Nilkuu, Protector of Stone of Okoto

Nilkuu was the Protector of StoneProtectorsThe six elders of Okoto's villages, each wielding elemental powers and guarding their regions before the Toa arrived. at the time of the ToaThe Toa: Heroes of the Matoran UniverseThe Toa were biomechanical guardians sworn to protect the Matoran, bound by a strict code and defined by sacrifice across every age of the universe.'s arrival on OkotoOkotoOkoto is a world whose known inhabitants include the Toa, the Mask makers, and the Protectors., and the elder of the villagers who lived in the desert region of the island. He inherited the office from his father in a 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 of Stone who had stood 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. at the Battle of the Mask Makers, and he held the regional responsibilities the position carried: defence of the Stone TribeThe Stone TribeThe Bara Magna tribe of the Black Spike Mountains, organised under Skrall warriors and Rock Tribe Agori, that Tuma forged into the continental army fielded from Roxtus. villages, custody of the Prophecy of Heroes, and the guidance of the Toa of StonePohatuPohatu 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. when one fell from the sky.

The inherited office#

Nilkuu inherited the position of defending a village in the desert region of OkotoOkotoOkoto is a world whose known inhabitants include the Toa, the Mask makers, and the Protectors. from his father, in keeping with the rule that the office of ProtectorProtectorsThe six elders of Okoto's villages, each wielding elemental powers and guarding their regions before the Toa arrived. passed down within a single family in each of the six elemental regions. The lineage to which Nilkuu belonged 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 of Stone 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 time of the Battle of the Mask Makers. 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. struck 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 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., 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. and the surviving ProtectorsProtectorsThe six elders of Okoto's villages, each wielding elemental powers and guarding their regions before the Toa arrived. had carried the Mask Maker's 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., and the office continued to be passed down to his descendants until it reached Nilkuu.

With the role came the Prophecy of Heroes, the foresight that 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. had whispered to the ProtectorsProtectorsThe six elders of Okoto's villages, each wielding elemental powers and guarding their regions before the Toa arrived. before he fell into his long sleep, to be recited in times of peril. Nilkuu was told the Prophecy as part of his inheritance and held it as sacred knowledge among the few entrusted with it. He also received the Elemental Stone Protector Mask, an artefact that had been passed down through generations of his family alongside the office itself, and the Elemental Sandstone BlasterThe Elemental Sandstone BlasterThe Elemental Sandstone Blaster was the close-range melee and sand-blast weapon carried by Nilkuu of Stone through the second-age campaign on Okoto, and the tool that passed to Pohatu in powered-up form at the temple of the Golden Mask of Stone. that he carried as his weapon throughout his service.

The rescue of Bingzak and the journey to the Temple of Time#

When 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. began to menace OkotoOkotoOkoto is a world whose known inhabitants include the Toa, the Mask makers, and the Protectors. in the years before the prophesied alignment, Nilkuu defended his village against the incursions with such resources as the desert region provided. As the threat spread across the island, he set out from 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. to join the other ProtectorsProtectorsThe six elders of Okoto's villages, each wielding elemental powers and guarding their regions before the Toa arrived. at 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 recite the Prophecy of Heroes when the stars aligned, as it had foretold.

The route lay through unfamiliar country. Nilkuu was a confident warrior on home ground and had been entrusted with sacred knowledge among the ProtectorsProtectorsThe six elders of Okoto's villages, each wielding elemental powers and guarding their regions before the Toa arrived., but he struggled to navigate outside his native desert, a difficulty he did not freely admit to his peers. He became lost 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 his way to the temple. While moving through the forest country, he came across a young islander 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., a survivor of a Jungle 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.. 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. had escaped with little more than his mask and had been chased through the forest by a pursuing group of spiders. As they cornered him, Nilkuu intervened and broke the attack with the Sandstone Blaster.

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 in turn to lead Nilkuu 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 Protector accepted, judging it wrong to leave the orphaned villager on his own. The two reached the temple together. When the stars aligned, Nilkuu joined the assembled ProtectorsProtectorsThe six elders of Okoto's villages, each wielding elemental powers and guarding their regions before the Toa arrived. and recited his portion of the Prophecy of Heroes. He then returned to the desert region with 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., and the two waited.

The arrival of 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. and the Golden Mask of Stone#

The waiting ended when six ToaThe Toa: Heroes of the Matoran UniverseThe Toa were biomechanical guardians sworn to protect the Matoran, bound by a strict code and defined by sacrifice across every age of the universe. fell from the sky onto OkotoOkotoOkoto is a world whose known inhabitants include the Toa, the Mask makers, and the Protectors., each landing in a different elemental region. 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., the Toa of StonePohatuPohatu 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., came down somewhere within 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.. Nilkuu sought him out and assumed the role of guide, the practical responsibility that fell to each Protector when a Toa arrived in their region.

