This article was written by DeltaStriker. Please do not add to it without the writer's permission.
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This article is about the version of the Ignika in the Afterverse. You may be looking for its canon counterpart.
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Ignika (Afterverse) contains spoilers.
This article contains spoilers for 777 and Rock Bottom: Remastered. Continue reading at your own risk. |
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- "It was large, almost too large for a Matoran, and covered in intricate carvings in a language Lemiddus didn’t recognize. At the center of the carvings was what could almost be described as a humanoid figure, with its legs spread wide and arms outstretched. The material from which it was made let off a faint golden glow, and he could feel its power pulsing through the water around him."
- ―Rock Bottom
The Ignika is the legendary Mask of Life, created by the Great Beings as a failsafe in case anything went wrong with the Great Spirit Robot and the Universe within. It is currently the prison of the mysterious being known only as Iiliara.
Description[]
The Ignika is a large mask, big enough that it would look disproportionate if worn by a Matoran. It's made from a mysterious alloy that makes it nearly impossible to destroy via mundane means. It is covered in ancient runes, written by the Great Beings in a language no one within the Matoran Universe can understand, surrounding the image of a humanoid figure with arms and legs outstretched across its face. The Ignika radiates power, to the point where any being in the room with it can feel its presence.
The Ignika's purpose within the Matoran Universe is as a failsafe. Should anything happen to the Great Spirit, the Mask can be recovered by its destined bearer and used to perform a system reboot on the Great Spirit Robot, resetting it and allowing any malfunctioning systems to resume normal operations. Additionally, the Ignika was also a key component in a secondary failsafe in the event that the Great Spirit Robot needed to be purged of all its inhabitants for the safety of Spherus Magna and its inhabitants. The Ignika's colors would begin to fade from gold to silver and eventually to pitch black as it interfaced with the Great Spirit Robot's systems to determine the risk level of the Robot and the beings within it, the color matching the severity of the situation. If the Ignika became pitch black, it would immediately abort the Great Spirit Robot's mission, destroying everything inside of it and setting the Robot itself adrift in space.
History[]
The Ingika was created over a thousand years ago, before the Great Beings had completed thee Great Spirit Robot. Shortly after its creation, one of the Great Beings touched the Ignika and was cursed to bring everything around him to life, a fate that eventually drove him insane. To ensure that the Ignika would be safe until it was needed, the Great Beings hid it deep beneath Mount Valmai in the Chamber of Life. It remained there as the Great Spirit Robot left Spherus Magna.
At some point between the launching of the Great Spirit Robot and the Great Cataclysm, Velika used the Ignika to capture a mysterious being known only as Iiliara. When the Great Cataclysm occurred, the Ignika was carried with Voya Nui to the surface of Aqua Magna.
The Mission of Toa Hagah[]
Spoiler warning! Hover over the text to reveal it.
After emerging from the 777 Stairs, Sauti became convinced that Lune was being manipulated by the Ignika and killed him on the beach to take the Mask for himself. He stored it in a locked box underneath his cot for 4 years, fighting off anyone that came to try and claim it. Thirty-one years after the Great Cataclysm, Sauti realized that there was more to the Ignika than he had assumed, and attempted to converse with it in an effort to learn more. He discovered that any intelligence the Ignika had had been consumed by Iiliara, who attempted to make a deal with him. Sauti decided the Mask needed to be disposed of, and to the protestations of Iilara, hurled it into the Voya Nui Bay, where he believed no one would be able to recover it.
Mahri Nui[]
Lemiddus saw the Ignika sinking down toward the Black Water while on guard duty. He recovered it moments before it disappeared into the darkness, and brought it back to the city with the intent of using it to help Kyrehx heal from being assaulted by Vampire Squid. He was unaware that it had already transformed a tiny crustacean creature into a massive crab-like monster that was bent on recovering the Ignika for itself.
When Lemiddus presented the Ignika to Idris and Kyros, he grew paranoid that they were going to try and take it from him. He attempted to flee, and in an effort to stop him Kyros touched him and was immediately electrocuted to death because of Lemiddus' curse. Lemiddus fled, leaving Kyros' hut ablaze and completely unaware that Iiliara had secretly caused the Ignika's energy to reboot Kyros, believing him to be a more useful bearer than Lemiddus.
Kyros followed Lemiddus to Defilak's workshop, where the latter was attempting to find some tool to destroy the Ignika. They fought over the Mask, Kyros' newfound abilities to create energy blasts giving him the upper hand until they were interrupted by the return of Dekar and Defilak from the Black Water. Dekar drove Kyros from the workshop, and he took the Ignika with him.
Later, while hiding and licking his wounds, Kyros discovered that Iiliara was held within the Ignika, and agreed to work with her to return to the Matoran Universe and find her a suitable physical form.
Bearers and Curses[]
If a being touches the Ignika without being a destined bearer of the mask they are cursed so long as they hold the mask. Most of these curses will go away once the being is no longer in possession of the Mask, but sometimes the curses take the form of physical alterations that last beyond the initial contact. Additionally, Iiliara has demonstrated some ability to control the nature and conditions of these curses.
The following beings have carried the Ignika in the Afterverse:
Spoiler warning! Hover over the text to reveal it.
- A Great Being who late went insane - Everything around him was permanently brought to life
- Velika - Curse unknown, may not have directly touched it
- Lune - Curse unknown, possibly destined
- Sauti - Curse unknown, possibly destined
- The Gadunka - Growing substantially in size
- Lemiddus - Anyone who touched Lemiddus would be severely electrocuted
- Kyros - Constantly needed to absorb energy to survive (Manipulated by Iiliara)
Appearances[]
Non-Canon[]
- Rock Bottom, Original version (First Appearance)
- Hellbound (Mentioned only)
Trivia[]
- The Mask of Life's appearance in the Afterverse is in line with how it appears later in the canon (specifically in 2008 and people). This version's features feel heavy and significant, with the figure of Mata Nui on its face (reminiscent of Leonardo da Vinci's Vitruvian Man) directly linking the Mask to it's intended purpose and removing it stylistically from other, non-legendary Kanohi.
- Throughout the Afterverse story serials, any characters who have directly encountered the Ignika are fundamentally altered by the experience. Before their encounter, they might refer to it as "the mask" or "a mask," but once they've beheld it for themselves they will always refer to it as "the Mask."
See Also[]
- Iiliara
- The 777 Stairs