Alio

"Not every being is perfect. Flawed beings dare make mistakes. Some shall choose a dark path that is not meant to be walked upon. Someday, those few may attempt to cause chaos and turmoil for Uteara and her residents. As a Toa, you shall defend her with your life."

- Yzaa to Ulreq, Forgotten

The Toa of Murtua are the heroes of the planet Murtua. They defend the Matoran and the Turaga against harms too great for them to handle on their own. They are tall, powerful beings that have Elemental Powers and wear a Kanohi. Toa also carry Toa Tools, which aid in the channeling of their Elemental Powers. Toa tend to serve the powers of good, though this isn't guaranteed; Toa have been known to be swayed by their negative emotions, such as greed.

History
The Toa of Murtua were created by the Great Being Deccius soon after the creation of Murtua was complete. Basing the general design on the Toa species of the Matoran Universe, there were originally twenty Toa, each from a different element, called the Toa Ryhmä. The Great Being Yzaa then created one additional Toa Ryhmä, Ulreq, a Toa of Shadow. After several conflicts with one another, the original group disbanded, with the idea of smaller groups of Toa working together in mind. Ulreq, now transformed into a being of pure shadow, hunted down and killed the majority of the original team. Three of the surviving Toa Ryhmä, joined a rookie Toa, and united as a team, the Toa Cevil, to fight back against Ulreq. After months of warring with his forces, the Toa Cevil were assisted by another species known as the Atreu, who found themselves under seige by Ulreq. With the additional help, the Toa Cevil and Atreu managed to defeat Ulreq, who retreated. Since then, Toa have become more common around the planet, some even working with Glatorian as a part of their team. After seeing the damage done by Yzaa's creations, Deccius created an elite team of Toa, the Toa Hermaisus. They were hidden away in canisters located in the Volcanic Underworld of Uteara. Due to a malfunction, they were released, only to see the Makuta Aavistus enslave the Matoran population. Staying hidden, the Toa Hermaisus succeeded in defeating the four Aavistus and their allies, the mighty Valkea. The Toa Hermaisus now remain in the Volcanic Underworld.

Abilities & Traits
The Toa of Murtua have many abilities that vary greatly, but they all have some in common, such as: Elemental Powers, Great Masks of Power, and Toa Power. Toa of Murtua have other abilities as well, including the ability to merge into Toa Kaita. One little-known power is the ability to forge a mental link with another being and send them visions of things seen from the eyes of the Toa who created the link. Also, when physically linked with an Av-Matoran, the Toa is also able to see the Matoran's memories.

Elemental Powers
All Toa have have control over one element; known ones include Acid, Air, Crystal, Earth, Energy, Fire, Gravity, Ice, Iron, "The Green", Light, Lightning, Magnetism, Plasma, Poison, Psionics, Sand, Sonics, Stone, and Water. Control over this power isn't granted instantly; it must be learned. Any novice can cause an explosion of flame or start a hurricane; but it takes a while to learn to do small things, such as simply lowering the temperature rather than freezing an enemy, and it takes years to achieve complete subtle control over these abilities. Every time a Toa uses their Elemental Powers, they draw from a reserve of Elemental Energy. This reserve isn't infinite; they can drain themselves completely if they aren't careful, and then they have to wait for their energy to recharge before they can use their powers again. Until then, they will only be able to perform very small tasks, such as light breezes or slight trickles of water. Most Toa have a partial resistance to their native element, however this only extends to limited amounts. For instance, a Toa of Ice could withstand a blizzard, but could still freeze to death. This is not always the case, as Toa of Sonics still retain their weakness to loud noises.

Mask Power
All Toa wear and can use the abilities of the Great Kanohi. It's all part of being a Toa, like the armor or the elements; if one can't do it, or doesn't wear a mask, then they are not a Toa. Control over the Great Masks, like the elements, isn't granted immediately. The wearer must wait before they can even access their mask powers. When they do, it usually comes about during a time of stress or their equivalent of an adrenaline rush; from then on, they can access its' powers. When they learn to do so, complete control is granted almost immediately. An exception is Atora, whose mask is sentient, allowing him to use its' power instantly.

Toa Power
This power is what makes a Toa a Toa. Each one has it, and can use it instinctively; unlike Elemental energy, Toa Power is one-way. Once used, it doesn't recharge, so it must be used cautiously. Three uses of Toa Power have been seen. The primary function is taking an inanimate object and charging it with Toa power. These Toa Stones, as they are called, have produced two effects when the power is used. First, it has been used to create new Toa out of Matoran. Second, the power was used as a beacon to call six already existing Toa to the Isle of Mata Nui. The secondary use of Toa Power is to channel it directly into other creatures. For instance, to awaken Matoran from artificial sleep induced by Matoran Spheres. A tertiary use for Toa Power is to heal, such as the Toa Metru did when they found an injured Rahi. A Toa will turn into a Turaga if they have completed their destiny and therefore sacrificed their Toa Power for the greater good.

Tools
Toa carry Toa Tools, varying weapons that they use to focus their elemental energies. Toa are also known to wield secondary weapons, often projectile launchers.

Toa Code
The Toa Code is a series of principles developed over the time, after the Toa realized that their success depended on having the trust and respect of the Matoran, and not their fear. Although this code's exact rules remain vague, one of the most important is that Toa must not kill their enemies, unless they have no other choice. However, certain circumstances allow Toa to avoid the Code, like instances where saving one's enemies would potentially cause the death of the Toa. Almost all Toa of Murtua follow this, the exceptions being Craiac, who believes he cannot afford to obey the Code, as well as Atora, Clyvaeus, and Ulreq, who simply don't want to.

Social Structure & Interactions
The Toa have organized themselves into a team structure, typically consisting of six members, though smaller or much larger groups are not unusual. All Toa devote themselves to the cause of the Three Virtues, and strive to see them defended. Matoran look up to and revere the Toa, and the Toa in turn befriend the Matoran, and attempt to protect them to the best of their ability.

Toa Teams

 * Toa Cevil (Formerly, Now Deceased/Transformed)
 * Toa Hermaisus
 * Toa Liiri (Formerly, Now Deceased)
 * Toa Ryhmä (Formerly, Now Deceased/Transformed)

Individual Toa

 * Atora
 * Braxel
 * Craiac
 * Eek
 * Kara (Deceased)
 * Iro
 * Xinlo
 * Zokau

Trivia
This species was created by BZPower and C.I.R.C.L.E. member Iro.