The Crystal Serpents of Artakha

The Crystal Serpents were four large, transparent serpents fashioned by ArtakhaArtakhaArtakha was the master craftsman of the Matoran Universe, ruler of a hidden island, and the forger of the Toa Mata, the Avohkii, and the Kraahkan. and judged by him to be a complete failure of design. He neither destroyed them nor retained them. He released them onto the island that bore his name, where they spread to the four cardinal quarters and were left to themselves. The serpents made no further mark on the recorded history of the Matoran UniverseMatoran UniverseA civilization of biomechanical beings living inside a colossal robot, destroyed when Teridax seized control. until the day that MakutaThe Brotherhood of MakutaAn organization of Makuta created by Mata Nui to police his universe and build Rahi, later seized by Teridax and turned into the instrument of the Plan that overthrew the Great Spirit. KojolKojolKojol was the Makuta assigned to oversee the region of Artakha, leader of the raid that stole the Avohkii, and the unwitting source of the virus that weakened Mata Nui.'s invasion force came ashore on the island in pursuit of the Mask of LightKanohi Mask of Light and ShadowA single fused Kanohi formed in Energized Protodermis when Takanuva and Teridax merged into Takutanuva, holding both light and shadow at once., and two of the serpents, waiting on the beach, focused the rays of the sun through their bodies and reduced the lead element of his VisorakVisorakSpider-like Rahi created by Makuta Chirox, conquered for the Brotherhood by Gorast, broken at Metru Nui, and ultimately destroyed in a volcanic eruption on Artidax. army to ash before the assault had properly begun.

Creation and the judgment of failure#

ArtakhaArtakhaArtakha was the master craftsman of the Matoran Universe, ruler of a hidden island, and the forger of the Toa Mata, the Avohkii, and the Kraahkan. was the master craftsman of the Matoran UniverseMatoran UniverseA civilization of biomechanical beings living inside a colossal robot, destroyed when Teridax seized control. and a forger of long lineage, responsible across his recorded career for the original Toa MataWho are the Toa Mata?Six warriors built to order by Artakha, stored in canisters, dropped into the ocean. This is the origin story of Bionicle's heroes and why their first week of work was entirely amnesiac., the KanohiKanohiMasks that grant powers and sustain life, they're the most vital artifact in the Matoran Universe. AvohkiiKanohi Mask of Light and ShadowA single fused Kanohi formed in Energized Protodermis when Takanuva and Teridax merged into Takutanuva, holding both light and shadow at once., and a body of RahiRahiThe Rahi were the biomechanical wildlife of the Matoran Universe, built largely by the Brotherhood of Makuta, ranging from background fauna to engineered war beasts. experiments not all of which were ever catalogued. The Crystal Serpents belonged to the latter category. He produced four of them as part of his ongoing design work and assessed the result as unsatisfactory. The precise nature of the failure is not preserved. Whether the serpents disappointed him in temperament, in obedience, in stability of form, or in some property of the light effect for which they were eventually known is not recorded. What is recorded is the judgment.

The judgment did not produce the consequence that might have been expected of it. ArtakhaArtakhaArtakha was the master craftsman of the Matoran Universe, ruler of a hidden island, and the forger of the Toa Mata, the Avohkii, and the Kraahkan. did not destroy the serpents. He stated, in the recorded summary of the incident, that he could not control them and that he would not destroy them. The two positions together produced the third option he in fact took: release. He freed all four serpents onto the island that bore his name and removed his attention from them. The island absorbed them as it absorbed the rest of his abandoned experimental fauna.

The decision is characteristic of ArtakhaArtakhaArtakha was the master craftsman of the Matoran Universe, ruler of a hidden island, and the forger of the Toa Mata, the Avohkii, and the Kraahkan. in two respects that the Crystal Serpents make particularly legible. The first is the refusal to undo work. Once made, the serpents were entities, and entities the craftsman would not unmake. The second is the willingness to accept that not every design served the purpose for which it had been initiated. The four serpents were a confession, in living form, that the master forger had on at least one occasion produced what he did not want, had recognized the fact, and had elected to live with the result rather than rescind it.

The four cardinal beasts#

The four serpents dispersed across the island of ArtakhaArtakhaArtakha was the master craftsman of the Matoran Universe, ruler of a hidden island, and the forger of the Toa Mata, the Avohkii, and the Kraahkan. after their release. Each went to a separate cardinal quarter. One travelled north, one south, one east, one west. The pattern was not directed by their maker. It was the natural distribution of four large predators released into a single landmass and seeking territory unoccupied by the others. Once settled, they remained within their respective ranges, and the population of the island adjusted around the four zones their presence rendered inadvisable to enter.

