Sculpture Fields

The Sculpture Fields were the open carving grounds 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 stone district of Metru NuiMetru NuiThe city beneath Mata Nui functions as the Great Spirit's brain, housing the Matoran whose labor keeps the god alive., and they were the part of the city where 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. made the statues that were too large for any building to hold. The fields were the district's most recognisable claim to fame, a wide expanse of courtyards and open ground dotted with works in progress, finished pieces awaiting transport, and structures so large that they doubled as terrain. Every public carving raised across Metru NuiMetru NuiThe city beneath Mata Nui functions as the Great Spirit's brain, housing the Matoran whose labor keeps the god alive. had passed through the Sculpture Fields at some stage of its assembly, and the location served as the setting for the 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. Great Disk recovery, for at least one Toa MangaiToa MangaiThe defenders of Metru Nui before the Toa Metru arrived, a team that fell to betrayal and relentless war. era confrontation, and for the Catapult ScorpionThe Catapult ScorpionA savage scorpion Rahi of Po-Metru that launched hardened balls of magma from its stinger, nested beneath the Sculpture Fields, and trailed the Kikanalo herds across the plains. caverns that ran beneath the floor.

Geography and the open layout#

The Sculpture Fields occupied a stretch of open ground in 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 district of Metru NuiMetru NuiThe city beneath Mata Nui functions as the Great Spirit's brain, housing the Matoran whose labor keeps the god alive. given over to stone and carving. 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. itself was built across rocky mountains and canyons rather than as a closed city grid, and the Sculpture Fields were the largest contiguous open area within it. The fields were unenclosed, sat under the open sky, and held no internal walls. That layout was practical rather than ornamental. The Sculpture Fields held works on a scale that no roof could span, including statues much too large for any building, and the only way to make them at all was to work them in the open.

The fields were lined and dotted with carvings in every stage of completion. Some were leaning blocks of protodermisProtodermisThe engineered substance building the Matoran Universe, protodermis exists in countless refined states from mundane metal to diamond-hard crystal to the destruction-or-transformation force of energized form. only roughed in, others were finished pieces awaiting VahkiVahkiMetru Nui's mechanical law enforcement squads, designed to maintain rigid order but ultimately undermined by chaos beyond their programming. transport to the ColiseumThe ColiseumCentral tower of Metru Nui, serving as government seat, sporting arena, and, during Teridax's masquerade, a prison for the city's Matoran population. or to the carved approaches of the other 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 unfinished face of the fields was the part most travellers saw, since fully completed pieces were moved out as soon as transport was arranged.

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. workers preferred the outdoor environment. The district's wider culture favoured open-air assembly, and the carvers' shifts were timed so that the largest works were on view to the VahkiVahkiMetru Nui's mechanical law enforcement squads, designed to maintain rigid order but ultimately undermined by chaos beyond their programming. of 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. squad, the order-keepers assigned to 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.. 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. carvers worked at the fields full-time, and most of the 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.' carvers were attached to a single piece for weeks at a time.

The Mountain in BalanceThe Mountain in BalanceThe Mountain in Balance was the unstable Po-Metru sculpture that hid the Po-Metru Great Disk, nearly killed Onewa during the retrieval, and gave the Toa Metru their first hard read on Ahkmou's intentions. and the Great Disk#

The single most famous structure in the Sculpture Fields was the Mountain in BalanceThe Mountain in BalanceThe Mountain in Balance was the unstable Po-Metru sculpture that hid the Po-Metru Great Disk, nearly killed Onewa during the retrieval, and gave the Toa Metru their first hard read on Ahkmou's intentions., an unstable stone composition whose entire form rested on a narrow central support. The piece was a deliberate exercise in carved equilibrium, and its top was the resting place of the 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. Great DiskThe Great DisksThe six legendary Kanoka of Metru Nui, one hidden in each district, recovered by the Toa Metru during the Morbuzakh crisis and later fused into the Kanohi Vahi.. AhkmouAhkmouA Po-Matoran carver of Metru Nui, one of the six Great Disk holders, who collaborated with Makuta Teridax and later imposed false Turaga rule during Teridax's reign., 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. carver who had been chosen as one of the six Matoran of TimeThe Great DisksThe six legendary Kanoka of Metru Nui, one hidden in each district, recovered by the Toa Metru during the Morbuzakh crisis and later fused into the Kanohi Vahi., had identified the disk's location to 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. and described it as resting on top of the "mountain in balance" sculpture.

When 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. retrieved the disk, the structure collapsed on top of him, and only a fortunate hollow in the falling debris fell across his position and left a pocket of clear space large enough for him to survive. The recovery counted as one of the more dangerous in the Great Disk hunt. The Mountain in BalanceThe Mountain in BalanceThe Mountain in Balance was the unstable Po-Metru sculpture that hid the Po-Metru Great Disk, nearly killed Onewa during the retrieval, and gave the Toa Metru their first hard read on Ahkmou's intentions. was destroyed in the process and never rebuilt; its design had depended on the original carver's hand, and the 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. workshops never duplicated the composition.

