Metru Nui

Metru Nui was an island city which floated on a protodermis sea far beneath the surface of Mata Nui. It was the original home of the Matoran who later settled on Mata Nui. It was divided into six districts, or Metru: Ta-Metru, Po-Metru, Onu-Metru, Le-Metru, Ko-Metru, Ga-Metru. It was also known as the "City of Legends."¹

Notes

The city of Metru Nui was inhabited by beings called Matoran. Although small in stature, they were incredibly hard workers and were responsible for producing virtually everything used in the city, creating works of art, and maintaining and repairing buildings and transport systems. Matoran from different metru varied in skills, temperaments, and appearance.²

The city of Metru Nui existed in the time before time. Here, Matoran, such as scholars in Ko-Metru, worked and thrived.³

In the time before time, Metru Nui was a city of legends. Under the guidance of Turaga Dume, and protected by the order enforcement squads called Vahki, the island city was a place of learning and contentment. The Matoran who lived there believed that nothing would ever change, and that no shadow would ever threaten their peaceful existence. Thousands of Matoran worked, played, and lived their lives on the island city of Metru Nui.⁴

Metru Nui was 47.6 kio long and 24 kio wide.^{5, 6, 7, 2}

Metru Nui was 40.46 miles long and 20.4 miles wide at its widest point.⁸

Metru Nui was located far beneath the surface of Mata Nui. It sat in the center of a silver sea of protodermis.⁹

Everything on Metru Nui was made from protodermis.⁹

The tallest building in all of Metru Nui was the Coliseum, which dominated the skyline.⁹

Many Matoran, including Matau, found it fun to leave behind marks on chute support struts.⁹

On Metru Nui, at least in Ko-Metru, immediately beneath the streets were mechanisms designed to help keep the metru clean, protodermis pipes, and the occasional nest of rodent Rahi. Farther down would be whatever sub-levels of the Archives had extended that far, and beneath that was something Whenua preferred not to think about.¹⁰

According to Whenua, except for the occasional Rahi beast on the loose, Metru Nui was usually quite peaceful.¹¹

Onewa told Krahka there were "thousands" of Matoran living on Metru Nui.¹¹

Metru Nui rested on a sea of protodermis, which appeared as a silver liquid. With no fresh- or saltwater anywhere in the city, this is what Matoran viewed as the stuff of life. It was the source of almost everything constructed in the city.¹²

Telescreens were in use in Metru Nui and were built in the Fields of Construction in Po-Metru.¹³ Massive telescreens were mounted all over the city as well as in the Coliseum. Turaga Dume could control them from his special box in the Coliseum.¹⁴

Kanoka disks were a part of daily life in Metru Nui. In addition to being launched and thrown, Kanoka were built into many devices in Metru Nui. Disks of levitation and increase weight were incorporated into Le-Matoran airships, and disks of speed into some ground vehicles. Some newer buildings even had disks of regeneration built into them, so that with the tug of a chain any damage to the structure could be repaired instantly.¹⁵

Kanohi Masks of Power, tools, Kanoka disk launchers, and virtually everything else used in Metru Nui were forged in Ta-Metru from molten protodermis.¹⁶

The tallest structure in Metru Nui was the Coliseum, followed by the Great Furnace.¹⁷

The Coliseum housed the city's one power plant. Energy was generated by the flow of liquid protodermis through the plant on its way to other parts of the city. The plant provided power for things like protodermis vat conveyors and chute controls. It did not provide heat to the city; this was done using pipes filled with molten protodermis that ran underground and warmed the buildings above.¹⁴

Chute stations were located all over Metru Nui. Air transport in Metru Nui was used only for cargo. Huge vessels called airships floated through the skies, carrying Rahi to Onu-Metru, solid protodermis blocks and tools to Po-Metru, and other bulk items to points around the city. The two major types of land vehicle in Metru Nui were Ussal carts and Vahki transports.¹⁸

By story year 2004, after years of expansion the Archives stretched beneath almost all of the city.¹⁹

