Mersion

"The Mersions are an ancient and mighty race of scientists and scholars; renowned across the universe for their accomplishments in the fields of science and philosophy. However, despite being a extremely peaceful race, the Mersions have become peaceful to the point of indolence, and can rarely be relied upon during a crisis. This leaves them somewhat unprepared for battle, though they remain capable enough in combat to defend themselves from hostile forces."

- Toa Helryx, World

The Mersions are an advanced race of sapient beings native to the island of Versuva.

History
One of the first species created by Mata Nui, the Mersions settled on the isle of Versuva, eventually becoming the island's main inhabitants. After establishing their society, many Mersions became scholars and scientists. Around this time, the Mersions elected a powerful group of elders, the Council of Eight, to lead them.

Originally, the Mersions isolated themselves from the rest of the universe, believing this to be the best way to prevent themselves from being distracted from their research. However, the Mersions soon realized they needed to trade with other lands in order to advance their society, and they therefore abolished the rule.

Some time whilst the Hand of Artakha was still active, Versuva was conquered by a warlord named Alxor, who would go on to enslave the Mersion people. Desperately, the Mersions turned to the Hand of Artakha, and asked for assistance in defeating the conqueror's forces. They accepted and managed to defeat Alxor's army, and capture the warlord himself. After this, the Mersions trained themselves in the ways of combat, and formed a large military force for defensive purposes.

Shortly after this, the Council of Eight was removed from power due to it's inefficiency against invading forces. The Mersions then elected a member of their own kind to rule them.

During the reign of the League of Six Kingdoms, the Mersions attempted to remain firmly neutral. However, Barraki Kalmah soon realized the Mersions' potential threat to the League, and swiftly conquered them. They were then forced to supply the League with their soldiers and technology. When the League was defeated by the Brotherhood of Makuta, the Mersions were freed from the League's control.

Recently, during the war between the Brotherhood of Makuta and the Order of Mata Nui, Mersery, a Mersion Order member, returned to Versuva and attempted to convince the island's leader to support the Order's war efforts. Although reluctant at first, the Mersion leader eventually agreed to help the Order, and began supplying them with his warriors and resources.

After Teridax took over the Matoran Universe, he sent Rahkshi to the island of Versuva to prevent the Mersions from assisting any other rebellions. However, the Mersions managed to mount a strong defense force and keep the Rahkshi at bay, though by a later stage appeared to be slowly losing the fight. This prompted Mersery to come to Versuva and aid his people in the defense efforts. Despite their best attempts, Versuva fell before the Rahkshi, and the Mersions were enslaved by Teridax.

Later, during the Battle of Bara Magna, Teridax accidentally sent out a tractor beam that pulled the two moons of Bara Magna back to where they were, a piece of which hit his head, killing him. After his body crashed onto the ground, the Mersions evacuated to the surface of Bara Magna, which soon became part of Spherus Magna. As the cultures of the Matoran and Agori began to intergrate, the Mersions agreed to migrate to the region known as the Northern Frost.

The Kingdom Alternate Universe
In an alternate universe, the Mersions were among the many beings who fled to the island of Mata Nui when Mata Nui died. They made their home mostly in the region of Ko-Wahi alongside the Frostelus and Ko-Matoran.

Abilities and Traits
Mersions are tall in general, with males standing around eight feet, with females being slightly shorter, usually standing around seven. In addition to this, they possess highly durable silver and black armor, forged from metals almost as strong as Protosteel. Female Mersions, however, tend to possess more overlaying sets of black armor than males.

Mersions also have the ability to wear and use Great Kanohi, as they have the mental discipline required to use them.

Mersions are generally a nocturnal species, and mainly appear just after nightfall. Because of this, their eyesight is considerably weaker when exposed to sunlight, and as a result, most Mersions will retreat to their dwellings during the day. Due to the icy climate of their original homeland of Versuva, all Mersions possess an immunity to extreme cold.

They also possess the ability to manipulate the elemental force of their surroundings to a limited extent (i.e. they can manipulate plant life while in a jungle or forest-based environment). Mersions also possess powerful telekinetic and telepathic abilities, which allow them to read minds, create mental links with others, construct mental illusions, and move objects using their thoughts. They are also one of the few races that possess immunity to Pit Mutagen.

Known Mersions

 * Mersery/Mersery
 * Herkain
 * Kulant
 * An unnamed Mersion who ruled Versuva.
 * Several Mersions who once made up the Council of Eight.

Social Structure and Interactions
The Mersions possess an ancient culture, and are one of the oldest civilizations in the universe. Early in their history, they were ruled by a group of elders known as the Council of Eight. However, around the time the League of Six Kingdoms was formed, the council was removed, and the Mersions elected a member of their own kind to rule them. Whilst an extremely advanced race, the Mersions' technology in the field of weaponry is somewhat lagging behind that of other species. As a result, the Mersions' have been forced, a number of times, to make underground deals with the Vortixx in order to amass more powerful tools.

Most Mersions are generally intelligent, and they are very skilled scholars and scientists. Whilst large numbers of both male and female Mersions have been known to become philosophers, females are known to generally prefer the role of healers, and as such, most have gained a considerable knowledge of poisons and antidotes. Though uncommon, the Mersions have been known to exile members of their own kind from Versuva, should they have committed crimes worthy enough to be so.

The Mersions are a surprisingly peaceful race, and rarely resolve to fighting. However, because of this, the Mersions have become peaceful to the point of indolence, and rarely interfere with the affairs of other races and only do so in times of great injustice. This has resulted in many other species classifying them as pompous race, one terrified of drastic change. However, this does not mean that the Mersions are to be taken lightly. They are skilled warriors, and are more than capable of standing their ground against attackers.

The Mersions have also developed their own language, which they use to speak to one another.

Trivia

 * The Mersions were mainly influenced by the Time Lords, a fictional species from the British science fiction series, Doctor Who.
 * In their language, the word Mersion translates into "collection of scholars."