Quisoves Potoo

Perhaps the Element Lord of Earth was the prototype Elemental? That could explain the absence of an Earth chamber in the cavern: Once the Great Beings were assured of the viability of their idea, they regularized the process for the convenience of the other six. As for Raid on Vulcanus, perhaps the Earth Tribe simply allied itself another tribe, and agreed to let the Lord of that tribe act as supreme commander. Perhaps Earthie was a great warrior, but a secondary strategist? As for the identity of the other tribe, Jungle seems logical. Plants grow in earth, after all.

Where are you getting this from? This was never the impression I got with the scene in which Teridax reawakens Ahkmou, and I can't recall reading it anywhere.

Good job on your story. Unambitious, but in the best of ways. I wish you luck at the polls. Just one question, though: Do Matoran actually have teeth?

That makes sense. One other thing I forgot to mention which doesn't sit well with me is this: The Dark Hunters guide states that Dweller was stationed as a spy in Metru Nui, suggesting that the Shadowed One wasn't interested in outright conquering Metru Nui post-Great Cataclysm until the right time. It seems to me that if he really wanted to conquer it, he wouldn't send merely two operatives. Additionally, Keetongu fought Teridax in Time Trap. While I don't remember the exact sequence of events, it was right after Teridax had sent all of the Rahkshi of Metru Nui to distract Voporak, so the Shadowed One might have seen Keetongu. If nothing else, Voparak might have seen him and mentioned him to the Shadowed One.

That would be Invasion, which was supposed to chronicle the Toa Inika's voyage through the cord. The Updated Bionicle Encyclopedia makes mention of details planned for the book (such as Teridax's possession of Matoro and Vezon's encounter with the Inika and subsequent capture by Zyglak) and "Federation of Fear" makes reference to Vezon's captivity.

While this isn't a continuity error as such, I find it highly unlikely that the Dark Hunter's test safe would have any cracks, given that no safe could be expected to have them. This would be like a martial arts student training against a person with a bad arm, or some such disability. He can't expect real-life attackers to be like that. Also, the claim that "most rahi have a greater intellectual capacity than [Vezok]" seems at odds with his portrayal in Legacy of Evil. If I recall correctly, one of the other Piraka, immediately after the creation of Vezon, notices that Vezok has lost the calm, calculating part of his nature, and he I believe that he comes across as intelligent throughout the story. EDIT: For what it's worth, BS01 claims that "Vezok used to be extremely clever, and an excellent tactician."

This isn't about bio-mechanical beings, is it? Not that that's necessarily a bad thing, but it is, to say the least, an unusual choice for any adaptation of BIONICLE.

While the particulars of Spherus Magna were almost certainly thought up along the way (2007, according to the topic Sir Kohran linked to,) Mata Nui was always intended to be a giant robot, and the second Bionicle comic issue suggests that the idea of him traveling to Aqua Magna (as it eventually became known) from space was part in parcel with the concept of his identity: "In the time before time when the world was new, the Great Spirit Mata Nui descended from the skies like a burning star."

I imagine that in the case of temporary curses (e.g. Metus) the Ignika charges the cursed being with a certain amount of life energy upon which the transformation is dependent, like freezing memory metal. Once the energy is expended, the curse ends. For permanent curses (e.g. the imprisoned Great Being or the Toa Mahri) the Ignika outright changes the being's physical or mental makeup.

