Valley of Fear

The Valley of Fear was the stretch of the Bara MagnaBara MagnaA desert world of tribal warfare and scarce resources, one of three landmasses that formed Spherus Magna. crisis in which 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., travelling alone through the Black Spike MountainsBlack Spike MountainsThe mountain range north of the Bara Magna desert that served as the Skrall homeland after the Shattering, became Baterra hunting ground, and was destroyed when the Mata Nui robot fell upon it. with the ScarabaxScarabaxSmall desert beetles of Bara Magna, welcomed as helpful scavengers by most Agori but dismissed as vermin by the Skrall. beetle ClickClickThe Scarabax beetle whose touch on the Ignika became the Scarabax Shield, named by Kiina and carried by Mata Nui across Bara Magna. at his side, reached the Valley of the MazeThe Valley of the MazeThe northern Bara Magna labyrinth where the Great Beings hid the unstable Power Source of the Prototype Robot, sealed behind puzzle traps and a fortress that few outsiders ever survived to describe. and worked his way through the labyrinth of shifting elemental traps toward the tower fortress at its centre. While he advanced, AckarAckarVeteran Glatorian of the Fire Tribe and prime fighter for Vulcanus, Ackar served from the Core War through the defence of Spherus Magna. and KiinaKiinaKiina is a Glatorian of the Water Tribe who served as the secondary Glatorian for the village of Tajun on Spherus Magna. Colored in shades of dark and light blue, she wielded a Vapor Trident and a Thornax Launcher in combat. Following the reformation of Spherus Magna, she continued to reside on the restored world. subdued the desert bandit SahmadSahmadA slaver, a survivor, and the only living memory of a people the Dreaming Plague erased before the Core War. outside the AgoriAgoriThe villager species of Bara Magna, organised by tribe and settlement, who governed their villages and arranged the Glatorian arena system. Mega-Village, and on Aqua MagnaAqua MagnaThe endless ocean where the Matoran Universe found refuge and Mata Nui made his final stand. the conquering TeridaxTeridaxTeridax orchestrated a thousand-year scheme that ended with him occupying the Great Spirit Robot itself before his death on Bara Magna., having put down the last of the rebellions inside the Matoran UniverseMatoran UniverseA civilization of biomechanical beings living inside a colossal robot, destroyed when Teridax seized control., made the decision that would bring the Great Spirit RobotThe Great Spirit Robot, explainedBionicle's whole universe lives inside a 40-million-foot robot built by the Great Beings. Here is what it is, why it was built, and how it ended. to Bara MagnaBara MagnaA desert world of tribal warfare and scarce resources, one of three landmasses that formed Spherus Magna. and end the campaign on the desert in a single afternoon.

The road to the Maze#

The events at the Valley of the MazeThe Valley of the MazeThe northern Bara Magna labyrinth where the Great Beings hid the unstable Power Source of the Prototype Robot, sealed behind puzzle traps and a fortress that few outsiders ever survived to describe. were the second stage of the long northern journey 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. had undertaken from the southern AgoriAgoriThe villager species of Bara Magna, organised by tribe and settlement, who governed their villages and arranged the Glatorian arena system. villages after the Battle of Bara MagnaThe Battle of Bara MagnaThe Great Spirit Robot fell from the sky carrying Teridax in stolen flesh, and the desert world below produced a champion who carried Mata Nui's consciousness back into the fight. and the disclosures at the Underground Lab of the Great BeingsThe Great BeingsScholar-inventors of Spherus Magna whose creations shaped the Matoran Universe and whose absence defined the conflicts that followed.. The Lab had yielded two artefacts of consequence: a coin and a saw-blade shield whose etched surface formed a map. Both together pointed to a single site in the heart of the Black Spike MountainsBlack Spike MountainsThe mountain range north of the Bara Magna desert that served as the Skrall homeland after the Shattering, became Baterra hunting ground, and was destroyed when the Mata Nui robot fell upon it., where a tower stood at the centre of a walled valley known to the GlatorianGlatorianTribal warriors of Spherus Magna who settled disputes through arena combat, until the Skrall conquest enslaved most of them. by reputation as the Valley of the MazeThe Valley of the MazeThe northern Bara Magna labyrinth where the Great Beings hid the unstable Power Source of the Prototype Robot, sealed behind puzzle traps and a fortress that few outsiders ever survived to describe. and to the desert peoples in less polite terms as the Valley of Fear.

