The Cursed Great Being

The Cursed Great Being was a member of the Great BeingsThe Great BeingsScholar-inventors of Spherus Magna whose creations shaped the Matoran Universe and whose absence defined the conflicts that followed. of Spherus MagnaSpherus MagnaA desert world of ancient conflict that became the merger point of the Matoran Universe and Bionicle's true endpoint. who had handled 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, during the period of the mask's earliest existence and had been afflicted by the 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.'s curse as a result. The curse caused every object near him to come to life. His chains were alive. The blocks of stone in his prison were alive. The curse was permanent. The other Great BeingsThe Great BeingsScholar-inventors of Spherus Magna whose creations shaped the Matoran Universe and whose absence defined the conflicts that followed. had chained him to the wall of a cell on Bota MagnaBota MagnaA verdant jungle moon separated from Spherus Magna for 100,000 years, then restored by Mata Nui himself at the climax of the Core War., the lost third fragment of Spherus MagnaSpherus MagnaA desert world of ancient conflict that became the merger point of the Matoran Universe and Bionicle's true endpoint., and left him there for tens of thousands of years before the Reign of ShadowsReign of ShadowsThe year Teridax ruled the Matoran Universe from inside Mata Nui's body, and the scattered resistance plots that ran against him until the Great Spirit returned from Bara Magna. brought a group of unexpected visitors into his presence.

Origin and the curse#

The Cursed Great Being originated among the scholar-inventors of Spherus MagnaSpherus MagnaA desert world of ancient conflict that became the merger point of the Matoran Universe and Bionicle's true endpoint. who collectively became known as the Great BeingsThe Great BeingsScholar-inventors of Spherus Magna whose creations shaped the Matoran Universe and whose absence defined the conflicts that followed.. His individual name was never disclosed. He was one of the small inner circle directly involved in the construction of 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 legendary 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. that served as a failsafe for 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 life force. The Ignika, by design, carried a curse intended to deter unauthorised use of its power. The curse activated against any being who attempted to wield the mask, with consequences calibrated to the user's biology and intent.

In the earliest period of the 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.'s existence, the Cursed Great Being came into direct physical contact with the mask. The Ignika's curse engaged. It produced an effect on him that no later wearer of the mask suffered in the same form, and one no Great BeingThe Great BeingsScholar-inventors of Spherus Magna whose creations shaped the Matoran Universe and whose absence defined the conflicts that followed. had anticipated. From that moment forward, every inanimate object that came within a certain radius of him became animate. The effect required no concentration on his part. It could not be turned off. It applied indiscriminately to anything in his immediate vicinity, whether the object was a tool, a stone, a length of chain, a building, or any other dead matter that found itself near him.

For a Great BeingThe Great BeingsScholar-inventors of Spherus Magna whose creations shaped the Matoran Universe and whose absence defined the conflicts that followed. accustomed to building living systems by deliberate craft, the curse was a perversion of the work. The other Great BeingsThe Great BeingsScholar-inventors of Spherus Magna whose creations shaped the Matoran Universe and whose absence defined the conflicts that followed. determined that he could not be allowed to walk freely. Everything he touched, and much that he merely approached, would be turned into a thinking, moving thing without his consent or theirs. The decision was made to confine him.

Imprisonment on Bota MagnaBota MagnaA verdant jungle moon separated from Spherus Magna for 100,000 years, then restored by Mata Nui himself at the climax of the Core War.#

The cell selected for the Cursed Great Being was located on Bota MagnaBota MagnaA verdant jungle moon separated from Spherus Magna for 100,000 years, then restored by Mata Nui himself at the climax of the Core War., the lush jungle moon that became one of three fragments of Spherus MagnaSpherus MagnaA desert world of ancient conflict that became the merger point of the Matoran Universe and Bionicle's true endpoint. after 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. at the end of 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 location had several practical advantages. It was remote even from the Great BeingsThe Great BeingsScholar-inventors of Spherus Magna whose creations shaped the Matoran Universe and whose absence defined the conflicts that followed.' own redoubt in 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.. Its terrain was wild and difficult to traverse without local knowledge. After 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., it became almost completely cut off from the inhabited regions of the broken planet, which placed the cursed prisoner outside the field of operations of any organised civilisation that might have stumbled across him by accident.

The cell itself reflected the nature of the curse. The walls were stone. Once the Cursed Great Being was placed inside, the stone became alive. The chains used to bind him to the wall became alive in the same instant. The Cursed Great Being therefore lived for tens of thousands of years in a cell whose architecture was a series of conscious beings holding him in place. He observed at one point that he had to fear nothing now except his living chains, the living blocks of stone, and the screams of light as darkness extinguished it. The remark indicated that the conscious objects of his prison were not silent companions.

