BIONICLE 1: Gathering of the Toa

"THE EPIC QUEST BEGINS HERE!
On the mythical island of Okoto, the forces of darkness are on the move. To defeat evil, the island Protectors call on the help of six elemental heroes known as the Toa. Join Tahu, Kopaka, Onua, Gali, Lewa, Pohatu, and Ekimu as they discover their powers and gather together to fight the hords of Skull Spiders and the oncoming darkness."
— Back Cover

BIONICLE 1: Gathering of the Toa
Book
Series	LEGO BIONICLE Graphic Novels
Author	Ryder Windham
Publisher	Little, Brown and Company
ISBN 978-0316266222

BIONICLE 1: Gathering of the Toa is the first graphic novel of the 2015 BIONICLE reboot, and was released December 29, 2015. It was written by Ryder Windham, who was also the writer for the LEGO BIONICLE Chapter Books.

Plot Summary

Help From Beyond

Vizuna, Protector of Jungle, rescues a young child from a Skull Spider. The child informs the Protector that his village has been taken over by the Skull Spiders. They head over to the village to see the Islander denizens being possessed by the Spiders. When the child sees his parents captured and imprisoned, he yells out for them, alerting the possessed Islanders. Vizuna then charged towards the Islanders, striking at all of the Spiders possessing each of them, and frees the parents. The Protector of Jungle gives them torches to fight back against the Skull Spiders. Narmoto, Protector of Fire, appears suddenly to aid Vizuna and the others against the Skull Spiders. When the Spiders are all defeated and chased off, Narmoto urges Vizuna to leave with him to go to the Temple of Time, since evil is rising on Okoto. They arrive and meet up with the other Protectors, while Nilkuu arrives last. They chant the Prophecy of Heroes around the Mask of Time, and all agree that they return to their Regions and wait for the Toa to arrive.

The Heroes Arrive

In the Region of Earth, Protector Korgot and several guardsmen are on duty, with the guardsmen wondering when the prophesied Toa will arrive, while Korgot advises them to remain on guard and be patient. However, the awaited comets carrying the heroes arrive, with one crashing nearby. Korgot and her men investigate, only to be attacked by green Skull Spiders, who are then driven off by the arrival of one of the awaited Toa: Onua, Master of Earth. Onua then admits to having no memory of his past or even his own name, but Korgot introduces herself and explains to him the Protectors' legends of the Toa. Onua then questions at which point he should set out on his quest, and the guardsmen encourage him to proceed immediately.

Frozen in Time

Kopaka, Master of Ice, and Izotor, Protector of Ice, are traveling through the Region of Ice when they spy the ruins of an ancient city. Kopaka questions how the city, like all others on Okoto, came to be abandoned, and Izotor explains that it stems from the ancient conflict between the Mask Makers, Ekimu and Makuta. He then explains how the Protectors of old hid the Golden Masks that the Toa must now seek out, when Kopaka - wondering about his own forgotten past - hears a scream coming from the ruins. When questioned, Izotor mentions that villagers do occasionally visit the ruins despite discouragement, as the ruins are known to contain dangers. Kopaka rushes in only to slip, and then comes across the source of the screams: a party of four Ice Villagers being menaced by blue Skull Spiders in a chamber containing two massive sculptures of the Mask Makers. Fighting the creatures, Kopaka makes a quick decision and throws one of his weapons at the icy ceiling, bringing down a massive icicle and damaging the statues. The explorers are outraged until Izotor reminds them of their folly and reveals Kopaka's identity, and he goes on to assure Kopaka that they will not enter the city again. To his surprise, Kopaka is grateful to the villagers, as they reminded him of the need to focus on the present rather than dwell on the past. Unfortunately, the Toa then falls into a crevice despite Izotor's warning.

