Jungle Villagers

More of the island's ancient ruins stood 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. than anywhere else on OkotoOkotoOkoto is a world whose known inhabitants include the Toa, the Mask makers, and the Protectors., and the regional record held more uncatalogued wonders than the other five regions put together. The Jungle Villagers were the OkotanOkotanThe Okotans were the villager population of Okoto, six regional groups corresponding to the island's six elemental regions, who lived through the Battle of the Mask Makers, the long retreat into the lesser villages, and the recovery of the Ancient City after the defeat of Kulta and the revival of Ekimu. population of that country: one of the six tribes the Mask MakersThe Mask MakersThe two legendary craftsmen of Okoto, Ekimu and Makuta, who forged the island's Kanohi and whose rivalry ended in the cataclysm at Capital City. had shaped the island to support, settled through the dense forests, the mysterious swamps, and the levitating islands, under 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., Protector of JungleProtectorsThe six elders of Okoto's villages, each wielding elemental powers and guarding their regions before the Toa arrived., whose office ran back in an unbroken line to the ancient AgarakAgarak, Ancient Protector of Jungle of OkotoThe ancient Protector of Jungle in the 2015 reboot continuity: married, father of a son he called Junior, and the only one of the first Protectors whose family life the story describes.. They were the people LewaLewa, Master of Jungle: The Daredevil Toa of OkotoLewa of Okoto was the Master of Jungle summoned by the Protectors, the rebellious flier who quested for the Mask of Jungle in the Region of Jungle and bonded with Uxar in the second wave., the Toa of JungleLewa, Master of Jungle: The Daredevil Toa of OkotoLewa of Okoto was the Master of Jungle summoned by the Protectors, the rebellious flier who quested for the Mask of Jungle in the Region of Jungle and bonded with Uxar in the second wave., was summoned to defend.

Astounding sights and great danger, in equal measure#

The forest country offered both at once. Swamps cut through the lower elevations and much of what they held had never been examined. Above them, gigantic trees carried whole islands levitating over the canopy. The tribe put its settlements on the safer stretches of forest and on the levitating islands themselves, where the elevation gave a shelter the swamp country could not, and clustered them the way every OkotanOkotanThe Okotans were the villager population of Okoto, six regional groups corresponding to the island's six elemental regions, who lived through the Battle of the Mask Makers, the long retreat into the lesser villages, and the recovery of the Ancient City after the defeat of Kulta and the revival of Ekimu. tribe clustered its villages, around the Protector's headquarters and built from what the region supplied.

Cover that dense cuts both ways. It hid the villages, and it made movement a specialist skill. A trip between the Villages 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. went by known swamp crossings and canopy routes that the tribe knew and outsiders did not, which is one reason casual travel through the region was rare. 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 Protector of Stone, became lost in it, and it took a young Jungle villager, BingzakBingzakBingzak was a young villager from the Region of Jungle on Okoto, in the 2015 reboot story, who escaped a Skull Spider raid alone and guided the lost Protector of Stone to the Temple of Time., to walk him out and on 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..

The tribe was green, in the palette of the forest, and small, of a stature comparable to the ProtectorsProtectorsThe six elders of Okoto's villages, each wielding elemental powers and guarding their regions before the Toa arrived. who led them. Many villagers of a single settlement were identical to one another, carrying the regional pattern the Mask MakersThe Mask MakersThe two legendary craftsmen of Okoto, Ekimu and Makuta, who forged the island's Kanohi and whose rivalry ended in the cataclysm at Capital City. had shaped. Their masks were the powerless kind common across the OkotanOkotanThe Okotans were the villager population of Okoto, six regional groups corresponding to the island's six elemental regions, who lived through the Battle of the Mask Makers, the long retreat into the lesser villages, and the recovery of the Ancient City after the defeat of Kulta and the revival of Ekimu. population, with the same latent capacity for mask powers the other five tribes kept.

The innkeeper's line#

Before the Battle of the Mask MakersThe Battle of the Mask MakersIn the 2015 reboot continuity, the unveiling of the Mask of Ultimate Power at Capital City, the strike of the Hammer of Power, and the cataclysm that drew the city and Makuta into the Shadow Realm., the tribe lived in relative peace under the semi-leadership of the Mask MakersThe Mask MakersThe two legendary craftsmen of Okoto, Ekimu and Makuta, who forged the island's Kanohi and whose rivalry ended in the cataclysm at Capital City., troubled in the recorded accounts only by Skull RaidersSkull RaidersThe ancient pirate band that plagued Okoto before the Mask Makers, was driven into the mountains, allied itself with Makuta, was trapped beneath the island by the cataclysm at Capital City, and dug its way back as the Skull Creatures under Kulta., and those were beaten off the surface for thousands of years by the Mask Makers and the ancient ProtectorsProtectorsThe six elders of Okoto's villages, each wielding elemental powers and guarding their regions before the Toa arrived.. The Jungle country was deliberate work, the forested counterweight to the desert and ice regions.

