Tetra Nui

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"Tetra Nui. Cultural center of the universe, inhabited by dozens of species. Countless buildings, some kios high. The safest place of all. It's a rotten location. Walk down the wrong ally or travel the wrong chute, and it's just as dangerous as anywhere else."

―Shadrach

Tetra Nui
Location
Position	Southern Continate
Size	massive
Population	1,000,000 Matoran; 70,000 Steltians; 30,000 Vortixx; 47,000 other species; 1,147,000 total
Status	intact
Pronunciation	Teh-truh Noo-ee

Tetra Nui is a large city located in the Mata Nui Construct, and is also has the largest population in the construct. The city is home to multiple species and serves as a go-to point for refugees. The city is dominated by several Vortixx and Vortixx-run companies. Weyland Corporation is currently the largest corporation in the city.

History

Early History

Created long before any sentients inhabited the Construct, Tetra Nui was built by the Great Beings to serve as the center of culture and politics within their Grand Experiment. Nearly all the buildings, districts, and systems in the city are of Great Being design.

The city was then quickly colonized by the Vortixx, the first race to leave their homeland and colonize the rest of the universe. They reversed-engineered the Great Being technology, and used it to quickly spread further across the Construct. They named the city “Xerxes”, after one of the oldest known Vortixx.

The second race to colonize Tetra Nui was the Matoran, a race of diminutive humanoids native to Metru Nui. The Matoran and Vortixx quickly allied, but the Vortixx, who had a larger population and more advanced technology, quickly overthrew Matoran control of the city. The Matoran, however, renamed the city “Tetra Nui”, which, in their tongue, meant “the four greats”. The name was more widely accepted than the Vortixx-centralized “Xerxes”, and it stuck.

Soon, major companies began to emerge within the city, often spawning from offshoots of Xian corporations. Eventually, most Xian companies relocated their headquarters to the city, and made Xia an industrial center.

The League of Six Kingdoms

The League of Six Kingdom's armies attacking Tetra Nui. (Notice the size of the airships.)

About twenty-three thousand years prior to the events of ‘’In the Affairs of Dragons’’, Tetra Nui was invaded by a great empire: The League of Six Kingdoms. The League wanted to seize the cultural center of the Construct, and planned to span out from there. They took the city by force and wiped out a large portion of both the financial and habitation districts.

Luckily, the League’s reign would not last, as the Brotherhood of Makuta lead a strike against the empire’s leaders, who had assembled near the outskirts of the city. The leaders, known as the Barraki, were quickly overtaken by the Brotherhood’s armies, and were set before its leader: Miserix. Miserix left the Barraki to his top lieutenant, a young Makuta named Teridax. Teridax favored execution, but another organization, the Order of Mata Nui, intervened, and stole the Barraki away to their prison.

”Golden Era”

After the dissolution of the League of Six Kingdoms, Tetra Nui entered an age of prosperity. Thousands of new companies were developed. One of these new businesses was the Weyland Arms Emporium.

Many new corporations began to import laborers, mostly from the island Stelt, to serve industrial and menial servitude positions within the city. These laborers were paid poorly, and eventually formed a class known as the “wage slaves”. Not exactly poor, but they made too little money to meet anything more than basic needs. They also could not move up or down on corporate ladders, as only the military and politically powerful Vortixx were seen fit enough to hold higher-ranking positions.

A relatively large middle class did exist, though. Most of these were merchants or mercenaries, who could make decent profits from their services.

Description

Tetra Nui is a large metropolis made up of multiple districts that rest on four land masses: two peninsulas, and two islands.

Population District

The largest area, resting on the northern peninsula, is the Population District. This serves as a housing area for those who make enough to own their own homes. It is rather cramped, and made up mostly of apartment buildings that are packed tightly into city blocks.

Sadly, many of these buildings are empty, as hundreds make too little money to afford rent or housing, and have to live ‘’at’’ their place of work. Some Steltians are known to never see the outside for years on end.

Financial District

Upper City with airship congestion.

A large and prestine district resting on the central island, the Financial District holds the headquarters of most of Tetra Nui’s largest corporations. Living areas for wealthy Votixx and Matoran also rest here.

Buildings in the financial district often reach kilometers in height, and are often visited by tourists.

Entertainment District

The entertainment district.

Directly next to the Financial District is the Entertainment District, a collection of bars, restaurants, clubs, and, in rarer cases, brothels.

The district is most active at night, when wealthy beings have time (and money) to spend on luxury. The Entertainment District is also highly visited by tourists.

However, this district has the highest crime rate, as gangs, murderers, and thieves often stake out the area in hopes of taking easy prey.

Processing Sector

The processing district.

Northwest of the Financial District is the Processing Sector, an area were raw materials are shipped in, and finished goods are created, packaged, and exported. The district is made up of thousands of factories and foundries, and is known for giving off a red and orange glow at night from its great industrial fires.

Animals are also mass-farmed here to provide food for the city at whole. These “farms”, however, are really large, cramped factory buildings where animals are quickly bred, raised, and butchered. Tiered hydroponics farms also abound in this district.

Life expectancy in the Processing Sector is extremely low, as the district is blanketed in an industrial smog that results from the surrounding factories. Most avoid the area at all costs due to its poor conditions. Many Steltians are forced to live here as cheap labor.

Sky Pillar

Sky Pillar is a large tower placed in the direct center of the Construct. It actually supports the main dome of the Construct, and also allows transport to the station’s outer hull. The station was colonized by Vortixx, and is used to reach spaceports that are placed directly above it.

A crowded street in Tetra Nui, with multiple species travelling along it.

Underground

The Underground is a large collection of electrical cables, pipes, sewers, and heating ducts that run underneath the city. Without the Underground’s many systems, Tetra Nui would not function at all.

A large fusion power plant is also located in the Underground. It utilizes seawater as a source of hydrogen to fuel the reactors.

Bodies of Water

Tetra Nui is located on two major bodies of water: Pillar Lake and the Hydra River. The lake is where most of the city sits, and is bridged many times to allow access between districts. The river allows transport into the Great Ocean, which serves as the main mode of shipping goods.

Highly Populous Inhabiting Speices

• Vortixx
• Matoran
• Steltain
• Zeverek
• Draconian

Well Known Companies

• Xian Collective
  • Weyland Corporation
  • Xia Amories
  • RadTech Industries

Trivia

• The city's name means "The Great Four" in Matoran. It was named this due to it's arrangement on four islands.
  • "Tetra" means four in Greek.
• Tetra Nui was inspired by Coruscant from Star Wars and the Citadel from Mass Effect.
• Some of the city's largest buildings reach miles in height.
• Roodaka had visited Tetra Nui multiple times on business.
• Almost all the city's images are of Coruscant.
• The quote is based on Garrus' opinion on Illium in Mass Effect 2.
• Many of Tetra Nui's buildings were relocated to Spherus Magna after the Mata Nui Robot crashed, and the city of New Tetra Nui was built.