List of places in BIONICLE

This is a list of places in the BIONICLE universe.

Overview

Most of the events in BIONICLE take place in two major locations: Spherus Magna and the Matoran Universe. Spherus Magna was a planet inhabited by the humanoid Agori and Glatorian, as well as by a mysterious race of scientist-kings known as the Great Beings. As a result of a planet-wide conflict over a substance leaking from the core, the planet split into three bodies in an event known as the Shattering. However, before this took place, the Great Beings built a gargantuan robot known as the Great Spirit Robot, created an artificial consciousness known as Mata Nui to control it, and launched it into space with the mission of observing alien cultures and eventually returning to reform Spherus Magna. Inhabited by biomechanical workers such as Matoran and Toa, the Great Spirit Robot contained a series of domed caverns with landmasses inside of them, all of which were connected by the Silver Sea; this internal environment is known as the Matoran Universe. For the most part, beings inside of the Matoran Universe did not know they were inside a robot, and were not meant to ever leave it. Although beings from the Matoran Universe did accidentally find ways out of the robot and onto the surface of one of Spherus Magna's fragments, they never realised the nature of the Great Spirit Robot.

The following are known differences between the Matoran Universe and Spherus Magna:

• Lifeforms: All Matoran Universe beings are biomechanical with very few exceptions, having been created by the Great Beings. They do not reproduce biologically and do not experience love. However, beings from Spherus Magna are organic by nature and have mechanical parts implanted into them. As they are organic, they do in fact reproduce biologically and are capable of love.

• Composition of objects: Virtually everything in the Matoran Universe, from inanimate objects to the bodies of living beings, is made of some form of Protodermis, whereas most objects on Spherus Magna are not composed of the substance.

• Sky: The Matoran Universe had a false sky obscuring the fact that there is a ceiling above, and in Metru Nui's dome there were twin Sun Holes that functioned as Mata Nui's eyes that light could shine through. The sky of Metru Nui also had stars that were electrical representations of Mata Nui's thoughts. On the other hand, the sky of Spherus Magna and its fragments is comparable to that of Earth.

Matoran Universe

Major Places

Mata Nui

The island of Mata Nui

Named after the Great Spirit, Mata Nui was a tropical island on the surface of the Aqua Magna fragment of Spherus Magna. When the city of Metru Nui, located in the Great Spirit Robot's head, was destroyed in the Great Cataclysm, the Toa Metru fled and discovered this island on the planet's surface. After rescuing Metru Nui's inhabitants from the Visorak and evacuating them there, they became Turaga and led the Matoran in settling villages. The Matoran would live on the island for a thousand years, despite frequent attacks by such threats as Rahi, Bohrok, and Rahkshi, all of which were summoned or controlled by Makuta Teridax. After Teridax was defeated by the Toa Nuva and Takanuva, the path to Metru Nui was reopened, and the Matoran left Mata Nui to repopulate their old home. After this, the Bohrok cleansed the island, reducing it to a desert; it was destroyed when Mata Nui awoke and the Great Spirit Robot stood up on Aqua Magna.

Metru Nui

Metru Nui was an island city located in the head of the Great Spirit Robot, and was one of the most vital locations in the Matoran Universe. It was the original home of about a thousand Matoran prior to their immigration to Mata Nui. Metru Nui was devastated by the Great Cataclysm and the following Visorak invasion, but the Matoran returned after a thousand years and all damage done to Metru Nui was reversed by the Staff of Artakha. After Mata Nui awoke and Teridax was able to seize control of the Great Spirit Robot from him, Mata Nui took control of a prototype Great Spirit Robot and the two dueled on the Bara Magna fragment of Spherus Magna. During this, the head of the Great Spirit Robot was impacted by a fragment of Aqua Magna, and Metru Nui was reduced to ruins.

Voya Nui

Voya Nui was once a region of the Southern Continent in the Matoran Universe, but during the Great Cataclysm it broke off from the mainland, punched through the surface of its dome and the Great Spirit Robot, and eventually came to rest on the surface of Aqua Magna. A number of Matoran had been sent to Voya Nui from the realm of Karzahni (see below) when it was still part of the Southern Continent, and those who survived the Great Cataclysm lived there for about 1000 years. Unknown to the Matoran, a powerful Mask of Life was also hidden on Voya Nui, under the Mount Valmai volcano. The island came under attack by a group of Piraka who wanted the mask, but when it was discovered by the Toa Inika and the Piraka, the Mask of Life flew across the island and fell into the ocean. After being transformed by the mutagenic waters surrounding Voya Nui, the Toa Inika (now Toa Mahri) were able to sever the stone cord keeping Voya Nui on the surface of Aqua Magna and returned it to its place in the Southern Continent.

