The Scroll of Preparations

The Scroll of Preparations was a paper scroll placed by the Great BeingsThe Great BeingsScholar-inventors of Spherus Magna whose creations shaped the Matoran Universe and whose absence defined the conflicts that followed. in the Great TempleGreat TempleThe Great Temple is a structure situated in Ga-Metru, Metru Nui, associated with the Ga-Matoran and the Bordakh. It formerly fell under the influence of Teridax, though it currently holds no such power. of Ga-MatoranGa-MatoranThe Water-element Matoran of Ga-Metru and Ga-Koro, exclusively female, who taught the schools of Metru Nui and crewed the boats and bridges of the Mata Nui coast. MetruMetruIn the Matoran language a metru was a single district of Metru Nui; the city was divided into six such districts, one for each element, and the term covered both the place and the elemental community that lived in it. on Metru NuiThe 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., inscribed with the list of tasks that had to be performed before 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. could be reawakened. Retrieved by 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. on the instruction of 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 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. after the Voya NuiThe 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. campaign, the scroll set the agenda for every action the team took in the years leading up to the Karda NuiKarda NuiThe vast inner cavern at the core of the Matoran Universe, original home of the Av-Matoran, site of the Codrex and the final battle that decided the fate of Mata Nui. reawakening. It was the only known piece of paper recorded in the Matoran UniverseToa 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..

A document older than the Universe it served#

The Scroll of Preparations was the work of the Great BeingsThe Great BeingsScholar-inventors of Spherus Magna whose creations shaped the Matoran Universe and whose absence defined the conflicts that followed., prepared in advance of the Matoran UniverseToa 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.'s long operational life and lodged in the Great TempleGreat TempleThe Great Temple is a structure situated in Ga-Metru, Metru Nui, associated with the Ga-Matoran and the Bordakh. It formerly fell under the influence of Teridax, though it currently holds no such power. of Ga-MatoranGa-MatoranThe Water-element Matoran of Ga-Metru and Ga-Koro, exclusively female, who taught the schools of Metru Nui and crewed the boats and bridges of the Mata Nui coast. MetruMetruIn the Matoran language a metru was a single district of Metru Nui; the city was divided into six such districts, one for each element, and the term covered both the place and the elemental community that lived in it., the sanctuary on Metru NuiThe 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. dedicated to the Great SpiritMata Nui: Great Spirit of the Matoran UniverseBuilt by the Great Beings as a biomechanical guardian, betrayed by Teridax, and returned in a smaller form to reshape Spherus Magna. 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.. Its placement there was deliberate. The temple was the spiritual centre of the city the Great BeingsThe Great BeingsScholar-inventors of Spherus Magna whose creations shaped the Matoran Universe and whose absence defined the conflicts that followed. had designated as the heart of the universe, and the scroll's contents were too consequential to be entrusted to any minor shrine. Whatever party was destined to perform the final preparations for the Great SpiritMata Nui: Great Spirit of the Matoran UniverseBuilt by the Great Beings as a biomechanical guardian, betrayed by Teridax, and returned in a smaller form to reshape Spherus Magna.'s revival would have to come to the Great TempleGreat TempleThe Great Temple is a structure situated in Ga-Metru, Metru Nui, associated with the Ga-Matoran and the Bordakh. It formerly fell under the influence of Teridax, though it currently holds no such power. to receive their orders.

The scroll's medium was as unusual as its purpose. It was made of paper. No other paper object is recorded in the entire history of the Matoran UniverseToa 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., whose inhabitants worked instead in stone tablets, metal plates, knowledge crystals, and the carved walls of Knowledge TowerKnowledge TowerThe crystalline spires of Ko-Metru that housed memory crystals, sheltered the district's Scholars, and stored much of the city's accumulated knowledge. interiors. The choice of medium was almost certainly a deliberate marker that the artefact came from outside the MatoranGa-MatoranThe Water-element Matoran of Ga-Metru and Ga-Koro, exclusively female, who taught the schools of Metru Nui and crewed the boats and bridges of the Mata Nui coast. inventory of materials. Paper was the writing surface of the Great BeingsThe Great BeingsScholar-inventors of Spherus Magna whose creations shaped the Matoran Universe and whose absence defined the conflicts that followed. and of the cultures that surrounded them. The scroll's presence in the temple was therefore unmistakable as the work of an authority that stood above the MatoranGa-MatoranThe Water-element Matoran of Ga-Metru and Ga-Koro, exclusively female, who taught the schools of Metru Nui and crewed the boats and bridges of the Mata Nui coast. order, and its instructions were to be obeyed accordingly.

