The Cendox V1

The Cendox was a class of single-rider combat racer used on Spherus MagnaSpherus MagnaA desert world of ancient conflict that became the merger point of the Matoran Universe and Bionicle's true endpoint. by the Fire TribeFire TribeThe master smiths of Bara Magna who forged tools for all tribes before the Shattering scattered them into conflict. during 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., and used again, in a single restored unit, on Bara MagnaBara MagnaA desert world of tribal warfare and scarce resources, one of three landmasses that formed Spherus Magna. during the closing years of the GlatorianGlatorianTribal warriors of Spherus Magna who settled disputes through arena combat, until the Skrall conquest enslaved most of them. era. The surviving vehicle was the Cendox V1, excavated from the sands of Bara MagnaBara MagnaA desert world of tribal warfare and scarce resources, one of three landmasses that formed Spherus Magna. by the AgoriAgoriThe villager species of Bara Magna, organised by tribe and settlement, who governed their villages and arranged the Glatorian arena system. CrotesiusCrotesiusA Vulcanus pilot who went from dismissing legends to answering one in Riddle of the Great Beings., repaired with the assistance of the Water TribeWater TribeA trading-focused desert tribe vulnerable to Bone Hunter raids and arena warfare on Bara Magna. salvager BerixBerixBerix is an Agori of the Water Tribe who lived on Spherus Magna. A scavenger by trade, he is recognized by his blue and dark blue coloration and carries a Water Sword and shield., and entered into the vehicle division of the Great TournamentAteroThe free city at the heart of Bara Magna, home to the Arena Magna and the Great Tournament, destroyed by Tuma and the Skrall during the opening match. at Arena MagnaAteroThe free city at the heart of Bara Magna, home to the Arena Magna and the Great Tournament, destroyed by Tuma and the Skrall during the opening match. in AteroAteroThe free city at the heart of Bara Magna, home to the Arena Magna and the Great Tournament, destroyed by Tuma and the Skrall during the opening match.. The name "Cendox" came from the Agori LanguageAgoriThe villager species of Bara Magna, organised by tribe and settlement, who governed their villages and arranged the Glatorian arena system. word translated as "serpent strike," a designation that referred to the vehicle's low profile, its forward-mounted Thornax LauncherThornaxThornax was a hardy desert fruit native to Bara Magna, eaten unripe as stew and fired ripe from launchers across Glatorian and Skrall ranks., and its capacity to close on a target before the target had any time to react.

Origin in the Core War#

The Cendox class predated Bara MagnaBara MagnaA desert world of tribal warfare and scarce resources, one of three landmasses that formed Spherus Magna.. The vehicles were fielded by the Fire TribeFire TribeThe master smiths of Bara Magna who forged tools for all tribes before the Shattering scattered them into conflict. of Spherus MagnaSpherus MagnaA desert world of ancient conflict that became the merger point of the Matoran Universe and Bionicle's true endpoint. during 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., the planetary conflict that erupted after the Element Lord of IceElement Lord of IceThe Element Lord of Ice is a member of the Element Lords and a former Glatorian who once served as the leader of the Ice Tribe on Spherus Magna. Wielding the element of ice and bearing white coloration, the Element Lord of Ice resides on the reformed Spherus Magna, the homeland from which the species originated. claimed possession of the Energized ProtodermisEnergized ProtodermisA sentient substance that could remake or annihilate any being that touched it. One of the Matoran Universe's most lethal hazards. source the Great BeingsThe Great BeingsScholar-inventors of Spherus Magna whose creations shaped the Matoran Universe and whose absence defined the conflicts that followed. had discovered. The Fire TribeFire TribeThe master smiths of Bara Magna who forged tools for all tribes before the Shattering scattered them into conflict., under the command of the Element Lord of FireElement Lord of FireFormer Glatorian of the Fire Tribe, remade by the Great Beings into an immortal being of pure flame, ruler of the Fire Tribe through the Core War, and the elemental claimant whose feud with the Element Lord of Ice broke open again in the White Quartz Mountains., maintained a vehicle pool that included single-rider combat racers built for rapid attack and forward fire support, and the Cendox was one of the principal types within that pool. The surviving record does not document a unit count or a production location, but the description preserved in the Bara MagnaBara MagnaA desert world of tribal warfare and scarce resources, one of three landmasses that formed Spherus Magna. era is consistent with a vehicle that had been produced in numbers sufficient to lose most of them in battle and have a handful buried under shifting dunes when the ShatteringThe 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. split the planet.

