#finally dug it back up and nui’s not even in it help

[mtbluecat]

“now, let the world be silenced.”

#shiraluamonth day 7 (fall) — originally posted on twitter feb 7 (16 days remaining until en release)

[writerfromtheshore]

MorbuVir-04: A Bionicle Coronavirus Story

Brander picked through the remaining pieces of his forge. He realistically knew he wouldn’t find much, but a part of him hoped for anything salvageable within the wreck. He was going to have to start over— but to have some pile of tools, scraps, anything really would help him better set up anew.

Around him, other Ta-Matoran dug through other parts of the building, looking for anything salvageable underneath the tons of protodermic bricks and rubble. Kapura picked tediously, while Keahi and a few others dug through other points of the collapsed building.

“Time to move on,” said the Matoran heading the scavenging party. Picking themselves up off the rubble, they climbed to the ground to regroup. A salvage cart stood nearby, a small pile of things they had found resting within it. The remnants of his previous Ta-Metru forge had completely collapsed in on itself. Brander thought they would have come up with more, but the damage to the old forge was considerable.

“This is not bad,” said Keahi to Brander as they walked. The director of the scavengers lead back to their work center, hoping to get back before the changing of the shift.

“I would still like more,” Brander replied. “It is going to be hard to know what I still need to set up anew.”

“Toa Lhikan will defeat the Morbuzahk soon,” assured Keahi. “and you will be back in a forge before you know it, and it will be like this never happened.”

“Let’s hustle!” said the head Matoran. The two broke off their conversation there and marched forward with him, back to the heart of Ta-Metru.

However the sounds of scavenging still rang from the pile. Junk slipped and fell, bricks shifted. The director looked around in annoyance. “I thought I said let’s—“ he began to bark. His voice died in his throat though. His eyes lit up in horror at what he saw.

The rest of the Matoran turned to see what was paralyzing the head scavenger, only to wish they hadn’t. The pile of rubble was shifting, giving way as something from below pushed through. The pile fell wayside as something slithered out of it. Small bits of metal and brick caught onto it and dropped to the ground as one, two, up to half a dozen dark green and brown tentacles emerged from the ground.

“Morbuzahk!” called Keahi. “Run!”

Even though they had no audio receptors, the vines seemed to snap at the sound of their name. They shot in the direction of the Matoran, reaching for the little legs of the foragers as they tried to run away.

Blasts of energy cut the vines short. Vahki Nuurahk swept down from the skies, launching a steady stream of energy bolts from their staffs and Kanoka blasts. The vines recoiled upon being struck with the energy, and writhed as multiple Kanoka powers rippled through its form. The squad of Vahki enforcers had been waiting on the outskirts of the ruins to overwatch the Matoran as they worked, and waited silently for something to happen. Now this was their chance to hop into action.

The vines writhed in the air before slamming themselves down on the pavement. The mini bioquakes the tremors produced shook the group of Matoran, throwing them on their backs. Picking themselves up, they continued to run.

The ground began to crack around them. The Ta-Matoran yelled in horror as they saw more vines burst out of the ground. Readying their Kanoka launchers, Brander and the others fired discs of their own. However, they misfired, and the vines, sensing their prey, dodged the discs and made a straight shot for the scavengers.

Brander found himself pinned, the vine having wrapped itself around him like a Doom Viper. Like his brothers around him, he struggled and squirmed as the Morbuzahk dragged them away from the Vahki. The enforcers had noticed the second group of vines, but were too busy fighting the group by the ruins of Brander’s forge to be any help. Brander look around, straining his muscles as he fought to free himself…

The vine went limp, and suddenly he was running again. Another Nuurahk had sliced down on the vine, severing it from its other limbs. More Vahki had done the same for the other Ta-Matoran, and were now peppering either party of vines relentlessly with bouts of energy. Brander, Keahi, Kapura and the rest watched the battle with a mix of fear and awe.

It took some time, but soon the vines were either severed or retreating. The area grew still with the threat defeated. Brander and the others breathed a sigh of relief for a moment, grateful for the breath in their lungs. That moment was quickly gone however, as the Vahki all swarmed upon the Ta-Matoran, taking scans and chirping amongst themselves.

Brander looked down as the light of the Nuurahk scanned his body. His arm was damaged, he saw. The Morbuzahk had squeezed him so tightly that it had collapsed the armor. More than that, the muscle was exposed and swollen, and there was something on there that he could not identify. Not dirt, but some green-blue spore seemed to be spotting all over the exposed muscle. Worry began to flood him as he began to look for other damages in his armor. First his forge gone, now his arm busted! How could Mata Nui send him through such punishment?

Apparently he was the only one whom had received such damage. The Nuurahk led the others back their homes in Ta-Metru, while one picked him up and began to fly him elsewhere.

***

The scope of the Ga-Matoran’s Akaku looked over the muscle in his arm. Brander waited impatiently as she carved various notes on the tablet she carried, sharing none of them with the Ta-Matoran. The dented armor and injured forearm was something Brander could easily repair himself; the spores on his arm however were something that needed to be answered, and the sooner the better.

“What are they?” he finally said.

“The Morbuzahk has touched you, hasn’t it,” said the doctor. Brander nodded.

“I have seen several cases of this,” said the doctor. “These vines that are creeping through the city… every Matoran they have touched have come to me with these spores. We are still studying what it is and what the effects are, but the vines have left these spores on every Matoran they have come in contact with.”

“What do the spores do?” asked Brander, nervousness running through his system.

“Nothing fatal,” said the doctor, giving a smile. “Rest assured that this will not kill you. However, it will plague you a bit. Some have reported a burning. Some have reported the need to scratch our muscular tissues… I believe the term for it is ‘itching’.”

“Neither of those sound good,” Brander said. “I need to get rid of this, sister. Doctor. Please.”

“Cold seems to be an effective way to combat this,” said the Ga-Matoran. “What I want you to do is go to a private bath here in Ga-Metru. The Vahki Bordahk have set up a station in the northeast sector for just this purpose. Show them the insignia I will give you and they will see to it that you have a cleansing bath. Other than that, try not to itch and take it easy on the arm. If you work the arm too much it will inflame these spores.”

Brander looked at her. Not use his arms, his hands? He needed to get a forge back up and running. He needed to get back to his duty. How could he not do his job?

***

Brander fumbled as he strapped on his tool belt with a struggle. Even though he could still use the isolator cast equipment— which he and many of the Ta-Matoran were calling an “ice” cast— it was about as maneuverable as a Po-Matoran carving field.

Brander was so occupied with the securing of his tool belt that he did not notice the Vahki standing outside of his door until he bumped right into it. “Oh! G-Good morning, Vahki Nuurahk!” he cried. “I swore I was running on time, I am heading to work, it’s just this belt won’t go on—“

“Matoran unit designation ‘Brander’,” said the Vahki. This enforcer, a delegation model, had specifically been given speech protocols. Two backup Vahki stood behind it. Brander swallowed as he acknowledged his designation. “Your recent travel logs have shown your visits to Ga-Matoran doctors. There you have been diagnosed with recent Morbuzahk infection.”

The Vahki said nothing more, simply handing him a tablet.

Citizen Brander,

You have been recently diagnosed with a new infection. This infection’s origins, the Morbuzahk, are a largely unstudied case. The recent spread of spore infections from Morbuzahk plant life have cause alarm in your district.

Due to the spread of this Morbuzahk spore infection, we are requiring all documented infected cases to quarantine for a minimum of two weeks. This is to isolate the infection and prevent further spread of sickness within your district. We apologize for the inconvenience, but it is for the safety of the Metru.

Thank you for your compliance

Yours in Duty,

Turaga Dume and health board of Metru Nui.

Quarantine.

The word jumped from the letter out at the Ta-Matoran. His plans for the day, his work…

“I am in discussions about acquiring a new forge!” he protested to the Vahki. “I can’t miss an appointment I have today! I am not feeling sick, I am fine! I promise!”

The Vahki he addressed shook its head, while the backups glowered menacingly. One of the backup’s Staff of Command crackled to life.

“You have made your point,” Brander agreed. “I can stay home for a few days.”

