The Great Volcano

The Great Volcano was an active fire mountain in the country north of the desert of Bara MagnaBara MagnaA desert world of tribal warfare and scarce resources, one of three landmasses that formed Spherus Magna., originally part of the unbroken planet of Spherus MagnaSpherus MagnaA desert world of ancient conflict that became the merger point of the Matoran Universe and Bionicle's true endpoint. and the traditional seat of the Element Lord of FireElement Lord of FireFormer Glatorian of the Fire Tribe, remade by the Great Beings into an immortal being of pure flame, ruler of the Fire Tribe through the Core War, and the elemental claimant whose feud with the Element Lord of Ice broke open again in the White Quartz Mountains.. It stood within the same northern region that contained 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., and the Great BeingsThe Great BeingsScholar-inventors of Spherus Magna whose creations shaped the Matoran Universe and whose absence defined the conflicts that followed.' fortress at the heart of the Maze sat inside the volcano itself. The volcano was the most significant volcanic feature on the surviving fragment 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. and the only one with which both the Fire TribeFire TribeThe master smiths of Bara Magna who forged tools for all tribes before the Shattering scattered them into conflict. and, eventually, the resettled Ta-MatoranTa-MatoranThe Fire-element Matoran of Ta-Metru and Ta-Koro, forgers of masks and Kanoka, lava farmers, and the standing core of the Ta-Koro Guard during the war for Mata Nui. maintained a continuous occupation.

The Lord of Fire's seat#

The Great Volcano was an original feature of Spherus MagnaSpherus MagnaA desert world of ancient conflict that became the merger point of the Matoran Universe and Bionicle's true endpoint., already in place when the Great BeingsThe Great BeingsScholar-inventors of Spherus Magna whose creations shaped the Matoran Universe and whose absence defined the conflicts that followed. divided the planet's population into the elemental tribes and transformed six of their commanders into the Element LordsElement LordsSeven elemental warriors transformed by the Great Beings who refused to end their war even after the world broke.. The volcano sat within the territory assigned to the Fire TribeFire TribeThe master smiths of Bara Magna who forged tools for all tribes before the Shattering scattered them into conflict. and became the natural seat of the tribe's commander, the Element Lord of FireElement Lord of FireFormer Glatorian of the Fire Tribe, remade by the Great Beings into an immortal being of pure flame, ruler of the Fire Tribe through the Core War, and the elemental claimant whose feud with the Element Lord of Ice broke open again in the White Quartz Mountains., who ruled the surrounding fire country from its slopes throughout 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.. When 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. broke the planet apart, the volcano travelled with the desert fragment that became Bara MagnaBara MagnaA desert world of tribal warfare and scarce resources, one of three landmasses that formed Spherus Magna., and the Lord of Fire was trapped on the same fragment as his volcano. He retained his territorial seat at the cost of being unable to leave it.

The Lord's dispute with 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. was the longest-running feature of the post-Shattering north. The two continued to fight intermittently in the country between the White Quartz MountainsWhite Quartz MountainsA jagged mountain range in the northern reaches of Bara Magna, once ruled by the Element Lord of Rock and later home to Surel and the Iron Wolves. and the Great Volcano, the Lord of Ice triggering avalanches and the Lord of Fire reaching them with columns of heat that turned the falling ice into vapour before it could settle. 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 witnessed one such exchange on the way north and survived only because the steam wall that resulted shielded their position rather than reaching it. Neither Lord could leave the country, and the Great Volcano supplied an inexhaustible source of fuel for the engagement to continue.

The Great Beings' fortress and the Power Source#

The Great Volcano was more than a Lord's seat. It was also the chosen hiding place for the most important artefact the Great BeingsThe Great BeingsScholar-inventors of Spherus Magna whose creations shaped the Matoran Universe and whose absence defined the conflicts that followed. had built before 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.: the Power SourcePower SourceThe energized artifact that powered Mata Nui's prototype robot during the final arc of BIONICLE. of the Prototype RobotThe Prototype RobotThe Great Beings' earlier and unstable attempt at the design that became the Great Spirit Robot, scattered across the Bara Magna desert and reassembled by the villages to carry Mata Nui into the final battle with Teridax.. The Great BeingsThe Great BeingsScholar-inventors of Spherus Magna whose creations shaped the Matoran Universe and whose absence defined the conflicts that followed. had built the PrototypePrototype (Dark Hunter)An unstable fusion of Fire and Earth, Prototype was forged through biomechanical mutation and hired for his violent unpredictability. as a test of whether a giant robot could function at all, and the test had failed when the Source proved unstable and the robot violently exploded, throwing pieces of itself across the planet. The Source survived the explosion. The Great BeingsThe Great BeingsScholar-inventors of Spherus Magna whose creations shaped the Matoran Universe and whose absence defined the conflicts that followed. elected not to reuse it on the second attempt that became the Great Spirit RobotThe Great Spirit Robot, explainedBionicle's whole universe lives inside a 40-million-foot robot built by the Great Beings. Here is what it is, why it was built, and how it ended. and chose instead to seal it within their own fortress at the centre of 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..

