barrier, so I'd say that it does turn anything you're wearing or carrying invisible too. Maybe not if it's something big, and probably not another person, though.

I finally built a recurring character in my latest epic, a Vortixx Dark Hunter codenamed 'Jutsu'. Here are the links:Gallery (when public)FrontSideBackAll weapons put awayPosing with swordPosing with throwing knivesPosing with daggersPosing with a dagger in one hand and shuriken in the otherUnarmed combat poseSpeaking with Toa ImlenBeheading a Steltian Brotherhood of Makuta lieutenantHe was inspired by ninja and samurai. He is named after a Japanese term meaning 'technique', 'spell', or 'trick' , because he is skilled with many combat techniques and weapons. Those words in English would not sound as good, but Jutsu conveys a special ninja-like meaning. The silver pieces on his head are meant to resemble a topknot. According to Wikipedia, the large katana-like sword is called an odachi or nodachi. Brutaka's blade doesn't make a perfect one but it's as close as I could get with the right size. I would have preferred straight daggers, but I don't think I have anything suitable. The knives, while simple, actually took a bit of thought. I first tried using a belt with narrow peg holes I got from Rocka to hold the knives over his chest, but that did not look good, so I used those T-shaped pieces. The knives tend to fall off, but they usually have just enough friction to stay on. I wish I could have come up with something better for the shuriken, but I had to settle for the smallest round pieces I had - those tiny flat axle stopper pieces.I meant for the model to resemble Roodaka, but not too closely. Also, lots of silver would not go well with the stealth theme, so the only silver parts are his weapons and his 'hair'. Roodaka is also very tall, I made Jutsu shorter so as not to completely tower over Toa. His lack of Roodaka's elevated ankles contributes to his shortness quite a bit. I tried giving him articulated hands like Hydraxon's, but those were too big, and besides, I didn't have enough tiny silver claws.I hope you like it. Comments and suggestions on how to improve this model would be appreciated.

Greg said they were the same species, and that different members of the same species can look quite different. I can see some similarities between them, though.

I believe the Pit was above the Southern Continent, between the ceiling of that continent's dome and the robot's outer layer.

I think 'mad with power' is something beings that are elevated to power get. I don't think it would happen to the Ignika, which has had its abilities its whole life.

I'm not clear on something for the Zatth -- does it teleport random Rahi (as long as they suit the user's environment) to the user, or does it send a mental signal that commands nearby Rahi to come? Either way, it does seem rather unreliable. But if it always summoned something dangerous enough to provide a distraction -- no chance of summoning harmless little critters -- it could come in handy if the user just needed a distraction, or if he or an ally had a Mask of Rahi Control.The Mask of Undeath seems pretty lame, unless the reanimated body was very hard to stop because it was undead. Also, it depends on how complex the one programmed task can be. Regardless, it seems like something most beings wouldn't have a use for -- only ones that are very dedicated to a cause or mission and aren't opposed to the mask's unnatural power.

Yeah, less than 10% of a Toa's power could still be 'useful' in way -- a Turaga of Fire tending a ceremonial fire, or a Turaga of the Green gardening for his village, for example. And those are the situations Turaga would be in, they're not meant for combat situations any more.

Lord Bane's map is awesome. Maybe you two could work on something together -- come up with what's most lore-accurate between you.

But it's also said the Makuta removed their own inner light so they could become more evil, isn't it? So is shadow considered evil because the Makuta, shadow-affiliated creatures, turned to evil, or are Makuta evil because they embraced their inner shadow?As for Matoran brains, we don't know one way or the other if they're organic or not. But since we know they're made of protodermis of some sort, Bonesiii's idea still could work either way.

So basically, they wanted them to be able to make decisions -- which could go wrong and interfere with the MU's operation, hence the need for safeguards such as guardians of the Ignika -- but not to have the personality and emotions they developed. Is that right?But speaking of the inner light/darkness thing and how it could develop over time, I thought Shadow wasn't originally associated with evil.

Don't forget, Kopaka was using the Noble Mahiki. I guess the Noble version can only make hologram-type illusions, while the Great version has more abilities. I don't think the mask changed Matau's voice, though, I think that was Matau's own mimicry.

