The Iron Toa

According to BS01, the Zesk and Vorox are still of the Agori and 'Glatorian' species. That makes sense to me.

No one said he was a good democratically elected leader. Though the expectation (that turned out to be true) that those who opposed him would be murdered probably affected the results.

For Teridax, I think he means because most of the convocation sided with him when Miserix was overthrown.

Yeah, I mean, I wonder how that would affect its mental link with the Bahrag and ability to control Bohrok.

Anyway, I remembered that the Toa Metru's tools were transformed by the venom. So I guess it can alter non-living things, at least in certain circumstances.

I doubt it could affect pure, unliving machines. It might work on Krana, though. I wonder what a Krana Hordika would be like.

Yeah, in scientific terms, we don't know what people are races and what are separate species. I think members of the different Agori tribes we know can interbreed, but I'm not sure if they could with Bone Hunters or Skrall.

I'd change the name of Glatorian Superior to something else, like Elemental Powers Glatorian. Well, there's probably something better than that, but that's what I could think of. The meaning of Glatorian Superior isn't immediately apparent.

Not all of them. Perhaps the Jungle because of their long appendages and Rock since the Bone Hunters came from them specifically, but not Water, Ice and Fire simply because they're exactly alike other than their tribe affiliation.

We don't know, but I'd guess they all have adaptations to the environments they prefer, like the Fire tribe would be resistant to heat while the Ice Agori would be adapted to the cold. We do know, however, that they tend to have different skin colors (assuming the color of their head in the set is their skin color. I can't remember if that was confirmed or not.). Ice Agori tend to be blue, Water Agori tend to be yellow-green, and most of the others seem to be orange.

 

Actually, the Agori on Bota Magna just have their armor and tools fused with plants, not themselves; so I'd imagine they'd be the same species as the Bara Magna Agori.

 

Right. But jungle Agori seem to have longer arms*, maybe you should list them as a race of the Agori species. In fact, I think all the elemental tribes should be listed as their own race.

*Well, the only example we have is Tarduk.

Or maybe in secret sometime after the Shattering, if any of them were on Bara Magna.

While they clearly didn't fix the prototype for Mata Nui to use it, I wonder if they did somehow arrange for him to be able to use it while they were waiting for his return.

They intended to make a third robot but didn't. So do you think they expected their giant robot project to reform Spherus Magna would fail, or if they expected the prototype robot to be restored and used in place of it?

Resistance to temperature changes and/or an ability to regulate temperature might be a property of the protodermis that makes up living beings itself.

Mozmana had been fortunate enough to not have been executed yet, but during the weeks of her imprisonment the situation in Balkhder had spiraled out of control in ways she had never imagined. She was not sure how a successor to Earl Drahais would normally be chosen, but if the ruler of the region had the authority to appoint one, he had not yet done so. Of course, as all members of the Earl's court were under arrest, they were not candidates, though they still had political influence. The Captain of the Guard, Guvreith, managed to gain power and seemed to have been accepted by the general populace, but most of the councilors had done all they could to hinder him via their allies and agents. As a result, what could have been a straightforward trial was bogged down by scheming and corruption. Gardrus had been nominated to interrogate the suspects, but thanks to the councilors' machinations he was rejected. After all, they argued, while it was futile to lie to him, there was nothing to stop him from lying to everyone else.

While she had the chance, Mozmana had probed the minds of her fellow prisoners and uncovered the plot for herself. Of course, no one had heeded her accusations – in fact, with all the power the councilors still had to interfere with justice, she was surprised none of them had been let free yet. As it turned out, six of the imprisoned councilors had been part of a plot to assassinate the Earl, as had been the Ga-Matoran that did the deed. Another four knew of the plan but had decided to neither take part in it nor warn the Earl. The seven traitors had been waiting for months for the right opportunity, and Mozmana had inadvertently granted it to them. In fact, spies in Leokhtlich had informed them of her coming days before her arrival, and they had used that short period of time to prepare. Just the traitors had planned, their red-armored confederate, Usgarlad, had distracted Drahais, allowing the Ga-Matoran sitting across from him to carry out her part. She had feigned the mind control, of course, so that she would be absolved of the crime she had so blatantly committed.

