The Brotherhood of Makuta-Tridax

I know I promised this over the weekend, but hey, better late than never! :stuck_out_tongue:

Name: Tridax
Assigned Region: Nynrah
Kanohi: Various Masks
Status: Deceased

Story:

Though Tridax was among the most cunning and dangerous of the Makuta, he was never truly considered to be an “insider” by his brothers and sisters. Though he was ably loyal and a skilled maker of Rahi, he never rose to real prominence. He was not as devoted to the Plan as Gorast was, nor as good at manipulating viruses as Chirox or Mutran. His only fortune came from being assigned to the island of Nynrah after the Matoran Civil War. His supervision of the island allowed him to interact frequently with the elusive Nynrah Ghosts, a rogue sect of Fe-Matoran who were premier craftsmen and weapon-smiths. Tridax’s connections in the group enabled him to commission specialized suits of Protosteel armor for the Makuta, specifically designed to contain their Antidermis after their evolution into a gaseous state. Though this was a great achievement, Tridax soon faded back into obscurity amongst his brethren, and was relegated to overseeing the construction and maintenance of Destral’s teleportation system, a task which kept him out of sight and out of mind.

During his travels, Tridax came into possession of a rare artifact, a Mask of Dimensional Gates. One of only two extant Olmaks in the universe, Tridax saw great use for the mask after he discerned its powers. Perhaps, he thought, this mask would allow him to make a more significant contribution to the Plan? Incorporating the powers of the mask into the Destral Teleportation Device, Tridax revolutionized the island’s ability to travel throughout the universe. He also used the mask to travel to other dimensions and deposit failed Rahi experiments that were considered too dangerous, including many prototypes for the creatures that would become Shadow Leeches, which Tridax worked on with Mutran and Chirox, though he was mostly an observer.

However, his true scheme involving the Olmak was kept secret, shared only with Teridax, for Tridax feared his leader’s wrath if he were to withhold the nature of his dealings. Traveling to a number of alternate dimensions via the Olmak, Tridax located the Toa of Light known as Takanuva, who existed in each one he ventured to. Abducting the Toa and bringing them to the Core Dimension, Tridax placed them in stasis pods, preserving them for later use. Once the Shadow Leeches were completed, Tridax exposed many of the Takanuvas to their Light-draining effects, turning them into Toa of Shadow. Tridax hoped to use these as an army to defend Destral in the eventual war against Mata Nui and his loyalists.

When the Destiny War began, Tridax was ordered back from Nynrah in order to guard Destral and its Teleportation Device. He was given a squadron of Rahkshi to aid him, which he set about patrolling the shorelines in search of intruders. Near the end of the war, these patrols proved fruitful, and an insane, half-Skakdi named Vezon was brought to Tridax for interrogation. The Skakdi claimed that he had been told to “betray” the Order of Mata Nui—an organization opposed to the Brotherhood—and discover the nature of Destral’s teleportation in the process, giving it to the Order. However, Vezon claimed that he was actually betraying the Order, though Tridax was skeptical of his story. Interrogating the Skakdi further, Tridax was prepared to kill him when the Order laid siege to Destral. Loyal as ever, Tridax followed his orders, which mandated that he teleport the island to Metru-Nui and seize the city, ignoring Vezon, who followed him to the laboratory containing the Shadow Takanuvas and the Olmak.

Tridax prepared to teleport Destral away, but was stopped by the arrival of the Order agents Tobduk and Mazeka. Tobduk used a virus to disintegrate Tridax’s armor, freeing his Antidermis, and though the Makuta tried to attack, his opponent’s mental shielding prevented him from acting, and Tobduk used an Energy Staff in his possession to vaporize the Makuta’s Antidermis. Thus Tridax died, as inconspicuously as he lived, never rising above his greater brethren, but leaving a legacy—in the form of his army of Toa—that has yet to be determined.

Equipment:

Tridax’s favored weapon was a long spear with a blade that could excrete acid. He was fond of using it as a torture device, and it served him well when interrogating his victims. He also helped invent the Tridax Pod, a specialized vessel which could hold and release Shadow Leeches. He is proud of having it named after him, though he does wonder whether Mutran and Chirox allowed him to do so mockingly, given his rather small role in the creation of the leeches.

Unlike many Makuta, Tridax does not favor a specific Kanohi Mask, and often changes the mask he wears to allow himself access to different powers. When he was killed, he wore a purple Kanohi Pakari, though he also possessed a Kiril in addition to his Kanohi Olmak, as well as other Kanohi he used at various times.

Various Images:

Front:

Back:

Side:

With Weapons:

With Olmak:

Poses:

And, as a bonus, Tridax Post-Mortem :stuck_out_tongue_closed_eyes::

Commentary:

I think the most difficult thing about Tridax was his color scheme. I spent a lot of time trying to layer it well, so hopefully it’s not too jarring. He’s a little lanky without his cape, which was a stylistic choice, but I think it fits his character. I’m particularly fond of the way I used the Vorox armor on the chest—I think it has a nice flow.

Anyway, that’s pretty much it! Hope you guys enjoy!

26 Likes

Falls apart a little without the cape but I love it

3 Likes

Great MOC!
I agree with @TheMoltenKing though.
Without the cape his lower legs look a tad bit skinny.

Point taken. I guess it makes sense–the cape adds an intimidating aura that he doesn’t really have, hence his quick and rather anti-climatic defeat by Tobduk…

Thanks for the love, guys!

2 Likes

You’re welcome!

1 Like

Needs a little more coverage around the torso, but this looks interesting.

1 Like

Needs hoses.

1 Like

Admittedly, I wish there was more purple and black, with a little less red. Otherwise, the MOC is nice, I like the trans-purple pieces a lot.

1 Like

Not bad.
Have a “Nice Topic”.
:stuck_out_tongue:

2 Likes

I feel like the MOC would be improved by a different color of mask.

1 Like

The MOC looks really good, but once the cape come off, it falls apart because of how skinny it looks, and the overall back doesn’t look very well designed.

2 Likes

Trans Purple+Dark Red=Win.

1 Like

I think he looks best with the Olmak.

A great MOC!

2 Likes

Thanks for all the comments, guys! I’ll try to get back to you all individually, 'cause you’ve got some great points!

Now that is a fantastic color scheme.

1 Like

Looking good. Nice execution of the colour scheme. I personally feel like his acid spear looks a little simple, but then half of my Makuta MOCs didn’t even get a tool to wield :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:
The Olmak also looks pretty nice on him.

While he looks a little “thin” without the cape I don’t really bother, because a) his body is supposed to be just a hull for his Antidermis and b) it fits into the G1 look in my opinion.
These armor addons on the forearms seem to stick out a little, to me, though.

And what I really, really appreciate is again the adding of his backstory. Very well written and perfect length.

But I do wonder a bit about this:

Is that canon or did you add that? Not that it wouldn’t work, if it isn’t canon, just curious.
For Tridax’s drawing - which mask would you prefer? (Not the Olmak, though)

And thanks again for participating! You’re hereby also allowed to do up to two more Makuta if you should ever feel the urge to do another one :wink:

2 Likes

I did add the thing about the Kanohi, for two reasons: (1) because I felt it would be unique to have a character who doesn’t stick to one mask over long periods of time, and (2) I couldn’t decide which mask to use for him, so I compromised… :stuck_out_tongue_closed_eyes:

Anyway, I’ll let you decide for the drawing–whichever you think fits best/looks coolest/is more amenable to your style!

1 Like