The fortress sat inside the volcano. The Great BeingsThe Great BeingsScholar-inventors of Spherus Magna whose creations shaped the Matoran Universe and whose absence defined the conflicts that followed.' decision to place it there reflected the same logic that had guided every other concealment in their work. The volcano's heat masked any signature the Source might emit, the surrounding country was hostile to casual visitors, and any intruder who reached the Maze still had to work through it before reaching the fortress. Numerous traps were created to safeguard the Source, and the fortress was intended to remain undisturbed indefinitely.

The arrangement held until the 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. who walked the post-Shattering era reached the Valley. 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., travelling in the body the Great BeingsThe Great BeingsScholar-inventors of Spherus Magna whose creations shaped the Matoran Universe and whose absence defined the conflicts that followed. had built around 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., entered the Maze alongside 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. and worked through to the centre. Both later returned to the southern villages with the Source. 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. used it to power the Prototype RobotThe Prototype RobotThe Great Beings' earlier and unstable attempt at the design that became the Great Spirit Robot, scattered across the Bara Magna desert and reassembled by the villages to carry Mata Nui into the final battle with Teridax. the AgoriAgoriThe villager species of Bara Magna, organised by tribe and settlement, who governed their villages and arranged the Glatorian arena system. had been living inside for generations without knowing what it was, and the PrototypePrototype (Dark Hunter)An unstable fusion of Fire and Earth, Prototype was forged through biomechanical mutation and hired for his violent unpredictability., repowered, became the body in which 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. won the Battle of Bara MagnaThe Battle of Bara MagnaThe Great Spirit Robot fell from the sky carrying Teridax in stolen flesh, and the desert world below produced a champion who carried Mata Nui's consciousness back into the fight. and reunified the planet. The volcano's role in that sequence was indispensable. Without the fortress, the Source would not have survived the Prototype RobotThe Prototype RobotThe Great Beings' earlier and unstable attempt at the design that became the Great Spirit Robot, scattered across the Bara Magna desert and reassembled by the villages to carry Mata Nui into the final battle with Teridax.'s original failure. Without the Source, the post-Shattering campaign that ended the war could not have been won.

Resettlement after the Reformation#

The Great Volcano's most consequential later use was civilian rather than military. After the Battle of Bara MagnaThe Battle of Bara MagnaThe Great Spirit Robot fell from the sky carrying Teridax in stolen flesh, and the desert world below produced a champion who carried Mata Nui's consciousness back into the fight. and the death of Makuta TeridaxTeridaxTeridax orchestrated a thousand-year scheme that ended with him occupying the Great Spirit Robot itself before his death on Bara Magna., the surviving MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body. population evacuated the Great Spirit RobotThe Great Spirit Robot, explainedBionicle's whole universe lives inside a 40-million-foot robot built by the Great Beings. Here is what it is, why it was built, and how it ended. and migrated to the surface of the reunified Spherus MagnaSpherus MagnaA desert world of ancient conflict that became the merger point of the Matoran Universe and Bionicle's true endpoint.. The Ta-MatoranTa-MatoranThe Fire-element Matoran of Ta-Metru and Ta-Koro, forgers of masks and Kanoka, lava farmers, and the standing core of the Ta-Koro Guard during the war for Mata Nui. had spent the Matoran UniverseMatoran UniverseA civilization of biomechanical beings living inside a colossal robot, destroyed when Teridax seized control. era in the heat of Ta-MetruTa-MetruThe fire district where Ta-Matoran perfected their craft and powered Metru Nui's industry for thousands of years. and then in the lava country of Ta-WahiTa-WahiTa-Wahi was the volcanic region of Mata Nui surrounding the Mangai Volcano, encompassing Ta-Koro, the Lake of Fire, the Charred Forest, and the Ta-Wahi Beach., and the climate of the Great Volcano suited them in a way no other surface location did. The surviving Fire TribeFire TribeThe master smiths of Bara Magna who forged tools for all tribes before the Shattering scattered them into conflict. AgoriAgoriThe villager species of Bara Magna, organised by tribe and settlement, who governed their villages and arranged the Glatorian arena system. were already inclined to settle in the same country for the same reason, and the Element Lord of FireElement Lord of FireFormer Glatorian of the Fire Tribe, remade by the Great Beings into an immortal being of pure flame, ruler of the Fire Tribe through the Core War, and the elemental claimant whose feud with the Element Lord of Ice broke open again in the White Quartz Mountains., by the time of the ReformationSpherus MagnaA desert world of ancient conflict that became the merger point of the Matoran Universe and Bionicle's true endpoint., was no longer in a position to prevent the settlement.