The assassin had not been intended to get away with it, however, for her own allies had betrayed her by bribing one of the guards to kill her. And so the conspirators had two scapegoats – one of which was dead, and the other, an untrusted stranger – and they seemed to have left no physical evidence of the plot. They had been confident they would be released soon, but they had not counted on Captain Guvreith's stubbornness. They had expected Mozmana to receive a quick trial, but Guvreith had insisted on a careful investigation. That distressed the six traitorous councilors, causing them to make further blunders. They stepped up attempts to undermine the captain's influence, which succeeded in slowing the process, but made him even more stubborn. Worried by the prospect of Mozmana being acquitted, they had committed yet another blunder, one which proved to have the greatest consequences. Through their agents, they had alerted the Brotherhood, and urged for the enforcers of the Makuta to take the criminal Toa.

In a remarkable act of audacity, Captain Guvreith had refused to cooperate. Mozmana couldn't tell if he personally sympathized with her, or if he was that dedicated to due process, or if he was opposing the Brotherhood for his own reasons. The result was as clear as it was terrible, and downright astounding: the city was now at war with the Brotherhood itself. And it was because Mozmana had arrived in town at a bad time. Yet again, she wished she had not agreed to serve as an emissary to a city in which nearly half of the ruler's advisers would do anything to usurp him. Done reflecting on the past for the moment, she sighed, stood up, and looked around. She had not been able to gather so much information subtly – all the other prisoners and everyone who passed by her cell had felt her mental intrusion, and so most of them stared at her warily. This had gone on for over a week, and some of them seemed to watch her whenever they were awake. Several gazes turned toward the door, however, when it opened and Guvreith entered, followed by a squad of his guards.

“What is it now, you churls?” barked the slender blue-armored councilor.

“You had better be carrying the keys to our release,” said a Matoran of Plasma. “This nonsense has gone on for too long.”

“I am, in fact. Your time in these cells is ended,” said Captain Guvreith, and the prisoners looked up hopefully. “You're being transferred to a more secure location.”

“What?” roared one of the yellow councilors, but Guvreith just smiled slyly. “You will regret taunting us, wretch!”

“You're transferring us again? We were already moved from the courthouse jail to the dungeons,” said Mozmana. “Where else is there to go?”

“Why don't you just take a look for yourself, Toa?” said the captain, tapping his head meaningfully.

“I am trying to be polite,” Mozmana said patiently.

“Well, thank you for not rooting around inside my head, then,” said Guvreith. “Below us, in the catacombs, are some storage vaults. We've emptied them to accommodate you.”

“Locked in a storeroom! A fine way to treat an innocent bystander,” said a black-armored adviser, one of the five that Mozmana knew to be blameless.

“In case you haven't noticed, the city is under attack,” said Guvreith. “You will be well hidden and secure – ”

“While we suffocate,” interrupted Usgarlad. “Those vaults are sealed.”

“We've altered them to make sure the interiors are sufficiently ventilated,” said the guard captain. “Come on now, time to go.”

With that, he and his subordinates began to open the cells one at a time and chain the prisoners securely. Most of the councilors and a few of the imprisoned keep guards glared and cursed at their captors as they were herded out. As Mozmana awaited her turn, the ground trembled slightly – nearly imperceptibly. The origin of the tremor was far away, but it was surely from the battle raging outside. No one else seemed to notice it, but Mozmana did, and it bolstered her determination. When Guvreith and three other guards came forth to take her, she made a decision she had been struggling with for days.

“Captain, your city does not need to suffer for my sake,” she said. “Please, let the Brotherhood take me.”

The captain stopped and stared at her in shock for a moment, then lowered his head and sighed.

“Of course... you Toa always think you're at the center of everything,” he said. “Well, this isn't just about you. It's true, they have no business trying to take an imprisoned suspect from us – and I am sure those vile aristocrats had something to do with their meddling – but if I hadn't thought it was time to stand up to them, I wouldn't have.”

“But what chance do you have?” protested Mozmana. “You are just one city...”

“One strong city. We have seen war before. Earl Drahais has raised a powerful army, and now it is my army,” said Guvreith. “And we are petitioning the nearby towns for aid. I am quite certain some of them will join us. Many of us agree that the Makuta have interfered and imposed their will on us for too long.”

“Then let me help you,” said Mozmana. “Toa clearly are not invincible, but we are still rare and valuable allies. I will fight to defend your city, if you let me.”

“Perhaps it will come to that,” conceded Guvreith thoughtfully. “But not today. I am beginning to doubt your guilt, but I cannot be sure. For all I know, you are a Brotherhood agent and this is all part of your masters' plans.”

“You have only my word that I am not,” said Mozmana, offering her wrists to the guard with the manacles. “I hope you will soon see reason.”

“I hope I will not need to risk asking for your help,” said Guvreith, and his subordinates shackled Mozmana.

