I did this a while ago but it was bugging me how their two infected masks were the same so I fixed it. I did the same for the Nui-Rama and Kopen, 6 infected Rurus.
-The Phantom of the Tides is a ghastly, translucent image sighted in the Region of Water. The earliest known report was approximately a few years after the initial emergence of the Skull Spiders. Described as a skeletal, spindly being covered in spines with a hunched-over back, some have theorized the timing of its appearance to be related to the Skull Spiders. One popular theory is that the Phantom of the Tides is the ghost of one of the Skull Spiders’ victims.
-Returning from a long day of hunting, in which he noticed many inexplicably slain carcasses strewn about, Podu the hunter was passing through a series of stone canyons in order to reach Levato. As the sun began to set and shadows spread across the canyons, forming distorted after-images, Podu felt a chill crawl down his spine as he heard claws scraping against stone. Anticipating a predator, he whirled around, and off in the distance, right in front of the setting sun, was a figure, clinging to a rocky hill.
It was thin and spindly, almost like a skeleton, with dulled, rigid skin. Its limbs were elongated, almost exaggerated and twisted. Red eyes blazed within the recesses of its dark, inhuman face, and unable to contain his terror, Podu screamed and fled. When he recounted the tale to his fellow Levatans, some dismissed it as a trick of the mind –it was getting dark and the ‘figure’ was shadowed from the sun behind- while others have speculated it to be a Wendigo, or the Hunter of myth. Needless to say, Podu, ever since the incident, made sure to head home well before sunset, and avoided the canyons he was passing through.
-“I’m here too,” a very short and brief story recounted by Hafu of Levato. While patrolling the Motara Desert, Hafu had an obnoxious tendency to carve into nearby stones and boulders his signature phrase, “Hafu was here.” Most rolled their eyes at this, but one day, after returning to a spot where he’d carved these words, Hafu decided to check up on it. Surely enough, he saw the words, and right beneath them, carved in a ragged manner into the stone, were the words, “I’m here too.”
Hafu, chilled to the bone, interrogated the other members of the Levatan Patrol about this. All of them denied profusely of ever answering his graffiti, and the hand-writing was unlike their own; Besides, it looked as if the words had been carved in with claws, and not an implement. In denial, Hafu decided it had to be some other Okotan- Perhaps a hermit like Melea, or Takua, playing a prank- She’d responded to his graffiti before. However, when Hafu one day questioned the vagabond during a visit, Takua confirmed that she had never written this statement, reminding Hafu that she always added a signature. And Takua’s memory was impeccable as well…
-The Sand Tarakava, a tale of a Levatan Patrol squad being caught in a sandstorm, communicating that they were being chased in the radio, before disappearing. When the storms ceased, patrols found the wreckage of the boat and no sign of the patrol members, who were presumed devoured by the beast. Later, when Hewkii showed Macku a sketch of the wreckage, she noted it resembled an attack from a Tarakava, an aquatic beast. Yet, the attack occurred in the Motara Desert, miles from any source of water, much less one large enough to support a Tarakava...
-Sand Screamers, unseen things whose cries are heard at night. Strange footprints belonging to them are found near dead animals that have been torn apart. No one knows what a Sand Screamer looks like, but it’s apparently powerful enough to kill beasts such as the Kikanalo or Spiny Stone Ape.
-The Dweller in the Deep, a story of how a group of Okotans were travelling on a small boat, when they noticed an incomprehensibly massive shadow move underneath them, bigger than any beast of the sea they had ever seen or known about. Its colossal tail flapped once, sending the entire boat and its passengers flying into the air before they plunged back into the water- By the time they’d gotten their bearings, the shadow had begun to disappear, fading as it sank further into the depths below.
-In the sands of the Motara Desert, legend has it that there reigns an eternal sandstorm, the largest in all of existence, constantly roaming and traveling around a general area it has been bound and cursed to. In this eternal sandstorm, those trapped inside can see the shadows of giant, colossal monsters in the distance, hidden and obscured by the whirling sand.
If one stays still for too long in this eternal sandstorm, they will quickly find themselves buried alive, and tales report sightings of gigantic masses moving underneath the sand, bigger than any creature spotted before. Some rumors and whispers claim this sandstorm is the embodiment of Ketar’s slighted rage against mortals for the sins they committed that defiled Okoto through the Grat Cataclysm- Others go as far as to claim the storm IS Ketar herself.
-Deep in the Motara Desert, perhaps not coincidentally in the eternal sandstorm from time to time, is the massive stinger-tail of a Kofo-Jaga. When hunting, the massive scorpions burrow through the sand, and when chasing prey their stinger-tails will emerge from the sand, marking their location as the Kofo-Jaga chase after prey.
But amongst these encounters is the story of one stinger-tail, far larger than any seen before. This stinger-tail is bigger than even a Kofo-Jaga, and Okotans have dubbed the unseen owner of this tail the ‘Nui-Jaga’, AKA the Great Scorpion. The Nui-Jaga is one of the mythical Rahi of legend, a cryptid that has never been fully seen, only glimpsed, so nobody knows its true size, and guesses based on Kofo-Jaga proportions to their tails are just that- Guesses.
-The ‘Will-O-the-Wisp’, a mysterious blue light, an ethereal orb spotted randomly in the dark corners and alleyways of the Mega Villages at night. Sources indicate that the Will-O-the-Wisp was seen shortly after the Skull Spider emergence, and sightings of it ceased sometime after the official establishment of the Mega Villages, suspiciously.