The ShatteringThe 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. ended the Cendox class as an active vehicle line. The Element Lord of FireElement Lord of FireFormer Glatorian of the Fire Tribe, remade by the Great Beings into an immortal being of pure flame, ruler of the Fire Tribe through the Core War, and the elemental claimant whose feud with the Element Lord of Ice broke open again in the White Quartz Mountains. was sealed away with his peers in the long imprisonment that followed 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.. The Fire TribeFire TribeThe master smiths of Bara Magna who forged tools for all tribes before the Shattering scattered them into conflict., reduced to the survivors who had been displaced onto the Bara MagnaBara MagnaA desert world of tribal warfare and scarce resources, one of three landmasses that formed Spherus Magna. fragment, settled at VulcanusVulcanusThe Fire Tribe's settlement on Bara Magna, caught between resources and threats. and rebuilt their society around the arena economy of the GlatorianGlatorianTribal warriors of Spherus Magna who settled disputes through arena combat, until the Skrall conquest enslaved most of them. era. The vehicles they had once fielded in 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. lay buried where they had fallen, scattered across the deserts of the new world.

Excavation and Restoration#

The recovery of the Cendox V1 came in the form of a chance discovery during the GlatorianGlatorianTribal warriors of Spherus Magna who settled disputes through arena combat, until the Skrall conquest enslaved most of them. era. CrotesiusCrotesiusA Vulcanus pilot who went from dismissing legends to answering one in Riddle of the Great Beings., an AgoriAgoriThe villager species of Bara Magna, organised by tribe and settlement, who governed their villages and arranged the Glatorian arena system. of VulcanusVulcanusThe Fire Tribe's settlement on Bara Magna, caught between resources and threats. who had himself served the Element Lord of FireElement Lord of FireFormer Glatorian of the Fire Tribe, remade by the Great Beings into an immortal being of pure flame, ruler of the Fire Tribe through the Core War, and the elemental claimant whose feud with the Element Lord of Ice broke open again in the White Quartz Mountains. in 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., came upon a buried vehicle in the open desert. The unit was substantially intact under the sand. CrotesiusCrotesiusA Vulcanus pilot who went from dismissing legends to answering one in Riddle of the Great Beings. was a vehicle pilot by trade in the Fire TribeFire TribeThe master smiths of Bara Magna who forged tools for all tribes before the Shattering scattered them into conflict. arena and recognised the find for what it was. He hired BerixBerixBerix is an Agori of the Water Tribe who lived on Spherus Magna. A scavenger by trade, he is recognized by his blue and dark blue coloration and carries a Water Sword and shield., an AgoriAgoriThe villager species of Bara Magna, organised by tribe and settlement, who governed their villages and arranged the Glatorian arena system. of the displaced Water TribeWater TribeA trading-focused desert tribe vulnerable to Bone Hunter raids and arena warfare on Bara Magna. who had built a working reputation as a scavenger and repairman across Bara MagnaBara MagnaA desert world of tribal warfare and scarce resources, one of three landmasses that formed Spherus Magna., to assist with the excavation. The partnership crossed tribal lines at a moment when relations between the Fire TribeFire TribeThe master smiths of Bara Magna who forged tools for all tribes before the Shattering scattered them into conflict. and Water TribeWater TribeA trading-focused desert tribe vulnerable to Bone Hunter raids and arena warfare on Bara Magna. were difficult, and the restoration succeeded.

Once the racer was free of the sand, CrotesiusCrotesiusA Vulcanus pilot who went from dismissing legends to answering one in Riddle of the Great Beings. claimed it as his own for use in arena matches. He christened the vehicle the Cendox V1, applying the Agori LanguageAgoriThe villager species of Bara Magna, organised by tribe and settlement, who governed their villages and arranged the Glatorian arena system. word meaning serpent strike as both class identifier and personal name. The "V1" designation marked it as the first restored unit of the class to be returned to service on Bara MagnaBara MagnaA desert world of tribal warfare and scarce resources, one of three landmasses that formed Spherus Magna.. The vehicle was outfitted with spare parts the Fire TribeFire TribeThe master smiths of Bara Magna who forged tools for all tribes before the Shattering scattered them into conflict. had won in arena matches against the Water TribeWater TribeA trading-focused desert tribe vulnerable to Bone Hunter raids and arena warfare on Bara Magna. and Jungle TribeJungle TribeThe Jungle Tribe of Tesara originated in Bota Magna, weathered the Shattering, and sent Gresh and Vastus into the Bara Magna arena system., an arrangement consistent with the GlatorianGlatorianTribal warriors of Spherus Magna who settled disputes through arena combat, until the Skrall conquest enslaved most of them. era's standard practice of redistributing equipment between tribes as part of the arena settlement system.