“Which Makuta are these lands in the domain of?” asked Mozmana as she allowed the guards to escort her to her new prison.

“He has not made his name known to us. He has not overseen these lands for long, in fact,” said the captain. “I heard that the Makuta that used to watch over these lands was killed somewhat recently, and so this new one's territories in the east were expanded to include us.”“This new Makuta's original territories were to the east?” said Mozmana.

“Beyond Leokhtlich, I think,” Guvreith said, nodding. “But I do not know what there is to rule over there. There is nothing there but deserts and little communities of backward, isolationist Matoran.”

Many kio to the east, Imlen reentered Leokhtlich. Brotherhood forces were marching west through the region, trampling carelessly through fields while the farmers locked themselves indoors. Weeks ago, Mozmana had headed to the capital to pass Turaga Alled's warning on to the Thane, but Imlen did not know if she had ever made it. And so once he had done all he could to help the Matoran of Yrenta, he had set out to find his companion and ensure the news she meant to deliver reached its recipient. When he left his homeland, the jungle had been burning for over a week. He could not know if Turaga Morok was still alive, but the Turaga and his wild friends had certainly put up an impressive resistance. Had they been easily overcome, their home would have been razed in a day. Many Matoran had volunteered to fight back against the jungle's destruction, but Imlen had forbidden it. He knew it would be suicidal, though he himself wished he could have aided the Turaga.

After leaving Morok, Imlen had informed the leaders of each village of Mata Nui's impending death. He trusted them to release the word when the time was right, and he expected that time would be soon. Each day it became more clear that something was going very wrong in the world. The storm over Mount Tasle had not returned, and though he wasn't certain, Imlen suspected night was coming earlier, as if Mata Nui no longer had the energy to keep the sky alight as long. The Rahi were also restless, as they often were before disasters. The spooked creatures had not actually threatened the Matoran villages, but they did make it harder to prepare for the exodus. The region's few Hypaka and pack animals were uncooperative, and so it looked like the Matoran would only be able to bring what they could carry. There would not be extra space in the boats for more than vital supplies anyway, and even then only if they had access to the boats the Brotherhood had been building along the coast. Of course, that was assuming the dock overseers would have the wisdom to cooperate.

From an escaped slave working at the docks, the village leaders had learned that the leader of the shipyard was a Steltian named Lanfarak. Imlen had offered to attempt to meet him, but they convinced him not to. They had said it was best that he not make his presence known, and that he should continue the mission Turaga Alled had set him on while at the same time searching for Mozmana. And so, after spending a few days traveling north, he came upon the capital city of Hayafod. As he approached the town from the south, someone zoomed up to the open gates from the west on a small, speedy vehicle. The rider dismounted and spoke to the sentries on duty, and though Imlen was too far away to hear their conversation, he could tell the rider was distressed. The guards let him pass, and hailed Imlen politely when he walked up to them.

“Hello, noble Toa,” greeted one of them. “Why have you come to our beautiful town?”

“I'm looking for a friend,” said Imlen. “Has a Toa of Psionics come to the town recently?”

“Not that I know of,” said the guard.

“Ah, but one did, weeks ago,” interjected another. “We were not on duty when she arrived, but I did hear about her visit.”

“Was she granted an audience with the Thane?” asked Imlen, and the second sentinel nodded. “Where is she now?”

“I do not know, but she left not long after she arrived,” he said. “You could try to ask the Thane. I expect he will be quite busy with the news that messenger has just brought, but he should be willing to speak with a Toa any time.”

“What did the messenger say?” asked Imlen. “He seemed quite anxious.”

“The lands to the west are under attack from the Brotherhood. He's come on their behalf to petition Thane Frithozib for help.”

“I have come with my own concerns, but perhaps I can be of assistance,” said Imlen.

“I had hoped you would say that,” said the first sentry. “I'll make sure his door-wardens let you in. Follow me.”

The guard led Imlen to the Great Hall on the hill in the center of the town. Because Frithozib was already speaking with someone, it took some persuasion to get the guards at the doors to let Imlen in. The sentry that had escorted him to the hall returned to his post, and one of the door-wardens accompanied Imlen inside. The wooden building was all one room, with a high ceiling supported by elaborately-carved pillars. Large tapestries hung from the rafters, and in the center of the room there was a large open fireplace flanked by long tables. The fire kept the entire hall warm and well-lit, and its sweet-smelling smoke drifted up and out of a vent in the ceiling. At the end of the room Frithozib's throne overlooked another, perpendicularly placed table. The Thane sat in the throne now, and before him the red-armored messenger stood in front of the table, pleading his case. The guard had Imlen wait a respectful distance from the conversation until Thane Frithozib beckoned to him.

