Lavaboard

In the climactic sequence of BIONICLEBIONICLE: Matoran AdventuresA 2002 GBA platformer where you play as one of six Matoran fighting Bohrok across Mata Nui's islands.: Mask of Light, TakuaTakuaAn Av-Matoran hidden on Mata Nui as a Ta-Matoran, who gathered the Toa Stones, served as Chronicler, and ultimately accepted the Avohkii to become Takanuva, the Toa of Light. grabbed his Lavaboard and attempted to surf across a surging wave of lava, a desperate escape that underscored how critical the device was to 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. survival in their fiery homeland. A Lavaboard was a heat-resistant surfboard, crafted by 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. to navigate the lava flows that crisscrossed Mata NuiMata Nui (Location)An island created by accident on the Great Spirit's face, home to the Matoran for a thousand years.. It was one of the MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body.'s most pleasingly mundane creations: not a weapon, not armour, just practical engineering born from living on a volcano.

Design and Purpose#

The Lavaboard was quintessentially MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body. engineering, designed to solve a specific local problem that only made sense for a people living on an island of lava. Crafted by 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. of the volcanic Ta-WahiTa-WahiTa-Wahi was the volcanic region of Mata Nui surrounding the Mangai Volcano, encompassing Ta-Koro, the Lake of Fire, the Charred Forest, and the Ta-Wahi Beach. region, the boards were built from heat-resistant materials that allowed riders to surf directly across the molten flows that defined their homeland.

LavaboardsLavaboardsHeat-resistant boards crafted from Charred Forest wood that allowed Ta-Matoran to race across lava in the sport of Ignalu. attracted little attention in the chronicles. They worked because 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. needed them to work, and that quiet utility was characteristic of MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body. craft.

Mask of Light Moment#

The Lavaboard's defining appearance came during the events depicted in Mask of Light. When a massive wave of lava surged across 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., TakuaTakuaAn Av-Matoran hidden on Mata Nui as a Ta-Matoran, who gathered the Toa Stones, served as Chronicler, and ultimately accepted the Avohkii to become Takanuva, the Toa of Light. grabbed his Lavaboard and attempted to ride it to safety. Before he could be overtaken, 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. surfed across the lava and pulled him clear.

The escape stood out because it was grounded. It was simply a MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body. with a surfboard trying not to die, a moment of everyday survival amid larger conflicts.

Appearances and Craftsmanship#

The Lavaboard's clearest appearance is in Mask of Light, where TakuaTakuaAn Av-Matoran hidden on Mata Nui as a Ta-Matoran, who gathered the Toa Stones, served as Chronicler, and ultimately accepted the Avohkii to become Takanuva, the Toa of Light.'s escape attempt was the device's defining moment. The item also features in the 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. Online Game and various sources set in Ta-WahiTa-WahiTa-Wahi was the volcanic region of Mata Nui surrounding the Mangai Volcano, encompassing Ta-Koro, the Lake of Fire, the Charred Forest, and the Ta-Wahi Beach., underlining how fundamental the boards were to Ta-MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body. life. They were not story-critical items, and that ordinariness was part of their appeal. Mata NuiMata Nui (Location)An island created by accident on the Great Spirit's face, home to the Matoran for a thousand years. felt lived in because it included tools for mundane survival, not just weapons and masks.

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