The Elemental Sandstone Blaster

The Elemental Sandstone Blaster was the personal weapon of NilkuuNilkuu, Protector of Stone of OkotoNilkuu was the village elder and Protector of Stone in the second age of Okoto, wielder of the Elemental Sandstone Blaster, rescuer of Bingzak, and guide who led Pohatu across the desert to the Golden Mask of Stone., Protector of StoneProtectorsThe six elders of Okoto's villages, each wielding elemental powers and guarding their regions before the Toa arrived. of OkotoOkotoOkoto is a world whose known inhabitants include the Toa, the Mask makers, and the Protectors. in the second age, and the Stone entry in the wider family of Elemental Blasters that the ProtectorsProtectorsThe six elders of Okoto's villages, each wielding elemental powers and guarding their regions before the Toa arrived. of the six elemental regions carried into the campaign against the Skull SpidersSkull SpidersThe arachnid swarm that raided the villages of Okoto, clamped infection masks onto its captives, guarded the City of the Mask Makers under the Lord of Skull Spiders, and broke against the arrival of the Toa.. It was a hybrid armament, built first as a melee weapon and second as a close-range sand projector, and it served NilkuuNilkuu, Protector of Stone of OkotoNilkuu was the village elder and Protector of Stone in the second age of Okoto, wielder of the Elemental Sandstone Blaster, rescuer of Bingzak, and guide who led Pohatu across the desert to the Golden Mask of Stone. across the length of his recorded service before passing in powered-up form to PohatuPohatu, Master of Stone: The Stubborn Toa of OkotoPohatu of Okoto was the Master of Stone summoned by the Protectors, the stubborn sandstorm-rider guided by Nilkuu through the Region of Stone whose hesitation at the Labyrinth cost the team the Mask of Control., the Toa of StonePohatu, Master of Stone: The Stubborn Toa of OkotoPohatu of Okoto was the Master of Stone summoned by the Protectors, the stubborn sandstorm-rider guided by Nilkuu through the Region of Stone whose hesitation at the Labyrinth cost the team the Mask of Control., at the temple where the Golden Mask of Stone was kept.

Construction and dual function#

The Elemental Sandstone Blaster was built first as a melee weapon. The base configuration was a hand-held armament whose principal mode of use was direct close combat, suited to a ProtectorProtectorsThe six elders of Okoto's villages, each wielding elemental powers and guarding their regions before the Toa arrived. whose region was a barren desert in which long-range engagements were the exception rather than the rule. The secondary function, and the one for which the weapon was named, was a sand-blast projector capable of dealing out severe damage at close range. The two functions were combined in a single piece of equipment rather than separated across two weapons, which fit the standing pattern by which the Elemental Blasters of the ProtectorsProtectorsThe six elders of Okoto's villages, each wielding elemental powers and guarding their regions before the Toa arrived. integrated a melee body with a region-specific elemental projection mode.

The hybrid construction matched the working conditions of the Region of StoneRegion of StoneThe northwestern desert region of Okoto, home of the Stone Tribe and the Protector of Stone, site of the Battle of the Mask Makers and the Black Crater, and the territory through which Pohatu hunted for the Golden Mask of Stone.. The hot, barren desert was crossed by canyons and trackless dunes and swept by violent sandstorms that could obliterate trails and bury caravans. A weapon that could push sand at attack range in a controlled blast turned the dominant environmental hazard of the region into an offensive instrument, and the same tool then closed in for direct combat when the projection mode was inadequate or the target too close to engage at range. The blaster was therefore a weapon suited to its region in the manner that each of the Elemental Blasters was suited to the ProtectorProtectorsThe six elders of Okoto's villages, each wielding elemental powers and guarding their regions before the Toa arrived. who carried it.

Place within the Elemental Blasters family#

The Elemental Sandstone Blaster belonged to a wider class of weapons used by the ProtectorsProtectorsThe six elders of Okoto's villages, each wielding elemental powers and guarding their regions before the Toa arrived. of OkotoOkotoOkoto is a world whose known inhabitants include the Toa, the Mask makers, and the Protectors.. Five of the six ProtectorsProtectorsThe six elders of Okoto's villages, each wielding elemental powers and guarding their regions before the Toa arrived. carried a region-specific Elemental Blaster as their principal armament. The Protector of Jungle's tool was incorporated into the Air Elemental Flame Bow. The Protector of Water carried the Elemental Torpedo Blaster. The Protector of Earth was equipped with the weapon called the Rapid Shooter. The Protector of StoneProtectorsThe six elders of Okoto's villages, each wielding elemental powers and guarding their regions before the Toa arrived. carried the Elemental Sandstone Blaster. Each of these weapons paired an elemental projection mode keyed to the ProtectorProtectorsThe six elders of Okoto's villages, each wielding elemental powers and guarding their regions before the Toa arrived.'s region with a body suitable for direct combat, and each was treated as a working tool rather than a ceremonial one.