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. had set out with BerixBerixBerix is an Agori of the Water Tribe who lived on Spherus Magna. A scavenger by trade, he is recognized by his blue and dark blue coloration and carries a Water Sword and shield., the curious water-tribe AgoriAgoriThe villager species of Bara Magna, organised by tribe and settlement, who governed their villages and arranged the Glatorian arena system. who had recovered the coin in the first place. The pair travelled with the ScarabaxScarabaxSmall desert beetles of Bara Magna, welcomed as helpful scavengers by most Agori but dismissed as vermin by the Skrall. ClickClickThe Scarabax beetle whose touch on the Ignika became the Scarabax Shield, named by Kiina and carried by Mata Nui across Bara Magna., the beetle that had attached itself to 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. at VulcanusVulcanusThe Fire Tribe's settlement on Bara Magna, caught between resources and threats. and remained with him as both companion and, in transformed shape, as the Scarab Shield. The route into the mountains had taken them through territory still patrolled by SkrallSkrallA black-armored warrior species from Spherus Magna that dominated northern Bara Magna under Tuma's rule. stragglers from the broken RoxtusRoxtusThe largest Agori village on Bara Magna and the seat of Tuma's Skrall, Roxtus was the centre of the Empire of the Skrall until Mata Nui defeated Tuma in single combat. garrison. In a skirmish with a small group of them, a thrown ThornaxThornaxThornax was a hardy desert fruit native to Bara Magna, eaten unripe as stew and fired ripe from launchers across Glatorian and Skrall ranks. caught BerixBerixBerix is an Agori of the Water Tribe who lived on Spherus Magna. A scavenger by trade, he is recognized by his blue and dark blue coloration and carries a Water Sword and shield. and inflicted a wound serious enough to take him out of the expedition. 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. sent him back to the southern villages for healing and, against KiinaKiinaKiina is a Glatorian of the Water Tribe who served as the secondary Glatorian for the village of Tajun on Spherus Magna. Colored in shades of dark and light blue, she wielded a Vapor Trident and a Thornax Launcher in combat. Following the reformation of Spherus Magna, she continued to reside on the restored world.'s wishes when she heard of it later, continued north alone with ClickClickThe Scarabax beetle whose touch on the Ignika became the Scarabax Shield, named by Kiina and carried by Mata Nui across Bara Magna..

He arrived at the Valley in due course. The walls of the labyrinth rose on every side, and the tower stood plainly visible at the centre. The road forward lay through the Maze itself.

Inside the Maze#

The Valley of the MazeThe Valley of the MazeThe northern Bara Magna labyrinth where the Great Beings hid the unstable Power Source of the Prototype Robot, sealed behind puzzle traps and a fortress that few outsiders ever survived to describe. was a construction of the Great BeingsThe Great BeingsScholar-inventors of Spherus Magna whose creations shaped the Matoran Universe and whose absence defined the conflicts that followed., built to the same general principle as several of their other test sites: an admissions corridor in which the traps did the sorting and only those willing to survive the sorting reached the door at the other end. 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. entered the Maze on foot, ClickClickThe Scarabax beetle whose touch on the Ignika became the Scarabax Shield, named by Kiina and carried by Mata Nui across Bara Magna. clinging to his armour, and began the traverse.

The first trap was a shifting elemental chamber. The corridor he had entered filled with water, and he began to wade through it. Once the water reached his chest the entire volume turned to ice and held him fast. He raised his sword to break the ice, and as he struck the substance transformed again into fire that swept the chamber in a single sheet of flame. The fire then became animated plant life, vines and tendrils that whipped at his armour and tried to drag him to the floor. The shifting was deliberate: any tool he readied for one element became useless against the next. The exit came only when he stopped trying to fight the substance and pushed through it on raw strength, emerging into the corridor beyond with ClickClickThe Scarabax beetle whose touch on the Ignika became the Scarabax Shield, named by Kiina and carried by Mata Nui across Bara Magna. still attached and his sword still in hand.

The next chamber appeared to be a dead end. The wall at the far end was solid stone, unmarked, and as thick as any defensive masonry the AgoriAgoriThe villager species of Bara Magna, organised by tribe and settlement, who governed their villages and arranged the Glatorian arena system. tribes were capable of building. ClickClickThe Scarabax beetle whose touch on the Ignika became the Scarabax Shield, named by Kiina and carried by Mata Nui across Bara Magna. transformed into the Scarab ShieldClickThe Scarabax beetle whose touch on the Ignika became the Scarabax Shield, named by Kiina and carried by Mata Nui across Bara Magna., and 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. used the shield as a battering ram against the wall. The masonry broke. The room behind it was a defensive emplacement, and what waited on the far side was a battery of Thornax LaunchersThornax LauncherThe Thornax Launcher was a scrap-built projectile weapon produced by Agori engineers, firing Thornax fruit and standard across Glatorian and Skrall ranks. loaded and ready to fire.

