Brander

Brander was a Ta-MatoranTa-MatoranThe Fire-element Matoran of Ta-Metru and Ta-Koro, forgers of masks and Kanoka, lava farmers, and the standing core of the Ta-Koro Guard during the war for Mata Nui. native to Metru NuiMetru NuiThe city beneath Mata Nui functions as the Great Spirit's brain, housing the Matoran whose labor keeps the god alive., a Crafter by trade and a co-worker of the mask-maker NuhriiNuhriiNuhrii was a Ta-Matoran mask-maker of Metru Nui, one of the six finders of a Great Disk, who later served in the Ta-Koro Guard on Mata Nui. in the forges of Ta-MetruTa-MetruThe fire district where Ta-Matoran perfected their craft and powered Metru Nui's industry for thousands of years.. He survived the Great CataclysmThe Great CataclysmThe day Makuta Teridax put the Great Spirit to sleep, the Great Spirit Robot fell from the sky, Metru Nui flooded, and Voya Nui tore loose from the Southern Continent., the millennium of dormancy in a Matoran SphereMatoran SphereRound containers that wiped memories and hid Makuta Teridax's manipulation of the Matoran., the wars on Mata NuiMata Nui (Location)An island created by accident on the Great Spirit's face, home to the Matoran for a thousand years. as a member of the Ta-Koro GuardTa-Koro GuardThe Ta-Koro Guard was the largest standing Matoran fighting force on Mata Nui, captained by Jaller and active from the early Rahi conflicts through the return to Metru Nui., and the eventual return to Metru NuiMetru NuiThe city beneath Mata Nui functions as the Great Spirit's brain, housing the Matoran whose labor keeps the god alive., and ended his recorded story among the Fire TribeFire TribeThe master smiths of Bara Magna who forged tools for all tribes before the Shattering scattered them into conflict. settlement inside the Great VolcanoThe Great VolcanoThe volcano in the country north of the desert of Bara Magna that the Element Lord of Fire claimed as his seat and inside which the Ta-Matoran later settled with the Fire Tribe on Spherus Magna. on the reformed Spherus MagnaSpherus MagnaA desert world of ancient conflict that became the merger point of the Matoran Universe and Bionicle's true endpoint..

Early life in Ta-Metru#

Brander spent his original existence in Ta-MetruTa-MetruThe fire district where Ta-Matoran perfected their craft and powered Metru Nui's industry for thousands of years., the fire-working district of Metru NuiMetru NuiThe city beneath Mata Nui functions as the Great Spirit's brain, housing the Matoran whose labor keeps the god alive., as a Crafter at the main forge. His work placed him in close professional contact with NuhriiNuhriiNuhrii was a Ta-Matoran mask-maker of Metru Nui, one of the six finders of a Great Disk, who later served in the Ta-Koro Guard on Mata Nui., the mask-maker who would later be identified as one of the six MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body. destined to find the Great DisksThe Great DisksThe six legendary Kanoka of Metru Nui, one hidden in each district, recovered by the Toa Metru during the Morbuzakh crisis and later fused into the Kanohi Vahi.. The pair operated under the standard guild structure that governed the Ta-MetruTa-MetruThe fire district where Ta-Matoran perfected their craft and powered Metru Nui's industry for thousands of years. forges, supplying tools and finished components to the rest of the city. Crafters held a respected if unremarkable place in the MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body. economic order, ranked alongside Mask Makers, Disk Makers, and the various protodermis trades that defined the working life of the fire district.

