Helryx: the first Toa ever created

Helryx was the first Toa ever created in the Matoran UniverseMatoran UniverseA civilization of biomechanical beings living inside a colossal robot, destroyed when Teridax seized control., commissioned by the Great BeingsThe Great BeingsScholar-inventors of Spherus Magna whose creations shaped the Matoran Universe and whose absence defined the conflicts that followed. on the island of ArtakhaArtakhaArtakha is the master craftsman of the Matoran Universe, ruler of a hidden island where the Toa Mata came into being and the Avohkii was forged. long before the Toa MataToa Mata and Toa NuvaSix biomechanical heroes created by the Great Beings to awaken Mata Nui and defeat the Brotherhood, transformed once and tested across an entire age.. She founded and led 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., the covert organisation that led the war effort against the Brotherhood of MakutaMakuta (Species)Shadowy Antidermis beings and the Brotherhood's elite, Makuta commanded darkness and shaped the Matoran Universe's fate.. (BIONICLE Legends 10: Swamp of Secrets; BIONICLE: World)

Creation on Artakha#

Helryx was created on the island of ArtakhaArtakhaArtakha is the master craftsman of the Matoran Universe, ruler of a hidden island where the Toa Mata came into being and the Avohkii was forged. by the Great BeingsThe Great BeingsScholar-inventors of Spherus Magna whose creations shaped the Matoran Universe and whose absence defined the conflicts that followed., and came into being as a Toa rather than rising from the ranks of the MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body.. She helped build Metru NuiMetru NuiThe city beneath Mata Nui functions as the Great Spirit's brain, housing the Matoran whose labor keeps the god alive. and was present when the Toa MataToa Mata and Toa NuvaSix biomechanical heroes created by the Great Beings to awaken Mata Nui and defeat the Brotherhood, transformed once and tested across an entire age. were made. She carried a Toa of WaterToa of WaterToa of Water were rare heroes who commanded water power, typically selected from the Ga-Matoran people.'s elemental control, the Great Mask of PsychometryKanohi Mask of PsychometryA Great Kanohi that read the past of any object the wearer touched, borne by Toa Helryx of the Order of Mata Nui., a spiked mace, and a shield. When 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. first saw her, her armour and mask looked like nothing he had ever seen on a Toa. (BIONICLE: World; BIONICLE Legends 10: Swamp of Secrets)

She entered service while the Matoran UniverseMatoran UniverseA civilization of biomechanical beings living inside a colossal robot, destroyed when Teridax seized control. was still being built. 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., which she would later found, did not yet exist. Her membership of the Hand of ArtakhaArtakhaArtakha is the master craftsman of the Matoran Universe, ruler of a hidden island where the Toa Mata came into being and the Avohkii was forged. before that comes from Greg Farshtey's later comments rather than from the published story. (BIONICLE: World)

Ages of service shaped Helryx into a commander prepared to make hard calls. She told 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. that in war you do not always get to choose your allies, and that she would recruit Dark HuntersThe Dark HuntersA band of mercenaries and thieves founded on Odina by the Shadowed One and Ancient, hired out across the Matoran Universe, and left a battered ruin by the time Teridax ruled the universe. and Pit prisoners if it would bring the MakutaMakuta (Species)Shadowy Antidermis beings and the Brotherhood's elite, Makuta commanded darkness and shaped the Matoran Universe's fate. down. She later did very nearly that. (BIONICLE Legends 10: Swamp of Secrets; Destiny War)

Hand of Artakha#

The Hand of ArtakhaThe Hand of ArtakhaAn ancient organization formed by the Great Beings and Artakha to safeguard the early Matoran Universe, disbanded after its interventions caused more harm than good. was an older body serving the Great Spirit 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 published story says little about it, and Helryx's place in it rests on the writer's later comments. (BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated)

What the story does establish is the organisation that came after it. Helryx founded the Order of Mata Nui in secret, so that it could carry out Mata Nui's will without worrying about propriety, and she led it from the start. (BIONICLE: World)