***

The day went. Brander watched it from the behind the window looking out from his home. He had sent a messenger to alert any future appointments of his condition, and now he was sitting in his home ridden with anxiety. The city of Ta-Metru, and the larger Metru Nui, was a rapid pace environment. If you missed a day of work, you missed a lot of what was going on. Because he could not make the appointment to secure a new forge, the land could be instead developed into a factory outpost, a warehouse… a number of things. He would have to accept his losses, but it would take some time to process.

Brander looked around at his home. He could do some work here— draft designs for tools and send messages— but that was about it. Most of what he needed was at his forge…that he did not have anymore.

He frowned as he looked around his hut. This was going to be a long two weeks.

***

Thrill coursed through Brander’s mind as he walked the streets of Ta-Metru for the first time in a fortnight. He walked through the sights of the factories, the smell of smoke and metal, feeling the heat of the district around him… he must have looked like a tourist, but he did not care. He was just glad to be outside of the four walls of his home. He had spent days in there, awaiting the day he could get back to furthering his work. He was ready to get out there and back into the business of the Metru.

And yet… Ta-Metru did not seem that busy. There were carts and airships on their way to places, yes, and the sound of clanging metal came from some of nearby forges… but silence hung heavy in the long moments between those sounds. It seemed as if the district were emptier. This was how he imagined another district might feel— maybe Po-Metru or one of the industrial sections of Ga-Metru— but not the heart of the Ta-Metru forge district.

“Long time no see, hammer head,” came a voice. Brander whirled to see Keahi strolling down the street. Brander smiled, offering his fist to clank with Keahi. The Ta-Matoran grimaced, simply nodding.

“No offense, but I don’t think that is a good idea,” Keahi told him. Brander frowned, confused. “You have clearly missed a lot during your quarantine.”

“I am headed to a follow up appointment at a Ga-Metru doctor,” said Brander. “Fill me in on the way to the chute station?”

Brander reeled as he thought about what Keahi had told him. The Morbuzahk was gone, but this virus it had spread was turning into something far worse. From the sound of it more Matoran were going into quarantine by the day. Brander had sent out messages in his isolation, but there were many Matoran whose houses were dark and had not been heard from. To add to that, Toa Lhikan had gone missing, there were rumors of Dark Hunters being spotted in the city…

“If you want some good news though,” Keahi said, trying to make light of the scenario. “Vakama hasn’t been heard or seen lately— last anyone heard of him he was on urgent business weeks ago to Ga-Metru. His forge has been vacant. I am sure that the Vahki wouldn’t mind if you started working from there.”

Brander’s eyebrows raised. He liked the sound of that. Vakama had a state-of-the-art mask making forge. While Brander was not as learned in all of the tools the premier mask maker might have, he was sure he could make his way around.

***

“It hasn’t spread,” said Brander as doctor inspected his arm. “The itching stopped.”

The doctor nodded. “But it hasn’t gone away.”

“It hasn’t spread either though,” Brander reminded the Ga-Matoran. She said nothing for a moment, then peeked again at the flesh under his armor.

“I am approving you for work release,” the doctor said. “You can go back to forging, but I would like you to apply ice to it every morning before work, and every evening after you arrive home.”

Brander thanked the doctor for her time, already thinking of Vakama’s forge calling his name.

***

A few weeks later

The mask of Turaga Dume appeared on displays all over the city. Matoran paused in their work, Brander included, to pay attention to what their leader had to say.

“Matoran of Metru Nui. You are required to gather at the Coliseum,” Dume’s voice boomed through every telescreen. His voice echoed throughout every Metru. He smiled for a moment before the broadcast ended and the screen went blank.

Brander stood with his hammer in hand in what once was Vakama’s forge, having paused to listen to the city-wide message. The Turaga’s words echoed in his mind. This was an executive order, a message to all of the Matoran in Metru Nui. But was it safe to gather together, the Ta-Matoran wondered, even with this virus spreading so easily amongst them?

The knock of the Vahki on the door answered that question. Setting his hammer down, Brander turned low the flame on the forge and went to meet the Turaga’s summons.

Masses of Ta-Matoran filled the streets as they seemingly obediently made their way towards the Coliseum. Brander followed the crowd filing towards the city’s center, keeping his doubts of the safety of this to himself.

Vahki stood posted along the walkways near the entrance of the Coliseum, their audio receptors eavesdropping on the Matoran whom made their way through. Some chatted innocently to each other, catching up with their seldom seen friends, while others murmured about their concerns.

“Something’s going on,” one Matoran insisted. Others nodded in agreement. Why else would the Turaga ask them to gather so hastily? they supposed.

“What could it be though?” asked another worker. Had the Dark Hunters been caught? Or was it something else happening in the city that had caused the summons?

One of the robotic guardians chirped, its staff crackling menacingly with energy. Any further speculation would have to wait, the Matoran knew, until they were seated in the stands and safe from the Vahki.

Although there were still large groups of Matoran filing in, Brander could not help but think that the stadium seating of the Coliseum felt empty. Many Matoran were reported to have been taken by the Morbuzahk, its vines having grabbed citizens in the streets and dragged them off to the unknown places.

Brander had thought that the rumors had been exaggerated… but looking at the gaps in the upper levels of the stadium seating, he was beginning to wonder if word spread were actually true.

Brander’s attention was diverted to the floor of the arena, where swarms of vehicles crawled into view. Vahki were seen in the pilot seats, with a few Matoran accomplices guiding them on the arena floor. These vehicles had been seen throughout the city in recent weeks, but no details had come out about what they really were. The Ta-Matoran supposed that this was the big reveal.

“Faithful citizens,” rang the voice of Dume from atop his position on the Coliseum tower. He had clearly not brought the Matoran together for an akinili match. “Our city has been plagued with misfortune for a number of months now. We have experienced the disappearance of our beloved Toa Lhikan and the rest of the Toa Mangai. We have been plagued by the the Morbuzahk and its disease spread amongst you, our citizens. We have been harassed by the six imposters calling themselves Toa, but battling our Vahki in disastrous battles that have damaged our streets.”

The events have caused tensions in each of your neighborhood. They have caused battle and destruction in your streets. They have brought fear into your recent history.”

Agreement in the form of murmurs waved through the crowd of the gathered Metruans.

“However, we gather to rejoice!” exclaimed the Turaga of Fire from his position on the Coliseum tower. “For today will be a momentous climax to your history.”

The numerous vehicles had filled the hexagonal tiled floor of the Coliseum. Vahki pilots and Matoran assistants were now bringing out silver pods from the vehicles, placing them on the ground. Many of the crowd patrons recognized them— just like the vehicles, these odd spheres had been sighted around the city without any explanation as to what they were or what they did.

“The Vahki enforcers have worked strong and hard to protect you,” Dume continued. “The scientists of our esteemed staff, your neighbors and friends, have been working tirelessly in labs and foundries helping combat this virus the Morbuzahk has brought upon our city. Today I gather you all to announce that a cure has been found!”

Applause rippled through the stadium, Brander himself clapping in celebration. Around him, others were on their feet, shouting with joy. Had it really happened? He wanted to hear more of what the Turaga had to say.

Once the hollering and celebrating calmed down, Dume resumed his speech, going into details about the cure. The entire population of Metru Nui would receive it today, and in two week’s time, this virus plaguing the city would be just a memory.

The telescreens cut away from Turaga Dume, refocusing on a group of Matoran at  the floor of the Coliseum. One of the spheres was in the frame with them, a door opened on it. Several diagrams cut in to the presentation as the Matoran explained how the spheres work and what they would do. A Vahki would open one and the door would slide down. The citizens would climb into the pods and close the door, they explained, and the Matoran would go into a brief stasis for a few days. The mechanics in the pod would emit a wavelength ray that would course through the Matoran occupants, which would nullify the virus if it were within their system. After that, the Matoran would be in stasis for a few days while their body absorbed the medicine that was being called the cure.

As the presentation concluded, Dume thanked the Matoran orators, as well as some of the scientists whom had developed the cure. While he did so, the thunderous cheer that had gone through the crowd earlier subsided into murmurs as some of the skeptics—mostly claustrophobic Le-Matoran— questioning this. If they were all in stasis, Metru Nui would grind to a halt for a time. Who would work the city in their absence? What would happen to the Great Spirit Mata Nui if they were all under and away from their stations?