Two suns shone in the sky above Metru Nui.²⁰

Metru Nui was considered a top tourist destination, containing landmarks such as the Knowledge Towers, Sculpture Fields, and the Great Temple. It also offered the great Archives, events at the Coliseum, the remarkable Chute system, and exceptional higher learning.²⁰

As of mid-story year 2004, the population of Metru Nui consisted of 1,000 Matoran, six (alleged) Toa, one Turaga, two Dark Hunters, 5,000 Vahki, and various wildlife.²⁰

Tourists could take Metru Nui line boat tours. These allowed passengers to view each Metru from a luxury protodermis boat.²⁰

On Naming Days, Knowledge Towers opened their astronomical observatories to all citizens so they could have the joy of watching the shooting stars.²⁰

Rahi pets were available for purchase in Metru Nui. All Metru Nui residents were asked to remember that keeping a Rahi larger than .5 bio in a private residence was illegal by order of Turaga Dume. Any large Rahi spotted in one's metru were to be reported to the Vahki or to Archives personnel.²⁰

Travelers could take chutes or Ussal carts to get around the city. Chutes were recommended, as they were faster, more accessible, and reached virtually every spot in the city. Ussal carts could carry passengers, but they were primarily used for cargo, and drivers were not always willing to stop for travelers. Travel via airship was forbidden unless authorized by a supervisor.²⁰

Matoran who planned to travel between metru on their vacation were advised to have their supervisor contact the Vahki central task force hive for their metru. Failure to do so could result in one being stopped by Vahki in other metru for being away from work during one's shift. Nothing ruined a vacation faster than a blast from a stun staff.²⁰

Ko-Metru scholars studied shooting stars in the night sky.²¹

Metru Nui was never designed to accommodate large numbers of Rahi. There were virtually no creatures present at its founding. Over time, however, more and more wild things began to appear there. It was later theorized that they were driven from their homelands by the Visorak and fled by air, sea, and through long-abandoned chutes to Metru Nui. Their arrival posed a huge problem for the Matoran, who were unprepared for the sudden onslaught of fierce Rahi. They first responded by building Kralhi, and later Vahki, to protect the city and its inhabitants. Meanwhile, Onu-Matoran began construction of the Archives as a place to hold captured Rahi. A procedure was soon in place: Rahi which were deemed a threat, plus at least one specimen from every species, were captured by the Vahki, then placed in statis tubes in the Archives, where they remained alive but in suspended animation. There, the Matoran were able to monitor the Rahi, and archivists were able to study them. Any Rahi too large for statis tubes were locked up in the sub-levels. This system was not seamless: some Rahi were known to escape from the tubes, while others made homes in the lowest levels or in the maintenance tunnels. It rapidly became too dangerous even for Vahki to venture into some of those places, which became wild areas. Not all Rahi were considered menaces; some, like Ussal crabs, were tamed and put to use in Matoran society, while others were simply considered harmless or at worst pests. It seemed that a balance was struck between the Matoran and the wildlife in Metru Nui.²²

Chute lurkers were one of the most dangerous creatures in Metru Nui and were found city-wide.²³

Ussal crabs were a staple of Matoran society on Metru Nui, commonly being used to carry cargo, serve as mounts, or help Matoran construction and digging crews. Ussal crab racing was also a popular sport among Matoran in the city.²⁴

During much of its existence, Metru Nui was ruled by Turaga Dume, protected by Toa Lhikan and other Toa, and guarded by the Vahki.¹

Kanoka disks with the regeneration power were built into buildings.²⁵

Metru Nui was built by Matoran.²⁶

A sky full of stars seemed to light Metru Nui at night, despite the fact that the city was inside a hollow cavern. It was clear that these stars were not the same as those in the skies above Mata Nui. Exactly what their true nature might have been was never discovered. Nevertheless, beings as diverse as Ko-Matoran scholars and Makuta himself studied the stars to divine prophesies of the future and the will of the Great Spirit Mata Nui.²⁷

The stars were actually in the sky over Metru Nui.²⁸ The stars were actually below the ceiling.²⁹ There were stars that changed position, shot across the night sky, etc. The Matoran perceived these points of light as stars, although they were not literal stars.³⁰