End of YrentaChapter Forty-one==Northeastern Part of the Southern Continent, Matoran Universe==~802 AGC~ “Wow! Where did you get all these?” exclaimed Imlen.“I told you, I haven't spent the last few centuries waiting for people to sign up,” said Iskanemo. “My allies and I have been scavenging, making deals with designers... even reproducing some of this tech for ourselves – and improving upon it, even.”The Toa were speaking of the impressive fleet of aerial vehicles Iskanemo's forces had assembled. Hidden under a cover of foliage at the bottom of the valley, waiting to be ridden into battle: craft ranging in size from skyfighters suitable for use by one Toa-sized being to a trio of Metru Nui airships that could carry most of the army between them. The variety of sources from which Iskanemo had obtained these vehicles was clear: some were cutting-edge technology, others relics from a more glorious age, and others were scavenged, rusted machines that looked like they were barely functional. Most of the aircraft appeared to have been modified or built from scratch in an approximation of the original.“Most of the Toa will be in these smaller aircraft. Some will travel by jetpack, and a few will be in the command ship over there,” said Iskanemo, pointing to one of the great airships. “Velitel, Waskita, and I will be in there. I'd like to say you're welcome to join us, but we might need you elsewhere.”“I'm curious as to how you obtained three Metru Nui airships,” said Vilam. “But a more important concern is the issue Imlen brought up. These aren't known for being fast, and they're as big a target as any sea vessel.”“Ah, but we've made some modifications,” said Iskanemo proudly. “You know how these airships are powered by Kanoka? Well, we've hoarded disks, and figured out a way to bolster the system of Levitation and Increase Weight disks with Speed, Flight, and – here's something impressive – Concealment disks. So our ships will not only be faster, they will hopefully be able to turn invisible on command!”“That must take a lot of disks,” said Imlen.“It will, which is why we must only use such systems in emergencies. In fact, until we come up with a different means of propulsion and levitation, we must only use the airships when we have no other method of deploying the army,” said Iskanemo.“But if the speed of these craft can be increased in such a way, why did the Matoran of Metru Nui not design them that way?” asked Mozmana.“Well, they used jets of magnetized Protodermis, the same technology as their chute system uses. It's reliable and efficient, but slow. Our method is faster, but, well... the propulsion system is very complex and delicately balanced, you see, so... our modifications might not prove stable in the long term,” admitted Iskanemo. “Don't worry – we've tested it, and we've made sure it's safe enough for our purposes. It also drains power from more Kanoka, of course. For hauling cargo, you'd want something more reliable and less expensive, even if it was slower. We tried adding propellers and our own jet thrusters, but they were too heavy, so we're going with the disks. If something does go wrong, or if they are shot down without being torn apart, the airships can also float on water by their own buoyancy. Again, not very reliably, but it's better than sinking right away.”“Seems risky, but you've prepared much for this day, so I will trust you know what you're doing,” said Mozmana.“Thank you, sister,” said Iskanemo, smiling under his Kanohi Crast. “Now, let's find you a tent. It's getting dark, and we'll be rising early tomorrow.”The Toa trekked back to the army camp headquarters, where they had met Velitel and Waskita, and there they slept. A horn woke them, and they got up to see the sky was just barely beginning to brighten. As all the Toa gathered around a campfire, Iskanemo came forth to address them. He had just been in Waskita's tent, and Mozmana noticed he seemed worried about something, but was doing his best not to show it. She didn't need to speak to Imlen and Vilam to know that they had also noticed Iskanemo's concern. A meaningful glance from Imlen told her that though he too had misgivings, he was still determined to go through with this. The three Toa Muktirhith had formed a bond over the centuries, and so such slight gestures were often all they needed to communicate. In turn, Mozmana looked him in the eyes and gave a subtle nod that said she was with him to the end. Vilam, too, nodded to her companions: if they were in, so was she. In less than half an hour, all of Iskanemo's Toa had assembled, along with non-Toa commanders and other important beings. Beyond the circle of tents, the rest of the army had gathered, each warrior endeavoring to get a spot at the front.“Heroes of the universe, fellow enemies of tyranny!” Iskanemo addressed the crowd, with the Toa of Sonics at his side amplifying his voice. “It has been eight hundred years since our rightful master, our protector, the Great Spirit Mata Nui, was forced into sleep by the treacherous Makuta. I think most of you, if not all of you, remember that day. When the entirety of our universe trembled, and lights that once shone bright went dim, and fresh winds turned stale. And without Mata Nui protecting us, the Brotherhood has been free to conquer and murder, and to ravage our world in their battles against the Dark Hunters. I do not know how to awaken Mata Nui – they say that is a job other heroes are destined to do – but I do know that since we are on our own, and we have allowed the Makuta to get this far in their evil schemes, and the Dark Hunters to spread their corruption across all lands, it is our duty to put an end to it. We will overthrow the Brotherhood of Makuta, and then we will eradicate the Dark Hunters, and then the two most vile factions to still plague our universe will have been ended. Are you ready to bring these villains to justice?”There were cries of 'yes' and other excited affirmations.“Are you willing and able to liberate the oppressed?”The word 'yes' was cheered yet again.“When Mata Nui awakens, he will look upon the universe and see that we have righted the wrongs that have troubled his sleep. Am I right?”Iskanemo's voice had reached a climax, and, knowing that this was the end of his rallying speech, the Toa and other warriors all cheered the loudest this time.“And now, our commander Velitel will go over the battle plan,” finished Iskanemo, and he stepped aside to let the Toa of Fire take his place beside the Toa of Sonics.“Right. The target island is approximately one hundred and twenty kio from the coast,” said Velitel. “We estimate the journey will take two to two and a half hours. All of you that are flying on your own, remember: stay with the airships until the designated time. I know the airships are much slower than some of the aircraft, but we can't get too spread out. Let's keep those airships intact. I want us to get our whole army to the landing zone and be able to use the ships later. You know where you're meant to be – which of you are boarding the airships and which are taking smaller craft or jetpacks. Mata Nui's Gaze will be the command ship, piloted and captained by Iskanemo and I. Krasati will be telepathically relaying orders, so if you hear her voice in your head, obey it. The Dragon will be piloted by Ebanus* and captained by Launeta. Geistig will also be aboard to provide backup telepathic communications. Finally, Meyit's Legacy will be piloted by Jufeng, captained by Brulado, and telepathically linked by Tsushin.”There was a definite pattern here: all three airships were piloted by Toa of Air and captained by Toa of Fire. Of course, all three of the Toa in charge of telepathic communications either wore Kanohi Suletu or were Toa of Psionics. Mozmana had offered to fulfill that role on one of the ships, but Iskanemo had insisted that she and the others stay by his side. Still, in the unlikely event Krasati was incapacitated without the whole ship going down, Mozmana could take over from her. Velitel continued his briefing, going on to assign each commander's division into one of the three airships.