BIONICLE LEGENDS

'''Bionicle Legends''' is the third book series based in the Bionicle universe. It is currently ongoing, and covers the events that are occurring in the storyline's 2006-2008 story arc. It follows the ''Bionicle Adventures'' series; but as ''Adventures'' is almost exclusively told in flashbacks, the events preceding those in ''Legends'' are told in the first book series, ''Bionicle Chronicles''.
In ''Bionicle Legends'', the Great Spirit Mata Nui is dying, and the universe will die with him if nothing is done. A new group of Toa must find the Mask of Life that can save him before it is too late, but other more sinister groups also want such a powerful mask...

Contents

Sources

Plot summary

Island of Doom

The Path to Life

Journey beneath the Waves

Substories

Legacy of Evil

Dreams of Destruction

Into the Darkness

Trivia

References

Sources

The main events of the ''Legends'' story arc are told in:

★ The ''Bionicle Legends'' books; so far there are eight planned through 2007 though the series will continue past that in 2008.Updated Bionicle 2007 Book Schedule topic at BZPower forums

★ The ''Bionicle: Ignition'' comic book series, distributed to Lego Club members and later published online at Bionicle.com: Issues #1-5, Issues #6 and up.
The following sources provide background information and tell side stories taking place during ''Bionicle Legends'':

★ The ''Bionicle: Dark Hunters'' guide, written from the perspective of the Hunters' leader, the Shadowed One, during the 2006 portion of ''Bionicle Legends''.

★ The ''Bionicle World'' guide, written from the perspective of the Order of Mata Nui, during the 2007 portion of ''Bionicle Legends''.

★ The following short stories:

★
★ ''The Many Deaths of Toa Tuyet'', hosted on BZPower forums.

★
★ ''Dreams of Destruction'', ''Gali Nuva's Blog'', and ''Into the Darkness'' at BionicleStory.com.

★ Select elements from the ''Voya Nui Online Game'' (playable at Bionicle.com) are canonical, mainly the Rahi species present on Voya Nui and the various kinds of Nektann seen. However, the game on the whole is not canonical.Official Greg Discussion p. 191 at BZPower forums, post #5708

Plot summary

Island of Doom

:''Sources: Bionicle Legends #1-2 and 4 Chapter 7; Bionicle Ignition #1-2''
Six Dark Hunters, sick of their servitude to the Shadowed One, abandon the Dark Hunters and take the name "Piraka". They go to Mangaia, investigating rumors of Makuta's death, where they find his empty armor. In raiding the lair, Hakann finds a Spear of Fusion and accidentally fires it at Vezok, who splits into two. The second being takes the name Vezon and claims the spear before the entire group suddenly gets the same thought in their heads: a Mask of Life exists, on what is now the island of Voya Nui, and it has to be found. Unfortunately, the group gets attacked by Mana Ko guardians; while Vezon slips away unnoticed, the rest escape to the island of Mata Nui and discover a set of Toa canisters. They decide not only to use the canisters to get to Voya Nui, but to pretend to be Toa once they get there.
Soon afterward, as the Matoran of Metru Nui were repairing their devastated city, Turaga Dume consulted with the Toa Nuva and Toa Takanuva that Mata Nui isn't just sleeping, he is dying; and the only way to save him is to use the Mask of Life. The Toa Nuva set out for Voya Nui, though Takanuva stays behind to guard Metru Nui.
The Piraka arrive on Voya Nui and things go according to plan, as the local Matoran accept their claims to be Toa - most of them, anyway. Six doubt their claims and begin to spy on the "Toa". The Piraka eventually begin collecting antidermis and using it in Zamor Sphere weapons, enslaving all the Matoran except for the six suspicious ones, who begin to openly rebel.
When the Toa Nuva arrive, they are surprised by the Piraka and quickly defeated, though they are able to escape before their execution. They meet and team up with the Matoran rebels; though it takes some work to convince them that, unlike the Piraka, they really ''are'' Toa.
Meanwhile, two powerful titans enter the conflict. Axonn, angered by the Piraka's presence, begins beating them up whenever he finds them. His former friend and partner Brutaka, however, strikes a deal with the Piraka's leader Zaktan to get their Zamor Spheres and intends to claim the Mask of Life for himself. At the same time, the Piraka begin looking for Vezon, who they suspect is also on the island.
Back on Metru Nui, Jaller realizes that the Toa Nuva have disappeared. Realizing this means trouble, he questions the Turaga but becomes upset when they insist on keeping it a secret as they have kept so many other things secret in the past. Turaga Nokama privately agrees with him, and later goes to explain the situation. Jaller decides to assemble a small squad of Matoran to go and try to help the Toa Nuva in any way they can.
Jaller's team includes Toa Takanuva at first, though he is forced to turn back when they reach a gate that no light (or Toa of Light) is allowed to pass through. The group eventually finds itself in the realm of the dreaded ruler Karzahni, who has them change their masks and experience horrific futures in order to abandon their old identities and break their spirits. Before too long, however, they find a set of Toa canisters and are able to escape.
On Voya Nui, the Toa and rebel Matoran break into the Piraka's stronghold, only to be defeated in one strike by Brutaka. While Brutaka takes the Toa Nuva captive and the Matoran are interrogated by the Piraka, the canisters carrying Jaller's team wash up on the island's shore. Lightning from the Red Star strikes the canisters, and the beings that emerge from them are not six Matoran, but six new Toa Inika.

