Hordika Venom

Hordika Venom was a toxin used by the VisorakThe Visorak HordeThe Brotherhood of Makuta's spider-Rahi army under King Sidorak and Viceroy Roodaka, summoned to Metru Nui after the Great Cataclysm to free Teridax and pacify whatever survived in the abandoned city. to incapacitate or mutate prey. The Visorak used it on prey wrapped in their web cocoons, and it could produce one of two outcomes: an endless sleep, or a horrific physical mutation into a hybrid form known as a Hordika. The most consequential application of the toxin in the recorded history of the Matoran UniverseMatoran UniverseA civilization of biomechanical beings living inside a colossal robot, destroyed when Teridax seized control. was its use by the VisorakThe Visorak HordeThe Brotherhood of Makuta's spider-Rahi army under King Sidorak and Viceroy Roodaka, summoned to Metru Nui after the Great Cataclysm to free Teridax and pacify whatever survived in the abandoned city. on the captured Toa MetruToa Metru and Toa HordikaSix Matoran elevated by Lhikan to save their city, mutated by Visorak venom, and restored in time to deliver the population to safety., an event that transformed VakamaVakamaA Ta-Metru maskmaker transformed into the Toa Metru of Fire, leader of his team through the Visorak war, and Turaga of Ta-Koro for a thousand years., NokamaNokamaNokama served as Toa Metru of Water, endured the Hordika mutation, and led Ga-Koro and later Ga-Metru as Turaga through three eras., MatauMatauA former Le-Metru test driver who became a Toa Metru, Matau wielded air, illusion, and shape-shifting before sacrificing his Toa power to wake the sleeping Matoran., OnewaOnewaOnewa served as Toa Metru of Stone, led Po-Koro through the Dark Time, and constructed the Metru Nui statue honoring the fallen Toa Mahri Matoro., WhenuaWhenuaToa Metru of Earth and later Turaga of Onu-Koro, formerly an Onu-Metru archivist whose career in the Archives shaped his role across the rescue of Metru Nui and the long residency on Mata Nui., and NujuNujuNuju served as a Ko-Metru seer, Toa Metru of Ice, and Turaga of Ko-Koro who spoke only in bird calls translated by Matoro. into the Toa HordikaToa Metru and Toa HordikaSix Matoran elevated by Lhikan to save their city, mutated by Visorak venom, and restored in time to deliver the population to safety. and required them to seek out the legendary RahiRahiThe Rahi were the biomechanical wildlife of the Matoran Universe, built largely by the Brotherhood of Makuta, ranging from background fauna to engineered war beasts. called KeetonguKeetonguThe legendary Rahi who broke the Visorak siege and lived to prove he was worth the legend. to reverse the change. (BIONICLE 3: Web of Shadows; BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated)

Composition and delivery#

Hordika Venom was a toxin produced biologically by the VisorakThe Visorak HordeThe Brotherhood of Makuta's spider-Rahi army under King Sidorak and Viceroy Roodaka, summoned to Metru Nui after the Great Cataclysm to free Teridax and pacify whatever survived in the abandoned city., the spider-like horde that overran Metru NuiMetru NuiThe city beneath Mata Nui functions as the Great Spirit's brain, housing the Matoran whose labor keeps the god alive. under the command of SidorakSidorakHe took credit for someone else's idea, called it leadership, and spent his whole reign as the Visorak's king certain he could not be out-played. and his viceroy 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.. The web cocoon was the usual setting. VisorakThe Visorak HordeThe Brotherhood of Makuta's spider-Rahi army under King Sidorak and Viceroy Roodaka, summoned to Metru Nui after the Great Cataclysm to free Teridax and pacify whatever survived in the abandoned city. wrapped captured prey in webbing and hung the cocoons from the webs the horde strung across the city, and the venom did its work on the captives there. (BIONICLE 3: Web of Shadows)

The method needed little attention. Once a victim was wrapped, the VisorakThe Visorak HordeThe Brotherhood of Makuta's spider-Rahi army under King Sidorak and Viceroy Roodaka, summoned to Metru Nui after the Great Cataclysm to free Teridax and pacify whatever survived in the abandoned city. could leave the cocoon hanging and move on while the venom took effect. Rahi such as KikanaloKikanaloBionicle's most underestimated Rahi: intelligent herd creatures whose stampedes terrified even Dark Hunters on Metru Nui. were among the creatures caught and changed this way. (BIONICLE 3: Web of Shadows)

Two outcomes#

The venom produced one of two outcomes in a given victim. The first outcome was an endless sleep, an extended unconsciousness from which the victim did not naturally wake. (BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated)

