Chamber of Life

The Chamber of LifeChamber of LifeThe Chamber of Life was the vault beneath the Lake of Lava of Mount Valmai on Voya Nui where the Kanohi Ignika, the Mask of Life, lay hidden. was the vault where the Kanohi IgnikaThe Mask of Life (Kanohi Ignika), explainedA failsafe forged by the Great Beings to recharge a god. It curses everyone who touches it, and by the end of Bionicle it had learned how to be a hero., the Mask of Life, was hidden in the region chosen for it by the Great BeingsThe Great BeingsScholar-inventors of Spherus Magna whose creations shaped the Matoran Universe and whose absence defined the conflicts that followed.. The chamber lay deep beneath Mount ValmaiMount ValmaiA roiling volcano on Voya Nui that guarded the Ignika and tested three desperate expeditions seeking the Mask of Life. on Voya NuiVoya NuiAn island born from catastrophe and hiding the universe's most powerful artifact, Voya Nui was everything Bionicle 2006 promised: danger, mystery, and a race against time., directly under the Lake of LavaLake of LavaThe Voya Nui lake the Piraka drained hunting a mask that was never there.. It was breached three times: by JovanJovanJovan led the Toa team that retrieved the Kanohi Ignika during the Great Disruption, then served as Turaga over the population that became Voya Nui.'s Toa team long ago, by VezonVezonHe started as a weapon misfire and a throwaway joke, and the canon spent four years quietly turning him into its most useful expendable asset., and finally by the Toa InikaToa Inika and Toa MahriSix ordinary Matoran transformed by lightning from the Red Star into heroes who ultimately revived the Great Spirit itself. and the PirakaBionicle Piraka: the Six Skakdi Thieves Who Hunted the Mask of LifeThe Piraka were six Skakdi who quit the Dark Hunters, took over Voya Nui by posing as Toa and went after the Mask of Life in 2006. Here's who they were, how the Voya Nui story played out and what happened to them afterwards. during the Voya NuiVoya NuiAn island born from catastrophe and hiding the universe's most powerful artifact, Voya Nui was everything Bionicle 2006 promised: danger, mystery, and a race against time. conflict. (BIONICLE Legends 4: Legacy of Evil; BIONICLE Legends 5: Inferno; BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated)

Construction and layout#

The Chamber of Life was the room beneath the Lake of LavaLake of LavaThe Voya Nui lake the Piraka drained hunting a mask that was never there. of Mount ValmaiMount ValmaiA roiling volcano on Voya Nui that guarded the Ignika and tested three desperate expeditions seeking the Mask of Life. where the Kanohi IgnikaThe Mask of Life (Kanohi Ignika), explainedA failsafe forged by the Great Beings to recharge a god. It curses everyone who touches it, and by the end of Bionicle it had learned how to be a hero. was hidden. The Great BeingsThe Great BeingsScholar-inventors of Spherus Magna whose creations shaped the Matoran Universe and whose absence defined the conflicts that followed. chose the region, then part of the Southern ContinentThe Southern ContinentThe Southern Continent was a vast landmass beneath the Matoran Universe, scarred by Voya Nui's separation and held under Makuta Mutran's nominal dominion., as the mask's hiding place while they were finishing the Matoran UniverseMatoran UniverseA civilization of biomechanical beings living inside a colossal robot, destroyed when Teridax seized control., and it was guarded by traps and guardians along the way down. (BIONICLE Legends 3: Power Play; BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated)

The route was vertical. The chamber lay below the Lake of LavaLake of LavaThe Voya Nui lake the Piraka drained hunting a mask that was never there., reached by the 777 Stairs or through Mount ValmaiMount ValmaiA roiling volcano on Voya Nui that guarded the Ignika and tested three desperate expeditions seeking the Mask of Life.. The Lava Chamber GateLava Chamber GateAn ancient stone gate inside Mount Valmai that guarded the final approach to the Chamber of Life and collapsed during the Toa Inika's pursuit of the Piraka. stood in a great cavern beneath the lake as the last barrier before the chamber itself. (BIONICLE Legends 4: Legacy of Evil; BIONICLE Legends 5: Inferno)

The Nui CavesNui CavesA mysterious network of caverns beneath Voya Nui that served as a last refuge during the island's descent., a separate cave network beneath Voya NuiVoya NuiAn island born from catastrophe and hiding the universe's most powerful artifact, Voya Nui was everything Bionicle 2006 promised: danger, mystery, and a race against time., did not lead to the chamber. Later, the island's Matoran sheltered there when Voya Nui sank. (BIONICLE Legends 8: Downfall)

