The following is NOT canonized by the TTV. Anything listed serves as potential material for the TTV, if they ever want to use any of it. Anything they reject outright (assuming any of them read this) will be labeled Non-Canon.
Map by @UltimateMustacheX and @AntrozT6, inspired by @Oomatu
This topic will be dedicated to the Kanohi Period (as suggested by @AntrozT6), a canonized period of time in which powered masks were sealed away by the Toa. This topic will be a pitch as to how it could happen. The following are points of reference:
Toa Kanohi, Barraki and Mahri Nui, Kanohi (City of Masks), Kanohi Dragon
kanohi Era
The Kanohi Period is noted for the time in which the League of Six Kingdoms reigned over Artakha with an iron fist. After being summoned, the Toa Kanohi were charged with defeating the League and sealing away the Kanohi Masks.
##Early Years
The beginning of the era was marked by the construction of Kanohi, the City of Masks after the War of the Brothers ended. The city was renowned for the forging of powerful weapons and armor enchanted with an unknown power, but it was their construction of masks that made the city so legendary. Kanohi Masks were noted for their enhanced stability when compared to other devices, such as staves, weapons, shields, and armor; thus, it was named the City of Masks. Due to the success of the Kanohi Mask, masks became much more popular than previously, resulting in the entire culture of Artakha being changed. To this day, the mask is considered the quintessential piece in a Matoran’s attire.
##The Warlord Period
The Warlord Period is marked by the advent of the League of Six Kingdoms, a council founded by Takadox and including Kalmah, Ehlek, Carapar, Mantax, Pridak, and Nocturn (who took direct orders from Takadox). Each warlord obtained their throne through foul means, either by usurpation or deception (Pridak as an exception, being a legitimate heir).
Kanohi, the legendary City of Masks, was well-established following the War of the Brothers. When the League came to power, they seized the city, using it as their headquarters to restrict the flow of Kanohi Masks, going so far as sending their armies to seize them from the people. Using their ill-obtained masks, they created the Kanohi Dragon, a reptilian monster of then-unknown origins that wore armor fashioned out of Kanohi Masks. This monster was one of the most powerful living things to ever roam Artakha, nearly rivalling the combined power of the Toa.
Seeing the corruption of the League, the Nuva summoned the Toa in the form of Lhikan (a wayward adventurer), Tuyet (a noble warrioress and former student of Axonn), Lesovikk (a timid hunter and student of Keetongu), Zaria (a skilled athlete), Jovan (a well-known temple builder), and Krakua (the sister of King Pridak). Forming the Toa Kanohi, the Toa began to rally the people to their cause, which resulted in backlash from the warlords.
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The Kanohi War
During the early stages of the revolution, many soldiers in the League’s armies began to defect, returning to their families and standing up for their lives. These early defections were punished with capital punishment, carried out by the lone Kanohi Dragon ridden by Carapar. These massacres caused more of the military to fall away, until the warlords threatened to do worse. Believing them, the remaining soldiers refrained from speaking out against their kings. At this point in time, the Toa had won over a majority of Artakha’s support, as well as rallying others.
Eventually, the first battle was fought, although there were not many fighters on either side. This was the true start of the war, and what followed was the bloodiest and mortal war in the history of the island, surpassing the War of the Brothers by a few thousand lives. -
The Kanohi Forges: The first large-scale assault in the war was the attack on Kanohi. Met by little conflict, Lhikan, Tuyet, and Lesovikk were successful in destroying the forges, cutting off the League’s supply of Kanohi Masks.
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The Kanohi Dragon: Before the Toa were able to defeat the League, they had to first dispatch the Kanohi Dragon. The Toa, in a combined effort, tracked the Kanohi Dragon down and did battle with it. After several hours of non-stop fighting, Lhikan, now Tahu, dealt the fatal blow, killing the Kanohi Dragon with a well-placed blow with a greatsword.