The second outcome was the Hordika mutation. The venom transformed the victim's body into a hybrid form, Hordika meaning half-beast, that combined the original body with bestial features such as claws, hunched frames and natural RhotukaRhotukaRhotuka were wheels of pure energy generated by living beings, shaped by the user's nature, and launched through natural or artificial launchers. launchers. The mutation also altered the victim's disposition. A transformed Hordika became feral and vicious in mind, with the original personality partially submerged beneath an instinctive predator's profile. The hybrid was capable of speech and reason in the early stages, but the longer the venom remained uncountered, the more the bestial side dominated, and the original sentient mind progressively gave way to the RahiRahiThe Rahi were the biomechanical wildlife of the Matoran Universe, built largely by the Brotherhood of Makuta, ranging from background fauna to engineered war beasts. one. (BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated; BIONICLE 3: Web of Shadows)

Why the venom produced one result rather than the other is never fully explained. Both served the horde: sleeping prey was helpless, and the Hordika mutation gave 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. subjects for her own experiments. (BIONICLE 3: Web of Shadows; BIONICLE 23: Vengeance of the Visorak)

The temper rule#

A specific operational rule attached to Hordika Venom in the form it took within ToaWho 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. and other sentient beings. The victim had to keep his or her temper in check during the period of the infection. If the victim failed to do so, the transformation accelerated. Each lapse of control pushed the affected being further toward the RahiRahiThe Rahi were the biomechanical wildlife of the Matoran Universe, built largely by the Brotherhood of Makuta, ranging from background fauna to engineered war beasts. end of the spectrum, until eventually the victim was reduced to being unable to speak and being little more than a vicious, snarling beast. (BIONICLE 3: Web of Shadows)

The rule made the Toa HordikaToa Metru and Toa HordikaSix Matoran elevated by Lhikan to save their city, mutated by Visorak venom, and restored in time to deliver the population to safety. state a question of self-control as much as of physiology. A transformed ToaWho 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. could function with reasonable coherence as long as he or she suppressed the surges of anger that the new form was prone to producing, but every uncontrolled outburst cost coherence. VakamaVakamaA Ta-Metru maskmaker transformed into the Toa Metru of Fire, leader of his team through the Visorak war, and Turaga of Ta-Koro for a thousand years., who gave in to his rage, fell furthest, and for a time sided with the Visorak. (BIONICLE 3: Web of Shadows)

Use on the Toa Metru#

The toxin's most consequential application was its use on the Toa MetruToa Metru and Toa HordikaSix Matoran elevated by Lhikan to save their city, mutated by Visorak venom, and restored in time to deliver the population to safety. on their return to Metru NuiMetru NuiThe city beneath Mata Nui functions as the Great Spirit's brain, housing the Matoran whose labor keeps the god alive.. The team had come back from Mata NuiMata Nui (Location)An island created by accident on the Great Spirit's face, home to the Matoran for a thousand years. to recover the MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body. they had been forced to leave behind in Matoran SpheresMatoran SpheresThe silver hibernation pods used by Teridax, posing as Turaga Dume, to capture, store, and transport the entire Matoran population of Metru Nui during the Great Cataclysm., and found the city overrun by the VisorakThe Visorak HordeThe Brotherhood of Makuta's spider-Rahi army under King Sidorak and Viceroy Roodaka, summoned to Metru Nui after the Great Cataclysm to free Teridax and pacify whatever survived in the abandoned city.. The horde captured the six ToaWho 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. and hung them in cocoons high above the city. SidorakSidorakHe took credit for someone else's idea, called it leadership, and spent his whole reign as the Visorak's king certain he could not be out-played. was ready to cut the threads and drop them to their deaths, but 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. talked him into leaving them to the venom. (BIONICLE 3: Web of Shadows)

The intervention of the RahagaRahaga KualusKualus was the Toa Hagah of Ice, mutated into a Rahaga by Roodaka, restored centuries later on Xia, and known as the only recorded speaker of the language of the flying Rahi., the small group of former ToaWho 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. Hagah who had been mutated into shrunken TuragaTuragaFormer Toa who fulfilled their destiny and transformed into leaders. Turaga wield Noble Kanohi masks and weakened elemental powers, guiding their communities.-sized forms by 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.'s earlier experiments and who operated in the city as a resistance presence, broke the standard fate. As the venom took effect, the six Toa MetruToa Metru and Toa HordikaSix Matoran elevated by Lhikan to save their city, mutated by Visorak venom, and restored in time to deliver the population to safety. began to change, broke out of their cocoons and plunged toward the city below, and the RahagaRahaga KualusKualus was the Toa Hagah of Ice, mutated into a Rahaga by Roodaka, restored centuries later on Xia, and known as the only recorded speaker of the language of the flying Rahi. saved them. They emerged as the Toa HordikaToa Metru and Toa HordikaSix Matoran elevated by Lhikan to save their city, mutated by Visorak venom, and restored in time to deliver the population to safety.: six monstrous half-RahiRahiThe Rahi were the biomechanical wildlife of the Matoran Universe, built largely by the Brotherhood of Makuta, ranging from background fauna to engineered war beasts. forms with their old personalities still recognisable but partly submerged. (BIONICLE 3: Web of Shadows; BIONICLE 23: Vengeance of the Visorak)

