Kardas

Kardas was a winged 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. dragon created by 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. during the Toa InikaToa Inika and Toa MahriSix ordinary Matoran transformed by lightning from the Red Star into heroes who ultimately revived the Great Spirit itself.'s assault on the Chamber of LifeChamber of LifeThe Chamber of Life was a vault built by the Great Beings beneath Mount Valmai on Voya Nui to house the Kanohi Ignika for over one hundred thousand years. beneath 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.. His prior form had been the FenrakkFenrakkA Rahi spider enlarged by the Mask of Life and bonded to Vezon, then reborn as Kardas after the lava bath in the Chamber of Life. spider that the Mask had previously bonded to 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. as a mount. When the Inika succeeded in driving the pair into a river of lava that ran through the chamber, the Mask reshaped the spider into a dragon in the moment of immersion, retaining 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. as a fused rider. The new creature was one of the most direct demonstrations of the Ignika's capacity for biological design recorded in any source.

Creation#

The Toa InikaToa Inika and Toa MahriSix ordinary Matoran transformed by lightning from the Red Star into heroes who ultimately revived the Great Spirit itself. reached the Chamber of LifeChamber of LifeThe Chamber of Life was a vault built by the Great Beings beneath Mount Valmai on Voya Nui to house the Kanohi Ignika for over one hundred thousand years. and found 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. physically fused to a FenrakkFenrakkA Rahi spider enlarged by the Mask of Life and bonded to Vezon, then reborn as Kardas after the lava bath in the Chamber of Life. that 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. had scaled up to mount size. Direct attacks failed. Every blow against 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 FenrakkFenrakkA Rahi spider enlarged by the Mask of Life and bonded to Vezon, then reborn as Kardas after the lava bath in the Chamber of Life. was absorbed and fed back as kinetic energy. Rather than continue striking, the Inika pushed the pair backward into the lava river that ran through the chamber. JallerJallerJaller served as Captain of the Ta-Koro Guard, led the Toa Inika to Voya Nui, and commanded the Toa Mahri through the recovery of the Mask of Life. prepared to follow them in, expecting the lava to kill all three of them.

He did not get the chance. Per the FenrakkFenrakkA Rahi spider enlarged by the Mask of Life and bonded to Vezon, then reborn as Kardas after the lava bath in the Chamber of Life. Spider entry, "JallerJallerJaller served as Captain of the Ta-Koro Guard, led the Toa Inika to Voya Nui, and commanded the Toa Mahri through the recovery of the Mask of Life. eventually fired at the two, causing them to fall into a pool of lava. Instead of dying, the Ignika then transformed FenrakkFenrakkA Rahi spider enlarged by the Mask of Life and bonded to Vezon, then reborn as Kardas after the lava bath in the Chamber of Life. into the Kardas DragonKardas DragonThe winged Rahi dragon constructed by the Mask of Life in a lava river beneath the Chamber of Life when the spider form failed against the Toa Inika.." The reshaping was instantaneous. The spider entered the lava. A dragon emerged. 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. remained fused as a rider. The Ignika had observed the engagement in progress, determined that the kinetic-absorption ability was no longer required because the Inika had stopped striking, and constructed a new guardian capable of striking back. The lava had served as the medium for the transformation. The previous guardian had been insufficient. The Mask had built another.

The IgnikaThe 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. entry records the moment plainly. "The Inika made some headway in fighting the two, only for the mask to evolve FenrakkFenrakkA Rahi spider enlarged by the Mask of Life and bonded to Vezon, then reborn as Kardas after the lava bath in the Chamber of Life. into a Kardas DragonKardas DragonThe winged Rahi dragon constructed by the Mask of Life in a lava river beneath the Chamber of Life when the spider form failed against the Toa Inika.."

Powers#

The dragon's abilities differed sharply from those of FenrakkFenrakkA Rahi spider enlarged by the Mask of Life and bonded to Vezon, then reborn as Kardas after the lava bath in the Chamber of Life.. Per the Kardas DragonKardas DragonThe winged Rahi dragon constructed by the Mask of Life in a lava river beneath the Chamber of Life when the spider form failed against the Toa Inika. entry, the creature "naturally generated concussive force inside its body which it could release in the form of explosive energy beams from its mouth." That was the headline ability. The dragon could fire concussive beams from its jaws at will.

The second property of the creature was that the internal concussive force was self-threatening. "In fact, if it didn't release this force periodically, the concussive force would cause it to explode." The dragon's own power was structurally a threat to itself. It had to fire its beams on a regular cycle or it would destroy itself from the inside. The Mask had built a guardian that could never sit still. The threat had to remain active.

