Water Villagers

The Water 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 WaterRegion of WaterThe eastern water province of Okoto, home of the Water Tribe and the Protector of Water, Kivoda, and the region through which Gali was guided across rivers, lakes, and deltas to claim the Golden Mask of Water., the aquatic 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 resided in submerged and coastal settlements distributed across the great lakes, the fast-flowing rivers, and the southern swamp country under the authority of the Protector of WaterProtectorsThe six elders of Okoto's villages, each wielding elemental powers and guarding their regions before the Toa arrived., KivodaKivoda, Protector of Water of OkotoKivoda was the village elder and Protector of Water in the second age of Okoto, wielder of the Elemental Torpedo Blaster, descendant of Owaki, and guide who led Gali through the underwater region to the Golden Mask of Water., who inherited that office from his father in a line reaching back to the ancient OwakiOwaki, Ancient Protector of Water of OkotoOwaki was the Protector of Water of Okoto at the time of the Battle of the Mask Makers, ally of Ekimu, gatherer of Akida's elemental crystal, and founder of the lineage that descended to Kivoda.. They were the population GaliGali, Master of Water: The Toa Who Closed the RiftGali of Okoto was the Master of Water of the Toa, the team's mediator at the Ancient City, and the Toa drawn into the Shadow Realm at the Black Volcano who returned with the means of the second banishment., the Toa of WaterGali, Master of Water: The Toa Who Closed the RiftGali of Okoto was the Master of Water of the Toa, the team's mediator at the Ancient City, and the Toa drawn into the Shadow Realm at the Black Volcano who returned with the means of the second banishment., was summoned to defend, and they were the tribe most directly associated with the rivers, lakes, and underwater country of the western seaboard of the island.

The region and its tribe#

The Water Villagers were the population of one of the most varied 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 WaterRegion of WaterThe eastern water province of Okoto, home of the Water Tribe and the Protector of Water, Kivoda, and the region through which Gali was guided across rivers, lakes, and deltas to claim the Golden Mask of Water. occupied the western seaboard of the island and consisted of fast-flowing rivers that ran from the mountains and a northern glacier into a chain of great lakes. The southern portion of the region bordered 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. and was mostly swamp, much of which had yet to be explored. The tribe organised its settlements around the safer stretches of the lakes and the sheltered coastal sites, in locations selected for access to the underwater country 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 Water Villagers were the population of the aquatic country and the only 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. tribe whose chief settlement form was partly submerged: KivodaKivoda, Protector of Water of OkotoKivoda was the village elder and Protector of Water in the second age of Okoto, wielder of the Elemental Torpedo Blaster, descendant of Owaki, and guide who led Gali through the underwater region to the Golden Mask of Water., as Protector, was recorded as the chief of the villagers who resided underwater on the island. Their settlements were clustered, defensible, and equipped for the divided life the region demanded, with the surface villages oriented to the rivers and the deeper sites of the great lakes. Most journeys between the Villages of WaterRegion of WaterThe eastern water province of Okoto, home of the Water Tribe and the Protector of Water, Kivoda, and the region through which Gali was guided across rivers, lakes, and deltas to claim the Golden Mask of Water. were planned around the known crossings of the rivers and the underwater routes that the tribe knew and outsiders did not.

The tribe's appearance reflected the region. The Water Villagers were chiefly blue 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 aquatic 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 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 Water 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 Water 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 aquatic counterweight to the fire and stone regions in the elemental balance of the island.

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 Water Villagers among them. 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. OwakiOwaki, Ancient Protector of Water of OkotoOwaki was the Protector of Water of Okoto at the time of the Battle of the Mask Makers, ally of Ekimu, gatherer of Akida's elemental crystal, and founder of the lineage that descended to Kivoda., the ancient Protector of Water, 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 WaterProtectorsThe six elders of Okoto's villages, each wielding elemental powers and guarding their regions before the Toa arrived. continued to be passed down through Owaki's descendants until it reached KivodaKivoda, Protector of Water of OkotoKivoda was the village elder and Protector of Water in the second age of Okoto, wielder of the Elemental Torpedo Blaster, descendant of Owaki, and guide who led Gali through the underwater region to the Golden Mask of Water., who inherited the title from his father as the most recent holder of the office.

