Lava Eel

Lava Eels are thermal 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. native to Metru NuiMetru NuiThe city beneath Mata Nui functions as the Great Spirit's brain, housing the Matoran whose labor keeps the god alive., eel-shaped creatures whose bodies respond to emotional state by escalating temperature. A calm Lava Eel is warm but manageable, even pleasant. An agitated one burns hotter with each passing moment until it radiates enough heat to melt metal and scorch flesh. 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. have kept them as pets, drawn to their natural warmth, but the arrangement is always temporary. An Eel grows. Its heat intensifies. Within months or years, the creature becomes unsustainable as a household animal, and the MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body. must release it back into the lava chambers of Metru NuiMetru NuiThe city beneath Mata Nui functions as the Great Spirit's brain, housing the Matoran whose labor keeps the god alive..

Thermal Mechanics#

Lava Eels don't choose their heat output the way a Toa chooses to summon fire. The escalation is automatic, hardwired into their physiology. Provoke one, threaten it, frustrate it, and the temperature climbs. There's no ceiling, no point where the Eel decides to stop. It burns until the threat passes or until the environment itself can no longer sustain the heat. This makes them inherently unpredictable despite their relatively docile temperament. A Lava Eel isn't aggressive by nature. But a frightened Lava Eel is incinerating, and intent to harm makes no difference when you're being melted.

The Pet Problem#

This is why keeping Lava Eels as pets is temporary and ultimately doomed. A young Lava Eel makes sense as a household creature. It generates warmth for cooking and comfort. 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. who owns it bonds with the animal, cares for it, keeps it in a specialized dwelling. But Lava Eels grow. As they mature, their baseline heat output rises. A creature that was once pleasant becomes uncomfortable. Uncomfortable becomes dangerous. Eventually the protodermis walls begin to warp, to soften, to fail. At that point, the MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body. does the practical thing. They carry the animal back to the lava channels and set it free, sending it back to an environment where its nature is an asset instead of a liability. The most notable incident involves Toa HordikaToa HordikaToa mutated by Visorak venom into bestial hybrids, forced to fight their primal nature and hunt for a cure. 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 nearly died when a Lava Eel melted the metal pole supporting him. The creature wasn't attacking. It was simply existing, radiating heat as its kind does. 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. survived. Not every creature would have.

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Compiled from primary sources by Lore Fortress editorial. Reviewed by Joe Garratt, Editor-in-Chief.