WhereFMF

I would accept adding [f] to the language, since it's another labial approximant you could make while smiling. But the word "Fenrakk" couldn't possibly be of Skakdi origin. The Fenrakk species was created by the Makuta and inhabited Voya Nui long before the Piraka arrived. I take English pronunciations of Skakdi words as Anglicizations, and assume that the Skakdi would pronounce it [zɑ'kɑz], just like [fræns] versus [fʁɑ̃s].

It's because I think hexadecimal is a superior number system. If you want a canonical explanation, cultures don't always develop number systems based on the number of fingers they have. I'm aware of one language that has words for "one", "two", "many", and nothing else; and another (Filipino, I think?) that counts by 27, using their eyes, nose, armpits, all their upper torso's features. Maybe Skakdi use their spines. We don't even know how many fingers the Skakdi have (although movie screenshots show Matoran and Toa with ten).

Go ahead! I'm eager to see what others create with this framework! I made a mistake on page 5 with the word "soirin". It is a multisyllabic word that doesn't contain a k. Let's just say it's instead "soikin".

Ladies and gentlemen, I have developed the barely-mentioned Skakdi into a full language. That is, I have created a rudimentary language framework, and all that needs to be filled in is the vocabulary. Also conjunctions. I didn't make up any conjunctions. Edit: and prepositions. Read all about it here: http://www.mediafire.com/view/7b3wjeaxjcs6669/Skakdi.pdf

Greg Farshtey first stated at http://www.bzpower.com/board/topic/6596-update-920-disguised-great-being-revealed/ "The Great Being was already named Velika before inhabiting the Matoran body." Then, in chat, he contradicted himself: "He assumed it [the name] as a Matoran." So we'll never know whether the name in this story is valid. I'm sad to see this series end. You could produce infinitely many flash fictions like these, because there's so much character from which to draw in Bionicle.

Teridax specifically says "the Mask of Life still exists, and you were connected to it". The implication here is that it was lost, or its connection to Matoro severed.

The Kingdom is my favourite Bionicle story, but it just doesn't make sense. Matoro hesitates in pursuing Voya Nui and doesn't get into Karda Nui, I get that. What about the rest of the Toa Mahri? Jaller was about to go nova because they were losing the battle, remember? There's no way Matoro could have gotten back to the battlefield in time to prevent Jaller from going nova, and even then he alone wouldn't have been able to swing the tides (no pun intended). Let's assume that somehow Matoro did save the day. So the universe has to evacuate. I can accept that. How did the Toa Mahri get to Metru Nui? The Great Spirit Robot is 40,000,000 feet tall. Voya, Mahri, and Karda Nui are at its belly; Metru Nui is at its head. That's a journey of thousands of miles, at least half the diameter of the Earth! Yet somehow Hewkii was able to join Pohatu (who would have had a considerably easier time due to Artakha's teleportation abilities) during the evacuation to die. And what about the whole issue of air? Matoro never used the Mask of Life, so the Toa Mahri never became amphibious. What's Jaller doing at the great furnace without some kind of breathing apparatus? Shouldn't they all have suffocated?

What I would have entered in Memoirs of the Dead had I been participating in this forum at that time. ------------------------------------------- Stretch. Yawn. Has the day passed already? The other Makuta think me odd for enjoying sleep so long after we evolved beyond the need for it. It's only because the day is so terribly long if you don't sleep. I've turned noctural, unlike the rest. It helps me enjoy the shadows. Where are you now, Bitil? Where'd the exploits of the previous night take you? Some kind of hut...Oh yes, that village on the first of the islands. The Western Southern Islands, that's your territory. You marched in just as the day was about to close, woke them all up, and demanded they serve you a feast. Morning meal for them, evening meal of sorts for you. Then you passed out and slept the day away. Time to get up. Another night of useless, unproductive patrol to do. Out the door, into the main street of the village—oh look, some Matoran are pointing and whispering at me. And now they're trying to pretend they weren't. I ought to disintegrate one of them to teach them a lesson—no, Bitil, you have to hold off on that. If you start wasting them willy-nilly, eventually you'll have no one left to obey you. Or you might have Teridax breathing down your neck. If he hasn't severed it first. Hey, that's clever. It's a nice little dictatorship I've concocted here; I've heard Gorast has done something similar on the Tren Krom Peninsula. But it's kind of pointless when you only get to rule five villages over two islands, with a population of maybe two hundred Matoran among them all. The rules are simple: don't attract my attention, and you live. Goodness, are those Matoran following me? That's enough. I turn around. I don't see them, but I know they have to be behind that barrel sitting in the village's main street. I extend my hand. I could unleash so many powers from that hand. I could make them believe each was a vicious Rahi intent on killing the other. I could electrocute them, suffocate them, incinerate them, shatter them into a million pieces. But I don't. I'm feeling unusually merciful today. I hear nothing more as I leave the village. Now I'm on the shore of the island, gazing out into the silver sea. What a magnificent universe I live in. Only I got the worst part of it. The part beyond all the charts, where nobody but me, the caretaker of it all, goes. Oh, you've explored it all, you softie. You've been as far south in the universe as you can go, the foot of your island chain. There was a door there, a door sideways along the ground. But it wouldn't open. Miserix's assignments were total junk. Teridax got what everybody wanted, Metru Nui. Mutran and a couple of others got the Southern Continent and then did nothing about it. I don't even think anyone but Gorast is actually involved in watching over their realms, but what do I know, I'm stuck on these islands. Why'd we even maintain the assignments after we deposed Miserix? Patrol. To patrol. That village looked okay. Their Turaga doesn't care if I show up once in a while; he was once a Toa of the Green and is too busy maintaining his garden. In rapid succession, I teleport to the other four villages and inquire around. There's two more on this island, the northernmost of the Southern Islands. Then there's one on the second island, and a house where three Matoran live. Why they'd choose to live there is anyone's guess, but most certainly not my concern. And that's it. It's only been an hour, there's a lot more night to go, and your duty for the day is done. If only Teridax would let me go to Destral. I'm capable. I can make Kraata like the rest of you. But no, I'm so dangerous and need to be kept away on these barren islands. I could head to Destral myself, of course, but I'd be teleported back immediately. They "need me here". Bah! I could come here once a milennia and nothing would change. Indeed, my more frequent presence has caused some Matoran to start "visiting" their friends on the Southern Continent. Then they don't come back. What do I care, fewer of their annoying little faces to deal with. I think I'll jump to all the other islands today. See what nothing their is. Next stop and next island in the chain, Artidax. Come to think of it, I haven't stopped there beyond a cursory glance since...actually, since Teridax's rebellion. I'll give it a full explore today. Teleport... The island's changed since I last saw it. It's...somehow darker. It's rocky and barren, like every other island in the chain but parts of the first two, but it seems rather shadowed. I like it. Oh gosh—caught by a giant hand, can't breathe—oh, wait. Shattering power, and I'm safe. Should I leave now? Evidently I'm in danger. Nah, a Makuta can fight his way out of anything. When Toa aren't around. The others may think me a dangerous fool, but I admit our weaknesses. Search around for a while. Nothing much to be found that might have triggered that—wait, there's a tunnel in the mountain? Who would have bored that? I venture cautiously down the tunnel. I step over the vine tripwire that nobody thought to conceal properly. I could have done a far better job of...whatever this is protecting, if only the brotherhood allowed me to. A rickety bridge. Ah, I see those branches below are actually insects. And they don't look happy. I try to control them, but a more powerful will won't allow me. Hmm... I activate my limited invulnerability power and march through the swarm, which is now buzzing around me. They're biting and scratching at my armour, doing no damage. The power wears off as I leave the nest and enter a short tunnel that opens into an enormous chamber. Hmm, they're not following. There's a huge chamber at the end of this tunnel...and I see why they're not following. ..."Miserix?" His shadow hand is extended from his chest, and he's absorbing some hideous creature into his substance. In seconds, it is overcome. Only then does he notice me. "Bitil!" He says it with a sarcastic warmness. "I haven't seen you since you joined my lieutenant in deposing me. You were the first to join him, in fact. I'd kill you in an instant, but the effort of absorbing my last guard has rather tired me. You have about five minutes before I go from reasonable to unreasonable and you go from alive to dead." "How...I thought...didn't Spiriah and Krika kill you?" "Teridax told them to, indeed. But Krika, that weakling, he imprisoned me here." I'm in awe. Miserix is a legend, a memory of a time long forgotten when the Makuta were benevolent. "I...you swore you would be avenged, and that's considerably more easy if you're still around." His eyes flash. Laser beams strike me and throw me across the room. "I grow weary of the company of a traitor. Get out before I hit you with worse, and I will forget you were ever here." I quickly teleport to the first island in the chain. I have been assigned to watch over Miserix. I and Krika, and maybe Spiriah, are the only ones who know he's alive. This is such precious knowledge... Someday, somehow, I will find a way to make myself a part of this. When the plan goes into effect, perhaps I will find a way to free him. Then the others will respect me. I look out at the village, at the Matoran who are still whispering and pointing, never dreaming of what lies two islands to the south. Perhaps my assignment isn't so bad after all.

