Thode

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This article was written by BobTheDoctor27. Please do not add to it without the writer's permission.

Prime Reality

[[:{{{Name}}} (Fractures Alternate Universe)|Fractures]]

Thode
Toa
Group	None
Element	Plasma
Kanohi	Great Miru
Tools	• Darkforge Swords (Abandoned)  • Plasma Sniper
Status	Alive
Location	Spherus Magna
Pronunciation	FU-OAD

"When there are too many Scholars taking up the job vacancies in the Knowledge Towers, you take to the streets far below."

―Thode, Zero Hour: Chapter 4.

Thode was a Su-Matoran, who became a Toa of Plasma and later a freelancing mercenary.

History

Early Life

Similarly to most other Toa of Plasma, Thode began his life as a Su-Matoran on Spherus Magna, where he aided in the construction of the Matoran Universe. Upon its completion, Thode was placed inside the Matoran Universe, which then departed Spherus Magna.

Endeavoring to carry out his purpose, Thode maintained his settlement to ensure the continued functionality of the Great Spirit. It was here that Thode took up the profession of a Trapper, a line of employment which required him to fend off some of the more volatile Rahi in the area.

Far-removed from the urban cityscapes of the northern Matoran Universe, Thode adjusted to the rural values of his village, earning him the attention of the local Toa Team for his courage and resolve. While the island of his original residence remains unclear, it is known that he was chosen to became part of a Toa team at some point after the Great Disruption.

Roughly 94,000 years ago, Thode witnessed the expansion of the League of Six Kingdoms over his homeland. Although he harbored feelings of resentment towards the Barraki, this development left the Su-Matoran's daily life relatively unchanged. Unwilling to accept the Barraki as universal conquerors, however, Thode and his fellow villagers would later attempt to destabilize the empire's foothold in the region in the years prior to the League of Six Kingdoms' downfall. With the Barraki imprisoned by the Order of Mata Nui and their armies dismantled by the combined efforts of the Toa and Brotherhood of Makuta, Thode's island would eventually be liberated.

Some time after the Great Disruption, Thode's exploits as the village's Trapper earned him the attention of the island's first Toa Team.

Along with a Ko-Matoran named Kualus, Thode would later be chosen to became part of a Toa team at some point after the Great Disruption.

Life as a Toa

Originally serving in a unit alongside the previous generation of Toa, Thode and his teammates came to base themselves around their original settlement, taking up residence in the outskirts of the village. Thode would also come to notably model his armor after the Toa of Sonics who led this amalgamated team. Honing his Elemental Powers under the tutelage of his more senior Toa, Thode learnt to apply his immensely destructive Elemental Powers with exact precision.

Around 40,000 years ago, Kualus' intellectual prowess and capability as a fully-realized Toa of Ice earned him a position in the ranks of a premier Toa Hagah team. Leaving the team on shaky foundations and bequeathing ownership of his Frost Saber to Thode, Kualus would promptly depart the Tren Krom Peninsula to serve Makuta Teridax.

In the years following the Evolution of the Makuta species, however, the Toa would come to be regarded with mixed sentiments. While the Matoran heralded them as champions of justice and liberty, many of Mata Nui's less-favored creations grew jealous of the affection these peace-keepers were afforded. With a number of factions now wary and mistrustful of Mata Nui's justice, so too did they become hostile towards Toa. Thus began a trend of open hostility towards Toa such as Thode on a universe-wide scale.

During this period the fledgling Dark Hunter organization also grew in size to become a recognized power faction and a constant menace to Toa on a universal scale, establishing footholds in regions across the universe.

To Be Added

Independent Exploits

Approximately 35,000 years ago, Thode left his native village and came to situate himself on Stelt. During this period, the Toa of Plasma took up residence in a lodging with a local Skakdi.

Thode's activities during this time were marked by a desire to invoke justice with his new-found role as an amateur mercenary, often committing political assassinations of morally questionable individuals and selectively choosing his targets to ensure that his actions served a greater good. During this time, Thode also directed his efforts towards keeping track of his former team mates, paying particular attention to the whereabouts of Toa Kualus.

