Maze of Shadows (Location)

"These tunnels are not natural... Someone dug them out of the stone and I think I may know why. The Bohrok... what Vakama saw in his vision... these are the access tunnels for them to reach the surface."

- Onewa, Maze of Shadows

The Maze of Shadows is the complex and extensive system of tunnels and caves extending from Mata Nui to the inside of the Dome of Metru Nui. After Mata Nui's destruction, the cave system is still in place.

History
The Maze of Shadows was created by the Great Beings over one-hundred-thousand years ago inside Mata Nui's head. Conduits of Energized Protodermis were placed inside the walls of the tunnels that activated when he landed, creating an island that acted as a camouflage system. When time came for Mata Nui's departure, the Bohrok housed inside the nests in the Maze would awake and ascend to the island above through the same tunnels to cleanse it of life. When Teridax was assigned by Miserix to supervise Metru Nui, he used this area to house many of his lairs and a number of vaults, inside which he stored items of various kinds, from flawed masks to the Spear of Fusion. He also placed a pool of Energized Protodermis in his main lair, which he often experimented with to create new creatures. When the creatures didn't satisfy him, he usually banished them into the tunnels; others he placed to guard his lairs. Sometime before the Great Cataclysm, Teridax created the Karzahni to drive the Matoran of Metru Nui towards the Coliseum. However, it proved too willful and ambitious for his plans and so he abandoned it, replacing it with the Morbuzakh. The Karzahni settled itself into a chamber that was part of the network, interlacing itself very deeply with the rock walls of the cavern and manifesting itself as moss growing on the walls of the tunnels around it. Eventually it gained dominance over many of the mutant Rahi that Teridax had exiled. Soon after, a member of the Order of Mata Nui wandered inside these tunnels and was captured by the plant, who forced him to reveal the existence of the organization before killing him. When Mata Nui crashed on Aqua Magna, some of the conduits contained in the walls of the tunnels were breached and the Energized Protodermis inside leaked in the tunnels. Shortly thereafter, in response to the Visorak invasion of Metru Nui, many of the Rahi there fled throughout these tunnels, often dying along the way. The surviving ones made up the Rahi fauna of the Isle of Mata Nui above. It was one of these fleeing Rahi, a Nui-Jaga, which made Toa Metru Onewa realize that the tunnels might extend all the way back to Metru Nui. When the Toa Metru journeyed through the tunnels, they battled a Kranua, the Red Serpent, Bohrok controlled by worm-like Rahi, and the Rahi Nui. This last enemy wounded Nokama fatally, forcing her teammates to make a deal with Karzahni, which offered to heal Nokama in exchange for a sample of Energized Protodermis. To accomplish this task, the Toa, including Nokama, who had been temporarily healed, traveled through the tunnels, retrieving along the way a vial in which to hopefully contain the dangerous substance, as well as a number of Kanoka Disks, and battling many former guardians of Teridax, which were also fleeing to Mata Nui. Eventually they reached one of Teridax's lairs, and confronted the Energized Protodermis Entity, which refused to give away a part of its' substance, choosing instead to fight the Toa. After a short battle, the Toa destroyed the pool and escaped with the sample. Forced by Vakama to keep its' word, the Karzahni cured Nokama but when it exposed itself to the Energized Protoderis, it was seemingly destroyed. After reaching the Silver Sea, the Toa Metru searched the tunnels for a way to cross it. It was Vakama who found, in an abandoned lair of Teridax's, the parts of a Vahki Transport that the Toa then used to build their boat, which they made seaworthy using logs coming from the dead Karzahni. Later, after rescuing the Matoran, the Toa Metru used the tunnels to reach Mata Nui on their Airships. The same tunnels were used by Vakama to reach the island after having retrieved the Kanohi Vahi. When the Toa Mata descended in the tunnels to reach Mangaia, they faced and defeated the Manas that Teridax was using as guardians. The crabs fled along the tunnel network, eventually settling in Onu-Wahi. Takua the Chronicler also used these tunnels to reach Mangaia and subsequently the Bohrok Nests. When Teridax awoke the Bohrok, the machines used these tunnels to ascend to the Isle of Mata Nui. The same tunnels were then used by the Toa Mata to make the reverse trip. After battling some Bohrok and escaping traps created by the Bahrag, the Toa defeated these two entities. In the process, they fell inside the Energized Protodermis conduits, becoming Toa Nuva. After the fight, the nests and the tunnels leading to them collapsed. Some of the rubble was later melted by Pahrak-Kal to reach the Bahrag. When Takanuva descended into Mangaia, he used the Ussanui to make this journey. Hahli later summoned the Turaga Metru, the Toa Nuva, and the Matoran to Mangaia, where they witnessed the creation of Takutanuva and the opening of the gate which led back to Metru Nui. Following this re-discovery, the Matoran used the tunnels to descend to the shores of the Silver Sea with the boats needed to sail across it. Some time later, a band of Skakdi entered Mangaia to loot it. Pursued by the Mana Ko residing in Mangaia, they fled to the Isle of Mata Nui through the tunnel leading to Kini-Nui. The tunnels were used once more by the Bohrok, as well as by the Toa Nuva, to reach Mata Nui. The Bohrok caused the Rahi living on the island, along with the Kardas Dragon, to flee along the maze back into the Matoran Universe beyond. When Mata Nui was destroyed, the tunnels survived. They were used by a band of Ta-Matoran to try to reach the surface.