I felt that Ahkmou's plot line was kind of squandered. Makuta has a double agent Matoran all to himself, and could have done all sorts of terrible things with him—but no, he does nothing but put out some poisoned Kohlii balls, and is appointed ruler near the end.

I'm sorry; BioSector01 lists him as a servant of the brotherhood. I will not add any non-sapient beings. Since everybody seems to like this, let's continue. Be warned that I neither know nor like the 2009 story and characters, so they may be off. This post once held all the families from Turaga to Rock Tribe. I will add miscellaneous beings eventually.

Based on the appendices at the end of the Song of Ice and Fire books. If you haven't read the books, all you need to know is that braces around a name mean that being is dead. This is current as of the Battle of Bara Magna. This is not a complete list, because I don't feel like going into the realms of ordinary Matoran today. Also, is this the proper forum? THE GREAT SPIRIT —MATA NUI, consciousness of the Great Spirit Robot and Ruler of the Matoran Universe, briefly a Toa who wore the Mask of Life and briefly consciousness of the Prototype Robot, in permanent hibernation inside the Mask of Life THE TOA Bestowed with the power of the elements, mask powers, and weapons, the Toa are the public face of Mata Nui's will. They are skilled enough in combat to best foes far more powerful than they. The Toa Mata and Nuva The Toa Mata were created on Artakha 100,000 years ago to awaken Mata Nui if he ever fell asleep. After a battle with the Bohrok, their forms were upgraded to the Toa Nuva. —TAHU, Toa Mata of Fire, leader of the Toa Nuva and wielder of the golden armor, devolved to his Mata form by the Mask of Life, —his companions and siblings: —KOPAKA, Toa Nuva of Ice, his deputy, on a mission to the Red Star, —POHATU, Toa Nuva of Stone, on a mission to the Red Star, —GALI, Toa Nuva of Water, called away by Tahu on a special mission, —ONUA, Toa Nuva of Earth, last seen commissioning Orde, Chiara, and Zaria to find the Great Beings, —LEWA, Toa Nuva of Air, held captive by the Earth Tribe on Bota Magna, —TAKANUVA, Toa of Light, honorary member of the Toa Nuva The Toa Mahri Jaller once led a team of Matoran to rescue the Toa Nuva on Voya Nui. The Red Star transformed them into Toa Ignika, and the Mask of Life transformed the Inika into water-breathing Toa Mahri. Matoro's sacrifice gave them the ability to breathe both water and air. —JALLER MAHRI, Toa of Fire, leader of the Toa Mahri, held captive in the service of the Skakdi Fusion, —his companions, likewise captive: —HEWKII, Toa of Stone, his deputy, —HAHLI, Toa of Water, —NUPARU, Toa of Earth, —KONGU, Toa of Air, —{MATORO}, Toa of Ice, died in donning the Mask of Life to save his Universe, The Toa Hagah —NORIK, Toa of Fire, leader of the Toa Hagah, leading his team to rescue the Toa Mahri at the request of Kopaka, —his companions: —BOMONGA, Toa of Earth, his deputy, —KUALUS, Toa of Ice, —POUKS, Toa of Stone, —GAAKI, Toa of Water, —IRUINI, Toa of Air, —Other Toa, unaffiliated: —LESOVIKK, Toa of Air, the last of his team, missing and presumed the murderer of Karzahni, —KRAKUA, Toa of Sonics, member of the Order of Mata Nui, a saviour of the Siege of Metru Nui, —HELRYX, Toa of Water, the first Toa ever created, leader of the Order of Mata Nui, a captive in the cell of the Great Being on Bota Magna, —TUYET, Toa of Water, treacherous and insane, long thought dead due to the death of her decoy from an alternate universe, a captive in the cell of the Great Being on Bota Magna, —ORDE, Toa of Psionics, the only male being of psionics, on a mission to seek out the Great Beings, —CHIARA, Toa of Lightning, on a mission to seek out the Great Beings, —ZARIA, Toa of Iron, on a mission to seek out the Great Beings, —VARIAN, Toa of Psionics, held in suspended animation on Odina, THE BROTHERHOOD OF MAKUTA Created by Mata Nui as protectors of the universe, the Brotherhood turned sour, and eventually rebelled against and deposed Mata Nui. After the rebellion of the League of Six Kingdoms, Miserix assigned a Makuta to monitor each region of the universe. They did not even go without conflict within themselves; Teridax at one point rebelled and deposed Miserix. Makuta have access to the forty-two known Rahkshi powers, including teleportation, disintegration, and weather control among many others. —MISERIX, last of the Makuta and former leader of the Brotherhood, deposed by Teridax in a rebellion, a captive in the cell of the Great Being on Bota Magna —His siblings deceased: —{TERIDAX}, commonly called simply MAKUTA, Makuta of Metru Nui, Master of Shadows, once controller of the Matoran Universe, slain by Mata Nui in the form of the Prototype Robot at the Battle of Bara Magna —{ANTROZ}, Makuta of Xia, killed by the energy storms of Karda Nui, —{BITIL}, Makuta of the Western chain of the Southern Islands, killed by the energy storms of Karda Nui, —{CHIROX}, Makuta of Keetongu's Island and Visorak, killed by the energy storms of Karda Nui, —{GORAST}, Makuta of the Tren Krom Peninsula, killed by the energy storms of Karda Nui, —{ICARAX}, Makuta of Karzahni, slain by Gorast and Vamprah at the Codrex, —{KOJOL}, Makuta of Artakha, assassinated by Tobduk on Xia during the aftermath of the Raid on Artakha, —{KRIKA}, Makuta of the Northern region of the Northern Continent, slain by Gorast at the Codrex, —{MUTRAN}, Makuta of the Central region of the Southern Continent, killed by the energy storms of Karda Nui, —{SPIRIAH}, Makuta of Zakaz, long exiled from the Brotherhood for his experiments with the Zakaz population, absorbed into the substance of Miserix for his part in Teridax's rebellion —{TRIDAX}, Makuta of Nynrah, slain by Tobduk on Daxia during the Destiny War, —{VAMPRAH}, Makuta of Odina, killed by the energy storms of Karda Nui, —The {MAKUTA OF STELT}, given name unknown, absorbed into the substance of Miserix for his part in Teridax's rebellion —His minions former and deceased: —{KARZAHNI}, ruler of the realm by the same name, slain by an unknown assailant, his body discovered by Kopaka and Pohatu —{SIDORAK}, former leader of the Visorak Horde, slain by Keetongu at the Battle of Metru Nui —ROODAKA, viceroy of Sidorak, once held prisoner in the Pit but journeying to Spherus Magna, THE ORDER OF MATA NUI Formed out of the remnants Hand of Artakha, the Order was once an extremely secretive organization, but revealed itself to fight against the Brotherhood of Makuta in what would become known as the Destiny War. Its members are shielded against mental assault, and well-trained in combat. —HELRYX, Toa of Water, the first Toa ever created, leader of the Order of Mata Nui, a captive in the cell of the Great Being on Bota Magna, —her agents: —{ANCIENT}, spy pretending to aid the Dark Hunters, slain by The Shadowed One to preserve a secret, —AXONN, an armoured warrior who carries an axe, a captive in the cell of the Great Being on Bota Magna, —{BOTAR}, a harsh but just gaoler, slain by Makuta Icarax near the Southern Continent, —BOTAR'S REPLACEMENT, given name unknown, a member of the same species, —BRUTAKA, a redeemed traitor to the Order, transformed to a higher form by antidermis, a captive in the cell of the Great Being on Bota Magna, —{HYDRAXON}, a gaoler in the pit, killed in the Great Cataclysm, —"HYDRAXON", actually a Po-Matoran named Dekar transformed by the Mask of Life, a gaoler in the Pit, —JERBRAZ, accidentally rendered permanently invisible in an experiment gone wrong, —JOHMAK, capable of dissolving