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The Battle of Ehlek’s Palace: Lesovikk, now Lewa, led an assault on Ehlek’s floating palace in a display of elemental fury. Soldiers on both sides were fitted for aerial combat, making the battle the greatest large-scale aerial battle in history. Lesovikk was successful in infiltrating the palace during the carnage. Lesovikk and Ehlek fought, resulting in Lesovikk defeating and capturing him. The palace was claimed by the Kanohi Resistance as headquarters. Many resistance fighters were killed in the battle, but most of the loyalists were forced to retreat. Those who had been captured were imprisoned with Ehlek.
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The Battle for Dead Plains: Lhikan and his army were ambushed by Kalmah’s own forces, comprised of highly-trained soldiers and magma warhounds. The battle that ensued lasted for four days, containing several skirmishes and capture/rescues on both sides. In the end, Lhikan dueled and best Kalmah, causing permanent damage to the latter’s hands. Kalmah and his remaining forces were detained, and the Mangaian throne was given to Vakama, Lhikan’s second-in-command.
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The Battle of Pridak’s Court: Krakua, now Kopaka, led an assault on Pridak’s palace, which had once been the former’s own home. The battle was fought during a violent blizzard, empowering Ihuans on both sides with increased elemental power. Once the walls were breached, Krakua led an assault on the throne room. Krakua and Pridak, sister and brother, dueled passionately, resulting in Krakua’s victory. Pridak and his remaining loyalists were detained, and the throne was bestowed to Krakua.
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The Canyon Duel: Zaria, now Pohatu, arrived in Carapar’s territory with a small force of soldiers. This small detachment was ambushed by Carapar, who was blinded by excitement. Zaria, appealing to Carapar’s bloodlust, offered a wager. The two would duel, and the loser would surrender their forces. His mind clouded by his thirst for battle and victory, Carapar agreed. The two found a secluded canyon, overseen by a few generals on either side, and a duel ensued. According to historians of old, it was the longest, most destructive duel ever recorded, since the canyon collapsed in the middle portion of it. The duel concluded with Zaria throwing Carapar off a ledge. Carapar, somehow surviving the fall, was captured and imprisoned. His soldiers honored the terms of the wager and swore fealty to Zaria out of fear of the same fate.
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The Battle of the Coast: Tuyet, now Gali, was joined by her teacher, Axonn, during the siege on the capital of Naho. While Axonn dealt with a majority of the loyalist forces, Tuyet and a large mob of Kanohi Rebels broke into the palace. As Tuyet and Takadox fought, Takadox’s wife, Pelagia, was murdered by the mob. Distracted and broken at his wife’s death, Takadox was defeated and imprisoned. As the loyalists were driven from the city, Tuyet established the Arbiters’ Kritarchy. The capital was claimed by the resistance forces.
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The Battle of Elysia: Zaria, shortly after the defeat of Takadox, led an assault on Elysia to overthrow Nocturn. With his master overthrown, Nocturn was easy to defeat and imprison, only requiring a mob of rebels to overwhelm him. It was the shortest battle in history, only lasting thirty minutes.
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The Battle of Il’athrass: Jovan, now Onua, was charged with finding and subduing Mantax at the very start of the war. Due to Mantax’s skill with hiding and deception, Jovan and his forces spent eight years in the Deeproot Jungle, doing nothing but trying to find the hidden warlord. During those eight years, Jovan lost almost all of his soldiers and hunters, leaving less than twenty to fight for him.
Eventually, Mantax and an army of five hundred assaulted Jovan and his soldiers at the ancient tree of Il’athrass, a thousand-eyed being said to contain visions connecting to all time. The tree, sensing danger, unleashed a torrent of telepathic visions on everyone within its field of vision, driving everyone mad. Mantax’s forces, overcome by the tree’s power, began to kill each other, as well as charge at Jovan and his forces. Jovan and eleven rebels were able to find safety, leaving nine to be killed in the fight.
Mantax, now blocking out the visions, used his mastery over magic to manipulate one of Jovan’s rebels, a Mangaian hunter, to set Il’athrass ablaze. The tree burned down during the chaos, killing almost everyone. With the tree dead, Jovan was swiftly defeated by Mantax, being knocked unconscious and carried to the underground capital, an area Jovan and his detachment had previously stumbled upon.
