Voya Nui

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Voya Nui is a fictional island in Lego Bionicle storyline; and the first main setting of the Legends story arc. It is south of the island of Mata Nui; and had come into being when it violently broke off from the mainland a thousand years ago, during the Great Cataclysm. "Voya Nui" means "Great Journey" in the Matoran language (a reference to its abrupt trip from the mainland to its current location), though the island has also been called "The Island of Doom" and "The Daggers of Death" for its harsh landscape.

Contents 1 History 2 Regions 3 Mahri Nui 4 References 5 External link

[edit] History

Over a hundred thousand years ago, the ruler Karzahni was sent broken Matoran for repair, but he didn't do a very good job. Wanting the "repaired" Matoran somewhere out of his sight, he sent them to a faraway volcano that came to be known as Mount Valmai.

Soon afterward, the Great Beings forged the Ignika Mask of Life and hid it away underneath Mount Valmai, crafting its chamber and a staircase leading down to it. They and the Order of Mata Nui soon sent an agent called "Umbra" to protect it.

Possibly around the same time, the Order of Mata Nui sent two more guardians, Axonn and Brutaka, to live in the region and keep an eye on the mask. They also took on the responsibility of secretly watching over the Matoran as well.

Around eighty thousand years ago, a civil war called the Great Disruption was raging in the city of Metru Nui. As this was damaging to the health of the Great Spirit Mata Nui, a team of Toa led by Toa Jovan entered the region around Mount Valmai and made their way to the Mask of Life; facing and defeating all the obstacles and guardians in their path. They used the mask to restore Mata Nui's life energies, but not all of the Toa survived its use. Jovan later became a Turaga and became a leader to the Matoran of the region.^[1]

One thousand years ago, the Great Cataclysm struck due to Mata Nui falling asleep. It caused Mount Valmai and the surrounding region to break from the mainland and be launched up to the planet's surface, where it came to rest floating on the water. Many died that day, including Turaga Jovan; and the region was from then on known as the island of Voya Nui.

Daily life for the Matoran was a struggle for survival; constantly fighting droughts, Rahi attacks, harsh terrain and the occasional natural disaster. At some point one of the coastline settlements sank into the sea, and the remaining Matoran still throw food and gifts into the sea in memory of those lost. However, those living in the sunken settlement are still alive (see "Mahri Nui" below).

In the present day, a group of Dark Hunters began investigating rumors of the death of Makuta, and when they found his armor they mysteriously gained knowledge of the island and the Mask of Life. Abandoning the Hunters completely, they began calling themselves "Piraka" and started scheming to claim the mask for themselves. A few weeks later, Turaga Dume informed the Toa Nuva that Mata Nui was not only asleep, but dying; and that they would need the mask to heal him.

The first of these to arrive on Voya Nui was Vezon, a mad Piraka who betrayed his team and tried to reach the mask first. The rest of the Piraka followed soon after, thinking Vezon to be dead. They pretended to be Toa in order to gain the trust of the Matoran, but they could not hide their sadistic and cruel natures and some of the Matoran became suspicious. The Piraka soon dropped the act, using a virus called antidermis to enslave almost all of the Matoran and ordering them to drain the lava from Mount Valmai. Only six escaped, as they weren't in the settlement when the Piraka attacked; these six began to actively rebel against the Piraka's tyranny.

By this time Brutaka, who had long been losing faith in Mata Nui, chose to abandon the Order and ally himself with the Piraka in order to get the Mask of Life for his own benefit. Axonn stayed by his vow to protect the Ignika, and began fighting the Piraka whenever he encountered them.

The Toa Nuva soon arrived and quickly found themselves in battle with the Piraka. Though they were defeated, they were able to escape with their lives and meet the Matoran rebels. But a second battle ended even worse; as the Toa were defeated and taken captive by Brutaka.

That same night, the Red Star caused a thunderstorm over the island, and six lightning bolts struck Toa canisters carrying Matoran who wished to aid the Toa Nuva. As a result, the Matoran emerged as Toa Inika, who quickly met and teamed up with the rebel Matoran.

In the first fight between the Inika and the Piraka, Hakann ignited an underground gas pocket, causing a massive explosion that blew away part of the island's forest and exposed the staircase leading to the Ignika's resting place. While both teams braved the guardians the mask created, Axonn defeated Brutaka and the Matoran rebels freed their friends and the Toa Nuva; they also learned of the survival of those in the sunken region. Ultimately, it was the Inika who were able to claim the Mask of Life - briefly; it flew away from them and dove into the ocean.

Currently, the Piraka have gone into hiding, waiting for the right time to strike. Axonn has stepped forward as the Matoran's protector, no longer hiding his presence from them. And the Toa Inika are preparing to enter the underwater world of Mahri Nui.

[edit] Regions

While Voya Nui does not seem to have regions as distinctly separated as Mata Nui's or Metru Nui's, there do seem to be different "rings" based on the six major elements. From outermost to innermost:

Ice: Ice Ring - Voya Nui's outermost coastline is lined with a treacherous ring of ice, making any sea landings especially dangerous.

Air: Green Belt - This is a thin stretch of forest that is strangely thriving with energy. Avak and Thok incorrectly suspected that the Mask of Life was hidden here, providing the region with life; but the green belt does hide the entrance to a stairway that leads to the Chamber of Life that holds the mask. There is also a protodermis lake that provides drinkable "water", and judging by the Voya Nui Online Game, the Matoran village is also in this region. In the center of the village, a buried white stone covers a secret passage to Mahri Nui.

Stone - Beyond the green belt, much of Voya Nui is rocky wasteland. The Matoran have a fortress here that they retreat to when village defenses aren't enough, and the Piraka have had their stronghold built in another part of this region.

Earth: Nui Caves - Voya Nui has a network of underground tunnels, but these were mostly unexplored by both Piraka and Toa Inika. However, both groups have traveled through the underground passage leading to the Mask of Life, reaching from the green belt to Mount Valmai.

Fire: Mount Valmai - In the center of Voya Nui's landmass is Mount Valmai, an active volcano. Directly beneath it is the Chamber of Life, where the Mask of Life is kept. Before discovering the secret passage, the Piraka tried to get the mask by having the Matoran drain the lava from the volcano.

Water: Voya Nui Bay - This is the area of water that Voya Nui surrounds (the island is a crescent shape). The area is filled with dangerous waters and extremely strong currents. Some land sank into the bay a few hundred years ago, including another Matoran village, and it was recently discovered that the Matoran there are still alive. For more details on this region, see "Mahri Nui" below.

[edit] Mahri Nui

Mahri Nui, aka the Lost Land, is the former site of a Matoran village, which sank into the sea centuries ago (though is still connected to the main island). The Matoran living there survived, having domesticated some herd Rahi called Hydruka that harvest air bubbles for breathing. However, the land sank dangerously close to the Pit, where the Order of Mata Nui condemns the world's most vile beings. Some of those beings, a group of warlords called the Barraki, are now terrorizing the Matoran.

After the Mask of Life dove into the ocean, some of the Matoran found it, but it has since been taken from them by the Barraki.

[edit] References

[edit] External link

• Voya Nui article at Bionicle Sector 01 Wiki