The same family of weapons could be wielded by the ToaThe Toa of Okoto: The Six Heroes Summoned to Save the IslandThe six elemental heroes summoned by the Protectors of Okoto, who recovered the Golden Masks, woke Ekimu, fought the Skull Army, and twice banished Makuta to the Shadow Realm. in their powered-up modes, when the elemental output of the user scaled the weapon's effect well beyond the range a ProtectorProtectorsThe six elders of Okoto's villages, each wielding elemental powers and guarding their regions before the Toa arrived. could draw from it. KopakaKopaka, Master of Ice: The Chivalrous Toa of OkotoKopaka of Okoto was the Master of Ice summoned by the Protectors, the cold perfectionist who shielded the Protector of Ice from the Skull Spiders and disputed leadership of the team with Tahu at the Ancient City. used a corresponding blaster in his powered-up form and afterward acquired his own blaster of the same type for permanent use. TahuTahu, Master of Fire: Leader of the Toa of OkotoTahu of Okoto was the Master of Fire summoned by the Protectors, the hot-tempered would-be leader of the Toa who opened the Labyrinth of Control and held the line at the Black Volcano. also wielded a powered-up form of his region's blaster in the relevant phase of the campaign. The Sandstone Blaster's transfer to PohatuPohatu, Master of Stone: The Stubborn Toa of OkotoPohatu of Okoto was the Master of Stone summoned by the Protectors, the stubborn sandstorm-rider guided by Nilkuu through the Region of Stone whose hesitation at the Labyrinth cost the team the Mask of Control. at the moment the Toa of StoneToa of StoneStone-wielding Toa protected Mata Nui's villages, though Pohatu's exceptional origin distinguished him from the typical Po-Matoran transformation. claimed his Golden Mask was the Stone-element instance of that wider pattern.

Service in the Region of JungleRegion of JungleThe rainforest region of Okoto, home of the Jungle Tribe and the Protector of Jungle, ground over which Lewa sought the Golden Mask of Jungle and bonded with Uxar, and the coast from which the Labyrinth of Control rose offshore. and the rescue of BingzakBingzakBingzak was a young villager from the Region of Jungle on Okoto, sole apparent survivor of a Skull Spider raid that destroyed his village, rescued by Nilkuu in the forest and the guide who led the Protector of Stone to the Temple of Time.#

The weapon's first recorded use in the campaign came not in the Region of StoneRegion of StoneThe northwestern desert region of Okoto, home of the Stone Tribe and the Protector of Stone, site of the Battle of the Mask Makers and the Black Crater, and the territory through which Pohatu hunted for the Golden Mask of Stone. itself but in the Region of JungleRegion of JungleThe rainforest region of Okoto, home of the Jungle Tribe and the Protector of Jungle, ground over which Lewa sought the Golden Mask of Jungle and bonded with Uxar, and the coast from which the Labyrinth of Control rose offshore., on NilkuuNilkuu, Protector of Stone of OkotoNilkuu was the village elder and Protector of Stone in the second age of Okoto, wielder of the Elemental Sandstone Blaster, rescuer of Bingzak, and guide who led Pohatu across the desert to the Golden Mask of Stone.'s journey to the Temple of TimeThe Temple of TimeThe Protectors' most sacred site on Okoto, built to house the Mask of Time and the place at which Ekimu received the vision that prepared the island for the coming of the Toa. for the recitation of the Prophecy of HeroesThe Prophecy of HeroesThe dying instruction that the Mask Maker Ekimu pressed into the Protectors of Okoto, foretelling the coming of six Toa and the sign of the aligned stars that would let them be summoned.. NilkuuNilkuu, Protector of Stone of OkotoNilkuu was the village elder and Protector of Stone in the second age of Okoto, wielder of the Elemental Sandstone Blaster, rescuer of Bingzak, and guide who led Pohatu across the desert to the Golden Mask of Stone. was not a confident navigator outside his desert and had become lost in the forest country on his way to the temple. As he moved through the trees, he came across a young Jungle-region villager named BingzakBingzakBingzak was a young villager from the Region of Jungle on Okoto, sole apparent survivor of a Skull Spider raid that destroyed his village, rescued by Nilkuu in the forest and the guide who led the Protector of Stone to the Temple of Time., the survivor of a village that had been raided and destroyed by Skull SpidersSkull SpidersThe arachnid swarm that raided the villages of Okoto, clamped infection masks onto its captives, guarded the City of the Mask Makers under the Lord of Skull Spiders, and broke against the arrival of the Toa.. The boy had been chased through the forest by a pursuing pack of spiders and was on the verge of being overrun when NilkuuNilkuu, Protector of Stone of OkotoNilkuu was the village elder and Protector of Stone in the second age of Okoto, wielder of the Elemental Sandstone Blaster, rescuer of Bingzak, and guide who led Pohatu across the desert to the Golden Mask of Stone. intervened.