“Test subjects have undergone this procedure, and they will be waking up within the day to resume their work,” Dume reassured those questioning. “With the assistance of the Vahki the city will be maintained while you are undergoing treatment.”

Most of the skeptics had been swayed at this point, and it was time to get the Matoran into the stadium center. Vahki appeared amongst the crowd of Matoran, beginning to usher the citizens in an orderly towards the pods.

“It is important that you cooperate with the Vahki enforcers,” Dume’s voice rolled over the crowd.

Brander found himself going along with the crowd, watching the endless stream of fellow Matoran ahead as they made their way into the arena. Many people within earshot could be heard chattering away at how excited they were for this, at how much of a relief it was. Brander said nothing aloud, merely thinking to himself as he went along in line.

A cure had been found! He should be ecstatic.

Then why didn’t he? Having already experienced the virus, he thought his body might be partially immune now. What would this cure do if he had already been through the virus? Would it work and make him stronger because of what he had been through, or would it take away all that his body had experienced? He comprehended everything that the Matoran presenters had explained but at the end of the day he was a crafter. He did not understand this.

It still didn’t stop him from worrying.  

After an eternity of thinking about it, Brander found himself at the front of the crowd. The silver spheres were ahead. Beyond them, the stadium seats almost glowed white in their emptiness, and the tower of the Coliseum reached higher above than he could fathom. Brander observed the Matoran assistants helping their brothers and sisters into the pods and then closing the door. One watching could see the pod shut, and through the little window on the door the occupant’s eyes go dark as they went into stasis-like sleep. Two Vahki came to load the pod onto one of their vehicles, while another two came to set a pod down for the next Matoran.

He wondered what would happen if he could refuse going in the pods, but Vahki monitoring on the far edge of the crowd made him feel as if he was better off not asking.

Maybe after a few days his worries would wash away, and he could return to crafting without the concerns of the virus taking up his mind. After all, it was only a few days of this stasis.

He climbed into the pod, taking the assistance of the Matoran helper. It was small in the pod. The sphere was barely big enough for him to stand in without his mask touching the ceiling. Brander had enough room to wiggle around, but he could not spread himself like he could on his sleeping pallet at home.  

The Matoran assistant nodded to him as they grabbed the latch and hoisted the door up. Brander breathed in deeply and took one look at the crowd of Matoran still waiting in line before he closed his eyes. Sleep overcame him.

As he relaxed, he began to drift off into what would be not a few days stasis but an endless slumber. His worries, and the rest of his memories, were from then on no more.

____________________

It never really made sense why the Matoran so willingly got into the capsule balls in Legends of Metru Nui. Plus there was never really any fallout with the Morbuzahk and the Matoran population-- it was just a bad guy for the Toa Metru to defeat. Plants in the real world such as poison ivy infect humans who touch it, so why can't the Morbuzahk give something to the Matoran? I took two problems and figured what I thought was a solution.

I could have written more about the life of a quarantined Matoran, but honestly I didn't want or care to. I was more concerned with overlapping the main beat, so sorry if this seems a little bare bones.

Last note: Not trying to make any vaccination agendas or anti vax or any political statement of any kind. I just wanted to write a piece that creatively blended real life with fantasy.

[sepublic]

Kardas

           The mighty dragon of flame, reputed across Okotan legend for its hot, unrelenting breath, the Kardas Dragon is a titanic rahi of massive size, having made its home and den in the present-day Region of Fire.

           A powerful beast with a disposition towards greed, during the Creation Age Kardas was feared for his occasional attacks on Okotan villages and even cities, having an unusual desire for gold and treasures that his victims usually provided for. He remained a frequent enemy of the Protectors, but eventually found his match against the Mask-Makers Ekimu and Makuta, who managed to defeat him. Following the Great Cataclysm, Kardas’ main nest was destroyed, and he forged a new one for himself in the center of the Dragons’ Den, an eternally burning field of fire whose source laid underground from a cache of coal that had been lit by the Region of Fire. Within the heart of the Dragons’ Den, Kardas inhabited an abandoned, burnt-out castle, stoking the surrounding areas’ flames with his energy breath, which had direct access to the Dragons’ Den’s fuel source from the castle’s location. The energy from Kardas’ breath catalyzed the flames, making them burn even brighter and hotter the closer they were to Kardas’ lair.

           Comforted by the absurdly high temperatures, Kardas eventually resumed his flights out across the Region of Fire, desiring to explore the new landscape crafted by the Great Cataclysm. His eye for gold, shiny objects, and other treasures once more attracted him to many abandoned, scattered villages, with what few inhabitants he encountered too wounded from the Great Cataclysm to fight back. Kardas went on a rampage, seizing several troves of gold, treasure, and jewels, but his most prized trophies were Masks of Power, whose energy he could sense from afar.

A wide variety of Masks of Power and other Life Automatons, buried and scattered throughout the Region of Fire, were gathered and scavenged by Kardas’ treasure-seeking nose, and brought back to his lair to be compiled into a massive hoard that he regularly slept upon, the heat of his body frequently melting his treasures into a precious mound for himself. Only Masks of Power and a few other Life Automatons could withstand the sheer temperatures of Kardas’ nest, and they were hoarded most closely to Kardas’ bed within his abandoned castle.

Legend of Kardas and his frequent hunts for treasure spread across Okoto, until one day, the legendary knight and Protector of Fire, Flammik, rose to the charge. Desiring the various Masks of Power that Kardas had acquired for the Okotans, Flammik and a small army of her most trusted warriors ventured through the Dragons’ Den, fighting through Hikaki and various other animals, before finally confronting Kardas within his lair. What ensued afterwards was a fierce, unrelenting battle in which Flammik succeeded in dislodging one of Kardas’ teeth, seizing the fang for herself as a trophy alongside a few Masks of Power before retreating. Incensed by the pain in his jaw, Kardas nevertheless chose not to pursue the thieves, not wanting to risk leaving his hoard vulnerable after the losses incurred.

The legend and tale of Flammik’s battle against Kardas became enshrined in legend and on Okoto’s Wall of History, with the fang she won being put on display at the Mega-Village of Tawahi. Kardas, in turn, more closely attended to his lair, paranoid of potential intruders. He continued to go on the occasional hunt and foray out into the Region of Fire for more treasures to add to his collection, but nevertheless bore a bitter resentment towards the Tawahans.

When the Skull Spider wars began, Skull Spider attempts to access Kardas’ hoard resulted in inevitable failure, with even the most armored of Skull Spiders quickly succumbing to the heat and melting before reaching Kardas’ lair. With the threat, power, and rage of the dragon himself taken into consideration, the Brotherhood of Makuta eventually gave up on trying to access Kardas’ lair and focused efforts on scavenging elsewhere. At one point, Makuta attempted to make an ally of Kardas, the same way he had with the Nui-Jaga; However, Kardas’ memories of the Mask Hoarder’s battles against him remained etched into his brain, and the dragon furiously rejected him.

Following the Arrival of the Toa and the Okotans’ subsequent counter-attack against the Skull Spiders, attention was once more drawn to Kardas’ lair and his precious hoard, including the Masks of Power that could turn the tides in the conflict. Eventually, a group of Okotan warriors was put together, consisting of the Toa of Fire and Ice, Tahu and Kopaka, as well as their respective Protectors Narmoto and Izotor. The Tawahan Military, and a few members of the Sanctum Guard, ventured into the Dragons’ Den, with the Tawahan Military’s experience with fire and the Sanctum Guard’s access to the power of Ice helping carve a path to Kardas’ lair.

Eventually, the Okotans breached the castle and came into conflict with Kardas, who furiously defended his treasure hoard against the Okotans. Tahu and Kopaka combined their powers of Fire and Ice to defeat the dragon, eventually collapsing Kardas’ lair onto his own head while the Okotans escaped with the vast majority of his Masks of Power and Life Automatons. Combined with the cache of a rogue Digging Automaton in the Region of Earth, these Masks of Power proved instrumental in turning the tide against the Brotherhood of Makuta and allowing the Okotans to fight back.

