Mehri Nui Saga : Artwork

[Iben]

 

So, for the past few years I've been working on a 3 year-story arc called the Mehri Nui Saga, situated in the Spherus Magna Reborn Universe. In the past few months I've made some artwork to go with it, which I'd like to show here.

 

 

Spherus Magna Reborn Universe

 

(Full size)

 

 

A first look at the start of the story, with a little description of how things got how they are now.

The Island of Mehri Nui

 

( Full size)

 

To start, this is the map of Mehri Nui, which is an island located on Spherus Magna. It's quite big, a lot larger than Mata Nui ever was.

Ta-Wahi :

Situated at the South-West of the island, this Wahi is home to the vast Kele Uahi or “Smoking Swamp”. Tormented by years of seismic activity, the swamp is a hotbed for volcanic activity, releasing the tension coming from the now dormant sunken volcano of Ga-Wahi. The whole area is covered with small natural vents, geysers, and other pipes; constantly releasing sulphuric gases into the air. The underground is muddy and sticky, resembling a tar-like substance.

Bo-Wahi:

The largest Wahi of all, Bo-Wahi  stretches over several thousands of kio across the Southern part of the island. The biggest part is covered by the immense jungle at the foot of the Veto Mountain. Big areas of this vast jungle still hold secrets to the Matoran, and only few have ever dared to travel through this green ######.

Onu-Wahi:

Onu-Wahi is technically the largest Wahi of all, as it stretches across the whole island, consisting of thousands of kios of tunnels, caverns, mines and more. The surface of the true Onu-Wahi, located in the North of the island, is mostly a barren wasteland with very little plant- or wildlife. The reason behind this apparent lack of life is the booming life under the surface. The plants get their minerals directly from the source, and live underground.

Po-Wahi:

Located at the centre of the island, Po-Wahi  is home to one of the biggest deserts known to the Matoran. The desert of this Wahi divides the island between the colder North and the warmer South. This area is treacherous and only the Sa-Matoran truly know their way in this ever changing world of sand.

Ko-Wahi:

Ko-Wahi, or the world of cold, is located at the North of the island. Few is known about this area, but it is home to Titiro Mountains the location of The Council. This mighty palace is the home of the Turaga, giving them a birds-eye view over the whole island.


Ga-Wahi:

Of all Wahi, Ga-Wahi is the smallest. It is said that somewhere in the past seismic activity caused the island to break apart, resulting in the now sunken and dormant volcano in Ga-Wahi. This Wahi is situated at the Western coasts of the island, with Ga-Koro at its centre.

Highlands:

A piece of grassland that is stretched out from the entrance of the Southern Tunnels to the pathway to the Council, all the way to the Forbidden Forest. It’s the last patch of green to be crossed before entering the Po-Wahi Desert.

Forbidden Forest:

An forest near the edge of Ko-Wahi. A never-ending mist lingers over the pine-trees, tangled in mysteries. Many Matoran consider it to be cursed, and as only a few have ever returned from this crooked woodland, the Turaga decided to forbid anyone from entering them. The few Matoran who safely got out of the forest are now empty shells of what they used to be, incapable of expressing themselves in more than just a few grunts and sighs.

 

Principles of the Matoran

 

 

 

 

The principle of the Onu-Matoran, Endurance stands for the ability to exert itself and remain active for a long period of time. Embedded deep in the heart of the mining community of Onu-Metru, this principle praises the massive strength and endurance of the centuries old Elder Roots. These ancient roots have stood the test of time and supported the ever-changing city of the miners for thousands of years.

 

Endurance leads to the skill of Stamina, allowing one to function with the same level of energy for longer periods of time.

 

 

 

The principle of the Bo-Matoran, Acceptance stands for the will to accept the world and others as they are, not forcing them to become any different than their nature intended to be. This form of respect for the core of each being stems from the idea that nature knows best, and the Matoran shouldn’t try to impose change upon it.

 

Acceptance leads to the skill of Confidence, creating a deeper trust in in one’s abilities. This trust enables beings who master the skill of Confidence to push their abilities to the limits. This skill allows the Bo-Matoran to enter a state of mind where they are able to make further leaps, climb higher trees and run faster.

