Core War

"Six armies, all fighting over a glittering, silver liquid that changed or destroyed whatever it touched - some saw it as a power source, others as a weapon. Battles raged all across the planet, going back and forth, until somebody, somewhere, figured out a way to tap that power. And ... well, you know the rest.... The planet wound up in pieces."
— Glatorian Gelu to Gresh, Raid on Vulcanus

Core War
← Dreaming PlagueThe Shattering →
Event
Witnesses	Residents of Spherus Magna
Time	100,000 years ago
Actions	Armies fight each other for control of Energized Protodermis
Significance	Major

The Core War was a war fought on Spherus Magna among the world's rival elemental tribes for possession of Energized Protodermis springing from the planet's core. The Element Lords, leaders of the tribes of Spherus Magna, initiated the fighting, conscripting the warrior class beings to fight in their armies. The war eventually culminated in the planet-wide cataclysm known as the Shattering, and Spherus Magna split into three separate fragments.

History

Discovery of Energized Protodermis

Discovery of Energized Protodermis

The planet of Spherus Magna had long harbored a vast quantity of Energized Protodermis within its core. The Earth Tribe discovered it first, but kept its discovery a secret, waiting for another tribe to discover it. When a portion of the substance worked its way up to the surface of the planet in the Northern Frost, the Agori of the Ice Tribe discovered it, and began investigating the liquid. The Earth Tribe encouraged the Ice Tribe to claim the Energized Protodermis and start a war.

The Element Lord of Ice, after being informed of the discovery, managed to secure control over the well. The other Element Lords coveted the powerful substance, and declared war on one another for it, breaking the longstanding mutual peace that was held. The Great Beings, enigmatic creators and former leaders of the planet, were intrigued by the substance, and sent Raanu and Kyry to retrieve some of the substance so they could utilize it in their experiments.

Preparations for the War

The warrior species of the planet were enlisted into the six armies, and began to battle each other. The Element Lords remained in settlements, directing the troops. The Agori began acting as support staff, and remained in the villages to assist their soldiers. Surel, a warrior for the Ice Tribe, was assigned to train the Iron Wolves, previous creations of the Great Beings, as weapons of war.

Warfare

The fighting raged all over the planet, and involved the majority of the population. The Great Beings despised the war, and attempted to quell the violence with diplomacy, but failed at every attempt. Despite the amount of fighters, the war never reached the Black Spike Mountains. The Bone Hunters roamed the deserts, eschewing any militaristic fighting. The Iron Tribe also did not participate in the war, their numbers having been devastated by a plague. The Earth Tribe abstained from the war, claiming concern for the natural environment of the planet.

Several soldiers were fused to the trees of a forest by the power of the Element Lord of Jungle. The area later came to be called the Forest of Blades, after the weapons that the soldiers still held.

Vastus, a field commander of the Jungle Tribe, was chosen to lead a covert sabotage operation during the war. His efforts were largely successful, though an accident during a mission to trigger an avalanche accidentally caused the deaths of a large number of non-combatant Agori.

Gelu eventually grew disillusioned with the fighting, and defected from the army. He was unable to escape the war, however, and got caught up in a battle. His best friend, Surel, was gravely injured during the fight, and was thought to have died.

The Jungle Tribe fought with a Rock Tribe battalion led by Stronius. Another battle was fought at Lein's Drift.

Upon receiving and studying a sample of Energized Protodermis, the Great Beings realized that the Energized Protodermis was causing damage to the planet. They began the constructing the Mata Nui Robot, revisiting an old project. They also created the baterra, and programmed them to assassinate any armed combatant in the war. The baterra began murdering the fighters of the war.

Battle of the Field of Mist

The Water Tribe, led by Tarix, and the Fire Tribe, led by Ackar, clashed in the Field of Mist, a location in the Great Jungle.

Campaign to Ice Tribe Tunnels

Certavus's platoon defeated an army of Sand Tribe warriors, but on the trek home, were attacked by Skrall. The Element Lord of Water assigned Tarix to lead an army past the weakened Ice Tribe, but they entered conflict with the Jungle Tribe, led by Vastus; Tarix eventually proposed a truce. Tarix and Vastus decided to move towards reported secret underground Ice Tribe tunnels, intending to use them to their advantage. The combined forces moved through the Great Forest, but were detected by a Fire Tribe legion led by Malum, who burnt down a section of the forest. Tarix and Vastus reached the location of the secret tunnel, and hid when Malum's forces returned, but Vastus grabbed one of Tarix's Water Blades and blasted Malum with elemental Water to create a distraction and escape. The Jungle Tribe left while the Fire and Water Tribes fought, but the sudden arrival of Certavus's platoon caused Malum to order a retreat. Certavus's warriors soon left to fight elsewhere.

Battle of Iron Canyon

A month-long battle occurred in Iron Canyon, a battle in which Ackar participated, near the end of the war. Due to the dangerous terrain, armies were forced to frequently hide and be sought out. Narrow corridors forced the armies to move in single file, resulting in massive loss of life when ambushes were sprung.

Final Seizing of Energized Protodermis

Stronius, commander of a Rock Tribe legion, combated the Ice Tribe forces, succeeding in weakening their hold on the Energized Protodermis Spring. The Fire Tribe took advantage of the weakness, and led an effort into the Northern Frost to claim the Energized Protodermis, and managed to acquire some of it. They began draining and collecting the substance, their efforts weakening the stability of the planet even more.

As a result of the Fire Tribe's efforts, the planet broke apart into several pieces, an event referred to as the Shattering. The Element Lords were trapped, and would not escape for some time. The completed Mata Nui Robot, controlled by Mata Nui, was launched during the chaos, sent on a mission that would eventually lead it back to the planet and help fix the destruction.

Aftermath

In the wake of the disaster, the survivors on Bara Magna quickly came to the conclusion that full-scale war was impossible in their devastated society. The arena match system was founded by veterans of the Core War in order to settle disputes between tribes in a civil manner. While a small number of the warrior survivors lived in the Agori villages, the rest became wandering bandits consigned to living in the wastelands. Bara Magna society became incapable of innovating its own technology, instead scavenging remnants of the Great Beings' technology to suit their needs.

The survivors on Bota Magna led much more comfortable lives, being surrounded by a region of plentiful flora and fauna. Some Agori came to blame the technology of the Great Beings for the disaster, and combined their armor with plant matter to become closer to nature.

No Agori or others are known to have survived on Aqua Magna.

Appearances

Books	Comics	Online
Novels BIONICLE: Raid on Vulcanus (M) BIONICLE: Journey's End (M) Guides BIONICLE: Mata Nui's Guide to Bara Magna (M) Activity BIONICLE: Glatorian The Crossing (M)	Graphic Novels All Our Sins Remembered	Chronicle Mata Nui Saga Story Serials Destiny War (M) Brothers In Arms (AU) (M) Empire of the Skrall (M) Riddle of the Great Beings (M) Sahmad's Tale (M) The Yesterday Quest (M) Short Stories Decadence