and reforming freely, —KRAKUA, Toa of Sonics, —MAZEKA, a Ko-Matoran, —TOBDUK, nine feet tall and skilled in combat, —TRINMUA, nine feet tall, bearing the Mask of Charisma, —her allies: —KEETONGU, a semi-sapient Rahi and the last of his kind, —TERIDAX, Mazeka's companion, the Makuta Teridax from another universe, —her servant, UMBRA, once a guardian of the Mask of Life THE DARK HUNTERS The Dark Hunters are a band of mercenaries and bounty hunters under the command of a single leader known only as the Shadowed One. The members are frequently known only by their codenames, and they specialize in theft and assassination, all in the name of profit. They are headquartered on the island of Odina. —THE SHADOWED ONE, real name known to few, leader of the Dark Hunters, —his Hunters active, AIRWATCHER, AMPHIBAX, CHARGER, CONJURER, DARKNESS, DEVASTATOR, DWELLER, ELIMINATOR, FIREDRACAX, GATHERER, GLADIATOR, KRAATA-KAL, LARISKA, LURKER, MIMIC, MINION, PHANTOM, POISON, PRIMAL, PROTOTYPE, RAVAGER, SAVAGE, SEEKER, SENTRAKH, SHADOW STEALER, SILENCE, SPINNER, SUBTERRANEAN, TRACKER, TRIGLAX, VANISHER, VENGEANCE, —his Hunters deceased and former: —{ANCIENT}, secretly member of the Order of Mata Nui, slain by the Shadowed One to preserve a secret, —{GUARDIAN}, slain by Teridax during Teridax's reign over the Matoran Universe, —{NIDHIKI}, a Toa of Air mutated by Roodaka, absorbed into Teridax's substance at the battle to escape Metru Nui, —{KREKKA}, a savage brute, absorbed into Teridax's substance at the battle to escape Metru Nui, —TYRANT, betrayed by the organization 3,000 years ago, missing and presumed dead, —ZAKTAN, HAKANN, VEZOK, REIDAK, THOK, AVAK, members of the Skakdi species, merged into a powerful being known as the Skakdi Fusion —his servants: —THE RECORDER, assigned to record all the doings of the organization, —VOPORAK, master of time, currently in possession of the Great Mask of Time on Spherus Magna THE LEAGUE OF SIX KINGDOMS These warlords, once servants of Mata Nui, realized that he could be overthrown. Their rebellion was put down by the Brotherhood of Makuta, and they have spent the past millenia in the Pit, plotting their revenge. —PRIDAK, once aide to Icarax, now chief of the League of Six Kingdoms, —his fellow warlords, KALMAH, MANTAX, and EHLEK, —his fellow warlord, {CARAPAR}, slain by Tren Krom on Tren Krom's Island, —his disgraced fellow, TAKADOX, who betrayed the League to the Brotherhood of Makuta, was later recruited by the Order of Mata Nui, and betrayed that organization as well TURAGA When a Toa fulfills their destiny, they may elect to create six Toa Stones, which can transform Matoran into Toa. The cost of this is that the Toa is transformed into a weaker but wiser form called a Turaga. —DUME, leader of the Matoran of Metru Nui, —Dume's aide and fellow ruler VAKAMA, former Toa Metru of Fire, leader of the Matoran of Metru Nui, —ONEWA, NOKAMA, WHENUA, MATAU, and NUJU, Vakama's companions and fellow Turaga, —{LHIKAN}, former Toa Magnai of Fire and protector of Metru Nui, slain by Teridax at the Battle of the Great Barrier, —{JOVAN}, former Toa of Magnetism, Turaga of Metru Nui, died in the Great Cataclysm MATORAN The workers and dominant inhabitants of the universe named for them, Matoran are associated with a specific element. As there is a great population of known Matoran, only Matoran with a relevant storyline role are listed. Ta-Matoran, Matoran of Fire —BALTA, former member of the Voya Nui Resistance, —KAPURA, eccentric but deliberate, former member of the Ta-Koro guard, a captive in the cell of the Great Being on Bota Magna, —NUHRII, who knew the location of a Great Disk, former member of the Ta-Koro guard, —SARDA, known for defeating Karzahni in Mahri Nui, —VULTRAZ, transformed into a Shadow Matoran by Makuta Gorast, held captive in another universe, —{AN UNNAMED MATORAN} who saved Toa Inika Hahli's life at the cost of his own, Onu-Matoran, Matoran of Earth —GARAN, former leader of the Voya Nui resistance, —MAVRAH, eccentric inventor, drowned by a sudden wave but discovered alive on the Red Star, —MIDAK, namesake of the Midak Skyblasters, —ONEPU, aide of Whenua and member of the Chronicler's Company, —{REYSA}, slain by Kalmah during the Barraki's invasion of Mahri Nui, —TEHUTTI, who knew the location of a Great Disk, Le-Matoran, Matoran of Air —DEFILAK, former leader of Mahri Nui, —ORKAHM, who knew the location of a great disk, —PIRUK, former member of the Voya Nui Resistance, —TAMARU, former member of the Chronicler's Company, Po-Matoran, Matoran of Stone —AHKMOU, who knew the location of a Great Disk but betrayed the Toa Metru, corrupted by Teridax and instituted as Turaga of Metru Nui after Teridax's reign —HAFU, a captive in the cell of the Great Being on Bota Magna, —VELIKA, former member of the Voya Nui resistance, actually a Great Being in disguise, Ko-Matoran, Matoran of Ice —EHRYE, who knew the location of a Great Disk, —KAZI, former member of the Voya Nui resistance, —KOPEKE, former member of the Chronicler's Company, —MAZEKA, member of the Order of Mata Nui, Ga-Matoran, Matoran of Water —DALU, former member of the Voya Nui resistance, —IDRIS, known for defeating Karzahni in Mahri Nui, —MACKU, friend to Toa Hewkii, member of the Chronicler's Company, —VHISOLA, who knew the location of a Great Disk, Av-Matoran, Matoran of Light —GAVLA, RADIAK, KIROP, once transformed into Shadow Matoran aides of the Makuta but since reverted, —TANMA, PHOTOK, SOLEK, aides to the Toa Nuva during their time in Karda Nui, —THE BUILDER OF THE CANISTERS, has forgotten his own name, who sent the Matoran who would become the Toa Inika and Mahri on their way BARA MAGNA SOCIETY Much like the Matoran Universe, the tribes of Bara Magna organize themselves into elements. Fire Tribe —The ELEMENT LORD OF FIRE, leader of the Fire Tribe, —RAANU, acting leader of the Fire Tribe and of all tribes on Spherus Magna, —their Glatorian: —ACKAR, their prime Glatorian, imbued with elemental fire powers by Mata Nui —MALUM, exiled for attempting to kill an opponent who had yielded —their notable villagers, CROTESIUS, KYRY, and an UNNAMED "HERO AGORI", Water Tribe —The ELEMENT LORD OF WATER, leader of the Water Tribe, —his Glatorian: —TARIX, prime Glatorian, imbued with elemental water powers by Mata Nui —KIINA, second Glatorian, imbued with elemental water powers by Mata Nui —his notable villagers, BERIX, KIRBRAZ, and SCODONIUS, Jungle Tribe —The ELEMENT LORD OF JUNGLE, leader of the Jungle Tribe, —his Glatorian: —VASTUS, prime Glatorian, imbued with elemental air powers by Mata Nui —GRESH, second Glatorian, imbued with elemental air powers by Mata Nui —his villager, TARDUK, a treasure hunter who encountered several Element Lords, Ice Tribe —The ELEMENT LORD OF ICE, leader of the Ice Tribe, —his Glatorian: —STRAKK, former prime Glatorian, exiled from Bara Magna after yielding and then attempting to kill his opponent, —GELU, former second Glatorian, now retired, —SUREL, a former Glatorian who now resides in a cave near Iconox, —his notable villagers: —KIRBOLD, who encountered several Element Lords, —METUS, a traitor to Bara Magna working for the Skrall, transformed into a snake for his crimes by Mata Nui The Rock Tribe and Skrall —The ELEMENT LORD OF ROCK, leader of the Rock Tribe —STRONIUS, leader of the Rock Tribe and the Skrall, —TUMA, once leader of the Rock Tribe and the Skrall, defeated in single combat by Mata Nui and wandering in exile —BRANAR, a scout who worked for the Baterra, —ATAKUS, an Agori who acts as assistant to the Skrall