The Water 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 aquatic country was, by its nature, already organised for divided settlement, and the combination of submerged sites and sheltered coastal villages supplied protection from the post-cataclysm conditions that the open river country could not match. 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 WaterRegion of WaterThe eastern water province of Okoto, home of the Water Tribe and the Protector of Water, Kivoda, and the region through which Gali was guided across rivers, lakes, and deltas to claim the Golden Mask of Water. was overtaken 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 Water Villagers, settled in their lakeside and underwater country under KivodaKivoda, Protector of Water of OkotoKivoda was the village elder and Protector of Water in the second age of Okoto, wielder of the Elemental Torpedo Blaster, descendant of Owaki, and guide who led Gali through the underwater region to the Golden Mask of Water.'s defence, endured a sustained period in which the spiders moved through the river country and the swamps 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.

KivodaKivoda, Protector of Water of OkotoKivoda was the village elder and Protector of Water in the second age of Okoto, wielder of the Elemental Torpedo Blaster, descendant of Owaki, and guide who led Gali through the underwater region to the Golden Mask of Water., as Protector of Water, defended the regional villages with the Elemental Torpedo BlasterThe Elemental Torpedo BlasterThe Elemental Torpedo Blaster was the ranged diving weapon carried by Kivoda of Water through the second-age campaign on Okoto, and the tool that passed to Gali in powered-up form at the shrine of the Golden Mask of Water. that the office handed down with each generation. The Blaster was originally designed as a diving weapon and possessed uncanny accuracy, an arrangement suited to the aquatic combat the region's geography 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 WaterRegion of WaterThe eastern water province of Okoto, home of the Water Tribe and the Protector of Water, Kivoda, and the region through which Gali was guided across rivers, lakes, and deltas to claim the Golden Mask of Water.'s underwater and amphibious terrain made the work distinctively suited to dive work and river fighting. The villagers organised their lives around the defence of the submerged sites, the maintenance of the routes between the Villages of WaterRegion of WaterThe eastern water province of Okoto, home of the Water Tribe and the Protector of Water, Kivoda, and the region through which Gali was guided across rivers, lakes, and deltas to claim the Golden Mask of Water., 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 Gali#

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.. GaliGali, Master of Water: The Toa Who Closed the RiftGali of Okoto was the Master of Water of the Toa, the team's mediator at the Ancient City, and the Toa drawn into the Shadow Realm at the Black Volcano who returned with the means of the second banishment., the Toa of WaterToa of WaterToa of Water were rare heroes who commanded water power, typically selected from the Ga-Matoran people., descended into an unknown part of the Region of WaterRegion of WaterThe eastern water province of Okoto, home of the Water Tribe and the Protector of Water, Kivoda, and the region through which Gali was guided across rivers, lakes, and deltas to claim the Golden Mask of Water. and was greeted by KivodaKivoda, Protector of Water of OkotoKivoda was the village elder and Protector of Water in the second age of Okoto, wielder of the Elemental Torpedo Blaster, descendant of Owaki, and guide who led Gali through the underwater region to the Golden Mask of Water.. The Protector explained the Toa's destiny and the two set off to find the chamber that held the Golden Mask of Water, the aquatic counterpart to the Golden Masks the other Toa were also seeking. The journey took weeks and crossed the regional terrain that only the tribe and its Protector could navigate at speed.

Before GaliGali, Master of Water: The Toa Who Closed the RiftGali of Okoto was the Master of Water of the Toa, the team's mediator at the Ancient City, and the Toa drawn into the Shadow Realm at the Black Volcano who returned with the means of the second banishment. could claim the mask, KivodaKivoda, Protector of Water of OkotoKivoda was the village elder and Protector of Water in the second age of Okoto, wielder of the Elemental Torpedo Blaster, descendant of Owaki, and guide who led Gali through the underwater region to the Golden Mask of Water. was attacked 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. at the shrine. Gali defeated the swarm and set off for 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. to join the other Toa, while the Protector returned to his village. The Water 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 submerged and coastal settlements. The arrival of GaliGali, Master of Water: The Toa Who Closed the RiftGali of Okoto was the Master of Water of the Toa, the team's mediator at the Ancient City, and the Toa drawn into the Shadow Realm at the Black Volcano who returned with the means of the second banishment. nevertheless changed the conditions under which the Water 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 Water 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 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, and the Water Villagers' contribution to it brought the aquatic country's people back into contact with the inter-regional life their ancestors had known before the cataclysm. 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 Water Villagers supplied their share of the work alongside the populations of the other five regions.

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 Water Villagers settled into a sustained period of peace, presumably continuing the work on the recovered city, and the regional villages in the Water country resumed the rhythm the rivers and the lakes 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 Water Villagers who had grown up after the threat had ended.