User blog:Ahpolki Inika/Part 2 of me MOC & Art contest: The Good Ol' Days

Welp, after finally clawing my way out of life and making a (temporary) return to the internet, I can hereby start the next phase in my line of MOC/Art contests. The next theme is kinda in regards to the Toa-Dark Hunter War, focusing on individuals who have partaken in it. So you'll have both Toa and Dark Hunters in this event. With that out of the way, let's get started.

Marolix
Every group and its members have their share of humble origins. The Toa Vastrius are among such individuals. The founder and original leader of the Toa Vastrius, Marolix started out in life as one of the earliest Po-Matoran created by the Great Beings. He was among the Matoran who labored in the darkness, building what many now know as the Great Spirit Robot. Once it was completed, he settled onto an unknown island and began a career as a simple farmer.

That was, until an unknown member of the Hand of Artahka came by. This being was looking for a successor to his organization, someone to take their place. He believed that new Elemental warriors- “Toa” as he called them- were fit for the job. And he also believed that the Po-Matoran had a future as one. So the trained for about a century together, and when it was time for them to depart, this being gave Marolix a Toa Stone. Touching it transformed him into a Toa of Stone, into one of the guardians that his mentor placed his faith in.

Before departing, the master requested that he pass his knowledge and power down to a selected few, to ensure that the Toa way never died out. And given how Ekumas and Co. managed to find their own successor, I’d say he became a mighty fine teacher himself.

Since his Turaga form was already built a long time ago, this contest will focus primarily on his Toa form. However, contestants are welcome to build his Matoran form as well. Primary color is brown, with yellow, tan, grey,  and/or black as possible secondary colors. Eyes should be orange-red, though you may use other colors if that one ain’t available. Never gave much thought to his masks and weapons during those times, so anything goes in that regard.

Ekumas
The main protagonist of Remnants of the Great Beings, and the Turaga from Karazahni himself. A temperamental Ko-Matoran Seer from the city of Metru Nui, he quickly found himself under the wing of Marolix after an incident within one of the Knowledge Towers. He was shown to have a strong sense of determination, often working himself into exhaustion during training. As the Toa of Stone tutored him and his brothers more and more, he matured. Eventually, Malorix felt that their training was complete and left the group. Ekumas took up the burden of leadership from there, leading his teammates on a number of adventures.

As a Toa of Ice, his primary color is white. Various shades of ice and grey can act as his secondary colors, while his eye-color is ice-blue (though you may use other brain-stalk colors if you don’t have light-blue on hand). His weapon… hmm, never really put much thought into it. Just go with whatever you want. Ekumas wore a Mask of Conjuring for most of his life, though you may use other Masks in its place MOC-wise. A Great Rau would be a good alternative for a model, and could be painted into white/silver/light-blue. If you like ordering fanmade masks from Shapeways, I do recall there being at least one Mask of Conjuring mold. He also wore a Great Elda during his final days as a Toa, so there’s that as well. The choice is up to you.

Lisfek
And yet we have another fiery character, this time one of Iron. The blacksmith and weapons-engineer to the Toa Vastrius, Lisfek has clashed with Ekumas on many an occasion. After having been robbed of most of his Elemental powers and reduced to a Turaga, he… became a rather grumpy individual, to put it politely. But now that the Makuta are gone and he’s spending his life on Spherus Magna, life has gotten better for him.

The colorcheme for him would be gray, metallic gray, bronze, gold, and/or burnt orange. This contest mainly focuses on his Toa form, but contestants are allowed to build/design his Matoran and Restoration-Turaga forms as well. His Toa tools were basically giant claws, but he doesn’t have those as a Turaga.

Juleva
And here we have Lisfek’s pal, the (former) Toa-hero of Air. While Lisfek is more serious and temperamental, Juleva is more chilled and mirthful. He’s the more friendly and laid back of the Toa Team, and the least ambitious. He just goes with the flow. He still keeps this personality to this day, even as a Turaga (though he did develop a bit of a snarking-layer in that period of his life).

As a Toa of Air, his colorscheme would consist of various shades of green. Teal can be used as a secondary color as well, and his Mask and Weapons are up in the air. You have creative free-reign with his Kanohi and tools.

Hiiah
A page I adopted a while ago. Basically the mama-bear of the team, and probably the only member within Ekumas’ age-group at the time to actually possess patience. She’s what Agori would call a “motherly figure’; Kind and compassionate, but can also become stern when the need arises. Because of this, she’s kinda the unofficial second-in-command of the Toa Vastrius.

As a Toa of Water, her colorscheme would consist of various shades of blue. Her mask was a Ruru, Mask of Nightvision. Her Toa tools were Water hooks, which kinda look like canes. They’ve been transformed into her fishing staff, great for impaling those guppies.

New member
You heard right folks. The Toa Vastrius are in need of a recruit. The main rule is that they cannot have the following Elements: Ice, Water, Air, Iron, Stone, and Earth. Beyond that, you have control over their which of the remaining Elements they have access to, what their tools and mask are, their relationship with the other members of the Team, ect. As for their fate, though… I’m just gonna talk with the winner about that.