From a couple of chapters ago..."Ending the count at a hundred"? Whoa, whoa, whoa. In canon, there are 13 Makuta named, 7 unnamed but specific (Stelt, Killed-By-Zaria, and the five who sided with Miserix), and two variable but plural quantities (an unknown number who died on missions, and an unknown number killed by Teridax). The fewest Makuta that the Brotherhood could comprise is 24. I find it doubtful that so many Makuta would die on missions, and I also doubt that many would remain alive at the time of Teridax's Reign for him to kill. Mata Nui is surprisingly communicative at this stage. If I may offer another general critique (which I forgot to include in this chapter): I think you should avoid speculation and explanations of things that weren't covered in canon (like the intricate workings of Protodermis). They're not that interesting to people new to Bionicle, and even if they are to this forum's users, they distract from the main storyline.

I have previously declared myself to be a lover of 2006. My attitude towards 2007 is somewhat less passionate. Indeed, it was a lot like 2006. It had the darkness of the Barraki in the first half of the year, and the light of the Mahri in the second. But it just didn't have...the edginess, the personality of 2006 that made me love it. It felt like a cheap clone to sell more sets. But you redeem that in this beautifully characterized clash between the Barraki. And I thank you for that.

A short story was recently posted to this forum that suggested an interesting possibility. Since Tahu incinerated Teridax's Rahkshi with the Golden Armour, it's possible that some of Teridax's spirit lives on through him. So he could become a new Makuta.

This was a fantastic story overall, although it could have used some pauses or breaks greater than a paragraph. Also, it's not in line with canon. The Yesterday Quest states that Marendar was created before the Shattering, and that it was named by the Great Beings.

My name is Kokkan. I'm a Ko-Matoran. I run a shop. I sell things. That's my job. Back on Metru Nui I ran a shop. I sold things to scholars. It was good. I made money. Then the Morbuzakh came. It knocked down some knowledge towers. But that was okay. I could still do my job. Then the Vahki made us go into the spheres. I didn't want to. But I went anyways, because one of them promised me I'd eventually be able to do my job. I woke up on the island of Mata Nui soon after that. Building Ko-Koro was hard. But once it was done, I was happy, because even on this new island I could still do my job. I kept running the shop. I sold things to the villagers. It was good. I made money. One day Kopaka and the Toa showed up. They were supposed to be big heroes to protect us. But that didn't matter to me, as long as I could do my job. Soon after, some Tahnok attacked Ko-Koro. They melted a lot of the village. But that didn't matter to me, as long as I could do my job. Then Turaga Vakama told us that we were going back to Metru Nui. I didn't remember what Metru Nui was, but I asked Turaga Nuju about it, and he told me I'd still be able to do my job there. Now I was back in Metru Nui. I kept running the shop. I sold things to the villagers. It was good. I made money. They told us that Mata Nui was dying, and the Toa had to leave to save him. They didn't come back. I was a bit worried that if he died I wouldn't be able to do my job anymore. Then my friend Matoro and a bunch of others left to help them, and they did come back, even if he didn't. So I was happy, because I knew I'd be able to keep doing my job. The Toa awakened Mata Nui. At first I was pretty happy. Now nothing would interrupt me, and I'd be able to do my job forever. But it turned out to be Makuta who was awakened. Now he could do anything he wanted. Most of my friends left when that happened. But not me. Even if it killed me, I wanted to keep doing my job. Makuta let me stay here. He didn't kill me. He told me to give weapons and food to his Rahkshi and other helpers. I lost some money because of that. But at least it was mostly my job. Then Mata Nui killed him. Turaga Vakama told us we had to go to Spherus Magna, because it wasn't safe here. On Spherus Magna, they already have shops. They already have people selling things and making money. Now I can't do my job anymore. -- It only recently occurred to me that the narrator is acting like a pre-sapience Matoran. I suppose that one got left behind after Velika's efforts.

