Toa

Fire, water, earth, air, and divine life spark; some say these are the origins of these people. The true origin of these people is lost to time, as far as is known of them their ancestors came from the sea. Some elders think they came from the gods, others say that they have always been. They have existed for countless ages. In that time history was either lost to them or time had forgotten about these beings. Sailing to the island chain they inhabit from time only knows where came the Toa, the mysterious people of the tropical lands they call home. After a great calamity befell their ancestors in days long past, these beings were left tossed to the sea’s tempest and fury. Whether by luck, skill, or divine providence they survived their ordeal and made landfall on their home chain of islands known to them as Mana Nui. It is here they would remain for centuries hunting, gathering, farming, and fishing. The Toa of the island are a people that run the gambit of short to tall, yet all sport a lean physique of a survivor islander.

They have either dark black hair or in rare cases white hair and sun-kissed skin of anywhere from light tan to dark bronzed tones and pointed ears. They have dark eyes and wear simple clothing of cloth and palm leaves. They are adept in crafting with what they have available to them. Shells become everything from jewelry to knives, stone becomes virtually anything they can shape it into, wood becomes tools and homes in their hands, and so on. They are artisans, hunters, farmers, foragers, fishermen, sailors, and warriors.

Though small in population they are strong in spirit and conviction. For a long time they would not think to leave their home islands, for fear of calamity befalling them once again. Yet all of that was to change when they nearly exhausted their supply of game to hunt and wood to use. It was then that they had to take to the waves once again. Not knowing what would become of the ones sent to venture forth into the blue unknown, the ones left ashore awaited and prayed for them to return. Them that left to the mercy of the sea once again found fortune smiling upon them.

After many days of sailing adrift at sea they had made landfall on the rest of the Continent of Alyria. The land they found was lush and vibrant with food, game, and plenty of resources to use. From here they gained the knowledge of not only where to find what they needed but also that after the Great Calamity, not all land was lost to them. Yet having spent centuries on Mana Nui, they grew attached to their home and still maintain it as their core homeland. Though they sail and venture to and from their home island chain, the Toa remain ever wary of the fury of the sea, the power of nature, and the ever changing whims of the Gods.

Because of this they seldom leave home but for those who dare to do so, the rewards await them on their journeys and their return home. Having proved themselves both survivors, explorers, mariners, and skilled traders in their encounters with others, the Toa are truly a wonder to behold; a testament to the indomitable will to survive from nothing and to forge one’s own path despite adversity. There have been very few times where they ran into issues with mainland peoples but though they are small in number they will fight and defend themselves to the very end. To those that fall to the Toa, the last thing they see is their primitive yet lethal weaponry or worse still, they are taken captive for Gods know what, never to be seen or heard from again. To those that best a Toa, they will forever know the true power of the raw spirit of one who either knows survival at all costs or death after every last effort.