Bridge

Narmoto is guiding Tahu, Master of Fire when the pair are attacked by silver Skull Spiders. Tahu proves boastful and arrogant, confident that he can defeat the Skull Spiders alone, and then announcing his intent to become leader of the Toa. Narmoto reminds him that the prophecies of the Toa spoke of their unity, not of any one hero's leadership, but Tahu remains entrenched in his vision. On approaching a small village, the pair find a bridge across a lava pool guarded by more Skull Spiders, whom Tahu insists on facing alone. However, the creatures nearly succeed in pushing him into the lava, and only Narmoto's quick intervention prevents Tahu from being harmed further. He then reveals that Tahu's battles with the Skull Spiders allow the Lord of Skull Spiders to learn how he fights, and that the monstrous spider directs his minions accordingly. Narmoto advises Tahu to trust in his superior knowledge of the island, and Tahu - much to the Protector's consternation - promises to speak to the other Toa of this after he has been installed as their leader.

First Flight

Lewa, Master of Jungle, is being guided by Vizuna through the Region of Jungle, but is uncertain his guide is taking him in the right direction. He remains skeptical as the "clearing" Vizuna's sensor tail indicated turns out to be a large cliff, but Vizuna sees it as an opportunity to travel a little more quickly and begins rappelling down the cliff. However, a pack of Skull Spiders then attack, and Lewa takes flight in order to rescue the Protector. After escaping, Vizuna notes that he was unaware of Lewa's power of flight, while the Master of Jungle is similarly surprised.

Quest for the Golden Masks

Gali, Master of Water, is traveling with Kivoda, Protector of Water, to find her Golden Mask, which they succeed in doing only to be attacked by Skull Spiders. Kivoda holds them off, and upon donning her mask Gali gains the power to drive the Spiders off. She then hears the voice of Ekimu the Mask Maker and sees a vision of the City of the Mask Makers, her next destination and one Kivoda remarks he cannot follow her to. He then reveals that she is destined to unite with the other Toa and defeat evil, but that they will face great challenges in doing so.

Mountain Terror

Having defeated a band of Skull Spiders together, Nilkuu and Pohatu, Master of Stone, part ways as Pohatu leaves to travel to the City of Mask Makers and unite with his fellow Toa. Before they split, Nilkuu warns Pohatu of beasts frequenting the mountains through which he must travel. The Toa soon encounters two such creatures being menaced by a group of Skull Spiders, and proceeds to save them. After determining that the beasts are young and their mother is nowhere to be found, Pohatu reluctantly allows them to accompany him. Night soon falls, and the unlikely group are attacked by the creatures' mother, under the control of a Skull Spider. Pohatu successfully removes the Spider, and the reunited family of creatures accompany the Toa the rest of the way through the mountains. After trying to get the beasts to leave, Pohatu offers a more meaningful farewell to them before moving on.

Heroes United!

The six Toa meet at the entrance to the City of the Mask Makers, where Tahu and Kopaka quickly clash. The Lord of Skull Spiders then appears to challenge the Toa, and their individual attempts to defeat it are fruitless. Fortunately, Onua convinces the other Toa that they must work together, and between them they manage to overcome the Lord of Skull Spiders. Ekimu's voice then speaks to the Toa and praises their efforts, but encourages them to proceed quickly to where his inert body is entombed.

Characters

• Mask Makers
  • Ekimu (V)
  • Makuta (F)
• Okotans
  • Many unnamed Jungle villagers
  • Many unnamed Earth villagers
  • A group of unnamed Ice explorers
  • Protectors
• Toa
• Skull Army
  • Skull Spiders
  • Lord of Skull Spiders
• Three unnamed wolf-like creatures

Notes

• Curiously, the last two stories feature the Toa's Golden Masks colored identically to their original masks.
• In Help from Beyond, Narmoto and Vizuna switch color schemes on page 7.
• At the last page of the graphic novel, there is a code, in Okotoan alphabet, for the reader to solve using the Okotan alphabet given by the page. The code was "Unite and battle for the Mask of Control."

See also

• Gallery:Gathering of the Toa
• Saga Guides/Okoto
• BIONICLE: Island of Lost Masks
• BIONICLE: Revenge of the Skull Spiders
• BIONICLE Webisodes
• BIONICLE: The Journey to One
• Quest for the Masks of Power