Smog
A mad scientist working with the Dark Hunters. Once a medical officer in a war between his island and another, he started taking an interest in taking life rather than saving it. Switching his professions to bioweaponry, he unleashed a toxic gas upon his nation’s enemies. However, the cloud spread and began to kill civilians as well, even soldiers from his side. The Makuta of both islands demanded an explanation of these turns of events, and his employers sought to bury the truth from them rather than lose their power.

They sent assassins to silence their researchers, but one scientist survived the attempt and fled. That being would go on to join the Dark Hunters and obtain the codename “Smog”. His relationship with them wasn’t the most heart-warming; he once used a bioweapon of his against a platoon of Dark Hunters just to test it out. The next day, his own abandoned him in a fight and was thrown into a prison by the Toa Mangaia. When he was released at the end of the Toa-Dark Hunter War, the Shadowed One punished him by removing an arm and a leg. He got mechanical replacements for them, but the ordeal left a scar on his pride.

Although he does not wear a Kanohi Mask, he does wear a gas mask. His primary weapon is a chemical thrower, much like the one in the first Bioshock videogame. He also has retractable claws in his forearms/gauntlets, and occasionally carries an ax around. His colorscheme would consist of green, yellow, orange, and/or white.

Shield


Now here is an oldie, and with (most) of his original build at that! “Shield” (Real name Razc) is a member of the Xiretsam, a species of lumbering squat beings with large armor-platings around their bodies. If they ever felt threatened, they could fold them out like a shield and hide behind it. Some members were even reported forming cocoons around themselves with these. Razc came into service with the Dark Hunters at some point, earning his codename due to his natural plates. He had those reinforced with a stronger metal, and was given a Solar Cannon as his primary weapon. Because of the weight of the armor and weapon, however, he’s rather slow. But then again, while would one want to give speed to a walking tank that can divert the attention of the enemy?

I’d kinda prefer that y’all would use the original remnants of the model as reference for recreating him. He possesses a large cannon on one arm, a pair of pincers on the other, and at least two shield pieces on his body (the original model had two Mistika shields on his upper arms). His colorscheme, however, is in your hands now.

Discharge
Another oldie of mine, though no images of him survived. Discharge is a Ywinakim, a species akin to Viking/Norse warriors with limited control over heat and electrical currents. Due to experiments conducted on him, he lost access to the former and has greater control the latter, hence his codename. He suffers from the loss of one of his original arms and both of his eyes, relying on an experimental form of electroreception to “see”.

He last incarnation bore the same torso design as Ainasev and Nutaj, as well as a dark-blue and Keetorange/yellow color scheme. His electroreception-helmet was basically a Blue Geat Ruru upside down, and possessed a robotic arm in place of a normal one.

Amplitude
Another oldie without a surviving image. Formerly a caravan guard named Phriqyn, his career came to an end when the Dark Hunters raided and slaughtered his employers at the time. Pleading for his life, Poison offered him a place among the Dark Hunters in exchange for loyalty to them. Razc passed the tests given to him, and was brought into the organization. He was called forth for an experiment that would involve manipulating sound waves. As a result, he gained limited control over the Element of Sonics.

When I first built him, he had a unique head-design consisting of a silver Kalmah armor piece, Bohrok eyes, and a silver Onua claw. He also had a claw and a blaster/firearm of some form. Would be nice if someone could rebuild that head-design, but otherwise, the rest of his build is up to y’all.

Wait, would Amplitude even be a fitting name for a dude that relies on Sonics-based attacks? :/ Eh, I can come up with an alternative codename for him if that's the case later.

Scepter
Technically, this isn’t a new character. Rather, it’s actually a disguise for our Warrior-class turned warlock, Arethidas! Surprise! Now many of you might be thinking; Why the Karzahni would he be interested in the Toa-Dark Hunter War. Well, he himself was once a soldier in the Core War, and that event kinda left a mild interest in conflict and turmoil. That, and he does occasionally… visit the Red Star and it occupants. A war such as this is bound to generate more residents for the engine, and The Shadowed One is known for hoarding secrets as well. This would make him all the more interested in this period.

As a warlock/liche, he has some limited shapeshifting and illusion-based abilities. While in this form, he’ll only display his psychokinetic abilities in public, refraining himself from using the rest in front of folk. As his alias would imply, he would be carrying a scepter during this time. His design and colorscheme are up to y’all, though I would prefer that he retain a humanoid appearance. Taking on a more bestial or strange look would be difficult for him to pull off… and rather painful to change to and from said forms.

Void
Another new face around here. This guy was once a member of Isenvokte’s species and a loyal minion of his. But after his master’s defeat and disappearance, his people exiled him on account him being guilty by association. He found purpose within the Dark Hunters, and allowed them to conduct experiments on his body. Now he’s a living embodiment of the void (and possibly an agent of Arethidas).His design kidna up in the air since he’s mutated. His species has a sorta “crystal/gemstone” motif, so trans-pieces would play a part in this and his colorscheme. I’ve imagined him possessing cool and dark colors as well; Various shades of blue, purple, black, grey, ect. No warm colors, unless it’s just for his eyes. Tools are kidna up for grabs too. I though about “Statis” chains for him to wrap up his enemies and feed off of their life-force like a vampire, but I’m not 100% on board with this idea.

End date
This contest will end on September 17th, 2017. The winning entries will accepted as canon depictions of the characters and will be featured in the infobox on their respective pages.

If yo have any questions, feel free to ask.