A thousand or more years ago, six Toa were mutated by the Visorak hordes into monstrous abominations. DespiteF the challenges they faced, these newly-christened Toa Hordika were able to fulfill their mission and rescue the Matoran of Metru Nui. For ages, it was assumed that Hordika venom mutated a being into an animalistic half-beast. And although that’s not entirely wrong, that’s not the whole story either.
In the technological boom following the Reformation of Spherus Magna, scientists in the Order of Mata Nui made some staggering discoveries while testing with Visorak specimens. The specific compound that caused one to become a Hordika could be isolated from a Visorak’s venom. In this pure, uncorrupted form, the mutagen was far more stable. Still, its effects needed testing. Five brave individuals volunteered for the procedure, and they emerged changed.
The subjects’ mutations were far more refined than the Toa Hordika of old. Their forms were a clear merging of a Toa’s body with the attributes of specific Rahi. Additionally, their minds were not clouded by savage rage and base instincts. They retained all the mental faculties they had as Toa. Now, that isn’t to say there were no drawbacks. The new Toa Hordika had no connection to their elemental abilities, and they could not access Kanohi powers either. To make up for this, the Toa Hordika collectively decided they would each train to perfection in one fighting style or weapon each, making them effectively Toa of Combat.
Now, let’s meet the Toa themselves, starting with their leader.
Secra, AKA Lambda
Species: Toa Hordika (Serpent)
Element: Plantlife (formerly)
Kanohi: None
Weapon(s): Staff of the Elders
Abilities: Incredible magical prowess
Affiliation(s): Order of Mata Nui
Lambda was once a Bo-Matoran named Secra on a small, unremarkable island. Always studious, she worked in a local library and spent all her free time reading. While her peers sought adventure or glory, Secra sought peace and quiet in which to pour over tomes and tablets. Ultimately this peace and quiet would not last, and she was forced to immigrate from her home to the new planet of Spherus Magna. She found a new home in the city of Tuarua Nui, a place made to be a haven for Matoran of the “secondary” elements. Specifically, Secra lived in the district of Bo-Tua.
Since the Order’s veil of secrecy was broken, it began accepting Matoran and Toa into its ranks. After all, so many of them needed employment and guidance, and the Order was being stretched very thin. Secra applied for an archivist position at a small Order outpost in Ba-Tua, a job that she did quite well in. So well, in fact, that she soon was offered a much better position at the Order’s headquarters in New Metru Nui.
Secra served the Order for many years, being recognized for her great skill and being promoted multiple times. Eventually she caught wind of a rather risky experiment. The Order was looking to test out a refined Hordika venom and needed volunteers. Although Secra was not the type to take risks, she was indeed the kind to seek new information. After weighing the pros and cons, she decided that the potential benefits were worth it, and she signed up for the program.
Secra was soon introduced to three Toa and one other Matoran; the only others to volunteer. Since she was just a Matoran, she was given a Toa Stone and transformed. There wasn’t any time for her to grow accustomed to her new, powerful body, though - only two days after her transformation, the Hordika procedure began.
Secra came out the other side looking rather serpentine and having lost the elemental powers she gained only days ago. The others decided that they would double down on honing their skills with their preferred weapons to cover this weakness. Secra decided instead to expand her mind. She began studying ancient tomes and slowly learned the art of magic.
Many years passed. Secra rose further up the ranks of the Order, eventually even joining the ruling council. Upon promotion, she took the codename Lambda. As a show of solidarity, (most of) her teammates took codenames as well, which they use more often than their real names at this point.
Lambda cares deeply for her brothers and sister, though that may not always be apparent. She presents herself with a collected and stoic exterior, which she believes is proper for a leader. Although it doesn’t take much to irritate her, it’s rare to ever see her lose her composure. If she does… it’s a sight to behold, unless of course you’re the one her anger is directed at.
Okori, AKA Thresher
Species: Toa Hordika (Shark)
Element: Water (formerly)
Kanohi: None
Weapon(s): Elemental Whip which can channel five elements (Fire, Electricity, Ice, Stone, and Gravity); A length of chain coiled around his arm; His tail
Abilities: Water-breathing; Electrosense
Affiliation(s): Order of Mata Nui; Toa Fortress (formerly)
Okori has been serving alongside other Toa since he first became one. Long ago, he helped to guard the Toa Fortress. Luckily for him he was on a mission when the Frostelus broke down the fort’s defenses and laid waste to it. Out of a job, Okori joined a decently large group of Toa that acted as a wandering militia. Slowly the Toa of Water began to see himself more as a soldier for Mata Nui than a protector of Matoran. This point of view certainly helped him out when word spread about Dark Hunters besieging Metru Nui. Okori and his team used their military experience to help organize the army of Toa that had arrived to rescue the city.