The text itself was structured as a list of tasks rather than as a narrative or a prophecy. The scroll did not explain why each item was required. It did not order the items by priority. It set them out as a roster of preparations to be completed, and assumed the party that read it would have the standing to interpret the items, the authority to act on them, and the resources to carry them out. The Great BeingsThe Great BeingsScholar-inventors of Spherus Magna whose creations shaped the Matoran Universe and whose absence defined the conflicts that followed. had not provided footnotes. They had provided instructions.

Retrieval after Voya Nui#

The scroll lay in the Great TempleGreat TempleThe Great Temple is a structure situated in Ga-Metru, Metru Nui, associated with the Ga-Matoran and the Bordakh. It formerly fell under the influence of Teridax, though it currently holds no such power. untouched through most of the Matoran UniverseToa 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.'s history. The Order of 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. knew of its existence, but the conditions for retrieval had not yet been met. Those conditions changed in the aftermath of the Voya NuiThe 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. campaign, when 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. had been ejected from the active mission to recover 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. and the Toa InikaJallerJaller 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. had been formed in their place. With the Voya NuiThe 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. team committed, the 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. were free for a second assignment, and the timing of the Great SpiritMata Nui: Great Spirit of the Matoran UniverseBuilt by the Great Beings as a biomechanical guardian, betrayed by Teridax, and returned in a smaller form to reshape Spherus Magna.'s decline had advanced to the point at which the preparations had to begin.

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 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., acting on behalf of the Order of 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., made contact with 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. and directed them to the Great TempleGreat TempleThe Great Temple is a structure situated in Ga-Metru, Metru Nui, associated with the Ga-Matoran and the Bordakh. It formerly fell under the influence of Teridax, though it currently holds no such power.. The instruction was specific. The team was to enter the temple, locate the scroll, and read it. The Order did not brief them on the contents in advance. The Great BeingsThe Great BeingsScholar-inventors of Spherus Magna whose creations shaped the Matoran Universe and whose absence defined the conflicts that followed.' tasks had been left for the ToaWho are the Toa Mata?Six warriors built to order by Artakha, stored in canisters, dropped into the ocean. This is the origin story of Bionicle's heroes and why their first week of work was entirely amnesiac. to discover and to interpret, and the role of 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 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. was to set the team in motion, not to substitute their own reading for the document the Great BeingsThe Great BeingsScholar-inventors of Spherus Magna whose creations shaped the Matoran Universe and whose absence defined the conflicts that followed. had written.

The retrieval was carried out without recorded incident. 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. entered the Great TempleGreat TempleThe Great Temple is a structure situated in Ga-Metru, Metru Nui, associated with the Ga-Matoran and the Bordakh. It formerly fell under the influence of Teridax, though it currently holds no such power., took possession of the Scroll of Preparations, and read it. From that moment the agenda of 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.' final years was set. Each of the major operations the team undertook in the period leading up to the Karda NuiKarda NuiThe vast inner cavern at the core of the Matoran Universe, original home of the Av-Matoran, site of the Codrex and the final battle that decided the fate of Mata Nui. campaign was a task pulled directly from the scroll.

Known items on the list#

Five items on the scroll are preserved in the record. The order in which they appeared on the actual document is not recovered. They were not all of comparable difficulty, and they were not all of comparable significance to the reawakening procedure, but they were each indispensable.

