Makuta Crochira
Kanohi Faxon
Makuta of the Southern Ocean
He didn’t end up being quite what I wanted, but I am glad I was able to do what I did. Maybe I’ll revamp him at a later date.
I took inspiration from several deep sea creatures, including the Japanese Spider Crab. I initially intended a large set of claws coming out of his sides but I’m not yet able to achieve that.
Leg close-up:
This was the key project I wanted to pursue:
I was able to use a transparent Minifigure chalice to splite the strobe effect of an Inika weapon down three optic cores instead of just one. It’s bulkier than I’d hoped, but I’m happy I was able to make a functional prototype. Simply pinch Crochira’s torso and all six spines light up. I modified nothing to achieve this, and will reassemble the Laser Axes when it’s time for Crochira to pass on.
I’ll try to get a video of it here, one way or another.
Alrighty, essay time:
Makuta Crochira was an expert in sea life, primarily life in the extreme environments at the bottom of the ocean. He was usually reclusive, content to research his scientific interests with as little interruption as possible. Because of this, he kept a very low profile, even in the eyes of Miserix and Teridax.
After the Civil War on Metru Nui, Miserix assigned each Makuta to a region to oversee. Crochira was one of the few Makuta who was assigned a region other than an island or continent. Most bodies of water fell under the jurisdiction of the local landmass Makuta, but the ocean around the southern continent concerned Miserix. While it was an ultimately unimportant region of the map, it was also a massive one, and the sheer volume of it offered too much opportunity for a threat to arise in secret.
Miserix didn’t want to waste the talents and minds of Makuta like Mutran, Antroz, or Gorast on a largely inactive body of water, but still wanted someone who would take the job seriously. Crochira was the perfect choice: a reclusive marine expert, whose delusions of grandeur were contained within the scope of his work. Miserix was certain Crochira would pour everything he had into this assignment, and he was right.
When Teridax called for a Convocation and usurped Miserix, Crochira joined him without a second thought. He didn’t really care for the glory Teridax preached; Crochira was a worshipper at his own altar, and that was sufficient for him. No, Crochira simply wanted Mata Nui out of the picture. To him, it was logical: the Great Spirit was all but absent, all the time. The Brotherhood had already proven more effective at maintaining order than the Barraki, Mata Nui’s anointed (and failed) kings. Nobody needed Mata Nui, so his removal would only serve to streamline the Makuta’s ability to lead.
Crochira returned from Destral to his undersea kingdom and performed his duties, equalizing the ecosystem of that ocean more and more effectively every day. Sometimes the Brotherhood would request his involvement in a project or scheme, but most typically they would leave him to his work. Eventually, Teridax decided Crochira was more a threat than an aide, and had Vamprah hunt and kill him, roughly twenty thousand years ago.
Crochira is arrogant, and very nearly earns it. He is, arguably, the most technically successful Makuta in regards to ecosystem management, and for this reason he requires no external praise. The Makuta were created for one reason, and Crochira performs perfectly, every time. Of what use is service from an inferior being? Whatever the task, he could do it better himself.
Crochira immerses himself in the natural process of his environment, favoring bizarre and animalistic appearances that would better adapt him to his surroundings. He wears a Kanohi Faxon, the Mask of Kindred, allowing him to adopt the powers and abilities of the creatures he shares an environment with. Considering his expert ability to create marine Rahi, and his already impressive array of Makuta powers, the variety of ability Crochira possesses is nearly limitless. Nevertheless, he is a poor combatant, and this deficit played quickly into his downfall at the hands of his brothers.
It’s unclear what precisely Crochira was doing so deep beneath the waves, but legends of sea monsters, underwater cities and portals to another world fill the minds of the locals. Even the Brotherhood is surprisingly ignorant to his doings, and what little they knew died with them.
