Metru Nui

In the Bionicle storyline, Metru Nui is a huge island city-state located far beneath the surface of the island of Mata Nui; its name literally means "Great City" in the Matoran language. It's measured to be 47.6 by 24 kio (a unit of measurement in the Bionicle universe roughly equal to .85 miles or 1.37 kilometers); or in Earth measurements, 40.46 by 20.4 miles or 65.21 by 32.88 kilometers.

Metru Nui is among the most important sites in the Bionicle world. Whoever controls the city, receives immense influence. Before being damaged in the Great Cataclysm, it served as a vital trading hub where goods were sent to where they were sorely needed; and the power plant produced enough energy to power other cities for free. Its prosperity also seems to have a direct connection to the health of the universe's guardian, the Great Spirit Mata Nui, as Metru Nui must be restored before Mata Nui can awaken from his centuries-long sleep.

Metru Nui is the home of about a thousand Matoran. The city is divided into six districts, or "Metru": Ta-Metru, Ga-Metru, Onu-Metru, Po-Metru, Le-Metru, and Ko-Metru. Each Metru's Matoran play a different role in the smooth running of the city. Metru Nui is ruled by , and was once protected by robotic order enforcement squads called Vahki. Each Metru had a different type of Vahki, but all were highly efficient and relentless enforcers of the laws of the city.

Environment
The city of Metru Nui is actually underground, far below the island that came to be known as Mata Nui. The Matoran living there are generally unaware of this, however; mists obscure the cavern walls (called "the Great Barrier") and give the appearance of a normal sky. Metru Nui's "suns" are actually holes in the planet's surface (specifically one under a glacier near Mt. Ihu, and one in or near Lake Naho). The nature of the "stars" is unknown, but the Great Spirit Mata Nui can direct their movement to deliver prophesies. The city also stands in the center of a vast "Silver Sea" of liquid protodermis.

History

The city of Metru Nui was founded and built roughly a hundred thousand years ago, around the same time that the Brotherhood of Makuta and Order of Mata Nui were founded. Metru Nui's foundations were laid by the Great Beings, and the rest was built by Matoran; the very first Toa was also known to have some involvement. Legend states that Ta-Metru was the first district built, followed by Ga-Metru.

Around eighty thousand years ago, there was a civil war; the fighting took place of all the work normally carried out and this interruption was called the "Great Disruption". Little is known about the four-hundred-year conflict, but it was the Brotherhood of Makuta who ended the fighting. The Order of Mata Nui banished the war leaders to a place known as "the Pit" and placed an agent in the city to ward off further conflicts.

Fifteen thousand years ago, was appointed as the city's leader.

Four thousand years ago, Metru Nui came under siege from a beast unleashed by the Dark Hunters called the Kanohi Dragon. A team of eleven Toa, including Lhikan and Nidhiki, came to the city and drove it off. They chose to stay in the city as the city's resident guardians. The beast was then dumped to the island of Xia.

Three thousand years ago, the Shadowed One wanted to build a Dark Hunter base in Metru Nui, but Turaga Dume refused to work with the Dark Hunters. Frustrated after many several attempts to force Dume's cooperation, the Shadowed One declared war on the city, pitting the Dark Hunters against hundreds of Toa, led by Lhikan, who fought in Metru Nui's defense, led by Lhikan. The battles raged for months as the two sides struggled in urban combat, fighting for every city block. It was during this time that Metru Nui gained its nickname, when the Shadowed One stated "Metru Nui will well and truly be a city of legends since, as is well known, most legends are about the dead." The war eventually ended when Nidhiki attempted to betray the Toa, only for Lhikan to find out and lay a counter-trap that defeated the Hunters, who were expelled from the city.

One thousand years ago, Makuta secretly captured Turaga Dume and took his place. He began sending the city's Toa on missions from which they never returned, and hired a few Dark Hunters to help with his plans: Nidhiki (who had joined the Hunters and been mutated into an insectoid monster) and his partner Krekka would do dirty work inside the city while the Hunter codenamed "Eliminator" was the one to take out the Toa sent on missions. Eventually, only Lhikan was left.

