Golden Age Metru Nui

The period leading up to the Great Cataclysm on Metru Nui was known as a Golden Age, but it hid a dark, tragic tale of Makuta's manipulations and the destruction of an entire generation of heroes, led by the legendary Toa Lhikan.

Here is an overview of the Metru Nui era's protectors and their grim fate.

The Golden Age of Metru Nui

Metru Nui was a massive, enclosed city built on a sea of Protodermis, far beneath the future island of Mata Nui. It was the original home of the Matoran, and before the Cataclysm, it was a thriving metropolis of learning, technology, and industry, overseen by Turaga Dume.

The city's security was nominally maintained by the Vahki (robotic police force), but its true protection lay with the elite team of heroes: the Toa Mangai.

Toa Lhikan and the Toa Mangai

Toa Lhikan was a Toa of Fire and the longtime champion and sole protector of Metru Nui for millennia, wearing the Great Kanohi Hau (Mask of Shielding).

• The Massive Team: At one point, Metru Nui faced a major threat known as the Kanohi Dragon. To counter this, Toa from various lands were temporarily summoned to the city. Lhikan led this assembled force of eleven Toa, which was later given the honorific title of the Toa Mangai (Matoran for "Protector" or "Guardian").

• Team Composition: The Toa Mangai was a diverse, large team, far exceeding the typical six-member Toa unit. While only a few members are known, the team consisted of:

• Lhikan (Toa of Fire, Leader)

• Nidhiki (Toa of Air, later a Dark Hunter)

• Tuyet (Toa of Water, a power-hungry Toa)

• Naho (Toa of Water)

• Multiple additional Toa of Ice, one of Stone, one of Earth, and one of Plant Life.

• The Downfall of Unity: The Toa Mangai's unity was tragically shattered by the discovery of a rogue Toa among their ranks. Tuyet, the Toa of Water, was secretly the perpetrator of a series of murders and was using a powerful artifact to fuel her quest for ultimate control. This revelation led to a devastating conflict and the collapse of the team, proving that even Toa were not immune to corruption.

The Systematic Eradication

Following the collapse of the Toa Mangai and the removal of the villainous Tuyet, Lhikan returned to being Metru Nui's lone Toa. However, the greatest threat was already inside the city.

• Makuta's Plan: Makuta Teridax, the true source of all evil on the island, had begun to systematically destroy the remaining heroes as a key part of his master plan to seize control.

• The Impersonation: Makuta took on the form and identity of Turaga Dume, the city's beloved leader, gaining complete control over the city's governance and security forces.

• The Traps: Disguised as Dume, Makuta began to dispatch the remaining Toa Mangai members, one by one, on increasingly bogus and dangerous missions far outside the city. These missions were actually lethal traps, designed to kill the Toa in isolated locations so their disappearance would not raise suspicion among the Matoran.

• The Hunters: To ensure the success of his plot, Makuta hired the notorious mercenary group, the Dark Hunters, including the disgraced former Toa, Nidhiki (who had been mutated), and the brute Krekka, to hunt down and destroy any remaining Toa who might interfere with his plans.

Lhikan's Last Stand and Legacy

As the Toa of Fire, Lhikan was the last true hero left in the city, realizing that the new "Turaga Dume" was a fraud and that a massive evil was coming.

• The New Toa: Knowing his time was running out and that he couldn't stop Makuta alone, Lhikan chose six Matoran—Vakama, Nokama, Whenua, Onewa, Nuju, and Matau—and used the last of his Toa energy, encased in six Toa Stones, to transform them into the Toa Metru. By sacrificing his own power, he ensured the continuation of the Toa legacy.

• Capture and Transformation: Lhikan was captured by Nidhiki and Krekka, but his actions had secured a new team of protectors. He eventually helped the fledgling Toa Metru in their fight against the false Dume.

• The Sacrifice: Lhikan became a Turaga after giving his power away. In the final battle against the now-revealed Makuta, Lhikan sacrificed his own life to protect the new Toa Metru's leader, Vakama, from a killing blow. This act of selflessness was the final, tragic end of the Toa Mangai era, but it cemented Lhikan as a true hero and inspired the new Toa to complete their destiny and save the Matoran from the coming Cataclysm.

