Stone Villagers

The Stone 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 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 desert province of OkotoOkotoOkoto is a world whose known inhabitants include the Toa, the Mask makers, and the Protectors., and one of the six regional villager tribes that 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. They lived in settlements distributed across the desert canyons, the trackless sand dunes, and the hot barren country of the northwestern section of the island under the authority of the Protector of StoneProtectorsThe six elders of Okoto's villages, each wielding elemental powers and guarding their regions before the Toa arrived., 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., who inherited that office from his father in a line reaching back to the ancient 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.. They were the population PohatuPohatu, Master of Stone: The Stubborn Toa of OkotoPohatu of Okoto was the Master of Stone summoned by the Protectors, the stubborn sandstorm-rider guided by Nilkuu through the Region of Stone whose hesitation at the Labyrinth cost the team the Mask of Control., the Toa of StonePohatu, Master of Stone: The Stubborn Toa of OkotoPohatu of Okoto was the Master of Stone summoned by the Protectors, the stubborn sandstorm-rider guided by Nilkuu through the Region of Stone whose hesitation at the Labyrinth cost the team the Mask of Control., was summoned to defend, and they were the tribe most directly associated with the regional country in 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. had knocked 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.

The region and its tribe#

The Stone Villagers were the population of one of the harshest of the six elemental regions of OkotoOkotoOkoto is a world whose known inhabitants include the Toa, the Mask makers, and the Protectors.. 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. was hot and barren and dominated the northwestern section of the island; it contained strange desert canyons, trackless sand dunes, and frequent violent sandstorms among the dangers the regional terrain presented to anyone moving through it. The country was also historically significant: it was the region in 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. had knocked 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, an event that left a crater on the surface and produced the shockwave that forced both Mask Makers into an endless sleep. The tribe organised its settlements around the safer canyons and the sheltered oases, in locations selected for protection from the sandstorms and for proximity to the routes that connected the regional villages.

The arrangement matched 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. pattern. Each of the 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. regional tribes lived in its own kind of settlement, built in the material the region supplied and oriented around the Protector's headquarters as the centre of local authority. The Stone Villagers were the population of the desert country and the tribe with the most exposed terrain to manage. Their settlements were clustered, defensible, and equipped to outlast the sandstorms that the open dunes produced. The trackless character of much of the country reduced the volume of casual cross-region travel, and most journeys between the Villages 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. were planned around known sheltered routes and the predicted patterns of the storms.

The tribe's appearance reflected the region. The Stone Villagers were chiefly brown in colour, in the standard shades that the older 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. records associated with the desert element, and were of small 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. The recorded 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. note that the Water and Stone villagers appeared in more standard shades than their respective Toa applied to the tribe directly, marking them as one of the regional populations whose colouring was visibly distinct from the brighter palette of the foretold hero who came to defend them. Many villagers of the same settlement were identical to one another, with the same colouring drawn from the regional pattern that 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 originally shaped. The masks they wore were the powerless masks common to 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, although the tribe retained, like its siblings in the other regions, the latent capacity to use some mask powers when the occasion arose. The region produced several of the named individual villagers preserved in 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. record, including the young 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., his cousin Oda, and the elder MeleaMelea, Stone Villager of OkotoMelea was a villager from the Region of Stone whose nephews Ako and Oda vanished during her family's relocation to the City of the Mask Makers, forcing Ekimu and the Toa into a rescue against the Skull Raiders., members of a Stone family who were in the process of relocating to the 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. when the boys were lost and recovered 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 Toa with the assistance of 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 early peace and the cataclysm#

In the period before 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., the Stone Villagers 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. and the order they had shaped the island to support. The recorded threats of the early age were limited to the raids 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., whose defeat at the hands 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. and the ancient ProtectorsProtectorsThe six elders of Okoto's villages, each wielding elemental powers and guarding their regions before the Toa arrived. removed them from the surface for thousands of years. The Stone country, 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.' deliberate work, supplied the desert counterweight to the jungle and water regions in the elemental balance of the island, and the 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. itself was located 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., making the tribe the regional population closest to the original 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. capital before its loss.

The cataclysm that produced 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. ended that peace for all six tribes, the Stone Villagers among them, and the regional country itself bore the visible mark of the 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 duel between the brothers at the original capital, sent shock through the elemental regions; the city was lost to the Shadow Realm with the population still inside it, and the semi-leadership 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. tribes had relied on was removed in a single event. 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 ancient Protector of Stone, survived the cataclysm 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 task of finding the missing masks. The role of Protector of StoneProtectorsThe six elders of Okoto's villages, each wielding elemental powers and guarding their regions before the Toa arrived. continued to be passed down through Kerato's descendants until it reached 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., who inherited the title from his father as the most recent holder of the office.

The Stone Villagers retreated, with 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. population, into the lesser regional villages under their respective ProtectorsProtectorsThe six elders of Okoto's villages, each wielding elemental powers and guarding their regions before the Toa arrived.. The desert country was less naturally defensible than the cavern or mountain regions, but the sheltered canyons supplied the cover the open dunes could not. 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. faded into legend over the centuries, retained in the regional records but no longer remembered as a living event.

The Skull Spider menace#

The second age brought a new threat to the region. At some point during the long silence after the cataclysm, 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. 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 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.'s shadow had sent against the island. The Stone Villagers, settled in their desert country under 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.'s defence, endured a sustained period in which the spiders moved through the canyons and the dunes and posed a constant raiding threat to the regional settlements. The combination of the spiders and 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., who had returned to the surface under KultaSkull GrinderThe title borne by Kulta after his alliance with Makuta, marking his role as the wielder of the Mask Stealer Staff, the mask-burner at the Mask Makers' forge, and the first foe to defeat the Toa in single combat on Okoto.'s leadership, left 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. population without 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. had once provided.