As Makuta released a plant creature called the Morbuzakh on the city's outskirts, Lhikan became suspicious of "Dume". Finding Nidhiki and Krekka in the city worried Lhikan enough to take drastic measures, and he gave Toa Stones to six Matoran so they could become Toa. He was captured by the Dark Hunters just as he finished delivering the Toa Stones, but the six Matoran took them to the Great Temple where they were transformed into Toa Metru.

The new Toa Metru were able to eliminate the threat of the Morbuzakh, but when they tried to gain recognition from "Turaga Dume" he called for their arrest. While the Toa were on the run from the Dark Hunters and the Vahki enforcers, Makuta went forward with his plans and, as Dume, ordered the city's population into Matoran Spheres.

Eventually, the Toa found now-Turaga Lhikan and they realized that "Dume" had indeed betrayed the Matoran. They raced to confront the imposter, only to find that it was too late and the Matoran had all been rendered unconscious in the spheres. While Makuta (who had revealed his identity to the Toa) used his power to put the Great Spirit Mata Nui to sleep, the Toa took some of the spheres and tried to flee the city, intending to come back for the rest. Makuta gave chase but was defeated and imprisoned by the Toa, though not before Lhikan sacrificed himself to save Toa Vakama.

When the Toa Metru returned to Metru Nui after discovering the island of Mata Nui, they found a very different place than the one they left. An earthquake had freed countless beasts from their imprisonment in the Archives, and hordes of Visorak spiders had invaded. The Toa vowed to rescue the Matoran and evacuate them to Mata Nui, but the task was made much more difficult when the Visorak's mutating venom turned them into feral Toa Hordika. In time, though, and with the help of the Rahaga and , the Toa were able to reverse their mutations and evacuate all of the Matoran to Mata Nui.

Over the next thousand years, while the Matoran were living on Mata Nui, Turaga Dume and the Rahaga did what they could to restore and repair the city (though the Rahaga were often away helping other Visorak-conquered lands). Before too long, the Shadowed One stationed the Dark Hunter codenamed "Dweller" in the city permanently, in order to observe and report any news.

In the present day, the path between Mata Nui and Metru Nui has been reopened, and the Matoran have returned to the city along with their new protectors, the Toa Nuva and Toa Takanuva. The Toa Metru are now Turaga themselves, and upon returning have become advisers under Dume's leadership. The Matoran have been busy rebuilding everything. However, the Toa Nuva have recently disappeared from the city, being sent on a mission by the Turaga, leaving Takanuva the city's only guardian. Noticing their disappearance, Jaller of the Ta-Metru guard demanded the Matoran know where the Toa Nuva have gone or else the reconstruction will stop. Turaga Nokama decided to tell him the truth, compelling Jaller to gather five of his friends to make the journey to Voya Nui.

Near the waters of the city, a lone Makuta named Icarax discovers the missing Mask of Shadows thrown into the sea by the Piraka.

The damage caused by the Great Cataclysm was reversed by the Staff of Artahka.

Districts
The Coliseum
The Coliseum is at the center of the city of Metru Nui, where the borders of the six districts meet. It is where sporting events such as Akilini take place, as well as being the main power station for the city. It also serves as 's home. When the Visorak invaded the city, they made the Coliseum their main nesting grounds. In the present day, the ground around the Coliseum has become severely unstable; the Order of Mata Nui agrees with the Turaga's assessment that it is connected to the Great Spirit's failing health. In a possible future where Mata Nui died, the Coliseum sank beneath the ground.