CrotesiusCrotesiusA Vulcanus pilot who went from dismissing legends to answering one in Riddle of the Great Beings. developed an attachment to the restored vehicle that contemporary records describe as personal. He treated the Cendox V1 as if it were a living being, a habit that other AgoriAgoriThe villager species of Bara Magna, organised by tribe and settlement, who governed their villages and arranged the Glatorian arena system. pilots in the arena circuit found unusual but tolerated. The behaviour did not damage his standing as a competitor and may have improved his maintenance discipline; the Cendox V1 outlasted several rival units during the years he piloted it.

Configuration and Armament#

The Cendox V1 was a low-profile single-rider racer. The pilot rode forward over the chassis, with the principal weapon mounted ahead of the operator's position. That weapon was a Thornax LauncherThornaxThornax was a hardy desert fruit native to Bara Magna, eaten unripe as stew and fired ripe from launchers across Glatorian and Skrall ranks., the standard AgoriAgoriThe villager species of Bara Magna, organised by tribe and settlement, who governed their villages and arranged the Glatorian arena system. projectile weapon that fired spiked ThornaxThornaxThornax was a hardy desert fruit native to Bara Magna, eaten unripe as stew and fired ripe from launchers across Glatorian and Skrall ranks. fruit as ammunition. The Launcher had been the dominant infantry and vehicle armament on Bara MagnaBara MagnaA desert world of tribal warfare and scarce resources, one of three landmasses that formed Spherus Magna. since the early arena era, fitted to the major GlatorianGlatorianTribal warriors of Spherus Magna who settled disputes through arena combat, until the Skrall conquest enslaved most of them., the SkrallSkrallA black-armored warrior species from Spherus Magna that dominated northern Bara Magna under Tuma's rule., the Bone HuntersBone HunterDesert nomads of Bara Magna who raided for survival until their alliance with the Skrall nearly conquered the continent., and to the principal vehicle types including the Cendox V1, the Kaxium V3Kaxium V3A Bara Magna dual-vehicle that split in combat, piloted by Glatorian Scodonius and Kirbraz in 2009., the ThornatusThornatusDesert transport for Agori and Glatorian, built for Bara Magna's rough terrain and easily modified for combat. V9, and the Skopio XV-1Skopio XV-1Telluris's weaponized mechanical Skopio, a patchwork war machine built to dominate post-Shattering Bara Magna..

The Cendox's "serpent strike" identity referred to its operating profile in combat. The vehicle was built for sudden closure on a target rather than for sustained pursuit. A pilot using the Cendox effectively would approach from low to the ground, accelerate into the target's blind quarter, and discharge the Launcher at close range before disengaging. The racer's frame supported climbing-claw attachments derived from earlier Matoran UniverseMatoran UniverseA civilization of biomechanical beings living inside a colossal robot, destroyed when Teridax seized control. component patterns, which contributed to its handling on broken ground and on the engineered surfaces of the arena.

The pairing of the Cendox with CrotesiusCrotesiusA Vulcanus pilot who went from dismissing legends to answering one in Riddle of the Great Beings. included a life counter mounted on the pilot's back rather than on the vehicle, a feature carried over from standard GlatorianGlatorianTribal warriors of Spherus Magna who settled disputes through arena combat, until the Skrall conquest enslaved most of them. arena equipment. The counter tracked the pilot's remaining match life across an arena engagement, allowing referees to call the bout without requiring a kill. The Cendox itself was scored as part of the rider's loadout under the arena rules in effect at the time.