Mahri Nui after sinking into the ocean

Mahri Nui

Mahri Nui was once a city on Voya Nui that sank into the sea. Though the city and its Matoran inhabitants continued to survive underwater thanks to air bubbles they harvested from an underwater plant, they were constantly besieged by a group of warlords called Barraki. Mahri Nui was destroyed when Voya Nui sank back to its place on the Southern Continent, with its Matoran evacuating and rejoining the Voya Nui community.

Karda Nui

Karda Nui is a vast cave located beneath the Southern Continent's dome. Known as the Universe Core or the "World that Feeds the World", it was the primary power source of the Matoran Universe and the "heart" of the Great Spirit Robot. When Voya Nui broke off from the Southern Continent, a waterfall containing water from Aqua Magna flooded Karda Nui, creating a mutagenic swamp on the cave floor. The most important feature of Karda Nui was the Codrex, a metallic sphere structure; when the Mask of Life was placed inside during a Brotherhood of Makuta invasion of the cave, Mata Nui was reawakened.

Other places

Artakha

The Matoran spoke of legends of a "Great Refuge" where no darkness could enter and where one could work safe from harm. Although it was thought Artakha was just a legend, it did in fact exist. An island under the rule of a being also named Artakha, it was home to some of the world's most accomplished Matoran builders and crafters.

Daxia

Daxia

Daxia was home to the Order of Mata Nui's secret headquarters. A dangerous and blisteringly hot island, most of Daxia's features are hidden from unknowing visitors. When Teridax took over the Great Spirit Robot, he leveled the island, killing many Order members in the process.

Destral

Destral was the Brotherhood of Makuta's base of operations. It was dominated by the Brotherhood fortress complex and was equipped with traps and hidden weapons intended to catch intruders. Destral had a large supply of Energized Protodermis and was unique in that it had a device that allowed it to teleport around the Matoran Universe. The Order of Mata Nui eventually discovered the island, however, and it was in ruins soon afterward.

Karzahni

While legends stated that good workers would be sent to Artakha, they said that poor workers would be condemned to live in a nightmarish realm shrouded in darkness. This land was known as Karzahni, named after its despotic ruler. Karzahni was originally intended to be a temporary home for Matoran where they could be fixed and returned to their homeland; however, Karzahni was incapable of fixing the Matoran as required, and instead shipped many of them off to Voya Nui on the Southern Continent. Karzahni was eventually leveled by Toa Nuva Gali, and the Matoran stranded there were brought back to Metru Nui.

Odina

Odina

Odina was the headquarters of the Dark Hunters. Once inhabited, the Shadowed One and "Ancient" killed off the natives and made it the home of their organisation. Odina was far from any trade routes and had no neighboring lands; the Hunters believed the location of their sanctuary to be unknown to all outsiders.

Odina is characterised by the sheer cliffs on all sides of the island; there is only one passage down to "Nidhiki Beach", named for the noted traitor as this was the spot where he was mutated. These cliffs only add to the defenses of the death-trap-filled Dark Hunter fortress and training grounds, which take up most of the island's southern region.

At one point the Toa Nuva successfully infiltrated Odina, and while there Pohatu used his power over stone to perform a timed attack on the fortress, causing it to crumble to dust after they left. After this, the Hunters attempted to rebuild the fortress, but they eventually moved their base to operations to Xia instead.

Odina was overrun with Rahkshi when Teridax took control of the Great Spirit Robot.

Southern Islands

Two island chains each located in one of the legs of the Great Spirit Robot, the Southern Islands are largely barren and have not been unexplored by Matoran. Among the inhabitants of the islands are Botar's species, Keetongu's species, and Tahtorak. Makuta Miserix was also imprisoned on the island of Artidax, located in the western chain, for some time.

The Pit

The Pit after being flooded

The Pit was the place where the Order of Mata Nui banished the Matoran Universe's most vile beings and traitors. It was once in a dome, but the Great Cataclysm caused it to flood, exposing the Pit to the ocean of Aqua Magna and allowing the prisoners to escape. However, the salt water of the ocean combined with energy radiating from the Great Spirit Robot mutated the escapees into aquatic forms. This allowed the prisoners to survive but, as they were no longer able to breathe air, they could not escape to the surface, so the sea effectively became an extension of the Pit. When the Mask of Life fell into the ocean beneath Voya Nui, a group of Pit prisoners known as the "Barraki", once rulers of much of the the Matoran Universe hunted for the mask in hopes it would allow them to breathe air again. However, the Toa Mahri were able to retrieve the mask, and Matoro used it to revive the dying Mata Nui, sacrificing his life in the process.

