Toa of Air

 Toa of Air was a title given to a Toa who wielded the Element of Air. Toa of Air were almost always transformed from Matoran of Air, although Lewa was an exception. Should a Toa of Air fulfill his destiny, he would be given the option of sacrificing his power, becoming a Turaga of Air.

 If a Toa of any element were to lose their Kanohi, their elemental powers would be halved, and their overall strength greatly weakened.

Powers
A Toa of Air's Elemental power gave them near-perfect command over wind. As such, at a basic level, they could create, control, and absorb air. Examples of this included creating windstorms, cutting through objects with blades of fast-moving wind, using air currents to fly, and absorbing all of the ambient air in an area to create a vacuum. Additionally, Toa of Air were very agile and flexible, which gave them a great mobility advantage among the dense jungles they most often dwelled within.

As a Toa Nuva of Air, Lewa wielded all the same powers on an even greater level than that of a standard Toa of Air, and possessed a unique ability; He could set up a delayed Elemental Air attack.

Toa of Air had one significant weakness however, in the form of water; Beneath the surface, their powers were completely negated.

They possessed all these abilities on a vastly greater level than a Turaga, or Le-Matoran.

Personality and Traits
Toa of Air were usually carefree, and somewhat hyperactive and impulsive. They were often very quick and clever, reacting swiftly to situations. Yet, they would not always think things through completely, and would pay for the consequences of their actions, however noble. (Notable examples include Lewa and Matau. An exception to this would be Lesovikk, who actually hesitated too long to save his team.) Most Toa of Air hated water, as it rendered them powerless while submerged.

A Toa of Air's armor was usually varying shades of green, with both the primary and secondary hues being drawn from a wide array of greens. It was also possible for them to have turquoise as a secondary color. They generally possessed lime-green eyes, although it was also possible for them to have red eyes.

All Toa of Air were male.

History
Various Toa of Air came into being using Toa Stones throughout the history of the Matoran Universe, and at one point there were hundreds of Toa in the universe simultaneously, many of them Toa of Air. But after the Great Cataclysm, their numbers began to dwindle, and only a handful were still alive by the time of the Battle of Bara Magna, including Lewa, Kongu, Iruini and Lesovikk.

Toa Lesovikk
Lesovikk was once a Le-Matoran, but he was later transformed into a Toa of Air, and subsequently became the leader of the very first Toa Team. At an unspecified location on the Southern Continent, the Toa Cordak came across a tribe of violent Zyglak, and during the battle, Lesovikk hesitated at a crucial moment. This resulted in the deaths of his entire team, while Lesovikk himself barely escaped with his life.

Shortly afterwards, Lesovikk wandered the Matoran Universe, feeling like a failure as a Toa. Sometime during his travels, the Toa of Air came across Jovan, a Toa of Magnetism, who gave him a series of combat lessons. Not long after that, Lesovikk came across a suffering Rock Lion, and attempted to put it down out of mercy, but he was defeated after 3 days of battle.

Even later, he journeyed to Karzahni's Realm in an attempt to free the enslaved Matoran, but he was unable to defeat the Manas guarding them. Around that same time, Lesovikk fought and defeated the Rahi Nui, and saved an entire island of Matoran from the Visorak.

Continuing on his travels, Lesovikk decided to hunt down Karzahni, hoping to force the monstrous being into freeing his Matoran slaves. This led him to the depths of the Pit, where the Toa of Air was mutated by the strange waters. Only a short time after he entered the cursed deep, he came across a Ta-Matoran being attack by a school of Takea sharks, whom he saved, and discovered was actually Sarda, one of his oldest friends. Moments later he was attacked by the very being he had come to find, becoming ensnared by Karzahni's burning chains.

It was only after Sarda called him a hero that Lesovikk regained strength enough to break free, which allowed his quarry to escape. After this, he and Sarda came across Lesovikk's other friend, a Ga-Matoran named Idris, and together the reunited friends continued the hunt for Karzahni. Eventually they came across a violent quarrel between the Makuta Teridax, wearing the form of a Maxilos robot, and Karzahni himself.

This battle ended with Karzahni gravely injured, and soon the Overlord retreated to a small sea cave. Lesovikk however, was placed into an illusory world by Karzahni's Olisi, where his team had survived, and the Toa Cordak had remained together. But hearing a mention of the Zyglak returned Lesovikk to reality, allowing him to help his Matoran friends imprison the insane Karzahni.

After Karzahni's capture, Lesovikk and Sarda worked together to capture further criminals in the Pit until the time of the Battle of Bara Magna, shortly before which, they joined up with the Order of Mata Nui, and faced off against the Brotherhood of Makuta during the Reign of Shadows.

