The Mask Makers

The Mask Makers were the two legendary craftsmen of OkotoOkotoOkoto is a world whose known inhabitants include the Toa, the Mask makers, and the Protectors., the brothers 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. and 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., whose office combined the religious, political, and technical authority of the island into a single hereditary craft. Between them they forged every recorded KanohiKanohiMasks that grant powers and sustain life, they're the most vital artifact in the Matoran Universe. of the age, instructed the ProtectorsProtectorsThe six elders of Okoto's villages, each wielding elemental powers and guarding their regions before the Toa arrived. of the six regions, and held the highest authority of judgement on matters of mask law. Their rivalry, and the breach of sacred law that followed from it, brought 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. and the loss 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. into the Shadow RealmShadow DimensionAn alternate dimension sealed forever after Makuta was pulled in by the Mask of Ultimate Power's destruction, then trapped by the Toa's combined elemental assault..

The office of Mask Maker on OkotoOkotoOkoto is a world whose known inhabitants include the Toa, the Mask makers, and the Protectors.#

The Mask Makers held a position on OkotoOkotoOkoto is a world whose known inhabitants include the Toa, the Mask makers, and the Protectors. that had no counterpart in the original Matoran UniverseMatoran UniverseA civilization of biomechanical beings living inside a colossal robot, destroyed when Teridax seized control.. They were not merely skilled craftsmen but the constitutional centre of the island's culture. 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 was divided into six tribes, each tied to one of the elements of Fire, Water, Stone, Earth, Ice, and Jungle, and each governed locally by a ProtectorProtectorsThe six elders of Okoto's villages, each wielding elemental powers and guarding their regions before the Toa arrived. who carried a single-element Protector Mask. Above the regional structure stood the two brothers, who alone were permitted to forge Masks of Power and who alone were trusted to interpret the laws that governed those masks.

The office was understood by the Okotans as a sacred trust rather than a profession. The brothers' workshop and residence sat in 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., a settlement constructed centuries before the events that ended the office and built around a forge whose flame was treated as the heart of the island. The Great ForgeThe Great ForgeThe Mask Makers' principal forge in the heart of the Ancient City of Okoto, the place at which Ekimu shaped the island's Masks of Power, the site of the battle with the Skull Grinder, and the chamber whose extinguished flame marked the end of an age. supplied the heat that worked the Elemental Crystals into KanohiKanohiMasks that grant powers and sustain life, they're the most vital artifact in the Matoran Universe., and its continuous operation was a measure of OkotoOkotoOkoto is a world whose known inhabitants include the Toa, the Mask makers, and the Protectors.'s health. When the Mask Makers were later put to rest, the flame went out, and the city itself fell into ruin.

The Mask Makers also held the ceremonial role that bound the regions together. The Festival of Masks, the principal recurring rite of 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. calendar, was the occasion at which the ProtectorsProtectorsThe six elders of Okoto's villages, each wielding elemental powers and guarding their regions before the Toa arrived. received new Protector Masks from 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.'s hand and at which the public business of the island was conducted. The last such festival before the cataclysm was the occasion at which 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. publicly reprimanded his brother, and the chain of events that followed grew from that one moment of formal censure.

The sacred law of single elements#

The foundational law of 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. mask-craft was that no KanohiKanohiMasks that grant powers and sustain life, they're the most vital artifact in the Matoran Universe. could contain the power of more than one element. The principle was absolute. The six tribal regions produced only single-element masks for their populations. The ProtectorsProtectorsThe six elders of Okoto's villages, each wielding elemental powers and guarding their regions before the Toa arrived. of each region carried single-element Protector Masks. Even the special masks reserved for the Mask Makers themselves, the Mask of CreationMask of Creation: the Legendary Kanohi of ArtakhaOne of the three most powerful Kanohi in the Matoran Universe, the Mask of Creation let its wearer envision and build any object from raw materials. Won by Artakha and worn for over a hundred thousand years. worn by 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. and the Mask of ControlThe Mask of ControlThe Kanohi of mind control once worn by Makuta of Okoto, hidden by the Elemental Creatures, sought by the Toa, and lost with Umarak the Destroyer at the Black Crater. worn by 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., did not breach the rule: both stood outside the elemental order entirely, expressing single disciplines of their own rather than any of the six tribal forces.

