Great Beings

The Great Beings were mysterious beings who created the Matoran Universe, the Red Star, the Element Lords and the Baterra, to name a few of their creations. One of them created the Kanohi Ignika.

History
The Great Spirit Mata Nui was created by the Great Beings. They had originally created Tren Krom to watch the universe until the Great Spirit was ready. Since putting Mata Nui in charge, they didn't pay much attention to this universe and were unaware that Mata Nui was ever unconscious.

Before they departed from this universe roughly a hundred thousand years ago, the Great Beings were known to have laid the foundations of Metru Nui, created and hid the Ignika Mask of Life, and formed the Hand of Artakha.

Two known Great Beings created and hid the Mask of Life. They carved the pedestal meant to hold the mask and the staircase leading to it, and one of them recorded his voice to provide tests for those who penetrated the tunnels. However, they left the creation of guardians to the Mask itself (though they did discuss sending Umbra as a guard). Though they had immense power and could keep surrounding Matoran from noticing them, even they feared the mask's curse; they also wore cloaks and used unknown weapons and tools.

A third Great Being was known to fall victim to the curse of the Mask of Life, gaining the ability to give life to anything. However, the power was too much to control and everything began coming to life around him, from tools and furniture to even beams of light, and all this new life not only had wants and needs but were able to make such desires known. The Great Being was eventually sealed away to keep anything else from coming to life he eventuesly ended up on Bota Magna, and it is rumored he was driven mad.

One Great Being hid in the Matoran Universe, living inside the body of a being created in there.

Later Artahka asked Vezon to open a portal and Arthaka and a group of other beings as Lewa, Kapura, Helryx, and some other people landed on Bota Magna where they met the Great Being and the Great Being asked for them to free him.

The planet that the Great Beings lived on was that of which energized protodermis originated. Although it first started out in the core of the planet, it bubbled up to the surface, and the planet's inhabitants battled over it. Some of the substance managed to reach the Bionicle Universe before the Great Beings' planet was destroyed in cataclysm.

On Spherus Magna, the Great Beings created the Baterra, who were in charge of the destruction of all armed combatants. This was an attempt to end the Core War ravaging the planet. After the war's end, the Great Beings tried to shut down the Baterra, but failed.

They fled to an unknown planet after that. It is unknown exactly where.

Bara Magna
Angonce, creator of Mata Nui, stayed. Ackar later promised his best friend Mata Nui that he would get the Great Beings to come to Spherus Magna.

The Mata Nui Saga
As it was revealed in the eighth chapter of the short audio series The Mata Nui Saga, Mata Nui's first memory of being built showed humanoid figures in heavy garb building and watching the construction of Mata Nui.

The Yesterday Quest
During the Core War, the Great Beings had unleashed a “doomsday weapon” that came to be called “baterra.” Their role was to end the war by force by eliminating any armed combatant they encountered. Once it became inevitable that the Shattering would happen, the Great Beings tried to use their failsafe to shut the baterra down. It failed, and the baterra remained active to this day.

That failure made them think about how much power each Toa would have. If something went wrong upon Mata Nui’s return, and the Toa were unleashed, the Agori would stand no chance against them. Suppose the Toa went bad? Suppose they wanted to conquer this new world? If so, then once again Spherus Magna would be in mortal danger as a result of the Great Beings’ actions. That could not be allowed to happen.

They had little time, but they put it to good use, designing and building a new creation. It existed for one purpose, and one alone: to destroy Toa. The Great Beings believed no single Toa, or team of Toa, could hope to stand against it. It was christened Marendar, an Agori word meaning “salvation,” and placed in a vault.

Angonce knew the abrupt appearance of so many Toa on Spherus Magna might well activate Marendar. He hurried to the vault, but too late – the living weapon had already smashed its way through three feet of metallic protodermis and was gone. It would carry out its programming and kill any and every Toa on the planet.

Brothers in Arms
In an alternate Spherus Magna, the Great Beings discovered the Energized Protodermis was slowly spreading and damaging the planet, causing it to have the potential to shatter to pieces. As a result, they created the Toa, who were supposed to go underground and retrieve the substance, then repair the damage. They also created the Makuta to help the Toa protect the Matoran and to create new life forms.

Abilities and Traits
The Great Beings could make themselves go unseen or even completely unnoticed by beings of the Matoran Universe.

They also had incredible power, more than any other known being.

Known Creations
A list of all the known things the Great Beings made (not in chronological order):
 * The Red Star
 * Thornatus
 * Artahka
 * Karzahni
 * The Baterra
 * The Ignika
 * Mata Nui
 * The Mata Nui Robot
 * The Matoran Universe
 * Tren Krom
 * The first Toa, Turaga and Matoran
 * The Prototype Robot
 * The Element Lords
 * The Mask of Creation
 * Marendar
 * A series of secret tunnels under the Black Spike Mountains with defensive traps
 * The Spirit's Wish
 * An underground lab near Tajun
 * A number of prehistoric Rahi that lived around Metru Nui
 * Umbra
 * Krana
 * The Bahrag, the first Bohrok, and the Bohrok Va
 * Protodermis
 * Antidermis
 * Kini Nui
 * Iron Wolves
 * Skopio
 * Zyglak
 * The Golden Armor
 * The Valley of the Maze

Known Great Beings

 * Angonce - A Great Being who was rumored to have stayed on Bara Magna to study the Agori.
 * Two Great Beings that hid the Kanohi Ignika in the Matoran Universe.
 * A Great Being that touched the Kanohi Ignika and was cursed by it - Driven insane and imprisoned on Bota Magna.
 * Heremus‎ - A Great Being who helped design the Baterra.
 * A Great Being who was in the Matoran Universe for 100,000 years, posing as one of its inhabitants. Now on Spherus Magna.