According to one eyewitness, they had been walking around their home one night, unable to sleep, when they briefly spotted a bright-blue light hovering above their loved one’s face. As soon as the witness cried out, the light disappeared, even as the loved one began murmuring and twisting around, becoming more troubled by the passing second. Concerned, the eyewitness woke their loved one after several intense shakings- Awake, the loved one reported having particularly surreal nightmares of their worst fears and eldritch entities chasing them down, attempting to kill them.
-The Kane-Ra Demon, a story about how those who wander into random openings in the ground will find themselves lost in an inescapable maze, where a Kane-Ra demon will track them down and kill them. Very rarely, those who have gotten lost and chased were able to find passageways leading back to the surface of Okoto. However, said survivors apparently reported that the openings they exited from weren’t the same ones they entered the maze from.
Allegedly, some survivors reported running for what felt like miles, only to find themselves in an exit not too far from the entrance; Others barely wandered in the maze and emerged in an entirely different Elemental Region to begin with. Attempts to return to these entrances and exits have failed, as when the survivors came back to them after marking down their location, the openings had inexplicably disappeared.
-Death Vines, an urban legend of a strange, rotted-looking type of vine across the floor of the Region of Jungle that when approached, lashes out and strangles the victim, or else drags them off to never be seen again. According to these myths, these Death Vines feed off of heat and warmth and are wounded by the cold. Some Okotans believe the ‘Death Vines’ in question are actually Bog Snakes/Kuna/Z-Strikers (whichever name floats your boat), camouflaged into the environment. There preference of heat over cold is simply because they’re reptiles- And while many find this explanation reassuring, others aren’t entirely convinced.
-The Whispers of Tiro, a story of how amidst the whistling and songs of Tiro Canyon, if one listens closely, they can hear what seems to be the whispers of others. Most dismiss these as just the wind, or an overactive imagination, but others insist that they’ve heard voices whisper and plot wicked things in Tiro Canyon. Perhaps it is the Skull Puppets, their words carried on the wind?
-The Hunter, a fabled dark creature spotted all across Okoto. A common ghost story uttered to children, parents warn them that if they misbehave, the Hunter will emerge from the woods, the water, whichever, in the deepest darkness of night, and slit their throats before skinning them and displaying their pelts for all to see! While most who have grown up have since doubted the authenticity of this tale, a few HAVE claimed to have seen a darkened, elusive hunter chasing after the elements themselves...
There are many suggested origins for the Hunter, one of the most popular being that the Hunter is the spirit of a mother deer, slain cruelly by a vicious hunter as she protected her offspring. From her dead corpse sprung a twisted, blackened tree with branches shaped like antlers, and one night the tree uprooted itself, forming legs and arms as it began to take vengeance on all Okotans who hunt. Those who go hunting will suddenly step down and find their legs caught in sharp, bloody bear-traps as the Hunter emerges from the shadows to kill and flay them.
Others claim the Hunter was once a regular Okotan who went on a killing spree, and even slaying fellow Okotans when their bloodlust wasn’t sated. Angered, the other members of the village in turn hunted down the Hunter, ironically enough, and impaled them to a tree with flung arrows. The Hunter died, but not before uttering a final curse. After their demise, the Hunter was either absorbed by the tree, which twisted into a humanoid creature with branches sprouting from its head shaped like antlers, OR the hunter’s body was buried, and from it sprouted its familiar, oaken body.
2003, 2006, and of course 2010 are, to my knowledge, the only years in all of Bionicle's runs(s) in which a set featuring a stinger tail, counting combination and alternate models, was not produced
As if the Nui-Rama weren’t enough, the Nui-Jaga are here for another dose of arthropod action.
The Nui-Jaga dwell in the deserts of Po-Wahi, and are known far and wide as mean bastards. Thankfully though, even when controlled by Makuta, these arachnids aren’t very bright, and can be dealt with fairly easily if you know what you’re doing. So long as you can muster up the courage to do anything, that is. I mean, they are giant scorpions.
The Nui-Jaga are a step up from the Nui-Rama in the size department, filling the role of medium-sized Rahi. While larger, the Nui-Jaga are also simpler in design than the Rama, mostly being built of an assortment of Technic lift arms. The scorpions are also a step back in terms of individuality, being entirely identical apart from their colours. One is purple with yellow eyes, while the other is light blue with red eyes. Personally, I favour the purple one because the colour is so much more rarely seen.
The Nui-Jaga are a mixed bag of excellent and disappointing design elements. The tail, while simple, is highly effective, evoking a scorpion tail quite well. Though, it is a bit stiff. The face is also excellent, with the use of the white Onua claws as fangs pulled off much more effectively here than on the Rama. Plus those beady little eyes are great. But the claws, if you can call them claws; they’re really just mask mounts; are completely static, unable to move at all. And the legs, while attached via ball joint, hang off the abdomen uselessly, unable to reach the ground thanks to the function. Hardly setbreaking flaws, but still disappointing and slightly annoying.
On the topic of the function, though, the Nui-Jaga’s primary feature is pulled off masterfully. A trigger on the underside of the Rahi causes the tail to snap forward with considerable power. One good hit and your target’s mask is coming right off. It is oh so satisfying. I love watching everything swing into place as the tail lunges forward; the head swinging down and back is particularly cool.
The use of Pakari for the claws is alright. Their angular shape is appropriate enough, though I would have preferred actual pincers.
Overall, the Nui-Jaga aren’t fantastic. They’re really just a glorified function with some limbs and bright pieces tacked on. That said, their function works so well that I can’t help but like them. Maybe it’s that sweet minigame in MNOG where you fight one as Pohatu, or maybe it’s just how incredibly satisfying that sting is, but I really do enjoy these guys. Also, Nui-Jaga, like all 2001 Rahi (excluding the Manas) are canonically tameable, and that image is hilarious to me.