The Path to Life

:''Sources: Bionicle Legends #3-5; Bionicle: Ignition #3-5''
The Matoran escape from their interrogation, thanks in part to Brutaka, who transports a threatening Doom Viper away out of force of habit. While Vezok tracks them down, the others worry about Zaktan's powerful new ally and decide to do something about it.
Meanwhile, the Toa Inika start to figure out their next move; noting especially odd things about their transformation like glowing faces and living masks. They end up triggering their mask powers, causing chaos as Nuparu flies uncontrollably, Kongu can't keep from hearing others' thoughts, Matoro's spirit is separated from his body, and Hahli seems to be talking to thin air. As they regain control, Matoro reports that he saw the Matoran, and the Toa agree that they need to meet them and figure out what's going on on this island.
After a scuffle with Vezok, the Toa meet the Matoran rebels and compare notes on what they know. Armed with Zamor Launchers built by Velika, they split up into three groups: Jaller and Hahli go to free enslaved Matoran, Hewkii and Matoro go visit Axonn, and Kongu and Nuparu sneak into the Piraka stronghold to search for the Toa Nuva. While Jaller and Hahli's mission has no problems; Hewkii and Matoro find Axonn badly injured by Brutaka, telling them to stop his former partner even if it means killing him. Worse, Kongu and Nuparu are discovered and faced with all six Piraka and Brutaka.
Thankfully, the other Toa arrive just as the battle starts and Hewkii is able to bury Brutaka under a pile of rock, taking him out of the fight temporarily. While the Matoran search the stronghold for the Toa Nuva, the Toa Inika begin taking the Piraka out one by one. But the tides turn when Brutaka begins to dig himself out: Hakann enacts the plan to steal Brutaka's power for himself, Avak, Reidak, and Thok - but he intended to take it all for himself, and only quick action by Thok allowed him to take a share of Brutaka's power as well. The two quickly use their new strength to turn on the others, with Hakann knocking them all out with one superpowered mental blast.
When everyone comes to, they realize that Hakann and Thok had forced the weakened Brutaka to reveal the location of the Mask of Life. Axonn arrives and begins to go after the two Piraka, but Jaller tells him to swallow his pride and let others help, to which Axonn agrees. Realizing that the best way to stop the two is to return Brutaka's power to him and that the Piraka are the only ones who know how to do that, the two groups form an uneasy alliance. While the Piraka work on the Zamor Sphere that will depower Hakann and Thok, Axonn warns Jaller of the mask's guardians and hands him a glowing Zamor for "protection". At the same time, the Matoran are continuing their search, and they find records of Voya Nui's history - it was long thought that many were lost when some of the land sank underwater, but these records say that they may still be alive!
Meanwhile, Hakann and Thok have begun to turn on each other. The resulting destruction makes them easy to track, and the Toa Inika and other Piraka quickly arrive on the scene (Axonn chose to stay behind). Though most of the Piraka are taken out of the fight early, Hakann and Thok are soon put at a disadvantage by the Inika. The two call a truce and launch a combined attack, but at the same moment Hewkii hits them with the specially-prepared Zamor. As a result, both sides fall unconscious from their enemies' assault; leaving only Zaktan standing. By the time the Toa Inika awaken, the Piraka are already up and gone, headed down a staircase that leads to the Mask of Life. Agreeing that they can't wait for reinforcements, they quickly follow.
But the passage had been littered with traps and tests to keep the mask out of the wrong hands. The Piraka quickly face their greatest fears in the form of the mythical monster Irnakk. Only Zaktan's willingness to end his own cursed existence and everyone else's lives, thereby eliminating the fear that brought Irnakk to life and sustains him, allows the Piraka to pass the test and continue. In a later test, the Piraka fail due to their inability to trust one another; while they escape the resulting deathtrap they end up exposed to ''something'' that begins changing them...
Meanwhile, the Toa Inika have their own tests to worry about. They soon come across a group of enemies that they had fought in their former Matoran lives, including a Rahkshi Turahk that had once killed Jaller during his search for the Toa of Light. Jaller is able to overcome this disturbing memory, but like all the other Inika, his powers go out of control and end up killing his opponent. Adding to their shame and grief at being killers, the bodies change to look like their old friends, the Toa Nuva. While worried that such things could happen again, they decide that the stakes are too high to abandon their quest.
