City of the Mask Makers

	City of the Mask Makers
	Location
Status	Inhabited
Inhabitants	Skull Army (formerly); Okotans (Protectors); Mask Makers (Ekimu); Elemental Creatures
Position	Okoto (Region of Water)

"I don't like this place. Something evil is hiding here."
— Pohatu, City of the Mask Makers

The City of the Mask Makers, also known as the Mask Makers' City, is the home of the Mask Makers on Okoto.

History

The City of the Mask Makers was once a prosperous place, where Ekimu and Makuta resided, and an important cultural center for the Islanders of Okoto.

Prior to their feud, Ekimu and Makuta welcomed the ancient Protectors and Okotans to the city during the Festival of Masks, and after a welcoming ceremony, Ekimu treated the Protectors to a tour of his forge, where he presented them with new Elemental Masks. Makuta then held a demonstration of some new masks he had crated by combining two Elemental Powers in a single mask, contrary to ancient tradition, which ended up starting a fire. Ekimu then saw a vision of the Elemental Creatures, which prompted him to depart for the Temple of Time. Makuta later promised to destroy the masks, but instead recycled them and used a stolen set of Elemental Crystals to create the Mask of Ultimate Power. Its power later overwhelmed Makuta, and when Ekimu removed it with his Hammer of Power it unleashed a devastating wave that rocked the island, though the City of the Mask Makers was mercifully protected.

Ekimu's comatose body was placed in a tomb within the city, awaiting the day when he could be restored to life, and his Forge was sealed by the Protectors of old. The city was left frozen in time, and only by relighting the Great Forge within the Temple of Creation could it be restored to its original state.^[1] After Makuta's Betrayal left both Mask Makers in an unending sleep, the city was abandoned and fell to ruin, and was in time occupied by villains drawn to the evil force they could feel within it.

Thousands of years later, the modern Protectors invoked the Prophecy of Heroes and summoned six Toa. When they acquired their Golden Masks of Power, the Toa received visions of the City of the Mask Makers from Ekimu. The Protectors told the Toa to gather there, although they were unable to accompany them. When the Toa convened at the bridge to the city, they were approached by the Lord of Skull Spiders. By working together, the Toa defeated the Lord of Skull Spiders, and Onua destroyed part of the bridge, sending it plummeting into the valley.

The Toa received another vision from Ekimu, imploring them to find his resting place. They crossed the bridge and entered the city's ruins. As they moved through the abandoned streets, a skeletal claw broke through the ground behind them. Lewa scouted ahead and discovered the arena. Meanwhile, Tahu stepped on a pressure plate, locking the Toa in a courtyard. The Toa were attacked by Skull Warriors, but defeated them with Lewa's help. Lewa suggested the Toa explore the Arena, but Kopaka reminded him of their mission. While Kopaka led the Toa through the city, Lewa broke off and explored the Arena, but was ambushed by Skull Slicer, who stole his mask. The other Toa defeated Skull Slicer and retrieved Lewa's mask, but destroyed the Arena in the process, becoming buried underneath the rubble.

Kulta visited Ekimu's tomb and stole the Mask of Creation, bringing it to the Great Forge to melt it down. The Toa escaped through a tunnel and emerged in the Graveyard, where they fought Skull Scorpios. Inside the tomb, they used their elemental powers to revive Ekimu, who told them that Kulta had taken the mask. The Toa and Ekimu rushed to the Great Forge, where Ekimu defeated Kulta, freeing the City of the Mask Makers.

While the Toa were fighting the Skull Army within the city, the Protectors entered the city from below, where they engaged the Skull Spiders in a final battle. They eventually made their way to Ekimu's forge, where they presented themselves to the Mask Maker, and joined him and the Toa in celebrating their victories. They then built a rope bridge to replace the crumbled ancient thoroughfare to the city, before welcoming the Okotans to their new home in the reclaimed city.

