Toa Mangai

Toa Mangai
Organization
Headquarters	Metru Nui
Leader	Turaga Dume (commanding authority) Lhikan (leader) Unknown (deputy)
Members	Naho Tuyet Motara Fau Hura Mafa Tiro Nidhiki Marn Kanae Kodan (honorary)
Strength	11 Toa 1 Matoran
Status	Disbanded
Active Years	96,000 aA - 99,000 aA
Destiny	Save Metru Nui through the creation of new Toa (Lhikan) Betray the Toa and join the Dark Hunters (Nidhiki) Unknown; unfulfilled (Tuyet)
BS01

The Toa Mangai were a Toa teams led by Toa Lhikan that protected Metru Nui from danger.

History

Formation

Around the year of 96,000 aA, The Shadowed One - leader of the criminal organization called the Dark Hunters - set his eyes on claiming the city of Metru Nui for himself. In a bid to destabilize the the city, he sent three of his hunters - Avak, Reidak, and Vezok - to release the Kanohi Dragon from its tomb deep beneath the Silver Sea, where it had been sealed since the Dawn Ages. Their plan was to extort Turaga Dume into allowing the Dark Hunters into the city, hoping he would request their aid in dealing with the dragon.

As the beast rampaged through the Archives heading towards the Great Furnace, unhindered by city’s Vahki enforcers, Dume sent Vahki out of the city to find help. Upon receiving the call for aid, Toa Lhikan gathered ten other Toa, including the members of his existing team such as Nidhiki and Tuyet. The Toa rode on the Vahki back to Metru Nui. After interrupting the Dark Hunters attempt to extort the Turaga, the Toa were informed of the situation, and set off to fight the dragon. The Toa fought the Rahi in a series of many battles where both sides were frequently forced to retreat. After an entire month, it was finally subdued through the combined efforts of the group's four Toa of Ice by keeping freezing it.

Lhikan and six of the Toa oversaw the days-long transportation of the Kanohi Dragon to Xia, where it was received by the Vortixx Roodaka. Meanwhile, Nidhiki and the others remained behind to secure the city. Despite being given the option to return to their homelands, the Toa - upon their return - elected to stay in Metru Nui as a team - dubbed the “Toa Mangai” by the Matoran - in the event that the Dark Hunters should return. In gratitude, newly forged masks, armor, and weapons were given to each member of the team in the same Vanguard-style worn by their appointed leader, Lhikan. Meanwhile, the Po-Matoran Kodan, was named the chronicler of both Metru Nui and of the Toa Mangai, and wrote the chronicle of the Kanohi Dragon's defeat.

Due to the relative lack of threats to Metru Nui, most of the Toa Mangai were frequently on missions outside of Metru Nui, though they used the city as their base of operations. Most also did not operate very publically or engage much with the Matoran population, with the notable exception of Lhikan, preferred to stay in the city at all times. At some point, a statue of the team's leader was constructed and placed on the Akilini field of the Coliseum, constructed by Po-Metru in gratitude of his heroics. Over time some of members would leave the team for adventures elsewhere, having grown bored with the uneventful city.

Tuyet's Betrayal

500 years later, while all but three of the Toa Mangai were away on missions, Dark Hunters slipped into Metru Nui searching for a fabled artifact, the Nui Stone. One of the Toa, a Toa of Water named Tuyet, learned of the Hunters' entrance into Metru Nui and discovered that they were after the stone - which she possessed. Unwilling to relinquish the stone, she murdered a Ta-Matoran, and placed a tablet with her own name on his corpse. When confronted by Lhikan and Nidhiki, she denied any knowledge of the incident, and left the other two to continue their investigation. Later, she killed yet another Matoran, a Le-Matoran, and once again placed the signature tablet on the corpse. Confronted again by Lhikan, Tuyet revealed the existence of the stone, though she denied possession of it. She informed Lhikan that the Dark Hunters were searching for the stone, and told him that the deaths of the Matoran were a sort of countdown meant to throw Lhikan off of the Hunter's scent. Lhikan and Nidhiki later confronted these Hunters - Devastator, Gladiator, and Triglax - although they themselves seemed to have no knowledge of any of the Matoran murders. However, Tuyet, being unaware of the Hunter's defeat, murdered a Ga-Matoran to continue her ruse. Lhikan and Nidhiki soon realized that Tuyet must have been behind the murders and confronted her in her home. Cornered, Tuyet desperately tapped into the power of the Nui Stone in an attempt to kill the duo, but she was ultimately defeated and locked in the Coliseum dungeon.

Not long afterward, Botar arrived to transfer Tuyet to another dimension, leaving the Toa and Dume unaware of where she had vanished to. Whether or not her actions were ever made public knowledge is unknown.

Toa-Dark Hunter War

After being denied a base in Metru Nui, the Shadowed One launched several operations in an attempt to gain control of the city. When all failed, he ordered a full scale invasion of the island in the year 97,000 aA. The seven Toa present in the city at the time attempted to defeat the enemies, but were quickly overwhelmed and barricaded themselves in the Coliseum while the Dark Hunters seized most of Metru Nui. However, Toa Naho was able to sneak past the enemy lines and out of the city. She reached the island of Vorlis, where with the help of Turaga Vatau, she was able to summon an army of one hundred Toa.

Due to his skill, experience, and familiarity with the city, Lhikan was put in charge of the army of Toa. Over the next few months, one of the largest wars in Metru Nui’s history played out in the streets of the city. The conflict became a tug-of-war with brutal battles, some Toa even putting aside the Toa Code for the sake of the war. As the Toa recovered some districts, the Dark Hunters would claim others.