The first known item was the release of the BohrokBahragCahdok and Gahdok were the twin queens of the Bohrok, sealed in a Protodermis cage by the Toa Mata and later released to finish their cleansing of Mata Nui. swarms on 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. island. 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. returned to the abandoned island above the dome, descended into the BohrokBahragCahdok and Gahdok were the twin queens of the Bohrok, sealed in a Protodermis cage by the Toa Mata and later released to finish their cleansing of Mata Nui. nest, unlocked the Nuva CubeNuva SymbolThe six carved emblems in which the Toa Nuva stored their elemental power after sealing the Bahrag, and which the Bohrok-Kal stole one by one. with their six Nuva SymbolsNuva SymbolsStone carvings housing the Toa Nuva's elemental powers, designed to seal the Bahrag but vulnerable to a crippling flaw., and freed the BahragBahragCahdok and Gahdok were the twin queens of the Bohrok, sealed in a Protodermis cage by the Toa Mata and later released to finish their cleansing of Mata Nui. queens. The BahragBahragCahdok and Gahdok were the twin queens of the Bohrok, sealed in a Protodermis cage by the Toa Mata and later released to finish their cleansing of Mata Nui.'s release set the BohrokBahragCahdok and Gahdok were the twin queens of the Bohrok, sealed in a Protodermis cage by the Toa Mata and later released to finish their cleansing of Mata Nui. swarms in motion once more, and the swarms proceeded to scour the island of every trace of habitation, an act that completed the unfinished cleansing that had been interrupted years earlier by the Toa MataWho are the Toa Mata?Six warriors built to order by Artakha, stored in canisters, dropped into the ocean. This is the origin story of Bionicle's heroes and why their first week of work was entirely amnesiac.' first awakening.

The second known item was the retrieval of the Staff of ArtakhaThe Staff of ArtakhaA restoration artifact forged by Artakha himself, used by Helryx to reverse the environmental damage of the Great Cataclysm.. 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. travelled to OdinaOdinaOdina is a member of both the Dark Hunters and the Cliff Screechers, operating within the Matoran Universe. Formerly in possession of the powers of Vamprah, Odina retains no elemental abilities in the present day., the headquarters of the Dark Hunters, only to find that the staff had been moved. They proceeded to Xia, where they confronted MakutaMakutaA glossary entry distinguishing the three referents of the word Makuta: the species, the individual Teridax, and the title held by every Brotherhood member. IcaraxIcaraxHe thought scheming was for the weak and said so out loud, so the canon made sure the thing that finally killed him was a scheme., who had taken the artefact. The recovery passed through the intervention of 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. 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. and ended with the staff in the hands of the Order of 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. on DaxiaDaxiaDaxia is a location situated east of the Southern Continent, affiliated with the Order of Mata Nui and home to the Shallows Cat., where HelryxHelryxHelryx was the first Toa created by the Great Beings, founder of the Order of Mata Nui, and commander of its covert war against the Brotherhood of Makuta. used it to repair the damage the Great Cataclysm had done to the Matoran UniverseToa 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.. 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. themselves were teleported to DaxiaDaxiaDaxia is a location situated east of the Southern Continent, affiliated with the Order of Mata Nui and home to the Shallows Cat. in completion of this item, and were spoken to by HelryxHelryxHelryx was the first Toa created by the Great Beings, founder of the Order of Mata Nui, and commander of its covert war against the Brotherhood of Makuta. directly at the moment the staff was used.

The third known item required the destruction of a series of active volcanoes in the Southern Islands. The geological work was unglamorous compared with the others but was specifically listed, indicating that the volcanic activity in question would have interfered with some later stage of the awakening procedure had it been left in place.

The fourth was the retrieval of the Heart of the VisorakThe Brotherhood of MakutaAn organization of Makuta created by Mata Nui to police his universe and build Rahi, later seized by Teridax and turned into the instrument of the Plan that overthrew the Great Spirit., a device capable of summoning 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 to any chosen location. PohatuPohatuPohatu was the Toa Mata and Toa Nuva of Stone, guardian of Po-Wahi, whose speed and steady humour anchored the team through every era of the Matoran Universe. and OnuaOnuaOnua was the Toa Mata and Toa Nuva of Earth, a quiet, deliberate warrior whose patience and underground mastery anchored his team across the Matoran Universe. carried out this task on the Tren KromThe 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. Peninsula. The heart was afterwards passed to the Order of 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., through the agent JohmakJohmakJohmak is a member of the Order of Mata Nui who served as part of the rebellion force against the Makutaverse. Bearing ebon coloring and armed with a shield, Johmak operates on Spherus Magna., and was placed in the keeping of the Toa MahriJallerJaller 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. for safekeeping. 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. believed that the Order would not use it to call 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. quickly, which was the outcome the scroll required.