The stars above Metru Nui were visible signs of the electrical activity of Mata Nui's mind. They were, essentially, Mata Nui's thoughts.³¹

Almost all of the Rahi which came to dwell in Metru Nui arrived there as a result of fleeing the Visorak hordes.³²

"City of Legends" was an epithet applied to the city of Metru Nui. It was actually coined as a dark joke by the Shadowed One during the Toa-Dark Hunter War, when he claimed that Metru Nui would truly become a city of legends, as most legends are about the dead.³³

A protodermic currency was used on Metru Nui.³⁴

Metru Nui was strategically vital to both the Brotherhood of Makuta and the Dark Hunters. The Dark Hunter Dweller was on permanent assignment in Metru Nui to monitor events there for the Shadowed One.³⁵

As of 4,000 years ago, Metru Nui was one of the safest places in the universe, because everyone knew how vital the city was to well-being of so many other lands. The goods it traded were desperately needed elsewhere, and the energy produced by the power plants was so great it could be funneled to other cities at no cost to Metru Nui. Destroying the island and its inhabitants would have been an act of madness. Therefore, there had never been a need for Toa to maintain a presence in the city.³⁶

Metru Nui was surrounded by a huge silver sea, bounded on all four sides by massive rock walls. Portals were carved in some of these walls to allow for boats to pass through on their way to and from the city. The waters were ice cold.³⁶

Many of the Rahi of Metru Nui emigrated to Mata Nui, although some chose to remain.³⁷

The modern look of Metru Nui was largely credited to the influence of Artakha.³⁸

Metru Nui was one of the most important cities in the known Matoran universe. Control of the city (more importantly, control of its Matoran) would have conferred tremendous power and influence to its owner. It was a target for those who wished the Great Spirit Mata Nui harm. It was a prize long coveted by the Brotherhood of Makuta and the Dark Hunters. After centuries of abandonment, it recently began to teem with life once again.³⁷

Metru Nui was an island city, accessible by ship, airship, and a series of ancient and unsafe underwater transport chutes. For most of the last 100,000 years, all but one of the sea gates leading to the waters around Metru Nui were closed. Metru Nui was also accessible through a series of tunnels which led aboveground to the island of Mata Nui. Although partially explored, these tunnels remained largely unknown and extremely dangerous.³⁷

Metru Nui was divided into six metru, or districts: Ta-Metru, Le-Metru, Ga-Metru, Onu-Metru, Po-Metru, and Ko-Metru.³⁷

Metru Nui's history was well chronicled. In the Order of Mata Nui's guidebook to the Matoran universe, the timeline of Metru Nui's history was purposely incomplete because of reasons which, so it indicated, should have been well known to its members.³⁷

When the Matoran lived on Metru Nui, they had the means for new Matoran to come into being. This was not possible on the island of Mata Nui.³⁷

The Matoran of Metru Nui were forced to relocate to Mata Nui after the city was largely destroyed by Makuta's attack, the earthquake, and the subsequent Visorak invasion.³⁹

Le-Metru was the transportation center of Metru Nui and was vitally important to the city.^{40, 41}

When the Order of Mata Nui fortified Metru Nui, at least on the southern side, high walls had been constructed on the coastline, with huge weapons mounted atop them. Weapon emplacements were put atop buildings. Streets leading to the Coliseum were barricaded, with Order of Mata Nui agents on guard.⁴²

Metru Nui was known as the "city of legends." It was the northernmost island in the Matoran universe. It was one of the first places built by the Great Beings and was home to Matoran villagers for almost 100,000 years. In the past, Metru Nui was a busy seaport, visited by trading ships from other islands and continents. Metru Nui was divided into six districts, or "metru," each home to a different tribe of Matoran. It was ruled by a village elder called a Turaga. Vital work was done in Metru Nui, including the creation of Masks of Power. The jobs done by the Matoran here were so important that the Great Spirit's health seemed to depend on them; if the Matoran of Metru Nui stopped working for a long time, Mata Nui became ill. Landmarks of Metru Nui included the Coliseum, the Great Temple, the Archives, and the Great Furnace. The city was also home to many different kinds of Rahi beasts, which migrated from the south only to be captured and put on display in the Archives. Metru Nui was the site of many famous events, including the battle between Toa Lhikan's team and the Kanohi Dragon, the Toa-Dark Hunter conflict, the Matoran Civil War, and the creation of the Toa Metru.⁴³

