Artakha: Master Crafter of the Great Refuge

ArtakhaArtakha: The Great RefugeArtakha, the island also called the Great Refuge, was the high-technology home of the Matoran Universe''s finest builders, governed by the being of the same name, where the Kanohi Nuva and other vital artifacts were forged before the land was erased from every map. was the ruler of the island of ArtakhaArtakha: The Great RefugeArtakha, the island also called the Great Refuge, was the high-technology home of the Matoran Universe''s finest builders, governed by the being of the same name, where the Kanohi Nuva and other vital artifacts were forged before the land was erased from every map., the hidden sanctuary known as the Great Refuge, and one of the most powerful beings in the Matoran UniverseMatoran UniverseA civilization of biomechanical beings living inside a colossal robot, destroyed when Teridax seized control.. He and KarzahniKarzahniBionicle reused one cursed name three times, and every instance earns it, this is the article that finally untangles all three. were created by the Great BeingsThe Great BeingsScholar-inventors of Spherus Magna whose creations shaped the Matoran Universe and whose absence defined the conflicts that followed. before 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. was sent into space, and each was given a realm of his own to guard. Where KarzahniKarzahniA region of the Matoran Universe built by the Great Beings as a Matoran repair facility, ruined by the failures of its overseer. presided over a horrific place to which damaged MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body. were sent to be repaired, ArtakhaArtakhaArtakha was the master craftsman of the Matoran Universe, ruler of a hidden island, and the forger of the Toa Mata, the Avohkii, and the Kraahkan. chose to govern a refuge no evil could enter. For a long age both beings and their realms were believed to be only legend.

Creation and the Great Refuge#

ArtakhaArtakhaArtakha was the master craftsman of the Matoran Universe, ruler of a hidden island, and the forger of the Toa Mata, the Avohkii, and the Kraahkan. and KarzahniKarzahniBionicle reused one cursed name three times, and every instance earns it, this is the article that finally untangles all three. were among the earliest works of the Great BeingsThe Great BeingsScholar-inventors of Spherus Magna whose creations shaped the Matoran Universe and whose absence defined the conflicts that followed., brought into being before 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. was sent into space and each entrusted with a realm to guard. KarzahniKarzahniA region of the Matoran Universe built by the Great Beings as a Matoran repair facility, ruined by the failures of its overseer. took a place of dread, but Artakha shaped his island into a sanctuary that no evil could enter, a hidden retreat that came to be called the Great Refuge. He and KarzahniKarzahniBionicle reused one cursed name three times, and every instance earns it, this is the article that finally untangles all three. were regarded by many in the Matoran UniverseMatoran UniverseA civilization of biomechanical beings living inside a colossal robot, destroyed when Teridax seized control. as figures of legend, their existence unproven until KarzahniKarzahniBionicle reused one cursed name three times, and every instance earns it, this is the article that finally untangles all three. and his realm were discovered to be real, which lent weight to the legends concerning Artakha as well.

Artakha was a designer above all else. Many of the modern cities of the Matoran Universe, Metru NuiMetru NuiThe city beneath Mata Nui functions as the Great Spirit's brain, housing the Matoran whose labor keeps the god alive. among them, were modelled on the designs of his own island, and a great number of the early ToaThe Toa: Heroes of the Matoran UniverseThe Toa were biomechanical guardians sworn to protect the Matoran, bound by a strict code and defined by sacrifice across every age of the universe. Tools were said to have been crafted by him and the MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body. who worked under him. By legend, a Matoran who wished for something to be built could leave the raw materials at the gate of his fortress and return the next day to find the object completed.

The two masks#

In the distant past Artakha crafted the Kanohi KraahkanKanohi KraahkanTeridax's Great Mask sees the darkness in everyone. That's how it conquered the Matoran universe., the Mask of Shadows. Around the same time he created the Kanohi AvohkiiAvohkiiThe Avohkii is the Mask of Light, a golden mask that granted its wearer the power of Light and the ability to spread understanding. It was worn by Toa Takanuva., the Mask of Light, whose powers countered those of the Kraahkan and which was intended as a means to stop the Brotherhood of MakutaThe Brotherhood of MakutaAn organization of Makuta created by Mata Nui to police his universe and build Rahi, later seized by Teridax and turned into the instrument of the Plan that overthrew the Great Spirit. should it ever betray 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.. At some point he also created four creatures known as Crystal Serpents, which he later released, unable to control them and unwilling to destroy them.

When the Avohkii was stolen from him, Artakha took severe measures to protect the location of his island. He demanded that 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. kill anyone who knew where it lay, that any maps depicting it be destroyed, and that all access to it be cut off.

Powers and works#

Artakha was counted among the most powerful beings in the Matoran UniverseMatoran UniverseA civilization of biomechanical beings living inside a colossal robot, destroyed when Teridax seized control.. He commanded teleportation and telepathy of extraordinary reach, able to pierce even the shielding of Karda NuiKarda NuiThe vast inner cavern at the core of the Matoran Universe, original home of the Av-Matoran, site of the Codrex and the final battle that decided the fate of Mata Nui. and to act over great distances. He displayed an almost omniscient awareness of events within and near the Matoran Universe. He also possessed a spirit transference ability, an extreme rarity whose only other known holder was the ancient Tren KromTren KromTren Krom maintained the Matoran Universe before Mata Nui's activation and spent the following hundred millennia fused to a cave on a remote island..

