So I know that the Bionicle Legacy project hasn’t done much recently, so I just wanted to maybe start picking things up again by sharing some of our ideas on how magic and elemental energy worked in Bionicle G2. These ideas were written down several months ago, around December-ish I believe, and are the end product of many weeks of late-night arguments and “discussion.”
Elemental energy derives from six celestial bodies which orbit either around the planet or as a part of its solar system. These bodies are the primordial homes of cosmic elemental beings, who sacrificed themselves to drive back a being of darkness and thus created Okoto. Their energies seeped into the planet’s core which was then converted to pure energy. The planet continually absorbs more of this energy from the celestial homes of the gods, some of which can seep to the surface as pools or, more often, “volcanoes”. Okoto, partly due to its creation, has the most abundant supply of energy on the planet, with six major sources of energy on each of the regions. These are where the Creature’s temples are constructed.
When elemental energy is abundant enough, it can be compressed into a crystalline form, which can then act as a miniature reservoir of power. This crystalline form of elemental power is how most beings outside of Okoto (I.E. Skull Raiders) fuel their magic, unless they use long, complex rituals to draw up the power from the core itself or live next to a physical reservoir. In extraordinarily concentrations, presumably with some other power or substance present, there have been examples of sentient beings being formed out of raw elemental energy, the most notable example being the creatures, who were formed directly after the first elemental reservoirs opened on the surface of Okoto, such a being will always have crystallized elemental energy incorporated into their form. The Toa are also elemental manifestations, created during the second invasion of darkness by the Creatures and first Mask Makers as warriors, leaders, and eventual successors to the Creatures.
Every sentient being in existence has a small portion of magical energy inside of themselves that, once used, may only be replenished through a natural source (such as a crystal or reservoir). Channeling this power requires mental focus and extreme concentration impossible for most beings to use unless they have some sort of focus through which to direct it. The focus can be any object, traditionally a mask, charm, or weapon, as long as it has been affiliated with an element (normally by being crafted with an elemental crystal), which is how the magic will express itself once released into the world. The ways in which a focus may be used can be controlled via runic symbols which will limit the magic into specific functions. The more specific a focus’ purpose is, the easier it is to use (I.E. a mask of fire is extremely broad and so requires more focus and energy to do anything extremely powerful with it, while a mask of campfires would be easier to do something overtly supernatural (lighting campfires at will)). This is why multi-elemental masks are so dangerous, as they are multiple elemental forces trying to come into being all at once on a single target, though the advantage is that the conflict between the elements in the mask makes them easier to release (I.E. Makuta’s mask of growth combined fertile earth powers with water energy, then used runes to limit it to only be able to grow plants. The natural conflicting elements combined with its specific purpose meant that a normal Okotan adult could easily use its full power).
Masks like the MoCo, MoCr, and MoT, seemingly with no elemental association, use pure magic derived directly from the user. This is extremely difficult magic that only a being with the mental discipline and strength of a creature can use fully, and being of villager level or below will be instantly overwhelmed and killed/fall unconscious. A Protector theoretically has enough training to use a very limited portion of the masks’ powers (I.E. subtly influencing thoughts (MoCo), perfectly crafting a small household tool or weapon (MoCr), or receiving hazy, indistinct precognitions (MoT)).