Trapped beneath the ruins of his castle, the enraged, embittered Kardas simmered a white-hot grudge as he recovered from his wounds, desiring vengeance and to take back his lost treasures. During the Battle for the Mask of Creation, Kardas, sensing the Mask of Creation’s presence and privy to the chaos of the conflict, flew over to participate. Despite Kardas’ furious attack and attempts to seize the Mask of Creation for himself, he was eventually defeated by the combined efforts of all six Toa and their Okotan allies, who quickly felled the dragon. Once more wounded and beaten, Kardas would find himself buried underneath the eruption of the volcano containing the Mask of Creation after his Energy Breath catalyzed it, and would later be left for the dead in the ensuing chaos.

Having been defeated twice since the Arrival of the Toa, Kardas eventually dug his way out of the lava and volcanic rock and returned to his lair to lick his wounds, recovering. Following the Battle of the City of the Mask Makers and Ekimu’s awakening, Kardas eventually flew over to the city for a grudge match against the Okotans, but after coming into contact with his old foe the Mask Maker and an even stronger Okotan Alliance, was forced to retreat.

Although a legendary Rahi, Kardas’ sheer size and strength made Umarak opt not to bother hunting him down, with the Hunter planning to personally capture and absorb the dragon with the Darkness Below once it broke free of Okoto’s foundations. After Makuta possessed Umarak and unleashed the Elemental Horde upon Okoto to raze the island to its foundations, several Elemental Beasts made their way into the Dragons’ Den and came into conflict with Kardas.

Despite the dragon’s immense power, Kardas quickly found himself overwhelmed by the Elemental Beasts and was badly defeated and wounded. Following the defeat of Makuta and the shattering of the Elemental Beasts, Gali, Toa of Water, came across the wounded Kardas when travelling through the Region of Fire. Feeling sympathy for his plight, Gali gathered a team of Okotans, who managed to transport the injured beast all the way to the City of the Mask Makers, placing him within stasis as efforts were made to heal him. Currently, Kardas is still in recovery at the City of the Mask Makers. The plan is that once Kardas has recovered, the Okotans will let him go so he can return to his home in the Dragons’ Den. Hopefully, Kardas’ recent defeats, as well as the healing by the Okotans, will humble the dragon enough to prevent any future conflicts.

A colossal dragon of great strength, Kardas has a pair of powerful wings that enables him to fly through the air, as well as a long, writhing tail with a blade at the end, and several claws and spines to rend his foes with. His armored scales, colored gold, silver, and dark-blue, are nearly impenetrable, and Kardas’ powerful jaws and massive fangs, super-heated by his hot breath, are more than capable of tearing and apart and rending prey.

Of most worthy note was Kardas’ energy breath, a constantly-spewing stream of plasma-like energy. Its incredibly volatile nature allows it to catalyze and exacerbate reactions- When used against the flames of the Dragons’ Den, they were made hotter. When connected with the lava flows of the volcano containing the Mask of Creation, the Energy Breath super-heated the volcano’s core, triggering a powerful eruption that later buried Kardas. During the initial battle against Kardas within his lair, Tahu and Kopaka took advantage of these effects to collapse the castle onto the dragon.

Constantly generated within Kardas’ stomach, the Energy Breath has a unique nature in that it’s always being produced within Kardas’ internal functions- If he doesn’t regularly expel energy, it will eventually build up and explode, killing the dragon in a volatile explosion. This, combined with Kardas’ hostile and aggressive nature, contributes towards an incredibly destructive existence. From within his nest, Kardas has carved a tunnel through the abandoned castle to act as an exhaust port for his frequent bursts of Energy Breath, striking the flames surrounding his home and further igniting them to the point of plasma.

To work around this infinitely-generating issue while healing him in the City of the Mask Makers, Okotan engineers have hooked Kardas’ mouth up to a harvester that regularly absorbs his Energy Breath, converting it into power for the Okotans to use. Due to the Energy Breath’s limitless nature, some have suggested keeping Kardas in eternal stasis as a generator of clean energy for Okoto- However, due to the dragon’s dangerous nature and liability as a rampaging beast, such suggestions have quickly been shot down.

Curiously, Kardas has an affinity for gold, jewels, and various other treasures, with Masks of Power and their life energy being particularly high on his list. It is currently unknown as to why Kardas desires these sorts of things- All his recorded behavior with them has been to gather and stockpile them into massive hoards, which he occasionally sleeps upon. Many Okotan scholars have offered various theories- Some believe gold is a comfortable environment for Kardas that helps him regulate body heat, while others believe it is his way of making himself as a more attractive mate to a non-existent dragon. One explanation is that Kardas, like many Okotans, simply enjoys the perceived value and luster of gold, despite not being able to spend it, while others have even hypothesized that he eats treasure as a form of nourishment- However, Kardas has never been reported to do such a thing –although most observations are few and far-between- and is only confirmed to be carnivorous.

Inevitably, stories and fables of unknown merit have sprung up in an attempt to explain Kardas’ actions, with some legends claiming he was once a greedy king he was transformed into a destructive dragon as punishment for his avarice, while others claim Kardas is gathering treasure in the hopes of ‘buying’ his way into the Okotan pantheon. Many have speculated that Kardas himself doesn’t know, and that he is merely driven by instinct- Meaning attempts to ‘ask’ him (which would be practically impossible) are generally futile. Regardless, Kardas’ love for treasure is obvious and well-established, and in the past, many mining villages would attempt to pay Kardas tribute in the hopes of warding off further attacks, or even persuading him to destroy their enemies. Kardas’ greed, like his Energy Breath, seems to know no bounds, and attempted worshippers quickly find themselves overwhelmed by demands and eventual destruction.

Amidst his fearsome and horrific reputation, however, Kardas seems content to stay within his own nest, occasionally only going out to hunt, once his hoard has reached a certain amount. While he’ll still fly out every now and then in search for treasure, studies and legends have suggested that as his treasure hoard grows, so does the intensity, scope, and effort that goes into Kardas’ treasure hunts. This has led some Okotans to suggest appeasing him by anonymously donating gold and treasure, making sure Kardas doesn’t recognize where it’s coming from lest he go directly to the source for more, like a wild animal that has been fed by Okotans and becomes entitled towards nourishment. Overall, aside from his desire to attain and keep treasure, Kardas seems content with being left alone, a sentiment most can agree with.

[rebuiltbionicle]

Nynrah

An island in the Eastern Island Chain, home to a city of Matoran and Whovok. It was a heavily industrialised island whose inhabitants were among the finest engineers and crafters in the universe. Their skill set Nynrah up alongside Xia and Metru Nui as a trade hub and made it a focal point for local politics.

Like every other island, Nynrah’s foundations were laid by the Great Beings and built by the Matoran. Nynrah’s dome was home to an island volcano of immense size and strength, Tasulon Nui, which acted as a vent for power overloads in the GSR’s arm. Nynrah and its fellow islands therefore were not made especially habitable, and the Great Beings never expected anyone to settle there beyond a Ta-Matoran watch post who would notice if the volcano did anything unusual that might indicate a fault in the GSR’s systems.

For the first few decades of existence, Nynrah’s sole inhabitants were the villagers of a single Ta-Koro. Nynrah unfortunately was too inhospitable even for them; they couldn’t sustain themselves off the island and relying on traders to bring them resources proved unreliable. The Matoran had to develop the island somehow, and given its landscape they decided the easiest solution was underground.

A group of Onu-Matoran settlers were offered a place on the island tunneling into the rich untapped rock. The caverns they dug out were far more hospitable, allowing the Onu-Matoran to create subterranean farms safe from being choked with tephra from the volcano. The two Koro managed to make the island sustainable. The minerals the Onu-Matoran were mining also made the island able to trade for more valuable goods, but again Nynrah and its dome were precarious places for ships to traverse.

A group of Fe-Matoran crafters from an island in the next dome grew irritated by a loss of cargo from Nynrah in an eruption, and decided it was easier to move to Nynrah where they would have direct access to the resources they were importing. The Onu-Matoran prepared a cavern for them and they set up Fe-Koro, trading better tools to the Onu-Matoran in exchange. They rapidly transformed Fe-Koro from just another village underground to essentially a very small city, with metal lined halls and corridors instead of caverns and tunnels.

