Recently I’ve been getting into sketching my own mask concepts, and I decided I wanted to put them out there for critique and comments (while also exposing my own garbage handwriting):
Bestows upon its wearer heightened resistance to heat and cold, as well as greater stamina and slightly increased strength.
Design Stuff: I realize the Kayus looks a lot like the Kakama with a breathing tube. That’s because I like to get nine or ten masks to use as inspiration, and during the sketching session during which I created the Kayus, one of those inspiration masks was the Kakama. I guess I took too much inspiration from it…
Allows its wearer to create a dreadful rage in any being they can see. The enraged being will often ignore the wearer of the mask in their fury, but less intellectually inclined ones (such as most Rahi) will often attack indiscriminately. The power is visualized in the form of a ring of energy surrounding the target, which shatters and disappears when the power is no longer in use. The Cuhan is considered immoral by Toa.
Design Stuff: The Cuhan is the first of the Rahkshi-power masks I created, so it was the first one I drew. You can see the erased shapes of a couple of other ideas I pursued, like one where the horns stuck out horizontally (and looked like a tuft of cartoon grass because of it) and one that was way too wide. The eye shape was an accident that happened as I was drawing one eye, which I decided I liked and thus changed the other eye to match.
Allows its wearer to see stress points in objects and structures, as well as allowing them to fire cones of energy that can disintegrate objects and other beings. A cone of energy must be shot with the intent to kill in order to do so, and even if it misses, it’s very draining on the wearer. Disintegrating objects is much less difficult. The Ulax’s power is so strong that it damages the mask itself whenever it’s used, so when made with Kanoka disks, regeneration Kanoka are often incorporated in order to slowly repair it over time when it’s not in use. However, the mask can still destroy itself if overused all at once. Toa consider the Ulax immoral.
Design Stuff: The Ulax looks a lot like a Pakari with extra additions on the sides. I don’t like that.
The Zarat allows its wearer to emit an aura of fear to turn away up to ten beings of their choice, except for most Rahi, as a target must be intelligent enough to comprehend the mask’s appearance for the power to function. Toa consider the Zarat to be immoral.
Design Stuff: I don’t know why this image is sideways. Also, this is the only mask where I drew both a Noble and Great version. I used the Noble Shelek as inspiration. I don’t know how the four eyes would work as a mask, but maybe the top set would be fitted with lights in-universe to make it look like the wearer has four eyes?
Though not as deadly as the Ulax, the Xilaa is capable of shattering any object its energy bolts hit- it can destroy wood, stone or even protosteel. This is tempered by the fact that it doesn’t work on living things, at least not completely. Though it can damage mechanical portions of a target or anything dead, it can’t do anything to living organic tissue. The Xilaa is considered immoral by Toa.
Design Stuff: I like the cracked appearance of the Xilaa and how it’s visually distinct from the sanded-down-looking edges of the Ulax.
Allows its wearer to infect a being they touch with a potent poison that clouds the mind and eventually kills if left untreated. If somehow the poison is removed, it must be disposed of with fire or another totally destructive method, as it can leach into the ecosystem. This causes soil to turn toxic, plants to wither, and stone to corrode. The Yerahl has a light side, however- the wearer can also absorb, contain and destroy toxins, removing them from an area or a being with long enough proximity or a touch, respectively. Toa consider the poisoning aspect of the Yerahl to be immoral, but some will take up the role of traveling healers by using it exclusively to remove poison, although this is not a common practice.
Design Stuff: I don’t care much for this design. It feels really generic to me. Probably could have used more time in the oven.
Join me next time for ten more masks! (Twelve if I fill the third page of my old art sketchbook.)