The disappearance of the Toa Mangai, systematically eliminated by a villain disguised as their leader, was a dark secret that set the stage for the Great Cataclysm—the final, chaotic collapse of Metru Nui and the flight of the Matoran to the surface world.

The era of Vakama and the Toa Metru in Metru Nui is a critical period in Bionicle lore, chronicling a moment of discovery, betrayal, and a great exodus. It is followed by the perilous Toa Hordika era, where the heroes fought to save themselves and the Matoran.

Vakama and the Toa Metru: Origin and Makuta's Defeat

The story begins in the sprawling city of Metru Nui, which was secretly under the control of Makuta Teridax (impersonating Turaga Dume). Teridax's plan was to subdue the city's Matoran population and gain control over the Great Spirit Mata Nui.

Becoming Toa Metru

The six central Matoran—Vakama, Nokama, Matau, Onewa, Whenua, and Nuju—were ordinary workers from the city's six Metru (districts).

• Vakama, a mask maker from Ta-Metru, was the least comfortable with his future as a hero and struggled with the mysterious visions of the future he experienced.

• The Matoran were initially tasked by "Turaga Dume" to find the legendary Great Disks to defeat a vicious plant Rahi, the Morbuzakh.

• After the original Toa of the city, Lhikan, sacrificed his Toa power to save the six Matoran, they were mysteriously transformed into the new Toa team: the Toa Metru. They were given the duty of protecting the city.

Makuta's Plan and Defeat

The Toa Metru quickly realized "Turaga Dume" was a fraud, and the true threat was Makuta Teridax, who had trapped the real Dume and was attempting to corrupt the Matoran by putting them to sleep in Matoran Spheres.

• The Toa Metru's primary duty became recovering all the sleeping Matoran.

• Vakama was tasked with forging the Kanohi Vahi, the legendary Mask of Time, as his final Matoran mask-making project (under false pretenses from the disguised Makuta).

• In the final confrontation, the Toa Metru battled Makuta Teridax. Vakama used his Great Kanohi Huna (Mask of Concealment) to momentarily distract Makuta and then fired the Vahi at him with his disk launcher, causing Makuta to be sealed in an encasing of Protodermis (the core substance of the Bionicle world) which instantly hardened into a Toa Seal.

• After the battle, the Toa Metru placed all the sleeping Matoran in large transport vessels and fled Metru Nui through the Great Barrier, guiding their people to a new island refuge: Mata Nui. They sacrificed their Toa power to awaken the Matoran, becoming the wise elders known as the Turaga of Mata Nui.

The Era of Hordika and Visorak

Upon returning to Metru Nui to retrieve the last of the Matoran in their sleep spheres, the Toa Metru found the city overrun by the spider-like Visorak Horde.

The Toa Hordika Transformation and Rescue

• The Visorak, led by the generals Sidorak and Roodaka, captured the Toa Metru and exposed them to Hordika Venom.

• The venom mutated the Toa into monstrous half-Toa, half-beast forms called the Toa Hordika. These new forms were stronger but struggled to control their elemental powers, which were channeled through new tools called Rhotuka Spinners. They also began to lose their minds and willpower.

• The Toa Hordika were rescued by the Rahaga, six small, winged beings who were once the heroic Toa Hagah of Makuta Teridax. They were mutated by Roodaka when they discovered Makuta’s betrayal, and they took it upon themselves to help the Toa Hordika. The Rahaga told the Toa that they must find the legendary Rahi, Keetongu, who was the only one who could cure their mutation.

Final Confrontation

The Toa Hordika, aided by the Rahaga, chose to focus on rescuing the Matoran rather than immediately seeking a cure. This led to a final confrontation against the Visorak Horde, Sidorak, and Roodaka.

• Sidorak, the cowardly self-proclaimed "King" of the Visorak Horde, was killed during the battle after Roodaka allowed the massive Rahi, Keetongu, to attack him.

• Roodaka, the mastermind and ruthless "Viceroy" who sought greater power, was defeated when the Toa Hordika combined their elemental powers and struck a Protodermis fragment (a piece of Makuta's prison) embedded in her chest. The impact released a burst of energy that struck Makuta's seal, freeing him.

• Keetongu, a powerful Rahi of healing, then used his unique power to cure the Toa Hordika, reverting them back into the Toa Metru. The Toa then successfully rescued all the remaining Matoran and returned to their new island home, where they became the Turaga.

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