The fight at the launchers was the briefer of the two encounters. 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. used the Scarab Shield to deflect the first volley, closed the distance under cover, and destroyed each launcher in turn before any of them could be reloaded against him. With the chamber cleared he made his way out the far door and into the open square at the centre of the Maze, where the tower stood. He had reached the site the Great BeingsThe Great BeingsScholar-inventors of Spherus Magna whose creations shaped the Matoran Universe and whose absence defined the conflicts that followed. had marked.

At the Mega-Village#

While the Maze swallowed 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., the southern situation continued on the outskirts of the AgoriAgoriThe villager species of Bara Magna, organised by tribe and settlement, who governed their villages and arranged the Glatorian arena system. settlement that had been forming, by stages, out of the salvaged scrap of the Prototype RobotThe Prototype RobotThe Great Beings' earlier and unstable attempt at the design that became the Great Spirit Robot, scattered across the Bara Magna desert and reassembled by the villages to carry Mata Nui into the final battle with Teridax. on the plain. The desert bandit SahmadSahmadA slaver, a survivor, and the only living memory of a people the Dreaming Plague erased before the Core War., driving his armoured vehicle the Baranus V7Baranus V7A Rock Tribe transport chariot that survived the Shattering and ended up in the hands of a desert bandit., came down out of the dunes and challenged AckarAckarVeteran Glatorian of the Fire Tribe and prime fighter for Vulcanus, Ackar served from the Core War through the defence of Spherus Magna. and KiinaKiinaKiina is a Glatorian of the Water Tribe who served as the secondary Glatorian for the village of Tajun on Spherus Magna. Colored in shades of dark and light blue, she wielded a Vapor Trident and a Thornax Launcher in combat. Following the reformation of Spherus Magna, she continued to reside on the restored world. as they were returning to the village.

The encounter was short. AckarAckarVeteran Glatorian of the Fire Tribe and prime fighter for Vulcanus, Ackar served from the Core War through the defence of Spherus Magna. and KiinaKiinaKiina is a Glatorian of the Water Tribe who served as the secondary Glatorian for the village of Tajun on Spherus Magna. Colored in shades of dark and light blue, she wielded a Vapor Trident and a Thornax Launcher in combat. Following the reformation of Spherus Magna, she continued to reside on the restored world., both recent arrivals to the use of their newly awakened Elemental Powers, turned those powers on the Baranus V7Baranus V7A Rock Tribe transport chariot that survived the Shattering and ended up in the hands of a desert bandit. and disabled both the vehicle and its driver. SahmadSahmadA slaver, a survivor, and the only living memory of a people the Dreaming Plague erased before the Core War. was subdued without serious injury on either side. The two GlatorianGlatorianTribal warriors of Spherus Magna who settled disputes through arena combat, until the Skrall conquest enslaved most of them. met up with GreshGreshA young Glatorian of the Jungle Tribe who served Tesara and later joined the alliance that defended Bara Magna during its final crisis. shortly afterwards and continued on toward the village, arriving at an outcropping overlooking the field of robot scraps from which the Mega-Village was being raised.

The conversation as they walked turned 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.'s solo run. KiinaKiinaKiina is a Glatorian of the Water Tribe who served as the secondary Glatorian for the village of Tajun on Spherus Magna. Colored in shades of dark and light blue, she wielded a Vapor Trident and a Thornax Launcher in combat. Following the reformation of Spherus Magna, she continued to reside on the restored world. was openly worried that he had pressed north without an escort after sending BerixBerixBerix is an Agori of the Water Tribe who lived on Spherus Magna. A scavenger by trade, he is recognized by his blue and dark blue coloration and carries a Water Sword and shield. back. AckarAckarVeteran Glatorian of the Fire Tribe and prime fighter for Vulcanus, Ackar served from the Core War through the defence of Spherus Magna. reassured her that 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. would return. The reassurance was the kind that a GlatorianGlatorianTribal warriors of Spherus Magna who settled disputes through arena combat, until the Skrall conquest enslaved most of them. of AckarAckarVeteran Glatorian of the Fire Tribe and prime fighter for Vulcanus, Ackar served from the Core War through the defence of Spherus Magna.'s years could offer without quite believing it himself, and KiinaKiinaKiina is a Glatorian of the Water Tribe who served as the secondary Glatorian for the village of Tajun on Spherus Magna. Colored in shades of dark and light blue, she wielded a Vapor Trident and a Thornax Launcher in combat. Following the reformation of Spherus Magna, she continued to reside on the restored world. did not press the point.