The chamber was breached three times. Long before the Piraka, the Toa of Magnetism JovanJovanJovan led the Toa team that retrieved the Kanohi Ignika during the Great Disruption, then served as Turaga over the population that became Voya Nui. led his team through its traps and guardians, UmbraBionicle Umbra: the Light-Speed Guardian of the Mask of LifeUmbra is the warrior of light who guards the way down to the Kanohi Ignika beneath Voya Nui. He was the first guardian the Great Beings made for the Mask of Life, and in 2006 he very nearly stopped the Toa Inika. among them, to take the Ignika and save the Great Spirit during the Matoran Civil War. Later VezonVezonHe started as a weapon misfire and a throwaway joke, and the canon spent four years quietly turning him into its most useful expendable asset. reached it, and finally the Toa InikaToa Inika and Toa MahriSix ordinary Matoran transformed by lightning from the Red Star into heroes who ultimately revived the Great Spirit itself. and the PirakaBionicle Piraka: the Six Skakdi Thieves Who Hunted the Mask of LifeThe Piraka were six Skakdi who quit the Dark Hunters, took over Voya Nui by posing as Toa and went after the Mask of Life in 2006. Here's who they were, how the Voya Nui story played out and what happened to them afterwards.. (BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated; BIONICLE Legends 8: Downfall; BIONICLE Legends 5: Inferno)

Outer guardians: Axonn and BrutakaBrutakaBrutaka guarded the Kanohi Ignika on Voya Nui, betrayed the Order during the Piraka incursion, was mutated in the Pit, and later led the Order's strike team to free Miserix.#

AxonnAxonnAxonn served as an arbitrator under the Hand of Artakha and later as an Order of Mata Nui agent, guarding the Kanohi Ignika on Voya Nui for thousands of years. and BrutakaBrutakaBrutaka guarded the Kanohi Ignika on Voya Nui, betrayed the Order during the Piraka incursion, was mutated in the Pit, and later led the Order's strike team to free Miserix. 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. guarded Voya NuiVoya NuiAn island born from catastrophe and hiding the universe's most powerful artifact, Voya Nui was everything Bionicle 2006 promised: danger, mystery, and a race against time. itself, as the Ignika's first line of defence. Axonn eventually chose to help the Toa InikaToa Inika and Toa MahriSix ordinary Matoran transformed by lightning from the Red Star into heroes who ultimately revived the Great Spirit itself. rather than stand in their way. (BIONICLE Legends 2: Dark Destiny; BIONICLE Legends 3: Power Play)

BrutakaBrutakaBrutaka guarded the Kanohi Ignika on Voya Nui, betrayed the Order during the Piraka incursion, was mutated in the Pit, and later led the Order's strike team to free Miserix. went the other way. Having lost faith in Mata Nui, he sided with the PirakaBionicle Piraka: the Six Skakdi Thieves Who Hunted the Mask of LifeThe Piraka were six Skakdi who quit the Dark Hunters, took over Voya Nui by posing as Toa and went after the Mask of Life in 2006. Here's who they were, how the Voya Nui story played out and what happened to them afterwards. and fought Axonn. Their final fight came near the Piraka's vat of AntidermisAntidermisAntidermis was the physical substance that composed every Makuta, a revelation that fundamentally altered how fans understood the brotherhood's origin., which Brutaka wanted for extra power; Axonn smashed the vat and knocked him out. With the guardians fighting each other, both the Toa and the Piraka were able to reach the stairs. (BIONICLE Legends 2: Dark Destiny; BIONICLE Ignition 5: In Final Battle; BIONICLE Legends 5: Inferno)

The 777-step staircase#

The stairs were hidden. During a battle with the Toa InikaToa Inika and Toa MahriSix ordinary Matoran transformed by lightning from the Red Star into heroes who ultimately revived the Great Spirit itself., HakannHakannThe Skakdi bully known for pure aggression, from Dark Hunter mercenary to Piraka thief driven by violence and power. and ThokThok (the Drifter)The Piraka's cowardly thief learned that ice guns and dirty tactics can't save you from Toa with elemental fury. stole BrutakaBrutakaBrutaka guarded the Kanohi Ignika on Voya Nui, betrayed the Order during the Piraka incursion, was mutated in the Pit, and later led the Order's strike team to free Miserix.'s powers with a zamor sphere, and when they confronted him he was forced to tell them where the 777 Stairs were. (BIONICLE Ignition 3: Showdown)

The name says how long the descent was: seven hundred and seventy-seven steps down from the surface towards the chamber, with trials along the way. (BIONICLE Legends 4: Legacy of Evil)