On one occasion, Thode was tasked with abducting a Kardas Dragon from a group of Onu-Matoran and delivering it to a Steltian third party for a considerable bounty. Shrinking the Rahi with a Kanoka Disk then delivering it to the meeting point, Thode's conscience appealed to him and he instead elected to release the Kardas. From this point onward, the Toa of Plasma become more selective of his assignments, acting with a degree of conscience. With his Skakdi neighbor infected by a Spine Slug and confined to a medical facility shortly after this failed undertaking, however, the Toa of Plasma's crusade became complicated and he was forced to travel a less savory route to provide for his friend. Around this point, Thode was approached by Varis once more, who broke into the Toa's lodging and stole a number of his possessions, the most notable of which was his original Toa tools. Claiming that Thode was past his prime, Varis offering to return the stolen weapons on the condition that Thode exchanged it for a Toa Stone. As an added incentive, the Su-Matoran also remarked a map on Thode's wall detailing the locations of his missing teammates, claiming that he knew where Kualus could be found. Presented with the first real opportunity to find his missing brother-Toa, Thode considered the offer only to ultimately reject the Su-Matoran, suggesting he left Xia with his ill-gotten loot.

Following the Evolution of the Makuta species, the Matoran Universe was swept up in changing attitudes towards the Toa populace. While the Matoran heralded them as champions of justice and liberty, many of Mata Nui's less-favored creations grew jealous of the affection these peace-keepers were afforded. On Xia and Stelt, two islands with no designated law enforcement, the will of the Toa became disenfranchised with the will of the citizenry and Thode's status as a Toa became problematic for his continued operation. On one particular occasion, the Zeverek bounty hunter known as Skorr was contracted to assassinate Thode, a mission that eventually proved too tiresome to carry out.

Forced to take more drastic action, Thode developed a technique known as the Plasma Hand, where he would charge his fingertips with his Elemental Powers and grasp an opponent's face, melting through flesh and metal with intense heat. Abandoning his policy of non-lethal assignments, Thode would use this technique to commit a string of Steltian murders, thus marking the beginning of his official mercenary career.

Roughly 29,500 years ago, whilst travelling through Xia, Thode played a part in designing and developing a revolutionary long-distance firearm whilst working closely with a group of Vortixx weapons designers. This weapon, which would later come to be recognized as Thode's signature Plasma Sniper.

Around one point, Makuta Krika attempted to hire Thode to retrieve the Kanohi Ignika from Voya Nui, though his mission proved unsuccessful. Fortunately, Thode later claimed he had assassinated an Av-Matoran whilst on the island to justify his failure and entitling him to a reduced bounty. Given Thode's desire to carry out vigilante justice in the name of protecting Matoran, however, the validity of this claim is somewhat ambiguous.

Later into his career, having gained more experience, Thode began to swiftly ascend from his amateur bounty hunter status to one of the Matoran Universe's most unique, elite assassins. During this period, the Toa of Plasma developed a habit of disrupting Dark Hunter operations by shadowing particular agents and assassinating them from afar, making him a genuine irritation to The Shadowed One. He was, however, selective of his pickings, only engaging low-ranking members of the organization and carefully removing himself from the scene afterwards so as to avoid drawing attention to himself and risk the full extent of The Shadowed One's retaliation.

Alternate Versions

Thode as a Pit Prisoner

In a number of alternate universes, Thode would find himself incarcerated in several different versions of The Pit, an eventuality that proved timelessly popular given the Toa's penchant for violating the Toa Code. While he typically survived the Great Cataclysm in most realities stemming from this divergent strand, alternate versions of Thode would often come into conflict with Barraki Mantax in the years after his escape. Mutated by the contaminated waters of the Pit, Thode often came to inhabit the hot springs in the depths of the abyss, occasionally venturing out to hunt aquatic Rahi and inconvenience the Barraki in whatever capacity he was able to. While mutated, Thode was adorned in dulled, streamlined armor, enabling him to camouflage himself in the darker waters of the Pit. Moreover, his Kanohi Miru became fused to his face and he became a water-breather. Thode also tended to equip himself with Cordak Blasters and Harpoon Launchers looted from Hydraxon's armory.

In the Toa Empire Alternate Universe, Thode swiftly sided with Toa Tuyet and gained a position of her trust. For many years, Thode enjoyed life as a member of the superior species in the Matoran Universe and often continued his practice of tormenting Matoran, though this was now done at a leisurely pace or at times when his skills as a mercenary were required in order to pick off a particular Matoran or enemies of the empire. During the Battle of the Coliseum, Thode was responsible for destroying Makuta Kojol's essence. However, when the Toa were eventually overwhelmed, Thode was taken captive and, like so many other corrupt Toa, had his Toa Power drained, forcing him to spend the rest of his life as an embittered Turaga of Plasma to witness a new generation of Toa fix the damage that his generation had done to the universe.