Thank you! For the record, I am against euthanasia as well.

A darkness set upon the land A prophecy of light Six heroes, come to break the dawn Begin the greatest fight Here he saw a few Agori engaged in hush conversation, here was a Le-Matoran jogging briskly from the general store. A Glatorian sitting and eating exchanged nods with a Toa walking by. A light murmur of chatter came up from the town to the observer's balcony, and the whole scene was bathed in the morning light of Solis Magna. This, a pure peace, was Turaga Onua's life. And it had been that way for about three thousand years. The settlement over which he now presided was best described as an outpost, roughly half a mio to the west of the Bara Magna region. Travelers to the lands in the far west passed through here often. The town had a permanent population of about fifty beings, but usually about twenty more were there at any given time. And the Turaga always had a kind word or a little advice for every one. His mind drifted into reflection, as it so often did. When Kopaka had left to make a new life among the stars, his last words to Onua had been that he grew tired of battle after battle. In truth, Onua had as well. But he had hesitated to share this, and then Nuparu had closed the doors, and Turaga Nuju had begun the launch sequence. Kopaka had wanted to keep his Toa abilities. Onua knew that Toa power was something better shared. Nevertheless, sacrificing it had not been easy. Even as he had watched six warriors rise where only he had stood moments before, he had only been able to feel the noticeable weakness setting in. Then they had all left to fight in the war, and most had not survived. Of course the peace established on Spherus Magna a few years after he had awakened on the island of Mata Nui could never have lasted forever. Of course there would be wars. But wars as devastating as this? To claim so many of those he loved? It was his firm policy to let others make mistakes so that they might learn, but so many mistakes had already been made. Why, his very family had been lost to this war. The cheerful Pohatu had been hardened by the fighting, and only rarely seemed like his old self. Lewa was dead, shot out of the sky by friendly fire at the Battle of New Tajun. And Tahu... With the great power of the Golden Armor came great responsibility. Tahu still lived; he could still fight like the legion of Rahkshi he had devastated when he had first donned the Armor; but the selflessness that had guided him to his destiny had been exhausted. Now, he knew little but anger. A deep despair, one that did not befit one as high as he, washed over Onua. Fight it as he tried, he was left like that for nearly half an hour. When it finally stopped, he thought to himself: Come to think of it, perhaps I made the right choice. A thousand menaces of change Bring viscious infestation Are locked away, and new life comes Creation's restoration Onua hauled himself from his chair and walked down the stairs. He felt unusually weak today; he held his hand to his face, but his mask was most certainly on. The Noble Pakari Nuva did not have the most beautiful forms of all Kanohi, but it sufficed. The Turaga kept it as a memory of his glory days. Almost as soon as he stepped outside, Onua heard a greeting call from a familiar voice. "Turaga! Good morning." "Good morning, Toa Garan," Onua said. "Anything around the village that needs my attention today?" "Trefanus and Kupma got into a pretty heated argument last night—it seems it didn't wake you up, but it woke up half the village. I broke it up and told them to cool it until morning when you'd look into it." Onua wanted to say "Those two again", but thought better of it. Of the Matoran who had received Onua's Toa power, only two had survived the many years of war. Piruk was on some expedition in Bota Magna. Garan chose to stay as the protector of Onua's village. A dream of swarm revival foiled By their very goal. And one more joins the heroes A new life to behold. A Fire Tribe Agori whose name escaped Onua ran up to him and Garan, panting. "It's Gali. She's...you need to come quick..." The Toa and the Turaga needed no more prompting. In less than a minute they were in the hut where Gali lived out her days. It was a small building, little more than a table and a bed, but it was all that poor Gali needed. During the war, she had fought off twenty foes at once underwater, even with her mask torn off in the struggle. But she had been badly wounded, and only barely escaped. She had been sent to live with Onua, and had lingered for thousands of years in a state of constant pain, too weak to fight or even to give up her Toa power. A month ago she had fallen into a coma, and though Onua had called healer after healer to the village to save his sister, she had not been revived. Only now did Onua realize that her will was gone, eroded by the millenia of hurt. The Agori, Gali's caretaker, stood at her bedside and observed her ragged breaths with the others. "Her sleep has become irregular and devoid of rest. She calls out various names, yours most often." Gali's body tensed; her back arched. She let out a short and piteous sob, and dropped back to the bed. The sight broke Onua's heart. He looked at his feet. "I cannot bear to see her suffer like this." Garan put a hand on his elder's shoulder. "Turaga, if you cannot bear it...you should let me do what I suggested the first day she fell asleep." A deep opposition filled Onua. "No, Garan. It cannot. NO!" He took a moment to regain his composure. "Toa do not kill! Especially not other Toa! She...she might yet recover!" He knew it was foolish as soon as it left his mouth. The caretaker said, "After thousands of years and about as many healers? I think it unlikely." It was a false hope, Onua knew that. "I..." He could not find any more words. The Toa of Earth spoke gently, enough that the Turaga was thankful for choosing him as a Toa once more. "Think about it Turaga. I know that you will choose wisely." Onua moved to leave; Garan stayed behind. "This outpost has limited resources, and keeping her alive may hurt the rest of us," said the caretaker offhandedly. Onua was stunned by the heartless remark, but he said only, "My sister is more to me than a drain on resources." Defeated, captured, locked away, Searching for the power Another group must rise anew. Unclaimed, descend the tower. The Turaga had not taken more than twenty steps when he was confronted by an Ice Tribe Agori and a Po-Matoran. They ran up to him, shouting "Turaga Onua, Turaga Onua!" at varying tempos. "Trefanus. Kupma." He acknowledged each with a nod and a smile. "It is good to see you—" Both burst into an angry tirade, the sides of which Onua could not discern. The villagers glared at each other, then resumed talking at exactly the same time. Onua held up a hand for silence. "My friends, if you would accompany me to the Grand Court, I can hear out your problems and provide a solution." He walked at a deliberately slow pace towards the place he named. The Grand Court was not at all grand in the grand scheme of things, but in this village it was a major attraction. There were a number of unsecured, easily movable chairs; two chairs fastened to the ground, for the plaintiff and defendant; and, at the front, Turaga Onua's chair, crafted painstakingly using the elemental powers he had left. All trials were open to the public, and the Court was usually occupied at all hours the day by people simply sitting there to chat. Someone noticed and shouted "Everyone please rise for the arrival of the Judge Turaga!" About ten spectators populated the Court today. Onua spoke to the belligerents, "Now, one at a time, please tell me your grievances." Both started talking again, but this time they formed a reasonably discernable story. "There's a tree, you see—" "There's a fruit tree. And it's on my property—" "It's rooted on his property, so he owns it, I guess—" "But it's located right at the border, so—" "There's a significant overhang—" "Most of the fruit is falling—" "I get most of the fruit." "And he says it's in HIS yard, so he can do WHATEVER—" "So I can do whatever I want with it, right? But no, he says—" "All the fruit belongs to me, of course. It's my tree." "It's my land." Both gasped for breath, and finally they said together, "SO WHO'S RIGHT?" Onua thought for a few