“And lastly, Talapati's soldiers will also board the Dragon. The rest of you will be in the smaller craft or flying jetpacks. You know who you are and what equipment has been reserved just for you,” the Toa of Fire went on. “Now, as I said, the island is about one hundred and twenty kio offshore. The coastline is almost entirely steep, rocky slopes topped by a wall that circles the island. We know little of the layout of the fortress, but we know that there is a central keep surrounded by a fortified ring in the middle of the island. If all goes well, they will be unprepared for our assault, but expect to face strong defenses. If our timing is correct, many enemies will be gathered there for an operation on Stelt. That is why we are bringing the entire army – the island is small, but we wish to catch as many of their warriors in this attack as possible. The fortifications are also considerable. Of course, with the equipment we have, the walls aren't a problem, but their weaponry will be. That's why I want some of the more nimble aircraft to fly ahead to destroy any anti-air emplacements that threaten the airships. I'll give further orders once we're all aboard, and once we've reached the island we'll see where to go from there. I'm confident we have the firepower to reduce their keep to rubble. Now, let's head out. I want us in the air in an hour.”With that, the briefing was over, and the warriors began to head down to the bottom of the valley where the aerial vehicles waited. A pile of weapons, jetpacks, and other special equipment was unveiled, and Toa and other elite fighters took what had been set aside for them. The Toa Muktirhith were about to follow the rest of the army straight to the aircraft when they spotted Iskanemo beckoning to them by the stockpile.“I want all Toa to have a projectile weapon,” he said, pressing a Zamor launcher into Mozmana's arms. “I also reserved a couple of protosteel weapons for you. Imlen, I know you won't want to put your staff aside, but at least take this dagger just in case.”“Thank you, Iskanemo,” said Imlen, taking the dagger and storing it at his hip as Mozmana discarded her sword for a protosteel one. “What sort of weapon is that?”“Ah, this, this is something special,” said Iskanemo, patting the cannon resting on his shoulder. “It's a prototype light launcher – based on Artakha technology, in fact. But the Nynrah Ghosts haven't worked out all the problems – it'll be years until they can perfectly replicate the tech. It has the side effect of dimming the area around you with each shot, and it doesn't always work, but when it does go off... it's amazing. Spheres of concentrated light that can blow a hole in just about anything – and they're especially strong against creatures of Shadow.”“Sounds like something we could really use,” said Vilam. “How many more of these are there?”“They didn't say, but I got the impression there were no more than a handful in existence. The Ghosts were very kind to let me purchase this from them, though the price was high. In fact, much of our success obtaining all these vehicles and weapons is thanks to our covert dealings with the crafters and technicians of Nynrah,” said Iskanemo, and then he saw Velitel striding over to the pile of weapons. “Ah, Velitel! Here's your Blaster.”“Thank you, Iskanemo,” said Velitel, bowing slightly as he took the offered Cordak Blaster. “And congratulations on your speech. I think you really inspired them.”“But such fervor would be of little effect without a strategy to guide it,” said Iskanemo. “Very good briefing, but... a whole hour to take the skies? Surely we could be ready in nearly half that time.”“Only if we run. And we'd best save our energy for the battle, right?” said Velitel.“Good point,” said Iskanemo. “I suppose just itching to finally get to it. Centuries of dreaming and planning, and now, the day has come. Today, we'll make history!”“May future historical records tell of a great victory for our side,” said Imlen.“Indeed! Now, let's get going – it won't do to have the glorious leaders of this army be the last ones to go forth,” said Velitel.The five Toa chuckled as Waskita joined them, and together they made for the launch site at the bottom of the valley. Despite the merry banter, Mozmana could still sense underlying anxiety without needing to call upon her element. But no one said anything about it, and she convinced herself it was merely the apprehension anyone would feel before a battle. She had surely had her concerns even before noticing the hidden worries of others. And so she said nothing of the matter on the short trek to the airships. If the other Toa Muktirhith noticed, they did not mention it either. Regardless, their spirits were soon lifted when they came to the liftoff zone. The collection of vehicles had been impressive the first time they had seen it, but the sight of over a thousand armed beings scrambling into the three colossal vessels and scores of smaller craft was no less than breathtaking. While nearly a third of the army marched into the cargo hold of the Mata Nui's Gaze, Iskanemo ushered the Toa Muktirhith into the cockpit at the front of the vessel.Two other Toa of Psionics were already aboard: Waskita, who seemed to be meditating in a storage closet at the back of the cabin, and Krasati, who was standing alert a few paces behind the pilot's station. Iskanemo got into position at these controls and privately reviewed each lever and gage. The complexity of the system boggled Imlen, but Iskanemo seemed confident and comfortable as he placed his mismatched hands on a pair of large, brightly marked levers at the center of the apparatus. It took years of training and practice to attain a functional proficiency with the controls, and more to master them. Clearly, Iskanemo had had the time to teach himself the basics, but the Toa Muktirhith could only hope he and the others were capable of maneuvering the lumbering craft through a battle. As he turned away from the controls to instruct the others to take their seats, Velitel reached over and activated the communications link to the cargo hold. It was a device the Toa Muktirhith rarely saw – one that could record a voice and play it back at a connected location. The intercom did not allow communication between ships, however, which was why they were relying on telepathy for that.“I can hear you lot getting restless in there,” he said into the intercom, speaking over a lot of chatter coming from the hold's end of the communicator. “Settle down and get into position. You'll want to be holding on tight when we're in the air. I don't want you bouncing around in there like Kharakhara nuts.”“My warriors are ready, General Velitel,” Brenkonin's voice came from the device only a moment later.“Excellent discipline as always, Commander Brenkonin. We're starting up the launch systems now,” said Velitel as Iskanemo began manipulating the controls in a complex series of motions. “I want the rest of you to be ready when we are.”Prepare for takeoff, a telepathic message sounded in the heads of the Toa Muktirhith.The message had come from Krasati, broadcast indiscriminately to every mind in the location. The Toa looked out through the windshield and saw vehicles on all sides starting their engines. In the airships and several smaller craft, Levitation disks were moved into position, readied for discharging their power into the vehicles' hulls. The roar of turbines, buzz of propellers, and several other sounds from different forms of propulsion melded into a deep rumble that could be felt in the cockpit of the Mata Nui's Gaze as a tingling vibration in the floor and walls. Iskanemo took a few minutes to test the control surfaces while the other pilots did the same for their craft, then he gestured to Velitel and the Toa General activated the intercom again.“Sounds much better now,” he said, and indeed there was no background noise competing with his voice this time. “Commanders, report in.”“Brenkonin report – ”“Dhiokitis re – um...”“One at a time,” said Velitel firmly. “You know the drill.”“Brenkonin reporting. My warriors are still ready and waiting.”“Dhiokitis reporting. My division is ready.”“Ceanassi reporting. We are ready, General.”“Shireikan reporting. My soldiers are ready.”Several other commanders reported in this manner, with only one discipline problem in the ranks that was rectified by the death of the soldier. The Toa did not approve of such harsh punishment, but their allies came from many cultures, and they all needed to overlook their differences to work together. That warrior had come from a strict martial society in which disobedience was punished by death, and the Toa would not risk alienating his kinsfolk by denouncing their tenets. The diversity of the warriors also resulted in a disparity in the number each commander led – for instance, Brenkonin led about a hundred, while Shireikan had over twice that amount. Velitel and Iskanemo would have liked to have organized the divisions more evenly, but each commander's unit was mostly comprised of members of their own species or culture that they had brought into the service of the Toa. It would not do to redistribute these warriors and separate them from the fellow fighters they had experience fighting alongside, and commanders that represented one culture were loath to be made subordinate to another. And so, each airship carried up to a dozen or so culturally distinct divisions, though there were also many freelance warriors that had joined on their own and been distributed evenly.