Brander's professional confidence proved relevant the day VakamaVakamaA Ta-Metru maskmaker transformed into the Toa Metru of Fire, leader of his team through the Visorak war, and Turaga of Ta-Koro for a thousand years., newly transformed into a Toa MetruToa Metru and Toa HordikaSix Matoran elevated by Lhikan to save their city, mutated by Visorak venom, and restored in time to deliver the population to safety. and searching for the MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body. named on a broken mask plaque, arrived at the main forge looking for NuhriiNuhriiNuhrii was a Ta-Matoran mask-maker of Metru Nui, one of the six finders of a Great Disk, who later served in the Ta-Koro Guard on Mata Nui.. Brander did not initially believe the claim that the figure in front of him had once been the Ta-MatoranTa-MatoranThe Fire-element Matoran of Ta-Metru and Ta-Koro, forgers of masks and Kanoka, lava farmers, and the standing core of the Ta-Koro Guard during the war for Mata Nui. mask-maker of the same name. He set the Toa a test that only an experienced mask-maker would pass, and watched VakamaVakamaA Ta-Metru maskmaker transformed into the Toa Metru of Fire, leader of his team through the Visorak war, and Turaga of Ta-Koro for a thousand years. identify a flawless mask without difficulty. Brander accepted the identification and explained what had become of the broken plaque mask: NuhriiNuhriiNuhrii was a Ta-Matoran mask-maker of Metru Nui, one of the six finders of a Great Disk, who later served in the Ta-Koro Guard on Mata Nui. had worked too fast in a bid to outdo VakamaVakamaA Ta-Metru maskmaker transformed into the Toa Metru of Fire, leader of his team through the Visorak war, and Turaga of Ta-Koro for a thousand years., the result had come out flawed, and the frustrated crafter had sent the piece to the Great Furnace to be melted. The exchange placed VakamaVakamaA Ta-Metru maskmaker transformed into the Toa Metru of Fire, leader of his team through the Visorak war, and Turaga of Ta-Koro for a thousand years. on NuhriiNuhriiNuhrii was a Ta-Matoran mask-maker of Metru Nui, one of the six finders of a Great Disk, who later served in the Ta-Koro Guard on Mata Nui.'s trail in time for the Toa MetruToa Metru and Toa HordikaSix Matoran elevated by Lhikan to save their city, mutated by Visorak venom, and restored in time to deliver the population to safety. to complete their assigned Great Disk hunt.

The Great Cataclysm and the Sphere#

The Great CataclysmThe Great CataclysmThe day Makuta Teridax put the Great Spirit to sleep, the Great Spirit Robot fell from the sky, Metru Nui flooded, and Voya Nui tore loose from the Southern Continent. ended Brander's life in Ta-MetruTa-MetruThe fire district where Ta-Matoran perfected their craft and powered Metru Nui's industry for thousands of years. and the lives of every other MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body. in the city in their conscious form. Like the rest of the population, he was summoned to the ColiseumThe ColiseumCentral tower of Metru Nui, serving as government seat, sporting arena, and, during Teridax's masquerade, a prison for the city's Matoran population. by the false TuragaTuragaFormer Toa who fulfilled their destiny and transformed into leaders. Turaga wield Noble Kanohi masks and weakened elemental powers, guiding their communities. DumeDumeDume is a Turaga of Fire and the former ruler of Metru Nui, distinguished by his red and black coloring and the Noble Kanohi Kiril, the Mask of Regeneration. As a member of the Turaga of Metru Nui, he wields a Staff of Office and commands a weakened mastery of Fire. He later resides on the reformed Spherus Magna., placed in a Matoran SphereMatoran SphereRound containers that wiped memories and hid Makuta Teridax's manipulation of the Matoran., and taken under the structure. The Toa MetruToa Metru and Toa HordikaSix Matoran elevated by Lhikan to save their city, mutated by Visorak venom, and restored in time to deliver the population to safety. located the storage chamber, recovered the spheres in their cargo airship, and carried them through the underground passages to the surface of Mata NuiMata Nui (Location)An island created by accident on the Great Spirit's face, home to the Matoran for a thousand years.. On arrival, the Toa 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. expended their own ToaToa (2001)Biomechanical heroes bonded to elemental powers and masks. Not born, but chosen and transformed. Power to awaken the population, paying the price of their elevation in exchange for the survival of the city's MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body..

Brander awoke as a Mata NuiMata Nui (Location)An island created by accident on the Great Spirit's face, home to the Matoran for a thousand years. MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body., shorter and physically weaker than his Metru NuiMetru NuiThe city beneath Mata Nui functions as the Great Spirit's brain, housing the Matoran whose labor keeps the god alive. form and with no usable memory of his life before the sphere. The amnesia and the diminished build were standard consequences of the sphere preservation system; the entire Mata NuiMata Nui (Location)An island created by accident on the Great Spirit's face, home to the Matoran for a thousand years. generation began from the same baseline. The new arrivals settled into the six island villages by element, and Brander took his place among the fire villagers of Ta-KoroTa-KoroTa-Koro was a settlement located in Ta-Wahi, home to the Ta-Matoran, Tahu, and Vakama, and formerly connected to Teridax. The settlement was ultimately destroyed..