Some interesting miscellany: 1. Then what is the closest thing to a tribe change that the Mask of Mutation could do? 1a. Speaking of which, the mask is capable of "undo[ing] other mutations, but without knowledge of exactly what the original mutation did, it becomes more difficult to reverse it". Could that ever include undoing a Hordika Venom-induced mutation? 3. If the three masks being fused together are a Mohtrek, a Matatu, and a Faxon, what powers does the resulting Kaita Kanohi have? 1) The mask can do a lot of things, but I don't believe it can change your fundamental element, which is what you would need for a tribe change. 1a) I would have to say yes. 2) Being four years removed from BIONICLE, I hesitate to start inventing new mask powers. Odds are I would name something we already have in story. So: The Mask of Mutation cannot change one's fundamental element. It can, however, undo Hordika mutations. Rahkshi of Fire or Ice Resistance do not have or cannot have their body temperatures at the level that they did or could in Kraata Form. Presumably, this means that after power level one this power behaves in a much different fashion. Rather odd. Also rather odd: Greg seems to be saying that Kaita Kanohi Powers are an actual combination of the three mask powers involved, as opposed to simply having access to all three. This seems to contradict the general understanding, which I had, and which BS01 certainly does, that the latter was true. A Kanohi with the power to weaken others (which made from a weakness disk) is probably possible.

Was the Red Star intended to revive everyone in the Matoran Universe? People seem to assume this, but I have never seen any official confirmation on the matter. If anything, Greg's analogy about blood cells in the body seemed to suggest that the Red Star was designed to revive members of a population that had grown too small to be self-sustaining. It seems to me that if the Red Star did revive everyone, and operated for at least 20,000 years (Gaardus was mutated over 80,000 years ago, according to BS01, though I assume that this still means "about") then the cessation of its primary function would have been marked as a major historical event, "Death's Triumph," or some such thing.

I hadn't thought of that before, but fog makes complete sense, provided the Protocairns breath fire (which, given their model, seems to be the case. I doubt that's a tongue ) Interestingly enough, BS01 claims that "even the Vahki on Metru Nui had little success against [the Protocairns.]" I don't know where it got this information, but since BS01 is usually reliable, I think we can take it on good faith that the Vahki were invented at the time of the invasion.

What Vakama saw is irrelevant. What matters is whether or not news of the coastlines destruction reached the general populace at the time. I think that it likely did, given that tall buildings were, I think, fairly common in Metru Nui. Also, the island is about 21 miles wide, which makes it all the more feasible that the coastline's absence would have been noticed by multiple persons. You have a point. Though it is possible that Dume ordered the bridges to other Metrus destroyed, in which case the Protocairns might have decided to focus on the land they could reach most easily rather than re-enter the water. It does seem something of a stretch though.

Like I implied in the first post, it would actually be pretty easy. Keep in mind this probably happened (due to the "centuries" line) after the invention of Vahki (though we don't actually know exactly when that was). The way I pictured when I wrote this part of the first post is, as soon as it became clear how dangerous these things were, all the Matoran would be evacuated from the coast, and Vahki instead handled the fighting, reporting directly to Dume. So, he could witness the land thing, without any Matoran witnessing it. It would then be entirely his choice whether to reveal it to them or not. The only reason the Matoran would have to see this is if they were being asked to fight the protocairns or at least monitor them, and I suspect Dume would instead want to keep them safe. Even if Vahki weren't yet invented, he'd probably be hoping to call upon the Makuta or Toa (if this was before the Toa Mangai came) from other lands, rather than risk Matoran lives. So by the time they all up and died, IMO it's likely no Matoran would be watching, if you think about it. For the same basic reason no Matoran witnessed Nidhiki's betrayal, in fact. They weren't hanging around watching the battle; they were kept away from the main danger. Maybe, but most airships are automated. Unless they were ordered to monitor them, I doubt that would be the case. And how do you know the people ordered to monitor this (or who might have witnessed it on their own) weren't sworn by Dume to secrecy? Just because somebody sees it doesn't mean Vakama hears about it. Probably either way they would report to Dume first to tell him the disturbing but useful news about the land, and then he could order them not to tell anyone. Really, without only a thousand Matoran on that huge island, even without evacuation orders it's hypothetically possible no Matoran would happen to witness the actual attack, at least if it occurred swiftly enough. With an evacuation, it's easy. I see your point about airships, and I agree with most of your other ones. However, the way that Metru Nui is arranged, the coastline of Ga-Metru is potentially visible from Ta-Metru, Po-Metru, and the center of the city. As shown here. If Makuta truly means that the entire coastline was destroyed, then it seems likely that multiple persons with enough of a vantage point would have noticed its absence.