The RahagaRahaga KualusKualus was the Toa Hagah of Ice, mutated into a Rahaga by Roodaka, restored centuries later on Xia, and known as the only recorded speaker of the language of the flying Rahi. explained the situation to the changed team and introduced them to the legend of KeetonguKeetonguThe legendary Rahi who broke the Visorak siege and lived to prove he was worth the legend., the legendary RahiRahiThe Rahi were the biomechanical wildlife of the Matoran Universe, built largely by the Brotherhood of Makuta, ranging from background fauna to engineered war beasts. said to be capable of reversing the venom's effect. Not everyone was convinced. VakamaVakamaA Ta-Metru maskmaker transformed into the Toa Metru of Fire, leader of his team through the Visorak war, and Turaga of Ta-Koro for a thousand years. argued that they had come to rescue the MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body., not to chase a myth, but the search for KeetonguKeetonguThe legendary Rahi who broke the Visorak siege and lived to prove he was worth the legend. became the central task of the HordikaToa Metru and Toa HordikaSix Matoran elevated by Lhikan to save their city, mutated by Visorak venom, and restored in time to deliver the population to safety. phase. (BIONICLE 3: Web of Shadows)

Roodaka's experiments#

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., the viceroy who commanded the VisorakThe Visorak HordeThe Brotherhood of Makuta's spider-Rahi army under King Sidorak and Viceroy Roodaka, summoned to Metru Nui after the Great Cataclysm to free Teridax and pacify whatever survived in the abandoned city. under SidorakSidorakHe took credit for someone else's idea, called it leadership, and spent his whole reign as the Visorak's king certain he could not be out-played., conducted independent experiments with Hordika Venom in the service of her own goal of freeing MakutaMakuta: species, title, and TeridaxMakuta means three things in the Matoran Universe: the Antidermis species Mata Nui created, the Brotherhood rank, and most often Teridax himself. from his Toa SealToa SealA cage of Protodermis created by six Toa combining their Elemental Powers, used to trap powerful beings.. She described the work as her "experiments in the effect of Hordika venom" and held that they served "the shadows." SidorakSidorakHe took credit for someone else's idea, called it leadership, and spent his whole reign as the Visorak's king certain he could not be out-played. himself disapproved of the experiments and at one point complained to her that he should have killed the Toa HordikaToa Metru and Toa HordikaSix Matoran elevated by Lhikan to save their city, mutated by Visorak venom, and restored in time to deliver the population to safety. and the RahagaRahaga KualusKualus was the Toa Hagah of Ice, mutated into a Rahaga by Roodaka, restored centuries later on Xia, and known as the only recorded speaker of the language of the flying Rahi. when he had the chance, having instead allowed 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. the latitude to use them as subjects. (BIONICLE 23: Vengeance of the Visorak)

Her real aim showed in how she treated VakamaVakamaA Ta-Metru maskmaker transformed into the Toa Metru of Fire, leader of his team through the Visorak war, and Turaga of Ta-Koro for a thousand years.. She worked on the Toa of Fire's Hordika side, drawing him into leading the Visorak against his own team, because she needed a Toa's elemental power to break the Toa SealToa SealA cage of Protodermis created by six Toa combining their Elemental Powers, used to trap powerful beings. holding MakutaMakuta: species, title, and TeridaxMakuta means three things in the Matoran Universe: the Antidermis species Mata Nui created, the Brotherhood rank, and most often Teridax himself.. (BIONICLE 3: Web of Shadows)

The Hordika Dragons#

A second independent line of venom experimentation was conducted by 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., the leader of 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., on the Dark HunterThe 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. island of OdinaOdinaOdina is a member of both the Dark Hunters and the Cliff Screechers, operating within the Matoran Universe. Formerly in possession of the powers of Vamprah, Odina retains no elemental abilities in the present day.. A group of VisorakThe Visorak HordeThe Brotherhood of Makuta's spider-Rahi army under King Sidorak and Viceroy Roodaka, summoned to Metru Nui after the Great Cataclysm to free Teridax and pacify whatever survived in the abandoned city. once stumbled onto OdinaOdinaOdina is a member of both the Dark Hunters and the Cliff Screechers, operating within the Matoran Universe. Formerly in possession of the powers of Vamprah, Odina retains no elemental abilities in the present day., and 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. had them captured and their venom analysed. He then tested it on eight of his 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., who mutated into the beings known as the Hordika Dragons. He uses them to make clients honour their deals, though their bestial sides may one day take over completely. (BIONICLE: Dark Hunters)