What Kardas did not possess was the kinetic-absorption ability that had defined FenrakkFenrakkA Rahi spider enlarged by the Mask of Life and bonded to Vezon, then reborn as Kardas after the lava bath in the Chamber of Life.. Per the same entry, "It didn't share FenrakkFenrakkA Rahi spider enlarged by the Mask of Life and bonded to Vezon, then reborn as Kardas after the lava bath in the Chamber of Life.'s ability to absorb the kinetic energy of motion." The Ignika had traded one ability for another. In the new fight the Inika faced a guardian that could strike back with explosive beams while still being large enough to withstand a direct hit. Per Ignition 5, "the Toa InikaToa InikaSix former Matoran who entered Karzahni broken and emerged as the next Toa team, transformed on the shore of Voya Nui by a lightning strike from the red star. are losing against the Kardas DragonKardas DragonThe winged Rahi dragon constructed by the Mask of Life in a lava river beneath the Chamber of Life when the spider form failed against the Toa Inika." was the recorded state of the engagement. They were outmatched on raw output.

Defeat at the Chamber of Life#

The Inika prevailed through a single specialised Zamor sphere supplied by 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.. The standard Zamor spheres used at 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. carried AntidermisAntidermisAntidermis was the physical substance that composed every Makuta, a revelation that fundamentally altered how fans understood the brotherhood's origin. or energised protodermis. The sphere given to JallerJallerJaller served as Captain of the Ta-Koro Guard, led the Toa Inika to Voya Nui, and commanded the Toa Mahri through the recovery of the Mask of Life. was different. Per the 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. entry, 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. "could create stasis fields, freezing objects in time and space. He harnessed this ability in a Zamor SphereZamor SphereHollow projectiles that fire various substances through temporarily intangible barriers, from poisons to bottled godhood. once, in order to 'defeat' the Kardas DragonKardas DragonThe winged Rahi dragon constructed by the Mask of Life in a lava river beneath the Chamber of Life when the spider form failed against the Toa Inika.." Stasis was not a kill. It was a pause.

The climactic sequence followed accordingly. Per Ignition 5, "JallerJallerJaller served as Captain of the Ta-Koro Guard, led the Toa Inika to Voya Nui, and commanded the Toa Mahri through the recovery of the Mask of Life. takes out the special zamor sphere given to him by 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. and fires it at Kardas, freezing 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 Kardas in time and space. MatoroMatoroA quiet Ko-Matoran translator who became a Toa Inika and then a Toa Mahri, Matoro gave his life with the Mask of Life to restore Mata Nui. retrieves the Mask of Life from 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 exclaims that they are victorious." MatoroMatoroA quiet Ko-Matoran translator who became a Toa Inika and then a Toa Mahri, Matoro gave his life with the Mask of Life to restore Mata Nui. lifted the IgnikaThe 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. from the back of 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.'s head while both 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 the dragon stood frozen. The dragon itself had not been overcome.

Per the HahliHahliA Ga-Matoran scholar who rose to become Chronicler of Mata Nui, then Toa Inika, then Toa Mahri of Water during the final crises of the Matoran Universe. entry, the stasis "wore off, and he was struck by Kardas, sending the mask flying. It escaped, leading the Inika to where it wanted to go." The dragon returned to motion and struck MatoroMatoroA quiet Ko-Matoran translator who became a Toa Inika and then a Toa Mahri, Matoro gave his life with the Mask of Life to restore Mata Nui.. The Mask escaped the chamber under its own apparent volition, having selected its preferred MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body.. Kardas was not defeated at the Chamber of LifeChamber of LifeThe Chamber of Life was a vault built by the Great Beings beneath Mount Valmai on Voya Nui to house the Kanohi Ignika for over one hundred thousand years.. The Inika took the Mask and withdrew.

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. as rider#

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.'s relationship to Kardas was shaped by the instability that had defined him since his separation from VezokVezokThe Beast was a Piraka thief split in two by the Spear of Fusion, then imprisoned by the Order of Mata Nui.. He had arrived at the Chamber of LifeChamber of LifeThe Chamber of Life was a vault built by the Great Beings beneath Mount Valmai on Voya Nui to house the Kanohi Ignika for over one hundred thousand years. intending to claim the IgnikaThe 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. for himself, only to be fused first to a spider and then to a dragon against his will. During the fight he addressed the new creature directly, calling it "good Kardas" and his "favorite engine of destruction." The Mask had bonded him to two consecutive guardians without consent, and he had interpreted the situation as ownership of a pet.

After the Inika's withdrawal and the Mask's escape, 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. was taken into 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. custody on DaxiaDaxiaDaxia is a location situated east of the Southern Continent, affiliated with the Order of Mata Nui and home to the Shallows Cat. and Kardas defused from him. The bond had been a guardian arrangement maintained by the Mask. Once the guardian role had ended, the bond ended with it. 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. was later conscripted into the Federation of FearFederation of FearAn Order of Mata Nui strike team of imprisoned villains, led by Brutaka, rescued Makuta Miserix from the volcanic prison of Artidax to install him as the figurehead of the coming war against the Brotherhood.. Kardas departed the chamber on his own.