Any wild Rahi caught in the city were sent to Onu-Metru to be placed in the Archives.⁴⁴

Energy flowed from Metru Nui's power plants to the rest of the universe. As Makuta Teridax pointed out in his Plan, control of Metru Nui would allow one to control this flow of energy and to control when, or if, Mata Nui would ever awaken again after the Great Cataclysm.⁴⁵

The city of Metru Nui rested inside a huge dome. The place that came to be called "Mata Nui" was on the outer surface of that dome, surrounded by a vast ocean.⁴⁶

Metru Nui could be reached from Mata Nui through a series of underground tunnels, which were intended for use by the Bohrok.⁴⁶

Metru Nui was located at the northern end of the Matoran universe, directly beneath the island of Mata Nui. To the south of Metru Nui was a sea gate, and to the southeast was Karzahni.⁴⁷

It was Matoran who constructed an island "city" called Metru Nui, which would act as the robot's brain.⁴⁸

There was a population of thousands of Matoran living on Metru Nui and, later, Mata Nui. (This is a retcon of the 1,000 number, which is what Greg was given when Bionicle started and before the story moved to a city setting.) This naturally implies that the airships used to move the Matoran were large enough for thousands of pods, that the Toa Metru had enough energy to awaken thousands of Matoran, and that thousands of pods were constructed before the Great Cataclysm.⁴⁹

There were hundreds, perhaps thousands of Matoran living on Metru Nui.⁵⁰

Mata Nui served as the Mata Nui robot's brain. The work the Matoran did there served to keep the brain functioning.⁵¹

Mata Nui's health didn't have to do with the health of the Matoran of Metru Nui, but specifically whether they were working in the city or not.⁵²

A period of six months with reduced work in the city wouldn't have much impact on Mata Nui's health, but a period of 400 years would.⁵³

Metru Nui did not have professional athletes.⁵⁴ Metru Nui did not have restaurants.⁵⁵

Metru Nui was not a democracy, but was led by the Turaga.⁵⁶ The metru did not have their own governments.⁵⁷

The island of Mata Nui formed a sphere around Metru Nui, with Metru Nui at the center of that sphere, suspended in a sea of protodermis, and the sky above Metru Nui on the inside of the sphere.⁵⁸

Metru Nui's was the only dome directly underneath the island of Mata Nui.⁵⁹

There were no artificial Rhotuka launchers on Metru Nui before the Visorak invasion because the island hadn't received any in trades.⁶⁰

New Matoran could come into being on Metru Nui.⁶¹

The Metru had relatively equal populations.⁶²

Metru Nui's constellations were not the same as the real constellations that were visible on the island of Mata Nui.⁶³

The Matoran of Metru Nui didn't find the universe and dome they lived in strange because it was all they ever knew.⁶⁴

Metru Nui had no newspaper equivalent.⁶⁵

Metru Nui likely did actually have a Ministry of Tourism when the sea gates were open.⁶⁶

The stars above Metru Nui were real.⁶⁷

The stars above Metru Nui were energy.⁶⁸

The stars above Metru Nui could not be seen from other locations.⁶⁹

Underwater chutes connected Metru Nui to a narrow strip of land which led to Karzahni's realm.⁷⁰

Metru Nui had underwater chutes all over, most of which were abandoned as unsafe.⁷¹

Metru Nui did not have seasons.⁷²

There was not much plant life on Metru Nui, other than some hedges and shrubs in Ga-Metru.⁷³

The population of Metru Nui remained pretty consistent at around 1000 Matoran because new Matoran were brought into being as other Matoran died.⁷⁴