The Great Tournament Victory#

The single best-documented engagement of the Cendox V1's arena career was the year CrotesiusCrotesiusA Vulcanus pilot who went from dismissing legends to answering one in Riddle of the Great Beings. drove it to victory in the vehicle division of the Great TournamentAteroThe free city at the heart of Bara Magna, home to the Arena Magna and the Great Tournament, destroyed by Tuma and the Skrall during the opening match.. The Tournament was the annual all-tribes competition held at Arena MagnaAteroThe free city at the heart of Bara Magna, home to the Arena Magna and the Great Tournament, destroyed by Tuma and the Skrall during the opening match. in the neutral city of AteroAteroThe free city at the heart of Bara Magna, home to the Arena Magna and the Great Tournament, destroyed by Tuma and the Skrall during the opening match., and its vehicle division ran as a separate bracket alongside the individual GlatorianGlatorianTribal warriors of Spherus Magna who settled disputes through arena combat, until the Skrall conquest enslaved most of them. matches. Winning the vehicle division was a tribal honour for VulcanusVulcanusThe Fire Tribe's settlement on Bara Magna, caught between resources and threats. and a personal honour for CrotesiusCrotesiusA Vulcanus pilot who went from dismissing legends to answering one in Riddle of the Great Beings.. The specific year and the defeated competitors are not preserved in the surviving record, but the victory is attested as a single discrete result, and it is the only Great TournamentAteroThe free city at the heart of Bara Magna, home to the Arena Magna and the Great Tournament, destroyed by Tuma and the Skrall during the opening match. win associated with the Cendox class on Bara MagnaBara MagnaA desert world of tribal warfare and scarce resources, one of three landmasses that formed Spherus Magna..

The win established CrotesiusCrotesiusA Vulcanus pilot who went from dismissing legends to answering one in Riddle of the Great Beings. as a competent vehicle pilot at the top tier of Bara MagnaBara MagnaA desert world of tribal warfare and scarce resources, one of three landmasses that formed Spherus Magna. arena competition. It also established the Cendox V1 as a credible racer despite its age, its origin in a conflict a hundred thousand years gone, and its dependence on parts won by other tribes in unrelated matches. The serpent strike had survived the ShatteringThe 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. and the long burial, and it could still take a vehicle division at full tilt.

The Practice Match with the Kaxium V3Kaxium V3A Bara Magna dual-vehicle that split in combat, piloted by Glatorian Scodonius and Kirbraz in 2009.#

The other documented engagement of the Cendox V1 was the practice match recorded in BIONICLE Glatorian 4: Before the StormAteroThe free city at the heart of Bara Magna, home to the Arena Magna and the Great Tournament, destroyed by Tuma and the Skrall during the opening match., fought against the Kaxium V3Kaxium V3A Bara Magna dual-vehicle that split in combat, piloted by Glatorian Scodonius and Kirbraz in 2009. of the Water TribeWater TribeA trading-focused desert tribe vulnerable to Bone Hunter raids and arena warfare on Bara Magna. pilots KirbrazKirbrazKirbraz was the Water Tribe Agori from Tajun who piloted the primary cycle of the Kaxium V3 alongside his partner Scodonius, winning many vehicle division matches in the arena before the Skrall conquest of Bara Magna. and ScodoniusScodoniusAn Agori pilot who prepared Arena Magna for the tournament and refused a wild hunt for the Red Star.. The Kaxium was a two-pilot motorcycle that could separate into two independent vehicles mid-match, a capability that KirbrazKirbrazKirbraz was the Water Tribe Agori from Tajun who piloted the primary cycle of the Kaxium V3 alongside his partner Scodonius, winning many vehicle division matches in the arena before the Skrall conquest of Bara Magna. and ScodoniusScodoniusAn Agori pilot who prepared Arena Magna for the tournament and refused a wild hunt for the Red Star. intended to use to outflank CrotesiusCrotesiusA Vulcanus pilot who went from dismissing legends to answering one in Riddle of the Great Beings. at a critical moment. The split was timed to surprise the Cendox just before a head-on collision and force CrotesiusCrotesiusA Vulcanus pilot who went from dismissing legends to answering one in Riddle of the Great Beings. into a defensive turn.