The Hordika Dragons show that the mutation was not confined to Toa. Different subjects produced different-looking results, but the same half-feral character. (BIONICLE: Dark Hunters)

The cure and Keetongu#

The only known being in the Matoran UniverseMatoran UniverseA civilization of biomechanical beings living inside a colossal robot, destroyed when Teridax seized control. capable of curing Hordika Venom was KeetonguKeetonguThe legendary Rahi who broke the Visorak siege and lived to prove he was worth the legend., a RahiRahiThe Rahi were the biomechanical wildlife of the Matoran Universe, built largely by the Brotherhood of Makuta, ranging from background fauna to engineered war beasts. of legendary status whose existence was disputed even among the RahagaRahaga KualusKualus was the Toa Hagah of Ice, mutated into a Rahaga by Roodaka, restored centuries later on Xia, and known as the only recorded speaker of the language of the flying Rahi.. IruiniIruiniIruini is a Toa of Air, formerly a Le-Matoran and a member of the Toa Hagah who served as bodyguard to Makuta Teridax. He wears the Great Kualsi, wields a Cyclone Spear and Rhotuka Launching Shield with a healing Rhotuka, and resides on Spherus Magna as a Rahi Hunter and protector of Matoran., one of the RahagaRahaga KualusKualus was the Toa Hagah of Ice, mutated into a Rahaga by Roodaka, restored centuries later on Xia, and known as the only recorded speaker of the language of the flying Rahi., maintained that KeetonguKeetonguThe legendary Rahi who broke the Visorak siege and lived to prove he was worth the legend. did not exist; NorikNorikToa of Fire and leader of the Toa Hagah, who broke with the Brotherhood of Makuta to recover the Avohkii and led his team through a thousand years of mutation as a Rahaga before being restored., the RahagaRahaga KualusKualus was the Toa Hagah of Ice, mutated into a Rahaga by Roodaka, restored centuries later on Xia, and known as the only recorded speaker of the language of the flying Rahi. leader, maintained that he did. The Toa HordikaToa Metru and Toa HordikaSix Matoran elevated by Lhikan to save their city, mutated by Visorak venom, and restored in time to deliver the population to safety. split on the question themselves, with NokamaNokamaNokama served as Toa Metru of Water, endured the Hordika mutation, and led Ga-Koro and later Ga-Metru as Turaga through three eras. holding faith in the RahagaRahaga KualusKualus was the Toa Hagah of Ice, mutated into a Rahaga by Roodaka, restored centuries later on Xia, and known as the only recorded speaker of the language of the flying Rahi. account and others uncertain, but the team eventually committed to the search. (BIONICLE 3: Web of Shadows; BIONICLE 23: Vengeance of the Visorak)

The search was successful. KeetonguKeetonguThe legendary Rahi who broke the Visorak siege and lived to prove he was worth the legend. was found in his lair in Ko-Metru and agreed to help, and after the battle at the Coliseum he cured the Toa HordikaToa Metru and Toa HordikaSix Matoran elevated by Lhikan to save their city, mutated by Visorak venom, and restored in time to deliver the population to safety., returning them to their Toa MetruToa Metru and Toa HordikaSix Matoran elevated by Lhikan to save their city, mutated by Visorak venom, and restored in time to deliver the population to safety. form. He remained the only known being in the Matoran UniverseMatoran UniverseA civilization of biomechanical beings living inside a colossal robot, destroyed when Teridax seized control. who knew how to cure the venom. (BIONICLE 3: Web of Shadows; BIONICLE: Makuta's Guide to the Universe)

Position within the wider record#

Hordika Venom registered in the wider record as the operational signature of the VisorakThe Visorak HordeThe Brotherhood of Makuta's spider-Rahi army under King Sidorak and Viceroy Roodaka, summoned to Metru Nui after the Great Cataclysm to free Teridax and pacify whatever survived in the abandoned city. horde in the period of their occupation of Metru NuiMetru NuiThe city beneath Mata Nui functions as the Great Spirit's brain, housing the Matoran whose labor keeps the god alive. and beyond. The toxin was the principal mechanism by which the horde processed prey, the experimental substrate that supported 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.'s side projects, and the mutagenic agent that produced both the Toa HordikaToa Metru and Toa HordikaSix Matoran elevated by Lhikan to save their city, mutated by Visorak venom, and restored in time to deliver the population to safety. and the Hordika Dragons. Its use on the Toa MetruToa Metru and Toa HordikaSix Matoran elevated by Lhikan to save their city, mutated by Visorak venom, and restored in time to deliver the population to safety. forced the team to carry out the rescue of the MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body. of Metru NuiMetru NuiThe city beneath Mata Nui functions as the Great Spirit's brain, housing the Matoran whose labor keeps the god alive. in altered form, fighting their own tempers until the cure was secured. (BIONICLE 3: Web of Shadows; BIONICLE: Dark Hunters)