The Great Hunt (The Legend Continues entry)

[Ptah]

The Great Hunt

 

Introduction:

My entry re-imagines the second year of G2. In this iteration, there are 3 Great Masks: the Mask of Duty, the Mask of Unity, and the Mask of Destiny. At the start of the series, Makuta used the Mask of Destiny to rewrite the cosmic order. The first year focuses on the Mask of Duty. Matorans use it to awaken the Toa to Makuta's plot. This year centers on the Mask of Unity. More on that below. The third year concludes with the Mask of Destiny and which fate Okoto and its inhabitants choose for themselves.

 

 

Cast:

Elemental Creatures: Like the 2016 sets, there are six animals linked to the elements.

Creature of Stone - Nui Jaga, the scorpion

Creature of Water – Takea, hammerhead shark

Creature of Fire – Kaa, the lava hawk

Creature of Earth – Gravlok, the cave bear

Creature of Air – Gukko, the jungle bird

Creature of Ice – Kane-Ra, the snow ox

 

Wardens: Matoran chosen by the Spirit of the Wild to defend her creatures; an updated version of the Rahaga.

Kiva the Stonewarden – A cowboy; preferring the open range.

Nixie the Seawarden – A priest; she listens for the movement of the Great Spirits

Agni the Flamewarden – A warrior; if she can't solve a problem by hitting it, she isn't hitting it hard enough.

Tehutti the Earthwarden – An inventor in a society that values physical strength.

Mistral the Skywarden – A hunter; this is a source of internal conflict.

Ehyre the Snowwarden – A hermit who must now work with others.

 

Hunters: The hunters follow Umarak, the Huntmaster.

Arid – A Skull Hunter; serves Umarak but may have another agenda.

Tempest – A pirate; who doesn't mind hunting if the pay is good.

Skorch – A bounty hunter with a high resistance to fire and heat.

Onyx the Claw – A grappler constantly looking to test his strength.

Mistral – She hunts anything that flies.

Snowstalker & Klyma – Snowstalker comes from a cat-like race called the Muaka.

Klyma, a female matoran, who is Snowstalker's translator and valet.

 

Titans:

Umarak, Master of the Hunt – He want to hunt the ultimate game, a Great Spirit.

Rahaga, Great Spirit of the Wild – A celestial being who watches over the wilds of Okoto.

 

 

The Story

A quick prologue shows Umarak and Arid, the Skull Hunter, exploring the ruins of a jungle temple. They discover a wall carving showing six animals. This grabs Umarak's attention, but the real prize is found by Arid. It is the Golden Mask of Unity. Umarak retrieves it and promises to put it to good use. He uses the Mask to merge shadow with the plants overgrowing in the temple, creating these wicked looking shadowthorns. Arid finally speaks saying the Toa won't know what hit them.

 

Act 1: The Call of the Wild

The story proper begins in the jungles of Okoto. The creature of Air, Gukko, lands for a drink. The jungle grows quiet. Gukko picks up on this, but before she can flee is his with a shadowthorn arrow. Gukko bellows in pain but flies off. In the underbrush, Mistral watches where the bird flies and sink back into the shadows.

 

Elsewhere in the jungle, Lewa is flying high on patrol. Without warning, his air power gives out and he tumbles out of the sky. Lewa doesn't know what happened, but knows someone who might: Elder Matau. He starts walking toward the Leaf village of Le-Koro as the sky grows ominously darker.

 

Mistral returns to camp; a dark, thorny hollow in the middle of the Temple ruins. A group of unsavory types glare at her return. She ignore them reporting directly to Umarak. She describes her hunt of the Gukko bird and the effect of the shadowthorns. Umarak looks pleased and snaps off more thorns to hand out to the other hunters. Each hunter is assigned a bounty. Arid will hunt the nimble Nui Jaga in the deserts. Tempest will hunt the swift Takea in the seas surrounding Okoto. Onyx will hunt the mighty Graalok in the caverns. Skorch must retrieve the fiery Kaa from the lava fields. And Snowstalker must capture the formidable Kane Ra in the snowy drifts of the mountains. Each creature must be captured alive. Umarak pointedly stares at Skorch. Skorch smirks but agrees to the terms. Umarak has one more mission for Mistral. She must finish her hunt and bring in Gukko. She obeys and heads out like all the hunters.

 

In the jungle, Gukko crashes to the ground. Her wing is black and completely useless. She bellows a long, pitiable cry. A cry heard by Rahaga, the Spirit of the Wild. Rahaga responds with a call of her own, the Call of the Wild. The call is only heard by a chosen few. In Ga-Koro, Nixie hears the call and jumps into the sea. On the sand-swept plains of Po-wahi, Kiva hears the call, but shakes it off continuing to tend his herd. On the slopes of Mount Ihu, Ehyre hears the call and changes direction in his solitary trek. In the caverns of Onu-koro, Tehutti hears the call and starts building. And in the village of Ta-Koro, Agni hears the call and runs to Elder Vakama.