“Well, Krasati?” Velitel turned to ask a few minutes after the last of the commanders on the Mata Nui's Gaze reported in. “Is everyone else ready?”“No,” responded the telepathic communications officer, a concerned and somewhat annoyed expression noticeable through her Mask of Emulation. “No, one of the smaller craft is having problems. It's that four-seater craft over there – the blue one. I'm not very familiar with that type of vehicle, and didn't understand the technical details they told me. Should I relay them to you?”“No, you know I'm no engineer,” said the Toa of Fire. “Have Velvirki take a look at it. This had better not take long, or we'll need to leave without them.”Krasati nodded and closed her eyes as she resumed her telepathic communication. A moment later, a Toa of Earth with a custom eyepiece in his mask and a toolbox – Velvirki – got down from his skyfighter and went to repair the defecting aircraft. The hour of preparation time Velitel had designated in his briefing was nearly up when Velvirki diagnosed the problem as something that could not be easily repaired. With an exasperated sigh, Velitel ordered the vehicle's crew to abandon it and board the Meyit's Legacy. When that was done, everyone was finally ready. Engines that had been turned off or left idling powered up again, and the cockpit of the command ship trembled from the resulting throb. After Krasati performed one last check on Velitel's behalf, the time for launch was signaled. Had the Toa been standing when the Mata Nui's Gaze shot into the sky, they would have been knocked off their feet. The Meyit's Legacy had a frightening moment of instability, but Toa Jufeng managed to regain control. When he was satisfied all was going smoothly, Velitel ordered the aircraft to form up, and then they began their cruise.Imlen had sailed from island to island several times in his life, but he had never flown hundreds of bio over it. The view of the silver ocean below was astounding, but the wonder it filled him with was compounded by anxiety. He wasn't sure he was suited to flying. Again, he hoped the airships were safe, and that Iskanemo knew what he was doing. In the midst of the voyage, there was a sudden lurch that made Imlen shout in surprise and nearly knocked him over. Iskanemo apologized and assured him everything was alright, but the vessel continued to rock and vibrate for what felt like hours. Imlen tried closing his eyes, but he found that made his discomfort even worse. He considered starting a conversation to pass the time, but he could not think of anything to say to his teammates, and the other Toa were all busy. In their centuries of traveling together, the Toa Muktirhith had shared all their stories with each other, and now there was little more to tell.It had been years since Mozmana had told Imlen that she had come from a reclusive, almost monastic community of Ce-Matoran in a remote corner of the Southern Continent. Imlen still remembered the story of how she had become a Toa: a few decades after the Great Cataclysm, a mortally injured Toa of Stone had taken refuge in her homeland. She and her people had been unable to save the Toa, but he had recognized Mozmana's potential and transferred his Toa energy to her before he died. Her home was in a place threatened by many natural dangers, but her people had learned to defend themselves, and it was decided that Mozmana was meant to be their gift to the rest of the universe. And so Mozmana had been exiled in a sense – not as punishment, but because she was needed more elsewhere. After wandering alone for a few years, she had saved Vayrag from villagers that had thought he was a dangerous beast. That was not far from the truth, but she realized that her power could prevent his savage side from overcoming him completely, and so they had begun to travel together.About a year after that, they had met Iskanemo a little north of the Tren Krom Peninsula when – a sudden jolt interrupted Imlen's thoughts of Mozmana's tales.“What the – ” he exclaimed as he stumbled across the shifting floor and tripped over an unoccupied seat.“A storm. Look up ahead,” explained Iskanemo, pointing to a mass of swirling black clouds dead ahead. “Better strap yourselves in.”“We're not flying through that, are we?” said Mozmana as Velitel and Krasati sent out the order for the soldiers to strap themselves down or hold on tight.“Well, not as much as we can help, but these airships can't exactly turn on a widget,” said Iskanemo, and Velitel and Krasati also gave the order to follow the Mata Nui's Gaze as it turned to avoid the storm. “And this storm... it's... well, you saw – it seemed to come out of nowhere. I mean, the skies weren't perfectly clear, but... well, I'm a Toa of Air, and I know when there's something... something unnatural about the weather.”“What? You think someone's manipulating it?” asked Vilam. “Makuta? Rahkshi?”“I'll send a couple of skyfighters down to take a look at the surface, but I doubt they'll find anything – nothing but water for kio around here,” said Velitel, and he nodded to Krasati in confirmation. “Well, Iskanemo? I know these things are lumbering, but they don't turn this slowly.”“I'm trying!” said the Toa of Air, straining to pull the controls as far as they would go in one direction, then another. “Have the more... maneuverable craft get out of here! We'll get... through this, don't worry.”Imlen had been dizzy and unhappy while the cruise was going smoothly, and now his experience was nearly torturous. Warning signals flashed and beeped, frantic messages flooded in, both from over the intercom and telepathic reports that Krasati dictated, and all the while the airship rocked and tumbled as Iskanemo struggled to regain control. The hull creaked as the flying vessel was forced into maneuvers it surely was not meant to perform, and the seat straps did nothing to prevent the limbs and heads of the Toa from flailing and bobbing from the inertia. After a length of time that could not have been an hour, yet felt like half the day to Imlen, the sky calmed and the aircraft leveled out. The Toa righted their loose Kanohi, took a deep breath, and checked what damage had been done. The reports were surprisingly good: though everyone was shaken, and many of the warriors suffered minor injuries, no one had been killed or even badly injured. One aircraft's magazine had come open and its ammunition had spilled into the sea, but all craft appeared to still be in decent condition after all that turbulence.Imlen took another deep breath, and felt he had to stand up, so he unstrapped himself and got to his feet. Walking up against the canopy, he saw the dark clouds parting, and the bright sky reflected off the open sea in a thousand dazzling sparkles below. A gap in the glimmer, barely noticeable at first, grew as they continued their voyage. Soon it was certain: there was an island down there, straight ahead.“That's not the island, is it?” he asked Iskanemo, pointing the little landmass out. “The target island?”“I... I don't think so,” said Iskanemo hesitantly. “But it's not any other place I recognize, either.”“It's too large to be the target island,” said Velitel. “But after that storm, I think we had better make an unscheduled stop to make sure everything is still in good shape. That place will do.”“And if it's inhabited by hostiles?” postulated Mozmana.“Well, we do have an army traveling with us,” said Velitel, smiling mischievously.The aerial fleet continued their journey to the island. The trip took longer than the Toa Muktirhith had expected, for it turned out the island was farther away than they had thought. It was also proportionately larger – perhaps even rivaling Stelt in size, they could see as they came closer. It was soon clear that this was no little uncharted island. And upon seeing the great walls and towering fortress, Mozmana had no doubt about the location's identity.“That's no empty island nor Brotherhood outpost,” she said with fear in her voice. “That... that must be Destral!”*Ebanus is rahkshi guurahk's character. Credit for the character and thanks for permission to use him goes to him.Review