Service in the Ta-KoroKoroThe Koros were the six elemental villages established by the Toa Metru on Mata Nui after the Great Rescue, each tied to one element and one Turaga. Guard#

By the period of the conflict with MakutaMakutaA glossary entry distinguishing the three referents of the word Makuta: the species, the individual Teridax, and the title held by every Brotherhood member. TeridaxTeridaxTeridax orchestrated a thousand-year scheme that ended with him occupying the Great Spirit Robot itself before his death on Bara Magna., Brander had enlisted in the Ta-Koro GuardTa-Koro GuardThe Ta-Koro Guard was the largest standing Matoran fighting force on Mata Nui, captained by Jaller and active from the early Rahi conflicts through the return to Metru Nui., the disciplined fire-tribe militia that served as the largest standing MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body. military force on the island. The Guard operated under JallerJallerJaller served as Captain of the Ta-Koro Guard, led the Toa Inika to Voya Nui, and commanded the Toa Mahri through the recovery of the Mask of Life. as Captain, with KapuraKapuraKapura was a red Matoran of Fire who served as a member of the Ta-Koro Guard and formerly as part of the Chronicler's Company. A native of Metru Nui, he later worked as a Vat Controller there, wearing a powerless Ruru on Mata Nui and a powerless Pakari on Metru Nui, and ultimately settled on Bota Magna on Spherus Magna. as Deputy and a roster that included KalamaKalamaKalama is a Ta-Matoran of Fire native to Metru Nui who wears a powerless Matatu and bears the black and red colors of his kind. He worked in Protodermis Reclamation on Metru Nui before serving as a member of the Ta-Koro Guard, and later came to reside on Spherus Magna., KeahiKeahiKeahi was a Ta-Matoran of Ta-Koro and a member of the Ta-Koro Guard, the patroller of the ledge above the lava break that bore his name, and the instructor who trained Hahli in the Kolhii skill of Courage before the championship at Ta-Koro., AgniAgniAgni is a red Ta-Matoran from Metru Nui who serves in the Ta-Koro Guard. He wears a powerless Miru and holds an inactive elemental affinity for Fire. Agni resides on Spherus Magna., Nuri, and Brander himself, along with the temporarily attached TakuaTakuaAn Av-Matoran hidden on Mata Nui as a Ta-Matoran, who gathered the Toa Stones, served as Chronicler, and ultimately accepted the Avohkii to become Takanuva, the Toa of Light.. The unit was equipped with Ta-Koro GuardTa-Koro GuardThe Ta-Koro Guard was the largest standing Matoran fighting force on Mata Nui, captained by Jaller and active from the early Rahi conflicts through the return to Metru Nui. spears and bamboo disks and maintained the fortress wall around the city inside MangaiMangaiThe active volcanic peak at the heart of the island of Mata Nui, in whose shadow Ta-Koro was raised and beneath whose roots Mangaia was hidden. Volcano.

After the defeat of the Bohrok-KalBohrok-KalSix elite Bohrok designed to free the imprisoned Bahrag, they nearly defeated the Toa Nuva before the Toa turned their own powers against them., the TuragaTuragaFormer Toa who fulfilled their destiny and transformed into leaders. Turaga wield Noble Kanohi masks and weakened elemental powers, guiding their communities. called a Naming DayNaming DayThe Matoran holiday where crisis heroes got new identities, turning Jala into Jaller and Maku into Macku. ceremony at the great shrine of Kini-NuiKini-NuiThe most sacred temple on Mata Nui, ironically built directly above Teridax's fortress.. Brander attended with the other MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body. and was rebuilt by the TuragaTuragaFormer Toa who fulfilled their destiny and transformed into leaders. Turaga wield Noble Kanohi masks and weakened elemental powers, guiding their communities. into a taller and stronger form, in line with the second-generation reconstruction the entire Mata NuiMata Nui (Location)An island created by accident on the Great Spirit's face, home to the Matoran for a thousand years. population received at that event. He returned to his post and continued to serve as a guard. A brief recorded exchange with the Ga-MatoranGa-MatoranThe Water-element Matoran of Ga-Metru and Ga-Koro, exclusively female, who taught the schools of Metru Nui and crewed the boats and bridges of the Mata Nui coast. HahliHahliA Ga-Matoran scholar who rose to become Chronicler of Mata Nui, then Toa Inika, then Toa Mahri of Water during the final crises of the Matoran Universe. captured him talking through the routine and the responsibilities of the work, the only surviving direct record of his voice from the period.