The two populations resettled together. The wiki record names several specific Ta-MatoranTa-MatoranThe Fire-element Matoran of Ta-Metru and Ta-Koro, forgers of masks and Kanoka, lava farmers, and the standing core of the Ta-Koro Guard during the war for Mata Nui. who joined the new community within the volcano, including Aft, AgniAgniAgni is a red Ta-Matoran from Metru Nui who serves in the Ta-Koro Guard. He wears a powerless Miru and holds an inactive elemental affinity for Fire. Agni resides on Spherus Magna., AodhanAodhanAodhan is a Ta-Matoran native to Metru Nui who resides on Spherus Magna and works as a lava farmer. He bears the colors yellow, black, and red, and wears a powerless Mahiki. As a Ta-Matoran, his elemental affinity for Fire remains inactive., BaltaBaltaBalta is a Ta-Matoran residing on Spherus Magna, distinguished by his dark red and yellow-orange coloring and his Great Kanohi Huna. A member of the Voya Nui Resistance Team, he carries Twin Repellers and possesses an innate but dormant connection to the element of Fire. and BranderBranderA Ta-Matoran of Metru Nui who survived the Great Cataclysm, served on the Ta-Koro Guard, and ended his recorded story among the rebuilt Fire Tribe on Spherus Magna.. The arrangement was unusual within the reformed planet's settlement pattern. Most surviving MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body. tribes resettled in country comparable to their original habitats but not occupied by a corresponding AgoriAgoriThe villager species of Bara Magna, organised by tribe and settlement, who governed their villages and arranged the Glatorian arena system. tribe. The Great Volcano was the exception. The Ta-MatoranTa-MatoranThe Fire-element Matoran of Ta-Metru and Ta-Koro, forgers of masks and Kanoka, lava farmers, and the standing core of the Ta-Koro Guard during the war for Mata Nui. and the Fire TribeFire TribeThe master smiths of Bara Magna who forged tools for all tribes before the Shattering scattered them into conflict. AgoriAgoriThe villager species of Bara Magna, organised by tribe and settlement, who governed their villages and arranged the Glatorian arena system. shared the same site as a single mixed community, with the volcano supplying the heat that both populations were accustomed to working in.

The decision had practical consequences. The forge-work that the Ta-MatoranTa-MatoranThe Fire-element Matoran of Ta-Metru and Ta-Koro, forgers of masks and Kanoka, lava farmers, and the standing core of the Ta-Koro Guard during the war for Mata Nui. had practised in Ta-MetruTa-MetruThe fire district where Ta-Matoran perfected their craft and powered Metru Nui's industry for thousands of years. and in Ta-KoroTa-KoroTa-Koro was a settlement located in Ta-Wahi, home to the Ta-Matoran, Tahu, and Vakama, and formerly connected to Teridax. The settlement was ultimately destroyed., and the lava farming they had developed on Mata NuiMata Nui (Location)An island created by accident on the Great Spirit's face, home to the Matoran for a thousand years., translated naturally to the Great Volcano. The molten material was available, the working population was experienced, and the local AgoriAgoriThe villager species of Bara Magna, organised by tribe and settlement, who governed their villages and arranged the Glatorian arena system. had been operating in the same country long enough to know the safe seasons and the dangerous flows. The settlement became one of the productive centres of reformed Spherus MagnaSpherus MagnaA desert world of ancient conflict that became the merger point of the Matoran Universe and Bionicle's true endpoint., and the volcano, for the first time in its history, was a working civilian site rather than a hostile lord's seat.

A volcano with two histories#

The Great Volcano sits awkwardly across two distinct chapters of the Bara MagnaBara MagnaA desert world of tribal warfare and scarce resources, one of three landmasses that formed Spherus Magna. record. In the post-Shattering era it was the seat of an Element LordElement LordsSeven elemental warriors transformed by the Great Beings who refused to end their war even after the world broke. and the hiding place of an artefact that decided a war. In the post-Reformation era it was the home of a working tribe and a productive forge community. The volcano remained the same physical feature throughout, and the same heat which had once supplied the Lord of Fire's powers later supplied the Ta-MatoranTa-MatoranThe Fire-element Matoran of Ta-Metru and Ta-Koro, forgers of masks and Kanoka, lava farmers, and the standing core of the Ta-Koro Guard during the war for Mata Nui. and Fire TribeFire TribeThe master smiths of Bara Magna who forged tools for all tribes before the Shattering scattered them into conflict. forges. Its centrality to the elemental geography of the planet outlasted every regime that tried to control it.