Kranua

The Kranua was a specialist VahkiVahkiMetru Nui's mechanical law enforcement squads, designed to maintain rigid order but ultimately undermined by chaos beyond their programming. of Metru NuiMetru NuiThe city beneath Mata Nui functions as the Great Spirit's brain, housing the Matoran whose labor keeps the god alive., an elite model secretly designed by NuparuNuparuAn Onu-Matoran engineer from Metru Nui who built the Boxor and rose to become a Toa of Earth despite no warrior destiny. and built by a select team of Po-MatoranPo-MatoranThe Stone-element Matoran of Po-Metru and Po-Koro, carvers and quarry workers, the most athletic of the Matoran types and the population behind the Kohlii and Akilini circuits.. As a LEGO combination model it is built from a NuurakhNuurakhThe Vahki model assigned to Ta-Metru, the Nuurakh were the fastest of the order-force lines and used Staffs of Command to push a single overriding directive into the mind of any Matoran they struck., a RorzakhRorzakhThe Vahki model assigned to Onu-Metru, the Rorzakh were utterly relentless and carried Staffs of Presence that turned the affected Matoran into an involuntary audio and visual transmitter for their squad., and a VorzakhVorzakhThe Vahki model assigned to Le-Metru, the Vorzakh patrolled the chute network and transportation hubs of the air district and carried Staffs of Erasing that wiped a Matoran's higher cognitive functions and left the victim a walking shambler.. It was a powerful and bulky machine whose defining trait had nothing to do with brute force: the Kranua could turn itself into sand, slip through cracks a normal VahkiVahkiMetru Nui's mechanical law enforcement squads, designed to maintain rigid order but ultimately undermined by chaos beyond their programming. could not pass, and reform somewhere else. (BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated; BIONICLE: Metru Nui, City of Legends; Kranua (LEGO sets 8614, 8616 and 8618))

A combiner above the standard six#

The VahkiVahkiMetru Nui's mechanical law enforcement squads, designed to maintain rigid order but ultimately undermined by chaos beyond their programming. of Metru NuiMetru NuiThe city beneath Mata Nui functions as the Great Spirit's brain, housing the Matoran whose labor keeps the god alive. were organised around six standard district models: the NuurakhNuurakhThe Vahki model assigned to Ta-Metru, the Nuurakh were the fastest of the order-force lines and used Staffs of Command to push a single overriding directive into the mind of any Matoran they struck. of Ta-MetruTa-MetruThe fire district where Ta-Matoran perfected their craft and powered Metru Nui's industry for thousands of years., the BordakhBordakhThe Vahki model assigned to Ga-Metru, the Bordakh patrolled the canals and schools of the academic district and carried Staffs of Loyalty that turned any Matoran they struck into a willing informant against their own friends. of Ga-MetruGa-MetruGa-Metru is a district of Metru Nui, home to the Ga-Matoran and the Bordakh., the ZadakhZadakhThe Vahki model assigned to Po-Metru, the Zadakh were the strongest of the order-force lines and carried Staffs of Suggestion that left any Matoran they struck willing to follow orders from almost anyone. of Po-MetruPo-MetruMetru Nui's Stone District, home to carvers whose work defined the city and site of an ancient conflict that threatened to divide it., the KeerakhKeerakhThe Vahki model assigned to Ko-Metru, the Keerakh enforced silence in the Knowledge Towers and subdued lawbreakers with staffs that scrambled a Matoran's sense of time and place. of Ko-MetruKo-MetruKo-Metru was Metru Nui's frozen intellectual quarter, home to the scholarly Ko-Matoran race., the VorzakhVorzakhThe Vahki model assigned to Le-Metru, the Vorzakh patrolled the chute network and transportation hubs of the air district and carried Staffs of Erasing that wiped a Matoran's higher cognitive functions and left the victim a walking shambler. of Le-MetruLe-MetruThe teal district where Le-Matoran managed everything that moved through Metru Nui, from chutes to airships., and the RorzakhRorzakhThe Vahki model assigned to Onu-Metru, the Rorzakh were utterly relentless and carried Staffs of Presence that turned the affected Matoran into an involuntary audio and visual transmitter for their squad. of Onu-MetruOnu-MetruThe deep archive-city that made mining and historical records preservation the beating heart of Metru Nui.. All were the work of the Onu-MatoranOnu-MatoranEarth-wielding Matoran of the deep who adapted to darkness and built the Matoran Universe's defensive cavalry. NuparuNuparuAn Onu-Matoran engineer from Metru Nui who built the Boxor and rose to become a Toa of Earth despite no warrior destiny.. (BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated; BIONICLE: Metru Nui, City of Legends)