In their next test, the Toa Inika are trapped and told they must sacrifice one of their own to continue. With his last death still on his mind, Jaller is distracted long enough for Matoro to volunteer himself, on the grounds that he as a translator has less to offer their mission than the others. This sacrifice is accepted and Matoro is disintegrated - only to be re-formed moments later, as the willingness to die for the cause was what was important, not the death itself.
After this, the Toa Inika face Umbra, a guardian of the mask who uses super-speed to attack. Matoro is once again key to passing the test, as he uses his ice power to make Umbra slip and crash. As Umbra turns into a beam of light and becomes even faster, he eventually hits the ice and rebounds around the frozen cave until he is knocked out.
As both groups converge on the Mask of Life, the Piraka are a little bit ahead and they set an ambush, with the Toa Inika ending up trapped and delayed. The Piraka enter the mask's chamber to find that Vezon had arrived far ahead of all of them, and has since been fused to a Fenrakk spider and to the Mask of Life itself. As the Piraka prepare to take the mask by any means necessary, Vezon uses his spear to fuse Vezok and Reidak together, ordering the resulting beast to crush the others. By the time the Inika arrive, Vezok and Reidak are un-fused and all six are knocked out.
While all this is happening, Brutaka wakes up in the Piraka's stronghold under Axonn's watch. While Axonn extends an offer of friendship to his old partner, Brutaka rejects it and attacks. In the course of the battle, he tries to get an edge by summoning a dimensional gate to warp Axonn away. Eventually, Axonn accepts that Brutaka will never be redeemed, and he becomes unstoppable in his anger. Brutaka tries to get to the Piraka's antidermis, which could enhance his strength, but Axonn shatters the vat before blasting Brutaka into unconsciousness. Once this is done, Botar arrives to banish Brutaka for his crimes, though Axonn still expresses hope for his redemption. After all leave the stronghold, Krahka and Tahtorak use Brutaka's portal to escape their exile (which began a thousand years ago in ''Bionicle Adventures'').
As the Toa Inika fight Vezon and Fenrakk, the latter's ability to absorb kinetic energy is proving too much for the heroes; even when the Toa figure out how to weaken the two without hitting them, Fenrakk can just tap his leg on the ground to regain his and Vezon's strength. Eventually, the Toa are able to drive Fenrakk towards the chamber's lava, and Vezon surprisingly encourages him to dive in. As Jaller prepares to go after the mask, Vezon reemerges, with his steed evolved into an even more formidable dragon called Kardas. Needing a plan of attack other than direct assault, the Toa guess that the Mask of Life may have life and thoughts of its own, and Kongu attempts to use his Mask of Telepathy to read the mask's mind. He finds that the mask has grown to despise Vezon, and would happily abandon the madman in favor of a new, nobler guardian - Matoro. When Vezon learns of this he becomes enraged, allowing Jaller to use Axonn's Zamor Sphere. The sphere freezes Vezon and Kardas in space and time, allowing the mask to be removed safely.
Unfortunately, the Piraka have recovered by now, and they aren't about to let the mask go without a fight. But the mask has other plans; as Kardas makes Matoro lose his grip on it, it flies away towards the surface. As the Toa Inika are able to get a small head start following it, Vezok is dead set on re-fusing with Vezon; but the other Piraka smash the Spear of Fusion to ensure that Vezok will never be whole again.
Back on the surface, the Mask of Life dives into the sea. Hahli tries to follow it, but the depths become too deep for her to handle. As she loses consciousness, a Matoran dives from below and helps her up to the surface, though at the cost of his own life. Before passing on, he pleads with the Toa to help a city beneath the sea.
But in the midst of the Toa Inika's mourning the Matoran, they are reunited with all their friends: the Matoran had succeeded in freeing the Toa Nuva, and Axonn is there as well (Botar had just left after talking to the Nuva). While the Inika worry that the Nuva will take over the mission to save the Great Spirit, the Nuva recognize that this mission is the Inika's destiny and give them their full blessing. Axonn also declares his intent to be the Matoran's guardian; openly instead of secretly this time. The Piraka, watching from afar, decide that taking on twelve Toa and Axonn would be suicide; opting to bide their time.
Soon afterward, the Toa depart on their new missions: the Toa Nuva go on a mysterious quest that they have not told the Inika about, and the Toa Inika enter a secret passageway (opened by Axonn) leading to the underwater world where the Mask of Life now resides...

