How hard could it be to find Artahka?

[Constructelf]

Did nobody ever have access to a complete map of the GSR (like this one)? Did none of the Makuta ever think "there's this area of uncharted territory east of the Northern Continent; it's the only place we haven't checked."

Edited November 22, 2016 by Constructman

[SPIRIT]

Yeah, there are a lot of problems with that map that Greg must not have communicated properly to the artists.

 

It would've made much more sense to have Artakha be in one of the extremities or not be nearly as big.  As such, you could have the island hidden if it were surrounded by storms or jagged rocks that made travel there impractical or impossible.  Maybe Artakha developed a cloaking device for the island?

 

On the whole, take that map with a giant grain of salt.  (I mean, am I expected to believe that Voya Nui is bigger than any other island we've seen?)

[Sir Keksalot]

Well, it's like finding Jesus--he was actually behind the sofa the whole time.

[Pohaturon]

I may not recall correctly, but I believe Arthaka was protected by more than simply no-one knowing where it is, such as various wards, illusions and all that jazz. As in, whenever someone, maybe even accidentally, sailed towards it, they wouldn't see the island due to an illusion of some sort, and the various currents would cause them not to ever get near it unless Arthaka (the guy living there) wants them to. 

 

Not sure about this though. I mean, if keeping the location secret was literally the only form of protection, then yeah, it's kane-ra dung.

 

[evil_jaga_genius]

I mean, am I expected to believe that Voya Nui is bigger than any other island we've seen?

Play VNOG, try trekking across the entire island, then ask yourself that question again.

 

 

I may not recall correctly, but I believe Arthaka was protected by more than simply no-one knowing where it is, such as various wards, illusions and all that jazz. As in, whenever someone, maybe even accidentally, sailed towards it, they wouldn't see the island due to an illusion of some sort, and the various currents would cause them not to ever get near it unless Arthaka (the guy living there) wants them to. 

 

Not sure about this though. I mean, if keeping the location secret was literally the only form of protection, then yeah, it's kane-ra dung.

 

This seems like the most plausible explanation.  Also I beg permission to use that metaphor at the end of your post.

[Toa Imrukii]

Y'know I'm not entirely sure how off topic this is what I'm about to say. But the placement of Destral reminds me of where Corfu is on the map. That being geographically disconnected but between two places on the same continent. In the case of Corfu that is between Greece and Albania. And in the case of Destral, that is between the northern portion of the southern Continent, and the southern part of it, being obviously seperated by the Tren Krom River.

 

 

Anyhow, yes. Artahka is really kinda a sore thumb on the map. How the Makuta didn't catch it as a big important place either means that they were extremely stupid, or that it was not shown on the map of the MU. That ot was hidden on most maps, and the Makuta somehow didn't think to look for a non-cencored map, or they really didn't think to look there. I mean there are a lot of islands, perhaps they just somehow really couldn't grasp checking all of them... Yet Teridax took over the MU eventually, and clearly knew of the places in the MU. Right? I don't know. More than likely, if anything the other Makuta just maybe weren't as aware of these places and things. I dunno man.

 

But that begs the question, I would like to know what all those other islands are, especially those two twin crescent islands to the northeast. And of course the southern islands too, but those more than likely were desolate. If not simply home to very few. There were a lot of species in the MU, most of which being represented in the Dark Hunters, but then again, much of them were extremely mutated, so I don't know.

[Toatapio Nuva]

When it comes to the Matoran Universe map, I much prefer using this fan-made version of it as opposed to the official one, as it seems much more accurate despite being unofficial.

 

As for Artakha's location, I imagine it would probably be cloaked by some kind of mist and illusions to conceal it. There's also another point to be considered: we don't know much about the other islands in that "arm" of Mata Nui, but Tren Krom's island is right at its tip, and that certainly wasn't a very well-known place, save for a few beings who did. It could be that the entire chain if islands there were not that well explored. There may not have been any practical reasons for the beings in the MU to go to that area of the universe.

 

I'm pretty sure no one actually had a map of the entire MU within it. I mean, if they did, they would have realized that their universe was in the shape of a humanoid figure and realized the truth about Mata Nui. Probably their version of the "world map" would just include islands in the "head", "body", and perhaps the abdomen. The islands in the "legs" were described throughout the story as places best ignored, so the same probably applied to at least one of the "arms".

[Master Inika]

But that begs the question, I would like to know what all those other islands are, especially those two twin crescent islands to the northeast.

You'd be interested to know those particular islands were once a single island, Nocturn's homeland, until he split it in two.

 

As for Artakha, it's best to believe Artakha uses some kind of cloaking device/illusion to keep people away, if they already don't venture that far into Mata Nui's arm. Although I do believe Greg was asked about this once, his answer was something like, "Well, it's not like there's a giant neon sight that says 'WELCOME TO ARTAKHA.'"

[Regitnui]

Entirely possible that the island itself was underground or disguised. It was the home of a master craftsman and a legion of devoted and skilled workers. They could have easily made buildings that fold into the earth, valleys that lead around the important areas, and even terrain that changed overnight to disorient. For all the BoM knew, Artakha was a strange, dangerous, thoroughly explored but uninhabited island dome that was the lair of Crystal Serpents. In other words; not worth the trouble. They would probably have been looking for spires-and-toga idealized Metru Nui anyway. Nothing hides something better than a preconceived notion of what it is.

[Toa of Italy]

The GSR map is, as some have already said, imperfect, especially as far as proportions are concerned (Voya Nui, in particular, should be smaller).