The intervention was carried out with the Sandstone Blaster. The weapon broke the Skull SpiderSkull SpidersThe arachnid swarm that raided the villages of Okoto, clamped infection masks onto its captives, guarded the City of the Mask Makers under the Lord of Skull Spiders, and broke against the arrival of the Toa. attack and freed BingzakBingzakBingzak was a young villager from the Region of Jungle on Okoto, sole apparent survivor of a Skull Spider raid that destroyed his village, rescued by Nilkuu in the forest and the guide who led the Protector of Stone to the Temple of Time. from the immediate threat. The rescue was the foundation of the partnership that followed. BingzakBingzakBingzak was a young villager from the Region of Jungle on Okoto, sole apparent survivor of a Skull Spider raid that destroyed his village, rescued by Nilkuu in the forest and the guide who led the Protector of Stone to the Temple of Time. offered to guide NilkuuNilkuu, Protector of Stone of OkotoNilkuu was the village elder and Protector of Stone in the second age of Okoto, wielder of the Elemental Sandstone Blaster, rescuer of Bingzak, and guide who led Pohatu across the desert to the Golden Mask of Stone. the rest of the way to the Temple of TimeThe Temple of TimeThe Protectors' most sacred site on Okoto, built to house the Mask of Time and the place at which Ekimu received the vision that prepared the island for the coming of the Toa. in return, and the ProtectorProtectorsThe six elders of Okoto's villages, each wielding elemental powers and guarding their regions before the Toa arrived. accepted. The two reached the temple together. The blaster's role in the encounter was the role for which it had been designed, the close-range disruption of a multi-target threat, and it discharged that role in a region whose environment offered none of the working conditions in which it had been intended to operate.

The temple of the Golden Mask of Stone and the transfer to PohatuPohatu, Master of Stone: The Stubborn Toa of OkotoPohatu of Okoto was the Master of Stone summoned by the Protectors, the stubborn sandstorm-rider guided by Nilkuu through the Region of Stone whose hesitation at the Labyrinth cost the team the Mask of Control.#

The weapon's central recorded action came at the temple in the Region of StoneRegion of StoneThe northwestern desert region of Okoto, home of the Stone Tribe and the Protector of Stone, site of the Battle of the Mask Makers and the Black Crater, and the territory through which Pohatu hunted for the Golden Mask of Stone. that held the Golden Mask of Stone. NilkuuNilkuu, Protector of Stone of OkotoNilkuu was the village elder and Protector of Stone in the second age of Okoto, wielder of the Elemental Sandstone Blaster, rescuer of Bingzak, and guide who led Pohatu across the desert to the Golden Mask of Stone. had spent weeks guiding PohatuPohatu, Master of Stone: The Stubborn Toa of OkotoPohatu of Okoto was the Master of Stone summoned by the Protectors, the stubborn sandstorm-rider guided by Nilkuu through the Region of Stone whose hesitation at the Labyrinth cost the team the Mask of Control. across the desert from the ToaThe Toa of Okoto: The Six Heroes Summoned to Save the IslandThe six elemental heroes summoned by the Protectors of Okoto, who recovered the Golden Masks, woke Ekimu, fought the Skull Army, and twice banished Makuta to the Shadow Realm.'s landing site to the temple, through canyons and sand dunes and against the continuing pressure of the Skull SpiderSkull SpidersThe arachnid swarm that raided the villages of Okoto, clamped infection masks onto its captives, guarded the City of the Mask Makers under the Lord of Skull Spiders, and broke against the arrival of the Toa. population that had overrun the region during the long silence after the Battle of the Mask MakersThe Battle of the Mask MakersThe unveiling of the Mask of Ultimate Power at Capital City, the strike of the Hammer of Power, and the cataclysm that drew a metropolis into the Shadow Realm and left Okoto without its Mask Makers.. At the temple, Skull SpidersSkull SpidersThe arachnid swarm that raided the villages of Okoto, clamped infection masks onto its captives, guarded the City of the Mask Makers under the Lord of Skull Spiders, and broke against the arrival of the Toa. closed on the two arrivals in force.