His service ended with the destruction of the city. When the RahkshiRahkshiArmor suits powered by parasitic Kraata, Rahkshi were Teridax's most effective soldiers and among Bionicle's most visually iconic early enemies. of TeridaxTeridaxTeridax orchestrated a thousand-year scheme that ended with him occupying the Great Spirit Robot itself before his death on Bara Magna. breached the Ta-KoroTa-KoroTa-Koro was a settlement located in Ta-Wahi, home to the Ta-Matoran, Tahu, and Vakama, and formerly connected to Teridax. The settlement was ultimately destroyed. defences, LerahkLerahkLerahk is a green and dark grey Rahkshi of the Kraata species and a native of Mangaia. Serving as a servant of Makuta within the Brotherhood of Makuta, Lerahk possesses the power of poison and wields the Staff of Poison. poisoned the volcanic structure that held the city together, and the entire settlement sank into the lava. Brander evacuated with the rest of the population. The Guard had not lost him to combat, but the post he had held no longer existed.

Return 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 and the Reformation#

After the defeat of the RahkshiRahkshiArmor suits powered by parasitic Kraata, Rahkshi were Teridax's most effective soldiers and among Bionicle's most visually iconic early enemies. and the recovery of 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., Brander joined the broader MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body. migration back to Metru NuiMetru NuiThe city beneath Mata Nui functions as the Great Spirit's brain, housing the Matoran whose labor keeps the god alive. under the leadership of 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. and TuragaTuragaFormer Toa who fulfilled their destiny and transformed into leaders. Turaga wield Noble Kanohi masks and weakened elemental powers, guiding their communities.. The city had not been left in usable condition by the Great CataclysmThe Great CataclysmThe day Makuta Teridax put the Great Spirit to sleep, the Great Spirit Robot fell from the sky, Metru Nui flooded, and Voya Nui tore loose from the Southern Continent. and the VisorakVisorak (Rahi)Spider-like Rahi employed by the Brotherhood of Makuta whose name meant 'Stealers of Life' and whose swarms threatened the Matoran Universe. occupation that followed, and Brander participated in the manual rebuilding effort until the Staff of ArtakhaThe Staff of ArtakhaA restoration artifact forged by Artakha himself, used by Helryx to reverse the environmental damage of the Great Cataclysm. was activated to restore the remainder of the city in a single operation. He was present in the ColiseumThe ColiseumCentral tower of Metru Nui, serving as government seat, sporting arena, and, during Teridax's masquerade, a prison for the city's Matoran population. for the ceremony held in honour of MatoroMatoroA quiet Ko-Matoran translator who became a Toa Inika and then a Toa Mahri, Matoro gave his life with the Mask of Life to restore Mata Nui., the Toa MahriToa Inika and Toa MahriSix ordinary Matoran transformed by lightning from the Red Star into heroes who ultimately revived the Great Spirit itself. of Ice who had given his life to revive 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..

After the Battle of Bara MagnaThe Battle of Bara MagnaThe Great Spirit Robot fell from the sky carrying Teridax in stolen flesh, and the desert world below produced a champion who carried Mata Nui's consciousness back into the fight. and the death of TeridaxTeridaxTeridax orchestrated a thousand-year scheme that ended with him occupying the Great Spirit Robot itself before his death on Bara Magna. at the hands of 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., Brander evacuated the heavily damaged Great Spirit RobotMatoran UniverseA civilization of biomechanical beings living inside a colossal robot, destroyed when Teridax seized control. along with the rest of the surviving population. He resettled on the newly reformed Spherus MagnaSpherus MagnaA desert world of ancient conflict that became the merger point of the Matoran Universe and Bionicle's true endpoint., where the displaced Ta-MatoranTa-MatoranThe Fire-element Matoran of Ta-Metru and Ta-Koro, forgers of masks and Kanoka, lava farmers, and the standing core of the Ta-Koro Guard during the war for Mata Nui. integrated with the local Fire TribeFire TribeThe master smiths of Bara Magna who forged tools for all tribes before the Shattering scattered them into conflict. and took up residence inside the Great VolcanoThe Great VolcanoThe volcano in the country north of the desert of Bara Magna that the Element Lord of Fire claimed as his seat and inside which the Ta-Matoran later settled with the Fire Tribe on Spherus Magna.. That settlement is the last recorded location of his life.