Following that brutal conflict, Okori returned to his life as a soldier. It wasn’t for another few thousand years that he would get to truly shine. The Destiny War was another opportunity for him to put his experience to good use, and with the Order coming out of hiding and beginning to enlist Toa, he now had an organization to stand with. The Destiny War, Reign of Shadows, and Battle of Bara Magna all cemented his alliance with the Order.
Admittedly, Okori got a bit bored in the world following the Reformation. Rather than being a soldier on the front lines of battle, he was more of a social worker helping to establish order in the tumultuous new world. So when he heard the Order was looking to test a super-soldier serum (or so he thought of it as), Okori jumped at the opportunity to volunteer.
Following his transformation, Okori had grown a long, sharp, and flexible tail, a number of fins along his body, and his mask had morphed into jaws filled with sharp teeth. Additionally, gills now ran along his midriff, though luckily he was not reduced to an obligate water-breather. Because of his tail, he chose to hone his skills with using whips and flails. Unlike the others, who all had some level of experience in their chosen fighting styles, Okori had to learn from scratch. It was a difficult learning curve, but eventually he managed to perfect his skills with a whip. As a reward, Secra bestowed upon him a retractable whip imbued with elemental energy. It could be set ablaze, course with electricity, coat itself in hard stones, freeze whatever it hit, and use Gravity to triple the impact force of its strikes.
Okori took the codename of Thresher when Secra became Lambda. On one mission maybe fifty years ago, Thresher was kidnapped by a strange Agori and brought to the ethnostate of Glatoria. There, he was forced to fight in the Arena Magna. During his battle against a particularly crafty Glatorian, the shark lost his arm. Worse yet, it was his dominant arm. He had to get a prosthetic made, and then he practically had to figure out how to use whips all over again.
Okori has very strong views on loyalty and honor. If you fight with him, he will lay down his life for you no matter what, unless you give him a clear reason not to. When not on assignment, he loves celebrating his victories at the local bar and training with his siblings. On his days off, he’ll sometimes travel down in secret to Glatoria so he can participate in the Arena Magna competitions. Although he’d never admit it, he loves the thrill of the crowd cheering him on - and the boost it gives to his salary isn’t half bad.
Holoh, AKA Knight
Species: Toa Hordika (Beetle)
Element: Ice (Formerly)
Kanohi: None
Weapon(s): A very large number of swords. At any given time she could be carrying six or more. She typically makes sure she has a good mix of short, light swords and long, heavy ones.
Abilities: Heightened senses due to her antennae and compound eyes
Affiliation(s): Order of Mata Nui; Blizzard Guard (formerly)
Holoh hails from a Matoran village high in the central mountains of the Southern Continent, known as the Southern Highlands. As Rahi attacks were frequent, a village defense force called Blizzard Guard was created, led by the village’s chief defender Toa Muini. Most of the Guard’s personnel primarily served in other roles - they were farmers, hunters, carpenters, etc. Holoh, though, was a guard through and through. Although she was not the leader, she took it upon herself to train her comrades to suit her high standards of combat. For this, Muini made her his second in command.
Toa Muini would go on to disappear following an altercation with the so-called “Abominable Baron of the Southern Highlands”, Makuta Hiyura. That left Holoh as the new Captain of the Guard. With the Toa no longer there to offset her strict and often harsh expectations, many of the guards found themselves deemed “unskilled” and their techniques labeled “sloppy”. After the first month, only a third of Blizzard Guard remained. The ones who retained their jobs were the best of the best, and Holoh only managed to improve them further. Despite being small in numbers, the Guard was no less efficient than before. Few people still like Holoh by this point, but ■■■■ did they respect her.
The immigration from the GSR to Spherus Magna hit hard for Holoh. The home she had spent tens of thousands of years protecting was gone. Desperately in search of a purpose, she enlisted in the Order of Mata Nui. Although she did quite well, she felt aimless, and her superiors could tell. Holoh was just throwing herself into her work to distract her from the crushing homesickness she felt. Her commanders knew she needed something to restore her sense of Duty. And so, when the Hordika program was opened up, the Ko-Matoran was “voluntold” to join.
Like Secra, Holoh was made into a Toa before the procedure. It was just as well that she lost her powers following her Hordika mutation, as her brief experience with her Elemental power left her with a distaste for it. Holoh emerged from the operation with an extra pair of arms, antennae, strange eyes, and hard, exoskeleton-like plates covering her back. Of all the Toa’s transformations, hers was probably the most extreme. Since she was already quite skilled with swords, she chose to fully hone her skills. Now, she is hands-down among the most skilled swordsmen on the entire planet. Of course, having four arms probably helps.
Holoh, or “Knight” as her codename became, is known for being very uptight and no-nonsense while on missions. Even during downtime, she still has little time or patience for games. Only recently has she began to smooth out her edges, as Thresher has shown her the “art” of post-mission celebration.
Her arsenal is quite extensive. Her favorite sword has to be the Plasma Foil designed for her by Suul. It’s quite useful being able to just slice your opponents’ weapons clean in two.
