When the Kanohi Dragon struck Metru Nui, Turaga Dume sent a call for aid. Lhikan initially formed a team and entered a month long conflict with the beast, but the tide truly turned with the addition of four Toa of ice, “The Dragon Slayers”.
A group of four that wandered the universe slaying monsters like the Zyglack, their victory combined with Toa Lhikans inspiring leadership would see them join the Mangai.
Hura.
Youngest of the four, Hura dwelt in a place of floating icebergs as a matoran. After being saved by the others and helping them stop a water beast, he found a Toa stone lost in the waters and became a Toa. Since then, Hura has held an affinity for the seas.
Naive, yet meaning well, he was particularly social for a Toa of ice. He sought to connect with others on his travels with the dragon slayers, both to meet new people and learn new things about the wider universe.
With his twin blades, Hura was light on his feet and quick in his action. Granted a set of back fins, and wearing a mask of water breathing, he was well suited for underwater missions.
After joining the Mangai, Hura sought out Naho’s guidance to improve his swimming. She accepted, helping him to become as comfortable in the water as he was on land, and the two became close friends.
Mafa.
The oldest, Mafa was the leader of the four before they joined the Mangai. A matoran during the era of six kingdoms, he became a Toa that fought under Teridax to bring that era of tyranny to an end. Deciding to become a traveling hero in the chaos that followed, Toa Mafa eventually picked up other Toa of ice to form the Dragon Slayers.
Cold and cunning, Mafa is a master tactician, having studied the Makuta’s ways of war. With the mask of conjuring, reforged in honor of his days under Teridax, he could quickly change powers to outsmart his opponents. With his ice-maul, the veteran could channel powerful surges of ice.
All that to say, Hura did have a soft spot for matoran and those who sought to explore the world. He took Hura under his wing, becoming something of a mentor to the young Toa.
Together, the two were the namesake of the Hura Mafa river leading into lake Naho on the Island of Mata Nui.
Tiro.
A matoran in voya nui in the era after Jovan’s quest, Tiro saw a mysterious figure of stout and broad build one day. Was this a rumored Toa that Jovan recounted himself as being in the past? Whatever the case, that perception turned Tiro into a Toa of great stature. Eventually, he joined Mafa’s team after a close encounter with bestial rahi and receiving Turaga Jovan’s blessing.
The Paladin of the team, Tiro stood his ground with a broad shield, able to hold all but the mightiest beast. His ice pick, Tiro strikes true and can even use his tool to climb shear surfaces.
The most stoic of the four, Tiro is also the most consistently dependable. The other three have their vices, and Tiro’s sense of duty is both a blessing and a curse depending on the situation.
He is namesake of the Tiro canyons in po-wahi.
Kumu.
A warrior through and through, Kumu is truly a “dragon slayer”. When his village was destroyed by a Zyglack, Kumu swore vengeance. After becoming a Toa, he roamed the universe slaying beasts until joining Mafa’s team. While vengeance lay in his heart, being part of a team and eventually joining the Mangai has tempered Kumu. Lhikan was firm in his assertion that “vengeance is not the Toa way”.
Becoming part of the family Lhikan and Naho fostered had a positive effect on Kumu. Vengeance was replaced with justice, and anger was mostly replaced with a desire to protect. After the Kanohi dragon was felled, Kumu swore to protect the city of Metru-Nui with his life. Still on the blunter and brasher side, Kumu is nevertheless a loyal member of the Mangai.
Armed with a barbed greatsword, Kumu could cleave rocks and beasts. With his kanohi calix(pakari as a placeholder), Kumu can fight and perform as his physical peak, making him a fearsome toa indeed.
With his shield, he could hold back projectiles and beasts. Had he a spear, one might mistake him for a Hagah.
He would be the namesake of the Kumu islets.
I’m so glad to have all four of the Ice Mangai done. Tiro probably took me the longest to figure out, but I think they at least needed one “big guy”. I went back and forth on what metalic to use for Kumu, at first I wanted gold, then silver, but eventually settled on gunmetal. Lucky I had enough parts to fit his color scheme.