The two set off on the quest for the Golden Mask of Stone, the artefact that 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. had forged before his fall and that 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. required to come into his full power. The journey took weeks. They crossed the desert through canyons and sand dunes, navigating the violent sandstorms that buried caravans and obliterated trails, and contending with 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 Makers. The desert was the most hostile of OkotoOkotoOkoto is a world whose known inhabitants include the Toa, the Mask makers, and the Protectors.'s six elemental regions to cross, and Nilkuu's local knowledge was the reason the crossing succeeded.

At the temple that held the mask, 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. Nilkuu held the horde off with the Sandstone Blaster as 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. advanced to the mask, but was nearly overpowered as their numbers told. Before the spiders could finish him, 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. claimed the Golden Mask of Stone and used its enhanced power to break the attack, throwing one of his StormerangsStormerangsPohatu's boomerang weapons that double as speed-enabling foot attachments called Jetarangs. to clear a path and raising a sandstorm that defeated a larger number of them. The threat was lifted. The Elemental Sandstone BlasterThe Elemental Sandstone BlasterThe Elemental Sandstone Blaster was the close-range melee and sand-blast weapon carried by Nilkuu of Stone through the second-age campaign on Okoto, and the tool that passed to Pohatu in powered-up form at the temple of the Golden Mask of Stone. Nilkuu had carried into the temple was now matched by a powered-up form in 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.'s hands, the same weapon scaled to a Toa's elemental output.

Nilkuu advised 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. to travel on 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. to converge with the other ToaThe Toa: Heroes of the Matoran UniverseThe Toa were biomechanical guardians sworn to protect the Matoran, bound by a strict code and defined by sacrifice across every age of the universe., and parted ways with him at the foot of a mountain range that lay across the next stretch of the route. The wider Protector convention at 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. was the next gathering, and Nilkuu turned back toward his villages.

The City of the Mask Makers and the bowing before Ekimu#

The ProtectorsProtectorsThe six elders of Okoto's villages, each wielding elemental powers and guarding their regions before the Toa arrived. were called again later in the campaign, this time by 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 Protector of Jungle, who summoned them 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. to lend aid to the ToaThe Toa: Heroes of the Matoran UniverseThe Toa were biomechanical guardians sworn to protect the Matoran, bound by a strict code and defined by sacrifice across every age of the universe.. Nilkuu answered the summons. The ProtectorsProtectorsThe six elders of Okoto's villages, each wielding elemental powers and guarding their regions before the Toa arrived. entered the city by an alternate route and found themselves in the underbelly of the ruined metropolis, where they fought through hundreds 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. in the dark passages beneath the surface.

The party made its way up into the city proper, met the ToaThe Toa: Heroes of the Matoran UniverseThe Toa were biomechanical guardians sworn to protect the Matoran, bound by a strict code and defined by sacrifice across every age of the universe., and bowed before the revived 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., fulfilling the prophecy carved beneath the city that the ProtectorsProtectorsThe six elders of Okoto's villages, each wielding elemental powers and guarding their regions before the Toa arrived. had encountered on the way in. The role that had passed down to Nilkuu from 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., and from his father in turn, met in that moment the lineage of the Mask Maker who had given the office its first charge centuries earlier.

Standing and significance#

Nilkuu was characterised as wise, confident in combat, and a firm believer in destiny, certain that what had been prophesied would come to pass. The quiet confidence held even in his weaker moments, including the lost crossing through 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. that he refused to acknowledge to his peers. His pairing with 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. on that journey supplied the navigation he could not provide for himself, and the two operated as guide and guided in alternation through the early part of the second-age campaign.

The contribution he made to 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.'s recovery of the Golden Mask of Stone was the central act of his recorded service. Without his weeks-long guidance across the desert, 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. could not have reached the temple at all, and without his defence at the door, the mask could not have been claimed in time. The Elemental Sandstone BlasterThe Elemental Sandstone BlasterThe Elemental Sandstone Blaster was the close-range melee and sand-blast weapon carried by Nilkuu of Stone through the second-age campaign on Okoto, and the tool that passed to Pohatu in powered-up form at the temple of the Golden Mask of Stone. he had wielded against the spider horde then passed to 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. in its powered-up form, a transfer that mirrored the older transfer of the Protector Mask through his own family and bound the second-age Protector of Stone to the Toa he had guided. At the close of the campaign Nilkuu remained alive and continued to lead the villages of the desert region under the office he had inherited.