The Pit was later repaired with the Staff of Artakha, and was once again used as a prison by the Order of Mata Nui. When Mata Nui defeated Teridax on Bara Magna, he undid the mutations of the Pit's prisoners and enabled them to breathe air.

Xia

Xia was the homeland of Roodaka and her people, lean black-armored weaponsmiths called the Vortixx. The female Vortixx were the rulers of Xia; they were the managers and product designers, and the only ones allowed to travel from the island. The males performed all the physical labor.

Xia's most prominent feature was a sentient peak known only as "The Mountain". The Mountain reacted to climbers by opening crevasses under them and swallowing them whole. It has become a rite of passage for two Vortixx, one male and one female, to climb up the Mountain and back. Pairs that succeeded were rewarded; individuals that succeeded at the expense of their partner were rewarded to an even greater extent. Beyond the Mountain, Xia was completely industrialized, covered by weapons factories and warehouses. There was no clean air and no fresh water, as the factories completely polluted both.

Xia was once ruled by Pridak, who chose it to be the center of weapons production for his kingdom. After he and the other leaders of the League of Six Kingdoms were banished to the Pit, Xia continued producing weapons for whomever was willing to buy. The most prominent buyer came to be the Brotherhood of Makuta, particularly in the form of battle rams and other siege engines for the Visorak armies. The Vortixx also invented Cordak Blasters and Zamor launchers. When the Kanohi Dragon was deported from Metru Nui, it was relocated to Xia; Roodaka said that "In your city, this is a monster. On my island, it is ... an ill-tempered pet." A fight eventually broke out between the Kanohi Dragon and the Tahtorak, badly damaging many buildings there.

The Dark Hunters eventually occupied Xia in an attempt to halt the production of weapons for the Brotherhood of Makuta; it later became the organisation's primary base of operations.

Zakaz

Zakaz

Zakaz was once a beautiful island with advanced cities and abundant resources. Its people, the Skakdi, lived in relative peace with their neighbors. Then, the Brotherhood of Makuta interfered: Spiriah arrived 75,000 years ago and began tampering with the Skakdi, giving them elemental and vision powers in an attempt to make them soldiers. He then left the island under the eye of the Visorak, but the Skakdi overthrew them and began fighting each other. Zakaz became nothing more than a wasteland, with the remaining Skakdi fighting over what little remained on the island; the only non-cambat zone was the island's central water source. The Brotherhood banned all ship travel to Zakaz as a result of this, one of their only decisions the Order of Mata Nui concurred with. The Piraka, a group of Dark Hunters who defected to quest for the Mask of Life, were from Zakaz.

In addition to Skakdi, Zakaz was home to a number of Tahtorak, whom the Skakdi used as mounts. Highly intelligent, the Tahtorak did not take kindly to this, and one dying specimen revealed to an Order of Mata Nui member that they planned to strike at the Skakdi when the time is right. The Barraki Ehlek and his species was also native to the seas surrounding Zakaz.

When the Skakdi warlord Nektann defected to Teridax after he had taken control of the Great Spirit Robot, the Toa Mahri traveled there to find the now-mutated Piraka. They discovered a cavern containing Energized Protodermis where a group Skakdi fused the Piraka, a Zyglak, a Vortixx, and a worker-class inhabitant of Stelt into a large golden-skinned being.

Zakaz was overrun by Rahkshi during Teridax's reign in an attempt to pacify the Skakdi; the Skakdi under Nektann's command left for the Southern Islands soon afterward.

Zone of Darkness

The Zone of Darkness is a pocket dimension where no light exists, and is the home of the fearsome Zivon. It is known by various other names, including the "Zone of Shadows" and "Field of Shadows". Kahgarak can use their Rhotuka spinners to open gates to this Zone, either to summon the Zivon or to banish enemies; Krahka and the Tahtorak that rampaged across Metru Nui were sent to the Zone of Darkness with the Zivon, but they escaped to Voya Nui when Brutaka opened a dimensional gate to the Zone.