Visitors during the Reign of ShadowsReign of ShadowsThe year Teridax ruled the Matoran Universe from inside Mata Nui's body, and the scattered resistance plots that ran against him until the Great Spirit returned from Bara Magna.#

The Cursed Great Being's first known external contact came during the Reign of ShadowsReign of ShadowsThe year Teridax ruled the Matoran Universe from inside Mata Nui's body, and the scattered resistance plots that ran against him until the Great Spirit returned from Bara Magna., the year TeridaxTeridaxTeridax orchestrated a thousand-year scheme that ended with him occupying the Great Spirit Robot itself before his death on Bara Magna. ruled the Matoran UniverseMatoran UniverseA civilization of biomechanical beings living inside a colossal robot, destroyed when Teridax seized control. from inside the body 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.. A dimensional accident, produced by the malfunctioning OlmakThe Kanohi OlmakThe Kanohi Olmak was the Great Mask of Dimensional Gates, a portal-opening Kanohi forged by Artakha. Only two ever existed in the Matoran Universe, and both passed through the hands of figures who reshaped the late storyline. fused to 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.'s face, transported a group of senior figures from the resistance against TeridaxTeridaxTeridax orchestrated a thousand-year scheme that ended with him occupying the Great Spirit Robot itself before his death on Bara Magna. directly into the Cursed Great Being's cell. The group included HelryxHelryxHelryx was the first Toa created by the Great Beings, founder of the Order of Mata Nui, and commander of its covert war against the Brotherhood of Makuta., leader 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.; BrutakaBrutakaBrutaka guarded the Kanohi Ignika on Voya Nui, betrayed the Order during the Piraka incursion, served time in the Pit, and later led the Federation of Fear strike team. and 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., the OrderThe 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.'s most senior field operatives; MiserixMiserixThe deposed Makuta leader clawed back from exile to hunt the brother who stole his throne., the deposed leader of 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.; TuyetTuyetA Toa of Water caught in the Order's machinations, Tuyet turned from peer-seeker to rebel-schemer., the rogue Toa of WaterGali, Toa of WaterThe Toa Nuva of Water and conscience of the Toa Mata, whose attunement to her element anchored the team across every campaign from Mata Nui to Karda Nui. brought in from an alternate dimension; the Toa of AirLewaToa of Air, member of the Toa Mata and Toa Nuva, whose career was marked by repeated possession, body theft, and aerial campaigns from Le-Wahi to Karda Nui. LewaLewaToa of Air, member of the Toa Mata and Toa Nuva, whose career was marked by repeated possession, body theft, and aerial campaigns from Le-Wahi to Karda Nui., whose body was currently piloted by Tren KromTren KromThe first purely organic creation of the Great Beings, exiled to a stone island after surrendering the core of the Matoran Universe to Mata Nui.; and 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. himself.

The Cursed Great Being addressed them as a host might address unannounced guests. He acknowledged that the Great BeingsThe Great BeingsScholar-inventors of Spherus Magna whose creations shaped the Matoran Universe and whose absence defined the conflicts that followed.' historic title was perhaps the worst thing that had ever happened to them, since they had begun to believe it was accurate. He suggested that pride might be the reason he was imprisoned at all. Then he made his request. The visitors were here to free him.

Negotiations proceeded with several of the senior figures in the room understanding that they were speaking with one of the original architects of the Matoran UniverseMatoran UniverseA civilization of biomechanical beings living inside a colossal robot, destroyed when Teridax seized control.. The exchange was complicated by the disagreements within the visiting group itself. HelryxHelryxHelryx was the first Toa created by the Great Beings, founder of the Order of Mata Nui, and commander of its covert war against the Brotherhood of Makuta., MiserixMiserixThe deposed Makuta leader clawed back from exile to hunt the brother who stole his throne., and 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. were oriented toward extreme action against TeridaxTeridaxTeridax orchestrated a thousand-year scheme that ended with him occupying the Great Spirit Robot itself before his death on Bara Magna.. BrutakaBrutakaBrutaka guarded the Kanohi Ignika on Voya Nui, betrayed the Order during the Piraka incursion, served time in the Pit, and later led the Federation of Fear strike team. had broken with HelryxHelryxHelryx was the first Toa created by the Great Beings, founder of the Order of Mata Nui, and commander of its covert war against the Brotherhood of Makuta. over the proposed methods. 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.'s grip on reality was inconsistent. The Cursed Great Being himself, having been alone for tens of thousands of years, was not party to any of these factional rivalries and pressed only his own interest in release.

