Certavus

Certavus was a GlatorianGlatorianTribal warriors of Spherus Magna who settled disputes through arena combat, until the Skrall conquest enslaved most of them. of the Ice TribeIce TribeOne of Bara Magna's six major tribes, the Ice Tribe produced legendary Glatorian like Strakk and survived the Shattering intact., fighting for the village of IconoxIconoxIconox is a village of the Ice Tribe, situated in the White Quartz Mountains. on Bara MagnaBara MagnaA desert world of tribal warfare and scarce resources, one of three landmasses that formed Spherus Magna., and renowned across the desert for his skill. He won the Great Tournament in Arena MagnaArena MagnaThe oldest and largest Glatorian combat arena on Bara Magna, where champions tested their skills and settlements resolved conflicts., helped design the arena system after the Shattering, and wrote a book of fighting secrets that Glatorian, SkrallSkrallA black-armored warrior species from Spherus Magna that dominated northern Bara Magna under Tuma's rule. and Agori were still hunting for long after his death. (BIONICLE: Mata Nui's Guide to Bara Magna; BIONICLE: The Secret of Certavus)

Iconox before the Shattering#

Certavus came from Spherus MagnaSpherus MagnaA desert world of ancient conflict that became the merger point of the Matoran Universe and Bionicle's true endpoint., where the Ice Tribe lived under the rule of 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.. The Glatorian were the warriors who fought for the tribes in the Core WarThe Core War: the war that shattered a planetThe Core War was fought on Spherus Magna over Energized Protodermis. It ended in the Shattering, which tore the planet into three planetary fragments., the conflict over Energized ProtodermisEnergized ProtodermisA sentient substance that could remake or annihilate any being that touched it. One of the Matoran Universe's most lethal hazards.. (BIONICLE: Mata Nui's Guide to Bara Magna; All Our Sins Remembered)

The Shattering broke the planet apart and stranded the survivors on the desert fragment of Bara MagnaBara MagnaA desert world of tribal warfare and scarce resources, one of three landmasses that formed Spherus Magna., with scarce resources and old grudges. Certavus helped design the new system that followed, in which Glatorian fought arena matches on behalf of their villages to settle disputes instead of going to war. (BIONICLE: Mata Nui's Guide to Bara Magna)

Certavus went on to fight for IconoxIconoxIconox is a village of the Ice Tribe, situated in the White Quartz Mountains., the Ice Tribe's village, in its most important matches. (BIONICLE: Mata Nui's Guide to Bara Magna)

Winning the Great Tournament#

Certavus won the Great Tournament in Arena MagnaArena MagnaThe oldest and largest Glatorian combat arena on Bara Magna, where champions tested their skills and settlements resolved conflicts., the annual competition held at 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.. That put him among the handful of warriors whose names were known across the whole desert, alongside fighters such as AckarAckarVeteran Glatorian of the Fire Tribe and prime fighter for Vulcanus, Ackar served from the Core War through the defence of Spherus Magna.. (BIONICLE: Mata Nui's Guide to Bara Magna)

He was known for skill and wisdom rather than raw force: a fighter who knew when to use his strength and when to use his head. He carried 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. launcher and a sword. (BIONICLE: Mata Nui's Guide to Bara Magna; BIONICLE: The Secret of Certavus)

Long after his death, Certavus was still remembered by the Glatorian as a wise and skilled warrior. His name came up when younger fighters such as GreshGreshA young Glatorian of the Jungle Tribe who served Tesara and later joined the alliance that defended Bara Magna during its final crisis. looked for ways to improve. (BIONICLE: The Secret of Certavus; BIONICLE: The Legend Reborn (novelisation))

The Book of Certavus#

The Book of Certavus was a book Certavus wrote to record his fighting techniques and ideas. He left it in a training area that later fell out of use, and over time it became something of a legend among the Glatorian. (BIONICLE: The Secret of Certavus; BIONICLE: Mata Nui's Guide to Bara Magna)