However, Nidhiki's betrayal was very easy to cover up. He disappeared at the end of a war. A statement declaring him dead was perfectly believable. On the other hand, the wholesale destruction of the Ga-Metru coastline and of the Great Temple is a very different matter. I'm not certain that that could be covered up. I imagine that word of the invasion would have spread too quickly for Dume to do so. EDIT: Factor in airships, and it seems almost certain that the destruction of the coastline would have been noticed by someone not working directly for Dume.

This certainly helps explain even further why no-one but Lhikan would even consider Nidhiki's true identity. Nonetheless, Nidhiki's disapperence had to be explained somehow, presumably by a false proclamation of his death. And anyone who had been alive when Nidhiki came to Metru Nui would certainly have remembered him, given that he was one of Metru Nui's first permanent Toa team. Normally, I would think this would place a firm limit on Vakama's age, but as I said before, his initial encounter with Nidhiki seems to have been so traumatic that he forgot seeing Krekka or was too shocked to notice him. So it looks like we're stuck with the Protocairn incident as any sort of reliable evidence of his age.

Even if that was the case, it seems unlikely that he would never have heard of Toa Nidhiki if he lived on the island at the same time. That would be like Tiribomba not knowing who Lewa is.

The problem here is that the book's narration in scenes featuring Ahkmou and Nidhiki together refers to the latter by name. This happens both before and after the passage I cited. This presumably is supposed to suggest that Ahkmou is familiar with Nidhiki, whereas Vakama is not. In fact, having looked at Trial by Fire since I last posted, I see that the Toa Metru indicate in their dialogue that they don't know Nidhiki's identity: And two pages later: Even Nokama, who is confirmed via "The Many Deaths of Toa Tuyet" to have been alive at the time of Nidhiki's residence in Metru Nui (and acquainted with Tuyet, no less,) doesn't wittingly mention the treacherous Toa of Air directly. So the name "Nidhiki" was certainly not enough to make one seriously think "He's a treacherous ex-Toa Mangai." Vakama, however, has heard enough to make the connection had he known of Nidhiki beforehand. However, it's also possible that the experience was so traumatic that he forgot what he heard. After all, he seemed to have forgotten seeing Krekka.

You've put together a commendable compendium, Bonesii. Thanks. I found my copy of Adventures #4. This is, I think, the passage we've been looking for: Anyone observing this who knew that a member of the Toa Mangai had been called "Nidhiki" would almost certainly understand what Lhikan and Nidhiki are saying. However, Mystery of Metru Nui indicates, as fishers64 pointed out, that Vakama was unaware of Nidhiki's identity: Nidhiki's name doesn't seem important to Vakama. When he is referred to again, four pages later, he is called only "a four-legged creature," "that figure," and "this being." While there are a number of possible reasons for Vakama not remembering a Toa whom he had shared an island with for about 1,500 years, it seems likeliest that he is simply too young to remember him.

But he was a member of the Toa Mangai, a resident of Metru Nui, and had been so for about 1,500 years. His absence would surely have been noticed.

The attack destroyed the Great Temple, which was a popular tourist destination. I imagine that the destruction of such a landmark, plus the fear generated by the unchecked invasion, would stick in the minds of the populace. Now I need to dig up my copy of the Legends of Metru Nui book to reread Vakama's initial reaction to Nidhiki. That might help in determining whether or not he lived through the Toa-Dark Hunter War. Granted, he wouldn't be likely to leap to the conclusion that an insectoid monster is actually a former member of the Toa Mangai, as opposed to sharing the same name (however rare an occurrence that might be in the Matoran Universe.) However, since Lhikan clearly recognized him, that might make Vakama wonder. It seems to me odd that he would have known of Toa Nidhiki and not reacted to someone else who is familiar with Lhikan sharing that name. This also brings up the question of how Nidhiki's fate was dealt with publicly. On one hand, the Toa were victorious, so morale would not be a crucial problem. Nonetheless, it would be quite a shock to the populace of Metru Nui for one of their protectors to betray them, so it might be desirable for Dume to declare him dead in the war, thus avoiding making the Matoran suspicious of the Toa.