The serpents were not consistent in any standard sense with the rest of the island's RahiRahiThe Rahi were the biomechanical wildlife of the Matoran Universe, built largely by the Brotherhood of Makuta, ranging from background fauna to engineered war beasts. population. Their bodies were transparent. Sunlight passing through them produced refracted patterns visible from a distance. The island's MatoranMatoran UniverseA civilization of biomechanical beings living inside a colossal robot, destroyed when Teridax seized control., whose work served ArtakhaArtakhaArtakha was the master craftsman of the Matoran Universe, ruler of a hidden island, and the forger of the Toa Mata, the Avohkii, and the Kraahkan. directly, were not the serpents' preferred prey. The serpents took other RahiRahiThe Rahi were the biomechanical wildlife of the Matoran Universe, built largely by the Brotherhood of Makuta, ranging from background fauna to engineered war beasts., large enough to satisfy their needs, and left the MatoranMatoran UniverseA civilization of biomechanical beings living inside a colossal robot, destroyed when Teridax seized control. population alone. The MatoranMatoran UniverseA civilization of biomechanical beings living inside a colossal robot, destroyed when Teridax seized control. nonetheless avoided the ranges in which the serpents had settled. The absence of recorded attacks did not produce confidence sufficient to overcome the simple observation that a creature large enough to need substantial prey was not a creature anyone with a choice walked past.

The cardinal arrangement also meant that the four serpents were never gathered. No part of the recorded history of the island includes an instance in which the four met or coordinated. They were a population without a community. Each serpent occupied its quarter and exercised its abilities within that quarter, and the four were never accounted for in the same place at the same time.

The defence of ArtakhaArtakhaArtakha was the master craftsman of the Matoran Universe, ruler of a hidden island, and the forger of the Toa Mata, the Avohkii, and the Kraahkan. against KojolKojolKojol was the Makuta assigned to oversee the region of Artakha, leader of the raid that stole the Avohkii, and the unwitting source of the virus that weakened Mata Nui.#

The single most notable engagement involving the Crystal Serpents was their unplanned participation in the defence of the island against MakutaThe Brotherhood of MakutaAn organization of Makuta created by Mata Nui to police his universe and build Rahi, later seized by Teridax and turned into the instrument of the Plan that overthrew the Great Spirit. KojolKojolKojol was the Makuta assigned to oversee the region of Artakha, leader of the raid that stole the Avohkii, and the unwitting source of the virus that weakened Mata Nui.. KojolKojolKojol was the Makuta assigned to oversee the region of Artakha, leader of the raid that stole the Avohkii, and the unwitting source of the virus that weakened Mata Nui., the MakutaThe Brotherhood of MakutaAn organization of Makuta created by Mata Nui to police his universe and build Rahi, later seized by Teridax and turned into the instrument of the Plan that overthrew the Great Spirit. of the region containing ArtakhaArtakhaArtakha was the master craftsman of the Matoran Universe, ruler of a hidden island, and the forger of the Toa Mata, the Avohkii, and the Kraahkan. and a long custodian of secrets he refused to share with his fellows, led a strike force of RahkshiRahiThe Rahi were the biomechanical wildlife of the Matoran Universe, built largely by the Brotherhood of Makuta, ranging from background fauna to engineered war beasts., Exo-ToaExo-ToaToa-sized powered armor originally produced by the Brotherhood of Makuta, worn briefly by the Toa Mata and later deployed as autonomous enforcers., and VisorakVisorakSpider-like Rahi created by Makuta Chirox, conquered for the Brotherhood by Gorast, broken at Metru Nui, and ultimately destroyed in a volcanic eruption on Artidax. onto the island for the purpose of seizing the KanohiKanohiMasks that grant powers and sustain life, they're the most vital artifact in the Matoran Universe. AvohkiiKanohi Mask of Light and ShadowA single fused Kanohi formed in Energized Protodermis when Takanuva and Teridax merged into Takutanuva, holding both light and shadow at once.. The Brotherhood of MakutaThe Brotherhood of MakutaAn organization of Makuta created by Mata Nui to police his universe and build Rahi, later seized by Teridax and turned into the instrument of the Plan that overthrew the Great Spirit. had elected to take the Mask of LightKanohi Mask of Light and ShadowA single fused Kanohi formed in Energized Protodermis when Takanuva and Teridax merged into Takutanuva, holding both light and shadow at once. from its creator on the grounds that the object would be safer in their keeping than in his. KojolKojolKojol was the Makuta assigned to oversee the region of Artakha, leader of the raid that stole the Avohkii, and the unwitting source of the virus that weakened Mata Nui.'s invasion was the operation by which the decision was carried out.

