Claws (Nuhvok Va)

The Claws of the Nuhvok VaNuhvok VaThe black and grey Earth-element support swarms of the Bohrok collective, deployed in 2002. were the pair of tools carried by every member of that Bohrok VaBohrok VaScouts and support units for the Bohrok swarms, the Bohrok Va operated independently where the hive-mind Bohrok could not. type. They served as the machine's hands, let it burrow away from danger and doubled as a defensive weapon. (Nuhvok Va profile; BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated; Nuhvok Va)

Function#

Each Nuhvok VaNuhvok VaThe black and grey Earth-element support swarms of the Bohrok collective, deployed in 2002. carried two Claws, which served as its hands. Nuhvok Va weren't equipped for heavy digging, but the Claws let them burrow shallow tunnels to make a quick escape. They liked to scamper from shadow to shadow, stopping to listen for threats, and could squeeze into narrow gaps. (Nuhvok Va profile; Nuhvok Va)

The Claws were also used defensively. (BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated)

Relationship to Onua's Earth Claws#

OnuaOnuaOnua was the Toa Mata and Toa Nuva of Earth, a quiet, deliberate warrior whose patience and underground mastery anchored his team across the Matoran Universe.'s Earth ClawsEarth ClawsOnua's integrated digging and combat tools, inseparable from his body and capable of channeling earth powers. were the tools of the Toa MataWho are the Toa Mata?Six warriors built to order by Artakha, stored in canisters, dropped into the ocean. This is the origin story of Bionicle's heroes and why their first week of work was entirely amnesiac. of Earth, strong enough to dig through solid rock. The Nuhvok Va's Claws were a far smaller and weaker version suited to shallow burrowing. The Nuhvok Va worked alongside the NuhvokNuhvokThe earth-dwelling Bohrok whose rigid nature made them dangerously predictable., the earth-burrowing Bohrok, whose swarms tore through the tunnels of Onu-WahiOnu-WahiThe underground kingdom of Mata Nui, home to the Onu-Matoran and Toa Onua.. (BIONICLE Chronicles 2: Beware the Bohrok; BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated; Nuhvok Va profile)

Each type of Bohrok VaBohrok VaScouts and support units for the Bohrok swarms, the Bohrok Va operated independently where the hive-mind Bohrok could not. served one breed of BohrokBohrokHive-minded mechanical creatures designed to reshape worlds, the Bohrok represent a threat the Toa Mata never expected., carrying replacement kranaKranaThe small organic creatures that controlled the Bohrok, made in eight types plus a mutated variant, without which no Bohrok could serve the swarm. to Bohrok that had lost theirs to the Toa. (BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated)

Use during the swarm attacks#

When MakutaMakuta (Species)Shadowy Antidermis beings and the Brotherhood's elite, Makuta commanded darkness and shaped the Matoran Universe's fate. TeridaxTeridaxTeridax orchestrated a thousand-year scheme that ended with him occupying the Great Spirit Robot itself before his death on Bara Magna. unleashed the BohrokBohrokHive-minded mechanical creatures designed to reshape worlds, the Bohrok represent a threat the Toa Mata never expected. swarms on Mata NuiMata Nui (Location)An island created by accident on the Great Spirit's face, home to the Matoran for a thousand years., the Nuhvok Va woke with them and helped the NuhvokNuhvokThe earth-dwelling Bohrok whose rigid nature made them dangerously predictable. level the island, handing out spare kranaKranaThe small organic creatures that controlled the Bohrok, made in eight types plus a mutated variant, without which no Bohrok could serve the swarm. and wrecking many Onu-MatoranOnu-MatoranEarth-wielding Matoran of the deep who adapted to darkness and built the Matoran Universe's defensive cavalry. tunnels. (BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated)

They also acted as the swarm's alarm. When OnuaOnuaOnua was the Toa Mata and Toa Nuva of Earth, a quiet, deliberate warrior whose patience and underground mastery anchored his team across the Matoran Universe. found a group of Nuhvok trying to collapse a cavern leading to Onu-KoroOnu-KoroOnu-Koro was the earth engineers' city, where underground isolation created one of Mata Nui's most self-sufficient settlements, until the Bohrok came., he disabled many of them and took their krana, until several Nuhvok Va scuttled in and began screeching. Within seconds the remaining Bohrok answered the retreat call and left the cavern. (BIONICLE Chronicles 2: Beware the Bohrok)

Limitations#

The Claws weren't built for serious excavation, and nothing in the story gives them any elemental power. The Nuhvok Va's one listed special ability is excellent night vision. (Nuhvok Va profile; BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated)

After the Toa Mata captured the BahragBahragCahdok and Gahdok were the twin queens of the Bohrok, sealed in a protodermis cage by the Toa Mata and later released to finish their cleansing of Mata Nui., the Bohrok helped repair the villages. The Bohrok Va, which had never been controlled by krana, turned on their allies and helped the Bohrok-KalBohrok-KalSix elite Bohrok designed to free the imprisoned Bahrag, they nearly defeated the Toa Nuva before the Toa turned their own powers against them., supplying them with fresh krana-kal, and returned to hibernation once the Kal were beaten. (BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated)

After the Matoran left Mata Nui for Metru NuiMetru NuiThe city beneath Mata Nui functions as the Great Spirit's brain, housing the Matoran whose labor keeps the god alive., the Toa NuvaToa Mata and Toa NuvaSix biomechanical heroes created by the Great Beings to awaken Mata Nui and defeat the Brotherhood, transformed once and tested across an entire age. went back and freed the Bahrag, and the swarms woke to finish clearing the island. Once the job was done, they went back to their nests. (BIONICLE Legends 7: Prisoners of the Pit; Toa Nuva Blog)

Place in Bohrok engineering#

The Claws fit the pattern of the Bohrok Va as a whole: small helpers kitted out for support work rather than front-line fighting. Built for scampering, hiding and digging out of trouble, the Nuhvok Va carried tools that matched that job. (BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated; Nuhvok Va profile)