The detonation and the escape#

Unknown to anyone in the cell, VelikaVelikaVelika is a Great Being who disguised himself as a Po-Matoran on Mata Nui, wearing a powerless Komau and bearing an affinity for Stone. Colored in golden brown, grey, and orange, he worked as an inventor and carried Power Carvers as his tools. He was last known to be located on Bota Magna., another Great BeingThe Great BeingsScholar-inventors of Spherus Magna whose creations shaped the Matoran Universe and whose absence defined the conflicts that followed. disguised as an Onu-MatoranOnu-MatoranEarth-wielding Matoran of the deep who adapted to darkness and built the Matoran Universe's defensive cavalry., had identified the gathering as a unique tactical opportunity. The full senior leadership of the resistance, several powerful enemies of his agenda, and the Cursed Great Being were all assembled in one structure. VelikaVelikaVelika is a Great Being who disguised himself as a Po-Matoran on Mata Nui, wearing a powerless Komau and bearing an affinity for Stone. Colored in golden brown, grey, and orange, he worked as an inventor and carried Power Carvers as his tools. He was last known to be located on Bota Magna. set up explosives outside the fortress with the intention of eliminating every being inside, including the Cursed Great Being, in a single detonation.

The explosives went off. The fortress was destroyed. HelryxHelryxHelryx was the first Toa created by the Great Beings, founder of the Order of Mata Nui, and commander of its covert war against the Brotherhood of Makuta., BrutakaBrutakaBrutaka guarded the Kanohi Ignika on Voya Nui, betrayed the Order during the Piraka incursion, served time in the Pit, and later led the Federation of Fear strike team., 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., MiserixMiserixThe deposed Makuta leader clawed back from exile to hunt the brother who stole his throne., TuyetTuyetA Toa of Water caught in the Order's machinations, Tuyet turned from peer-seeker to rebel-schemer., 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 the Tren KromTren KromThe first purely organic creation of the Great Beings, exiled to a stone island after surrendering the core of the Matoran Universe to Mata Nui.-piloted LewaLewaToa of Air, member of the Toa Mata and Toa Nuva, whose career was marked by repeated possession, body theft, and aerial campaigns from Le-Wahi to Karda Nui. escaped, in part because the Great BeingsThe Great BeingsScholar-inventors of Spherus Magna whose creations shaped the Matoran Universe and whose absence defined the conflicts that followed.' agents had survived worse and in part because the cell's animate architecture did not all cooperate with VelikaVelikaVelika is a Great Being who disguised himself as a Po-Matoran on Mata Nui, wearing a powerless Komau and bearing an affinity for Stone. Colored in golden brown, grey, and orange, he worked as an inventor and carried Power Carvers as his tools. He was last known to be located on Bota Magna.'s intended outcome. The Cursed Great Being also escaped. None of the other survivors immediately realised that he had done so, and the fact that the Cursed Great Being was now loose on Bota MagnaBota MagnaA verdant jungle moon separated from Spherus Magna for 100,000 years, then restored by Mata Nui himself at the climax of the Core War. registered as a complication only later.

Encounter with 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.#

Approximately a century after these events, 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., the situation produced its sequel. 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., one of the more reclusive Great BeingsThe Great BeingsScholar-inventors of Spherus Magna whose creations shaped the Matoran Universe and whose absence defined the conflicts that followed., asked 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. to open a portal. 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. then crossed through it together with a group including LewaLewaToa of Air, member of the Toa Mata and Toa Nuva, whose career was marked by repeated possession, body theft, and aerial campaigns from Le-Wahi to Karda Nui., 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., HelryxHelryxHelryx was the first Toa created by the Great Beings, founder of the Order of Mata Nui, and commander of its covert war against the Brotherhood of Makuta., and others, arriving on Bota MagnaBota MagnaA verdant jungle moon separated from Spherus Magna for 100,000 years, then restored by Mata Nui himself at the climax of the Core War.. There they encountered the Cursed Great Being again. He was no longer chained. He was no longer surrounded by living stone walls. He was instead waiting in the wild interior of the planet, and he renewed his request. He asked them, this time more directly, to free him.

The exchange marked one of the very few documented encounters between the post-Reign of ShadowsReign of ShadowsThe year Teridax ruled the Matoran Universe from inside Mata Nui's body, and the scattered resistance plots that ran against him until the Great Spirit returned from Bara Magna. leadership of the former Matoran UniverseMatoran UniverseA civilization of biomechanical beings living inside a colossal robot, destroyed when Teridax seized control. and a Great BeingThe Great BeingsScholar-inventors of Spherus Magna whose creations shaped the Matoran Universe and whose absence defined the conflicts that followed. of Spherus MagnaSpherus MagnaA desert world of ancient conflict that became the merger point of the Matoran Universe and Bionicle's true endpoint. operating in his original capacity. The outcome of the request was never fully recorded. The Cursed Great Being remained, by the end of the documented period, a being whose curse was as active as it had ever been and whose options had not changed. Free him from the prison, and the rest of the world inherited the live architecture problem in his place.