The plan presumed a rapid landing, a forced advance to the interior, and the capture of the mask before ArtakhaArtakhaArtakha was the master craftsman of the Matoran Universe, ruler of a hidden island, and the forger of the Toa Mata, the Avohkii, and the Kraahkan. could organize a response. The plan did not survive contact with the beach. Two of the four Crystal Serpents had territory adjacent to the shore. The VisorakVisorakSpider-like Rahi created by Makuta Chirox, conquered for the Brotherhood by Gorast, broken at Metru Nui, and ultimately destroyed in a volcanic eruption on Artidax., advancing in their accustomed swarm formation and accustomed to making short work of any creature large enough to bite, met the serpents on the sand. The serpents did what their bodies were built to do. The sun, striking their transparent forms at the angle of the morning, was focused through their bodies into the converging beams that constituted their distinguishing ability. The VisorakVisorakSpider-like Rahi created by Makuta Chirox, conquered for the Brotherhood by Gorast, broken at Metru Nui, and ultimately destroyed in a volcanic eruption on Artidax. caught in the beams were promptly incinerated.

The exchange was brief. The VisorakVisorakSpider-like Rahi created by Makuta Chirox, conquered for the Brotherhood by Gorast, broken at Metru Nui, and ultimately destroyed in a volcanic eruption on Artidax. vanguard, the formation on which KojolKojolKojol was the Makuta assigned to oversee the region of Artakha, leader of the raid that stole the Avohkii, and the unwitting source of the virus that weakened Mata Nui. had relied to clear the beach, was reduced to dust before the serpents had moved from their resting position. The rest of the invasion force, RahkshiRahiThe Rahi were the biomechanical wildlife of the Matoran Universe, built largely by the Brotherhood of Makuta, ranging from background fauna to engineered war beasts. and Exo-ToaExo-ToaToa-sized powered armor originally produced by the Brotherhood of Makuta, worn briefly by the Toa Mata and later deployed as autonomous enforcers. following in the second wave, were obliged to continue past the wreckage of the spider army that had preceded them. The serpents did not pursue. They had no need to. They retired into their ranges and the invasion progressed without them, eventually obtaining the AvohkiiKanohi Mask of Light and ShadowA single fused Kanohi formed in Energized Protodermis when Takanuva and Teridax merged into Takutanuva, holding both light and shadow at once. by other means at other points on the island.

Long aftermath on the island#

The Crystal Serpents did not feature again in any recorded engagement of the Matoran UniverseMatoran UniverseA civilization of biomechanical beings living inside a colossal robot, destroyed when Teridax seized control.'s major campaigns. The defence they had mounted against KojolKojolKojol was the Makuta assigned to oversee the region of Artakha, leader of the raid that stole the Avohkii, and the unwitting source of the virus that weakened Mata Nui.'s VisorakVisorakSpider-like Rahi created by Makuta Chirox, conquered for the Brotherhood by Gorast, broken at Metru Nui, and ultimately destroyed in a volcanic eruption on Artidax. was the high point of their participation in any wider story. After the invasion, they returned to the pattern that had defined their existence before it: four large transparent serpents, settled in the four cardinal quarters of an island that did not appear on the maps of the wider universe, taking prey at the scale their bodies required and refracting light through their bodies on the days when the sun struck them at the proper angle.

The wider history of the island ran past them. ArtakhaArtakhaArtakha was the master craftsman of the Matoran Universe, ruler of a hidden island, and the forger of the Toa Mata, the Avohkii, and the Kraahkan. requested the destruction of the maps showing his island's location after KojolKojolKojol was the Makuta assigned to oversee the region of Artakha, leader of the raid that stole the Avohkii, and the unwitting source of the virus that weakened Mata Nui.'s raid, and 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. carried out the request, removing the island from the registry that any other party could consult. The serpents were among the population so removed. They were not catalogued among the RahiRahiThe Rahi were the biomechanical wildlife of the Matoran Universe, built largely by the Brotherhood of Makuta, ranging from background fauna to engineered war beasts. of the Matoran UniverseMatoran UniverseA civilization of biomechanical beings living inside a colossal robot, destroyed when Teridax seized control. by any subsequent compendium, and the brief entries that mention them are drawn from the testimony of those who had served on the island before the catalogues were sealed.

The serpents endured for as long as the island endured. They had been judged a failure by the craftsman who made them and had been released rather than unmade, and the consequence of that release was that they remained a part of the world long after their maker had moved on to other work. When the VisorakVisorakSpider-like Rahi created by Makuta Chirox, conquered for the Brotherhood by Gorast, broken at Metru Nui, and ultimately destroyed in a volcanic eruption on Artidax. hit their beach, they did the work for which their bodies had been designed, even if the design had not satisfied the designer. The single hour in which two of them held the line on the sand of ArtakhaArtakhaArtakha was the master craftsman of the Matoran Universe, ruler of a hidden island, and the forger of the Toa Mata, the Avohkii, and the Kraahkan.'s shore against KojolKojolKojol was the Makuta assigned to oversee the region of Artakha, leader of the raid that stole the Avohkii, and the unwitting source of the virus that weakened Mata Nui.'s vanguard was the record on which their existence is justified, in the testimony that survives.