Nynrah was spared being a battleground between the rising Barraki, the nearest fighting being between Pridak and Mantax in the dome up north, though it was not spared from the Barraki’s conquests. It was in the line of Pridak’s southward march. The Turaga of Nynrah recommended immediate surrender to avoid destruction, though they weren’t so lucky. As Pridak’s navy entered the dome, Tasulon Nui erupted and destroyed the fleet. Despite protest, Pridak accused the Nynrah of triggering it deliberately and chose to bombard the island before landing. The Ta-Matoran were forced to abandon their village and hide underground, and multiple caves and tunnels collapsed. Pridak’s forces then took the island without further incident.

Under Pridak’s Kingdom and eventually the League of Six Kingdoms, Nynrah was made into one of Pridak’s main mining colonies. The protodermis extracted by the Matoran was shipped to Xia for arms manufacture. The governor Pridak put in charge of Nynrah was a Whovok lieutenant of his from up north. The Governor brought many of his own kind to Nynrah and started a colony. These were more along the lines of forced relocations, so the Matoran did not view any Whovok but the Governor as invaders. Though made to churn out resources, Nynrah did benefit from increased infrastructure invested by Pridak to keep the mine operational. A team of Toa was also assigned to the island for its protection.

After the Barraki’s disappearance and the League’s splintering, the Whovok governor fancied himself a potential successor for Pridak, though he was conquered by another lesser barraki from the south. The Toa Nynrah, returning from participating in the Assault of Hagah Nui, dislodged the League Remnants from Nynrah and won its independence back. Post-League Nynrah now had a dedicated mining industry but no masters forcing their hand in who they distributed to. They were a target for warlord held lands that had little resources of their own, but the Toa and Nynrah’s natural fortified geography prevented any takeovers.

The Fe-Matoran, now free of the League ordering them about, began to go back to their crafting, now with additional resources from the expanded mine. The Whovok took interest in their craft and joined them. This caused an economic shift in Nynrah from mining facility to self-sustain manufacturing. Though initially only in it for the art, the Nynrah began trading excess machinery to other islands for resources they couldn’t procure themselves. Trading increased until Nynrah became the manufacturing hub for the region. Additional Matoran were invited to the island to aid in the manufacturing. Many came from the elements already inhabiting the island, and more elements of the construction kind joined as well, topping the island up with Po, Su, and Vo-Matoran.

Nynrah developed into an island factory and entered a golden age of economic development. Their architecture improved to be impervious to the quakes of Tasulon Nui’s eruptions. They developed special armoured ships that could withstand turbulent seas and battering of ejecta, and further developed a special variant of these ships that could carry other conventional ships and airships across the dome’s water to the neighbouring domes. Underground farming became insufficient to feed the Nynrah, so its primary import became food again. They experimented with machinery to preform fishing for themselves, but were not experts in marine ecology and didn’t want to disturb the environment too badly. Ga-Matoran were uninterested in immigrating to Nynrah.

After the Metru Nui Civil War, Makuta Tridax was assigned to watch over Nynrah. Tridax found the developing island fascinating and often commissioned work from them to get resources separate from the general Brotherhood suppliers, though eventually they let the other Makuta know about Nynrah and it became one of the Brotherhood’s key suppliers.

Nynrah reached out to its neighbouring islands, Krokau and Skaal, and provided their resources to help them survive easier in the ashy wastelands. The islands formed a cooperation agreement called the Tasulon Pact, putting Krokau and Skaal as priority to receive Nynrah resources. This did not impact Nynrah’s ability to trade to other islands due to their high output. This pact would later extend to other islands in neighbouring domes, until it expanded into the East Matoran Trade Guild.

Under the terms set by the Guild to prevent Nynrah from becoming a corporate empire, shipping was provided by other Guild members. The practical upshot of which was that few outsiders interacted with Nynrah directly, and those that chose to visit Nynrah were greeted with what appeared to be a desolate and barren island. This led to a few rumours, such as Nynrah being a cover story for some reason, or that the Nynrah were inhabited by ghosts. The latter reached Nynrah at a point of social contention. The original Fe-Matoran crafters were growing disillusioned mass-production and were beginning to isolate themselves in their workshops to focus on invention as an art, though still occasionally accepting commissions and releasing designs for mass production. The Matoran of the factories began referring to them as ghosts due to their reclusive attitude. The Fe-Matoran chose to ignore the insult and willingly called themselves the Nynrah Ghosts. It soon became a sort of trademark.

When the Makuta for whatever reason metamorphosed into vaporous lifeforms, Tridax suggested that they seek the aid of the Nynrah Ghosts. The practical benefit being that while the Vortixx of Xia would price-gouge the Brotherhood for such vital work, the gift-economy of the Matoran would work out of sympathy for the Makuta’s plight. They spent several months working on the design but were finally able to create modular suits of armour that had the ability to shapeshift alongside the Makuta. Given the armour’s vulnerability to elemental Iron users, the Toa Nynrah of Iron met with a terrible accident arranged by the Makuta, while Tridax’s embassy would watch over the island to ensure none of the Fe-Matoran would become Toa. This signaled the beginning of the Toa Downfall. The Dark Hunters, under Brotherhood contracts and their own initiative, killed the remaining Toa Nynrah.

Without their protectors, the Nynrah began considering alternatives. Toa Stones were unavailable. A group of the Nynrah Ghosts began a form of biological experimentation to transform a select Matoran into a pseudo-Toa. The experiment was considered highly unethical and the Mayor of Nynrah had those involved expelled (and would end up on Xia still operating under the Nynrah Ghost title), while their experiment would disappear. The Nynrah ultimately settled on robotic protectors, attempting to emulate the fighting prowess of the Exo-Toa of Xian manufacture.

The creation of the Visorak and the destruction of the island of which they were born sent waves of refugees searching for new homes. Nynrah opened itself to accept them, though only a few Vo-Matoran were willing to stay. Others moved to closer neighbouring islands, or further beyond. Nynrah provided many free ships to transport them.

When the Brotherhood of Makuta gave them salvaged Bohrok and requested a mass-produced legion of them, the Nynrah accepted the contract. Unlike Xia, Nynrah only created armaments for clients they felt were reputable. Unfortunately, they weren’t privy to the Makuta’s betrayal of Mata Nui. There was still however concern about the manufacture of fighting machines on such a large scale. Their concerns were largely assuaged by assurances by the Makuta that they would be used for clean up, sterilisation, and demolition rather than war. Not all were convinced, and a small group of them placed a failsafe into the facsimile Bohrok that would turn them against the Brotherhood if they were used for warlike ends. These failsafes were triggered very early, causing a rampage on Destral. Makuta Teridax desired immediate vengeance on Nynrah, but Tridax talked them down into a more subtle approach. The Nynrah were kept in the dark about the Bohrok rampage, and during some factory inspection tours Tridax slowly isolated those responsible and arranged some lethal accidents for them. The bulk of the Nynrah were in the dark about it and assumed the Brotherhood were another satisfied customer.

The faith held in the Brotherhood by the Nynrah come in use during the Great Cataclysm. Though Nynrah’s city was reinforced to resist the quakes of Tasulon Nui’s eruptions, the Great Cataclysm was on a scale that shattered through the city’s foundations and caused mass collapses (which may, or may not, have been sabotage on Tridax’s part), as well as cut off power from Metru Nui. The Brotherhood “in return for their services” offered immediate relief to the island and helped them rebuild the city and villages. This was a pretense to take over the island and keep a occupying garrison of soldiers there. The Nynrah, initially, didn’t mind. The island was back on its feet long before any of its neighbours, and they immediately wanted to get to work sending relief throughout the East Matoran Trade Guild. The Makuta promised they would handle it and took control of all Nynrah exports, which were used to increase the Brotherhood’s grip over the universe.

Despite Tridax’s best efforts, the Dark Hunter’s revelation about the Brotherhood’s lordship of the Visorak and the contracts on Toa reached Nynrah. Upon learning that the Brotherhood was responsible for their own Toa’s deaths, the Nynrah protested against the Brotherhood presence on the island. They were dispersed by the Brotherhood guards, but returned as a riot. Tridax was forced to bring in a full legion to suppress and occupy the island. The island’s factory would be made to explicitly serve the Brotherhood.