NilkuuNilkuu, Protector of Stone of OkotoNilkuu was the village elder and Protector of Stone in the second age of Okoto, wielder of the Elemental Sandstone Blaster, rescuer of Bingzak, and guide who led Pohatu across the desert to the Golden Mask of Stone. held the horde off with the Elemental Sandstone Blaster while PohatuPohatu, Master of Stone: The Stubborn Toa of OkotoPohatu of Okoto was the Master of Stone summoned by the Protectors, the stubborn sandstorm-rider guided by Nilkuu through the Region of Stone whose hesitation at the Labyrinth cost the team the Mask of Control. advanced to the mask. The defence held long enough for the Toa of StonePohatu, Master of Stone: The Stubborn Toa of OkotoPohatu of Okoto was the Master of Stone summoned by the Protectors, the stubborn sandstorm-rider guided by Nilkuu through the Region of Stone whose hesitation at the Labyrinth cost the team the Mask of Control. to reach and claim the Golden Mask of Stone, although the ProtectorProtectorsThe six elders of Okoto's villages, each wielding elemental powers and guarding their regions before the Toa arrived.' numbers had begun to fail and he was on the verge of being overpowered when the mask was secured. The moment PohatuPohatu, Master of Stone: The Stubborn Toa of OkotoPohatu of Okoto was the Master of Stone summoned by the Protectors, the stubborn sandstorm-rider guided by Nilkuu through the Region of Stone whose hesitation at the Labyrinth cost the team the Mask of Control. donned the mask, the surrounding engagement turned. He threw one of his StormerangsStormerangsPohatu's boomerang weapons that double as speed-enabling foot attachments called Jetarangs. to clear a path through a portion of the horde and raised a sandstorm that defeated a larger number of the spiders. The temple was held.

The Sandstone Blaster appeared in that same engagement in PohatuPohatu, Master of Stone: The Stubborn Toa of OkotoPohatu of Okoto was the Master of Stone summoned by the Protectors, the stubborn sandstorm-rider guided by Nilkuu through the Region of Stone whose hesitation at the Labyrinth cost the team the Mask of Control.'s hands in its powered-up form. The same weapon that NilkuuNilkuu, Protector of Stone of OkotoNilkuu was the village elder and Protector of Stone in the second age of Okoto, wielder of the Elemental Sandstone Blaster, rescuer of Bingzak, and guide who led Pohatu across the desert to the Golden Mask of Stone. had carried into the temple was scaled up to the elemental output of a Toa of StonePohatu, Master of Stone: The Stubborn Toa of OkotoPohatu of Okoto was the Master of Stone summoned by the Protectors, the stubborn sandstorm-rider guided by Nilkuu through the Region of Stone whose hesitation at the Labyrinth cost the team the Mask of Control., in the manner already established for the Elemental Blasters when they were taken up by a ToaThe Toa of Okoto: The Six Heroes Summoned to Save the IslandThe six elemental heroes summoned by the Protectors of Okoto, who recovered the Golden Masks, woke Ekimu, fought the Skull Army, and twice banished Makuta to the Shadow Realm. in powered-up mode. The transfer was not a separate operation. The activation of the mask and the manifestation of the powered-up blaster occurred in the same sequence at the same temple.