Huh, I thought the anniversary celebration was over. Well, I have no reason to complain about this continued free blog. As I haven't gotten any replies yet, I probably won't buy a premium membership and make my own blog when the free term is up, but we'll see. Anyway, I do have something to post, because last week I finished the seven Brotherhood assassins that make a brief appearance in End of Yrenta. Another step to having models of all characters, major and minor. So, here they are: I never named them in the story, but each of them has a distinctive feature I use to identify them. First up is the clawed assassin (not the only clawed one, but the one with the biggest claws): http://www.brickshel...y.cgi?i=5550215 In case you can't tell, he's supposed to be the same species as Axonn. Really, that should be pretty obvious. He puts those oversized fingers to good use with these horror villain-esque hedge trimmers of his. Like Axonn, he can also release a blast of energy from his hands. I'm not sure if that's a natural ability of his species, but if not, this assassin happened to get a similar implant that lets him release beams that can vaporize beings and leave glass-lined craters in the ground. Next we have the duelist assassin. No, he's not an assassin that challenges his targets to a fencing match -- he's just the best with a sword out of the seven: http://www.brickshel...ry.cgi?f=508718 I must say that I hope ankyfdarkness does not mind that I tried to copy his pre-Pit Mantax's head design to create this being that's meant to be of Mantax's species. I've never communicated with him, and I hope he'd be flattered that I took inspiration from his model. That Pakari is pretty ugly on that big head, I admit, but I didn't want to give him a Toa head just because he wore a mask. In addition to the sword and the Mask of Strength, this assassin can fold his legs and hover, like Krekka, Nidhiki, and the Rahkshi can, but in a much more limited way. He can't fly, just hover short distances. I recently bought Zaktan and was looking forward to using the sand green pieces. Personally, I think the black and sand green combination worked out really well. Next we have the red and blue assassin (I couldn't think of a better distinctive way to identify him): http://www.brickshel...ry.cgi?f=508717 Meant to be of Guardian's species, of course. I couldn't copy the Guardian model as well as I could Axonn's (I only had one picture of Guardian to work with, after all) but I think that worked out better in the end. I ended up starting over on this model a couple times in the middle of construction, and I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out. It's reminiscent of the being it's based on, but not as much a copy as the clawed assassin was. Next, we have the Rhotuka assassin: http://www.brickshel...ry.cgi?f=508720 Those slender curved blades don't quite fit in that axe, but maybe they're flexible enough for it to work. Besides that, I think the design's decent. The assassin himself is meant to be of Mimic's species, though there's no proof that this being also has photographic reflexes (and I'm quite certain that was something special about Mimic, not something common to his species). Now, I got the inspiration for this one's Rhotuka power from certain MMORPG bosses that put an effect on one member of a group that will explode into something that afflicts nearby group members if the targeted one doesn't move away. When it strikes, this assassin's spinner seems to have no effect for a few seconds, then bolts of red lightning course through and out of the target, frying or at least stunning the target and all beings struck by the bolts. Next we have the robot assassin: http://www.brickshel...ry.cgi?f=508722 Now, I know pure robots in Bionicle aren't as common as droids in Star Wars, but we know they exist, but I can only think of... Vahki, Exo-Toa, Maxilos, those Ta-Metru fire drones we don't know enough about, automated cargo haulers (like miniature, automatic airships), Bohrok (which, though purely mechanical, aren't any more artificial than Matoran are) and the 'Fohrok'... 7 types from the Matoran universe, if you count the cargo haulers and Fohrok as separate from Bohrok. Plus the Baterra. More kinds than I was thinking, actually, but still, I thought the story could do with another robot. This one's supposed to be a unique experimental assassin. It can launch lightning bolts, and its hollow chest contains weak explosive shells that aren't usually strong enough to do much damage but meant to distract its opponent with flying metal shards. It also has lots of blades on its body, is very agile, can split each of his legs into two limbs, and its feet are actually prehensile hands holding claws that it can let go of to use those hands. Next we have the shapeshifting assassin: http://www.brickshel...ry.cgi?f=508721 Two rather different forms there -- the first for wielding those large projectile launchers, the second for breaking through a barrier of plasma to fight in melee combat. I had Triglax's species in mind, of course, we don't know what his natural form is if he has any, so who's to say this can't be a member of his species? One of those launchers is a Zamor launcher and the other fires missiles that go off in green explosions. He can't form such fancy weapons by shapeshifting, so they are separate weapons, but the swords in his second form are part of his body, and so is the part of his face that's disguised as a Kanohi. Finally we have the winged assassin, the only one of the seven to have wings: http://www.brickshel...ry.cgi?f=508715 This one was inspired by Vanisher and Dweller. He's meant to be of one of their species, or both if they're the same species. Upon finding the Barraki eye fits into the Noble Matatu that's used for his face, I added one. I guess it's a sensor of some sort, infared would make sense I suppose, as this being is sneaky and a way for him to see in the dark would be useful. He wields daggers to sneak up on and stab his victims, and if they fight back, he can fly into the air and drop daggers on them from above, knocking them off balance while he swoops down to finish them off. He also carries a sword in case he needs to defend himself in melee combat, but he's not as good with it as his black and green comrade. So, there they are. I hope you all like them. I'll be building more models soon, hopefully. Next, I think, is the Vortixx Dark Hunter known as Jutsu. I've started turning my partly-constructed Roodaka model into him, but I'm not quite sure how to make his feet... Oh, and before I forget to mention it: it's not too late to have your Toa or allies of the Toa featured in End of Yrenta. Message me for details.