Nynrah would remain a Brotherhood vassal until Order of Mata Nui revealed itself and went to war with the Makuta. Several attempts were made to dislodge the Brotherhood from the island, but the Nynrah City’s nature was an underground fortress was now working against it. Eventually a force of volunteer revolutionaries from the newly liberated islands of the East Matoran Trade Guild rallied with the Order’s army to liberate their compatriot land, and through a perilous struggle and a Nynrah uprising behind the lines were able to dislodge the Makuta’s forces. The island began manufacture again, with the intent of aiding the war against the Brotherhood.

This all came to nothing with the Reign of Shadows. With all the manufacture they could possibly need done by Metru Nui, the Makuta found Nynrah not only superfluous but threatening. A hefty force of Rahkshi and Skakdi arrived to help the Nynrah evacuate their island on the Makuta’s orders. The island was emptied and the subterranean city destroyed to do away with any stragglers. The Nynrah were redistributed across the universe, and the island itself became an outpost for the Makuta’s servants, both monitoring shipping and the original island purpose of observing Tasulon Nui for irregularities. Some resistance cells were able to sneak on the island and hide within the ruins of the underground city.

The Great Evacuation needed no cooperation from Nynrah, as it was already mostly deserted. The island would eventually be dismantled by the Matoran along with the rest of the universe.

...

Nynrah, at the most basic level, was little more than a rock floating in the sea. Its landscape was desolate and dominated by large rock formations and mountains, was well as canyons. It was vaguely crescent shaped, with steep cliffsides along the outside of the crescent and gravelly beaches along the inside. The island’s proximity to Tasulon Nui and its constant eruptions had several consequences for Nynrah. Firstly, the ash constantly in the sky kept the lighting of the entire dome dim at best. Secondly, the surface of Nynrah was constantly covered in a thick layer of ash. Though volcanic ash is good fertiliser, no plant could grow without being smothered to death despite the Matoran’s best efforts. Ash fertiliser became one of Nynrah’s exports. In addition to ash, Nynrah’s surface was frequently pelted with volcanic bombs from Tasulon Nui’s more violent eruptions. Water ran down through the canyons from the mountains, carrying a great deal of ash with it as an unpleasant slurry. Rahi life was scarce, and composed largely of seabound animals that come up on land to rest, such as birds, turtles, and seals.

Some had come to see Nynrah as an Onu-Wahi due to its expansive underground, though these tunnels did not exist before Onu-Matoran settlement. Since then they have carved out a series of tunnels for both habitation and for mining. One of these was settled by Fe-Matoran and over the centuries was built up and expanded into a subterranean metropolis. The city was divided into several districts, from the industrial sector to various residential districts to the parks and the community offices. The city notably different from its Xian equivalent in which workers were not required to live inside one giant factory; the Nynrah had plenty to do and see outside of the factory they worked at. The city was inhabited by far more than just the cave-loving Onu-Matoran, so it was designed with wide open spaces like the interior of a palace to make the other inhabitants feel at ease inside.

The primary inhabitants of Nynrah were Matoran. Initially this was just a village of Ta-Matoran living in a singular Ta-Koro on the western coast of the island. The Koro was made of dried clay, and they were always keeping Tasulon Nui in view. They would watch the eruptions like fireworks, though with the added caution over lava bombs. Ta-Matoran would later work the forges in the factory, but the surface villlage always remained. They invited a group of Onu-Matoran who made their homes in the mines they would dig out. Few went to work in the factory city when it was constructed, continuing to live in an independent Onu-Koro above the mines. The next settlers were a group of Fe-Matoran, whose Fe-Koro became the nucleus of the city. The island developed around their craft, though they grew tried of the factory and created a new “Fe-Koro” district of the city as a private district of private invention and engineering. The Fe-Matoran who went into isolation like that became known as the Nynrah Ghosts.

A colony of Whovok also lived on the island. They took up the crafting nature of the Fe-Matoran and became quite proficient at it. Their presence caused the Matoran to rethink their architecture to accommodate the Whovok’s height. The Whovok participated in most walks of Nynrah life, working in the factory, the mine, and everything else that needed to be done. They could sense they were outsiders and did their best to intergrate themselves with the Matoran. The Matoran were welcoming; they’re not xenophobes by nature. Some Whovok did however keep living on their own in the initial colony.

A few more tribes of Matoran settled after the economic expansion of the island. Po-Matoran were invited to do the menial labour in the factory, Su-Matoran to work in the metalworking and welding too hot for the Ta-Matoran to handle, and Vo-Matoran were welcomed to help with the city’s overcomplicated electrical grid and to help in the construction of electonics. Members of each of these Matoran elements would grow tired of the factory and would create their own rural Koro in the caves carved out for them by the Onu-Matoran, or on the surface if they felt like facing the ash.

Despite common misconceptions, the island was not ruled by the Nynrah Ghosts. Each group had its own Turaga or elder to advise their generally leaderless communal living. For issues that required island wide policy making there was an elected council of Nynrah, composed of a member of each village and each district of the city. Leading the council was the Mayor of Nynrah. Their powers were limited, since as a Matoran society they were mostly an autonomous collective.

[magicalgirlmascot]

Some indulgent Bionicle story you've been wanting to write!

(Unfortunately that story doesn’t really exist because I haven’t had a single good Bionicle idea in over a year but HERE WE GO HAVE SOME OTP)

“You don’t have to do this, you know.”

Pohatu glared up at Kopaka, fire burning in his eyes. “I’m going to anyway, and you can’t stop me.” He struggled to lift his feet, shuffling through the waist-high mush.

It was almost painful to watch how horribly the Toa of Stone got along through snow. Kopaka shook his head. Getting Pohatu to change his mind once it was set on something was a fool’s errand, so he didn’t bother. He didn’t know why Pohatu insisted on following him around on his patrol, and frankly he didn’t care. Some small part of him was glad for it, glad for the company, glad it was Pohatu and not someone else Kopaka would have found more obnoxious. He brushed the feeling aside, ignored it as something trivial. Of course he was glad it was Pohatu. He’d never admit it aloud, but he considered Pohatu to be his best friend. Surely he could handle a little companionship. Even if that companionship insisted on refusing to shut up.

“I don’t get how you can actually live in this stuff,” Pohatu grumbled, finally making it all the way to Kopaka. He stood unsteadily on a patch of ice, arms folded. “It’s just a sunny day away from being water again.”

Kopaka turned away and continued along his route. “You don’t have to be here.”

“So I want to spend a little quality time with you. Is that so much to ask?”

Kopaka looked over his shoulder, taken aback. “Why?”

Pohatu opened his mouth to reply, but his eyes went wide and he yelped instead as his feet started sliding out from under him. Kopaka leaped over to try and steady him, but Pohatu was too far gone, and the two of them crashed to the ice in a tangle of limbs.

“Ow,” Pohatu moaned, cradling the back of his head. Kopaka blinked blearily, trying to sort out what had just happened. “Um,” Pohatu said, “Kopaka, you’re kind of sitting on me.”

Kopaka pushed himself up onto all fours, still a little dazed. He looked down at Pohatu below him, doing a quick sweep of his body to check for injuries. It looked to be in top form, as always. “You’re alright?” he asked.

“Y-yeah.” Pohatu’s hands moved from behind his head, one to his hip, one to his side. “Think I whacked myself good on the way down, but the snow took most of the impact out.”

Kopaka smirked. “And here I thought you hated snow.”

“Well.” Pohatu grinned mischievously. “I don’t know that I’d go that far. I don’t really like snow or ice, that’s true.” He looped his arms around Kopaka’s neck. “The Toa of Ice, on the other hand, holds a special place in my heart.”

Every muscle in Kopaka’s body froze. “What?” A special place? What did that even mean? His hands dug into the snow on either side of Pohatu’s head, his eyes wide and locked on Pohatu’s. Did it mean anything? Did Kopaka want it to?

Pohatu’s grin turned shy. “Was that out loud? That shouldn’t have been out loud.” His arms loosened and started to fall from Kopaka’s neck. “Sorry.”

