Lord of Skull Spiders

The Lord of 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. was a large 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. that guarded the City of the Mask MakersCity of the Mask Makers: Home of Ekimu and MakutaThe City of the Mask Makers was a city on the island of Okoto, named for the brothers Ekimu and Makuta who dwelt there before the Battle of the Mask Makers. It fell to ruin and became the lair of the Lord of Skull Spiders before the Toa reclaimed it. on the island of OkotoOkotoOkoto is a world whose known inhabitants include the Toa, the Mask makers, and the Protectors., in the 2015 reboot continuity. Sent by the evil influence of 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. to find the Golden Masks of Power, it commanded the rest of the Skull Spiders through the Golden Mask of the Skull Spiders it wore. The Toa threw it from the bridge to the city, and it was later crushed in its own lair. (BIONICLE: Island of Lost Masks; BIONICLE: Revenge of the Skull Spiders; BIONICLE 1: Gathering of the Toa)

Identity and Domain#

The Lord of 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. was much larger than the ordinary members of its species and commanded them through a telepathic link, tied to the Golden Mask of 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.. Whenever the Skull Spiders took control of a host, the Lord controlled that host too. (BIONICLE: Island of Lost Masks; BIONICLE: Revenge of the Skull Spiders; LEGO.com BIONICLE character profiles)

Its domain was the City of the Mask MakersCity of the Mask Makers: Home of Ekimu and MakutaThe City of the Mask Makers was a city on the island of Okoto, named for the brothers Ekimu and Makuta who dwelt there before the Battle of the Mask Makers. It fell to ruin and became the lair of the Lord of Skull Spiders before the Toa reclaimed it., the ancient city where 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. lay in his long sleep. The Lord defended the city alongside the Skull ArmyThe Skull ArmyThe undead host raised by Kulta beneath the City of the Mask Makers, drawn from the corpses of fallen Okotans, organised into tiers of Skull Basher, Skull Slicer, Skull Warriors, and Skull Scorpios, and aimed at the destruction of the Mask of Creation. led by 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., and the Skull Scorpios served it. (BIONICLE: Island of Lost Masks; BIONICLE: Escape from the Underworld)

The Bridge Engagement#

The six Toa gathered at the bridge to the city after finding their Golden Masks, and the Lord of 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. came at them there. PohatuPohatuPohatu was the Toa Mata and Toa Nuva of Stone, guardian of Po-Wahi, whose speed and steady humour anchored the team through every era of the Matoran Universe. warned that it was too fast for the Toa to outrun. (LEGO BIONICLE webisodes; BIONICLE: Island of Lost Masks)

Several of the Toa attacked it on their own, and the Lord fended off their blades with its armoured legs and knocked them down with its webs. KopakaKopaka, Master of Ice: The Chivalrous Toa of OkotoKopaka of Okoto, in the 2015 reboot continuity, was the Master of Ice summoned by the Protectors, the cold perfectionist who found his Golden Mask with Izotor and clashed with Tahu over who should lead. used his shield to block a web it spat at him. (LEGO BIONICLE webisodes; BIONICLE: Island of Lost Masks)

Once the Toa regrouped and attacked together, the Lord was overwhelmed. OnuaOnua, Master of Earth: The Sage Toa of OkotoOnua of Okoto was the Master of Earth summoned by the Protectors, the quiet sage who separated Tahu and Kopaka at the Ancient City and felled the Lord of Skull Spiders with his Earthquake Hammer. brought down the pillar it was standing on, and it fell from the bridge. (LEGO BIONICLE webisodes; BIONICLE: Island of Lost Masks; BIONICLE 1: Gathering of the Toa)

Survival and Death#

The Lord survived the fall, badly hurt. Skull Spiders found it, wrapped it in webs and carried it to its lair to recover. When the ProtectorsProtectorsThe six elders of Okoto's villages, each wielding elemental powers and guarding their regions before the Toa arrived. and Harvali came into the lair riding a giant biomechanical snake, the Lord woke, broke free of the webs and chased them. Just as it closed in on the snake's tail, the Protectors brought the cavern ceiling down, crushing the Lord and many Skull Spiders. (BIONICLE: Revenge of the Skull Spiders)

Powers and Equipment#

The Lord's power over its kind came through its telepathic link to the Skull Spiders and the Golden Mask of 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.. (LEGO.com BIONICLE character profiles; BIONICLE: Island of Lost Masks)

It had an armoured exoskeleton, sharp venomous fangs and great strength, enough to squeeze the breath out of an opponent. It spat webs to entangle enemies, saw well in the dark and preferred to hunt at night. Its breath was bad enough that the Toa could smell it from across the bridge. (LEGO.com BIONICLE character profiles; BIONICLE: Island of Lost Masks)

It was also very fast, quick enough to chase down the giant snake the Protectors rode in its lair. (BIONICLE: Revenge of the Skull Spiders)

Significance#

The Lord of 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. was the first major enemy the newly arrived Toa faced together. Just before it appeared, 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. and Kopaka had been arguing over who should lead, and PohatuPohatuPohatu was the Toa Mata and Toa Nuva of Stone, guardian of Po-Wahi, whose speed and steady humour anchored the team through every era of the Matoran Universe. quieted the group when he sensed it coming. The Toa failed when they fought it alone and won when they fought as a team. (LEGO BIONICLE webisodes; BIONICLE: Island of Lost Masks)

With the Lord gone from the bridge, the way into the City of the Mask MakersCity of the Mask Makers: Home of Ekimu and MakutaThe City of the Mask Makers was a city on the island of Okoto, named for the brothers Ekimu and Makuta who dwelt there before the Battle of the Mask Makers. It fell to ruin and became the lair of the Lord of Skull Spiders before the Toa reclaimed it. and 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. lay open. (LEGO BIONICLE webisodes; BIONICLE: Island of Lost Masks)