Element Lord of Rock

The Element Lord of Rock was one of the six Element LordsElement LordsSeven elemental warriors transformed by the Great Beings who refused to end their war even after the world broke. created by the Great BeingsThe Great BeingsScholar-inventors of Spherus Magna whose creations shaped the Matoran Universe and whose absence defined the conflicts that followed., a warrior made one with the element of Rock and given command of the Rock TribeRock TribeThe dominant warrior civilization of Bara Magna, built on brutal expansion and ruled by Tuma until internal betrayal and the Skrall's defeat disbanded it.. He took part 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. on Spherus MagnaSpherus MagnaA desert world of ancient conflict that became the merger point of the Matoran Universe and Bionicle's true endpoint., and like the other Lords he was trapped for a time after the ShatteringThe 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.. His most fully documented appearance came during the AgoriAgoriThe villager species of Bara Magna, organised by tribe and settlement, who governed their villages and lived by the Glatorian arena system. expedition toward the Valley of the MazeThe Valley of the MazeThe northern Bara Magna maze 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., where he saved 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., CrotesiusCrotesiusA Vulcanus pilot who went from dismissing legends to answering one in Riddle of the Great Beings. 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. from a freezing river, then warned them, through a stone duplicate of Tarduk speaking with a SkrallSkrallA black-armored warrior species from Spherus Magna that dominated northern Bara Magna under Tuma's rule. voice, that the power at the heart of the Maze was his alone to claim. (All Our Sins Remembered; Riddle of the Great Beings)

Origins and Transformation#

Before his transformation, the Element Lord of Rock was a warrior of the Rock TribeRock TribeThe dominant warrior civilization of Bara Magna, built on brutal expansion and ruled by Tuma until internal betrayal and the Skrall's defeat disbanded it. on Spherus MagnaSpherus MagnaA desert world of ancient conflict that became the merger point of the Matoran Universe and Bionicle's true endpoint.. The serial that features him never gives his species outright, but when he speaks, Tarduk hears the unmistakable tones of a SkrallSkrallA black-armored warrior species from Spherus Magna that dominated northern Bara Magna under Tuma's rule.. (Riddle of the Great Beings)

The Great BeingsThe Great BeingsScholar-inventors of Spherus Magna whose creations shaped the Matoran Universe and whose absence defined the conflicts that followed. found their creations hard to manage, so they chose six warriors, one from each of the Fire, Ice, Water, Rock, Sand and Jungle tribes, and changed them with their power. As the Element Lord of JungleElement Lord of JungleThe Element Lord of Jungle was a being native to Spherus Magna who was formerly of the Glatorian species, wielded power over the jungle element, and carried a sword. A member of the Element Lords, the individual once led the Jungle Tribe and bore green coloration. told it, the six were made one with their elements and given armour and weapons to defend their people. The future Element Lord of Rock was the Rock TribeRock TribeThe dominant warrior civilization of Bara Magna, built on brutal expansion and ruled by Tuma until internal betrayal and the Skrall's defeat disbanded it.'s choice. His fellow Lords were those of FireElement Lord of FireFormer Glatorian of the Fire Tribe, remade by the Great Beings into a being one with flame, ruler of the Fire Tribe through the Core War, and the elemental warlord whose feud with the Element Lord of Ice broke open again in the White Quartz Mountains., 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., WaterElement Lord of WaterFormer warrior of the Water Tribe, remade by the Great Beings into a being one with water, ruler of the Water Tribe during the Core War, and the elemental claimant who dragged the Tarduk expedition under the River Dormus., JungleElement Lord of JungleThe Element Lord of Jungle was a being native to Spherus Magna who was formerly of the Glatorian species, wielded power over the jungle element, and carried a sword. A member of the Element Lords, the individual once led the Jungle Tribe and bore green coloration. and Sand. (All Our Sins Remembered; Riddle of the Great Beings)

The discovery of Energized ProtodermisEnergized ProtodermisA sentient substance that could remake or annihilate any being that touched it. One of the Matoran Universe's most lethal hazards. in the lands of the Ice Tribe ended the peace. When the six Lords met to decide who should control it, the Rock Lord said that whichever of them held the substance could rival the Great Beings themselves. 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 it, and the others took their tribes to war. (All Our Sins Remembered)