During the war, Lariska approached Nidhiki, asking him to betray the Toa. Nidhiki accepted and planned to lead the Toa into an ambush in the Canyon of Unending Whispers as instructed by Lariska. However, unbeknownst to Nidhiki, Lhikan had followed him to inform him of the coming arrival of another three hundred more Toa, and thus caught on to the betrayal and set up an ambush of his own. Furthermore, Hakann had spotted Lhikan, though he did not tell Lariska about Lhikan to get back at her. Instead, he convinced Lhikan to let the Dark Hunters live in exchange for the Makoki Stone.

When the ambush finally took place, the Dark Hunters were counter-ambushed by the newly-arrived three hundred Toa. Nidhiki and the Dark Hunters found themselves outnumbered. Lhikan allowed the Dark Hunters to leave under the condition that they would take Nidhiki with them. Reluctantly, Nidhiki left with them and became a member of the Hunters, training recruits.

Teridax's Plan

After many years of peace on Metru Nui, Turaga Dume was silently captured, and the leader of the Brotherhood of Makuta, Teridax, started impersonating him. The false Dume sent the remaining Toa Mangai on various strange missions, supposedly for the city's safety. However, none of them returned, having been killed by one of the Dark Hunters Teridax had hired: Eliminator. Due to their frequent absence, this would not be noticed until it was far too late. Some of those missions involved sealing all of Metru Nui's seaways, which they did successfully. Marn was sent on one such mission, while Kodan and two other Toa were sent on another. Due to the nature of Eliminator's attacks, the Toa Mangai and Kodan were not revived in the Red Star.

Teridax also planted a monsterous plants called the Morbuzakh inside the Great Furnace, and hired two more Dark Hunters: the now-mutated Nidhiki, and his partner, the Kumopak Krekka, to hunt down the Great Disks as well as Lhikan, who remained as the last Toa in the city. Though all the seaways had been sealed, Krekka and Nidhiki busted one them open to enter the city. Over time, Lhikan grew suspicious of the false Turaga Dume and realized the graveness of the situation. Though he sent out calls for aid, these were all intercepted. 18 months after the real Dume had been abducted, Lhikan stole the Toa Stones from the Great Temple and brought about six new Toa, the Toa Metru. Shortly afterward, however, he was captured by Nidhiki and Krekka, and later transformed into a Turaga upon the Toa Metru's transformation.

Nidhiki, after failing to capture the new Toa Metru, was absorbed by Teridax along with Krekka, expanding the Makuta's power and allowing him to assume a new, more powerful form. Lhikan was rescued by the Toa Metru, but eventually killed by Teridax while saving Vakama's life, leaving behind the legacy of the Toa Mangai. Lhikan was later sent to the Red Star to be resurrected, but was trapped within it due to the star's damaged teleportation system.

Various locations on the island of Mata Nui were named in honor of the Toa Mangai, and various memoirs of the Toa Mangai were eventually placed inside the Coliseum for safekeeping.

Equipment & Abilities

Each member of the team possessed the standard powers of Toa, with the exception of Kodan, being a Matoran. With the exception of Toa Lhikan, all the members of the team, including Kodan, were given Vanguard-shaped masks. Additionally, armor and tools were forged in the same style. The Toa Mangai had access to the Toa Suva inside the Great Temple.

Members

Toa Mangai
Toa	Role	Kanohi	Tool(s)	Region
Lhikan, Toa of Fire (transformed; revived)	Leader	Hau, Great Mask of Shielding (Vanguard-shape)	Fire Greatswords	Ta-Metru
Naho, Toa of Water (deceased)	Member	Huna, Great Mask of Concealment (Vanguard-shape)	Twin-Bladed Tonfa	Ga-Metru
Tuyet, Toa of Water (rogue)	Member	Onweku, Great Mask of Intangibility (Vanguard-shape)	Barbed Broadsword	Ga-Metru
Motara, Toa of Stone (deceased)	Member	Pakari, Great Mask of Strength (Vanguard-shape)	Proto Bracers	Po-Metru
Fau, Toa of Ice (deceased)	Member	Calix, Great Mask of Fate (Vanguard-shape)	Frost Axe	Ko-Metru
Hura, Toa of Ice (deceased)	Member	Kaukau, Great Mask of Water Breathing (Vanguard-shape)	Cryogen Claws	Ko-Metru
Mafa, Toa of Ice (deceased)	Member	Kahmutil, Great Mask of Conjuring (Vanguard-shape)	Arctic Reaphook	Ko-Metru
Tiro, Toa of Ice (deceased)	Member	Rode, Great Mask of Truth (Vanguard-shape)	Snow Spades	Ko-Metru
Nidhiki, Toa of Air (rogue; mutated; deceased)	Member	Volitak, Great Mask of Stealth (Vanguard-shape)	Air Scythe	Le-Metru
Marn, Toa of Earth (deceased)	Member	Kakama, Great Mask of Speed (Vanguard-shape)	Tremor Drill	Onu-Metru
Kanae, Toa of Plantlife (deceased)	Member	Amana, Great Mask of Healing (Vanguard-shape)	Silver Thorn	Ga-Metru
Kodan, Matoran of Stone (deceased)	Honorary member; Chronicler	Akaku, Powerless Mask of Healing (Great Vanguard-shape)	Chronicler's Staff