Sulas, AKA Stilts
Species: Toa Hordika (Owl)
Element: Earth (Formerly)
Kanohi: None
Weapon(s): None
Abilities: Flight; Keen eyesight
Affiliation(s): Order of Mata Nui
There isn’t a ton to say about Sulas. He was once a Toa of Earth, known among his allies for his friendliness and compassion towards the Matoran he protected. Of course, he also packed a mean punch for anyone looking to harm them. Sulas preferred a quiet life of just protecting his meager village of Ba-Matoran, and thus he rarely (if ever) ventured away. Although he did receive Toa Naho’s message, he decided after much internal debate to remain with his Matoran and not leave them to fend for themselves. After all, it was his Duty and Destiny to ensure his village was Unified.
All good things must come to an end, though. With the establishment of Tuarua Nui Post-Reformation, most of Sulas’ villagers immigrated there. Sulas served as a trainer for the local Ba-Tua Vahki for a time, but was eventually called away by the Order. They had been keeping tabs on him for a while, and they thought he’d be the perfect candidate for an experiment they were planning. Although hesitant, Sulas acquiesced.
After the Hordika transformation, Sulas’ arms became wings draped in long feathers and his legs grew longer and far thinner. It was quite the contrast - before, Sulas was bulky but quite short. Now, he was tall and stick-thin. Even before the Toa Hordika took codenames, Sulas’ siblings started calling him Stilts thanks to his thin, lanky legs. He actually liked the nickname quite a bit, and later chose it for his codename.
Unlike most of his siblings, who went on to serve actively on missions, Stilts found his niche as a trainer of new personnel. Specifically, he teaches hand-to-hand combat - the fighting style he chose to specialize in after losing his Elemental attunement. His compassion and warm attitude towards new cadets gained him a lot of popularity among the Order’s freshest ranks.
Stilts has often been asked why he doesn’t like weapons. The answer he always gives is that they slow him down, but the real reason is that he’s just really bad at using them.
Fun fact, Stilts has gone through three different iterations. His first two I really wasn’t a fan of, but recently I’ve finally made a Stilts that I’m satisfied with. That’s why his photos are in a completely different place than the rest of the Hordika. You can see his second form in the group photo at the beginning.
Cain
Species: Toa Hordika (Bat)
Element: Sonics (formerly)
Kanohi: None
Weapon(s): Sharpshot 60C Rifle
Abilities: Incredibly adept senses, similar to Daredevil; Flight
Affiliation(s): Order of Mata Nui
Cain hails from the same village of De-Matoran as Krakua. Thanks to an incident very early on in his life, Cain was irreversibly blinded. He quickly learned that sight was overrated. Thanks to his naturally sensitive hearing becoming even stronger to compensate, the blind Matoran was eventually able to go about life as though he had never lost his sight in the first place. In fact, after a few dozen millennia of practice, he became better at doing things than many of his sighted friends.
During the Reign of Shadows, Cain was evacuating his city and accidently stumbled into a sinkhole. There, he discovered a system of tunnels. Using echolocation he made his way through them, soon finding a small shrine with a Toa Stone at its heart. The De-Matoran became a Toa of Sonics, something he honestly wasn’t a big fan of. His own powers could permanently cripple him if he used them irresponsibly. Paranoia of losing his hearing led to him never using his powers actively, only passively to further improve his echolocation skills.
Cain found work as a detective in the New Atero Vahki Department. His heightened senses of hearing and smell helped him to solve quite a few cases that his colleagues couldn’t. These abilities led to him being recruited by the Order, which in turn led to him hearing about the Hordika program and volunteering.
With his new, giant ears and his diminished form, Cain found that detective work was even easier. He was incredibly stealthy, he could glide silently though the air, and his even-further-enhanced hearing meant he could detect someone’s heartbeat from upwards of a mile away. While most people in this situation may decide to specialize in melee combat like Stilts or Knight, Cain went for the opposite. He became the best ■■■■ deadeye in the entire Order. Despite being blind, Cain could bulls-eye a moving target from half a mile away. Only a Sanok-wearer could be more accurate.
Cain put his skills to good use as a detective. He’s been on one case for a long time, and had it not been for his special predicament he’d have been killed long ago. For the past fifty or more years, Cain has been tailing an incredibly (and unnecessarily) secretive crime syndicate called the Rahi Smugglers, but has never been able to conclusively collect any proof against them. To say the truth, he’s only ever met one of the gang’s operatives once, and she promptly killed herself to ensure she didn’t spill anything. The Order executives have been considering taking him off the Smugglers’ case since he’s yet to produce results, but Lambda has stayed their hand for now. If Cain doesn’t make any progress, though, there won’t be much she can do for him…
And that’s all. I hope you’ve enjoyed my group of Bionicle furries Toa Hordika. This is the second of three Toa Team posts, the last of which will feature my versions of the Toa Mangai.