When new Matoran were employed in Metru Nui, they were created in the city and not brought from somewhere else.⁷⁵

Metru Nui was a tactical location sought by the Dark Hunters and Brotherhood of Makuta due to its importance to the Great Spirit.⁷⁶

Metru Nui wasn't the north pole, but it was the furthest north the Matoran knew about.⁷⁷

When the Great Spirit Robot was submerged on its back, Metru Nui and the Southern Continent were at the same depth.⁷⁸

There were waterways separating the metru consisting of liquid protodermis.⁷⁹

There were actually stars in the "sky" over Metru Nui, and sunlight came through holes in the sky.⁸⁰

The level of technology seen in Metru Nui wasn't unique in the Matoran universe.⁸¹

There were no other islands within Metru Nui's dome.⁸²

A central spot in Ga-Metru held a place where Matoran could absorb a year's worth of energy from one visit.⁸³

"Metru" was the traditional name for Toa teams defending Metru Nui.⁸⁴

Since it didn't cost Metru Nui anything to produce energy, they didn't require payment to provide energy to other islands.⁸⁵

There were no Matoran of secondary elements on Metru Nui because they weren't native to there.⁸⁶

The rebuilding of Metru Nui was necessary for Mata Nui to wake up, but it didn't affect his dying.⁸⁷

There was an Order of Mata Nui agent in Metru Nui as of story year 2008.⁸⁸

In terms of wildlife, most of Metru Nui was very urban, so it tended to have insects, birds, and small Rahi. Other areas, like Po-Metru, were more barren, rocky plain and actually did have herd animals. More dangerous Rahi were not allowed to live anywhere in the city; they were hunted down and put in the Archives. The Matoran did not know where the majority of these Rahi came from.⁸⁹

Greg believes that the large circular structures seen on the map of Metru Nui did not all serve the same purpose, but are only relevant to their own metru.⁹⁰

Goods such as furniture forged in Ta-Metru and assembled in Po-Metru were transported by Ussal cart or freight sleds in chutes. Less commonly, they were transported by airships.⁹¹

The "sky" above Metru Nui was a ceiling. If someone tried to fly past it in an airship, it would smash into it and wreck.⁹²

The image of the map of Metru Nui has the top pointing north.⁹³

Repopulating Metru Nui was key to awakening Mata Nui.⁹⁴

Probably thousands of Matoran lived in Metru Nui.⁹⁵

The reason that Metru Nui had one Turaga but Mata Nui had six is this. Metru Nui was a city divided into six sections, but all of the sections were close together and easily accessible from each other. So one Turaga could rule the whole thing. On Mata Nui, the koro were separated by wilderness filled with dangerous Rahi, so each village needed its own leader. One would not have been able to manage in that situation.⁹⁶

There were some mountains in Po-Metru, but otherwise Metru Nui was mostly buildings.⁹⁷

Matoran in Metru Nui visited other metru from time to time. Le-Matoran, in particular, traveled all over to repair transport systems.⁹⁸

According to an unofficial theory within the story team, in Metru Nui, the inhabitants got energy from the Great Temple, so they did not need to eat at all.⁹⁹

Mask makers on Metru Nui made Matoran masks so that they could be set aside, because more Matoran were coming into being all the time. They did not make a ton of Great Masks, simply because there were not that many level 8 Kanoka going around.¹⁰⁰

In Metru Nui, the poison that removes poison Kanoka were used for came from Rahi, usually.¹⁰¹

New Matoran in Metru Nui were not created in the Great Temple. Presumably, they were created as often as needed.¹⁰²

The theory about how Toa eat and going to the Great Temple to get energy came from the story bibgle writer, not the head of the story team, so it was not necessarily official.¹⁰³

Metru Nui used power from the power plant to run the machinery, like the consoles that oversaw bthe protodermis vats or controlled the flow of the chutes.¹⁰⁴

