Mahri Nui

Mahri Nui was once a coastal village on the island of Voya Nui, before it broke off from the land and sank beneath the waves, landing near the fields of Airweed. It was later crushed by Voya Nui, after the cord which connected the two locations was destroyed.

History
Shortly after the Great Cataclysm occurred a thousand years ago, the lava flow of Voya Nui's Mount Valmai built up and cooled in the Voya Nui Bay and formed a new landmass. On this new land the Matoran on Voya Nui built a second city called Mahri Nui 900 years ago. Life in Mahri Nui remained uneventful until disaster struck 300 years ago. The fragment of land on which Mahri Nui sat broke free of the floating Voya Nui landmass and sank below the surface of the ocean. The matoran on Voya Nui grieved for the lost settlement and tossed food and tools into the ocean to commemorate the lost settlement. Unknown to the inhabitants of Voya Nui the settlement was not lost and the matoran that sank beneath the sea recieved these offering as Gifts from Mata Nui. While the Matoran sinking along with their city were in immediate danger of drowning, a mutagenic substance in the waters surrounding Voya Nui started to mutate the Matoran suddenly immersed in it. Before the mutations became too severe, however, Mahri Nui rested on some fields of Airweed, where it became lodged between two arches of stone. The force of the impact released a myriad of air bubbles. The Matoran were able to collect these air bubbles together to form larger dome-shaped bubbles that protected them from the ocean waters outside. Their mutations ceased. Although these Matoran are the exact same Matoran that were weakened by Karzahni, the mutagen made them bigger and stronger.

They soon found that a native kind of Rahi called Hydruka could easily harvest air from a certain kind of seaweed, so they tamed the beasts to do so. Forgetting most of their life on the surface, save for a few fragments, the Matoran named their new home the city of Mahri Nui. They also formed a Council to help everyone work together, Matoran took turns at leadership, and meetings were held monthly to make plans for the future. Every month, Mahri Nui would get fallen gifts from above, but it was really the Voya Nui Matoran throwing tools into the water in remembrance of the lost ones.

Unfortunately, the land sank dangerously close to The Pit, where the Order of Mata Nui condemns the world's most vile beings. Some of those beings, a group of warlords called the Barraki, are now terrorizing the Matoran. Ehlek, especially, wanted retribution for the Barraki fortress that Mahri Nui crushed when it sank. He later attacked the Matoran in the Battle of Mahri Nui. However, the Matoran knew little of their attackers, as they never saw more of them than a passing claw or tentacle, they only knew that people kept mysteriously disappearing...

When the Ignika Mask of Life arrived from Voya Nui, things began to change. The Barraki made their presence known to the Matoran, particularly Pridak, who captured a scouting expedition. The Ignika enlarged a Venom Eel to defend itself, and the giant beast threatened Mahri Nui until Defilak shattered its Lightstones, hiding the city in shadows. The Barraki then claimed the Mask of Life, causing it to glow so brightly that all of Mahri Nui was blinded by its light. At the same time, a venom eel broke the cord.

The Toa Mahri, mutated by the Ignika, finally arrived. They were believed to be enemies by the Matoran, but eventually made peace. Matoro was recaptured by Hydraxon, mutated by the Ignika from Dekar, and Maxilos was posssessed by Makuta Teridax. The Toa Mahri's exploits eventually turned the Barraki against each other, threatening the city and almost destroying it. Eventually, the Toa regained the Mask of Life, and managed to begin the process of saving Mata Nui's life. In the process, the shattered the Cord, and Voya Nui plunged beneath the waves, destroying Mahri Nui.

Mahri Nui Geography

 * Fields of Airweed: All around Mahri Nui were large fields of Airweed. It was on these which Mahri Nui crashed into, resulting in many air bubbles raising and encasing around the Matoran, saving them from mutation and drowning. These fields of Airweed were harvested by the Hydruka for air, and were watched over by an assigned Matoran. However, the fields of Airweed were often exposed to danger, so the Matoran kept a safe distances.
 * The Cord: A narrow stone cord that linked Mahri Nui up with Voya Nui. This cord had a tunnel to enter Voya Nui.
 * Matoran Council Chamber: A massive room located in the Mahri Nui Fortress. This room was where the Matoran held their council meetings to decide on the city's progress and to store the gifts which came from above.
 * The Pillars of Salt: Mountains that formed over the centuries from salt deposits in the water. This area was a preferred hunting ground of Takea sharks plus favorite hunting ground of Pridak, and so had not been extensively explored by the Matoran.
 * Octo Cave: A frequent stopping place of the Barraki named Kalmah, this cavern was the source of the sea squid that had plagued the Matoran for so long.