Landscape
The tunnels making up the Maze of Shadows are very different in shape and size. Some are as large and high as half the Coliseum, others much smaller. Occasionally the are straight, but they often twist, turn, and fork. Sometimes they are interrupted by caverns or chasms, often spanned by stone bridges. The walls of the tunnels are carved with images and writings related to the Bohrok. On the Isle of Mata Nui the entrances to the Maze of Shadows were located all around the island, though mostly in Po-Wahi and Onu-Wahi. The Kini-Nui also housed an entrance which led to Mangaia. Inside Metru Nui, the entrances to the tunnels are located in the Great Barrier.

Mangaia
The largest lair of Teridax located in this region, Mangaia spanned an area under the Kini-Nui and the Mangai Volcano. It is made of a large cavern of which the roof was once supported by pillars, which were destroyed during the fight between Takanuva and Teridax. In the center there was once a pool of Energized Protodermis, which was destroyed by the Order of Mata Nui. A long tunnel with many ramifications connects Mangaia to the Kini-Nui. Another tunnel, which was closed by an enormous and very heavy gate, departs Mangaia and leads to the shore of the Silver Sea.

Bohrok Nests
The Maze of Shadows encompasses many Bohrok Nests, which house the sleeping Bohrok. They are large caverns filled with cylinders, each containing a sleeping Bohrok. The nests are distributed over the entirety of the tunnel network. Some of them, which were discovered by the Archivists, are located beneath the Island City of Metru Nui. The nests can be reached from every part of the Maze of Shadows. The nest which houses the Bahrag is made of a large cavern with carvings that can house each of the forty-eight varieties of Krana. Placing the Krana in the carvings causes six tunnels to open, where the Bahrag reside, and where there were once located six suits of Exo-Toa. This particular nest collapsed and the rubble was melted by Pahrak-Kal. One nest can also be accessed by Mangaia, and could be exited through a portal which led to the Ta-Wahi Beach.

Appearances

 * BIONICLE Chronicles 1: Tale of the Toa
 * BIONICLE Chronicles 2: Beware the Bohrok
 * Comic 5: To Trap a Tahnok
 * Comic 6: Into the Nest
 * Comic 7: What Lurks Below
 * Comic 8: The End of the Toa?
 * BIONICLE Chronicles 3: Makuta's Revenge
 * Comic 11: A Matter of Time...
 * Comic 12: Absolute Power
 * BIONICLE Chronicles 4: Tales of the Masks
 * BIONICLE: Mask of Light
 * BIONICLE: Mask of Light (Book)
 * Comic 14: At Last -- Takanuva!
 * BIONICLE Adventures 5: Voyage of Fear
 * BIONICLE Adventures 6: Maze of Shadows
 * BIONICLE Adventures 7: Web of the Visorak
 * BIONICLE Adventures 10: Time Trap (Mentioned Only)
 * BIONICLE Legends 4: Legacy of Evil (In a Flashback)
 * Toa Nuva Blog
 * BIONICLE: Encyclopedia (Mentioned Only)
 * Mata Nui Online Game
 * Rahkshi Promo Animations (Non-canonical Appearance)
 * BIONICLE: Maze of Shadows (Non-canonical Appearance)