Internal trials#

The defences were set out along the descent. They included guardians such as UmbraBionicle Umbra: the Light-Speed Guardian of the Mask of LifeUmbra is the warrior of light who guards the way down to the Kanohi Ignika beneath Voya Nui. He was the first guardian the Great Beings made for the Mask of Life, and in 2006 he very nearly stopped the Toa Inika., a MutagenMutagenPit Mutagen was a power-source energy that leaked into the waters of The Pit during the Great Cataclysm and mutated almost every being exposed to it. pool, the Zone of Nightmares, the Chamber of Death, jets of fire and entrapping cylinders, with VezonVezonHe started as a weapon misfire and a throwaway joke, and the canon spent four years quietly turning him into its most useful expendable asset. and FenrakkFenrakkA Fenrakk Spawn mutated by the Mask of Life's curse and fused to Vezon as a guardian, then reborn as Kardas after Vezon rode it into the lava of the Chamber of Life. waiting at the bottom. (BIONICLE Legends 4: Legacy of Evil; BIONICLE Legends 5: Inferno)

Umbra#

UmbraBionicle Umbra: the Light-Speed Guardian of the Mask of LifeUmbra is the warrior of light who guards the way down to the Kanohi Ignika beneath Voya Nui. He was the first guardian the Great Beings made for the Mask of Life, and in 2006 he very nearly stopped the Toa Inika. guarded the way down. He used his speed to disarm the Toa InikaToa Inika and Toa MahriSix ordinary Matoran transformed by lightning from the Red Star into heroes who ultimately revived the Great Spirit itself., but 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. used ice to make him slip and crash. When Umbra came back as a beam of light, Matoro answered with more ice and sent him down again. (BIONICLE Ignition 4: A Cold Light Dawns; BIONICLE Legends 5: Inferno)

The Zone of Nightmares#

The Zone of Nightmares brought an intruder's fears to life. When the PirakaBionicle Piraka: the Six Skakdi Thieves Who Hunted the Mask of LifeThe Piraka were six Skakdi who quit the Dark Hunters, took over Voya Nui by posing as Toa and went after the Mask of Life in 2006. Here's who they were, how the Voya Nui story played out and what happened to them afterwards. passed through, it raised a version of IrnakkIrnakkIrnakk was a Skakdi myth that gained temporary existence in the Zone of Nightmares, manifesting to confront the Piraka on their path to the Ignika., the monster of Skakdi legend, and turned their nightmares on them. HakannHakannThe Skakdi bully known for pure aggression, from Dark Hunter mercenary to Piraka thief driven by violence and power.'s armour melted, ZaktanZaktanMutated Skakdi leader of the Piraka, formerly a Dark Hunter whose body was dissolved into a colony of Protodites by the Shadowed One and reformed with its consciousness intact. became a mere thought, AvakAvakA Skakdi thief whose perfect prisons made him invaluable to the Piraka's Mask of Life heist. was trapped within his own body, and ThokThok (the Drifter)The Piraka's cowardly thief learned that ice guns and dirty tactics can't save you from Toa with elemental fury. was attacked by his own reflection. (BIONICLE Legends 4: Legacy of Evil)

The Toa InikaToa Inika and Toa MahriSix ordinary Matoran transformed by lightning from the Red Star into heroes who ultimately revived the Great Spirit itself. faced old enemies there instead. 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. confronted a TurahkTurahkTurahk is a red and dark grey Kraata of the Rahkshi who serves as a servant of Makuta within the Brotherhood of Makuta. Hailing from Mangaia, Turahk wields the Staff of Fear and possesses the power of fear., and the others fought a BohrokBohrokHive-minded mechanical creatures designed to reshape worlds, the Bohrok represent a threat the Toa Mata never expected., a Bohrok-KalBohrok-Kal Kaita ZaA possible fusion of Tahnok-Kal, Pahrak-Kal, and Nuhvok-Kal that was never formed on Mata Nui during the Bohrok-Kal campaign., a MuakaMuakaTiger-like predators of Ko-Wahi with claws, teeth, and a taste for anything that moves., a Nui-RamaNui-RamaLarge insect-like Rahi with deadly claws and venom, known for kidnapping Matoran and attacking Le-Koro. and an image of MakutaMakuta: species, title, and TeridaxMakuta means three things in the Matoran Universe: the Antidermis species Mata Nui created, the Brotherhood rank, and most often Teridax himself.. KonguKonguKongu captained Le-Koro's Gukko Force before lightning from the red star turned him into a Toa of Air, who later served among the Toa Mahri. worked out that the enemies were illusions because he could sense no thoughts coming from them. (BIONICLE Legends 4: Legacy of Evil)

