For longer than anyone can remember, stories would be shared over drinks in the taverns or by conspiracy theorists about a group of mysterious beings who guide the Island’s affairs behind the scenes. Some go even further and claim their influence extends beyond Luna Magna and the stars beyond.
In the era after the Kanohi Crisis, the Toa took the ultimate drastic measure and took the masks and the knowledge of how to make them away from all of the Matoran. Some relinquished their Kanohi without a second thought, for they too feared another calamity. Some refused to go down without a fight.
In the ensuing battles, many records and artifacts related to the Toa were destroyed, whether it was intentional or simply collateral damage. In the heat of battle, some combatants claimed to have seen shadowed figures running away carrying books or artifacts away. At first, this was simply written off as opportunists looting through the wreckage hoping to make a quick profit. The authorities were baffled when “copycat criminals” were found tied up and bereft of their ill-gotten gains. The would-be perpetrators gave descriptions of their attackers matching those of the shadowy figures at the battle sites.
The Motarans, who lived in lawless territory, had suspicions that these “shadowed Matoran” were a rogue splinter faction of the Dark Hunters or one of the Merchant King families, which both parties vehemently denied. After all, what good were a few crusty relics?
Should you ever have the fortune (or perhaps misfortune) of meeting one, try telling that to a member of the Hand of Arthaka. Legend has it that they existed since the era that followed the fall of the brothers Makuta and Ekimu and tried to offer a guiding hand to the separated and listless Matoran, though were not very successful in some cases. In the era that followed the Kanohi Crisis, they engaged in the task of trying to preserve as much knowledge of the old world as possible, including the forging of Kanohi masks and other powerful artifacts. But to what end? And are they on the Toa’s side?
While I was writing The Legend of Vakama, there were a couple story threads that would often crop up, namely that Dume would exist as Merlin-esque figure, whereas Roodaka would be the analogue to Morgan Le Fay. The idea of an organization that served Ekimu and valued Creation and free will came up. Their philosophy is that the Matoran need to be able to look after themselves, and in doing so, fulfill their destinies.
Drawing influence from G2, the organization would be led by 6 Protectors, each representing one of the six basic elements. As Lighting is isolated from the rest of society, they do not have a representative on the council.
At the time before the Kanohi Crisis, the council consisted of:
Dume, the Protector of Fire (Left) and Roodaka, the Protector of Earth (Right)
Surel, the Protector of Ice (click for full view)
Dogu, The Protector of Stone
Mizuni, The Protector of Water
(Picture coming soon)
Lein, The Protector of Air
(Picture coming soon)
Roodaka, the Protector of Earth mysteriously betrayed the Hand, killing Dume. The fate of the remaining four protectors remain unknown as of yet.
The Current Generation of Protectors. Their identities are unknown as of yet, but what is known is that they were in power for some time before the Rahkshi froze the island in time. A few rumors about their identities have cropped up, namely that Judicator Helryx is the Current Protector of Water. The Current Protector of Ice is also believed to be a figure with a close relationship to the Ihuan royal family.
Current Fire Protector, ???
Current Stone Protector, ???
Current Protector of Earth, ???
(Picture coming soon)
Current Protector of Air, ???
Current Protector of Water, ???
Current Protector of Earth, ???
Current Protector of Ice, ???
More Concept Art:
An initial sketch of Dume
A Mangaian who serves as one of the Hand’s warrior guards
A Protector/Ignika mask design that I considered when I was going to give them standardized designs before opting for more distinct appearances
An Egyptian inspired version of the same mask
A carnival mask inspired version of the G2 Mask of Creation that could attach to the face of the minifigure
A “Kiril of Ekimu” inspired by @Kardax’s “Huna of Ekimu”, which was based on an idea that all members of the Hand would have the Ignika/Great Spirit Robot symbol inlaid onto their masks. This would’ve been Dume’s mask, but I liked the look in my initial sketches much better