Founding the Order of Mata Nui#

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. was built around secrecy: no one outside it was meant to know it existed. Because Toa were bound by the Toa Code and had their own destinies to follow, Helryx barred other Toa, along with Turaga and Matoran, from joining. The Order handled the work that Toa teams could not. (BIONICLE: World)

Helryx commanded the organisation from a fortress on the island of DaxiaDaxiaDaxia is a location situated east of the Southern Continent, affiliated with the Order of Mata Nui and home to the Shallows Cat.. It was there that the Toa MataToa Mata and Toa NuvaSix biomechanical heroes created by the Great Beings to awaken Mata Nui and defeat the Brotherhood, transformed once and tested across an entire age. first awoke, and Helryx introduced them to one another, taught them a Toa's duties and assigned Hydraxon to train them. Recruitment favoured capability over purity. BrutakaBrutakaBrutaka guarded the Kanohi Ignika on Voya Nui, betrayed the Order during the Piraka incursion, was mutated in the Pit, and later led the Order's strike team to free Miserix., despite his earlier betrayal of the Order, was taken back on probation, 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. was brought from Voya NuiVoya NuiAn island born from catastrophe and hiding the universe's most powerful artifact, Voya Nui was everything Bionicle 2006 promised: danger, mystery, and a race against time. by KrakuaKrakuaA Toa of Sonics from De-Koro who served the Order of Mata Nui and delivered a devastating prophecy to Vakama. when war came. When she left to join the fighting, Helryx put TobdukTobdukTobduk is a gunmetal grey and dark red member of the Order of Mata Nui who served as an assassin for that organization. He wore the Kanohi Sanok and carried a staff and daggers as his weapons. Following the reformation of the Great Spirit Robot, Tobduk resided on Spherus Magna. in charge of Daxia. (BIONICLE Legends 10: Swamp of Secrets; Destiny War; Brothers in Arms)

For most of its history the Order operated entirely in concealment. When Brutaka told Axonn the Order was about to come out of hiding after all these years, it marked the end of that long silence. (Destiny War)

The Destiny WarThe Destiny WarThe open war between the Order of Mata Nui and the Brotherhood of Makuta, told in the 2008 Destiny War podcast, which ended with the Brotherhood's assault on Metru Nui broken and the Great Spirit apparently awake.#

The Destiny WarThe Destiny WarThe open war between the Order of Mata Nui and the Brotherhood of Makuta, told in the 2008 Destiny War podcast, which ended with the Brotherhood's assault on Metru Nui broken and the Great Spirit apparently awake. was Helryx's own name for the open conflict between the Order and the Brotherhood of MakutaThe Brotherhood of MakutaAn organization of Makuta created by Mata Nui to build Rahi and keep order in his universe, later seized by Teridax and turned into the instrument of the Plan that overthrew the Great Spirit.. To prepare for it she sent BrutakaBrutakaBrutaka guarded the Kanohi Ignika on Voya Nui, betrayed the Order during the Piraka incursion, was mutated in the Pit, and later led the Order's strike team to free Miserix., with a team of criminals that included RoodakaRoodakaShe spent the entire Visorak arc letting everyone think they were using her, then walked away having beaten the Brotherhood and the Toa at their own game., 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 TakadoxTakadoxA Barraki warlord whose hypnotic vision and cunning made him dangerous even in defeat., to free the imprisoned Makuta MiserixMiserixThe deposed Makuta leader clawed back from exile to hunt the brother who stole his throne.. Afterwards she sent Brutaka 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. to ZakazZakazThe island where Skakdi civilization developed, shaped by isolation and harsh Makuta rule. to win over the SkakdiSkakdiA brutish warrior species from Zakaz whose pair-dependent elemental powers and moral void made them one of Bionicle's few irredeemable factions.. (Federation of Fear; Destiny War)