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.'s confrontation with AhkmouAhkmouA Po-Matoran carver of Metru Nui, one of the six Great Disk holders, who collaborated with Makuta Teridax and later imposed false Turaga rule during Teridax's reign.#

The Sculpture Fields were also the setting for 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. of stone's first real reading of AhkmouAhkmouA Po-Matoran carver of Metru Nui, one of the six Great Disk holders, who collaborated with Makuta Teridax and later imposed false Turaga rule during Teridax's reign.'s character. In the events recorded in BIONICLE Adventures 1: Mystery of Metru NuiThe Awakening of the Toa Metru and the Search for the Great DisksThe formation of the Toa Metru in the Great Temple, the recovery of the six Great Kanoka Disks, and the destruction of the King Root that ended the Morbuzakh crisis in Metru Nui., AhkmouAhkmouA Po-Matoran carver of Metru Nui, one of the six Great Disk holders, who collaborated with Makuta Teridax and later imposed false Turaga rule during Teridax's reign. had agreed to play the part of a MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body. in peril for the Dark HunterThe Dark HuntersA mercenary organization founded on Odina by The Shadowed One and Ancient, contracted across the Matoran Universe for assassination and theft, and ultimately reduced to a battered remnant by the fall of the universe itself. NidhikiNidhikiOnce a guardian of Metru Nui, Nidhiki traded his Toa honor for Dark Hunter gold and paid the price., who had introduced him to his partner KrekkaKrekkaA brutish but ineffective Dark Hunter with no powers or masks, Krekka was outmatched from his first moments in Metru Nui. as a threat to make sure the task was completed. The ruse was that AhkmouAhkmouA Po-Matoran carver of Metru Nui, one of the six Great Disk holders, who collaborated with Makuta Teridax and later imposed false Turaga rule during Teridax's reign. would let himself be found apparently trapped on top of a large sculpture in the Sculpture Fields.

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. was suspicious from the start. He knew that AhkmouAhkmouA Po-Matoran carver of Metru Nui, one of the six Great Disk holders, who collaborated with Makuta Teridax and later imposed false Turaga rule during Teridax's reign. often climbed sculptures of that height for his own amusement and was in no real danger of being stuck. When AhkmouAhkmouA Po-Matoran carver of Metru Nui, one of the six Great Disk holders, who collaborated with Makuta Teridax and later imposed false Turaga rule during Teridax's reign. called out the name "NidhikiNidhikiOnce a guardian of Metru Nui, Nidhiki traded his Toa honor for Dark Hunter gold and paid the price." without explanation, 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. turned to see a figure hide behind one of the statues. 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. escaped by jumping from statue to statue across the fields and ran for ChuteChute: the Transport Tubes of Metru NuiA Chute was a pipe of liquid protodermis held together by a magnetic field, used across Metru Nui to carry Matoran, cargo, and Rahi. The system was run by the Le-Matoran and ran throughout the city until the Great Cataclysm left it abandoned. Station 445, the busiest transport hub in 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 chase through the fields and the suspicion it confirmed became the basis for 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.'s reluctance to trust AhkmouAhkmouA Po-Matoran carver of Metru Nui, one of the six Great Disk holders, who collaborated with Makuta Teridax and later imposed false Turaga rule during Teridax's reign. for the rest of the MorbuzakhMorbuzakhA sentient plant monster created by Teridax to terrorize Metru Nui and control its population through fear. sequence.

Wildlife above and below#

The Sculpture Fields supported a layered local ecosystem unusual for a manufacturing district. On the surface, herds of KikanaloKikanaloBionicle's most underestimated Rahi: intelligent herd creatures whose stampedes terrified even Dark Hunters on Metru Nui. grazed across the open ground and dug up excess pieces of protodermisProtodermisThe engineered substance building the Matoran Universe, protodermis exists in countless refined states from mundane metal to diamond-hard crystal to the destruction-or-transformation force of energized form. that the carvers had not used. The rhino-like 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. were widely dismissed as non-sentient brutes by 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. workers, although Toa NokamaNokamaNokama served as Toa Metru of Water, endured the Hordika mutation, and led Ga-Koro and later Ga-Metru as Turaga through three eras. later discovered through her Kanohi RauKanohi RauThe Kanohi Rau allowed its wearer to comprehend foreign written and spoken languages, and was most associated with Turaga Nokama. that they were in fact intelligent. The herds were typically found around the edge of the fields and were the most visible 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. to anyone entering the district on foot.

