Northern Isles
From '''UTWiki''', the [[The Unknown Turaga Saga|Unknown Turaga]] Wiki.
| Northern Isles | |
 Port Spirit, the official capital city of the Northern Isles. | |
| Area | Specifics unknown, accessible via heading north of Metru Nui |
|---|---|
| Island | Northern Continent |
| Inhabitants | Matoran, Rahi |
| Terrain | Varied |
The Northern Isles is the land on which the events of The Unknown Turaga Saga occur. Its precise location and nature remain a mystery to nearly all, though it clearly has some connection with the Matoran Universe; it is possible to travel between the two universes, but very few on either side are aware of how to do so, and almost no-one in the Matoran Universe is aware of the existence of the Isles. Officially, The Northern Isles consists of the Northern Continent and almost all surrounding islands.
Contents |
History
The true nature of the creation of the Northern Isles is something of a mystery, as is the timeframe of its creation; at any rate, the Dragon Matoran were the first species to inhabit anywhere in the realm. Some millennia afterwards, Matoran colonised the western shores of the Northern Continent, founding the iconic city known as Port Spirit. The Matoran eventually spread around the continent and onto the islands surrounding it.
Geography
Much of the Northern Isles consists of water. About 65% of the surface is covered in a protodermis sea. Another 30% is the Northern Continent itself, while the remaining 15% consists of the many islands ringing the continent. A fairly large number of the landmasses are covered with mountains; Port Spirit, for instance, is bordered by mountains on two sides. It remains a mystery how far the boundaries of the Isles extend, or even what's at the end, as none have travelled so far and returned to tell of it.
It appears that the obscurity of the Northern Isles has resulted in many anomalies in Matoran, some which people from other domes would considered unnatural. The most obvious of these is the existence of female Ta-Matoran and Le-Matoran, this being impossible in the rest of the world. Given this situation, it is likely that male (and female) counterparts exist for each element. Similarly, there have been many instances where Matoran of one element transform into Toa of another, the best example of this being Dlakii himself. No-one is entirely sure how this happens, other than the fact that it only happens in unusual circumstances, such as those of Lai.
Inhabitants
Matoran
The dominant species in the dome, inhabiting almost every island in the dome. Matoran of all kinds reside in this dome, and are watched over by the dome's ruling body, the Turaga High Council. Another sentient species exists, one which predates Matoran presence in the Isles, but it has yet to be introduced in the story.
Dragon Matoran
These are a unique subspecies of Matoran who are capable of transforming into dragons in order to fight. Until the Great Cataclysm, all Dragon Matoran resided on Dracos Nui. However, the invasion of the Shadow Dragons resulted in the extinction of the species. Proto D is, to this date, the only Dragon Matoran in existence, and he has not resided on Dracos Nui for over one thousand years.
Rahi
Unsurprisingly, a colourful variety of Rahi living in the region. The most populous is arguably the Gukko bird, with a large number bred in defence camps across the continent.
Shadow Dragons
After their invasion of Dracos Nui, the Shadow Dragons moved in permanently, claiming the island as their own. As of late, there are now none left, as Dlakii's forces have successfully wiped out the species, as well as their leader.
Other species
Numerous other species exist in the Northern Isles, some sapient and sentient, others not so; none of these, however, are anywhere near as widespread or dominant as the Matoran or the other presently unknown species. Some of these are also found in the Matoran Universe, such as the Skakdi, while others are unique to the Isles.
In relation to the Matoran Universe
Technology
- The Northern Isles are almost as technologically advanced as Metru Nui and the rest of the Matoran Universe; however, little of this technology is seen.
- The Northern Isles have a relatively primitive telephone system, this being the only true technological advancement over Metru Nui.
- The Northern Isles have a protodermis chute network like Metru Nui. However, due to the ugliness of chutes, the system is entirely subterranean, with the stations and the majority of chutes set up underground.
Geography
- The Northern Isles are isolated from the rest of the Matoran Universe; as a result, nearly no-one in the Matoran Universe is aware of its existence. However, the residents of the Northern Continent are well aware of the existence of the rest of the universe, and frequently receive news about it via sources unknown.
- The Northern Isles is unquestionably collectively larger than any of the domes of the Matoran Universe, encompassing countless islands stretching in all directions.
- There are only a small number of passageways between the Northern Isles and the rest of the Matoran Universe; since the connection is not physical, it is unknown how the connections work and how so few are aware of them, but they indeed exist.
- The first leads directly to the Metru Nui dome. However, it was sealed in a rockslide thousands of years ago.
- The second, hidden somewhere in the vicinity of the Daxian Archipelago, leads to Daxia, hence the island chain's name. Being well-hidden, practically no-one is aware of its existence.
- A third passageway leads to the surface world, exiting relatively close to Mata Nui. Though its existence is well-known, few choose to travel through it, as doing so requires sailing through treacherous rapids and up a large waterfall. Indeed, only the Pirate Captain is known to have accoplished this feat.
Matoran
- Generally, all the Matoran of the region are of a uniform style; that is, they all look like the rebuilt Matoran of Metru Nui. However, several exceptions are known to exist.
- Since the dome is normally at peace, Matoran frequently travel among the islands.
- For reasons unknown, the Matoran of the Northern Continent are capable of being any gender, regardless of element. For example, female Ta-Matoran and Toa of Fire supposedly cannot exist, however, there are a number of such Matoran and Toa residing in the Northern Continent, the best example being Toa Hev.
Component landmasses
- Northern Continent
- Port Spirit
- Spirit Mountains
- Nyriac
- Dracos Nui
- Kaku Nui (formerly, destroyed)
- Rotah Nui
- Daxian Archipelago
- Aerrock Nui
- Erhmata
More lands than this exist, but have not been seen or mentioned yet.
Trivia
- There is a colony of Av-Matoran somewhere in the dome. However, Dlakii was never one of them.
- Given its isolation from the rest of the universe, the Makuta are almost unheard of to the residents of the Northern Isles; a few Makuta are/were aware of the Isles' existence, but were not concerned or else were there already. As a result, shadow is rarely considered to be an evil element, averting much of the suspicion which could have been cast on Lai.
- During the first ten or so chapters of LIGHT, the island Destral was in the Northern Continent dome; it was teleported out some time later.