Aside from Jovan and Mantax, only one Matoran survived, a Tiroan healer. The healer returned to his village and warned the Matoran of Jovan’s capture. The other Toa were alerted, and a large army was sent into the Deeproot Jungle, led by the Toa. -
The Siege of the Deep: The United Artakhan Army, led by the Toa, found the cave entrance leading to the underground capital of Tiro. Being too large, they were forced to split into smaller sections, separating into smaller groups as the tunnel down branched out. Many parties were lost in the trek down, drastically reducing their numbers.
Up above, where the reserve forces waited, a monstrous creature emerged from the thicket and attacked. The creature possessed two powerful legs and two pincered tentacles for arms, all attached to a shrimp-like body and head. The skirmish between the monster and the reserves resulted in a morbid stalemate, with both sides losing. While the monster was killed, the survivors later succumbed to their wounds, long before the Toa returned to the surface.
Once the Toa and their remaining forces reached the capital, they were caught in various deadly traps spread out in the cavern. Over one hundred Matoran died, leaving the Toa and a few survivors left to siege the capital. Fighting fiercely past a few of the guards, the Toa and surviving Matoran donned the armor of the guards they had slain and snuck into the prisons, only to learn from one of the guards that Jovan was in the throne room with Mantax.
The team reached the throne room to find Mantax standing over a now-blinded Jovan. Before they could attack, Mantax extinguished what little light was in the halls, shrouding them in darkness. Twelve of the fifteen Matoran accompanying the Toa were killed by Mantax, who used his sorcerer’s ways to fight on uneven ground. Lhikan, lighting a fire on one of his swords, was able to find Mantax, only to be seriously injured by the warlord in the process. Running to their friend’s aid, the other Toa were also injured, to the point where they could not stand.
Before Mantax could deal the killing blow, the three Matoran took him by surprise: the same Tiroan healer, an Ihuan soldier, and a Mangaian archer. The healer, being a Tiroan, was able to spot where Mantax was in the deep dark, allowing the archer to shoot burning arrows above Mantax’s head. Able to see Mantax, the Ihuan formed ice around the warlord, incapacitating him. After the capture of the warlord, the healer was able to heal the Toa of their injuries, although Jovan’s sight was permanently lost due to Mantax’s sorcery.
The Toa and the three Matoran reemerged from the cave with Mantax, and the war was closed. -
Aftermath: With the warlords captured, the Toa built a prison to contain them in. The remaining loyalist forces were defeated and subdued, many being granted pardons by the newly-freed governments.
##The Decline
The decline of the Kanohi Era was ignited during a meeting the Toa had regarding the existing Kanohi Masks. Lhikan precided over the meeting, while Jovan, Zaria, and Krakua advocated for sealing away the powered masks, to prevent such a catastrophe to occur again. Tuyet, defying the duty given to her by the Nuva, stood alone in wanting the masks to remain in the hands of the people, arguing that sealing the masks away was akin to what the League had done. Lesovikk, too timid to argue for or against the idea, remained silent despite agreeing with Tuyet. It was decided that the masks would be sealed away in secret vaults, known only to those who built it.
- The Kanohi Vaults: Jovan, Zaria, and Krakua were charged with building the vaults. Each was sent to two different locations on the island, so that six vaults were built to store all the Kanohi Masks.
- The Seizure: The Toa began collecting the Kanohi Masks from the Matoran, an action which was met with outrage on one side and joy on the other. Upon completion, each vault was sealed with customl-made Golden Kanohi, found by Tuyet during the siege of Kanohi.
- The Tragedy: Sometime after the Kanohi Masks were sealed away, five of the six Toa were slain. It is unknown how it started, or who the attacker was. All that is known is that Jovan, Zaria, and Queen Krakua were slain by an unknown assailant, which prompted Lhikan and Lesovikk to follow Tuyet to one of the Vaults. A second battle occurred, resulting in Lhikan and Tuyet being killed. Lesovikk remained as the sole survivor. He would later exile himself into the jungles of Tiro, stripping himself of the mantle of Toa and taking on a new name.