In the Kingdom Alternate Universe, Thode was among the survivors who evacuated the old universe after Mata Nui died, allowing him to escape to the barren island of Mata Nui on the surface of Aqua Magna. There, after the island was sustained to support the population, Thode moved into the area that had previously been Ta-Wahi. Regarded with animosity by his fellow Toa, however, Thode inevitably returned to his mercenary enterprises, bringing him into the crosshairs of the Ruling Council of the Kingdom of the Great Spirit. After carrying out one too many hits on the surviving Toa population, Toa Helryx would launch an exhaustive search for Thode across the island, contracting several remaining Order of Mata Nui agents and Dark Hunters to apprehend the renegade Toa.

Abilities and Traits

Thode using his elemental plasma powers.

Cold, meticulous, and often ruthless, Thode has proven himself to be a capable and highly-experienced Toa. After receiving a cranial injury as a Matoran, Thode is resolute in his vision for the universe, seeking to uphold justice through unsavory means. As such, Thode possessed a tendency to avoid emotional attachments or reliance upon others, making few exceptions.

As a Matoran, Thode possessed a minuscule amount of Elemental Plasma energy, which he could manifest through means of weak heat resistance.

When activated, Thode's powers included the ability to create, shape and manipulate most forms of superheated, highly ionized gas. He could use this power to form molten, gaseous constructs such as weapons or walls. Thode also possessed the ability to absorb heat into his body to lower the temperature in his immediate area. In its simplest form, these elemental capabilities also enable him to fire blasts of heat with concussive force and is able to superheat the air around him at will.

Given the lethal nature of his powers, Thode rarely resorts to using them in combat. He has, however, been known to produce a Plasma Hand, a technique in which he produced Plasma at his fingertips then pressed his hand against the face of a target. In addition to causing fatal injury, this application of his powers also damaged the Core Processor of a target, preventing them from being revived in the Red Star. Frequently, Thode often utilized the Plasma Hand for assassinations so as to prevent his victims from being revived a matter of weeks after he has been contracted to kill them.

While active as a mercenary, Thode exercises his body and perfects his marksmanship rigorously every two days. Constantly at work, he came to develop an interest in mechanics, allowing him to fix, create and customize his own vehicles, weapons and gadgets. Additionally, he is a skilled point shooter, able to hit moving targets in vehicles with precision as a result of his extensive training and experience.

Mask and Tools

As a Matoran, Thode wore a powerless Kanohi Matatu, though this mask was damaged and replaced with a Powerless Miru. As a Toa this mask was transformed into a Great Miru, granting him the power to levitate and limited flight capabilities. In conjunction with his Plasma capabilities, Thode often used his Elemental Powers to propelling himself through the air by generating thermal updrafts.

Thode's original weapons were a pair of blades nicknamed the Darkforge Swords, a pair of ceremonial blades belonging to a Toa of Sonics who preceded Thode. Able to channel his Elemental Powers with extreme precision, the Darkforge Swords were tremendously sentimental in Thode's early Toa career, though they would later be retired owing to the tremendous guilt wielding them would cause the Toa of Plasma.

Over the course of his career, Thode has since utilized a number of weapons and gadgets to carry out his assignments, initially starting with an alternating series of rapid-fire projectile firearms and later diversifying to carry heavily customized gear for each mission. Most prominently, he has been known to carry a modified Combat Rifle developed by a private Xian industrial firm. Unlike many of his contemporaries, Thode has been known to keep several extensive weapons and ammunition caches on islands around the northern Matoran Universe, often containing launchers looted from fellow mercenaries or other criminals.

Forms

Picture	Form
	Thode's original Matoran form.
	Thode's original Toa form.
	Thode's Enhance Toa Form taken after donning sleeker armor.

Trivia

• Originally, BobTheDoctor27 intended to feature Thode as a Turaga of Plasma and write a short story where he was murdered by Toa Gorta, leaving her intent on tracking down Kualus, the final remaining member of their original Toa Team. However, this idea was scrapped as too much planning had gone into Thode's history as a Toa for such a minor part. He was thus given a more pronounced role, later developing into one of the component characters in the storyline.
• Chicken Bond wrote a short story called Perspectives featuring Thode, which remains the Toa of Plasma's only stand-alone story.

Appearances

• Date Night

See also

• Thode's Brickshelf Gallery