Teridax on Aqua Magna#

On Aqua MagnaAqua MagnaThe endless ocean where the Matoran Universe found refuge and Mata Nui made his final stand., the world below where the Matoran UniverseMatoran UniverseA civilization of biomechanical beings living inside a colossal robot, destroyed when Teridax seized control. lay in the form of the Great Spirit RobotThe Great Spirit Robot, explainedBionicle's whole universe lives inside a 40-million-foot robot built by the Great Beings. Here is what it is, why it was built, and how it ended. at rest on the planet's surface, the MakutaMakutaA glossary entry distinguishing the three referents of the word Makuta: the species, the individual Teridax, and the title held by every Brotherhood member. TeridaxTeridaxTeridax orchestrated a thousand-year scheme that ended with him occupying the Great Spirit Robot itself before his death on Bara Magna. had been settling his rule from inside the robot's central control system. The MakutaMakuta (Species)Shadowy Antidermis beings and the Brotherhood's elite, Makuta commanded darkness and shaped the Matoran Universe's fate.'s coup had displaced 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. into the Kanohi IgnikaThe 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 Ignika had been flung from the system to Bara MagnaBara MagnaA desert world of tribal warfare and scarce resources, one of three landmasses that formed Spherus Magna., where it had taken shape in the Prototype RobotThe Prototype RobotThe Great Beings' earlier and unstable attempt at the design that became the Great Spirit Robot, scattered across the Bara Magna desert and reassembled by the villages to carry Mata Nui into the final battle with Teridax. body and become the figure who was now traversing the Maze. The displacement had been the work of a moment. The settling of the empire that resulted had taken longer.

By the time 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. reached the central tower of the Maze, TeridaxTeridaxTeridax orchestrated a thousand-year scheme that ended with him occupying the Great Spirit Robot itself before his death on Bara Magna. had crushed the last of the rebellions inside the Matoran UniverseMatoran UniverseA civilization of biomechanical beings living inside a colossal robot, destroyed when Teridax seized control.. The Order of Mata NuiThe Order of Mata NuiThe covert organization founded by Helryx to serve the Great Spirit directly, operating in concealment from a fortress on Daxia and waging the open war against the Brotherhood of Makuta that decided the fate of the universe.'s resistance had been broken. The remaining Toa had been dispersed. The MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body. population was, by varying degrees of coercion, under his direct rule. With internal opposition reduced to scattered survivors, he turned his attention back to the one figure outside the system who could still claim the universe as his by right.

The intelligence reached him in the form of a confirmation rather than a discovery. 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., he had suspected, had not died when the Ignika was thrown clear; the suspicion was now certainty. The decision followed immediately. TeridaxTeridaxTeridax orchestrated a thousand-year scheme that ended with him occupying the Great Spirit Robot itself before his death on Bara Magna. lifted the Great Spirit RobotThe Great Spirit Robot, explainedBionicle's whole universe lives inside a 40-million-foot robot built by the Great Beings. Here is what it is, why it was built, and how it ended. off the surface of Aqua MagnaAqua MagnaThe endless ocean where the Matoran Universe found refuge and Mata Nui made his final stand., set its course for Bara MagnaBara MagnaA desert world of tribal warfare and scarce resources, one of three landmasses that formed Spherus Magna., and committed himself to the journey that would put him in the desert at the same time as his rival. The vow that accompanied the lift-off was direct: he would bring death to 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. personally.

The convergence to come#

The Valley of Fear closed on two motions toward the same point. 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. stood at the tower in the centre of the Maze, the route to whatever the Great BeingsThe Great BeingsScholar-inventors of Spherus Magna whose creations shaped the Matoran Universe and whose absence defined the conflicts that followed. had hidden there now open in front of him. TeridaxTeridaxTeridax orchestrated a thousand-year scheme that ended with him occupying the Great Spirit Robot itself before his death on Bara Magna., in the body of the Great Spirit RobotThe Great Spirit Robot, explainedBionicle's whole universe lives inside a 40-million-foot robot built by the Great Beings. Here is what it is, why it was built, and how it ended., was crossing the void between Aqua MagnaAqua MagnaThe endless ocean where the Matoran Universe found refuge and Mata Nui made his final stand. and Bara MagnaBara MagnaA desert world of tribal warfare and scarce resources, one of three landmasses that formed Spherus Magna. with the same destination in mind. The collision would resolve in Journey's End, and the events of the Valley were the last in which the two figures moved on separate tracks. Every action taken from this point forward by either of them was a move toward the meeting that would end the Bara MagnaBara MagnaA desert world of tribal warfare and scarce resources, one of three landmasses that formed Spherus Magna. campaign.