 

Vakama doesn't know about the Call, but knows a matoran who might. Vakama takes her and Toa Tahu to see Norik. Norik is the village's vet. He can treat matorans in a pinch, but specializes in wildlife. When he hears Agni's account, Norik recognizes the Call of the Wild. He explains just as Mata Nui watches over the people of Okoto, Rahaga looks after its creatures. If she is calling, it means the Wilds are in danger. Norik suggests Agni find the Creature of Fire, Kaa. Together, they might locate the trouble. Tahu offers to help and together, they begin the search.

 

Back in the jungle, Mistral shakes off the Call of the Wild to focus on her hunt. She's tracked Gukko and closes in. When Mistral spots her prey, she is shocked by how much the corruption has spread. She looks at the shadowthorns with disgust and throws them to the ground. She nets the bird and hauls it away. Above, the darkening skies breaking into a furious storm.

 

Act 2: The Thrill of the Hunt

The storm blows Lewa off course. He is thrown into Mistral and Gukko. There is a brief exchange and Lewa quickly puts together, Mistral is a hunter and the bird needs help. They fight over Gukko. From the outset, Mistral's heart isn't in it. After a brief skirmish, she surrenders the creature of Air. She extracts a promise from Lewa to make sure the bird gets treated. Mistral retreats and Lewa sees to the Gukko bird. Immediately, the howling storm abates. Lewa is so focused on the bird he doesn't make the connection. He takes the bird back to Le-koro.

 

In the lava fields, Agni and Tahu search for Kaa. Tahu is confused about the Spirit of the Wild. Why ask a bunch of animals for help when there are heroes like the Toa? Agni has no answers, but wonders aloud maybe animals see or do things Toa can not. They find a netted lava hawk with the hunter Skorch closing in with a shadowthorn dagger.

 

Toa and Warden jump into action. Tahu takes on Skorch while Agni slips around and free the lava hawk. Skorch holds his ground against Tahu. He sees Agni about to free his quarry and he throws his dagger at her. Tahu tackles Agni saving her, but the dagger hits its true mark, Kaa. The lava field erupts as the fire bird succumbs to the poison. Tahu tries using his elemental powers to tamp down the inferno to no effect.

 

The growing inferno threatens the village of Ta-koro. Tahu is split; save the village or save the Creature of Fire. Tahu chooses the village. He rushes to warn everyone leaving Skorch to slip away with his prize. A powerless Tahu manages to evacuate the village. By the time he returns to the lava fields, Skorch is gone. Kaa is gone, but curiously Agni is also gone.

 

This scenario is repeated across Okoto. Toa and Warden search for their elemental creature only for the hunter to be a step or two ahead of them. When the creature is captured, the elements are thrown out of balance. The Toa's elemental powers are gone. This allows the hunter to escape with their quarry.

 

Mistral returns to camp. She sees her fellow hunters have been successful. Three elemental creatures have already been caught and caged. Umarak is furious she returned empty-handed. Mistral tries to ask about the shadowthorns, but Umarak cuts her off. He orders her back out to retrieve her bounty.

 

She leaves but doesn't go far. Her hunting skills easily pick up a trail. She follows it and finds Agni. There is a brief fight, but it is soon made clear they aren't enemies. Mistral has decided to break with Umarak. Agni shows her why that's a smart call. Another hunter brings in his catch. Umarak is pleased and then breaks out the Mask of Unity and fuses hunters and creature together. Agni surmises something similar happened to the other hunters.

 

The two are found out and the alarm is raised. Umarak sicks his hybrids on the intruders. Agni and Mistral run for their lives, but Agni realizes they will be overtaken. She tells Mistral to find the Toa, then turns around and jumps into the pack of hybrids. Doesn't look back, as Agni is taken down and dragged off to Umarak. Mistral escapes.

 

Act 3: The Great Hunt

By now, Okoto is getting battered by the elemental storm. Toa and Wardens brave the treacherous climate to reach Le-Koro. Air is the only element that hasn't turned on them. In Le-Koro, Gukko's condition has stabilized thanks to the matoran animal tender, Iruini. The heroes ponder their next move when Mistral enters their midst.

 

She found them through her connection with Gukko. This is an experience the other wardens recognize. The Toa are doubtful, but when Gukko accepts her, the wardens give her the benefit of the doubt. She gives the heroes the lowdown on Umarak, Agni, and what he has done with the other creatures using the Mask of Unity.

 

They don't have to imagine what these hybrids look like as they attack Le-Koro. The Toa rush to defend the town, but their loss of powers, the elements going wild and the hybrids ferocity put them on the defensive. The Toa get beat down, but Wardens Tehutti and Kiva join in. Unfortunately, it is all a ruse. Two hybrids break in the hut and kidnap Mistral and Gukko.