Later movements#

After defusing from 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., Kardas made his way up to the surface of 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.. There he encountered the TahtorakTahtorakMassive, articulate Rahi that turned against their Skakdi riders and nearly wiped out an entire civilization., which had recently emerged from a portal created by BrutakaBrutakaBrutaka guarded the Kanohi Ignika on Voya Nui, betrayed the Order during the Piraka incursion, served time in the Pit, and later led the Federation of Fear strike team.'s KanohiKanohiMasks that grant powers and sustain life, they're the most vital artifact in the Matoran Universe. OlmakThe Kanohi OlmakThe Kanohi Olmak was the Great Mask of Dimensional Gates, a portal-opening Kanohi forged by Artakha. Only two ever existed in the Matoran Universe, and both passed through the hands of figures who reshaped the late storyline.. The two 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. fought. Kardas lost. The TahtorakTahtorakMassive, articulate Rahi that turned against their Skakdi riders and nearly wiped out an entire civilization. then turned on the MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body. village on the surface. 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. summoned BotarBotarThe Order of Mata Nui's teleporting enforcer hunted universe-threatening dangers and locked them in the Pit until a Makuta's magnetic power stopped him cold. to deal with the situation, and BotarBotarThe Order of Mata Nui's teleporting enforcer hunted universe-threatening dangers and locked them in the Pit until a Makuta's magnetic power stopped him cold. teleported the TahtorakTahtorakMassive, articulate Rahi that turned against their Skakdi riders and nearly wiped out an entire civilization. to the island of Xia.

Kardas flew on. Per his BS01 entry, "Kardas flew off in the direction of Mata NuiMata Nui (Location)An island created by accident on the Great Spirit's face, home to the Matoran for a thousand years., where it clashed with the BohrokBohrokHive-minded mechanical creatures designed to reshape worlds, the Bohrok represent a threat the Toa Mata never expected. and was badly wounded in the fight. Gali Nuva then used her powers to heal it. It flew to Metru NuiMetru NuiThe city beneath Mata Nui functions as the Great Spirit's brain, housing the Matoran whose labor keeps the god alive. and faced the Toa MahriToa 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., once again, who defeated and captured it."

Gali NuvaGali, Toa of WaterThe Toa Nuva of Water and conscience of the Toa Mata, whose attunement to her element anchored the team across every campaign from Mata Nui to Karda Nui.'s decision to heal the dragon rather than kill it carried weight. She restored the wounds of a creature that had nearly killed a different Toa team in the preceding arc. Kardas did not respond with gratitude. He flew to Metru NuiMetru NuiThe city beneath Mata Nui functions as the Great Spirit's brain, housing the Matoran whose labor keeps the god alive. and engaged the Toa MahriToa Inika and Toa MahriSix ordinary Matoran transformed by lightning from the Red Star into heroes who ultimately revived the Great Spirit itself., the same Toa team in their post-Pit form. The Mahri defeated him this time.

Per the Destiny WarThe Destiny WarThe open conflict between the Order of Mata Nui and the Brotherhood of Makuta that ended fifty thousand years of operational secrecy and broke the Brotherhood's last assault on Metru Nui. serial, "Metru NuiMetru NuiThe city beneath Mata Nui functions as the Great Spirit's brain, housing the Matoran whose labor keeps the god alive. was quiet for now, with the Kardas DragonKardas DragonThe winged Rahi dragon constructed by the Mask of Life in a lava river beneath the Chamber of Life when the spider form failed against the Toa Inika. subdued and most of the other 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. back in the Archives." Subdued, not killed. He was returned to the ArchivesThe Archives of Metru NuiThe Archives of Onu-Metru were the central repository of Matoran knowledge and Rahi specimens, maintained by the Archivist Corps beneath the city's surface. as a captive specimen, filed alongside the other dangerous 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. that had broken loose during the recent crises. A dragon 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. had personally constructed ended up shelved in the same vaults as a MuakaMuakaTiger-like predators of Ko-Wahi with claws, teeth, and a taste for anything that moves..

Significance#

Kardas demonstrated 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.'s capacity for active biological engineering. The Mask did not simply enlarge, animate, or armour existing creatures. It reshaped them at the morphological level in response to combat outcomes it judged unfavourable. The 300-foot Venom Eel300-foot Venom EelA Venom Eel mutated to colossal size by the defensive reaction of the Ignika, active in the waters around Mahri Nui during the search for the Mask of Life. had shown the same property at smaller scale: a creature enlarged by raw life-energy but retaining its original form. Kardas was a different shape entirely from the spider he had been made from. The Mask had performed a real anatomical redesign in seconds.

By the Federation of FearFederation of FearAn Order of Mata Nui strike team of imprisoned villains, led by Brutaka, rescued Makuta Miserix from the volcanic prison of Artidax to install him as the figurehead of the coming war against the Brotherhood. arc, the Ignika was operating as a sentient actor with its own goals, and by the events of 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. it had begun constructing a body for itself. The dragon-construction at 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. was the same capability used on a smaller canvas. A spider had gone into the lava. A dragon had emerged. The Mask had been the difference, and the Mask had clearly determined what that difference would be. Kardas remained one of its earliest surviving works.