The reason for the prohibition was given in the craft tradition itself. Elemental energies, when combined in a single mask, produced an output that exceeded the capacity of any wearer to hold. The Elemental Crystals delivered by the Elemental CreaturesThe Elemental Creatures of OkotoThe six elemental animals of Okoto, partnered with the Toa to recover the Mask of Control, joined by Agil the Creature of Light as Ekimu's seventh. were potent on their own; channelled together through the same KanohiKanohiMasks that grant powers and sustain life, they're the most vital artifact in the Matoran Universe., their interaction generated more power than the structure of the mask, or the mind of the wearer, could contain. The rule against combining elements was therefore not an arbitrary religious convention but a recorded safety principle of the forge.

The two Mask Makers were the keepers of the law as well as its only possible breakers. No other 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. held the technique or the materials to combine Elemental Crystals in a single KanohiKanohiMasks that grant powers and sustain life, they're the most vital artifact in the Matoran Universe.. The prohibition was, in effect, a self-binding oath between the brothers and the island. So long as both honoured it, the system held. When one did not, the system failed in a single event.

The two brothers and the rivalry#

The Mask Makers were brothers, with 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. the elder and 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. the younger. Both worked from the same forge in 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.. Both supplied the regions of OkotoOkotoOkoto is a world whose known inhabitants include the Toa, the Mask makers, and the Protectors. with KanohiKanohiMasks that grant powers and sustain life, they're the most vital artifact in the Matoran Universe. for the populations and Protector Masks for the ProtectorsProtectorsThe six elders of Okoto's villages, each wielding elemental powers and guarding their regions before the Toa arrived.. Both bore a signature mask drawn from the special order: 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.'s Mask of CreationMask of Creation: the Legendary Kanohi of ArtakhaOne of the three most powerful Kanohi in the Matoran Universe, the Mask of Creation let its wearer envision and build any object from raw materials. Won by Artakha and worn for over a hundred thousand years., which let him conceive and craft any object he could envisage, and 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 Mask of ControlThe Mask of ControlThe Kanohi of mind control once worn by Makuta of Okoto, hidden by the Elemental Creatures, sought by the Toa, and lost with Umarak the Destroyer at the Black Crater., which let him impose his will directly upon another.

The disparity that broke the partnership lay in reputation rather than rank. 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 came over time to value 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.'s masks more highly than his brother's. The recorded reasons were qualitative: 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.'s craft was held to be the finer, his shaping of the Elemental Crystals more deft, his KanohiKanohiMasks that grant powers and sustain life, they're the most vital artifact in the Matoran Universe. more reliable in the hand. The judgement was not legislated by any authority but was the steady preference of the regions over many years of choosing between two sources for the same kind of object.

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. registered the preference as a personal slight rather than as an honest assessment. The recorded effect on him was envy that grew, over the same period, into a determination to surpass his brother by a single decisive demonstration. The route he chose to that demonstration ran directly through the one law he and his brother were both sworn to keep.

The forbidden experiment and the public censure#

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 first recorded breach of the sacred law was not 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. but a smaller demonstration conducted at 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. itself. He forged a KanohiKanohiMasks that grant powers and sustain life, they're the most vital artifact in the Matoran Universe. that combined the energies of two Elemental Crystals and presented it for use at a public demonstration in the presence of 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. and the ProtectorsProtectorsThe six elders of Okoto's villages, each wielding elemental powers and guarding their regions before the Toa arrived. of the time. A groundskeeper of the city was given the mask to wear. The demonstration failed at once. The groundskeeper lost control of the combined power, and the public was given a direct illustration of why the prohibition had stood.

