Baranus V7

The Baranus V7 wasn't the flashiest war machine on Spherus MagnaSpherus MagnaA desert world of ancient conflict that became the merger point of the Matoran Universe and Bionicle's true endpoint., but it got the job done. These transport chariots belonged to the Rock TribeRock TribeThe dominant warrior civilization of Bara Magna, built on brutal expansion and ruled by Tuma until internal betrayal and the Skrall's defeat disbanded it. during the Core War. Most were destroyed when BaterraBaterraMechanical shapeshifters built by the Great Beings to end the Core War by killing every armed combatant on Spherus Magna, and the failsafe that never shut them down.'s automated forces swept across the island after the Shattering, but a few somehow survived. One of those survivors made its way into the hands of the desert bandit SahmadSahmadA slaver, a survivor, and the only living memory of a people the Dreaming Plague erased before the Core War., where it became his vehicle of choice in Bara MagnaBara MagnaA desert world of tribal warfare and scarce resources, one of three landmasses that formed Spherus Magna.'s wastelands.

Origins and Use#

The Baranus V7 filled a practical need for the Rock TribeRock TribeThe dominant warrior civilization of Bara Magna, built on brutal expansion and ruled by Tuma until internal betrayal and the Skrall's defeat disbanded it.. As an AgoriAgoriThe villager species of Bara Magna, organised by tribe and settlement, who governed their villages and arranged the Glatorian arena system. faction on Spherus MagnaSpherus MagnaA desert world of ancient conflict that became the merger point of the Matoran Universe and Bionicle's true endpoint., the Rock TribeRock TribeThe dominant warrior civilization of Bara Magna, built on brutal expansion and ruled by Tuma until internal betrayal and the Skrall's defeat disbanded it. needed reliable transport across unforgiving terrain. These chariots were built sturdy enough to handle the desert and mountains without sacrificing speed. They weren't weapons platforms, but their construction made them useful for moving goods, personnel, and supplies across the island during the Core War. The "V7" designation suggests there were earlier versions, though specifics are lost to history.

Baterra, the Shattering, and Survival#

The Core WarThe Core WarThe generations-long war on Spherus Magna over Energized Protodermis that produced the Shattering, the exodus of Mata Nui, and the long Glatorian peace on Bara Magna.'s end came brutally. BaterraBaterraMechanical shapeshifters built by the Great Beings to end the Core War by killing every armed combatant on Spherus Magna, and the failsafe that never shut them down., the Great Beings' automated guardian force, swept across Spherus MagnaSpherus MagnaA desert world of ancient conflict that became the merger point of the Matoran Universe and Bionicle's true endpoint. and annihilated most of the Rock TribeRock TribeThe dominant warrior civilization of Bara Magna, built on brutal expansion and ruled by Tuma until internal betrayal and the Skrall's defeat disbanded it.'s assets, including nearly every Baranus V7 in existence. The Shattering that followed threw the entire island into chaos. Continents split. Civilizations scattered. Most traces of the Core War's machinery vanished in the upheaval.

Somehow, though, one Baranus V7 persisted. How it survived where others didn't remains unclear. By the time the island reformed as Bara MagnaBara MagnaA desert world of tribal warfare and scarce resources, one of three landmasses that formed Spherus Magna., that single chariot had changed hands. The desert bandit SahmadSahmadA slaver, a survivor, and the only living memory of a people the Dreaming Plague erased before the Core War. claimed it as his own and used it against the GlatorianGlatorianTribal warriors of Spherus Magna who settled disputes through arena combat, until the Skrall conquest enslaved most of them. and AgoriAgoriThe villager species of Bara Magna, organised by tribe and settlement, who governed their villages and arranged the Glatorian arena system. of the wastelands. When he drove that V7 in confrontation with fighters like AckarAckarVeteran Glatorian of the Fire Tribe and prime fighter for Vulcanus, Ackar served from the Core War through the defence of Spherus Magna. and KiinaKiinaKiina is a Glatorian of the Water Tribe who served as the secondary Glatorian for the village of Tajun on Spherus Magna. Colored in shades of dark and light blue, she wielded a Vapor Trident and a Thornax Launcher in combat. Following the reformation of Spherus Magna, she continued to reside on the restored world. in the outskirts of the Mega-Village, as documented in BIONICLEBIONICLE: Matoran AdventuresA 2002 GBA platformer where you play as one of six Matoran fighting Bohrok across Mata Nui's islands. GlatorianGlatorianTribal warriors of Spherus Magna who settled disputes through arena combat, until the Skrall conquest enslaved most of them. 5: Valley of FearValley of FearThe fifth Glatorian Legends event in which Mata Nui traversed the Valley of the Maze toward the tower of the Great Beings while Teridax, ruler of the Matoran Universe, resolved to come to Bara Magna and kill him., SahmadSahmadA slaver, a survivor, and the only living memory of a people the Dreaming Plague erased before the Core War. was piloting a relic of an earlier era transformed into a tool for personal ambition.

The Baranus V7's survival tells a quiet story about resilience and chance. Most of the Core War's infrastructure vanished. That one chariot didn't.

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Compiled from primary sources by Lore Fortress editorial. Reviewed by Joe Garratt, Editor-in-Chief.