If you read the article and the rest of this thread, you'd have an answer. But to save you some trouble, I'll tell you it gives its user echolocation (the user doesn't need to make the noise, the mask sends out sonic signals that I think are inaudible to most beings). The mask is always on at low level, and doesn't provide the details sight does, but it can be used to detect targets whether they're artificially invisible (using a Huna for example), if they're in darkness, or otherwise shrouded by something non-solid (like murky water or fog). In contrast, the Elda and Rode can see invisible beings, but not through darkness, and the Ruru does the opposite: night-vision, but doesn't see through artificial invisibility. So the Arthron is really the best choice in a lot of situations -- the only downsides are the lack of detail and the fact that things that interfere with sound would interfere with the mask.

I'm not sure, but I don't think they can fire like a machine gun. Judging by the set, I'd say they can fire four spheres of light before needing to recharge, but I don't know how long the recharging is supposed to take. As for Tahu's launcher, I thought it merged with his rotating blades when his adaptive equipment took on a different form. I'm not sure about that either, though, and I think a better explanation would be to say he lost the adaptive launcher sometime during Teridax's reign. But I'm pretty sure that was never said.

Well, while I'd say the Ignika's power is more useful when it comes to living beings, because it can cause controlled transformations, overall I'd guess the EP is more powerful. That's not to say they both wouldn't be affected if they came into contact with each other, however. I think if Greg was still around, this would make for a great story. Energized Protodermis being alive makes it far more dangerous... but it could also be its greatest weakness. If it was still a threat to Spherus Magna, that would be something Mata Nui with the Ignika could return to solve.