 

 

 

The principle of the Ga-Matoran, Responsibility stands for the will to accept the consequences of one’s actions. The principle is linked to an old wisdom that said that one drop of water makes the sea rise, and the Ga-Matoran recognize that their lives and actions have an influence on those of all the Matoran. The principle of Responsibility demands the Ga-Matoran to live life in such a way that one’s actions do not have negative consequences on the lives of others.

 

Responsibility leads to the skill of Strategy, allowing one to have a better view of what their actions might accomplish. This skill brings the Ga-Matoran in a state of mind where they can quickly plan out their actions in order to get the best out of each situation.

 

 

 

The principle of the Av-Matoran, Purity stands for a life devoting to the avoidance of distraction and corruption. The principle stems from the purity of Light itself, an element untouched by any force of nature.

 

Purity leads to the skill of Focus, allowing one to more accurately view the situation, without the many distractions of the environment. Focus allows the Av-Matoran to reach a state of mind where they are all their senses are blocked out, and all their attention is focussed on the problem they’re facing.

 

 

I hope you liked it ( and the images aren't too big), and see you next time !

 

 

[Torran]

I look forward to seeing this develop. The overall project sounds very intriguing, and the details you are starting to work in are wonderful. I do like the included symbols of each principles - I can imagine them carved into architecture or stamped on documents originating from each Wahi.

[Toa Doublebee]

Oh man. It is clear you have sunken alot of time and effort into creating all this.

While the lore is interesting enough, I think the center piece here is that map. And boy what a fun map it is.

 

At first I was rather confused by it for some reason. The reason, I quickly realized, was that there is no volcano in the middle of it    I quickly overcame this though.

The island itself is familiar enough to clearly be BIONICLE, yet is unique in its own way to keep things interesting. Also thevarious landmarks are named very authentically me thinks.

I look forward to see more of this   And I would sure like to know what exactly Bo-Matoran and Sa-Matoran are. 

[Iben]

I look forward to seeing this develop. The overall project sounds very intriguing, and the details you are starting to work in are wonderful. I do like the included symbols of each principles - I can imagine them carved into architecture or stamped on documents originating from each Wahi.

 

Thanks ! I'm happy that you like the symbols of the principles, it was pretty hard to find unique symbols for each of the tribes, so it's great to see that you like them. ^^

 

Oh man. It is clear you have sunken alot of time and effort into creating all this.

While the lore is interesting enough, I think the center piece here is that map. And boy what a fun map it is.

 

At first I was rather confused by it for some reason. The reason, I quickly realized, was that there is no volcano in the middle of it    I quickly overcame this though.

The island itself is familiar enough to clearly be BIONICLE, yet is unique in its own way to keep things interesting. Also thevarious landmarks are named very authentically me thinks.

I look forward to see more of this   And I would sure like to know what exactly Bo-Matoran and Sa-Matoran are. 

 

Thank you ! I must admit, the map is my favourite part as well  It took me a while to find nice locations and tidbits that would feel natural, but I'm happy that they turned out authentically enough ! ^^ The island actually has a volcano, but it's sunken down and is the small island in Ga-Wahi. Look at it as if it were an iceberg, with most of it being underwater.

 

Bo-Matoran are Matoran of Plant-life, which are official Matoran; whilst Sa-Matoran are Matoran of Sand, which are a type of Matoran unique to this universe.

 

 

Thanks again for the comments guys, I truly appreciate feedback like this !

 

-Iben

[Toa Doublebee]

Oh why...yes of coures! Bo-Matoran! How could I have forgotten...?   

 

I realized I left some things out from my earlier post.

While the map is great, Its a real shame it doesn't seem to depict terrain height, which is a shame. Would be much better with this feature.

For the last couple of days I was thinking about maybe putting together a map of an island much like this, which would be the habitat of the various characters I came up with. And then I find this, which is infinitely better than anything I could whip up with Paint   

 

Keep up the good work friend.