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. condemned his brother openly in the presence of the ProtectorsProtectorsThe six elders of Okoto's villages, each wielding elemental powers and guarding their regions before the Toa arrived.. The censure was the most serious public act in 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. calendar: the elder Mask Maker publicly disowning the conduct of the younger before the regional representatives of the whole island. Immediately following the censure, the Elemental CreaturesThe Elemental Creatures of OkotoThe six elemental animals of Okoto, partnered with the Toa to recover the Mask of Control, joined by Agil the Creature of Light as Ekimu's seventh. appeared at the city for the first time in living memory. The seven Creatures and the seven Okotans, 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. and the six ProtectorsProtectorsThe six elders of Okoto's villages, each wielding elemental powers and guarding their regions before the Toa arrived., then departed the city together on a journey that would carry 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. 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. and the ProtectorsProtectorsThe six elders of Okoto's villages, each wielding elemental powers and guarding their regions before the Toa arrived. to the gathering of Elemental Crystals required to power the Golden Masks of the future 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..

The censure should, in the ordinary order of 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. justice, have ended 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 career as a Mask Maker. The choice not to remove him from the office was 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.'s, and it was made in the apparent expectation that the public reprimand would correct the conduct. 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. took the censure not as correction but as confirmation that his brother stood in the way of any recognition he could earn within the rules. He returned to his forge and began the work that would consume the rest of his career as a Mask Maker.

The Mask of Ultimate Power and the unveiling at Capital City#

The mask that 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. forged in secret was 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., a KanohiKanohiMasks that grant powers and sustain life, they're the most vital artifact in the Matoran Universe. containing the combined energies of all six 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. elements. The work was conducted away from the public forge and was unknown to 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. and the ProtectorsProtectorsThe six elders of Okoto's villages, each wielding elemental powers and guarding their regions before the Toa arrived.. The mask was the maximal possible breach of the sacred law: not a two-element experiment but the entire elemental order channelled into a single object.

The unveiling was staged to be public, decisive, and at a site outside 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.'s direct authority. 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 largest settlement on OkotoOkotoOkoto is a world whose known inhabitants include the Toa, the Mask makers, and the Protectors. and the seat of the island's chief, was hosting an exhibition of ancient Masks of Power at its museum. 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. was invited to attend by the city's chief as one of the two legendary Mask Makers, and accepted. He chose the exhibition as the moment to don 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. before the assembled crowd.

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. received word and pursued. He arrived at the museum in his AirshipAirshipAirships were flying cargo vessels used across the Matoran Universe, based in Metru Nui at the Le-Metru Moto Hub and flown by skilled Le-Matoran pilots using Kanoka and pressurized protodermis for lift and thrust. with the ProtectorsProtectorsThe six elders of Okoto's villages, each wielding elemental powers and guarding their regions before the Toa arrived. as his brother was completing the act of placing the mask on his face. The mask's combined elemental energies were already proving more than any wearer could contain. 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. used the Hammer of PowerHammer of PowerThe Hammer of Power is a weapon wielded by Ekimu, capable of creating as well as melee and ranged combat. In its powered-up form, the hammer manifests as light, its colors intact., his own forging tool, to strike 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. from his brother's face before the bond could complete. The mask shattered. The release of its combined elemental energies opened a rift in the fabric of the city and drew 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 chief, the museum, the gathered crowd, and 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. into the Shadow RealmShadow DimensionAn alternate dimension sealed forever after Makuta was pulled in by the Mask of Ultimate Power's destruction, then trapped by the Toa's combined elemental assault.. The Mask of CreationThe Mask of CreationThe signature Kanohi of Ekimu the Mask Maker, capable of bringing into being whatever its wearer envisioned. Stolen by Kulta the Skull Grinder, reclaimed at the Mask Makers' forge, and worn again in the final defence of Okoto., the Mask of ControlThe Mask of ControlThe Kanohi of mind control once worn by Makuta of Okoto, hidden by the Elemental Creatures, sought by the Toa, and lost with Umarak the Destroyer at the Black Crater., the Golden Masks 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., and the fragments of the destroyed 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. were scattered across OkotoOkotoOkoto is a world whose known inhabitants include the Toa, the Mask makers, and the Protectors. by the same discharge.