Powers, equipment, and naming#

As with every other Ta-MatoranTa-MatoranThe Fire-element Matoran of Ta-Metru and Ta-Koro, forgers of masks and Kanoka, lava farmers, and the standing core of the Ta-Koro Guard during the war for Mata Nui., Brander carried an innate but inaccessible reserve of elemental Fire energy. The reserve manifested in practice as a natural resistance to heat and to fire damage, the standard expression of latent elemental power in MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body.. It did not provide active control over flame, and Brander never wielded it as a weapon. The Guard equipment he carried, in keeping with his unit, consisted of a Ta-Koro GuardTa-Koro GuardThe Ta-Koro Guard was the largest standing Matoran fighting force on Mata Nui, captained by Jaller and active from the early Rahi conflicts through the return to Metru Nui. spear and bamboo throwing disks.

His mask history followed the standard arc for a sphere-rebuilt MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body.. On Metru NuiMetru NuiThe city beneath Mata Nui functions as the Great Spirit's brain, housing the Matoran whose labor keeps the god alive. and again on the reformed Spherus MagnaSpherus MagnaA desert world of ancient conflict that became the merger point of the Matoran Universe and Bionicle's true endpoint. he wore a powerless KakamaKakamaThe Mask of Speed granted superhuman velocity but blinded its wearer to the world around them. in its Great form; on Mata NuiMata Nui (Location)An island created by accident on the Great Spirit's face, home to the Matoran for a thousand years. he wore a powerless HunaHunaThe Kanohi Huna granted full invisibility to its wearer, with the limitation that the user's shadow remained visible and detectable. in Noble form, in line with the smaller stature the sphere preservation had imposed on the second-generation MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body. body. The mask itself carried no active power for him, and Brander never bore a Kanoka launcher or any other ranged weapon outside his Guard issue.

The name Brander itself carries a translation in real-world reference; in Dutch the word means burner, a coincidence consistent with his trade and his tribe but not load-bearing on his recorded biography. Within the in-universe record, the name is simply what the other MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body. called him before and after the sphere, with no narrative significance attached to its etymology.

Legacy#

Brander is a representative case rather than an outlier. He occupies the same biographical arc that every surviving Ta-MatoranTa-MatoranThe Fire-element Matoran of Ta-Metru and Ta-Koro, forgers of masks and Kanoka, lava farmers, and the standing core of the Ta-Koro Guard during the war for Mata Nui. Crafter walked from Ta-MetruTa-MetruThe fire district where Ta-Matoran perfected their craft and powered Metru Nui's industry for thousands of years. to the reformed Spherus MagnaSpherus MagnaA desert world of ancient conflict that became the merger point of the Matoran Universe and Bionicle's true endpoint., and his presence in the records is owed less to extraordinary deeds than to the fact that the Toa MetruToa Metru and Toa HordikaSix Matoran elevated by Lhikan to save their city, mutated by Visorak venom, and restored in time to deliver the population to safety. VakamaVakamaA Ta-Metru maskmaker transformed into the Toa Metru of Fire, leader of his team through the Visorak war, and Turaga of Ta-Koro for a thousand years. needed information from his forge during the Great Disk hunt and the Ga-MatoranGa-MatoranThe Water-element Matoran of Ga-Metru and Ga-Koro, exclusively female, who taught the schools of Metru Nui and crewed the boats and bridges of the Mata Nui coast. HahliHahliA Ga-Matoran scholar who rose to become Chronicler of Mata Nui, then Toa Inika, then Toa Mahri of Water during the final crises of the Matoran Universe. interviewed him during her chronicling work on Mata NuiMata Nui (Location)An island created by accident on the Great Spirit's face, home to the Matoran for a thousand years.. The two encounters anchor him in the source record, and the Guard roster confirms his continuous service through the post-sphere era. Hundreds of MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body. walked the same path. Brander is one of the small number whose name and trade survived the transit intact at every stage.