I have several suggestions:
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Make Kopaka loosing his eye as the byproduct of the Lava Rahi attacking his region. During that attack, he lost his eye
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Would be better if this wasnt an Island, but a Eurasian-African like continent, where each region was way more massive and the larger cities are main centers the regions.
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Make the Mask of Time Macrofig scale.
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Have Pohatu (then Nilkuu) still have a pre-Toa relationship with Kopaka and have him be the one to manage the Tahu-Kopaka thing as the mediator of the group.
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Lewa can have relations with Onua, have Onua (or Korgot) save Lewa (then Vizuna) from nui-rama attack during one of Onuas daily trade trips to the Air region (like have Lewa venture off from her family way too far near a nest of Nui-rama and such cause she was so upset of them and their behavior towards her):
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Also while the Ice and Fire people hate each other, we have the Earth and Air have the opposite relations. Both regions having close relations with each other (almost a brotherly sorta relationship), relying on trade of goods, technology, and energy. The Air people are great builders, while the Earth people are great miners and workers, both relying on each other for their regions to properly function. The Earth region is governed by a Mayor in each city which is democratically elected (he controlls only the cities), The representative of the whole Earth region is The Premier, which is also democratically elected by each person from each city. The Earth region also has a parlament which the Premier is the head of (the Parlament is located in Onu-Koro, current Premier is Onepu). Onua (then Korgot) was just another citizen of the Earth Republic before he became a Toa.
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The Air region government is a technocratic/plutocractic one, where decision-makers are selected on the basis of technological knowledge and influence due to technological knowledge. In the Air region the main leaders are taken from one of many influential houses (which got influential from their technology, scientists, and general media influence). Vizuna comes from one of those houses, a smaller house which would try to use now Lewa as a jumpstart to their houses rise to power (you can add that into the civil war aspect, and have something like that maybe possibly sour the long standing good relations between the Earth and Air regions).
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Have Gali (then Kivoda) be a priestess in her region, one of her friends being Hahli which is a scholar or teacher .The Water people are a matriachal society that venorates knowledge, beauty, and music. Their governments they have what is called āHead Motherā of each city which is elected based on the womens role in society, creativity, knowledge, wisdom, popularity, and contribution to society (current ruler of Ga-Koro is Maku, from Ga-Koto is Vishola) . What sets them appart form the Fire dudes is that they dont elect a main representative, rather they only have a council with each Head Mother of the cities representing them equaly on hte council (Council of Mothers). Each city is well known for specific crafts (Ga-Koro for Artwork and music and is the sorta the religious capital of the water region (known as the Pearl of the Sea) having a lot of temples for each and every Toa spirit ( largest being for the Great Mother Spirit, Gali) , Ga-Koto for the archived knowledge and University, Ga-Wahi is known as the Trading hub similar to Venice, Ga-karda is for Fishing and is the main food suply city of the region).
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The Stone region has direct trading connections with the Water region, and the Water region relies on the Stones Architects and crafters, while Stone region relies on the Water region food suply. The Stone region is a Socialist society, everyone contributing to the society and theres only community ownership. Their society is essentially a copy of the Quarians from Mass Effect, down to the pilgrimage ritual that Nilkuu journeyed out of his home region (which is why he later encountered and became friends with Izotor (Kopaka)). It is said that contributing back to the society is what keeps the Stone regions people alive in the harsh region. Their soceity also migrates based on the current climate of the region, and as such dont have many places at once, rather hold together in large built cities of stone which they migrate from city to city each time a massive environment change happens. Pohatu being in good relations with each Toa stems from his upbringing in his society and due to previously meeting everyone of the Toa before they became Toa (some he knew more well than others, best relationships would be with Kopaka, Lewa, Onua. With Gali he would have a neutral opinion, but the worst would be with Tahu due to Tahus brash behavior). Transportation vehicles and rahi are greatly protected since the society relies on them to migrate from city to city. The person with the Spirit of Pohatu was usually picked to be the head representative of the collective (since they see the collective as part and one with the spirit of Pohatu), being one that created some of the seasonal city locationsā¦but only during calamity periods (again Stone region appart from the Fire one is one of the most deadliest on the Planet, like Mad Max: Fury road but way harsher varied deadly weather, this is cause its the closest to the Lightning everstorm in which somewhere the Lightning region is located).
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The Lightning region is self sufficient, highly advance, and isolationist society. It is essentially a dictatorship, governed by a Totalitarian ruler that has all the control over the society, down to the control of the police and the people. Voriki (then Takua) is a lucky one that escaped this place (which had a childhood friend that worked as a spy that told her about the surfaceā¦long story short, the friend dies and Takua bairly escapes with her own life) . The existence of the Lightning region is unknown to other tribes, but the Lightning region has been slowly building up its army for the time it was isolated from everyone (also has the best spies or ninjas, been well at stealing technology and knowledge from places like the Air and Water regions). Imagine the Yiga clan from Zelda, if they were more competent, secret, and if it was a totalitarian Police state. They are the first be controlled by Makuta after the ruler is killed and replaced by a copy of him (sorta like in Metru Nui with Turaga Dumeā¦well heck just make Dume the ruler of this place and call him Emperor Dume). The regular lightning people dont know of the true existence of the surface world appart from the very few spies and ninjas that go out from it and retrieve important information for the Empire. What they know of is a Void-ish realm beneath them that they need to be ever vigilant of and ever prepared to guard from orattackā¦which is ironic given the fact that they are the ones that will later be the first to be controlled by a Void-ish figure of Makuta. Voriki will have a hard time freeing her people during the civil war, but she will also be crutial in the end of the civil war.
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Essentially its like this:
Earth Republic
Air Technocracy
Water Hegemony
Fire Confederation
Ice Kingdom
Lightning Empire (cause the rulling dude likes to call it that way)