Journey beneath the Waves

:''Sources: Bionicle Legends #6-8; Bionicle: Ignition #6 and up; Bioniclestory.com content for 2007''
Far beneath the ocean surrounding Voya Nui, the sunken city of Mahri Nui survives surrounded by mysterious predators. As its Matoran plan the defenses for the month, an inventor named Defilak suggests a scouting expedition to learn more about whatever is preying on Mahri Nui. As he does this, the sentry Kyrehx finds and claims a sinking Kanohi mask, never aware that she is being watched...
By the time Kyrehx brings the mask to the planning meeting, it has already adjourned. She seeks out someone knowledgeable about Kanohi, but is soon caught and attacked by the very seaweed beneath her feet. She is saved from the plants by Dekar, and she is happy to pass the strange mask off to him.
Meanwhile, Defilak has gathered a crew for his home-built submarine: Gar, Idris, and Sarda. As they descend into unknown territory, they are soon attacked and trapped by a school of Takea sharks, who are led by a bigger, shark-like being who is named Pridak. After the submarine is destroyed, Pridak demands the Mask of Power from the crew and throws Sarda to the sharks when they claim ignorance. He explains that he is a Barraki, one of six warlords banished to the Pit millennia ago for their crimes. Sarda is subsequently saved by the arrival of Toa Lesovikk.
The other Barraki, however, have their own plans concerning the mask: Takadox has Carapar kidnap Kyrehx, and from her tale realizes that the mask is the legendary Mask of Life. He also sends Carapar to return Kyrehx and stop Ehlek, who has gathered his venom eel army and launched an all-out assault on Mahri Nui.
In the meantime, Dekar has found that every enemy he fights has become immortal and invincible. Realizing that his and Kyrehx's strange curses come from the mask, he decides that it is too dangerous to exist. When Dekar tries to destroy the mask - as the remaining two Barraki, Kalmah and Mantax close in on him - it defends itself by enlarging a nearby venom eel to giant size.
The eel begins to attack everything in sight. As Defilak, Gar, and Idris use the chance to escape from Pridak and his sharks; Ehlek and Carapar take the opportunity to snoop around Pridak's lair, where they find a newcomer to the Pit - Brutaka. Takadox tries to hypnotize the eel into submission, but it becomes distracted by sounds in a long cord of stone that reaches to the surface and it knocks Takadox far away. Dekar, now with a healthy respect for the mask, cautiously touches it and is given a vision of its history, along with the revelation that the Pit's waters are eroding it away and damaging it.