She also worked to bring the Dark HuntersThe Dark HuntersA band of mercenaries and thieves founded on Odina by the Shadowed One and Ancient, hired out across the Matoran Universe, and left a battered ruin by the time Teridax ruled the universe. over. She sent word to the Order's agent among them, Ancient, to steer The Shadowed OneThe Shadowed OneThe Shadowed One is the leader of the Dark Hunters, a black, yellow, and silver figure based on Spherus Magna. Armed with a staff and a Rhotuka, the Shadowed One directs the organization. toward a new purpose, then went to XiaXiaA hostile island southeast of Metru Nui, home to the Vortixx and their brutal mercenary culture. in person. There she raised a tidal wave to stop the Dark Hunter armada from destroying the island, argued with the Shadowed One, and ended the talk by blasting three of his agents into the sea. She also handed the Toa HagahToa HagahElite Toa teams appointed by the Brotherhood of Makuta to serve as personal guardians, later rebelling against their creators. their mission to find TeridaxTeridaxTeridax orchestrated a thousand-year scheme that ended with him occupying the Great Spirit Robot itself before his death on Bara Magna.. (Destiny War; Dwellers in Darkness)

Helryx did not stay behind on DaxiaDaxiaDaxia is a location situated east of the Southern Continent, affiliated with the Order of Mata Nui and home to the Shallows Cat.. With KeetonguKeetonguThe legendary Rahi who broke the Visorak siege and lived to prove he was worth the legend. she travelled to NynrahNynrahNynrah was a contested island in the Matoran Universe whose Fe-Matoran population produced the weapons engineers known as the Nynrah Ghosts., where the Brotherhood's forces had been beaten, and used her mask on the RahkshiBionicle Rahkshi: the Sons of Makuta from Mask of LightRahkshi are armoured hunters made from kraata, the slug-like creatures of the Makuta. Six of them chased the Mask of Light across Mata Nui in 2003. Here's what they are, the different kinds and where they turn up in the films, books and comics. fragments to trace them to a living mass of energized protodermis. When it surged at them, the pair escaped through a portal into the core processor of Mata Nui's body, where TeridaxTeridaxTeridax orchestrated a thousand-year scheme that ended with him occupying the Great Spirit Robot itself before his death on Bara Magna. revealed himself and kept Helryx as his prisoner and confidante. (Destiny War; Dwellers in Darkness)

Karda Nui and the contingency plan#

By the time the Toa NuvaToa Mata and Toa NuvaSix biomechanical heroes created by the Great Beings to awaken Mata Nui and defeat the Brotherhood, transformed once and tested across an entire age. reached Karda NuiKarda NuiThe vast cavern at the core of the Matoran universe, home of the Av-Matoran's Sky Villages and the Codrex, and the site of the battle to awaken Mata Nui., conditions there had been deteriorating for over a thousand years. The Great CataclysmThe Great CataclysmThe day Makuta Teridax put the Great Spirit to sleep, the Great Spirit Robot fell from the sky, Metru Nui flooded, and Voya Nui tore loose from the Southern Continent. had breached the dome when Voya NuiVoya NuiAn island born from catastrophe and hiding the universe's most powerful artifact, Voya Nui was everything Bionicle 2006 promised: danger, mystery, and a race against time. broke loose from the Southern ContinentThe Southern ContinentThe Southern Continent was a vast landmass beneath the Matoran Universe, scarred by Voya Nui's separation and held under Makuta Mutran's nominal dominion., and seawater from Aqua MagnaAqua MagnaThe endless ocean where the Matoran Universe found refuge and Mata Nui made his final stand., carrying Pit MutagenMutagenPit Mutagen was a power-source energy that leaked into the waters of The Pit during the Great Cataclysm and mutated almost every being exposed to it., had flooded the floor below into the Swamp of SecretsSwamp of SecretsThe Swamp of Secrets was the mutagen-saturated wetland that filled the floor of Karda Nui after the Great Cataclysm, serving as a Brotherhood stronghold until the Energy Storms.. Three MakutaMakuta (Species)Shadowy Antidermis beings and the Brotherhood's elite, Makuta commanded darkness and shaped the Matoran Universe's fate. had established themselves in the swamp while their counterparts attacked 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. villages above. (BIONICLE Legends 10: Swamp of Secrets; BIONICLE Legends 11: The Final Battle)