“No, I–” Kopaka grabbed Pohatu’s wrist before it could get too far. Pohatu stopped moving, still looking up at him. “What did you mean?” he pressed.

“Nothing, I swear! I didn’t mean to say that, it just came out! Kopaka, let me get up!” Pohatu squirmed under him, but Kopaka held firm.

“Not until you explain what you meant by–”

“I’ve kinda got a crush on you, okay?” Pohatu blurted. He wriggled out from under Kopaka and sat up, arms folded, looking away.

Kopaka sat back on his haunches, blinking bewilderedly. A crush? Pohatu liked him? Romantically? Oh, Mata Nui, what was he supposed to do with that information?

“I mean, it’s kind of obvious you don’t like me back,” Pohatu said, wiggling his feet. “I wasn’t even going to say anything. But–”

“I’m glad you did,” Kopaka interrupted. He immediately slapped a hand over his mouth. What was he saying? It wasn’t as though he actually liked Pohatu like that, he was just giving him false hope and…and maybe he did like Pohatu like that. He had no idea. His heart and his brain were tangles of conflicting emotions and thoughts and he hated it. “I…I don’t know how I feel,” he admitted. “But I’d be willing to try and figure it out if…if you’d help me.”

Pohatu’s eyes widened before his face cracked open in a grin and he bounded forward, whooping, to press his mask against Kopaka’s. Kopaka winced, but stayed where he was.

His heart glowed and his eyes slid closed. Yes, he was definitely glad Pohatu had spoken up.

[htk172]

How Māui slowed the sun

One evening along time ago, after a hard days work of gathering food and trying to finish our chores, Māui and his whānau including myself were making the hāngi for our evening meal. We had just finished heating the stones when the sun went down and it quickly became too dark for us all to see. I watched as Māui became very annoyed because we had to eat our food in the dark. He stood in the light of the fire and address us, his people. "Every day we have to rush to do our chores and gather our food before the sun sets. Why should we be slaves to the sun? He said. He then claimed that he would catch the sun before it rises, and teach it to travel slowly across the sky!" In disbelief I was quick to criticise, as great as Māui was i didn't believe He could such a thing. I said to Māui "It would be impossible to catch the sun, he's much bigger than any bird you've ever caught! And the heat and flames would surely burn you to death.” “I think he's got sunstroke," one of the other brothers added, and we all laughed. When we had all quieted down, Māui took from his belt a sacred jawbone of his ancestor and waved it in the air. With much pride he said to us that he has achieved many things that were thought impossible, to be fair this was true, He did gain fire from Mahuika, catching the greatest fish in the world, and descend to the underworld which I could only imagine the horror he must have faced down there, as well as many more. We all agreed that he had accomplished many great things but it still appeared to be too difficult for even the great Māui to beat. He asked us to help him in conquering the sun! With help from his magic jawbone, gifted by Muri Ranga Whenua, but we trusted our brother even though the idea seemed quite scary, so we decided to help Māui in his quest to slow the sun. The next day we all collected a huge amount of flax so Māui could teach us all how to make flax ropes, just another skill he learned upon on of his many journeys. We made square shaped ropes, tuamaka, flat ropes, paharahara, and twisted the flax to make round ropes. It took us 5 hard days to finish the ropes and before we left Māui said a special karakia over all of them. Taura nui, tauraroa, taura kaha, taura toa, taura here i a Tamanuiterā, whakamaua kia mau kia ita! During the night, Māui lead us brothers carrying the ropes and we travelled towards the east to where the sun first rises. I had never been so scared leading up to this in my life but i believed in Māui. We kept hidden away under trees and bushes during the day, so the sun couldn't see us approaching. Māui instructed us to collect water in calabashes as all as brothers travelled for task ahead. After 12 night we had finally arrived at the edge of a huge, red-hot pit, dug deep into the ground. Inside the pit was the sun, Tamanuiterā, asleep.

We all tried to keep as quiet as we could, terrified of what may have happened if he woke. Māui immediately ordered all of us, his brothers to build four huts around the edges of the pit to hide our long ropes behind. With that water we had collected we uses it to soften the clay and build a wall to shelter us. Māui then had us spread their flax ropes into a noose, only just finishing before dawn, when the sun was due to wake. I wanted to run away. I asked myself why was I doing this? I said to Māui and the rest of the brothers to try to put some sense into them that we would be burnt alive unless we run away and escape while we still had time. I managed to convince one other to sneak of with me but as we did, Māui in a loud voice yelled to us if you leave now you will be scene and the first ones to die. So I decided to put my full faith in him and ran back to the huts just in time to help Māui and grab a hold of the rope with my brothers. Trembling, and hiding behind a wall of clay we were just wait for Māui’s orders to begin pulling. Then all of a sudden, I remember it like it was yesterday, the sun, Tamanuiterā arose his head and shoulders from the pit. I heard Māui then scream, pull on the ropes now. As we did the sun got very angry and I watched him start throwing fireballs at Māui, but Māui was amazing and managed to dodge all of them while still holding tightly onto his rope. Trying to fight of the heat from Tamanuiterā as he was trying to break free Māui started chanting his karakia: Taura nui, tauraroa, taura kaha, taura toa, taura here i a Tamanuiterā, whakamaua kia mau kia ita!" I then watched as the sun roared in anger when Māui raised his magic jawbone and brought it down hard on the sun causing the magic forces from the it to flashed like a bolt of lightning . After that I watched Māui that day say to Tamanuiterā, the sun, upon giving up after such a long and hard fight, From now on the sun were to travel slowly across the sky and that the length of our day will never be dictated by you again. We all let our ropes go and Tamanuiterā who had been bested by Māui, tried and beaten travelled slowly through the sky. From then on, days were longer giving us, Māui people, more time to gather food and do our chores. To this day I have never questioned how great Māui was. From that day until this day, Tamanuiterā has always travelled slowly across the sky. This is the story of how Māui slowed the sun

[vigilancesaga]

The Tales of Tohora

In the early days of the First Age, a young girl was born on the island of Mai’ao of the Te Arawa Clan (a tribe of the Atumotu people in the southern islands).  The Atumotu were split into three Iwi or tribes, many Hapu which are sub-tribes that split when a group of the original left for another island, and the Fanau which is the immediate and extended family.  In the case of the girl of Mai’ao, her name was Tohora Kaihi Te Uri O Hau Te Arawa with Tohora being her given name, Kaihi her family name, Te Uri O Hau her sub-tribe name, and Te Arawa her tribe name.  Tohora was raised on a small island north of most other islands to a fisherman and a boat builder.  She spent much of her early childhood practicing with a variety of weapons such as a tuhinga (a long staff generally made of wood or whale bone with a one end wide and flat like an oar and the other sharpened to a point), a tama’ita’i (a short stone club with the tip coming to a rounded point), a kaimahi (similar to the tuhinga but longer and without the sharpened point), and a ka pahi (a short club usually made of jade, stone, or rarely iron with a flattened head and sharp edges).  She learned how to use these weapons from her grandfather Vasa and developed the techniques learned as well as techniques she developed on her own and created a martial arts of sorts called Ka La’au.  All this before she turned twelve years old.

On her twelfth birthday a Ka’aina Nui (the Atumotu term for a non-Atumotu) appeared in her village.  The Te Uri O Hau chief, Toa, stopped the man and asked him his business.  The man was tall but still shorter than Toa, his shoulder length black hair was pulled back from his face, his nose was long and hook shaped, and his dark eyes revealed very little.  He told Toa that he had come to train with the young girl he heard could stand toe to toe with even the strongest of warriors.  Chief Toa laughed in the man’s face and said that, if the stranger could knock Tohora down then he could stay, but if Tohora knocked him down three times then he would have to leave and never bother the Te Uri O Hau again.  The stranger agreed and approached Tohora with no weapon in hand while she took up a kaimahi.  Tohora stepped forward with lightning speed and jabbed at his face, but the stranger deftly leapt out of the way.  Tohora stepped forward again and struck the stranger in the side of his knee, sweeping his legs out from under him and knocking him down.  He stood back up and Tohora employed a different tactic, feinting the kaimahi towards his left side but delivering a powerful kick to his right.  This kick knocked the wind out of the stranger and Toroha struck him in the midsection which knocked him down a second time.  The stranger began to laugh and said that he had fought many warriors in his years but none as proficient as this.  He stood back up and muttered something and, when Toroha stepped forward to strike him again, he raised his hand and it felt as if a powerful force had struck her square in the chest, knocking her to the ground.  However, the man had not actually laid a hand on her.  Toroha jumped to her feet and demanded to know how this happened.  The stranger grinned and said that, now that he was free to stay in the village, he would teach her to use magic.