Release the hounds!I just had to say that.So that's what happened to that giant Steltian. I actually feel bad for him -- he was just doing his job one day, then he falls, nearly dies, and gets altered into a monstrous gladiator. Hey, I first assumed he was meant to be Krekka's species, but looking back -- is he, or is he the same species as Guardian? Imegna and Guftivei are funny in this chapter. Guftivei seems to be having unusual luck gambling, I have the feeling it can't last. I found a typo while I was reading: Imegna says about Rogog's fight with the chimera "it going to be a battle of the titans".I see you've come up with a way around Imegna's shortness giving her away. But I think she'll have some difficulty if she needs to move. I understood what was meant about her using her element to make people not notice the box, but there was a sentence in there trying to explain it that didn't quite seem right: "The perception filter forced his mind not to reject the possibility of looking at that point in space." That seems to me to be saying that it forced him to consider looking at that point, which seems like the opposite of the effect Imegna would want.I was just looking at clips from Web of Shadows and I noticed a detail I forgot about while writing my stories -- Sidorak seems to exhale steam or something. Now, I don't think you should force that in if it doesn't fit, but if you think a scene with the upper-class Steltians needs a little detail, there's an idea.

I thought the Vahi could be used anywhere, but it would only mess up causality inside the Matoran Universe when it was destroyed.

Besides, the alternate Axonn in the Kingdom implied that his mask's truth-detecting power only detects if someone's lying -- it looks for what the target believes to be true, not what absolutely is true.

Awesome. Can I get a PDF with the instructions?

