Matoran (Auraverse)

"Look around you. We are everywhere. We built your cities, we fight in your armies. You Vortixx, Makuta, Steltians. You want us gone. But we're here to stay, and nothing you do can change that."

- Councilman Nurhii of the Alliance

Early History:
It is unknown truly where the Matoran came from. Some claim that the Matoran were egineered by the Sovereign as a workforce or a army during the Intrusion Crisis. None-the-less, The Matoran speices wasn't discovered by the Great Beings until after 100000 solar-revolutions after the disspearance of the Sovereign.

Life before the Great Beings:
The Matoran were originally ruled by a line of Matoran and Toa called "The Ziikiin". The line ruled Nui Magna, the Matoran homeworld until the discoverery of the Matoran race by the Great Beings. The Ziikiin basically kept all the villages and cities under their control, and allowed little progress to be made outside of their own line.

Discovery:
When the Great Beings discovered the Matoran race, they were shocked to learn that all of the Matoran population, due to the Ziikiin's control, the planet's minerals, or any number of unknown factors had Aura powers. As the Great Beings were few in number against the billions of Matoran. So, using a unkown chemical, the Great Beings put the entire planet's population in a sleep-like state, wiping their memories of their homeworld. However, the members of line Ziikiin were somehow immune to this chemical, and fought against the Great Beings. They almost overpowered the Great Beings due to their numbers and skill in Aura, until The Great beings used special weapons the Sovereign had discovered called "DemonTools". The Ziikiin now were all but destroyed, except for one or two members too weak to fight them. The Great Beings then put the Matoran on a constructed world that they had created some time back to study the Rahi of the universe, and modified it to be a prison for the Matoran race. The Great Beings also placed their cheif helpers, the Makuta, in this constructed world to watch over the Matoran. When conducting studies on the Matoran during this transfer, the Great Beings noticed that Nui Magna

In the system:
When the Matoran awoke, they found themselves scattared about the construct. Assuming a vareity of theories, the Matoran stayed in a "Dark Age" for several centuries, until the Makuta uplifted them, and started to aid them in the construction of cities. At this time, they learned that they were not alone, as during the time of their dark ages, several other "dangerous species" arrived. Such as Vortixx, Steltians, Criminal Glatorian and Agori, and other minor species. Ever since then, they have survived agains these other species, often coming at odds with them over the Matoran's strange numbers and powers.

Biology:
Matoran are a Huminoid race, some Great Being head scientists claim that they are similar to the Glatorian, but more bio-mechanical, as mechanics make up 20% of their bodies. While Matoran stand somewhere between 4-5 feet tall, their evolved state, Toa, stand about seven feet tall. Matoran have innate elemental powers, and .5/10 of them can use Aura powers. For whatever reason, Matoran wear masks. Without these masks, Matoran would not last long, and would die in a manner similar to suffocation. The Great Beings never figured out how this exactly works, but they assume that the masks bond with the face, creating a second skin.

Matoran go through three life stages, triggered by strange energy generated from their own bodies, and energy in a object that drained energy from a Toa. This energy was found to be abundant in the geology of Nui Magna. Toa are the second life stage, a more powerful form of Matoran. Toa can use their elemental powers, and their masks are called "Kanohi" which are masks that sometimes Great Beings wear. As these Kanohi grant Toa a additional power, the Toa become more lethal. Luckily, Toa are fewer in number than Matoran and Turaga, and are revered more as heroes and guardians, preventing them from becoming a threat to society. While Toa can not die when their masks are removed, they become weaker, and can not use their powers as much as when they wear their masks. As Toa are a more powerful form of Matoran, they often are stronger, faster, and tougher, and able to contain large amounts of energy and a couple fatal blows before death.

Turaga is the third stage of a Matoran's life cycle, triggered when a Toa expends all of his energy into a non-living object, which absorbs all the elemental energy in the Toa without chance of recovery. This sudden lack of energy turns the Toa into a Turaga, a older and weaker form of a Matoran. While somewhat more fragile, weaker, and slower than Matoran, Turaga are able to use a weaker form of their Kanohi masks, which are transformed with them. Turaga are also to use the elemental powers they had as a Toa, just not as much as they could earlier. Their bodies take longer to replenish this supply of energy as well, making it difficult for Turaga to fight in combat. While Matoran serve as laberors, Toa as Heroes, Turaga serve as elders, guiding younger generations of Matoran, or newer Toa to use their masks and powers. Turaga are the fewest in number, as many Toa do not go into this state, or die or are killed before they can do so.

Both Female Matoran and Toa are capable of sexual reproduction. How this is possible eludes Great Being scientists, but many have the theory that their bodies can manufacture the 20% of the body that is mechanical during incubation. Matoran can only survive a week after birth without a Kanohi mask, and during this week, they grow rapidly to normal size, giving the myth to other species that Matoran are manufactured as machines instead of born. However, the chances of Matoran being born are incredibly slim, less so than Rahk'veth and Glatorian.

Culture types
Matoran culture is often split up into regions, the primary regional cultures are listed as follows:

Alliance Matoran
Matoran of the Alliance are often found in the large cities of the Matoran Alliance. Matoran who live in these cities are often prosperous, as most of the population of the alliance is Matoran, most of whom work towards the better of the Alliance than for their personal gain. Matoran of the Alliance are often patriots of the Alliance, as elsewhere they are downtrodden by the Vortixx or the Brotherhood. Matoran of the Alliance often are considerate of their fellows, and most (but not all) are selfless and care more for the wellbeing of their fellows and country than themselves.

Mountain Matoran
Matoran who live in the Moutains dominating the center of Evrax Nui are known collectively as "Mountain Matoran". The Matoran of the mountains live in clans, each under the rule of a house of "nobles" who control a single mountain, or a entire range. These minitaure kingdoms exist outside the Brotherhood, Alliance, and Collective's control, and the tenacity and stubborness of those who calll the mountains home have prevented the conquering of such kingdoms for thousands of centuries now. Most of the Mountain Matoran are excellent fighters, raised from birth to defend their home and gaurd their bastion mountains.

Collective Matoran
The Matoran of the Xian Collective are downtrodden individuals. Some are bound by slavery, others live in slums that dominate the floors of the Xian cities, especially Tetra Nui. Only a few Matoran are rich enough to be considered Middle-class citizens, and the most of those Matoran quickly buy a ticket to one of the Alliance cities, only to find thier hard-earned wealth stripped from them by the notorious berau of misused wealth, and sent into slavery.

Brotherhood Matoran
The unfortunate Matoran (if you could even call them Matoran) of the Brotherhood of Makuta have either been lucky enough to live for centuries, toiling away in some dark crypt, or are clones, constructed by the Makuta to be consumed to feed the Makuta's millenia-long hunger for energy and to prevent their slow deterioration into nothingness. The few that survive the process of cloning and then their subsequent destruction by being consumed by the Makuta find themselves in the most oppressive regime known. Ever action they make is monitored, even whispering out against their oppressors will ensure their immediate destruction for heresey against the "living gods" that are the Makuta. Almost every horror in the galaxy (and them some) could be found in the cities under the control of the Brotherhood, the feeding grounds of gods.

Notable Individuals:

 * Auron
 * Nuhrii
 * Avrai
 * Aelynn
 * Sehrii
 * Shadowplayer (Mutated)
 * Lihkan
 * Matoro
 * Nalek
 * Jareroden
 * Cikren

Trivia:

 * The part on the Brotherhood Matoran is inspired by the Imperium from Warhammer 40k. (Please note the inspired part, I am in no way affiliated with Games Workshop, however, those people are pretty aweseome).