seconds. "I must balance Kupma's right to the tree and all its fruits with Trefanus's right to security of his property. Trefanus, you make no claim to the fruit still on the tree?" "No, Turaga." "Kupma, there is still a substantial crop remaining on the tree?" "Yes, Turaga." "Very well." He thought for a minute more. "Here is my judgement. Come harvest, Kupma may take for himself all that remains on the tree. All the fruit that falls on Trefanus' property is his, but he may not sell it or otherwise profit from Kupma's work." "That's—" Both villagers were starting to object, but the will to died quickly. "That's actually very fair." "Dismissed," said Onua calmly as he stepped from his chair. He walked to the belligerents and added, "My friends, I am always happy to arbitrate, but you should learn to settle disputes among yourselves. This is the third time this month." Onua left Trefanus and Kupma sitting there, and walked back to his chambers for the midday meal. Embittered warlords plot revenge A cry for help transforms One disappears for good of all Task left undone reforms. When he left his dwelling, it seemed that the whole village greeted him outside, with cheers. Puzzled, Onua watched the crowd part to reveal Garan standing in a clearing at their centre. His arms were folded, and his face was set in a smug grin. "Good afternoon, Turaga." Then he understood. "Garan, you sly Muaka! You didn't remind me of our match today!" "I'd hoped you'd remember. But your brain is getting fuller and fuller of dust these days. Or should I say, Earth?" "Indeed it is." "Are you still willing to go ahead?" "I would not miss this chance for the world." The event had actually been anticipated for quite some time now. Turaga versus Toa, the match of the century (at least, it was in this town). The sparring of the Glatorian age lived on, only with slightly modified rules to prevent unnecessary deaths. "Everybody LISTEN UP!" An outspoken Glatorian, who strongly emphasized certain words, acted as the commentator. "The combantants are limited to the CIRCLE of VILLAGERS!" Onua took off his Turaga's cloak and flexed his body. To his surprise, it felt young and vibrant. "The WINNER is the first PERSON to KNOCK OUT their OPPONENT, or FORCE a CONCESSION! FIGHTERS may use any tool at their disposal, but the moment ONE uses it, the OTHER can, TOO! This includes WEAPONS, or MASK POWERS, or ELEMENTAL POWERS!" The Turaga stood as tall as he could, but he was still only half Garan's height. "FIIIIIIIGHT!" The commentator stopped here, gasping for breath from his exuberant display. The combantants circled the ring, opposite each other, fists raised defensively. Garan threw a punch at Onua's head; he ducked and an Agori leaped back to avoid being hit. He threw a few more punches, all of which were dodged, and Garan looked perplexed that he could not score a hit. Quick as a wink, Onua grabbed the Toa's right leg and yanked it from under him. Garan fell to the ground, and appeared to have had the wind knocked out of him. The village cheered. Garan got to his feet. "Turaga! Is that your Mask of Strength I feel in use?" "Indeed it is," chuckled Onua. "I'm surprised you keep that Ruru." "It comes in handy sometimes," answered Garan. He shouted behind him, "Weapons!" Someone threw his Pulse Bolt Generators into the ring. At the same time, someone threw Onua his adaptive weapon, which was at present a simple black sword. Onua was encouraged when it reformed into the multi-resistant shield he had possessed in Karda Nui. Garan fired a few test shots. The shield dissipated them nicely. He drew farther away from Onua, so the bolts would be larger, and fired a ring of them such that Onua could not hope to dodge or block them all. Onua jumped into the air overtop of the pulses and threw his shield at Garan's head. The power of his noble Kanohi Pakari knocked Garan to the ground once more. The great mask would probably have taken off the head. The Toa of Earth got to his feet once more. "You're tougher than you look," Garan said, sounding a touch fatigued. "Even after all these years?" Onua allowed himself to feel a bit of cavalier attitude. "I haven't—" Suddenly Garan was upon him, striking blow after blow with the Generators. Onua defended well, but a mighty blow came, and the shield fell away. Onua simply tore the generators from Garan's hands and threw them out of the ring. Then he pushed the Toa back to the other side, so once again they were on the sides on which they had stood at the beginning. "Ready to give up yet, Turaga?" asked Garan. "On the contrary," said Onua. "I'd won from the beginning of the fight." The ground cracked underneath Garan's feet. The villagers, not knowing what was about to happen, stepped back in precaution. The Toa of Earth tried to run to the safe side of the ring, but he made it only two steps before the entire side of the ring crumbled. He fell into a very deep hole. From the beginning of the fight, Onua had been subtly using his elemental powers to weaken that ground. Only now had he pulled the trigger. "Will he live?" someone in the crowd asked. "Of course. That fall's not deep enough to kill him." Then everything went wrong. Garan burst out of the ground, arms extended at his sides, standing on a swirling column of earth. Onua pulled at it with all the elemental might he could muster, but he did not have very much as a Turaga. Garan pointed his arms forward, and the column sped towards his unfortunate foe. It lowered quickly as he approached, so that he struck an uppercut that threw Onua two bios into the air. Onua landed, and got to his feet very unsteadily. But Garan raised his arms once more, and a dust storm enveloped the ring. There were coughs from the spectators. Onua shielded his eyes and shouted, "Where are you?" He was answered with a punch to the back of his head. He swiped at where he thought it had come from and received a blow in his side. Then a rain of blows came from all directions, such that he could not defend even with the mask. In a last, desperate attempt, he made a random leap into the air to escape, aided by the mask. Something caught him by the throat, and slammed him into the ground. The storm cleared, and there stood Garan, with a grand smirk on his face. "I told you the Ruru comes in handy." He released his foe's throat. Onua did not get up. He lay there panting, eyes darting from side to side. "Turaga?" All the villagers, looking at him with concern, like he needed to be cared for... "Are you alright?" Onua jumped to his feet, feeling weak even with the Mask of Strength aiding him. He picked up his cloak from the ground, put it back on, and ran. Was this even running? It felt more like waddling...oh, dear...how old he was... The sky above, the sea below, A search all of this through The task complete they celebrate When horrors unfold anew For most of the afternoon, the Turaga sat in silence in his chambers. After about three hours, the door creaked open behind him. "Turaga Onua?" said Garan. Onua looked up from the ground, but said nothing. "Turaga, I lost control. I forgot to see you as a friend and not an enemy in the fight. I—" "Garan," interrupted Onua. "I want you to end Gali's torment." "I'm sorry for—" "Do it now!" Onua said, raising his voice a little. Then he sighed a deflated sigh. "No, that's not right. Send a bunch of messengers. Or find a Kakama, or something. Just send the word as far as you can across Spherus Magna. Let anyone who wishes to see her come here by nightfall. You were right, Garan. I will not have her suffer any longer." Garan thought for a minute. "If they object, as you once did?" "Tell them that I was appointed as Gali's guardian, so it is my decision in her incompetence." "Understood." Garan left. Onua now bowed his head and did something almost no one ever did. He prayed to Mata Nui. He did not know if they heard, or if it was all in his head, but in his desperation it did not matter. "Long ago, Great Spirit, you descended from the heavens to watch over us. You were always there. You protected us, you gave your life for us, but then you left us alone in fear of your own power. "I was once one of your protectors, intended to save your life and awaken you. Now I am an old fool, a fraction of my former self even with this mask to give me strength. Yet I am warden of one who could be far more powerful than I, my dearest