The Chamber of Death#

The Chamber of Death was the most solemn of the trials. In a large chamber on the way down, the Toa InikaToa Inika and Toa MahriSix ordinary Matoran transformed by lightning from the Red Star into heroes who ultimately revived the Great Spirit itself. heard the recorded voice of one of the Great BeingsThe Great BeingsScholar-inventors of Spherus Magna whose creations shaped the Matoran Universe and whose absence defined the conflicts that followed. tell them that one of them had to die for the rest to pass. 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. felt that as leader it should be him, but the memory of his own earlier death at the hands of a RahkshiBionicle Rahkshi: the Sons of Makuta from Mask of LightRahkshi are armoured hunters made from kraata, the slug-like creatures of the Makuta. Six of them chased the Mask of Light across Mata Nui in 2003. Here's what they are, the different kinds and where they turn up in the films, books and comics. held him back. 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. volunteered, saying he was not a warrior like the others. He died, and was immediately brought back to life: the willingness to make the sacrifice was what the test required. (BIONICLE Legends 4: Legacy of Evil)

Mechanical traps#

The approach also held a MutagenMutagenPit Mutagen was a power-source energy that leaked into the waters of The Pit during the Great Cataclysm and mutated almost every being exposed to it. pool, jets of fire and entrapping cylinders. The cylinders could only be escaped by working together, which made them a real problem for the quarrelling PirakaBionicle Piraka: the Six Skakdi Thieves Who Hunted the Mask of LifeThe Piraka were six Skakdi who quit the Dark Hunters, took over Voya Nui by posing as Toa and went after the Mask of Life in 2006. Here's who they were, how the Voya Nui story played out and what happened to them afterwards.. (BIONICLE Legends 4: Legacy of Evil)

The Toa InikaToa Inika and Toa MahriSix ordinary Matoran transformed by lightning from the Red Star into heroes who ultimately revived the Great Spirit itself., who worked as a team, came through the same descent. (BIONICLE Legends 4: Legacy of Evil; BIONICLE Legends 5: Inferno)

VezonVezonHe started as a weapon misfire and a throwaway joke, and the canon spent four years quietly turning him into its most useful expendable asset. and FenrakkFenrakkA Fenrakk Spawn mutated by the Mask of Life's curse and fused to Vezon as a guardian, then reborn as Kardas after Vezon rode it into the lava of the Chamber of Life.#

The last guardian, in the chamber itself, was VezonVezonHe started as a weapon misfire and a throwaway joke, and the canon spent four years quietly turning him into its most useful expendable asset.. Created when the Spear of FusionSpear of FusionThe Spear of Fusion is the artifact Hakann used in reverse on Vezok in Mangaia, splitting off Vezon as a separate being. Vezon then carried it to Voya Nui until Jaller destroyed it. split VezokVezokThe Beast was a Piraka thief split in two by the Spear of Fusion, then imprisoned by the Order of Mata Nui. in two, he found the secret stairs and was let past every defence because the Ignika wanted him as a protector. When he tried to take the mask, it cursed him instead, fusing him to the giant spider FenrakkFenrakkA Fenrakk Spawn mutated by the Mask of Life's curse and fused to Vezon as a guardian, then reborn as Kardas after Vezon rode it into the lava of the Chamber of Life., giving him limited foresight and the power to absorb kinetic energy, and fixing itself to his head. (BIONICLE Legends 3: Power Play; BIONICLE Ignition 4: A Cold Light Dawns; BIONICLE Legends 5: Inferno)

The PirakaBionicle Piraka: the Six Skakdi Thieves Who Hunted the Mask of LifeThe Piraka were six Skakdi who quit the Dark Hunters, took over Voya Nui by posing as Toa and went after the Mask of Life in 2006. Here's who they were, how the Voya Nui story played out and what happened to them afterwards. arrived first. Vezon offered them the mask if they killed Vezok, then used the Spear of FusionSpear of FusionThe Spear of Fusion is the artifact Hakann used in reverse on Vezok in Mangaia, splitting off Vezon as a separate being. Vezon then carried it to Voya Nui until Jaller destroyed it. to fuse VezokVezokThe Beast was a Piraka thief split in two by the Spear of Fusion, then imprisoned by the Order of Mata Nui. and ReidakReidakA sadistic Skakdi thug who traded the Dark Hunters for the Piraka and paid the price. into a single monster that beat the other Piraka, before splitting the pair again and leaving them unconscious. (BIONICLE Legends 5: Inferno; BIONICLE Ignition 5: In Final Battle)