By this time, Pridak has gathered the Barraki, with Brutaka in place of the missing Takadox. As they confront Dekar, Brutaka demands he hand over the mask, swearing that an Order of Mata Nui member such as himself would never let the Barraki have it. When Dekar refuses, saying one who should have the mask would have claimed it himself, the Barraki mock Brutaka for his "lies" about an Order and command a giant squid to drag him off. They then step over to Dekar and take the mask from him, causing it to release a blinding light. Meanwhile, the Toa Inika are inside the Cord locked in combat with the Zyglak. The light hits them, and they are transformed into the Toa Mahri. At the same time, Dekar is transformed into a duplicate of the former protector of the Pit, Hydraxon.
At the same time the Barraki deliver the damaged Kanohi Ignika to Nocturn to keep it safe, the Toa Mahri knock the 300-foot venom eel unconscious, and head for Mahri Nui. However, the Matoran there are frightened and uncertain about the new arrivals, and open fire on the Toa. Toa Mahri Kongu then creates a gust of wind to blow Defilak out of the air bubble, while Toa Mahri Hahli creates a whirlpool, trapping the Matoran. Then Hahli releases him, and states that if she wanted to harm him, she would have done so. Still needing to be convinced, Defilak asks five of the Toa Mahri to rescue Matoro. Arriving at the fields, the other Toa Mahri are captured by the Barraki, and attempt to lull them into a false sense of security by masquerading as Toa sent to the Pit for incarceration. Matoro is captured by the newly reincarnated Hydraxon.
Hydraxon takes Matoro to the Pit, where he his placed under the watch of the guard robot Maxilos. Matoro's predicament worsens when he learns that Maxilos has become the new body of Makuta. Makuta frees Matoro, forcing him to ally with him without revealing his identity to the other Toa Mahri. The others, taken to prison caves by the Barraki, escape through the use of their new mask powers; Kongu's summons a giant sea creature, which ends up getting into a battle with the revived 300-foot venom eel. All the Toa Mahri then return to Mahri Nui, where the others are introduced to Maxilos. Honored by Defilak by being offered the group name Toa Mahri, the six and Maxilos set out to divide the Barraki against each other. Luckily, their efforts prove successful, and the Barraki and their armies begin clashing. Afterwards, however, the Toa are shocked to learn that Mantax's army of rays is approaching Mahri Nui with Hahli at its head.
Working as a pair, Makuta/Maxilos and Matoro find themselves confronting Pridak's army of sharks. After an attack by Ehlek disrupts the assault, Makuta reveals that the stone cord connecting Voya Nui and Mahri Nui must be destroyed in order to put the universe in proper order for Mata Nui's reawakening. Unfortunately, Voya Nui's descent to its proper place will kill all the Matoran on both islands, something that Makuta takes great pleasure from. Back on Metru Nui, the Toa Nuva infiltrate the Great Temple and recover a scroll detailing their newest missions. Traveling to Mata Nui, they accomplish the first by releasing the Bahrag queens, allowing the Bohrok swarms to resume their interrupted task.
Back in Mahri Nui, Makuta leads Matoro to the ruins of the original Pit, planning to show him the remains of Toa Tuyet so he can find out how to design a Nui Stone.^[1].