sister Gali. "Many years ago, fate saw it fit to cut her enjoyable existence short. What remained of her was pain, a pain that seeped into my heart as much as it seeped into hers. Her suffering is mine, Great Spirit. I want both to end. "I ask that my life be taken in place of hers, and that she recover. For I am slowly losing my will to fight, yet she has been fighting death for millenia. "And if nothing else, I ask for the strength to make it through this day." Onua opened his eyes. Garan had left his door partially open, and light shone through it. The prize and goal have made themselves A life to take a stand. In conflict great a world reborn Peace speaks from fire's hand. Onua stood at the entrance to the town, watching the sun slip below the horizon. Garan had not returned. In fairness, he had had very little time...but the deadline had been clear. He was about to cease his watch and attend to Gali a little longer when he saw something on the horizon. A glint of black that was not usually there. Was it Garan? He yelled for a telescope, and someone brought him a noble Mask of Vision. No, it wasn't Garan—it was an Onu-Matoran Onua had never seen before. Then three Glatorian came striding into view—two of them were Gresh and Kiina! Then Garan appeared, and then...could it be... Pohatu Nuva, and Tahu Mata. The last of his team had come. A crowd of about thirty new beings descended upon the small town to say goodbye to one of the most famous Toa of all time. Almost the entire population of the town had roused themselves as well. Other turnouts included Toa Hahli, Turaga Matau and Nokama, at least ten Ga-Matoran, and most incredibly of all, Artakha. Onua had to bow on seeing him arrive, but his creator refused to accept this and told him to rise. "I brought Gali into existence, and I would like to see her out of it. With your permission, Turaga, I will accompany Garan for the deed." "Granted. Have you contacted Kopaka?" "I have. He was silent for a long time when I told him, and then expressed his disapproval." "I understand that it will be hard for some to let go." Garan tapped Onua on the shoulder. "Excuse me. "Did anyone object to my decision?" asked the Turaga. "Surprisingly, no. Her condition is well-known, as you might imagine, so it seems that they all think you're making a good decision." Onua nodded. "You should know that there were many others who wanted to make the trip, but had other obligations." There were many other greeting and reunions, but they are not part of this story. Onua stood at the front of the Grand Court and addressed the assembly. "Attention, everyone. If you would all line up, single file, at Gali's hut, you will each be allowed thirty seconds to pay your respects to her." The process took about half an hour. Onua stood on one side of the bed; Garan stood at the door. Each new mourner stood opposite Onua on the bed. "You saved my life in the war," said the Onu-Matoran. "I know you saved so many lives and were never repaid." Pohatu took the Toa of Water's hand in his. "Once, I almost killed Takanuva and you prevented me. You were always so trusting...we were all so trusting in those days." He seemed lost in memory, and for just a moment, his face brightened into the Pohatu of old. Then his time expired, and it was gone. "You were more than just a fighter. You were a friend," sobbed Hahli, laying a wreath of flowers around the Toa's head. "Here's to the protection, the great protection, you gave us all," said Matau. He had chosen to go together with Nokama, who sang a haunting song in another language that still moved Onua. When Tahu's turn came, he entered the hut, looked down at Gali, and laid his hand on her. He stayed like that, expressionless, until his time was up. Artakha did not participate. When the time finally came, Onua left the hut. He could not bear to be inside; he was too weak for that. Instead he waited outside with the rest of the crowd. The sun was fully set by now, so many carried lightstones, which cast many shadows all across the town. "Quick and painless, that's all I asked him," Onua muttered to himself. "Quick and painless." The crowd suddenly seemed pressing, and too much for him. He elbowed his way between Tahu and Kiina, and sat on the steps of his chambers, unwilling to see even the hut. A prolonged silence followed. Onua wanted the tension to break, and then... The entire crowd vanished. Disappeared into thin air. Onua wanted to get up, to confirm that he was seeing what he thought he was seeing, but his muscles failed him. Then, striding out of the hut, came Gali. "Sister!" he exclaimed. "Are you—" She saw no sign of hearing him and continued walking halfway across the town's main street before she shouted, "ONUA!" "I..see you, Gali?" he said, taken aback. She seemed not to hear him. "Onua! Hear me! Though you cannot know it, I am fully aware. I heard all that was said to me, and whatever Garan chooses will cause only more pain. I cannot die!" "No." Onua was too shocked to move. "You must stop them! You must stop them before it is too—AAAAAHHHH!" As she screamed, her body became tainted, as if with earth, until she dissolved to the ground, a mud puddle. This was enough for the Turaga. He leapt from his seat and raced forward, shouting "STOP!" "Turaga!" Someone grabbed his arm, pulling him to a halt. The spell was broken. It was Gali's caretaker who held him now. "I...what...where did everyone go?" "Some started the journey back to Bara Magna, some took up residence in the town's inn, some are camping outside the town, and the residents went back home." Onua was not physically exhausted, but he had a strange feeling that he should be. "What...what happened after I sat on the steps?" "Garan came out and said it was done"—here Onua exhaled a sigh of both relief and guilt—"and the crowd had a moment of silence, then everybody went their separate ways. But when they tried to talk to you, you seemed to be in a trance. We didn't have a Suletu handy, so we just let you be. It's been almost four hours." Onua broke free of the Agori's grip and raced to where Gali may or may not have stood moments ago. The ground was slightly damp. "Turaga, it's as hard for me as it was for you. I took care of her for thousands of years. I...I actually wonder if I'll be able to find employment elsewhere." "Yes, that's right. You're still in my employ, aren't you? Very well. As my second last order to you, I want you to sleep in my chambers tonight. No sense in staying with Gali now, is there? I have a spare bed somewhere, if you'll help me haul it out." The former caretaker looked a little quizzical, but said, "As you wish, Turaga." "I'll be needing you in the morning." ------------------------------- Onua sat in a chair in front of a roaring fire, covered by a blanket. What an eventful day it had been. And there were a million more like it to come. Yes, I am weak, he thought to himself. I am a silly old Turaga indeed. But if it is weakness that destiny demands of me, than I accept that. My prayers were answered. And I had the strength to make it through today. Today. The word echoed in his mind as he dozed off. Today. Many images flashed rapidly through the Turaga's mind as he faded: his hands on Lewa's shoulders, six evil beings and a clod of earth, an explosion in a swamp. When they finally stopped, he was in a world that lacked form and boundaries, but retained colour. And the first thing he saw was two welcoming masses, one green, one blue. Author's Commentary I spent, like, four days working on this. It's a commentary on the process of Toa-Turaga, and how it affects Toa. Like, becoming a Turaga doesn't suddenly make you wise. At least it's part that. The point is that Onua is grieving himself as well as Gali. He goes through the five stages in the day: depression (the beginning), bargaining (Trefanus and Kupma, and his prayer), denial (the sparring match), anger (his vision of Gali, sort of), and acceptance (the end), which explains the title. Yes, that's Lewa and Gali at the end. I am aware that Matoran Universe beings who die on Spherus Magna may still be teleported to the Red Star. Onua just chose not to; his spirit lacked the will to carry on. I am aware that I might not have been faithful to Garan's canonical character, but I needed a Matoran of Earth for the story and I've always thought Garan would make a good Toa.