The fifth recorded item directed 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. to look through the Great Telescope on 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. island and to record the position of the Red StarRed StarThe Red Star was an orbiting facility that revived the dead and enabled the Great Spirit Robot's cosmic travels.. The instruction was observational rather than active. The scroll did not explain what the position of the Red StarRed StarThe Red Star was an orbiting facility that revived the dead and enabled the Great Spirit Robot's cosmic travels. would later be used for. It required only that the observation be made and the data preserved.

A list, not a strategy#

The Scroll of Preparations functioned as a checklist. It did not provide context, it did not explain consequences, and it did not arrange the items in any order that suggested cause and effect. Each task stood on its own and had to be carried out to its own conclusion. 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., with the support of the Order of 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. and the occasional intervention of 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., 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., and 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., prosecuted the list as it stood.

The design suited the Great BeingsThe Great BeingsScholar-inventors of Spherus Magna whose creations shaped the Matoran Universe and whose absence defined the conflicts that followed.' habits. Their other major preparatory artefact, the KeystoneKeystoneSix fragmented pieces of an awakening tablet that open the Codrex and trigger Mata Nui's resurrection across the Matoran Universe. tablet kept by the Av-MatoranKarda NuiThe vast inner cavern at the core of the Matoran Universe, original home of the Av-Matoran, site of the Codrex and the final battle that decided the fate of Mata Nui. of Karda NuiKarda NuiThe vast inner cavern at the core of the Matoran Universe, original home of the Av-Matoran, site of the Codrex and the final battle that decided the fate of Mata Nui., was similarly compact: a record of a procedure, not a justification for it. The scroll set out what had to be done in the years leading up to the reawakening; the Keystones set out how the reawakening itself was to be carried out once the team reached the CodrexThe CodrexA spherical vault built by the Great Beings beneath Karda Nui to house the Toa Mata in stasis and control the final phase of Mata Nui's reawakening.. Between them they covered the whole of the procedure.

After the list#

The scroll's active service ended at the completion of the Karda NuiKarda NuiThe vast inner cavern at the core of the Matoran Universe, original home of the Av-Matoran, site of the Codrex and the final battle that decided the fate of Mata Nui. campaign. By the time 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. reached the CodrexThe CodrexA spherical vault built by the Great Beings beneath Karda Nui to house the Toa Mata in stasis and control the final phase of Mata Nui's reawakening. the items it had set out were finished or in hand. The scroll itself was not required for the awakening procedure inside the CodrexThe CodrexA spherical vault built by the Great Beings beneath Karda Nui to house the Toa Mata in stasis and control the final phase of Mata Nui's reawakening.; that role was filled by the Keystones. The scroll's purpose had been preparatory in the strict sense, and once the preparations were complete it had no further mechanical role to play.

It is not known whether the Scroll of Preparations survived the subsequent seizure of the Matoran UniverseToa 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. by Makuta TeridaxTeridaxTeridax orchestrated a thousand-year scheme that ended with him occupying the Great Spirit Robot itself before his death on Bara Magna.. The Great TempleGreat TempleThe Great Temple is a structure situated in Ga-Metru, Metru Nui, associated with the Ga-Matoran and the Bordakh. It formerly fell under the influence of Teridax, though it currently holds no such power. was restored, along with the rest of the universe, by the Staff of ArtakhaThe Staff of ArtakhaA restoration artifact forged by Artakha himself, used by Helryx to reverse the environmental damage of the Great Cataclysm. earlier in the same sequence, and the scroll may have been returned there. What is recorded is that every task it set was completed, that the Great SpiritMata Nui: Great Spirit of the Matoran UniverseBuilt by the Great Beings as a biomechanical guardian, betrayed by Teridax, and returned in a smaller form to reshape Spherus Magna. was reawakened on schedule, and that the Great BeingsThe Great BeingsScholar-inventors of Spherus Magna whose creations shaped the Matoran Universe and whose absence defined the conflicts that followed.' single paper document had governed the conduct of an entire campaign through to its end.