The tactic failed. CrotesiusCrotesiusA Vulcanus pilot who went from dismissing legends to answering one in Riddle of the Great Beings. recovered control of his own racer before the Kaxium pieces could re-engage, fired a ThornaxThornaxThornax was a hardy desert fruit native to Bara Magna, eaten unripe as stew and fired ripe from launchers across Glatorian and Skrall ranks. round from the Cendox's mounted Launcher, and overturned KirbrazKirbrazKirbraz was the Water Tribe Agori from Tajun who piloted the primary cycle of the Kaxium V3 alongside his partner Scodonius, winning many vehicle division matches in the arena before the Skrall conquest of Bara Magna.'s portion of the Kaxium in a single discharge. The three pilots then dismounted and discussed the broader situation on Bara MagnaBara MagnaA desert world of tribal warfare and scarce resources, one of three landmasses that formed Spherus Magna., including the recent fall of AteroAteroThe free city at the heart of Bara Magna, home to the Arena Magna and the Great Tournament, destroyed by Tuma and the Skrall during the opening match. to the SkrallSkrallA black-armored warrior species from Spherus Magna that dominated northern Bara Magna under Tuma's rule. and the changing posture of the Rock TribeSkrallA black-armored warrior species from Spherus Magna that dominated northern Bara Magna under Tuma's rule., in a conversation that the comic preserved as the principal scene of the practice session.

The Cendox in the Later Record#

The Cendox V1 disappears from the surviving record after CrotesiusCrotesiusA Vulcanus pilot who went from dismissing legends to answering one in Riddle of the Great Beings. joined the AgoriAgoriThe villager species of Bara Magna, organised by tribe and settlement, who governed their villages and arranged the Glatorian arena system. expedition north to the Valley of the MazeThe Valley of the MazeThe northern Bara Magna labyrinth where the Great Beings hid the unstable Power Source of the Prototype Robot, sealed behind puzzle traps and a fortress that few outsiders ever survived to describe.. He, TardukTardukTarduk is an Agori of the Jungle Tribe, distinguished by his dark green and lime coloration. A treasure hunter by trade, he wields claws and spikes and makes his home on the reformed Spherus Magna., and KirboldKirboldKirbold is an Agori of the Ice Tribe, distinguished by white and grey coloring, who serves as a maintenance worker on the reformed Spherus Magna. He carries a blade as his primary tool. travelled by smaller, more practical mounts on that mission; the racer was not suited to the Forest of BladesThe Valley of the MazeThe northern Bara Magna labyrinth where the Great Beings hid the unstable Power Source of the Prototype Robot, sealed behind puzzle traps and a fortress that few outsiders ever survived to describe. or the River DormusThe River DormusThe placid northern river that carried travellers toward the last vault of the Great Beings, contested by the surviving Element Lords and turned to a single block of ice during the Agori expedition led by Tarduk. approach. After the Spirit's WishThe Valley of the MazeThe northern Bara Magna labyrinth where the Great Beings hid the unstable Power Source of the Prototype Robot, sealed behind puzzle traps and a fortress that few outsiders ever survived to describe. returned the three AgoriAgoriThe villager species of Bara Magna, organised by tribe and settlement, who governed their villages and arranged the Glatorian arena system. to the ruins of Arena MagnaAteroThe free city at the heart of Bara Magna, home to the Arena Magna and the Great Tournament, destroyed by Tuma and the Skrall during the opening match., CrotesiusCrotesiusA Vulcanus pilot who went from dismissing legends to answering one in Riddle of the Great Beings. resumed his work in the Fire TribeFire TribeThe master smiths of Bara Magna who forged tools for all tribes before the Shattering scattered them into conflict. arena programme. He later helped prepare Arena MagnaAteroThe free city at the heart of Bara Magna, home to the Arena Magna and the Great Tournament, destroyed by Tuma and the Skrall during the opening match. for the next Great TournamentAteroThe free city at the heart of Bara Magna, home to the Arena Magna and the Great Tournament, destroyed by Tuma and the Skrall during the opening match., and 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 ReformationThe ReformationThe cosmic act that pulled Aqua Magna and Bota Magna back into Bara Magna and remade the broken homeworld of the Great Beings, paid for with the life-energy of Mata Nui and the last reserves of the Prototype Robot., he settled with the rest of the VulcanusVulcanusThe Fire Tribe's settlement on Bara Magna, caught between resources and threats. population on the restored Spherus MagnaSpherus MagnaA desert world of ancient conflict that became the merger point of the Matoran Universe and Bionicle's true endpoint.. Whether the Cendox V1 itself survived the upheavals of that final period is not recorded. What is recorded is that the only restored unit of an extinct vehicle class made it through more of the era than its pilot had any right to expect, and that the serpent strike kept striking until the end of the arena economy made arena vehicles unnecessary.