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Energy Storm: The Raw-Energy Maelstroms of Karda Nui

The Energy Storms were vast maelstroms of raw energy that tore through Karda Nui whenever the Great Spirit Mata Nui woke, devastating the region while feeding power into his body.

By Joe Garratt

The Energy StormsEnergy StormsThe raw-energy maelstroms that filled Karda Nui whenever Mata Nui was awakened, incinerated the Brotherhood of Makuta contingent at the climax of the Final Battle, and supplied the Great Spirit Robot with the energy it needed to function. were a large series of storms consisting of raw energy that ravaged Karda NuiKarda NuiThe vast inner cavern at the core of the Matoran Universe, original home of the Av-Matoran, site of the Codrex and the final battle that decided the fate of Mata Nui., the heart of the Great SpiritMata Nui: Great Spirit of the Matoran UniverseBuilt by the Great Beings as a biomechanical guardian, betrayed by Teridax, and returned in a smaller form to reshape Spherus Magna. 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.. These maelstroms erupted whenever the body of the Great Spirit was woken, devastating the region while at the same time feeding his body with energy. Their presence and absence tracked the sleeping and waking of Mata NuiMata Nui: Great Spirit of the Matoran UniverseBuilt by the Great Beings as a biomechanical guardian, betrayed by Teridax, and returned in a smaller form to reshape Spherus Magna. himself.

Origin and the first devastation#

The storms began when 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. was awakened for the first time. The raw energy obliterated all the Matoran settlements that had been built within Karda NuiKarda NuiThe vast inner cavern at the core of the Matoran Universe, original home of the Av-Matoran, site of the Codrex and the final battle that decided the fate of Mata Nui.. The 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., present in the region on the orders of 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., took refuge inside their Toa Canisters within the CodrexThe CodrexA spherical vault built by the Great Beings beneath Karda Nui to house the Toa Mata in stasis and control the final phase of Mata Nui's reawakening., while the Av-MatoranAv-MatoranThe Light-element Matoran, prototypes of their species, who colonised Karda Nui from the Southern Continent and built the Stalactite Villages above the Swamp of Secrets. who lived there moved back to their homeland in the caves below the Southern Continent.

Weakening and resurgence#

During the Matoran Civil War, the work of the Matoran in MetruMetruIn the Matoran language a metru was a single district of Metru Nui; the city was divided into six such districts, one for each element, and the term covered both the place and the elemental community that lived in it. Nui faltered, and the resulting weakness in 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. caused the storms to decrease in size and ferocity. It was during this calmer period that Toa 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. and his team, seeking to save the dying Great Spirit, retrieved the Kanohi IgnikaToa Mahri: The Toa Who Saved the UniverseThe Toa Mahri were the water breathing form of the sixth Toa team, transformed by the Mask of Life on the way down to the drowned city of Mahri Nui. They fought the Barraki for the mask and recovered it at the cost of one of their own. from Voya Nui and entered Karda NuiKarda NuiThe vast inner cavern at the core of the Matoran Universe, original home of the Av-Matoran, site of the Codrex and the final battle that decided the fate of Mata Nui.. After one of their number sacrificed his life to heal Mata NuiMata Nui: Great Spirit of the Matoran UniverseBuilt by the Great Beings as a biomechanical guardian, betrayed by Teridax, and returned in a smaller form to reshape Spherus Magna., the storms surged again in energy and power, and 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 team fled with the aid of a Kanohi Olmak.

Following the Great Cataclysm, 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. was put to sleep, and the storms came to an end. Their absence made it possible for the Av-MatoranAv-MatoranThe Light-element Matoran, prototypes of their species, who colonised Karda Nui from the Southern Continent and built the Stalactite Villages above the Swamp of Secrets. to settle in villages built atop the great stalactites that had recently fallen and impaled themselves in the marshy ground of the swamp below.

The final storms#

The Energy StormsEnergy StormsThe raw-energy maelstroms that filled Karda Nui whenever Mata Nui was awakened, incinerated the Brotherhood of Makuta contingent at the climax of the Final Battle, and supplied the Great Spirit Robot with the energy it needed to function. were unleashed once more after the Toa IgnikaToa Mahri: The Toa Who Saved the UniverseThe Toa Mahri were the water breathing form of the sixth Toa team, transformed by the Mask of Life on the way down to the drowned city of Mahri Nui. They fought the Barraki for the mask and recovered it at the cost of one of their own. sacrificed its body to reawaken 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.. The storms spread quickly through Karda NuiKarda NuiThe vast inner cavern at the core of the Matoran Universe, original home of the Av-Matoran, site of the Codrex and the final battle that decided the fate of Mata Nui., incinerating MutranMakutaA glossary entry distinguishing the three referents of the word Makuta: the species, the individual Teridax, and the title held by every Brotherhood member. just as he discovered how to control them, and going on to kill the other MakutaMakutaA glossary entry distinguishing the three referents of the word Makuta: the species, the individual Teridax, and the title held by every Brotherhood member. present in the region. The Toa NuvaToa NuvaThe form the Toa Mata took after stepping into the Energized Protodermis beneath the Bahrag, with new masks, new tools, and the elemental scale to fight Karda Nui. and TakanuvaTakanuvaHidden among the Ta-Matoran as Takua, the disguised Av-Matoran who became Takanuva was the sole Toa of Light produced in the Matoran Universe's full history. narrowly escaped using the three vehicles found within the CodrexThe CodrexA spherical vault built by the Great Beings beneath Karda Nui to house the Toa Mata in stasis and control the final phase of Mata Nui's reawakening., and the Av-Matoran still in Karda NuiKarda NuiThe vast inner cavern at the core of the Matoran Universe, original home of the Av-Matoran, site of the Codrex and the final battle that decided the fate of Mata Nui. were able to migrate to MetruMetruIn the Matoran language a metru was a single district of Metru Nui; the city was divided into six such districts, one for each element, and the term covered both the place and the elemental community that lived in it. Nui. After the death of TeridaxTeridaxTeridax orchestrated a thousand-year scheme that ended with him occupying the Great Spirit Robot itself before his death on Bara Magna. as the Great Spirit Robot, the storms came to a stop.

Frequently asked questions

What were the Energy Storms in Bionicle?
The Energy Storms were a large series of storms made of raw energy that swept through Karda Nui. They erupted whenever the Great Spirit Mata Nui was awakened, devastating the region while at the same time supplying his body with energy.
What did the Energy Storms destroy?
The first storms obliterated all the Matoran settlements that had been built in Karda Nui. A later resurgence incinerated Mutran just as he learned to control them, killed the other Makuta in the region, and forced the Toa Nuva and Takanuva to flee in the Codrex vehicles.
When did the Energy Storms stop?
The storms came to an end each time Mata Nui was put to sleep, and they stopped for good after the death of Teridax while he ruled in the Great Spirit Robot.

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