Skull Grinder

Skull Grinder was the title borne 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. as the leader of the Skull Creatures on OkotoOkotoOkoto is a world whose known inhabitants include the Toa, the Mask makers, and the Protectors., the form that 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. took once their compact with 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. had been renewed and their commander had returned to the surface. Under the title, 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. carried the Mask Stealer StaffThe Mask Stealer StaffThe Mask Stealer Staff was the signature weapon of Kulta the Skull Grinder, the staff that snatched masks from their wearers' faces and drained the power bound up in them, and the central instrument of the campaign to break the Mask Makers' work., commanded a tiered army that included Skull BasherSkull BasherA Skull Creature guardian of Okoto's Temple of Creation, armed with mask-draining powers and hook axes., Skull SlicerSkull SlicerA former arena victor who drains masks of their power as Kulta's lieutenant., the 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 the Skull ScorpiosSkull ScorpioThe scorpion-form units created by Kulta the Skull Grinder, sent in packs to ambush the Toa in a Skull Graveyard and strip Pohatu of his Golden Mask of Stone., and pursued a single objective at 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 instruction: the destruction of 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. at 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 own forge.

The title and what it signified#

The Skull Grinder designation was not a name 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. had borne in the days of 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., when his band were known on OkotoOkotoOkoto is a world whose known inhabitants include the Toa, the Mask makers, and the Protectors. only as pirates and were eventually driven into the mountain ranges by 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. and the ancient ProtectorsProtectorsThe six elders of Okoto's villages, each wielding elemental powers and guarding their regions before the Toa arrived.. It belonged to the second phase of his career, the one that began when 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. sought him out, offered him an alliance against 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 bound the surviving raiders to the same project that had 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.. When the trapped raiders later dug themselves out from beneath the mountains and built their underground city, 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. returned to the surface as the leader of a transformed faction, and it was as Skull Grinder that he took charge of operations against the surviving Okotans.

The title sat above two other names. 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. was also referred to as the Lord of the Skulls, a designation that captured the breadth of his command, and as one 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.'s minions, a designation that captured the chain of authority above him. Skull Grinder was the operational title. It referred to the function he performed at the Mask Makers'The 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. forge, the destruction of masks, and to the role he held as the field commander of an army whose entire purpose was to break the Mask Makers' work.

The army of the Skull Creatures#

Under the Skull Grinder, the Skull Creatures resolved into a recognisable order of battle. Skull BasherSkull BasherA Skull Creature guardian of Okoto's Temple of Creation, armed with mask-draining powers and hook axes. was the strongest of the army and served as the guardian of the Temple of CreationTemple of CreationThe Temple of Creation lay buried in the dunes of Po-Wahi, dedicated to the Principle of Creation and gated behind four charms and a Kolhii skill check., wielding twin Hook AxesHook AxesSkull Basher's paired axes capture the 2015 reboot's approach to weapon design: visually distinctive but narratively sparse, where function speaks louder than lore. that could smash through the heaviest defences and capable of draining elemental power from Golden Masks. Skull SlicerSkull SlicerA former arena victor who drains masks of their power as Kulta's lieutenant., a former gladiatorial champion of the OkotoOkotoOkoto is a world whose known inhabitants include the Toa, the Mask makers, and the Protectors. arenas whose body had been reanimated after his death, served as a lieutenant. The 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. formed the bulk of the rank and file, each one carrying a Freeze Bow and contributing the same mask-draining ability that the senior officers possessed. The Skull ScorpiosSkull ScorpioThe scorpion-form units created by Kulta the Skull Grinder, sent in packs to ambush the Toa in a Skull Graveyard and strip Pohatu of his Golden Mask of Stone., creatures the Skull Grinder had forged with his own dark power some time before, served as the hunting packs that operated outside the cities.

The army's defining capacity was its ability to drain elemental power from Golden Masks. Every tier of the force possessed it, from the warriors with their Freeze Bows up through Skull BasherSkull BasherA Skull Creature guardian of Okoto's Temple of Creation, armed with mask-draining powers and hook axes. and the Skull Grinder himself. The Mask Stealer StaffThe Mask Stealer StaffThe Mask Stealer Staff was the signature weapon of Kulta the Skull Grinder, the staff that snatched masks from their wearers' faces and drained the power bound up in them, and the central instrument of the campaign to break the Mask Makers' work. in the Skull Grinder's hand and the Hook BladesHook BladesCurved, hooked weapons wielded by Skull Slicer for slashing and catching, with a variant also carried by Kulta. at Skull SlicerSkull SlicerA former arena victor who drains masks of their power as Kulta's lieutenant.'s side were both designed to pry masks from faces, and the entire chain of weapons converged on the same outcome: the removal of a Toa's mask and the appropriation of the power it carried. The army was a single tool aimed at the same target the Skull Grinder was aimed at, namely the masks 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 forged.