His island served 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. as a source of weapons, many of them forged from Protosteel, supplied to the Order's agents and members. The island itself could be violently dangerous or wholly calm and tranquil depending on Artakha's will. After the Toa NuvaToa NuvaThe form the Toa Mata took after stepping into the Energized Protodermis beneath the Bahrag, with new masks, new tools, and the elemental scale to fight Karda Nui. journeyed from the island of Voya NuiVoya NuiAn island born from catastrophe and hiding the universe's most powerful artifact, Voya Nui was everything Bionicle 2006 promised: danger, mystery, and a race against time., they encountered the voice of Artakha, who granted them new Adaptive Armor and adaptive weapons before sending them on to Karda NuiKarda NuiThe vast inner cavern at the core of the Matoran Universe, original home of the Av-Matoran, site of the Codrex and the final battle that decided the fate of Mata Nui. to learn their true destiny and take part in the final battle there.

The Reign of Shadows#

After TeridaxTeridaxTeridax orchestrated a thousand-year scheme that ended with him occupying the Great Spirit Robot itself before his death on Bara Magna. seized control of the Matoran UniverseMatoran UniverseA civilization of biomechanical beings living inside a colossal robot, destroyed when Teridax seized control., an army of RahkshiRahkshiArmor suits powered by parasitic Kraata, Rahkshi were Teridax's most effective soldiers and among Bionicle's most visually iconic early enemies. attacked Artakha's island. When ToaThe Toa: Heroes of the Matoran UniverseThe Toa were biomechanical guardians sworn to protect the Matoran, bound by a strict code and defined by sacrifice across every age of the universe. LewaLewaToa of Air, member of the Toa Mata and Toa Nuva, whose career was marked by repeated possession, body theft, and aerial campaigns from Le-Wahi to Karda Nui. attempted to convince Artakha to join the war against TeridaxTeridax (Melding Alternate Universe): the Makuta who kept his lightIn the Melding alternate universe, Makuta Teridax was created as a warrior of light who never fell to shadow. Brought across to the main reality by Mazeka, he confronted his corrupted counterpart and outlived the war., Artakha instead sent the Toa to Tren KromTren KromTren Krom maintained the Matoran Universe before Mata Nui's activation and spent the following hundred millennia fused to a cave on a remote island.'s island to enlist 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. in the fight. 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. tricked LewaLewaToa of Air, member of the Toa Mata and Toa Nuva, whose career was marked by repeated possession, body theft, and aerial campaigns from Le-Wahi to Karda Nui. into agreeing to a swap of their bodies and then asked Artakha to teleport him to the Metru NuiMetru NuiThe city beneath Mata Nui functions as the Great Spirit's brain, housing the Matoran whose labor keeps the god alive. Archives. Artakha hesitated, then complied, warning Tren KromTren KromTren Krom maintained the Matoran Universe before Mata Nui's activation and spent the following hundred millennia fused to a cave on a remote island. that he would not be permitted to keep the Toa of Air's body once his work was done. Artakha then teleported to MetruMetruIn the Matoran language a metru was a single district of Metru Nui; the city was divided into six such districts, one for each element, and the term covered both the place and the elemental community that lived in it. Nui, where he was last seen interrupting the clash between the parties led by Tren KromTren KromTren Krom maintained the Matoran Universe before Mata Nui's activation and spent the following hundred millennia fused to a cave on a remote island. and HelryxHelryxHelryx was the first Toa created by the Great Beings, founder of the Order of Mata Nui, and commander of its covert war against the Brotherhood of Makuta..

Artakha restored the minds of LewaLewaToa of Air, member of the Toa Mata and Toa Nuva, whose career was marked by repeated possession, body theft, and aerial campaigns from Le-Wahi to Karda Nui. and Tren Krom to their proper bodies and fell to arguing with HelryxHelryxHelryx was the first Toa created by the Great Beings, founder of the Order of Mata Nui, and commander of its covert war against the Brotherhood of Makuta. over the fate of the Matoran UniverseMatoran UniverseA civilization of biomechanical beings living inside a colossal robot, destroyed when Teridax seized control., until TeridaxTeridaxTeridax orchestrated a thousand-year scheme that ended with him occupying the Great Spirit Robot itself before his death on Bara Magna. interrupted them and cast the group out into space. A dimensional vortex opened and carried Artakha and his companions to safety, where they came upon VezonVezonHe started as a weapon misfire and a throwaway joke, and the canon spent four years quietly turning him into its most useful expendable asset. and a Great BeingThe Great BeingsScholar-inventors of Spherus Magna whose creations shaped the Matoran Universe and whose absence defined the conflicts that followed. who had been cursed by the Ignika. The cursed Great Being begged to be released, and Artakha and the others fell to arguing over whether to grant the request.

Legend#

By legend Artakha bore the Mask of CreationThe Mask of CreationThe signature Kanohi of Ekimu the Mask Maker, capable of bringing into being whatever its wearer envisioned. Stolen by Kulta the Skull Grinder, reclaimed at the Mask Makers' forge, and worn again in the final defence of Okoto., and HelryxHelryxHelryx was the first Toa created by the Great Beings, founder of the Order of Mata Nui, and commander of its covert war against the Brotherhood of Makuta. was said to have seen him in person. Some presumed him to be a Great BeingThe Great BeingsScholar-inventors of Spherus Magna whose creations shaped the Matoran Universe and whose absence defined the conflicts that followed., others held that he was 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. himself, though both notions were disproved. What remained certain was his reputation as a master designer whose work shaped the form of the Matoran UniverseMatoran UniverseA civilization of biomechanical beings living inside a colossal robot, destroyed when Teridax seized control., and whose hidden refuge stood as a place beyond the reach of evil.