Motara Desert

The Motara Desert was a region of sand and dunes covering the eastern stretch of Po-WahiPo-WahiPo-Wahi is a region of the island of Mata Nui, inhabited by Po-Matoran and Rahi. The territory formerly fell under the control of Teridax. on the island of Mata NuiMata Nui (Location)An island created by accident on the Great Spirit's face, home to the Matoran for a thousand years.. It served as a buffer between Po-KoroPo-KoroPo-Koro was the Po-Matoran village in Po-Wahi, led by Turaga Onewa and guarded by Toa Pohatu, reached through a single statue-lined road called the Path of Prophecies. and the wilder country beyond, supported 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. trade and quarry operations, and was destroyed during the BohrokBohrokHive-minded mechanical creatures designed to reshape worlds, the Bohrok represent a threat the Toa Mata never expected. swarms.

Geography#

The Motara Desert occupied the eastern portion of Po-WahiPo-WahiPo-Wahi is a region of the island of Mata Nui, inhabited by Po-Matoran and Rahi. The territory formerly fell under the control of Teridax., beginning beyond the stone walls of Po-KoroPo-KoroPo-Koro was the Po-Matoran village in Po-Wahi, led by Turaga Onewa and guarded by Toa Pohatu, reached through a single statue-lined road called the Path of Prophecies. and extending toward the coast. Its surface was characterised by shifting dunes interspersed with firm ground near the village's working quarry. The terrain offered a natural buffer between the settled population of Po-KoroPo-KoroPo-Koro was the Po-Matoran village in Po-Wahi, led by Turaga Onewa and guarded by Toa Pohatu, reached through a single statue-lined road called the Path of Prophecies. and the open country beyond, which was populated by hostile 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..

Despite its dryness, the desert connected to the coastal infrastructure of Ga-KoroGa-KoroGa-Koro is a village on the island of Mata Nui, inhabited by the Ga-Matoran and associated with both Nokama and Gali. The settlement was formerly under the power of Teridax.. Ga-KoroGa-KoroGa-Koro is a village on the island of Mata Nui, inhabited by the Ga-Matoran and associated with both Nokama and Gali. The settlement was formerly under the power of Teridax. vessels made landfall along the desert's seaward edge, and goods were transferred inland through trade caravans operating between the two villages.

Wildlife#

The Motara was home to a number of distinctive 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.. The Sand TarakavaTarakavaHuge lizard-like Rahi with powerful forelegs, hunted in pairs across Mata Nui and Metru Nui. was a desert-adapted variant of the standard TarakavaTarakavaHuge lizard-like Rahi with powerful forelegs, hunted in pairs across Mata Nui and Metru Nui., with greater tolerance for heat and a tendency to ambush prey from beneath the dunes. The MahiMahiHorned herd Rahi native to the Po-Wahi plains of Mata Nui, harvested by the Po-Matoran for spear-grade horn material and drawn to Pohatu by an unexplained magnetic resonance., reptilian draft animals of considerable strength, were domesticated by the 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. and used to haul stone from the quarry. Smaller 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. documented in the desert included the sand snipe, the rock lion, and the RoporakRoporakOne of six Visorak breeds, Roporak were the horde's infiltrators and scouts during its 2005 assault on Metru Nui..

The 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. chronicler KapuraKapuraKapura was a red Matoran of Fire who served as a member of the Ta-Koro Guard and formerly as part of the Chronicler's Company. A native of Metru Nui, he later worked as a Vat Controller there, wearing a powerless Ruru on Mata Nui and a powerless Pakari on Metru Nui, and ultimately settled on Bota Magna on Spherus Magna. recorded that even experienced desert guides such as HafuHafuHafu was a Po-Matoran Carver of Po-Koro, recognized as a Master Carver, who served in the Chronicler's Company and survived the Reign of Shadows. found long crossings taxing, with risks from sudden sandstorms and 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. attacks compounding the heat and scarcity of water.