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., as Protector of Stone, defended the regional villages with 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 the office handed down with each generation. The weapon was originally built as a melee tool but was also capable of dealing out severe damage at close range with its sand blasts, an arrangement suited to the combat the desert canyons demanded. The role he played was the role each of the six ProtectorsProtectorsThe six elders of Okoto's villages, each wielding elemental powers and guarding their regions before the Toa arrived. played in their respective regions, but 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.'s open terrain and sandstorm conditions made the work distinctively exposed. The villagers organised their lives around the defence of the canyon settlements, the maintenance of the routes between the Villages 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., and the careful preservation of the historical knowledge 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. that the office of Protector held in custody.

The arrival of Pohatu#

The summoning 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. brought the foretold heroes. 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. of the regions journeyed to the Temple and 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.. PohatuPohatu, Master of Stone: The Stubborn Toa of OkotoPohatu of Okoto was the Master of Stone summoned by the Protectors, the stubborn sandstorm-rider guided by Nilkuu through the Region of Stone whose hesitation at the Labyrinth cost the team the Mask of Control., 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., crashed down somewhere 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. and was sought out by 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 told the Toa of his destiny, and the two embarked on a journey of weeks across the regional terrain to find the temple where the Golden Mask of Stone was hidden, the desert counterpart to the Golden Masks the other Toa were also seeking.

At the temple, 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. held off a horde 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. and was nearly overpowered before PohatuPohatu, Master of Stone: The Stubborn Toa of OkotoPohatu of Okoto was the Master of Stone summoned by the Protectors, the stubborn sandstorm-rider guided by Nilkuu through the Region of Stone whose hesitation at the Labyrinth cost the team the Mask of Control. reached his mask. 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. claimed the Golden Mask of Stone, threw one of his StormerangsStormerangsPohatu's boomerang weapons that double as speed-enabling foot attachments called Jetarangs. to take out several of the attackers, and then created a sandstorm that defeated many more. With the swarm cleared, Nilkuu advised him to travel to the 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. to join the other Toa, and parted ways with him when it came time for PohatuPohatu, Master of Stone: The Stubborn Toa of OkotoPohatu of Okoto was the Master of Stone summoned by the Protectors, the stubborn sandstorm-rider guided by Nilkuu through the Region of Stone whose hesitation at the Labyrinth cost the team the Mask of Control. to cross a mountain range. The Stone Villagers were not the principal actors in the campaign that followed; 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. were the foreground figures, and the regional populations continued the ordinary work of survival in their desert settlements. The arrival of PohatuPohatu, Master of Stone: The Stubborn Toa of OkotoPohatu of Okoto was the Master of Stone summoned by the Protectors, the stubborn sandstorm-rider guided by Nilkuu through the Region of Stone whose hesitation at the Labyrinth cost the team the Mask of Control. nevertheless changed the conditions under which the Stone Villagers lived. The campaign that delivered the Golden Mask, the recovery of 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. record, and the eventual defeat of KultaSkull GrinderThe title borne by Kulta after his alliance with Makuta, marking his role as the wielder of the Mask Stealer Staff, the mask-burner at the Mask Makers' forge, and the first foe to defeat the Toa in single combat on Okoto. at the Mask Makers' forge restored the elemental balance the early age had relied on, and the revival 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. returned the semi-leadership figure the population had lost at the cataclysm.

After the war#

After the defeat of KultaSkull GrinderThe title borne by Kulta after his alliance with Makuta, marking his role as the wielder of the Mask Stealer Staff, the mask-burner at the Mask Makers' forge, and the first foe to defeat the Toa in single combat on Okoto. and the revival 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., many Stone 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 the 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., known by then as the 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.. The tribe's connection to the recovered city was particularly direct: the original capital had stood 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., and the reoccupation brought the desert country's people back into the city their ancestors had founded. The reoccupation of the long-abandoned capital was the largest single demographic shift of the post-war 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. The 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.'s reconstruction required clearance, repair, and reorganisation on a scale the regional villages had never needed to support, and the Stone Villagers supplied their share of the work alongside the populations of the other five regions. The relocation produced incidents of its own: 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 Oda, two young Stone villagers, became separated from their family during the move and were recovered after a harrowing adventure 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. 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., the Toa, 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., with the elder MeleaMelea, Stone Villager of OkotoMelea was a villager from the Region of Stone whose nephews Ako and Oda vanished during her family's relocation to the City of the Mask Makers, forcing Ekimu and the Toa into a rescue against the Skull Raiders. waiting in the city.

The peace was not absolute. The 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. The wider conflict 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 continued in the regions themselves. The siege of the 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 armies summoned by Umarak the Destroyer from Shadow Traps and the environment of Okoto, raised to distract the Toa while he gathered the fragments of Makuta's Mask of Ultimate Power. 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 the final phase 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 campaign against the island to its conclusion, and the Toa's eventual departure left the island in the hands 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 regional ProtectorsProtectorsThe six elders of Okoto's villages, each wielding elemental powers and guarding their regions before the Toa arrived.. The Stone Villagers settled into a sustained period of peace, presumably continuing the work on the recovered city, and the regional villages in the desert country resumed the rhythm the canyons and the sandstorms set for them. The ProtectorsProtectorsThe six elders of Okoto's villages, each wielding elemental powers and guarding their regions before the Toa arrived., their mission complete, became storytellers, and the legend of the Toa passed into the inheritance of the generation of young Stone Villagers who had grown up after the threat had ended.