The cataclysm ended all of that in a single event. The strain of the Mask of Ultimate PowerMask of Ultimate PowerA heretical Kanohi forged by Makuta of Okoto that contained the powers of all six elements and ruined the Mask Makers' civilization the moment it was worn. and the brothers' duel at the original capital sent shock through the elemental regions, and Capital CityCapital 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. went into the Shadow Realm with its population still inside. AgarakAgarak, Ancient Protector of Jungle of OkotoThe ancient Protector of Jungle in the 2015 reboot continuity: married, father of a son he called Junior, and the only one of the first Protectors whose family life the story describes. survived and joined the surviving ProtectorsProtectorsThe six elders of Okoto's villages, each wielding elemental powers and guarding their regions before the Toa arrived. in the hunt for the missing masks. He is the only ancient Protector whose gender the record establishes, and the reason is domestic: he was married, and he had a son he called Junior. The office descended through that household, generation by generation, until it reached 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..

The tribe fell back into the lesser regional villages. The forest was already organised for cover, and between the canopy settlements and the levitating islands it offered more of it than the open swamps ever could. Over the centuries the Battle stopped being a memory and became a legend the regional records kept.

The village that was destroyed#

At some point in the long silence 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. was overrun 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 small dark creatures MakutaMakuta (2015)Ekimu's brother and rival Mask Maker, who forged the forbidden Mask of Ultimate Power and was sealed in the Shadow Realm with Capital City.'s shadow had sent against the island, and with the Skull RaidersSkull RaidersThe ancient pirate band that plagued Okoto before the Mask Makers, was driven into the mountains, allied itself with Makuta, was trapped beneath the island by the cataclysm at Capital City, and dug its way back as the Skull Creatures under Kulta. back on the surface under KultaKultaKulta was the leader of the Skull Creatures, a group native to the island of Okoto, and operated from the City of the Mask Makers. Armed with a Mask Stealer Staff and Hook Blade, he possessed the ability to drain masks of their Elemental Powers and once held both the powerless Skull Mask and the Mask of Creation. the OkotanOkotanThe Okotans were the villager population of Okoto, six regional groups corresponding to the island's six elemental regions, who lived through the Battle of the Mask Makers, the long retreat into the lesser villages, and the recovery of the Ancient City after the defeat of Kulta and the revival of Ekimu. population had nothing left of the protection the Mask MakersThe Mask MakersThe two legendary craftsmen of Okoto, Ekimu and Makuta, who forged the island's Kanohi and whose rivalry ended in the cataclysm at Capital City. once gave it. Spiders moved through the swamps and through the canopy. The raiding threat to the settlements was constant.

At least one village did not survive it. That is the village BingzakBingzakBingzak was a young villager from the Region of Jungle on Okoto, in the 2015 reboot story, who escaped a Skull Spider raid alone and guided the lost Protector of Stone to the Temple of Time. escaped from, carrying nothing but his mask, the implied sole survivor of the raid, and the villager the OkotanOkotanThe Okotans were the villager population of Okoto, six regional groups corresponding to the island's six elemental regions, who lived through the Battle of the Mask Makers, the long retreat into the lesser villages, and the recovery of the Ancient City after the defeat of Kulta and the revival of Ekimu. record names where it leaves most of the tribe anonymous. 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. found him, and the two of them travelled 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. together.

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. defended the regional villages with the Air Elemental Flame Bow the office handed down each generation, an accurate long-range weapon and the right one for fighting in a canopy. The villagers built their lives around the defence of the elevated sites, the upkeep of the routes between the Villages 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 safekeeping 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. the office held in custody.

Lewa at the shrine#

When the stars aligned, the six ProtectorsProtectorsThe six elders of Okoto's villages, each wielding elemental powers and guarding their regions before the Toa arrived. went 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., recited 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., and six 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. fell from the sky onto OkotoOkotoOkoto is a world whose known inhabitants include the Toa, the Mask makers, and the Protectors.. LewaLewa, Master of Jungle: The Daredevil Toa of OkotoLewa of Okoto was the Master of Jungle summoned by the Protectors, the rebellious flier who quested for the Mask of Jungle in the Region of Jungle and bonded with Uxar in the second wave. landed in an unknown section of the region and 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. met him, told him what he was for, and took him toward the Golden Mask of Jungle. It took weeks. The route ran through terrain nobody but the tribe and its Protector could cross at any speed.