Ta-Metru
Ta-Metru is the place where protodermis is molded and manufactured after it is rid of its impurities in Ga-Metru. Because of all the smoke and heat from the foundries and forges, Matoran from other districts do not like to stay here long. Ta-Metru's landmarks include the Great Furnace, where the Matoran worked to build items for other Metru. The Great Furnace was largely destroyed by the Morbuzakh's King Root, as it was home to the final battle between it and Toa Metru. Other landmarks include the Protodermis Reclamation Yard and Furnace, where unusable items are sent, then later melted down, and the Fire Pits, home to flame geysers which provide the source of fire in the Metru. The Matoran here work as mask-makers, monitors of Protodermis flows, and proto-smiths.

In the Great Cataclysm, much of the molten protodermis spilled and melted most of the metru, but it was the first Metru repaired as rebuilding on other Metru cannot be started until the forges and factories are once again producing materials. The Metru is now home to the Ta-Matoran again, as well as Turaga Vakama.

Ga-Metru
Ga-Metru is the center of educational and spiritual learning in the city; where the schools and research labs are located. The landmarks of the Metru are the Protodermis Purification center, as this district is where liquid protodermis is taken from the Silver Sea and purified so that it could be used elsewhere, and the Fountains of Wisdom, where jets of liquid protodermis emerge from decorative statues. Ga-Metru is very peaceful, and canals of the liquid protodermis span across over the Metru. Ga-Metru is also said to be the second region built in the city, and the most favored by Mata Nui. The Matoran work here as teachers and students.

Just offshore from Ga-Metru is the Great Temple, home to the Toa Suva shrine and other objects of power. The Great Temple survived the Cataclysm intact, but was later damaged by Toa Hordika Vakama. When the Matoran returned to Metru Nui, the residents of the damaged Metru, Turaga Nokama and the Ga-Matoran, soon enough restored the Great Temple. However, the Toa Nuva broke in to find a scroll with a list of instructions that can awaken Mata Nui.

Le-Metru
Le-Metru is the transport hub of the city. Le-Matoran are in charge of the entire city's transport network, particularly the system of chutes that move people and things between Metru. The flurry of activity and the number of wires strung about give the district the feeling of an urban jungle and of (barely) controlled chaos. Le-Metru's Moto-Hub is the largest chute station in Metru Nui, as well as the administration building for chutes, where the main controls are located. There is also a Test Track, where new vehicle designs are made and tested by volunteer Matoran. Given the importance of the transport system, Le-Metru has been given top priority in repairs and the work is almost done.

Po-Metru
Po-Metru is the most natural of all the city districts, as it is made up mainly of rocky mountains and canyons. Po-Matoran like to work outside, assembling goods and carving statues. Rahi attacks and stampedes are somewhat common in this district. Po-Metru's claim to fame is the Sculpture Fields; a large expanse where Po-Matoran work to carve giant statues much too large for any building. Po-Metru suffered the least damage in the Cataclysm, and currently serves as home for most of the population until the other Metrus can be restored.

Onu-Metru
Onu-Metru is home to the Archives, an underground museum complex where Onu-Matoran archivists work hard to preserve artifacts of Metru Nui's history. The archives have actually expanded again and again, to the point where they stretch underneath the whole city (in fact, on the map of Metru Nui the light gray blob constituting most of Onu-Metru is actually the aboveground section of the Archives). Besides just artifacts, Rahi are also kept in the Archives; in stasis, if possible. This Metru is also home to lightstone and protodermis mines, where lightstones to illuminate the city and protodermis to be sent to Ga-Metru for refining. The Cataclysm caused all of the Archives stasis containers to shatter, releasing untold numbers of beasts into the city.

Ko-Metru
Ko-Metru is known best for its Knowledge Towers, which are crystalline structures that can reach so high that their rooftops are often covered with ice. Ko-Matoran are scholars and seers who study and analyze, trying to predict the future. The district is kept incredibly cold, in order to better preserve written documents. Ko-Metru is the quietest district in the city, as Ko-Matoran hate to have their work interrupted. The mythical also made his home in a Ko-Metru cave.

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