“Hail, Toa of Plasma,” he said, gesturing the messenger to step to the side to make room for Imlen.

“Greetings, Thane Frithozib,” Imlen said, and bowed.

“Please, introduce yourself and state your business quickly,” said the Thane. “As you can see, I already have a visitor.”

“My name is Imlen. I am looking for Toa Mozmana,” said Imlen. “I am her companion, and I have not heard from her since she parted from me to seek an audience with you.”

“Toa Mozmana came, and she delivered her message,” said Frithozib, looking Imlen in the eyes meaningfully. “Then I sent her to Earl Drahais of Balkhder, which is troubling, because this messenger tells me the Earl has been assassinated and his regent is waging war against the Brotherhood of Makuta.”

“What?” exclaimed Imlen.

“And your sister Toa is being held as a suspect in the case of Drahais's murder,” said the messenger. “Although so is the Earl's entire court.”

“Your city is keeping Mozmana captive?” said Imlen, and the messenger nodded. “You must release her! I am sure she is innocent.”

“You will need to convince our regent, Captain Guvreith,” said the emissary from Balkhder. “Perhaps if you help us in our fight against the Brotherhood, he will listen to your pleas.”

“Any other day I would say 'yes', but I think it would be best to make peace with the Brotherhood,” said Imlen, and the messenger looked shocked. “I will accompany you, however.”

“You think we should surrender to the Makuta? What sort of Toa are you?” said the messenger incredulously.

“Maybe not the Makuta, but their servants,” clarified Imlen. “We need to convince them to leave their dark masters before their evil leads to the undoing of us all.”

“Oh. You're idealistic, then – thinking you can stop bad guys by asking nicely. That sounds more like a Toa. But that doesn't matter. The Brotherhood will not stop until we are crushed, and I doubt Guvreith will ask for mercy. However, if we can find allies to help us in this war, we might achieve victory against the local Brotherhood forces,” said the emissary, turning to the Thane. “What say you, Thane Frithozib?”

“Actually, Toa Imlen does speak wisely. The plots of the Makuta may lead to the ruin of all if they are not stopped,” said Frithozib. “This is not the time for war. This is the time for everyone to work together for survival.”

“You know something I don't,” said the emissary suspiciously, and he looked at Imlen. “And you do, too.”

“Yes, there is more happening than you know, messenger – or should know – but your Captain Guvreith must know,” said Thane Frithozib. “And it means I must see to the safety of my people first. I cannot send my army to your city. It would take at least a week to reach your city on foot, anyway. I can, however, send a small group of my best warriors, and spare enough Hypaka to carry them and Toa Imlen.”

“Thank you, Thane,” said the messenger, bowing low.

“I wish to cultivate good relations with your people. Though he was once an enemy, I am grieved to hear of Earl Drahais's death. You must understand that my ability to help is limited, for I must put my own people first, but I will do all I can for yours,” said the Thane. “Now, if you'll excuse me, I must speak with Toa Imlen alone.”

“Of course, Thane Frithozib,” said the emissary slightly hesitantly, and he left the hall.

“Why did you send Toa Mozmana to this city – Balkhder, was it?” asked Imlen when he and Frithozib were alone.

“I sent her to Balkhder to warn Earl Drahais of the impending death of the universe, and to extend an offer of friendship on my behalf,” said Frithozib. “Clearly, I underestimated the volatility of the political situation there – not just with the Earl and his court, but in regards to the Brotherhood as well.”

“Well, the arrival of a Toa does send to set things off, for good or ill,” said Imlen. “I do hope she is alright.”

“From what the emissary had to say about this Captain Guvreith, he will not have her put to death without a thorough trial and investigation. Of course, he has no time for such things now. Perhaps Guvreith will come to his senses and release her. But regardless, you are needed there, not only to save your friend but to help the people of that region prepare to evacuate. I am placing you in command of the squad I am sending, and their Hypaka plus your own. I am entrusting them to you, is that clear, Toa Imlen?”

“Yes, Thane Frithozib,” said Imlen. “Thank you.”

http://www.bzpower.com/board/index.php?showtopic=4220"]Review[/url]

I don't have any on my desk now, but sometimes I put one of MOCs there to keep me company. I have a few Visorak built though as well as a bunch of MOCs.

Right, like, thousands of years before he impersonated Turaga Dume. But it would be interesting if he somehow influenced Nuparu's programming of them... kind of a stretch though.