Economy#

The Motara Desert was central to the Po-WahiPo-WahiPo-Wahi is a region of the island of Mata Nui, inhabited by Po-Matoran and Rahi. The territory formerly fell under the control of Teridax. economy. The quarry near Po-KoroPo-KoroPo-Koro was the Po-Matoran village in Po-Wahi, led by Turaga Onewa and guarded by Toa Pohatu, reached through a single statue-lined road called the Path of Prophecies. was the source of the carved stone that formed the basis 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. trade, and the desert provided the principal land route by which that stone reached buyers in Ga-KoroGa-KoroGa-Koro is a village on the island of Mata Nui, inhabited by the Ga-Matoran and associated with both Nokama and Gali. The settlement was formerly under the power of Teridax. and further afield. MahiMahiHorned herd Rahi native to the Po-Wahi plains of Mata Nui, harvested by the Po-Matoran for spear-grade horn material and drawn to Pohatu by an unexplained magnetic resonance. caravans hauled stone across the dunes on a regular schedule, and the same routes carried information, salt, dried kelp from Ga-KoroGa-KoroGa-Koro is a village on the island of Mata Nui, inhabited by the Ga-Matoran and associated with both Nokama and Gali. The settlement was formerly under the power of Teridax., and occasional artefacts in the other direction.

The infrastructure was modest and largely seasonal. No permanent ports or way stations were recorded along the desert's edge, and travel depended on MahiMahiHorned herd Rahi native to the Po-Wahi plains of Mata Nui, harvested by the Po-Matoran for spear-grade horn material and drawn to Pohatu by an unexplained magnetic resonance. herders and experienced guides familiar with the shifting paths.

Destruction by the BohrokBohrokHive-minded mechanical creatures designed to reshape worlds, the Bohrok represent a threat the Toa Mata never expected.#

The Motara was destroyed during the BohrokBohrokHive-minded mechanical creatures designed to reshape worlds, the Bohrok represent a threat the Toa Mata never expected. swarms that emerged on Mata NuiMata Nui (Location)An island created by accident on the Great Spirit's face, home to the Matoran for a thousand years.. PahrakPahrakStone-aligned Bohrok swarm units that forced the Toa Mata to realize they couldn't win through isolated victories. and KohrakKohrakIce-wielding Bohrok from the 2002 original wave, the foundational design for all subsequent Bohrok variants. clusters surfaced beneath Po-WahiPo-WahiPo-Wahi is a region of the island of Mata Nui, inhabited by Po-Matoran and Rahi. The territory formerly fell under the control of Teridax. and proceeded with their standard reclamation work, dismantling Po-KoroPo-KoroPo-Koro was the Po-Matoran village in Po-Wahi, led by Turaga Onewa and guarded by Toa Pohatu, reached through a single statue-lined road called the Path of Prophecies. block by block and flattening the surrounding terrain. The dunes, the working quarry, and the MahiMahiHorned herd Rahi native to the Po-Wahi plains of Mata Nui, harvested by the Po-Matoran for spear-grade horn material and drawn to Pohatu by an unexplained magnetic resonance. grazing grounds were levelled in the course of the swarms' advance.

The destruction was thorough. By the time the swarms moved westward, the Motara Desert had effectively ceased to exist as a distinct region. The 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. lost not only their settlement and quarry but also the navigation lore, oral histories, and trade routes that had been built around the desert over generations.

Status after the swarms#

The Motara was not restored after the BohrokBohrokHive-minded mechanical creatures designed to reshape worlds, the Bohrok represent a threat the Toa Mata never expected. swarms were halted. While the Bohrok VaBohrok VaScouts and support units for the Bohrok swarms, the Bohrok Va operated independently where the hive-mind Bohrok could not. and surviving MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body. rebuilt Po-KoroPo-KoroPo-Koro was the Po-Matoran village in Po-Wahi, led by Turaga Onewa and guarded by Toa Pohatu, reached through a single statue-lined road called the Path of Prophecies. and other affected settlements after the defeat of the Bohrok-KalBohrok-KalSix elite Bohrok designed to free the imprisoned Bahrag, they nearly defeated the Toa Nuva before the Toa turned their own powers against them., no record of the desert's reconstruction exists in the chronicles of the period. The 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. subsequently 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. when the island of Mata NuiMata Nui (Location)An island created by accident on the Great Spirit's face, home to the Matoran for a thousand years. was abandoned, removing any further need for the lost region.

The Motara survived in 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. memory through the craftsmanship and reserved manner of those who had lived there. HafuHafuHafu was a Po-Matoran Carver of Po-Koro, recognized as a Master Carver, who served in the Chronicler's Company and survived the Reign of Shadows., KapuraKapuraKapura was a red Matoran of Fire who served as a member of the Ta-Koro Guard and formerly as part of the Chronicler's Company. A native of Metru Nui, he later worked as a Vat Controller there, wearing a powerless Ruru on Mata Nui and a powerless Pakari on Metru Nui, and ultimately settled on Bota Magna on Spherus Magna., and other 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. continued to work stone in their new home, carrying forward the disciplines learned on the desert's edge.