The pattern of inheritance#

The transfer of the Sandstone Blaster from NilkuuNilkuu, Protector of Stone of OkotoNilkuu was the village elder and Protector of Stone in the second age of Okoto, wielder of the Elemental Sandstone Blaster, rescuer of Bingzak, and guide who led Pohatu across the desert to the Golden Mask of Stone. to PohatuPohatu, Master of Stone: The Stubborn Toa of OkotoPohatu of Okoto was the Master of Stone summoned by the Protectors, the stubborn sandstorm-rider guided by Nilkuu through the Region of Stone whose hesitation at the Labyrinth cost the team the Mask of Control. at the temple matched the wider pattern by which the second-age campaign on OkotoOkotoOkoto is a world whose known inhabitants include the Toa, the Mask makers, and the Protectors. reproduced an older inheritance. NilkuuNilkuu, Protector of Stone of OkotoNilkuu was the village elder and Protector of Stone in the second age of Okoto, wielder of the Elemental Sandstone Blaster, rescuer of Bingzak, and guide who led Pohatu across the desert to the Golden Mask of Stone. had inherited the office of Protector of StoneProtectorsThe six elders of Okoto's villages, each wielding elemental powers and guarding their regions before the Toa arrived., and with it the Elemental Stone Protector Mask, from his father in the lineage that reached back to KeratoKerato, Ancient Protector of Stone of OkotoKerato was the Protector of Stone of Okoto at the time of the Battle of the Mask Makers, ally of Ekimu, gatherer of Ketar's elemental crystal, and founder of the lineage that descended to Nilkuu., the Protector who had served alongside EkimuEkimu the Mask MakerEkimu was the legendary Mask Maker of Okoto, brother of Makuta, and bearer of the Mask of Creation who struck down his brother's tyranny at the cost of his own consciousness. at the Battle of the Mask MakersThe Battle of the Mask MakersThe unveiling of the Mask of Ultimate Power at Capital City, the strike of the Hammer of Power, and the cataclysm that drew a metropolis into the Shadow Realm and left Okoto without its Mask Makers.. The blaster he carried was part of that inheritance. Its powered-up form in the hands of PohatuPohatu, Master of Stone: The Stubborn Toa of OkotoPohatu of Okoto was the Master of Stone summoned by the Protectors, the stubborn sandstorm-rider guided by Nilkuu through the Region of Stone whose hesitation at the Labyrinth cost the team the Mask of Control. extended the inheritance one generation further and placed the elemental armament of the ProtectorProtectorsThe six elders of Okoto's villages, each wielding elemental powers and guarding their regions before the Toa arrived. lineage at the disposal of the ToaThe Toa of Okoto: The Six Heroes Summoned to Save the IslandThe six elemental heroes summoned by the Protectors of Okoto, who recovered the Golden Masks, woke Ekimu, fought the Skull Army, and twice banished Makuta to the Shadow Realm. whose arrival the lineage had been preserved to support.

NilkuuNilkuu, Protector of Stone of OkotoNilkuu was the village elder and Protector of Stone in the second age of Okoto, wielder of the Elemental Sandstone Blaster, rescuer of Bingzak, and guide who led Pohatu across the desert to the Golden Mask of Stone. continued in service after PohatuPohatu, Master of Stone: The Stubborn Toa of OkotoPohatu of Okoto was the Master of Stone summoned by the Protectors, the stubborn sandstorm-rider guided by Nilkuu through the Region of Stone whose hesitation at the Labyrinth cost the team the Mask of Control. had moved on toward the City of the Mask MakersCapital CityThe former main city of Okoto, drawn into the Shadow Realm by the destruction of the Mask of Ultimate Power, leaving the Black Crater on the surface and a ruined court for Makuta in the dark below., and he answered the later summons from VizunaVizuna, Protector of Jungle of OkotoVizuna was the village elder and Protector of Jungle in the second age of Okoto, wielder of the Air Elemental Flame Bow, descendant of Agarak, and guide who led Lewa through the rainforests to the Golden Mask of Jungle. that called the ProtectorsProtectorsThe six elders of Okoto's villages, each wielding elemental powers and guarding their regions before the Toa arrived. into the underbelly of the capital for the final phase of the campaign. The Sandstone Blaster in his hands at that stage was the same weapon it had always been, the close-range hybrid melee and projection tool of a Protector of StoneProtectorsThe six elders of Okoto's villages, each wielding elemental powers and guarding their regions before the Toa arrived.. Its powered-up counterpart in PohatuPohatu, Master of Stone: The Stubborn Toa of OkotoPohatu of Okoto was the Master of Stone summoned by the Protectors, the stubborn sandstorm-rider guided by Nilkuu through the Region of Stone whose hesitation at the Labyrinth cost the team the Mask of Control.'s loadout had become a parallel instrument carried by the ToaThe Toa of Okoto: The Six Heroes Summoned to Save the IslandThe six elemental heroes summoned by the Protectors of Okoto, who recovered the Golden Masks, woke Ekimu, fought the Skull Army, and twice banished Makuta to the Shadow Realm. into the same campaign. The weapon was the one thing in the Stone-element loadout that existed in both the ProtectorProtectorsThe six elders of Okoto's villages, each wielding elemental powers and guarding their regions before the Toa arrived. and the ToaThe Toa of Okoto: The Six Heroes Summoned to Save the IslandThe six elemental heroes summoned by the Protectors of Okoto, who recovered the Golden Masks, woke Ekimu, fought the Skull Army, and twice banished Makuta to the Shadow Realm. inventories simultaneously, in matching forms scaled to the elemental capacity of each wielder.