Two elite models stood apart from the standard six, the KraahuKraahuThe specialist Vahki combiner formed from Zadakh, Keerakh, and Bordakh components, the Kraahu carried knowledge centres throughout its body, could split apart to fight six directions at once, and as a single unit could spray a cloud of stun gas. and the Kranua. The Kranua was designed in secret and built by a select team of Po-Matoran engineers. It was meant for specialised jobs, such as controlling 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 broke out of 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., but it was most often sent against organised MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body. crime, such as smuggling rings. (BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated; BIONICLE Adventures 6: Maze of Shadows)

The Kranua was the unit you called in when the target had gone somewhere a normal VahkiVahkiMetru Nui's mechanical law enforcement squads, designed to maintain rigid order but ultimately undermined by chaos beyond their programming. could not follow. (BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated)

Powerful, bulky, and made of sand#

In solid form the Kranua was powerful and bulky. 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., who had worked on one before he became a Toa, described it as slow but a lot stronger than the average Vahki. (BIONICLE: Metru Nui, City of Legends; BIONICLE Adventures 6: Maze of Shadows)

What made the model distinct was that the solid form was optional. A Kranua could transform into sand, slip through cracks, and reform elsewhere. (BIONICLE: Metru Nui, City of Legends)

The uses followed directly. A lawbreaker who fled into a tiny space was not safe from a Kranua, which could pour itself in after them. Against rampaging 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., its sudden disappearances and reappearances left the beasts confused, which made it ideal for controlling Rahi that had escaped from 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.. (BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated)

The Staff of Command#

The Kranua combination model carries the Staff of Command, the weapon of the NuurakhNuurakhThe Vahki model assigned to Ta-Metru, the Nuurakh were the fastest of the order-force lines and used Staffs of Command to push a single overriding directive into the mind of any Matoran they struck. of Ta-MetruTa-MetruThe fire district where Ta-Matoran perfected their craft and powered Metru Nui's industry for thousands of years., rather than the staffs of its RorzakhRorzakhThe Vahki model assigned to Onu-Metru, the Rorzakh were utterly relentless and carried Staffs of Presence that turned the affected Matoran into an involuntary audio and visual transmitter for their squad. or VorzakhVorzakhThe Vahki model assigned to Le-Metru, the Vorzakh patrolled the chute network and transportation hubs of the air district and carried Staffs of Erasing that wiped a Matoran's higher cognitive functions and left the victim a walking shambler. components. (Kranua (LEGO sets 8614, 8616 and 8618))

The Staff of Command did not injure a target. It planted a single command in a MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body.'s mind, which they would then carry out. Paired with the Kranua's ability to reach a fugitive almost anywhere, it allowed an arrest to end without harm. (BIONICLE: Metru Nui, City of Legends)

The ambush in the Maze of Shadows#

The Kranua's one recorded fight came after 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., when 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. returned to Metru NuiMetru NuiThe city beneath Mata Nui functions as the Great Spirit's brain, housing the Matoran whose labor keeps the god alive. to rescue the sleeping MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body.. A Kranua had made its way to the Maze of Shadows, where it lay in wait in its sand form. (BIONICLE Adventures 6: Maze of Shadows)

When 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 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. came across it, the Kranua tried to cut them off from the other Toa. 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. used his MatatuMatatuWorn by Toa Metru Nuju and his later Turaga form, the Matatu let its bearer move and strike at any target within line of sight by force of will alone. to pull the pair out of its sandstorm. (BIONICLE Adventures 6: Maze of Shadows)

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. then hit the Kranua with his stone power to force it back into its sand form. As it was changing, 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. blasted it with fire and turned it into a glass statue, and Matau destroyed it. (BIONICLE Adventures 6: Maze of Shadows)

It was an undignified end for an elite Vahki, and the only fight involving a Kranua that the books describe in any detail. (BIONICLE Adventures 6: Maze of Shadows)

Cataclysm and end of service#

The other Kranua did not last much longer. 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. sent a power surge through the VahkiVahkiMetru Nui's mechanical law enforcement squads, designed to maintain rigid order but ultimately undermined by chaos beyond their programming. hives, and every Kranua was destroyed either in the Cataclysm or later by the VisorakVisorak (Rahi)Spider-like Rahi employed by the Brotherhood of Makuta whose name meant 'Stealers of Life' and whose swarms threatened the Matoran Universe. hordes. (BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated; BIONICLE Adventures 7: Web of the Visorak)

When the VisorakVisorak (Rahi)Spider-like Rahi employed by the Brotherhood of Makuta whose name meant 'Stealers of Life' and whose swarms threatened the Matoran Universe. overran Metru NuiMetru NuiThe city beneath Mata Nui functions as the Great Spirit's brain, housing the Matoran whose labor keeps the god alive., they destroyed the last Vahki left in the city, and the Matoran never built new ones. The Kranua passed out of service as it had served, a rare specialist whose one recorded fight ended with Matau smashing it. (BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated; BIONICLE Adventures 6: Maze of Shadows)