Rode (being)

Rode is an extremely powerful being of unknown nature assuming the apparence of a Matoran of Iron.

Origins
Not a single thing is known about Rode's origins. Where he came from, how he gained his powers or even his very nature are complete mysteries. It is also to be noted that Rode is a multiversal singularity, meaning he has no counterpart in all of the multiverse. Every single time he appeared somewhere, whatever dimension or universe was concerned, it was Rode himself and not another version of him.

At some point in his life, he assumed the physical appearance of a Fe-Matoran wearing a Kanohi Rode. It is most likely that he named himself after this mask he chose to wear, and his actual name is unknown.

Rode has been shown to travel through the multiverse, being in many different places in the Prime Reality or in alternate dimensions or universes. As a matter of fact, it is also unknown if he originated in said Prime Reality, or if he was created in an alternate plan of the multiverse. Wherever he has appeared in the past, he seems to always have set the course of history onward, acting as a literal deus ex machina.

Prime Reality
One occurence of Rode acting in the Prime Reality happened around 1,080 AGC on the newly reformed Spherus Magna, where he informed the Toa Thevan of the location of a rogue Toa of Space they had been chasing for many decades. The Toa of Space, whose name was Dabohi, later mentioned to the Toa team that he had been waiting for them, so it is possible that he and Rode planned the course of events together. This is mentioned in the short story The Space Between Us.

Shadow Alternate Universe
At some point before the Great Cataclysm of the Shadow Alternate Universe, Rode was made prisoner of the Pit, where he met and befriended the Barraki, pretending to be one of the Matoran leaders of the Metru Nui Civil War. If he actually took part in the war is not known, nor if this was the reason he was sent to the Pit in the first place. From this moment on, he stayed in the Pit until the Great Cataclysm broke its walls down and every prisoner was freed. Rode then proceeded to join the Barraki in the civil war for Mahri Nui.

He is yet to appear in Light Submerged.

Other dimensions and universes
In an unnamed dimension parallel to the Prime Reality, Rode saved the life of a Turaga of Light called Dazix at the end of A Call from Shadows. He transmitted a written message to Dazix, coming from the Overhang, a place the Turaga had known in his Toa years. How Rode actually saved the Turaga or how he ended up with the message isn't clear.

Abilities and Traits
Being imbued with the Ultimate Element, Rode is capable of virtually anything and could arguably end the whole multiverse with a snap of his fingers. However, in order to preserve his true identity, he does not use his unlimited powers in the open. He possibly uses parts of his powers to exist in multiple dimensions and universes at the same time, which would explain how he could be staying imprisoned in the Pit in the Shadow Alternate Universe while still appearing in other places.

Under his guise of a Fe-Matoran, Rode has been shown to possess the vestiges of dormant Elemental Iron Energy, a natural endurance and heightened pain threshold. He is also a brilliant mathematician and strategist, not to mention talented warrior, having also demonstrated certain skills in Mask Making, crafting and inventing things.

One aspect of his Ultimate Element that Rode does use consistently lies in his Psionics abilities. Indeed, he often uses them to erase some memories in the minds of beings that he encounters, so that they can't remember him, only vaguely recalling meeting a common Matoran of Iron. He doesn't always use this ability however, as shown in the Shadow Alternate Universe where he has become an ally of the Barraki. Another example of Rode using his Psionics powers is how he counters the powers of Kanohi Rode wearers, because the power of this mask could actually reveal the true nature of Rode to its user.

As far as Rode's traits are concerned, he is rather intelligent and imaginative, always having thousands of ideas at the same time. He also displays a peculiar sense of humor, based mostly on sarcasm, irony and wit. But Rode is a loyal and trustworthy being, with a strong belief in justice and helping others.

Mask
Rode wears a Kanohi Rode, Mask of Truth, after which he probably named himself. The reason for his choice to wear this mask in particular is unknown, considering the fact that thanks to his Ultimate Elemental Powers, he actually doesn't even need a Kanohi nor the powers associated with one. Ironically enough, the Rode is also the only thing in all of the multiverse that could see through Rode's disguise as a Matoran of Iron and reveal his actual identity.

Appearances

 * A Call from Shadows - First Appearance (As an unnamed Matoran of Iron)
 * Shadows of Darkness
 * The Space Between Us - Mentioned only (As an unnamed Matoran of Iron)

Trivia

 * Rode is DarknessApogee's self-MOC. This shows in many ways, especially his traits which he shares with DA, but also his role as a deus ex machina setting stories in motion. This obviously transpires DA's power as a writer to do what he wants in his stories. Another characteristic both Rode and DA share is their blue eyes, which funnily enough was not voluntarily made in the first place when bulding Rode's MOC.
 * The idea for Rode birthed in DA's mind from the very beginning of his writing on Custom BIONICLE Wiki in 2014, roughly four years before the writing of this article.
 * He wanted to have a recurring element in every single one of his stories, like the cameos of Alfred Hitchcock or Stan Lee's ones in the Marvel movies, so that readers could try and find this little Easter Egg as a way for DA to appear in his stories. This element eventually became an unnamed Fe-Matoran in A Call from Shadows. When writing his second story on the wiki, three years after that, DA did indeed put a Fe-Matoran in, and plans on doing so for every single story he will write in the future.
 * The MOC for Rode was also built back in 2014 and was set to be revealed in DA's monthly blog in May 2014, had he written one. However, it was not until much later that the idea of the recurring Fe-Matoran and the MOC of Rode were associated together.
 * Because of his Ultimate Element and his nature as a Multiversal Singularity, every single appearance of Rode is considered canon, no matter what universe or situation he's in, even if it is concurrent with another appearance. Because of this, DA allows anyone that wants to use the character to do so, providing that they mention DA as the owner of Rode, they respect Rode's fanon (for instance, he would not reveal his true nature to anyone, so don't make him use his Ultimate Element) and they do not make him die.