Long before, Helryx had told TahuTahu (2001)Tahu was the Toa Mata of Fire and leader of the team, from his first landing on Ta-Wahi Beach to the destruction of Teridax's Rahkshi army on Bara Magna with the Golden Armor. and KopakaKopakaKopaka was the Toa Nuva of Ice, the loner of the Toa Mata, and one of the six warriors created on Artakha to protect the Great Spirit Mata Nui. the purpose of the Codrex and the dangers they would face in Karda Nui, and she sent 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. to warn 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. about the energy storms. After TeridaxTeridaxTeridax orchestrated a thousand-year scheme that ended with him occupying the Great Spirit Robot itself before his death on Bara Magna. seized 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., Helryx decided in her prison that he had to be stopped even at the cost of every being in the Matoran UniverseMatoran UniverseA civilization of biomechanical beings living inside a colossal robot, destroyed when Teridax seized control., and prepared a Nova Blast to cripple the machinery around her. (BIONICLE Legends 10: Swamp of Secrets; Reign of Shadows)

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. awoke, 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 fed the Great Spirit's body with the energy it needed. swept Karda NuiKarda NuiThe vast cavern at the core of the Matoran universe, home of the Av-Matoran's Sky Villages and the Codrex, and the site of the battle to awaken Mata Nui. and destroyed the MakutaMakuta (Species)Shadowy Antidermis beings and the Brotherhood's elite, Makuta commanded darkness and shaped the Matoran Universe's fate. there. Helryx's own plan was cut short when ArtakhaArtakhaArtakha is the master craftsman of the Matoran Universe, ruler of a hidden island where the Toa Mata came into being and the Avohkii was forged. intervened and Teridax cast her and the others out into space. 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. pulled them to safety into a fortress 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., where they were when Spherus Magna was restored. (BIONICLE Legends 11: The Final Battle; Reign of Shadows)

Powers, mask, and weapons#

Helryx commanded the same elemental WaterToa of WaterToa of Water were rare heroes who commanded water power, typically selected from the Ga-Matoran people. as later Toa of her element, and used it with great skill, once holding a huge tidal wave suspended in front of a Dark Hunter fleet. She was fierce, impatient and quick to anger, and always pursued her idea of the greater good whatever it cost. (Dwellers in Darkness; BIONICLE Legends 10: Swamp of Secrets)

Her Great Mask of PsychometryKanohi Mask of PsychometryA Great Kanohi that read the past of any object the wearer touched, borne by Toa Helryx of the Order of Mata Nui. granted the ability to read the history of any object she touched. She used it on the beach of NynrahNynrahNynrah was a contested island in the Matoran Universe whose Fe-Matoran population produced the weapons engineers known as the Nynrah Ghosts. to read the past of Rahkshi fragments and trace where they had come from. (Destiny War)

In armament she carried a spiked mace and a shield. Her mask and armour were pitted and scarred from countless battles, and she looked indescribably ancient and disturbingly frail. The frailty was apparent rather than real. (Dwellers in Darkness; BIONICLE Legends 10: Swamp of Secrets)

Legacy#

Helryx remained one of the most consequential figures in the late Matoran UniverseMatoran UniverseA civilization of biomechanical beings living inside a colossal robot, destroyed when Teridax seized control. period. The Order she built stayed hidden for ages, and bringing it into the open was the biggest change it ever made. Her readiness to destroy the universe rather than leave it in TeridaxTeridaxTeridax orchestrated a thousand-year scheme that ended with him occupying the Great Spirit Robot itself before his death on Bara Magna.'s hands showed how far she would go. (Destiny War; Reign of Shadows)

Helryx survived the war and was 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. when Spherus MagnaSpherus MagnaA desert world of ancient conflict that became the merger point of the Matoran Universe and Bionicle's true endpoint. was reformed. (Reign of Shadows)