 

However, there is one thing which on the map isn't indicated at all and that's domes (and gateways between them). We know the islands were all enclosed in domes, which could encompass one or more islands at the same time. However, the geography of those domes was never clearly established, mostly leaving it to us to imagine it. My guess is that Artakha had its own dome and the waterway that allowed access from it to the rest of the universe was concealed somehow. Thus, anyone sailing alongside it would have just seen a barrier of rock (much like the Great Barrier) without imagining there could be a whole dome beyond. The same might apply to Daxia and Odina, islands that have also never been discovered.

 

There is one island, however, whose placement I have never been able to figure out: that's Tren Krom's Island. Thing is, in Federation of Fear it is said that Botar and Trinuma were originally on an island close to Artidax to leave weapons for Brutaka's team. Icarax turns up and slaughters Botar and Trinuma flees, leaving the weapons on the first island he finds. Now, am I really supposed to believe that to find an island he had to go all the way up to the robot's shoulder and down the arm? That's absurd, as is absurd that Brutaka and co. should make that same trip before going to Artidax. My guess is that there was some kind of dimensional portal between the robot's hand and midsection (perhaps disguised as another dome gateway, so that no one would realise what it truly was), but Greg never confirmed my theory.

[ZippyWharrgarbl]

I think the map included in Makuta's Guide to the Universe might have some proportion issues, personally. They couldn't really use satellite imagery or anything like that, and their world's setup is a bit odd with the sea-gates and all. They might have just done their best and called it a day. Some old maps of Earth are super wonky, too.

 

I like how Mata Nui's feet are untamed, fearsome, dangerous areas no one goes to if they can help it.

 

As for Artakha, I think he didn't just rely on location. Illusions and such could have caused people to sail right by without seeing it or something.

 

What I want to know is, how did the map-makers cope with Destral teleporting everywhere? Maybe Destral came as a separate piece you could pin on wherever.

[Master Inika]

What I want to know is, how did the map-makers cope with Destral teleporting everywhere? Maybe Destral came as a separate piece you could pin on wherever.

Maybe it's like how, whenever there's a major war with constantly-changing borders, all the map makers in the world scramble to keep churning out whatever map is most up-to-date at the time, which I imagine as frustratingly hilarious.

 

"What do you mean the country I spent all week making a map of is part of Russia now?!"

[Mailli]

Perhaps Destral's actual location was fixed in the MU, but the sea-gates that were connected to it were portals which could change where they connected to, giving the illusion of teleportation.

[ZippyWharrgarbl]

Perhaps Destral's actual location was fixed in the MU, but the sea-gates that were connected to it were portals which could change where they connected to, giving the illusion of teleportation.

 

I think it's stated in canon that it is, in fact, actual teleportation. They did it with a device thought to be hooked up to a Kanohi Olmak. That's an interesting thought, though.

[Wiriamu]

Yeah, the geography of the Matoran Universe has always been kind of weird-I've always questioned how anyone going to Metru Nui got past Karzahni.

 

With regards to Artakha, I half wonder if anyone dumb enough to actually go looking for it and lucky enough to check the right location met with an...accident. We know that Makuta Kojol implemented numerous Rahi intended to keep people away from the place, and I doubt that was diminished by his demise. Combine that with Artakha's formidable mental powers and other resources, and I don't think keeping the island hidden for so long is so unbelievable.

[Gonel]

A similar question arises with Daxia. How could an island not far off the coast of the Southern Continent remain unspotted for over 100,000 years?

 

A personal headcanon I've had is that its original inhabitants (before the Order of Mata Nui's arrival)--which I imagine to be Johmak's species--had an illustrious chemical industry on Daxia known for its unsavory reputation (on par with that of the Vortixx). However, Order agents decided to kill two birds with one stone. They staged a giant chemical crisis on the island with only trustworthy natives in the know. The unsavory islanders were driven off, the island was declared off-limits, and the Order could move in. From then on, anyone seeking to visit the island to see if Daxia is toxic anymore would be discovered weeks later adrift at sea, dead. The Order maintained its secret and fear of the cursed, poisoned island prevented the arrival of tourists.

[Cheesy Mac n Cheese]

I'm going to call this "artistic license." If they didn't draw some of the islands as big as they did, we might not even be able to see them. Also, no, I don't think anyone ever had access to a complete map, it's been flat-out stated that the southern islands were mostly uncharted, though that really doesn't affect Artakha.

 

But didn't they kill anyone who knew the location of Artakha? Who's to say they didn't kill anyone who found it on sight? It seems that Artakha knew everything that was going on; despite never leaving. He probably had a way of dealing with anyone who might've stumbled upon his island.

[Zidonaro]

I guess it would be as hard as we finding Atlantis.

[Pohaturon]

I guess it would be as hard as we finding Atlantis.

 

I mean, it is in the Pegasus galaxy after all

 

[Azani]

Keep in mind that the sophistication of a society's technology isn't the only thing that dictates exploration. You can't really say that the Makuta were unable to find Artakha for 100,000 years because they likely weren't looking until Teridax's takeover of the brotherhood, ~79,000 years before the 2001 story. Why? Because they were kept busy by whatever Rahi they were creating, and typically had a reason to avoid venturing from Destral, unless the destination was their administrative division; they all had specific lands that they controlled the day-to-day functions of. Unless you were Kojol, you were busy, not plotting evil (yet), and uninterested.

 

As far as the Matoran and similar species go, I doubt that they came close to utilizing the level of tech necessary to circumvent Artakha's defenses. Just because you regularly use high tech doesn't mean that you know how to engineer it.