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. absorbed the brunt of the shock wave. Before losing consciousness he whispered the Prophecy of Heroes to the ProtectorsProtectorsThe six elders of Okoto's villages, each wielding elemental powers and guarding their regions before the Toa arrived.. The surviving ProtectorsProtectorsThe six elders of Okoto's villages, each wielding elemental powers and guarding their regions before the Toa arrived. carried his body back to 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., forged him a Golden Protector Mask, and laid him in a gold coffin marked with the emblem of the Mask of Creation. The office of Mask Maker, exercised jointly by the two brothers for the length of their working lives, ended in a single afternoon at a museum 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..

The aftermath and the end of the office#

The cataclysm restructured OkotoOkotoOkoto is a world whose known inhabitants include the Toa, the Mask makers, and the Protectors. at every level. 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. was gone, drawn entire into the Shadow RealmShadow DimensionAn alternate dimension sealed forever after Makuta was pulled in by the Mask of Ultimate Power's destruction, then trapped by the Toa's combined elemental assault. and leaving behind only the Black CraterBlack CraterThe vast depression in Okoto's Region of Stone, left when the Mask of Ultimate Power drew Capital City into the Shadow Realm, and the site from which Umarak later raised the Black Volcano. as the surface mark of its passage. The political weight of the island, formerly concentrated in the office of the city chief, devolved to the six ProtectorsProtectorsThe six elders of Okoto's villages, each wielding elemental powers and guarding their regions before the Toa arrived. of the regions, who managed their territories independently in the long centuries that followed. 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. was eventually abandoned by the Okotans and became the ruined Ancient CityThe Ancient CityThe former capital of Okoto, also known as the City of the Mask Makers, where Ekimu and Makuta forged the Masks of Power, where Ekimu was laid to rest after the Battle of the Mask Makers, and where the Toa of the second age awakened him to lead the campaign against Makuta., with the Great Forge extinguished and its bridges decayed.

The office of Mask Maker did not pass to a successor. 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. was sealed in his tomb for centuries, communicating only telepathically through the Golden Masks once 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. of the second age arrived. 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. was held in the Shadow RealmShadow DimensionAn alternate dimension sealed forever after Makuta was pulled in by the Mask of Ultimate Power's destruction, then trapped by the Toa's combined elemental assault. and operated thereafter through proxies, principally 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. 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, in the final campaign, UmarakUmarakUmarak hunted the Elemental Creatures of Okoto until the Mask of Control bound him to Makuta's will and remade him as the Destroyer. the Hunter. No third brother, apprentice, or student is recorded as having held the office in the interval. The forge stood cold; the masks already in circulation were neither replaced nor replenished. What had been a continuous craft of mask-making became a body of recovered artefacts.

When 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. was eventually awakened 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. and resumed his work, he forged new masks and tools for the team, but he did so alone. The Okotans did not name a second Mask Maker to stand alongside him, and 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. did not request one. The office that had existed in pairs from the construction of 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. until the unveiling at 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. continued, after the cataclysm and after his awakening, as the work of a single survivor.

Legacy#

The Mask Makers stand in 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 as both the creators of the island's civilisation and the cause of its single great rupture. Every KanohiKanohiMasks that grant powers and sustain life, they're the most vital artifact in the Matoran Universe. the Okotans wore in the long age before the cataclysm came from their forge, and the institutions of the regions, the rite of the Festival of Masks, and the practical defence of the island all rested on the masks the brothers had supplied. The same office, exercised by the same two people, was also the source of the rivalry that produced 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 loss 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..

The end of the office reshaped 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. governance permanently. After 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. resumed his work alone, the title of Mask Maker became, in practice, his title alone. 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. became the standing executive of the island, with 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. the senior craftsman and adviser rather than a co-ruler with a brother. 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. remained sealed in the Shadow RealmShadow DimensionAn alternate dimension sealed forever after Makuta was pulled in by the Mask of Ultimate Power's destruction, then trapped by the Toa's combined elemental assault. at the close of the second campaign, retaining the title only in the technical sense that it had once been his. The office, as a partnership of brothers working a common forge in a common city, ended at 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. and was not recovered.