Tahnok

"The fiery Tahnok, capable of melting through any substance..."

- Turaga Metru Vakama, The Bohrok Awake

The Tahnok are the Bohrok swarm of Fire.

History
Tahnok are created when Av-Matoran accomplish their Destiny and transform into mechanical insectoids. They are then sent to Bohrok Nests to await the signal to cleanse the island camouflage of the Great Spirit Mata Nui. They are aided by the Bohrok Va Tahnok Va. The Tahnok swarms beneath the Isle of Mata Nui were awakened by Makuta Teridax, upon his defeat by the Toa Mata. A swarm headed for Po-Koro to lay waste to it. While Toa Gali was able to thin the numbers of one section of the swarm in Le-Wahi, others reached the village and forced the Po-Matoran to evacuate. During the fray, the Matoran Hafu knocked over his own statues on the Path of Prophecies in order to prevent the Tahnok from entering the village. However, this left no room for him to retreat back into the Koro. A Tahnok launched its Krana Xa at him, but he was suddenly rescued by Pohatu, who used his Golden Kanohi to catapult them back into Po-Koro. Afterward, the Matoran were evacuated and Pohatu, Gali, and Onua drove the menacing Bohrok away. At a different point, Gali and Pohatu worked together with Onua and Kopaka in a attempt to trap some of the Tahnok in Tiro Canyon. Onua dug a hole from the canyon wall to the sea and Kopaka sealed it with Ice. As the Tahnok arrived, Pohatu kicked a boulder, shattering the Ice and flooding the canyon with water. While the Tahnok were trapped, Gali swam down into the canyon, collecting the Bohrok's Krana, and barely dodging a boulder the Tahnok melted off the canyon wall. The Tahnok, however, boiled the water and melted handholds in the canyon walls for the swarm to escape. Kopaka also encountered a swarm of Tahnok in Ko-Wahi, which, along with a squad of Lehvak, led him to the entrance of a Bohrok Nest. Several Tahnok were also frozen in The Drifts of Ko-Wahi, and therefore were unable to return to their nests. These Tahnok were later discovered by Takua and Jaller. After the Bahrag were defeated and imprisoned by the Toa Mata, the Matoran used the Tahnok to help with the re-building of Po-Koro, as the menacing Bohrok no longer had any guiding intelligence. Later, after the Bohrok-Kal were awakened to release the Bahrag, Tahu Nuva attempted to use a swarm of Tahnok to attack Nuhvok-Kal, but failed. Nuhvok-Kal used its power over Gravity to make the Bohrok fly into deep space, where he kept them in orbit. When the Bahrag were later released by the Toa Nuva as part of the their mission to awaken Mata Nui, the Tahnok swarms awoke and contributed to the cleansing of the Isle of Mata Nui. They have since returned to their nest.

Abilities & Traits
Tahnok are the fastest Bohrok, but despite their quickness, they are still very methodical and understand the value of teamwork. While Bohrok are not naturally aggressive, the Tahnok are the least passive of the swarms. They are provoked easily and if threatened, they will strike first and study the area later. When they strike, they do it as a team, making them all the more dangerous. If one of the members of the team is hurt or in trouble, they will make sure it is safe before they continue their mission. However, they tend to act impulsively and are not as calculating as some of the other breeds.

Tools
Tahnok use Fire Shields to burn their targets.

Set Information
The Tahnok were released as a set in early 2002. Each contained 40 pieces, among them a randomly packed blue Krana. The Tahnok set can be combined with a Pahrak and Nuhvok to create a Bohrok Kaita Za. By pushing down on the lever on the back of the Tahnok, the gears cause the Bohrok's head to lunge forward. It is also able to roll up into a ball. An extra piece included in the set allowed one to suspend a rolled-up Tahnok inside its' canister by the lid as if hibernating in the nest.

Trivia
The Tahnok were the only Bohrok to appear in Mask of Light.

Appearances

 * Toa Mata Promo Animations
 * Bohrok Promo Comic
 * McDonald's Comic 2: Tale of the Toa
 * BIONICLE Chronicles 2: Beware the Bohrok
 * Wall of History (BIONICLE.com) (Mentioned Only)
 * Comic 4: The Bohrok Awake
 * McDonald's Comic 3: Secret of the Swarm
 * Comic 5: To Trap a Tahnok
 * Comic 6: Into the Nest
 * Comic 8: The End of the Toa?
 * Comic 11: A Matter of Time...
 * BIONICLE: Mask of Light
 * BIONICLE Legends 5: Inferno (In an Illusion)
 * BIONICLE: Collector's Sticker Book
 * BIONICLE: The Official Guide to BIONICLE
 * BIONICLE: Encyclopedia (Mentioned Only)
 * BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated (Mentioned Only)
 * Bohrok Promo Animations
 * Bohrok Online Animations
 * BIONICLE: Matoran Adventures (Non-canonical Appearance)
 * Toa Nuva Promo CD
 * BIONICLE: The Game (Non-canonical Appearance)
 * BIONICLE: Maze of Shadows (Non-canonical Appearance)
 * BIONICLE Heroes (Non-canonical Appearance)