If Vahki pacified Matoran who were not working and sent them back to work, is that not like slavery? Greg's take was this: On Metru Nui, it was important that work got done to keep the city running. There was no time to bring in new Matoran and train them in jobs always, so the Vahki made sure that the people doing the jobs did them. The Matoran did not hate their jobs, and they knew they were important. They knew that during their work time, they were supposed to work. The Vahki were there, in part, to make sure that happened.¹⁰⁵

Crime

Every city, even Metru Nui, had its share of crime. Part of the job of the Vahki was to track down and pacify lawbreakers, a task they carried out with great efficiency. Just a few of the major types of criminal activity the Vahki dealt with regularly were smuggling, theft, disk dueling, and forgery of Kanoka disks.²⁰

Travelers were advised to be cautious when purchasing artifacts, particularly from street peddlers. These artifacts were potentially forgeries or stolen property. Those who suspected that they had purchased an illegal artifact were encouraged to notify the Vahki immediately.²⁰

Smuggling

Rare Kanoka disks, artifacts discovered by Onu-Matoran miners or archivists, even Rahi – all of these things had value. This attracted less scrupulous Matoran who might attempt to ferry such objects from their place of discovery to private collectors without going through normal channels. The smugglers were the sellers, and in most cases Onu-Matoran or Ko-Matoran were the buyers.²⁰

At one time, smuggling rings also dealt in objects from places other than Metru Nui. After Turaga Dume ordered all gateways to other lands closed, the lawbreakers focused their operations at home. Bordakh proved to be the most effective at breaking up rings, by using their staffs to convert low-level members over to their way of thinking. A Bordakh-stunned Matoran would lead the Vahki right to his partners and any loot they had stashed.²⁰

Theft

There was a time when the only incidents of theft in Metru Nui involved a crafter taking another's tools or something equally minor. That was before the chute network became as extensive as it was in mid-story year 2004. The expansion of the transportation system made it easier for criminals to find ways to divert cargo shipments down little-used chutes where they could be looted at leisure. Le-Matoran monitored the chutes and shipments as best they could, but with thousands of tons of cargo going through the system every day, it was impossible to keep track of it all. The most serious theft to date as of mid-story year 2004 occurred very recently, when a shipment of Great Masks going from Ta-Metru to Ga-Metru disappeared en route. The thieves were never caught, and the whereabouts of the masks remained unknown.²⁰

Disk Dueling

Physical violence between Matoran was almost unheard of, but Matoran with serious disagreements were known to engage in disk dueling. Disk dueling was highly illegal and was certain to bring swift action from the Vahki.²⁰

Forgery

Forgery of Kanoka disks was an uncommon crime, but a dangerous one. A small group of criminals in Po-Metru attempted to pass off disks carved from solid protodermis as Kanoka disks. Purchasers discovered they had disks with no powers at all, often too late to save themselves from the Rahi they were trying to use the disks on. This ring was smashed by the Vahki, although there was concern that others might spring up to take its place as of mid-story year 2004.²⁰

List of Locations

• Archives/Great Archives
• assembler's village
• Turaga Dume's box
• Canyon of Unending Whispers
• Chute Station 445
• Coliseum
• Coliseum Siege Gate
• Fields of Construction
• Fikou Web
• Fire Pits
• Fountains of Wisdom
• Ga-Metru
• Great Barrier
• Great Furnace
• Great Hau gateway
• Great Temple
• Vahki hive
• Knowledge Towers
• Ko-Metru
• Le-Metru
• Lightstone mine tower
• Moto-Hub
• The Notch
• Onu-Metru
• Po-Metru
• Prison of the Dark Hunters
• Protodermis canals
• Protodermis Falls
• Protodermis lab
• Protodermis Reclamation Center/Protodermis Reclamation Yard
• Protodermis Reclamation Furnace
• Protodermis warehouse
• School
• Sculpture Fields
• Sector Three
• Silver sea/Protodermis Sea/Sea of Protodermis
• Stars
• Ta-Metru
• Test Track
• Turaga Dume's throne room
• Toa Suva
• Tower of Toa
• Towers of Thought
• Ussal pen
• Vakama's foundry
• Visorak's gate
• Visorak watch tower