Based on Bonesiii's reasoning, a Toa of Iron wouldn't be able to do that. But a Toa of Magnetism could make a magnetic field to repel himself off the ground. A Toa of Iron would be able to alter his own weapons and armor, that could count as some physical enhancement.

Control machines? No, but I suppose they would be able to overload or drain power from devices that run on electricity.

Edit: I mean, they could learn to operate machines by normal means, but not with their elemental power.

 

 

I agree that the Agori and Glatorian could be arranged better. I would do it like this:

 

Original Species

-Agori

--Bone Hunters and Agori subtypes

-Glatorian

--Skrall and Glatorian subtypes.

 

Isn't that how I did it..? I was going for that, mine's just a bit more in depth I think.. Idk, maybe I need to redraw it because I think many are confused.

 

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Sorry, what I meant was, instead of having two main lines with Agori and Glatorian at the ends, make them smaller branches from the original species with the subtypes branching out under them, instead of along the side of the line.

Some notes on these points.

 

1) I would definitely keep the Element Lords. It's best to make such charts as detailed as possible, not assume people will already know the more trivial things.

 

3) The close similarity of the faces of the two major types, Glatorian and Agori, plus confirmed relations between some other groups, and the common way of referring to the whole planet's population as "Agori" provide strong evidence that there was an Original species, and I think it was called Agori.

 

BTW, the name logic for Glatorian makes sense in that context, as they're named for the gladiator sport they are good at which was invented to resolve conflicts. Not sure if this reasoning works far enough back in time; was that system established after the Core War and were they called Glatorian already? Still, the basic idea at least seems to make sense to me that after a while a trait of giantism (healthy type, or perhaps kept healthy by the cybernetic implants?) developed in some Agori, and they were pushed to the front of the line in terms of who is used for combat.

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I think Glatorian is just a job title, and unfortunately we never got an official name for the tall species. Of course this divergence would probably have happened a long, long time before the Core War, if that's the combat you're talking about. Even if they evolve very quickly, it would probably take millions of years, considering how long they live.

In the case of the Skrall the giantism apparently continued more than in most, creating the Giant Skrall (ruler class), but for whatever reason they went extinct later except for Tuma. Could be health reasons, as giants in real life often die younger than smaller beings, both in humans and animals. Or could simply be that they wiped each other out in personal duel type battles or the like, as often happens with the strongest and healthiest in warlike cultures, leaving a remnant of only the weak.

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I thought it was mainly because the Baterra wiped out the rest of the Skrall leaders.

 

However, it's possible such a thing could be caused by a virus that attaches to that elemental type. We've seen a similar virus with the Iron Tribe, so it's possible.

 

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Huh? That wasn't a virus. About the Vorox and Zesk, I think Greg might have said something about how they were pretty savage already, and the Shattering just pushed the Bara Magna ones over the edge. Not so sure on that one, though.

 

2) Also, The Vorox/Zesk should be only distantly related to the others. I mean, they're arthropods, and everybody else is a primatoid of some sort.

Huh? The Vorox and Zesk are just altered Glatorian/Agori. They're more related to the main species than the Skrall are.

I agree that the Agori and Glatorian could be arranged better. I would do it like this:

Original Species

-Agori

--Bone Hunters and Agori subtypes

-Glatorian

--Skrall and Glatorian subtypes.

Yeah, Greg confirmed it. A Matoran turning into a Toa will take the form of what he thinks a Toa looks like, but they always have the same basic shape, even if that Matoran has no idea what Toa look like or thinks they look like jellyfish.

Which Matoran do you think is most deserving of becoming a Toa?

Hmm... Mazeka would make a good Toa, but he doesn't really need to become one, he does just fine as a Matoran. I guess I'd have to say one of the Voya Nui or Mahri Nui Matoran. Sarda, maybe?

Which six Matoran would you pick to turn into a Toa Team?

Six new characters of the lesser-known elements.

And which Toa do you think should retire and become Turaga?

Lesovikk. Perhaps he should reunite and do what he can to restore his people that were sent to Karzanhi, however.

Ah, I remember that conversation now. How did we forget so quickly?

Huh, I thought Greg said that the levitating platform technique wouldn't work.

I thought that was debunked.

I think so. And why Nova Blasts were almost never used, because they're so destructive.

Well, assuming standard Nova Blasts are all the same size, a Gravity Nova Blast wouldn't create an actual black hole like the kind that stars can become. More like what Nuhvok Kal did, but big enough to destroy all of Metru Nui.