The stranger, now going by Hele, had Toroha levitate buckets to train her ability to focus, then when she could easily lift the buckets he had her fill them with water.  He trained her in basic magic but her curiosity increased when Hele told her that he would train her to help her village.  When the fishing grounds yielded fewer and fewer fish Hele taught Toroha to touch the water and attract the fish to her island.  When the ground became infertile and yielded few crops, Hele taught her to dig her toes into the earth and bring the dead soil back to life.  And when a storm threatened the lives of the villagers, Hele taught her to plant her feet and part the storm.  After five years of such training, Toroha had mastered magic and could make the lives of her fellow villagers much easier.  Hele told the girl that he had taught her what she needed to know and that he would be moving on, but before he left he bestowed a gift on her: Matau (a long handled club shaped like an ax he had carved for her and enchanted to boost her magical abilities, along the head are pictures of small, long tailed birds flying).  When asked where he was going, Hele shrugged and simply replied elsewhere.  He began walking when Tohora stopped him and asked him who he was, Hele shrugged and simply replied “I am he who wanders” and continued walking.  Tohora’s third question caused Hele to stop and turn: “What am I meant to do?”  Hele turned and said “What you seek is seeking you.  When the time comes you will know just as all great people know,” and he parted the water towards the mainland and left.

Tohora did not have to wait long for her meaning.  Two months after Hele left, word came to Mai’ao that the Ngati’ira Hapu of the Ngapuhi Iwi were planning to invade in order to surround the rest of the Te Arawa Iwi and cut off their supply lines.  Tohora and Chief Toa gathered the warriors of Mai’ao and prepared the island’s defenses.  The woodcutters cut down branches, sharpened them, and set them in the ground pointing towards the water all around the island.  The Ngati’ira arrived on the southern beach led by Chief Tururei with approximately 150 warriors.  The Te Uri O Hau archers fired upon the Ngati’ira while Tohora led a charge from the eastern side.  The Ngati’ira forces turned and attempted to retreat to their boats but Tohora swept the boats away with a wave of Matau and took the remaining warriors hostage, including Tururei’s son Ua.  This attack in Mai’ao marked the beginning of the Aiga Taua, a war between the Te Arawa and Ngapuhi Iwi that lasted approximately four months.  

The head (Pule) of the Te Arawa Iwi, Mata’afa granted Tohora an army of her own to attack the Ngapuhi islands from the north.  Tohora and her army of approximately 2,000 warriors from the islands of Mai’ao, Atiu, Ta’u, Anuta, and Sikaiana conquered much of Ngapuhi territory but the other Te Arawa forces could not take advance as well as Toroha could and a peace deal was struck.  Toroha criticized Mata’afa’s ability to command an army and lead the Te Arawa Iwi which caused Mata’afa to declare that she be punished.  However, Toroha’s army from the north as they were called refused to apprehend their competent albeit young leader and Toroha demanded a Ka Ho’okuku (a system of challenging a Pule through three trials) with Mata’afa.  Despite his advisors telling him that he should refuse the challenge, the proud Mata’afa accepted Toroha’s challenge.  

The first trial was hand-to-hand combat which Toroha easily won after knocking Mata’afa down three times without being knocked down herself.  The second trial was a boat race which Mata’afa won as he was known for his sailing abilities.  The final trial was known as Rangatira and was a contest to see which one could solve an island’s troubles better.  Mata’afa and Toroha were brought to a small island in the southern regions of Te Arawa control called Tomo’e and each was confronted with three problems the people of the island faced.  Toroha’s first task was that the island’s trees were dying and the new crop were not yielding a wood that kept water from the boat.  Toroha ordered the people to cut down the new crop and use them exclusively for firewood, then she dug her toes into the ground, muttered to herself, and told the people that the next crop would be just as sufficient if not more so than before.  She then told them that the island to the west was having a shortage of fa’ailoa (a small pineapple like fruit that tastes like citrus but with nutty notes and can be eaten raw or cooked) and that they could trade their fa’ailoa for some boats.  The second issue was that a tarako (a large creature with a fish like body and a crocodilian shaped head, they measure anywhere from 15-30 ft. long) was chasing fish away from the island’s fishing grounds.  Toroha touched the water to attract the tarako with the purpose of killing it, but upon seeing the majestic creature and understanding that it did not have the intention of harming the people of Tomo’e; the creature simply wanted to live just as the people of Tomo’e did so she redirected the beast out away from island waters and attracted the fish back to Tomo’e.  For her last issue Toroha was approached by a young man named Murupaenga who wanted her to solve an issue of inheritance between his siblings.  His father had recently died and his brother Taika and his sister Va’a were quarreling about who would inherit their father’s belongings.  Tohora offered to hear their individual cases to determine who would inherit the majority of their father’s belongings.  Taika approached first and told Tohora that he is the first born and that he deserved the majority of the inheritance due to his birthright.  Va’a came forward second and told Tohora that she deserved the majority of her father’s inheritance because her father and Taika were not friendly and she had provided her father with grandchildren.  Tohora thought for a moment and asked who had taken care of their father when he was an old man in the days, months, and years before his death.  Taika and Va’a were silent for a moment before responding that their younger brother Murupaenga had looked after their father and Tohora told them their answer is who will receive their father’s inheritance.  Tohora won the trial and became the new leader of the Te Arawa Iwi.

Toroha spent her first two years of chiefhood bettering the lives of the Te Arawa Iwi.  After she had bettered the lives of her tribe, Toroha led military campaigns against the other two iwi: the Ngapuhi and the Ngaitahu.  She quickly struck the Ngapuhi territories as they were still weak from the Aiga Taua.  She had her trusted warriors mobilize and begin to strike the Ngaitahu territories in the southern regions while she worked at bettering the lives of the Ngapuhi territories.  For two years Toroha traveled to each of the formerly Ngapuhi controlled islands and improved their lives with her wisdom and her magic.  During this time the Te Arawa and the Ngaitahu warred and neither were able to gain the upper ground until Toroha stepped in to lead the war.  She had the forces mobilize as if they would lead an all out assault which had the Ngaitahu forces try to attack first.  Toroha waited until she saw the enemy force on the horizon, she raised Matau, and the Ngaitahu fleet was lifted out of the water.  She brought the flagship closer to her and told Chief Aeto that she could kill his army but she has refrained, they are all Atumotu and no more should die.  She told him that he may keep his tribe, but he will answer to her.  She united all the islands under one authority and named the region Motu Autasi.

Toroha lived out the rest of her days in the new capital city A’ai governing and improving the lives of her people.  She never married, often claiming that she had no time for a husband to get in her way, but did have a daughter that she named Hokuwehi.  She never revealed who her daughter’s father was claiming that this was irrelevant, she simply wanted a child but no husband or male counterpart.  During her life she created the Kawu Kanahai, a body of officials from each island that create laws that will ideally benefit each island to the best of its ability.  When she found herself no longer in control of her own actions in her old age, Toroha established the Faamasinoga, a body that would nominate three possible pule and decide from those three who would take up the mantle.  The Faamasinoga decided upon Ueroa Kaiho’e Horouta Ngaitahu, a warrior chief from the small southern island of Tovu.  Toroha greeted her successor and went back to her home island of Mai’ao with Hokuwehi, Hokuwehi’s husband Fa’ama’i, and their children Manu, Anala, and Kele.  When Toroha died the islands held a mourning ceremony for a week straight and many children born in the years following her death were named Tohora.  She is largely regarded as the greatest pule to date and is known as Ka Mea Nui (the greatest), Fa’atasi (the unifier), and Faea O Katoa (the mother of all).  The Atumotu still celebrate Tohora’s achievements through the festival of Manatua in which the people of the islands reenact moments from the legends of Tohora Kaihi Te Uri O Hau Te Arawa.