In the process of rebuilding the city, the Protectors came across a number of records that they hoped would provide valuable knowledge for their future. The Toa were soon presented with new armor and masks by Ekimu, which they used to fend off an attack by surviving Skull Creatures. The heroes then set out for the Temples of the Elemental Creatures to recover their Golden Masks of Unity, during which time Lewa was attacked by Umarak. The six later returned home with their masks and the Creatures, and spent the night in the city before setting out to find the Labyrinth of Control, hiding place of Makuta's Mask of Control.

After obtaining the mask and being corrupted by it, Umarak unleashed the Shadow Horde upon the city in order to distract the Toa from his efforts to recover the fragments of the Mask of Ultimate Power. The Toa and their Elemental Creatures fought for a time to defend the city, but were then called upon by Ekimu to depart and stop Makuta's return. It then fell to the Elemental Creatures and Okotans to defend the city from the continued assault of the Shadow Horde. With Makuta's defeat and the Toa's departure from the island, the Okotans were left to inhabit the city in peace.

Landscape

The City of the Mask Makers is situated on a slope within a deep valley in the Region of Water,^[2] with a bridge serving as its entrance. The original bridge was greatly damaged during the battle between the Toa and the Lord of Skull Spiders, and eventually destroyed as a result of their battles with the Skull Creatures inside the city.

The graveyard, the Arena, and the Forge entrance

City Gate

The gate was constructed long ago, and has been the site of many great battles.^[1]

Statues

Past the bridge leading into the city are two groups of statues depicting the Protectors and the Mask Makers. At some point the statue of Makuta was damaged so that its head and left arm were lost.

Arena

A coliseum built to host games and contests, including gladiator fights and the popular sport Hammer Flush.^[1] The arena was guarded by Skull Slicer before Onua accidentally destroyed it with his Earthquake Hammer. It was later rebuilt.^[3]

Graveyard

Okotans were once laid to rest in the graveyard. Later, they were prowled by Skull Warriors and Skull Scorpios.^[1]

Tomb of Ekimu

The place where Ekimu's comatose body was interred by the ancient Protectors after Makuta's Betrayal, and where he was later found and revived by the Toa. It was decorated by a large sculpture of Ekimu's Mask of Creation that Lewa knocked loose while fighting the Skull Scorpios.

The Toa later repaired the damaged structure and proposed that it be turned into a welcome center for arriving Okotans and a museum.

The tomb has steps that lead to its doorway. It has a grand hallway that is lined with tall pedestals, which support mant ancient relics, including sculptures, statues, large vases, and urns. The walls have carved reliefs that tell events of Ekimu's life and accomplishments. The ceiling has a mural that has symbols related to Okoto's six regions. At the center of the hallway is Ekimu's large, ornately designed sarcophagus, which has a coffin and where Ekimu rested before being revived.^[4]^[5]^[6]

Temple of Creation

A large building located at the top of the city, containing the Great Forge. The building's entrance was guarded by Skull Basher.

Great Forge

The forge where Ekimu and Makuta created Masks of Power. Thousands of powerful masks were created in this forge, such as the Mask of Strength and the Mask of Speed. The forge has been cold since Makuta's betrayal, but lighting it again would restore the city to its original state.^[1]

Temple of Light

The Temple of Light was an ancient structure on Okoto, atop which the Temple of Creation was built. Its contents included a crystalline chamber that enabled Ekimu to transform into a larger, more powerful form, as well as the full record of the Prophecy of Heroes.

Underbelly

Underneath the city is a maze of caves and tunnels, previously inhabited by the Skull Spiders. Among its features are ancient carvings, some of them older than the Mask Makers themselves, which tell of Okoto's past and contain prophecies of what is to come. The underground was also home to ancient reservoirs into which rainwater flowed; these were left cracked after centuries of neglect and later severely damaged when the Protectors fought against the Skull Spiders.

Trivia

According to BIONICLE.com, the City of the Mask Makers is located in the Region of Water, while Island of Lost Masks mentions that the city entrance is located in the Region of Jungle, which it borders.