Beneath the surface, the fields concealed a network of caverns occupied by Catapult ScorpionsThe Catapult ScorpionA savage scorpion Rahi of Po-Metru that launched hardened balls of magma from its stinger, nested beneath the Sculpture Fields, and trailed the Kikanalo herds across the plains.. The scorpion 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., with their razor-like pincers, sharp teeth, and spined heads, rarely surfaced. When they did, Phase DragonsPhase DragonSpeed-obsessed Rahi with the rare ability to phase through solid matter, gentle when stimulated but dangerous when bored., Rock RaptorsRock RaptorCunning Po-Metru Rahi that hunt Kikanalo using engineered avalanches., TunnelersTunnelerA Rahi that absorbs any power directed at it, but becomes fragile when turned to glass., and 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. alike learned to keep clear. The Catapult ScorpionsThe Catapult ScorpionA savage scorpion Rahi of Po-Metru that launched hardened balls of magma from its stinger, nested beneath the Sculpture Fields, and trailed the Kikanalo herds across the plains. considered every living thing except the KikanaloKikanaloBionicle's most underestimated Rahi: intelligent herd creatures whose stampedes terrified even Dark Hunters on Metru Nui. an enemy, and the cohabitation of the two species under and over the Sculpture Fields was one of the older balances in the 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. wildlife inventory. Rock RaptorsRock RaptorCunning Po-Metru Rahi that hunt Kikanalo using engineered avalanches. were also commonly found around the fringes of the fields, hunted by the RoporakRoporakOne of six Visorak breeds, Roporak were the horde's infiltrators and scouts during its 2005 assault on Metru Nui. to near extinction within Metru NuiMetru NuiThe city beneath Mata Nui functions as the Great Spirit's brain, housing the Matoran whose labor keeps the god alive..

The Toa MangaiToa MangaiThe defenders of Metru Nui before the Toa Metru arrived, a team that fell to betrayal and relentless war. era and the Nui StoneNui StoneA red artifact that hunts Toa and drains their power within 3000 kio, sought by Tuyet in ancient Metru Nui to gain strength against enemies only she could see. affair#

The Sculpture Fields had been used as a drop point during the events that led to the exposure of Toa TuyetTuyetA Toa of Water caught in the Order's machinations, Tuyet turned from peer-seeker to rebel-schemer.. A carved message addressed to TuyetTuyetA Toa of Water caught in the Order's machinations, Tuyet turned from peer-seeker to rebel-schemer. appeared in the fields, demanding that she leave the Nui StoneNui StoneA red artifact that hunts Toa and drains their power within 3000 kio, sought by Tuyet in ancient Metru Nui to gain strength against enemies only she could see. there or further MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body. would be killed. The artifact in question, a battery that drew minute amounts of power from every ToaToa (2001)Biomechanical heroes bonded to elemental powers and masks. Not born, but chosen and transformed. within a three thousand kio radius and delivered the accumulated energy to whoever held it, was at the centre of the murders TuyetTuyetA Toa of Water caught in the Order's machinations, Tuyet turned from peer-seeker to rebel-schemer. herself had committed to frame the Dark HuntersThe Dark HuntersA mercenary organization founded on Odina by The Shadowed One and Ancient, contracted across the Matoran Universe for assassination and theft, and ultimately reduced to a battered remnant by the fall of the universe itself.. TuyetTuyetA Toa of Water caught in the Order's machinations, Tuyet turned from peer-seeker to rebel-schemer. claimed at the time that the message was a Dark HunterThe Dark HuntersA mercenary organization founded on Odina by The Shadowed One and Ancient, contracted across the Matoran Universe for assassination and theft, and ultimately reduced to a battered remnant by the fall of the universe itself. ultimatum and that the stone had been lost on her home island years earlier. The truth, that she had kept the stone herself and was extending her cover, came out only when LhikanLhikanToa of Fire, leader of the Toa Mangai, and the last Toa of Metru Nui, who surrendered his Toa Power to create the Toa Metru and died defending Vakama. and the other Toa MangaiToa MangaiThe defenders of Metru Nui before the Toa Metru arrived, a team that fell to betrayal and relentless war. caught her. The Sculpture Fields had served as the public face of the demand, which placed the fields in the Toa MangaiToa MangaiThe defenders of Metru Nui before the Toa Metru arrived, a team that fell to betrayal and relentless war. era record as well as 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. era one.

Separately, a Nui-JagaNui-JagaGiant scorpions with lethal stingers that were hunted for profit despite a grim death toll. that AhkmouAhkmouA Po-Matoran carver of Metru Nui, one of the six Great Disk holders, who collaborated with Makuta Teridax and later imposed false Turaga rule during Teridax's reign. had found in the Sculpture Fields turned up in 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. as part of the same web of MorbuzakhMorbuzakhA sentient plant monster created by Teridax to terrorize Metru Nui and control its population through fear. era manipulation that 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. was untangling at the receiving department.

Decline after the Great Cataclysm#

The Sculpture Fields were taken out of active use 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. and 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. occupation that followed. The carvers had been sealed in MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body. spheres in the ColiseumThe ColiseumCentral tower of Metru Nui, serving as government seat, sporting arena, and, during Teridax's masquerade, a prison for the city's Matoran population. before the disaster, and the open ground that had been their workshop was abandoned to the 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. and to whatever VisorakVisorak (Rahi)Spider-like Rahi employed by the Brotherhood of Makuta whose name meant 'Stealers of Life' and whose swarms threatened the Matoran Universe. patrols passed through. 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 the MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body. to Mata NuiMata Nui (Location)An island created by accident on the Great Spirit's face, home to the Matoran for a thousand years. and later restored the city after the awakening, the Sculpture Fields stood as one of the most visible records of pre-disaster 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. industry, but the great works were no longer being added to. The statues that had survived stood where they had been left, and the open expanse of the fields became a memorial of the carving tradition rather than its workshop.