Artakha: The Great Refuge

ArtakhaArtakha: Master Crafter of the Great RefugeArtakha was one of the most powerful beings in the Matoran Universe, the reclusive ruler of the hidden island that bore his name and the crafter of the Kanohi Kraahkan and Avohkii. He governed a refuge no evil could enter and shaped the designs on which cities such as Metru Nui were modelled., also called the Great Refuge, was an island in the Matoran UniverseMatoran UniverseA civilization of biomechanical beings living inside a colossal robot, destroyed when Teridax seized control. governed by the being 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 home to the finest MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body. builders in the world. It was a land of advanced technology, and its design was so admired that other cities, 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 modeled on it. Many of the most important artifacts ever made passed through its workshops, yet by the later ages the island had vanished so completely from common knowledge that it survived only as a name in MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body. legend.

A refuge of legend#

In MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body. legend it was said that good workers were sent to ArtakhaArtakha: Master Crafter of the Great RefugeArtakha was one of the most powerful beings in the Matoran Universe, the reclusive ruler of the hidden island that bore his name and the crafter of the Kanohi Kraahkan and Avohkii. He governed a refuge no evil could enter and shaped the designs on which cities such as Metru Nui were modelled., a place where no evil could enter, while damaged or poor workers were sent instead to the realm of KarzahniKarzahniA region of the Matoran Universe built by the Great Beings as a Matoran repair facility, ruined by the failures of its overseer., governed by 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.'s brother. Another tale held that the Artakha BullArtakha BullThe Artakha Bull was a hostile, minotaur-like Rahi of Le-Metru, unusually intelligent for its kind and so hard to capture. Legend held that its cunning was why it shared its name with the hidden realm of Artakha. were the only RahiRahiThe Rahi were the biomechanical wildlife of the Matoran Universe, built largely by the Brotherhood of Makuta, ranging from background fauna to engineered war beasts. permitted to enter the realm, which was how those beasts came to bear its name. The island was reputed to shift in character at the will of its ruler, able to appear as a paradise one moment and a hostile land the next.

The reputation rested on what the island produced. 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. was a center of craft for the entire Matoran UniverseMatoran UniverseA civilization of biomechanical beings living inside a colossal robot, destroyed when Teridax seized control., and it was here that many of the era's defining artifacts were made, including the Kanohi NuvaKanohi NuvaThe most powerful Masks of Power ever created, granting each Toa Nuva fundamentally enhanced abilities., the Great Kanoka, the 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., and the KraahkanKanohi KraahkanTeridax's Great Mask sees the darkness in everyone. That's how it conquered the Matoran universe.. 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. themselves had been created there. The island's builders knew of 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. and constructed Toa Canisters, and in later ages they would build the vehicles Rockoh T3, Jetrax T6, and Axalara T9.

Geography#

Artakha had not always been a place of isolation. It was once linked by a land-bridge to a larger inhabitable island, across which visitors could come and go and meet the residents of the Refuge. The connection ended with an invasion by 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., during which the Mask of Light was stolen. After the raid, the island's ruler demanded that the land-bridge be destroyed and that all maps and all knowledge of the location be wiped out, severing Artakha from the rest of the world.

The island lay east of the Northern Continent. It was a land of high technology filled with modern landscapes and cities, the template that other settlements in the Matoran UniverseMatoran UniverseA civilization of biomechanical beings living inside a colossal robot, destroyed when Teridax seized control. were built to resemble.

The Order's erasure and the visit of the Toa Nuva#

Several thousand years before the Great Cataclysm, KojolKojolKojol was the Makuta assigned to oversee the region of Artakha, leader of the raid that stole the Avohkii, and the unwitting source of the virus that weakened Mata Nui. invaded the realm and stole the Mask of Light. In the aftermath, Artakha requested 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. destroy all records of the land's location. The Order complied without restraint, destroying every map that showed Artakha and killing all who knew the way to it, including the MakutaMakuta (2015)Ekimu's brother and rival Mask Maker, who forged the forbidden Mask of Ultimate Power and was sealed in the Shadow Realm with Capital City. of Artakha. Over time the land and its inhabitants slipped entirely into legend.

The isolation was broken for 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., who were later allowed to return to the island where they had been created. While there, they recounted their adventures to 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 in return he gave them new masks and armor of his own making, armor with the power to adapt to any environment. He then teleported them to the core of the universe, telling them that there they would find their destiny.

The fall and the exodus#

When TeridaxTeridaxTeridax orchestrated a thousand-year scheme that ended with him occupying the Great Spirit Robot itself before his death on Bara Magna. took control of the Matoran UniverseMatoran UniverseA civilization of biomechanical beings living inside a colossal robot, destroyed when Teridax seized control., swarms of RahkshiRahkshiArmor suits powered by parasitic Kraata, Rahkshi were Teridax's most effective soldiers and among Bionicle's most visually iconic early enemies. invaded the island. The Refuge that had been sealed off for its own protection now lay open to the conqueror who ruled the world around it.

After TeridaxTeridaxTeridax orchestrated a thousand-year scheme that ended with him occupying the Great Spirit Robot itself before his death on Bara Magna. was killed and the universe began to empty, the inhabitants of Artakha migrated out to Spherus MagnaSpherus MagnaA desert world of ancient conflict that became the merger point of the Matoran Universe and Bionicle's true endpoint., joining the general exodus from the dying Matoran UniverseMatoran UniverseA civilization of biomechanical beings living inside a colossal robot, destroyed when Teridax seized control.. The being 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. himself did not travel with them, as he was on Bota MagnaBota MagnaA verdant jungle moon separated from Spherus Magna for 100,000 years, then restored by Mata Nui himself at the climax of the Core War. at the time.