Unnamed Locations

Several other locations have been mentioned in passing in relation to major characters:

• The Shadowed One's homeland was "a land of shadows and ice". It was a peaceful society until the Dark Hunter codenamed "Ancient" rebelled against the codes of behavior, offering his services to whomever could pay; leaders hired him to crush their enemies and the land entered a civil war.
• On Keetongu's homeland in the Southern Islands, Keetongu's race used Tahtorak as mounts. Keetongu's race is all but extinct now, and he is the only remaining member of his species.
• Nocturn was banished to the Pit when he destroyed his home island in a fit of rage.
• The lands conquered by the Visorak include the homelands of Dark Hunters Firedracax and "Primal".
• The Dark Hunters codenamed "Conjurer" and "Tyrant" ruled their own lands.
• The Dark Hunter codenamed "Guardian" came from an island in the midst of civil war. Different tribes battle against each other, most likely for greater power. At least two tribes carry Rhotuka launchers.
• The Order of Mata Nui Agent that would come to be known as Tobduk resided on an island where the Visorak were created; they were then released on the island, and only a few of its inhabitants escaped. One was Tobduk, and when he was discovered by the Order of Mata Nui he was given his current name, which means "survivor" in Matoran. Meanwhile, Tobduk's home island was named Visorak as a result of the destruction they had caused there.

Spherus Magna

Spherus Magna was a lush planet home to the Great Beings, Glatorian, and Agori. Spherus Magna's six main tribes were once each ruled over by an Element Lord, warriors modified by the Great Beings. When a substance known as Energized Protodermis was found leaking from Spherus Magna's core, a war broke out that culminated in the planet splitting into three bodies: Bara Magna, Aqua Magna, and Bota Magna. However, before "The Shattering" took place, the Great Beings created a Great Spirit Robot and sent it into space on a mission to learn about alien cultures and eventually to reform Spherus Magna. After 100,000 years, the planet was successfully reformed, and the inhabitants of the Matoran Universe united with those of Spherus Magna.

The Shattering

Bara Magna

After the Shattering, most of the Agori and Glatorian were stranded on Bara Magna, literally translating to "Great Barren" in Agori. In an attempt to carve out a living in the desert wasteland, the Glatorian and Agori developed a system of resolving tribal disputes in which fighters from each tribe fought in the arena to determine the winner. This system worked well until the Skrall were driven from the homeland in the north of Bara Magna by shapeshifting robots known as Baterra. The Skrall settled in a village known as Roxtus and joined the Arena System, winning every fight. When Mata Nui was placed in the Mask of Life and banished from the Great Spirit Robot by Teridax, he landed on Bara Magna. Joining together with a band of Glatorian and Agori, he was able to defeat Tuma, the last remaining leader of the Skrall. With the Agori reunited as one tribe, they reassembled a failed prototype version of the Great Spirit Robot and Mata Nui took control of it to pull back Aqua and Bota Magna to Bara Magna, hoping to reunite Spherus Magna. However, Teridax realised Mata Nui was doing this and flew to Bara Magna to stop him. In a gigantic showdown, Teridax was defeated and Spherus Magna was reformed. Using his last bits of power, Mata Nui reforested the wasteland of Bara Magna before entering a dormant state in the Mask of Life.

Bota Magna

Bota Magna was one of the three main fragments of Spherus Magna. A forested body, it was home to last remaining intelligent Vorox. It was eventually recombined with Bara and Aqua Magna.

Aqua Magna

Aqua Magna was another of the three main remains of Spherus Magna. Completely covered in an ocean, the Great Spirit Robot crash landed there during the Great Cataclysm. As was the case when the Great Spirit Robot landed on planets to observe their culture, an island formed over the robot's head, which would later be inhabited by the Matoran of Metru Nui and named Mata Nui. Additionally, when the Great Cataclysm occurred, a piece of the Southern Continent known as Voya Nui rocketed up through the body of the Great Spirit Robot and came to rest in Aqua Magna's ocean; a piece of this new island that was home to the village of Mahri Nui would later sink beneath the waves. A Matoran Universe prison known as the Pit was also flooded during the Great Cataclysm, allowing the criminals held there to escape into the ocean beneath Mahri Nui, where natural energy radiating from the robot contaminated the waters and mutated them.

When Mata Nui finally awoke, the Great Spirit Robot finally stood up again, destroying the island of Mata Nui in the process. However, Teridax was then able to take control of the robot, forcing the spirit of Mata Nui into the Mask of Life and launching it into space. After Mata Nui took control of a prototype version of the Great Spirit Robot on Bara Magna, Teridax left Aqua Magna to battle him on the barren world. During this battle, a fragment of Aqua Magna crashed into the Great Spirit Robot's head, killing Teridax. The rest of the body was recombined with Bara and Bota Magna.

References

General information comes from the BIONICLE: World guidebook.

External links

• Locations page on BS01 Wiki, which contains detailed entries of each location