After the death of Teridax, and the reformation of Spherus Magna, Lesovikk left the Matoran Universe to recapture the escaped Karzahni. However, it was later discovered that Karzahni had been murdered by an unknown assailant, and the implication was that Lesovikk had committed the heinous act, on account of his stolen Air Sword being the murder weapon.

Furthermore, the being known as Tren Krom was later killed as well, leading some Toa to believe that Lesovikk had gone rogue. Whether he was exonerated of these acts, and what his eventually fate was, remains unknown. Lesovikk wore an unknown Kanohi for thousands of years, until he travelled to the Pit, where it became mutated into a Great Mask of Kindred, which he continued to wear even after evacuating the Great Spirit Robot.

"Spinner"
During an unspecified time period, a Le-Matoran was transformed into a Toa of Air, and later joined a Toa Team. At some point they fought a group of mutated Rahkshi, but during the battle, "Spinner" was knocked into a nearly bottomless pit, blaming his fellow Toa for this misfortune.

Sometime later, a group of Dark Hunters came across him, near death and in a delirious state, but decided to rescue him from his predicament. However, they also altered his physical form, turning him into a large and powerful creature that no longer resembled a Toa at all.

After his alterations, "Spinner" lost his ability to control the Element of Air, but gained various new abilities instead. After becoming a Dark Hunter, he wished to hunt Toa exclusively, but was given the missions that the "Shadowed One" deemed appropriate instead.

Toa Iruini
 Iruini, a Toa Hagah of Air, was part of the Toa team set to protect Makuta Teridax early in the Matoran Universe's history. He was one of the first Toa to realize Teridax's treachery, after discovering that the Makuta had stolen the Kanohi Avohkii, alongside his Toa Hagah allies. Shortly after, Iruini and his entire team were transformed into the Rahaga by Ex-Dark Hunter, Roodaka.

 Over 1000 years later, Roodaka was coerced by the Toa Nuva into undoing her actions against the Hagah, and thus Iruini, and his Rahaga-brothers and sister, were returned to their original state. He wore the Great Mask of Quick-Travel.

Toa Nidhiki
Nidhiki was once a Le-Matoran living somewhere on the Northern Continent, but was later transformed into a Toa of Air. At some point he joined up with 10 others, led by the Toa of Fire, Lhikan, and was a full member of the Toa Mangai when they travelled to Metru Nui, in order to defeat the Kanohi Dragon. After nearly a month of fighting, they brought down the beast, at which point it was shipped off to the Vortixx home of Xia.

After their victory against the dragon, the Toa Mangai decided to remain in Metru Nui as the city's permanent protectors. However, during their time in the great metropolis, a number of Matoran were found dead, with carvings placed in their hands. These small carvings held just a single word; Tuyet.

Nidhiki and Lhikan went on to confront their teammate about the murders, only to discover that it had been the Toa of Water's doing all along, in an attempt to throw the Dark Hunters and the other Toa off her trail. As a Matoran, she had discovered the fabled Nui Stone, which the Dark Hunters had intended to steal, but Tuyet had taken it with her when she was transformed into a Toa. Planning to create a great Toa Empire, built upon the ashes of the Brotherhood of Makuta and Dark Hunters alike, Tuyet confessed to having kept the stone in her possession.

Although she tried to use the Nui Stone against her comrades, together Nidhiki and Lhikan defeated her. Finally, when Lhikan saw the Stone seemingly beginning to corrupt the Toa of Air as well, he destroyed it with a blast of fire, which caused dozens of tiny shards to become embedded in Tuyet's armor.

1000 years after Tuyet's betrayal, the Dark Hunters declared war against Metru Nui and the Toa. The conflict was long and harrowing, and the Toa Mangai were badly outnumbered. However, the team's other Toa of Water, Naho, had broken through the Dark Hunter's lines and made it to some of the surrounding islands, gathering the support of over 300 additional Toa.

Nearing the end of the war, during a temporary stalement between the Toa and the Dark Hunters, Nidhiki encountered Lariska, a female Dark Hunter who convinced the Toa of Air that he fighting a hopeless battle, and offered him a deal. Nidhiki took it, betraying his fellow Toa. But Lhikan had overheard the exchange, and prepared countermeasures to ambush the Dark Hunters before they could enact their plans.

Before either side could strike, Lhikan was met by the Piraka Hakann, who wished to make a deal of his own on the Dark Hunter's behalf. He offered the Makoki Stone in exchange for the safe retreat of his master's forces, a deal that Lhikan accepted, on the sole extra condition that they take the traitorous Nidhiki with them.