Substories

Legacy of Evil

:''Source: Bionicle Legends #4''
''These events take place roughly 7,000 years before the events of Bionicle Legends.''
Vezok and Hakann raid a Toa fortress for a treasure rumored to be inside (or, more accurately, Vezok raids it while Hakann is left to fight off the guards). Vezok finds that the treasure is a tablet called the Makoki stone, and that the tablet is covered with hidden writing concerning the Brotherhood of Makuta. Vezok takes the stone, but the two thieves are caught and forcibly recruited into the Dark Hunters (joining the other four future Piraka), who take the Makoki stone for themselves.
''These events take place roughly 5,000 years before the events of Bionicle Legends.''
Zaktan leads the others (minus Avak) in a plot to overthrow the Shadowed One, but they are caught. When the Shadowed One tries to execute Zaktan with his disintegration vision, Zaktan surprises everyone (including himself) by surviving as a mass of protodites.
''These events take place roughly 4,000 years before the events of Bionicle Legends.''
Reidak, Vezok, and Avak free the Kanohi Dragon from its icy prison, letting it loose on Metru Nui. They then go to Turaga Dume offering the Hunter's "protection". Dume refuses, but just as Vezok tries to kill him; Toa Lhikan, Toa Nidhiki, and the rest of their team intervene. The Hunters leave to try again later, while the Toa fight off the Kanohi Dragon. The Toa finally defeat the dragon after a month, and have it deported to Roodaka's homeland, Xia.
''These events take place roughly 3,000 years before the events of Bionicle Legends; concurrent with Birth of a Dark Hunter.''
In the war between the Toa and the Dark Hunters, Hakann watches Nidhiki betray the Toa and he catches Lhikan overhearing the betrayal. In an attempt to ensure his own freedom, Hakann offers a deal: Lhikan could have the Makoki stone back if he allows the defeated Hunters to go free. Knowing that his fellow Toa gave their lives to protect the stone, he agrees - with the condition that the Hunters take Nidhiki with them. Six months later, the Shadowed One has the stone stolen back, split into six, and auctioned off to the Brotherhood of Makuta; he also has Roodaka mutate Nidhiki into an insectoid being, dooming him to a lifetime with the Hunters.
''These events take place roughly 250 years before the events of Bionicle Legends.''
Zaktan, Thok, and Reidak are protecting a base in the war against the Brotherhood. After Roodaka tips them off that the base used to belong to the Brotherhood, Zaktan investigates and discovers an entire record of the Great Cataclysm. After getting over the shock of the depth and evil of the Brotherhood's plans, Zaktan vows to make himself become part of them.

Dreams of Destruction

:''Sources: Bioniclestory.com content for 2007''
This sub-story starts with a Matoran named Sarda thrown out of Pridak's cave and about to be killed by Takea sharks. Just when Sarda thought he would die, he was saved by a being was revealed to be Lesovikk on his sea sled, the last surviving member of the first Toa team, and also an old friend of Sarda's.
Nearby, Karzahni, an evil being, lurked in the shadows. He followed the Toa Inika/Mahri to first Voya Nui and then the Pit as he began his own quest to seize power in the universe. Karzahni attacked Lesovikk and Sarda, saying he will soon rule the universe, and first he must "sharpen his claws" by killing the pair.

Into the Darkness

:''Sources: Bioniclestory.com content for 2007''
Some time after Matoro and Pridak's battle-using armies of zombies and Takea, respectively-Matoro is swimming with Makuta. Makuta taunts Matoro, saying that they are not very different and that all it will take is one bad incident to make Matoro into a being exactly like him. When Matoro retorts, Makuta leads him down into the original Pit to show him something.
Once Matoro is brought through the old Pit, Makuta shows him the long dead body of Toa Tuyet, and tells him her story. Then he tells Matoro he wants him to bring her back.

Trivia

★ The 2006 arc of Legends was adapted into the Bionicle Heroes video game, but the game is non-canon and has many inconsistencies with the actual storyline.

References

See List of Bionicle media for ''Bionicle Legends'' publishing information.
1. www.bioniclestory.com Into the darkness audio download