And working in the mines for thousands of years, or the trauma of becoming protodites, wasn't hard at all...

Yes, yes, YES! I have been waiting for 2006 for a long time, and you nailed it. Part of the reason 2006 is my favourite story year was because of the time they spent characterizing the bad guys and villagers. This shows Zaktan and Piruk together very well. But you can't have the darkness of the first half of the year without the light of the second. I almost think you should write a 2006b story, with the Inika.

And now, a brief digression. Everything Wrong With the Narrator 1. He's probably not qualified to do a criticism of Bionicle. 2. He said he wouldn't do a part 2 and he did. 3. He accidentally listed two sins as #51. 4. Most of his sins have been refuted by other forum members, but he hasn't adjusted the sin count accordingly. 5. His username comes from an obscure song lyric that you will never guess. 6. He's goading you into guessing it with these two sins. 7. He has other obligations and ways he could spend his time, but he chooses to spend it writing a criticism of a story that accompanied a now-cancelled toy line. 8. He has not really accomplished anything with his life yet. 9. He has many other things he doesn't like about himself, having low self-esteem, but he doesn't wish to share them with this forum. 10. He is going to make more mistakes in this criticism. Narrator Sin Tally: 10 Sentence: A slap on the wrist (to be performed by the defendant) Back to Bionicle. 2004: Legends of Metru Nui 61. (adjusted for the two 51 sins) The Turaga lying to the Matoran about Metru Nui all these years. Why would they ever do this? Forum user Artakha's Nephew recently proposed an explanation: all the Matoran's memories had been erased, and a simple explanation of their origins was necessary. But once they have a reasonable mental capacity, how come you couldn't have shared the full story with them? Surely they were able to handle Metru Nui in significantly less time than a thousand years. 62. The tales of Metru Nui are described as taking place "a thousand years ago", and they, but the Matoran Universe has been in existence for about 100,000 years. So it's not nearly as significant as it's made to seem. 63. Why does everything in this universe have to be an island? Why don't we learn of the existence of continents until, like, 2008? 64. Metru Nui is a civilization that has invented flight and autonomous robot police, but not the wheel. 65. The Vahki. They got way more characterization than they deserved. I don't think their sets sold too well, either. I remember Lego Magazine auctioning them off at lowered prices month after month. 66. Lhikan sacrifices his power to create the Toa Metru. To do that, he must have fulfilled his destiny. Which is...um...help me out here. 67. The very idea of destiny. 68. Also, thank goodness for the plot that Toa need to fulfill their destiny in order to create new Toa. If not, they could simply turn every Matoran into a Toa and have safety forever. 69. Metru Nui is a civilization that has invented flight and autonomous robot police, but not weed killer. 70. Let's talk about the relationship between Kanoka and Kanohi. There are 52 known Kanohi. Of these, seven cannot be made with Kanoka. There are eight Kanoka powers, and up to three Kanoka can be combined to create a mask. So there are 45 forgeable Kanohi, and only 8C1 + 8C2 + 8C3 = 92 Kanoka combinations to create them! Oh, wait. That actually works. So this isn't a sin. Moving on. 70. How did the six Matoran come know the locations of the Great Disks? Why are we never told this? And why did they not use this knowledge sooner? 71. If Makuta sent the Morbuzakh, I'm not sure what he gained from it, since it just destroyed and didn't help him conquer the city. Besides, he was already impersonating Turaga Dume at this point, so his major plan was in effect. 72. Why did the Vahki not know that Lhikan was imprisoned in the same cell as Nuju, Onewa, and Whenua? Or did it not occur to them that he might train the Toa? 73. It's in this year that we learn of the Matoran-Toa-Turaga life cycle. There are a few things wrong with this. First, it violates the first law of thermodynamics. New energy cannot be created nor destroyed, yet each Toa is capable of creating six new Toa. This means that more Toa power must be coming into being. 74. Second, just because you become a Turaga doesn't automatically make you wise. Yet Turaga always act wise and experienced. Heck, Lhikan's acting wise and experienced and he's only been a Turaga for a few days or weeks! Why the sudden personality change from Toa to Turaga? 75. Legends of Metru Nui—heck, all of 2004 media—gives us no clue of what Makuta is actually doing in the Great Cataclysm besides causing a big storm. 76. We later learn that it's a crash-landing by a robot the diameter of Earth. I assert that this would cause far more damage to the universe than it actually did. 77. Lhikan is proud of Vakama. I'm not. The man just made you sacrifice your life for him and has shown himself to be a terrible leader! 78. Vakama's visions of the future. The cause of these is never explained. Commenters, you are welcome to add more sins. I will accept any you add as canonical, and add them to the tally, since I have skipped over vast swathes of the Metru Nui story.

@bohrokmaster I already knew exactly how the Voya Nui story ended. Although, I can't fault you for thinking I didn't.

2006. We've just come back from Vakama telling a story that lasted a few weeks in his world and two years in ours. In other words, we just spent two years on backstory. (Not to mention the flashback within a flashback of the Toa Hagah.) The Matoran have returned to Metru Nui, everything seems to be going great, and then— "Mata Nui is not asleep. He is dying." BAM. "So, you need to go to this island called Voya Nui to retrieve the legendary Mask of Life, which can save his life." Okey dokey. Shouldn't be too hard, right? On your way, Toa Nuva! Now we get transported to Voya Nui. It's a hard life the Matoran have there. Garan is doing his best to keep it all together (the Voya Nui Matoran resistance would make great Toa), but food and water is scarce, and that can't be helped. Enter the Piraka. Man, these guys are awesome. I could read the description of their powers for hours. You think shielding, control of fire, and a shiny sword are cool? How about heat vision, mental blasts, and a dual lava launcher and grip? They were like gangsters given superpowers. They take over the whole island, enslave the villagers, and try to drain the volcano to get to the Mask of Life. And they beat the Toa Nuva. Seriously. They had them all knocked out and were going to throw them into the volcano. (Side note: Onua isn't that well characterized in the storyline, but the battle scene shows his noble nature. He was the last Toa left at full strength in the battle with the Piraka. He considered running away, as anyone would, but "In that moment, he made his decision. He would live or die here, as a Toa Nuva.") If a volcanic eruption hadn't caused the Piraka to flee, we could have had a very different Kingdom or worse. So, the first half of the year is all about darkness. But then six brave Matoran set out on a rescue mission, and change the course of history. The second half of the year is about light. The Inika will always be my favourite Toa. I don't care that the Toa Mata/Nuva played a bigger storyline role; Nuparu looks like the most triumphant soldier you can imagine, standing there in the rain on the front of his set. These guys beat the Piraka against all odds. How can you not love Jaller's words "I'll give you some time to consider surrendering. Oops, time's up. Let's do what we came for, friends: let's take 'em down!" How does this year end? Not with the Great Spirit awakening, but the beginning of a new saga, a journey to the only place where he can be awakened. I followed the Mahri Nui story, but it didn't hold me as well as Voya Nui did. And they absolutely nailed it with that whole gritty, dirty look, the All-American Rejects, and the silhouette of Voya Nui. No other graphic design in Bionicle attracted me as those hexagons did. It was this commercial that hooked me on Bionicle forever. 2006 was Bionicle as it should always have been: concrete, down-and-dirty, good versus evil in its purest form with the Piraka versus Inika.

My first thought is that you made no mention of the Vortixx. Admittedly, nearly everything we know about them is trivia from BIONICLE: World with a few characterized individual, but the Skakdi are about the same. It's interesting that you should introduce Ehlek's species, when we know even less about them. Are the other Barraki unique beings, as far as we know?

I thought it wasn't a theory. My mistake.