Probably so. Let's keep in mind we already know the masks can change color. Vakama's Matoran mask was painted orangey-red, became dark red upon Toaization, and then bright orange on Turaga-ization. The paint was likely destroyed in the original transformation. The question is if and why the mask actually would change color (we don't know that it's a neccessity, just that it happens). It's odd that you bring up Vakama though, because the Toa of Fire he knew (Lhikan) had a gold mask. I guess he could have been around for awhile and seen other fire Toa with red masks and concluded that was the norm, perhaps? . Though it's perfectly possible that Lhikan's golden armor and golden mask were marks of honor forged from special metal like those of the Toa Hagah. The Mangai were a special team, after all.

And let's not forget Atakus' blades.

Fair enough. I suppose I should have thought Vezon's exploits over some more. The only point over which I disagree still is the first suicide mission. Most of the group survived, so his luck there wasn't exclusive to him.

Can you give some examples? I see no particular way in which this is the case. Let's start with his favorite three: Kopaka, Vezon, and Teridax. Kopaka may not have been chronically unlucky, but was he anymore lucky than Tahu, Onua, Pohatu, or Gali? Nor would I say that Vezon was constantly lucky. Let's see: He is fused to a spider and thus forced to guard the Mask of Life. He travels down the stone cord and is captured by Zyglak, only to be rescued and captured by the Order Mata Nui, for whom he is made to perform two highly dangerous missions. He then winds up fused to a Kanohi Olmak, a walking dimensional gateway with no control over his own power. Finally he is employed by a mad Great Being to aid in somehow lifting a curse of the Ignika. This last one does admittedly give him an opportunity to at least shut down his Olmak, but I would hardly call it a stroke of luck. As for Teridax, he had his fair share of luck, but again, was he anyhow luckier than the heroes who brought about his defeat? Now, for Greg's other favorites: Greg's favorite Dark Hunter, Lariska: Not really. She accidentally causes her organization to lose the Toa-Dark Hunter War. She requires a mechanical arm because of being punished by the Shadowed One. She gets recruited into a highly dangerous mission to recover Makuta Miserix. The only real stroke of luck on her part that I can think of is here rescue from Exo-Toa at the hands of Onua. Greg's favorite Matoran of 2007, Sarda: His luck seems to balances itself out. He is captured by Pridak and thrown to Takea sharks... Only to be rescued by Lesovikk... Only to be mutated into a water breather and menaced by Karzahni...Only for he, Lesovikk, and Idris to defeat Karzahni (who'd had his mind ravaged by Makuta.) Greg's favorite Piraka, Zaktann: Being a mutant who can't be killed by the Shadowed One's disintegration beams is lucky. Being a pawn of Makuta is not. Nor is being turned into a sea-snake by mutagenic waters. Yes, he survived Makuta's shattering of his water-globe, but only due to the aforementioned luck of being a mutant. Greg's favorite Baraki, Takadox: His luck doesn't seem better than that of his compatriots. Sure, he was hired by the Order for a mission none of the others, save Carapar, were, but this was more for his abilities and personality. Yes, he used said mission as a means of escape, but the other surviving Baraki got to lead armies, and keep them. Greg's favorite Phantoka Makuta, Mutran: I can't see how he is luckier than the other Makuta. On the contrary, it was his chancing upon Icarax's fight with Gorast and Vamprah that ensured that he was killed in an energy storm. Greg's favorite Mistika, Krika: He was mutated by swamp waters, resulting in him loosing many of his powers and requiring heat to remain tangible. Together with Icarax, he almost stopped the Plan, but the latter was killed thanks to the inopportune arrival of Mutran. Krika was then killed by Gorast. Not a particularly lucky fellow. I simply don't see this exceptional abundance of luck that Greg's favorites purportedly have.