The Archives Massacre

The Archives Massacre ended the MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body. Civil War in Metru NuiMetru NuiThe city beneath Mata Nui functions as the Great Spirit's brain, housing the Matoran whose labor keeps the god alive.. Ordered to stop the fighting, TeridaxTeridaxTeridax orchestrated a thousand-year scheme that ended with him occupying the Great Spirit Robot itself before his death on Bara Magna. of the Brotherhood of MakutaThe Brotherhood of MakutaAn organization of Makuta created by Mata Nui to build Rahi and keep order in his universe, later seized by Teridax and turned into the instrument of the Plan that overthrew the Great Spirit. sealed large numbers of the opposing armies inside the ArchivesThe Archives of Metru NuiThe Archives of Onu-Metru were the central repository of Matoran knowledge and Rahi specimens, maintained by the Archivist Corps beneath the city's surface. and set the Rahi exhibits loose on them. The slaughter stopped the war, but it did nothing to win the Matoran's affection for the Brotherhood. (The Mutran Chronicles)

Background: the Matoran Civil War#

About 500 years after the defeat of the League of Six Kingdoms, a dispute over boundaries and trade between Ta-MetruTa-MetruThe fire district where Ta-Matoran perfected their craft and powered Metru Nui's industry for thousands of years. and Po-MetruPo-MetruMetru Nui's Stone District, home to carvers whose work defined the city and site of an ancient conflict that threatened to divide it. turned into war. The Po-Matoran sank transport barges, and the Ta-Matoran destroyed a Po-Matoran warehouse with molten protodermis. Onu-MetruOnu-MetruThe deep archive-city that made mining and historical records preservation the beating heart of Metru Nui. sided with Ta-Metru and Le-Metru with Po-Metru. The Ko-Matoran tried to intervene, were rebuffed, and joined the Po-Matoran, while the Ga-Matoran failed to stay neutral and ended up with fire and earth. (The Mutran Chronicles)

Work ground to a halt as arguments became pitched battles, and whole blocks of the city were wrecked. There were no Toa stationed in Metru Nui and the Turaga was ineffective. MutranMutranMutran is a Makuta of the Brotherhood of Makuta who serves as the Makuta of Voya Nui and is among the most prolific Rahi creators within the organization. Hailing from the Southern Islands, he wears the Great Shelek and commands the powers of Shadow and Silence alongside the full range of Kraata abilities, wielding a Shadow Blade, Shadow Spear, and Tridax Pod in combat. used the chaos to slip new Rahi into the city and test how destructive they were. The war ran from about 79,500 to 79,100 years ago. (The Mutran Chronicles; BIONICLE World)

TeridaxTeridaxTeridax orchestrated a thousand-year scheme that ended with him occupying the Great Spirit Robot itself before his death on Bara Magna.'s solution#

MiserixMiserixThe deposed Makuta leader clawed back from exile to hunt the brother who stole his throne., leader of the Brotherhood, ordered his lieutenant Teridax to stop the fighting. Teridax was already thinking about overthrowing Mata NuiMata NuiBuilt by the Great Beings to restore Spherus Magna, Mata Nui sustained an entire civilisation inside his body, was deposed by Teridax, and reclaimed his purpose as a mortal on Bara Magna., and Mutran suspected he saw the job as a chance to show how well the Makuta could impose order. (The Mutran Chronicles)

His solution was to seal large numbers of the opposing armies in the Archives and set the exhibits loose on them. Mutran called it quite a mess to clean up later. It ended the war, and the Matoran certainly behaved themselves afterwards. (The Mutran Chronicles)

The only direct account comes from Mutran's chronicles, and he admits he didn't witness most of it. After the war was well under way, Miserix sent him on another job, and by the time of the massacre he was far to the south, on his way to meet the legend Tren KromTren KromThe first purely organic creation of the Great Beings, exiled to a stone island after surrendering the core of the Matoran Universe to Mata Nui.. (The Mutran Chronicles)

Aftermath within the Brotherhood#

The massacre did nothing to inspire love for the Brotherhood in the hearts of the Matoran. From then on Miserix assigned each Makuta a region to watch over. His lieutenant was given Metru Nui as his prize, and Mutran was given the centre of the Matoran mainland, which he largely ignored in favour of his experiments. (The Mutran Chronicles)

Consequences for the Great Spirit#

The Brotherhood didn't know what became of the war leaders. In fact the Order of Mata NuiThe Order of Mata NuiThe covert organization founded by Helryx to serve the Great Spirit directly, operating in concealment from a fortress on Daxia and waging the open war against the Brotherhood of Makuta that decided the fate of the universe. banished them to the Pit, and it also placed an agent in Metru Nui to head off future trouble. (The Mutran Chronicles; BIONICLE World)

Because the Matoran of Metru Nui had stopped working for so long, Mata Nui grew weak, and the universe went through a period called the Great Disruption. His condition became so grave that a team of Toa travelled to Karda NuiKarda NuiThe vast cavern at the core of the Matoran universe, home of the Av-Matoran's Sky Villages and the Codrex, and the site of the battle to awaken Mata Nui. to revive him, and one of them put on the KanohiKanohiMasks that grant powers and sustain life, they're the most vital artifact in the Matoran Universe. Ignika, the Mask of Life, and gave his life to restore the Great Spirit. (BIONICLE World; BIONICLE Legends 8: Downfall)

Memory and silence#

Mutran's chronicles are the story's main record of the massacre. They are a Makuta's account, written with open contempt for the Matoran, and he admits he was elsewhere for much of what he describes. (The Mutran Chronicles)