The Core War and the Shattering#

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. drew in every tribe on Spherus MagnaSpherus MagnaA desert world of ancient conflict that became the merger point of the Matoran Universe and Bionicle's true endpoint.. It ended in catastrophe. The Fire Tribe seized 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. spring and began draining it, and the planet broke apart into the three fragments later known as Bara MagnaBara MagnaA desert world of tribal warfare and scarce resources, one of three landmasses that formed Spherus Magna., 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. and Aqua MagnaAqua MagnaThe endless ocean where the Matoran Universe found refuge and Mata Nui made his final stand.. (All Our Sins Remembered)

The ancient warrior Surel later said that the Element Lords had led the tribes into war, and when their actions destroyed the planet they were trapped. By the time of the Agori expedition they walked the planet once more, and their war had never stopped. In the Rock Lord's own words, the Maze was his to conquer. (Riddle of the Great Beings)

Encounter at the River Dormus#

The Element Lord of Rock appears during the 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. expedition toward the Valley of the MazeThe Valley of the MazeThe northern Bara Magna maze 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.. The three AgoriAgoriThe villager species of Bara Magna, organised by tribe and settlement, who governed their villages and lived by the Glatorian arena system. explorers, having escaped the Forest of BladesForest of BladesThe forest north of the White Quartz Mountains where Core War warriors stood fused into the trees, still gripping their swords, in the territory of the Element Lord of Jungle., tried to ford 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. and were dragged under by the Element Lord of WaterElement Lord of WaterFormer warrior of the Water Tribe, remade by the Great Beings into a being one with water, ruler of the Water Tribe during the Core War, and the elemental claimant who dragged the Tarduk expedition under the River Dormus., who kept them alive in air bubbles and demanded to know the way to the Maze. (Riddle of the Great Beings)

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. then attacked, freezing the river from downstream. The Water Lord's essence fled, and the air bubbles vanished with him. As the three swam for shore, a huge black slab of rock raced toward them underwater. Pillars of rock flung them up onto the muddy bank, then the slab smashed the oncoming ice to pieces. The Element Lord of Rock had broken the attack. (Riddle of the Great Beings)

The Stone Duplicate#

The Rock Lord did not appear in his own form. Tarduk found a mirror image of himself made of rock standing before him, speaking in the voice of a SkrallSkrallA black-armored warrior species from Spherus Magna that dominated northern Bara Magna under Tuma's rule.. The duplicate told the Agori to go back, that they did not belong there and that the Maze was his to conquer, not theirs. When Tarduk said they were only looking for answers, it changed tack. (Riddle of the Great Beings)

The duplicate asked whether they had met many dangers on the way and were missing their homes. CrotesiusCrotesiusA Vulcanus pilot who went from dismissing legends to answering one in Riddle of the Great Beings. and 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. said nothing, 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. nodded. The Rock Lord said he would not delay their journey, but warned them that rock is already unyielding, and that given the power of the Great BeingsThe Great BeingsScholar-inventors of Spherus Magna whose creations shaped the Matoran Universe and whose absence defined the conflicts that followed. no world would be safe. That power would be his and no one else's. They could travel on and learn what they had to, but they were to take nothing back and never return. The rock statue of 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. then crumbled to dust. (Riddle of the Great Beings)

His was the only one of the Lords the expedition met who let them go freely. The Jungle Lord had tried to make Crotesius part of his forest, and the Water Lord had threatened them with endless drowning. The serial doesn't say why the Rock Lord spared them, only that he made sure they knew the Maze's power was spoken for. (Riddle of the Great Beings)

Powers, Form, and Final Disposition#

The Element Lord of Rock was one with his element. In the river scene he drove a vast slab of stone through the water, raised pillars to throw the Agori clear and shaped a speaking statue of Tarduk from a distance, letting it crumble when he was done. The other Lords in the same serial do the same with their own elements, which suggests the Rock Lord's statue was the same trick as the Water Lord's face in the river. The Great Beings gave each Lord armour and weapons suited to his nature. (Riddle of the Great Beings; BIONICLE: Journey's End)

The story never returned to him after the River Dormus. The Rock Lord plays no part in the Battle of Bara MagnaThe Battle of Bara MagnaTeridax brought the Great Spirit Robot to Bara Magna, and Mata Nui rose to meet him in the ancient Prototype Robot, in the battle that ended the Matoran Universe and reformed Spherus Magna. or the reformation of Spherus MagnaSpherus MagnaA desert world of ancient conflict that became the merger point of the Matoran Universe and Bionicle's true endpoint., and his fate after the planet was made whole is never told. The SkrallSkrallA black-armored warrior species from Spherus Magna that dominated northern Bara Magna under Tuma's rule., meanwhile, fought their own war on Bara Magna without him: by the time the Agori got home, a Skrall attack had left the Atero arena in ruins. (Riddle of the Great Beings)