The SkrallSkrallA black-armored warrior species from Spherus Magna that dominated northern Bara Magna under Tuma's rule. wanted it too. In Empire of the Skrall, a patrol TumaTumaTuma rose from the survivors of the Baterra massacre to rule the Skrall Empire from Roxtus until Mata Nui defeated him in single combat. had sent to find the book in the western ruins came back empty-handed. Its members were put on punishment duty feeding the two-headed SpikitSpikitA two-headed desert creature used as a draft animal across post-Shattering Bara Magna, valued for strength and endurance and feared for its appetite. in their pens, and Spikit being what they were, the feeders usually ended up as food. (Empire of the Skrall)

The Agori 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. found a scrap of parchment with Certavus's name on it and showed it to GreshGreshA young Glatorian of the Jungle Tribe who served Tesara and later joined the alliance that defended Bara Magna during its final crisis., who wanted a new fighting style. The two went looking for the book and found the abandoned arena where it lay. Berix got it after outwitting a pack of VoroxVoroxThe warrior caste of the Sand Tribe, reduced to feral pack hunters in the wastes of Bara Magna after the collapse of their civilisation in the Core War. with tricks and misdirection, but when he offered it to Gresh, the Glatorian turned it down, having already worked out what it would tell him. (BIONICLE: The Secret of Certavus)

Equipment#

Certavus carried 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. launcher, which fired spiked Thornax fruit, and a sword. The pairing of a Thornax launcher with a blade was standard for Glatorian on Bara Magna. (BIONICLE: Mata Nui's Guide to Bara Magna; BIONICLE: The Secret of Certavus)

The arena system#

The arena system was among Certavus's most lasting achievements. After the Shattering, the tribes of Bara Magna agreed to settle disputes over resources through matches between Glatorian, each fighting for a village, with the winner's side taking what was at stake. (BIONICLE: Mata Nui's Guide to Bara Magna)

The reason was practical. The Shattering had left the villages short of water, metal and food, and the grudges of the Core WarThe Core War: the war that shattered a planetThe Core War was fought on Spherus Magna over Energized Protodermis. It ended in the Shattering, which tore the planet into three planetary fragments. were still there. Without a formal way to settle disputes, Bara Magna risked repeating the war on a smaller scale. The system held well enough for 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 host the annual Great Tournament and for the tribes to trade between disputes. (BIONICLE: Mata Nui's Guide to Bara Magna)

It didn't last forever. By the time 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.'s arrival, MalumMalumFire Tribe Glatorian banished from Vulcanus for trying to kill Strakk in the arena, who took over a Vorox pack in the wastelands of Bara Magna. had been exiled for breaking arena rules, and the SkrallSkrallA black-armored warrior species from Spherus Magna that dominated northern Bara Magna under Tuma's rule. under TumaTumaTuma rose from the survivors of the Baterra massacre to rule the Skrall Empire from Roxtus until Mata Nui defeated him in single combat. were ready to ignore the system altogether by attacking Atero during the Great Tournament. (BIONICLE: The Legend Reborn (novelisation); BIONICLE Glatorian 2: The Fall of Atero)

Death and inheritance#

No story shows Certavus's death. By the time of the Skrall War he had long been gone, his book was a lost treasure, and the Ice Tribe's fighters included GeluGeluGelu is a Glatorian of the Ice Tribe, native to Bota Magna, who formerly served as a secondary Glatorian for the city of Iconox. White and dark blue in color, he wields an Ice Slicer and a Thornax Launcher and resides on the reformed Spherus Magna. and StrakkStrakkA profit-driven Glatorian mercenary from the Ice Tribe who fought in Bara Magna's arenas before joining Mata Nui's cause.. (BIONICLE: The Secret of Certavus; BIONICLE: Mata Nui's Guide to Bara Magna)

He had written his methods down so that they wouldn't depend on him, and in the end the lesson Gresh took from the search was that he didn't need the book at all. (BIONICLE: The Secret of Certavus)

Certavus never met 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. and takes no part in the events of 2009. He lives on as a name others invoke: the Skrall who hunted his book, Berix who found it, and Gresh who learned he could do without it. (Empire of the Skrall; BIONICLE: The Secret of Certavus)