The mission to the forge#

The campaign for which the Skull Grinder title is best remembered began when 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. directed his minion to obtain 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.. The mask had rested 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. since the day of 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., when it had been knocked 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 face by the discharge 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 had eventually come to rest on the bridge leading into the city. The Skull Grinder seized the mask and carried it to the Mask Makers' own forge with the intention of melting it down. The choice of location was deliberate. The forge that had produced the great KanohiKanohiMasks that grant powers and sustain life, they're the most vital artifact in the Matoran Universe. of OkotoOkotoOkoto is a world whose known inhabitants include the Toa, the Mask makers, and the Protectors. was to be the site of the most sacred of those KanohiKanohiMasks that grant powers and sustain life, they're the most vital artifact in the Matoran Universe. being destroyed.

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. arrived to interrupt the work. They had reached the Tomb of the Mask MakerThe 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. and combined their elemental powers to wake 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., who scolded them for being late and directed them to the forge. The team pressed through Skull BasherSkull BasherA Skull Creature guardian of Okoto's Temple of Creation, armed with mask-draining powers and hook axes., who stole 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.'s Golden Mask of Earth before being driven off by their combined force, and reached the forge to find the Skull Grinder already about to commit the act. The Skull Grinder did not destroy the Mask of Creation in front of them. He put it on.

The combat in the forge#

Wearing the Mask of Creation, the Skull Grinder met the Toa as the supreme combatant on the field. The mask's power amplified him beyond what the team could match, and his existing ability to drain mask-power from his opponents gave him a second edge. He felled all six Toa in a single engagement and damaged their Golden Masks in the process, rendering the team unable to call on their elemental powers in the normal way. The defeat was the first 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. had suffered as a unit on OkotoOkotoOkoto is a world whose known inhabitants include the Toa, the Mask makers, and the Protectors..

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 time the Toa had bought him. He searched the forge floor for pieces with which to reconstruct 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., the tool he had used 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 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 face in the original cataclysm. When the new hammer was complete, he fired Elemental Gatling blasts at the Skull Grinder and used the same weapon to knock the Mask of Creation from his face, repeating the gesture that had ended his brother's rebellion centuries earlier. The Skull Grinder collapsed. 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. reclaimed the Mask of Creation, repaired the Golden Masks of the Toa, and named the team worthy heroes.

Imprisonment, return, and the final defeat#

The defeated Skull Grinder and Skull BasherSkull BasherA Skull Creature guardian of Okoto's Temple of Creation, armed with mask-draining powers and hook axes. were imprisoned beneath the Temple of CreationTemple of CreationThe Temple of Creation lay buried in the dunes of Po-Wahi, dedicated to the Principle of Creation and gated behind four charms and a Kolhii skill check., the structure whose guardian Skull BasherSkull BasherA Skull Creature guardian of Okoto's Temple of Creation, armed with mask-draining powers and hook axes. had been. The imprisonment did not hold for long. 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., reaching out from 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., arranged for a 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. to free 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 Grinder rejoined the campaign in time to take part in its closing engagement. 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. and the Toa travelled to rescue two abducted Stone Tribe children, AkoAkoAko was a young villager from the Region of Stone on Okoto who, separated from his elders during the great relocation, was abducted by the Skull Raiders alongside Oda and rescued from the buried city by Ekimu and the Toa. and OdaOdaOda was a young villager from the Region of Stone on Okoto, abducted with Ako by the Skull Raiders during the relocation to the City of the Mask Makers and rescued by Ekimu and the Toa from the buried city under Axato., from the underground city of 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., the Skull Grinder met them there.

The final combat took the form of a single duel. The Skull Grinder challenged 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. directly. They agreed terms: the Toa would not intervene, 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. would not use his 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.. 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. borrowed 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.'s Earthquake Hammer instead and defeated the Skull Grinder with the borrowed tool. 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.' city collapsed atop the surviving raiders in the same engagement, and no orders ever came from 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 mobilise them again. The Skull Grinder title, which had only ever belonged to one wearer, ended with the duel.