At the shrine 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. surrounded 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. before LewaLewa, Master of Jungle: The Daredevil Toa of OkotoLewa of Okoto was the Master of Jungle summoned by the Protectors, the rebellious flier who quested for the Mask of Jungle in the Region of Jungle and bonded with Uxar in the second wave. had the mask. He put it on, took his Battle AxesBattle AxesLewa's transforming Jungle weapon that shifts between combat axes, an aerial glider, and swords. to the swarm, and the two of them left for 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..

What followed was the Toa's campaign, not the tribe's. Villagers kept surviving in the forest settlements while 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. and the ProtectorsProtectorsThe six elders of Okoto's villages, each wielding elemental powers and guarding their regions before the Toa arrived. held the foreground. The outcome reached them all the same. The Golden Masks were recovered, KultaKultaKulta was the leader of the Skull Creatures, a group native to the island of Okoto, and operated from the City of the Mask Makers. Armed with a Mask Stealer Staff and Hook Blade, he possessed the ability to drain masks of their Elemental Powers and once held both the powerless Skull Mask and the Mask of Creation. fell at the Mask Makers' forge, the elemental balance of the early age came back, and EkimuEkimu the Mask MakerEkimu is the Mask Maker of Okoto in the 2015 BIONICLE reboot, brother of Makuta, who knocked the Mask of Ultimate Power from his brother's face and slept for thousands of years before the Toa woke him. woke from the sleep the cataclysm had put him in.

After the war#

Many Jungle Villagers joined the wider OkotanOkotanThe Okotans were the villager population of Okoto, six regional groups corresponding to the island's six elemental regions, who lived through the Battle of the Mask Makers, the long retreat into the lesser villages, and the recovery of the Ancient City after the defeat of Kulta and the revival of Ekimu. return to Capital CityCapital 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., the Ancient CityThe Ancient CityThe City of the Mask Makers in the 2015 reboot continuity, where Ekimu and Makuta forged the Masks of Power, where Ekimu was laid to rest after Makuta's betrayal, and where the Toa woke him to win back the city. by then, in the largest single movement of population the post-war island saw. Clearing and repairing it took organisation on a scale no regional village had ever needed, and the forest country supplied its share of that work alongside the other five regions.

Peace came in unevenly. Surviving Skull WarriorsSkull WarriorsThe undead ice-armed footsoldiers raised from the giant skeletons buried beneath the City of the Mask Makers, deployed by Kulta the Skull Grinder as the numerical backbone of his assault on the abandoned capital of Okoto. and 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. attacked the recovered city, and the fighting between the regional ProtectorsProtectorsThe six elders of Okoto's villages, each wielding elemental powers and guarding their regions before the Toa arrived. and the spider faction carried on in the regions themselves. The destruction of a Jungle village in this period stands in the record as one of the three principal interruptions to the peace. The siege of Capital CityCapital 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. by the Elemental BeastsElemental BeastsThe Lava, Storm and Quake Beasts that Umarak the Destroyer transformed from his Shadow Traps, sent to keep the Toa busy while he gathered the pieces of Makuta's Mask of Ultimate Power. Part of the 2015 to 2016 reboot continuity. under Umarak the DestroyerUmarakUmarak hunted the Elemental Creatures of Okoto until the Mask of Control bound him to Makuta's will and remade him as the Destroyer. brought MakutaMakuta (2015)Ekimu's brother and rival Mask Maker, who forged the forbidden Mask of Ultimate Power and was sealed in the Shadow Realm with Capital City.'s campaign to its end, 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. eventually departed, and the island passed to EkimuEkimu the Mask MakerEkimu is the Mask Maker of Okoto in the 2015 BIONICLE reboot, brother of Makuta, who knocked the Mask of Ultimate Power from his brother's face and slept for thousands of years before the Toa woke him. and the regional ProtectorsProtectorsThe six elders of Okoto's villages, each wielding elemental powers and guarding their regions before the Toa arrived.. The villages went back to the rhythm the canopy and the swamps set for them, the ProtectorsProtectorsThe six elders of Okoto's villages, each wielding elemental powers and guarding their regions before the Toa arrived. became storytellers, and the young Jungle Villagers who grew up after it was over inherited the legend rather than the threat.