The Toa InikaToa Inika and Toa MahriSix ordinary Matoran transformed by lightning from the Red Star into heroes who ultimately revived the Great Spirit itself. came next. Vezon shrugged off most of their attacks by absorbing their force until they worked out his power, and when they drove him to the edge he urged Fenrakk into the lava. Fenrakk came out transformed into the KardasKardasA winged Rahi dragon created when the Mask of Life rebuilt the Fenrakk spider in the lava of the Chamber of Life, with Vezon still fused to its back. Dragon, but the Toa won in the end and took the mask. Then the recovering Kardas Dragon blasted it out of their hands, and the Ignika flew up the 777 Stairs with the Toa in pursuit. (BIONICLE Legends 5: Inferno; BIONICLE Ignition 5: In Final Battle)

After the chamber#

The chamber was not where the Ignika was finally used. The Toa InikaToa Inika and Toa MahriSix ordinary Matoran transformed by lightning from the Red Star into heroes who ultimately revived the Great Spirit itself. followed the mask down the CordThe CordThe stone Cord linking Voya Nui to the sunken peninsula of Mahri Nui, the tunnel the Toa Mahri descended, and the lifeline severed to revive Mata Nui., fighting off ZyglakZyglakZyglak are a species of dark red, dark blue, and white creatures who are amphibious and wield spears and knives in combat. Formerly confined to the Pit, the Zyglak now inhabit Spherus Magna. on the way, and on reaching the sea floor the Ignika's energy turned them into water-breathing Toa MahriToa Inika and Toa MahriSix ordinary Matoran transformed by lightning from the Red Star into heroes who ultimately revived the Great Spirit itself.. The mask, now acting on its own, had begun to lose pieces of itself. (BIONICLE Legends 5: Inferno; BIONICLE Legends 6: City of the Lost)

The climax came at the core of the universe. 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., carried to Karda NuiKarda NuiThe vast cavern at the core of the Matoran universe, home of the Av-Matoran's Sky Villages and the Codrex, and the site of the battle to awaken Mata Nui., put on the Ignika as instructed, and his body was turned to energy 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., at the cost of his life. (BIONICLE Legends 8: Downfall)

The island itself went home soon after. 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. destroyed the CordThe CordThe stone Cord linking Voya Nui to the sunken peninsula of Mahri Nui, the tunnel the Toa Mahri descended, and the lifeline severed to revive Mata Nui. that tied Voya NuiVoya NuiAn island born from catastrophe and hiding the universe's most powerful artifact, Voya Nui was everything Bionicle 2006 promised: danger, mystery, and a race against time. to Mahri NuiMahri NuiA matoran settlement that sank, survived, and was ultimately crushed beneath Voya Nui, leaving behind one of Bionicle's most poignant lost civilizations., and the island returned to its place on the Southern ContinentThe Southern ContinentThe Southern Continent was a vast landmass beneath the Matoran Universe, scarred by Voya Nui's separation and held under Makuta Mutran's nominal dominion.. Much of the island was wrecked, though the Matoran came through safely in the Nui CavesNui CavesA mysterious network of caverns beneath Voya Nui that served as a last refuge during the island's descent.. (BIONICLE Legends 8: Downfall)

Design philosophy#

The chamber shows how the Great BeingsThe Great BeingsScholar-inventors of Spherus Magna whose creations shaped the Matoran Universe and whose absence defined the conflicts that followed. went about protecting the Mask of LifeThe Mask of Life (Kanohi Ignika), explainedA failsafe forged by the Great Beings to recharge a god. It curses everyone who touches it, and by the end of Bionicle it had learned how to be a hero.. They hid it beneath a volcano on the Southern Continent, guarded the approach with traps and guardians, and built trials that tested courage, cooperation and willingness to sacrifice. (BIONICLE Legends 4: Legacy of Evil; BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated)

The Ignika played its own part. It let VezonVezonHe started as a weapon misfire and a throwaway joke, and the canon spent four years quietly turning him into its most useful expendable asset. through because it wanted a guardian, then bound him to the job, and in the end it chose its own path once the Toa had won it. (BIONICLE Legends 5: Inferno)

The last defender of the chamber was the by-product of a mishap. Vezon existed only because the Spear of FusionSpear of FusionThe Spear of Fusion is the artifact Hakann used in reverse on Vezok in Mangaia, splitting off Vezon as a separate being. Vezon then carried it to Voya Nui until Jaller destroyed it. had accidentally split Vezok in two, and the best-guarded vault in the Matoran UniverseMatoran UniverseA civilization of biomechanical beings living inside a colossal robot, destroyed when Teridax seized control. ended up defended by the result. (BIONICLE Legends 3: Power Play; BIONICLE Legends 5: Inferno)