Finally the war came to end, with Metru Nui still standing, and the Dark Hunters defeated. True to their deal, they took Nidhiki away them, leading him to become a full Dark Hunter himself. He became an instructor for a while, and was later sent on missions alongside Krekka, which he was less than thrilled with. After a time however, Nidhiki began to miss being the hero, and badly wished to return to Metru Nui and beg forgiveness from Lhikan, hoping to regain his Toa status. But the vile Roodaka, who was interested in becoming a Dark Hunter herself, shattered that dream when she overheard and decieved the Ex-Toa, and mutated him into a hideous insectoid monster.

No longer capable of controlling the Element of Air, and appearing as a terrifying beast, Nidhiki was forced to remain a Dark Hunter for the next 2000 years, upon which he was sent back to Metru Nui, with his partner Krekka. They, and fellow hunter "Eliminator", were placed in the employ of Makuta Teridax, wearing the appearance of the city's own Turaga Dume.

After many attempts to stop the newly created Toa Metru, and failing to retrieve the Great Disks Teridax wished to obtain, the Makuta absorbed Nidhiki and Krekka into his own body, in order to increase his strength for his battle against the Toa, thus killing both Dark Hunters. Nidhiki wore the Great Mask of Stealth as a Toa, but lost it when he was transformed.

Toa Matau
Matau was once the Toa Metru of Air, gaining his powers from a Toa Stone created by Lhikan. He defended Le-Metru from the Morbuzahk, fought against the Vahki, and was mutated by the Visorak into a half-beast Hordika, alongside his Toa-brothers and sister. After finding the legendary rahi, Keetongu, Matau was returned to his original form, and went on to help lead the Matoran of Metru Nui to a safer place.

Upon reaching the island of Mata Nui, he, alongside the other Toa Metru, sacrificed his Toa power in order to awaken the slumbering Matoran, becoming a Turaga in the process. He wore the Great Mask of Illusions as a Toa, and later, the Noble version as a Turaga.

Toa Lewa
Lewa, the most well known Toa of Air, was created by Artakha as a member of the Toa Mata. He was later transformed into a Toa Nuva, and he was present during many of the most important events in the more recent history of the Matoran Universe, from the awakening of the BohrokSwarms and the great exodus of Mata Nui, to the conquering of the universe by Makuta Teridax and the reformation of Spherus Magna. He most famously wore the Great Mask of Levitation, which later transformed alongside him into a Kanohi Nuva.

Toa Kongu
Kongu was an adventurous Le-Matoran living on the island of Mata Nui, long before he became a Toa. He was commander of the Le-Koro Gukko Force duirng the Matoran/Rahi War, and later helped to free Le-Koro from their enslavement by the Bohrok. Sometime after the destruction of the Bohrok-Kal, Kongu witnessed the defeat of Teridax at the hands of Takanuva, and travelled with the rest of the island's inhabitants to Metru Nui.

 Only a few months after arriving on Metru Nui, he and a team of other Matoran led by Jaller, departed to find and rescue the Toa Nuva, who had been imprisoned on Voya Nui by the Piraka, during their search for the Mask of Life. During the voyage, he and his team were transformed by the Red Star into the Toa Inika, the heroes destined to retrieve the fabled Kanohi.

 They succeeded in freeing the Toa Nuva from the Piraka, as well as the Mask of Life from Vezon's clutches, however it fell into the ocean, sinking deep into the darkness of the Pit. Following, the Mask of Life transformed the Inika into the Toa Mahri, allowing them to survive the crushing depths.

 After much conflict, Kongu and his team retrieved the Kanohi Ignika, and he was present to acknowledge that it was Matoro's destiny to save Mata Nui's life. Shortly before his death, Matoro transported Kongu and his team back to Metru Nui, returning their ability to breath air in the process. There he witnessed the ascension of Teridax alongside many of his allies. He wore the Great Mask of Telepathy as a Toa Inika, and later, the Great Mask of Summoning, as a Toa Mahri.

Post-Reformation
After Teridax's death, the few remaining Toa of Air evacuated onto Spherus Magna, where they aided in the construction effort to build new homes for the many refugees of the Matoran Universe.

Known Toa of Air
Below is a list of the known Toa of Air:
 * Lewa - Toa Mata/Toa Nuva
 * Matau - Formerly a Toa Metru and briefly a Toa Hordika; currently a Turaga
 * Nidhiki - Formerly a Toa Mangai; later a Dark Hunter and currently deceased
 * Iruini - Teridax's Toa Hagah team
 * "Spinner" - Formerly; currently a Dark Hunter
 * Kongu - Toa Inika/Toa Mahri
 * Lesovikk - Former leader of the Toa Cordak