So, I'll have a free blog for a week. Neat. I might buy a premier membership when this is all done. It depends on how much I like this and other perks. I don't think I've ever had a blog before, and I know I've never had a BZPower one. Okay, so, I guess I should tell about myself and my interest in Bionicle and BZPower. Well, I like to type fan-fiction. Looks like a good place to add some links to my story topics (to save you the trouble of using the links in my signature )! I have been working on a long series of epics (well, the series is only four, but the epics all together are long). This story focuses on Toa and Matoran and starts (link to the forums archive there) in a region I made up called Yrenta. Most of the story takes place in that little corner of the Northern Continent, with some action elsewhere -- later, as Toa become less common, the characters must cover more territory to make up for the lack of other heroes. Anyway, I have one story on the side: a comedy called Story of Pehkui Nui. Personally, I don't like the script-style for comedies, so mine is written in standard format. I have not yet written any stories that take place outside the Matoran Universe, but I will feature Spherus/Aqua/Bota/Bara Magna sometime. I'd really like it if you'd read and review my stories. I recommend you start with Tale of Yrenta, which starts in... I think you know where... during the reign of the Barraki. Now, the latest story is called End of Yrenta, and yes, it will feature the end of Yrenta. I'm getting to it. It's running really long -- 40 chapters as of now, and while I'm pretty sure I'm well over halfway done, I still have some more story arcs and a general idea of the ending in mind. If I had known it would be this long, I would have made it two stories. Maybe I'll split it when this is all done. We'll see. I also like to MOC. Wait, that's not a verb. I like to build custom Lego models -- and lately it's been nearly exclusively Bionicle. I have a Brickshelf gallery full of my Bionicle models, and so far it's only Bionicle models (and some pictures. No fancy drawings, just sprites and a couple stylized character cartoons. I'm not much of artist, but I do mess around in Paint Shop Pro sometimes). Lots of the custom models I see on Brickshelf and pictures of these conventions... they're just stunning. No way I can compete with that. I'm a mediocre builder, but hey, I have fun with it. And the focus is on fan fiction more than innovative builds. I like to make models of the characters in my story. If you read my story, please take a look, because those models are what my characters look like. Accept no alternative! I think I might even try to eventually MOC every named and several unnamed characters in my story. Yeah... maybe I'll make that into a project. Here would be a good place to post updates on how that's coming along, right? Well, we'll see about that. But speaking of projects, this would also be a good place to tell of the other little project I have. If you'll scroll down to my signature and see the... oh, nevermind. Here it is: End of Yrenta is featuring a battle between Toa and their allies and the Brotherhood of Makuta that takes place 802 AGC. If you have any characters from your own works that you would like to make a brief appearance or be mentioned as participating, please message me. Now, I don't want to give away too much information, but this involves about fifty to sixty Toa and an army of about a thousand to two thousand. Er, a big difference in that last bit. Call it about 1500, then. After centuries of preparation, the Toa mastermind of this operation has recruited enough members to strike against the Brotherhood. They'll be attacking an island fortress. A small yet strategic location off the coast of the Southern Continent. Just a little place that the Brotherhood uses as a staging ground and communications outpost. It's not a major target. Really. Anyway, I think this would be a great opportunity to reach out to my fellow fan fiction authors. (Wow, I don't usually call myself an author... 'writer' will do, even though it's all typed, not written... sorry for my rambling.) With the numbers of Toa declining, I think that it would make sense that several of these Toa would come from other writers' stories. Of course, non-Toa allies are welcome to join. Just no Brotherhood of Makuta (obviously) or Dark Hunters. I don't like to 'hijack' other peoples' characters, so I'll make sure whatever role they play is alright with you, and as far as the plot goes they won't do much more than show up for the battle. So far, two fellow writers have responded to this. The first is Maganar, who has allowed me to use his Toa of Fire Tignioni (hey, read his epic, too!), and the second is rahkshi guurahk, who has let me use a Toa of Air named Ebanus. Judging from his signature, Ebanus is his BZPRPG character. Sorry, guurahk, I have not gotten into BZPRPGs yet. Maybe someday. If you're reading this, you two, thanks again. I hope you like the story. Everyone else, here's a recruitment message from Toa Iskanemo: "It has been eight centuries since the Great Spirit Mata Nui was forced into sleep by the treacherous Brotherhood of Makuta. For over eight hundred years, the Makuta have been allowed to spread their shadow over the lands and seas. The one faction that has had most success combating them is the Dark Hunters, and know that the Shadowed One has a spirit as evil as any Makuta's. Will no heroes make a stand against the Brotherhood? We Toa oppose them in small groups, but only to be wiped out one by one. We will not prevail that way. So let us band together! Only then can we overthrow the Brotherhood and bring the Makuta and their allies to justice. I speak not only to Toa, but to all inhabitants of the universe. There are not enough Toa left for us to do this on our own, and besides, it is the duty of all beings to oppose this plague upon our world. It is the Duty of all of us to serve Mata Nui by punishing those who wronged him, for he cannot. I believe he will be awakened someday, but until that day we must fight back for ourselves. If we wait, it will dishonor him -- or worse, doom us all. So please, seek me out, and tell me you will fight by my side." So, I want YOU! To lend me your characters to have them participate in this much-needed stand against the tyranny of the Makuta and the corruption of the Dark Hunters. I won't kill any of them off (unless you want me to... which would be unexpected...), I promise, though they will see much battle and death. Whew, what a post. So, how is that for the beginning of a blog?