 

The hybrids return to the temple with their captives. Umarak is pleased. He doesn't reveal his plan, but a captured Agni does. She pieced it together from the reliefs surrounding the temple and her link with Kaa. Umarak wants to summon Rahaga and needs the creatures to do it. Umarak uses the Mask of Unity on Agni and Gukko, but the fusion doesn't take. Umarak moves on to Mistral and fuses here with the bird. This time the fusion works. Mistral and Gukko are connected so the blending works.

 

The elemental storm intensifies as Air loses its balance. But Umarak doesn't care. He wants the hybrids to summon Rahaga. At first they balk, but Umarak threatens to destroy the mask and they'll be permanently fused as hybrids. This convinces most of the hybrids. Mistral still balks. Umarak causally threatens Agni. Mistral, feeling indebted to Agni, complies.

 

Kiva and Ehyre, both trackers, find the hybrid's trail and follow it back to Umarak. They reach the temple just as the summoning ritual is complete. Rahaga appears and Umarak begins the greatest hunt. Not wanting interruptions, he sicks the hybrids on the heroes.

 

Round two begins much like the first one with the Toa getting knocked around. The Toa use their mask powers but it slows down the hybrids not stop them. Tahu busts Agni out of captivity. She grabs the Mask of Unity and orders the Toa and Wardens deeper into the temple. The Toa are puzzled, but obey. The lure the hybrids into the central chamber and Agni uses the Mask of Unity to separate the hybrids into creature and hunter. One by one, the hybrids are split the last being Mistral. Mistral asks to hold off. They need to save Rahaga and she can move faster in this form.

 

With the creatures free, the elemental regain their balance. The Toa start regaining their powers. The Hunter know when they've been beat and sensible surrender. While the Toa take care of them, the Wardens mount their creatures and ride to the rescue of Rahaga.

 

In the jungle, Umarak enjoys the hunt. Rahaga is powerful, but Umarak has hunted big game before. The shadowthorns put Rahaga on the defensive. Umarak prepares for the killing blow. He notches a shadowthorn arrow and fires. The show is blocked by Mistral. Mistral attacks distracting Umarak for only a moment. He tries again, but this time stopped by Agni and Kaa. Soon the other Wardens and creatures arrive to protect the Spirit of the Wild and Umarak realizes he's down to his last arrow.

 

Umarak flees, but the Wardens don't let him off that easily. They hunt him now. He finds himself trapped with Takea in the water, Kaa and Gukko in the skies Kane Ra, Nui Jaga and Gravlok covering every escape. Rahaga wants to tear out his throat, but the Wardens argue mercy. Rahaga instead marks him. Now every creature great and small knows to attack him. It starts with a swarm of flies but soon larger animals join in the hunt. Umarak flees into the jungle as the jungle screams and howls at the ex-hunter.

 

The Toa arrive as Rahaga thanks the wardens and her creatures. Before she departs, Rahaga has some encouraging words for the Toa. She advises them to learn from the Wardens. They won't defeat Makuta without Unity. Rahaga vanishes after that.

 

With the threat managed, Agni separates Mistral and Gukko. She hands the Mask over to the Toa, but they decide it is in better hands with the Wardens. Finally, they come to the Hunter only to find Arid, the Skull Hunter, has vanished. The other captives say he melted into the shadows and disappeared. The wardens pass judgment on the remaining hunters. The more honorable ones like Snowstalker and Onyx are exiled. Tempest and Skorch will face trial. Mistral is ready to face trial alongside her fellow hunters. But the Toa have a different punishment in mind. She is going to restore this Temple, making it up to the Wilds she imperiled. The wardens agree to help her. Another team of heroes has begun.

 

An epilogue has the Toa discussing the Wardens and their latest adventure. The others are excited to have fellow heroes in the fight, but Gali is worried. Arid was clearly a minion of Makuta and it isn't a stretch to think Makuta orchestrated the peril. He chose an indirect route and failed. Next time it will be more direct. The Toa agree they must prepare for Makuta's next attack.

 

The End

[Kookie]

I found this super cool!  Definitely has the feel of something that functions both as the basis for the line as a product but also works on its own (as it should).  I would've loved to see something like this in G2.  

 

Having Mistral as both a Warden and a Hunter worked very nicely I think.  I like that it feels a little more focused on the Wardens rather than the Toa.  (The Toa are always great, but sometimes it's nice for a change of pace, a la Dark Destiny.)  

 

The only thing I might ask for in addition is a little more backstory for the villains, particularly Umarak.  A villain we can understand is always a plus.  I think the story functions just fine as is, but it would have been the icing on the cake.

 

Have you done this same sort of outline for the other years?  I would personally love to see them.  

 

Well done, and good luck in the contest!

Edited June 16, 2017 by Kookie