What is Bionicle: Origin-1?
Bionicle: Origin-1 is a fan project that aims to reimagine the rich story and lore of Bionicle from the ground up. Through this endeavor, Bionicle: Origin-1 hopes to offer new stories, new lore, new builds, and more for Bionicle fans to explore and enjoy!
Nehrua, The Precursor - Character Profile | Bionicle: Origin-1
Unknown Space
1 BUE
Shallow waves graze my feet, as I stand at the mercy of this being I call a God. Shrouded by an endless void, all I can discern are their three colossal eyes, watching me from afar.
Is this a test, I wonder? Is it time that I am judged for my sins?
“I am Akeyan, Emperor of the planet Orolax. I, as well as my people, are forever in your–”
“No”, they interject. I am left stunned by the sheer volume of their voice, as it fills every corner of this seemingly infinite realm.
“You are Akeyan no longer. You are Akirous.”
– Memories of Akirous, Great Being of Life
-Backstory-
Origins
As their title suggests, Nehrua was the precursor to all life in the Origin-1 Universe. Having been born alongside existence itself, Nehrua belongs to a species of god-like creatures known as the Oroborn. These beings are few in number, and hold the power to shape existence in whatever way they see fit. The establishment of the Multiverse, the invention of new worlds, and the creation of diverse sentient life are just a few of the Oroborn’s immense accomplishments.
Eons ago, when Nehrua themself was first brought into being, they held little understanding for the true extent of their power. They were oblivious to all they could accomplish, and as such, they would begin to experiment with their abilities. This experimentation would eventually culminate in the creation of Nehrua’s crowning achievement: the vast dimension we know today as the Origin-1 Universe.
The Origin-1 Universe would be named for its significance within the grand scheme of the Multiverse. While it wasn’t the first Universe to be created, Origin-1 was the first in an entirely new System of Universes. A System, for context, is what the Oroborn call a collection of Universes that all share consistent traits.
The Origin-1 Universe was the first Universe to be discovered in the Origin System (hence the number 1), which has been consistently expanding since Nehrua first created it. Over billions of years, the Origin System has grown to include Universes I’m sure many of you are familiar with. Perhaps most famous is Origin-7, more commonly known as the Prime Universe.
The creation of the Origin-1 Universe was undoubtedly Nehrua’s greatest contribution to Existence, but this feat had unintended side effects on Nehrua themself. A consequence of Nehrua’s powers was the perpetual strain they had on Nehrua’s being. This was a weakness of all Oroborn, who slowly deteriorated over time from the sheer strength of their own abilities.
Creating the Origin-1 Universe required Nehrua to exert an extreme amount of power, which had left them in a severely weakened state. For the first time ever, Nehrua was made aware of their own mortality and began searching for a way to overcome this challenge. However, as Nehrua would soon discover, there was no overcoming their own impermanence.
Nehrua’s Legacy
Nehrua came to the conclusion that they would eventually succumb to their own power, and began searching for a way to preserve their abilities. After the Origin-1 Universe was created, life began popping up across numerous worlds, which Nehrua would begin to study. It was through this analysis that Nehrua hoped to find the perfect species to inherit their power, ensuring it wasn’t lost to time.
To help in this search, Nehrua would forge the Aspects of Virtue, tools that Nehrua could use to analyze the species they came across. These Aspects were created to look for specific traits within a given species, which Nehrua saw as desirable. Whether it was by their ability to cooperate, their sense of conviction, or their true goals, Nehrua was now able to separate the wheat from the chaff. While species that exhibited these traits were allowed to survive, those who didn’t were either left to die or purged from the Universe entirely.
More advanced species would eventually become aware of Nehrua’s presence, as well as their interactions with neighboring civilizations. This made many species fearful of Nehrua, while others would begin to worship Nehura out of respect and reverence. One such species was the Orolaxians.
The Orolaxians were an advanced and rigid society, who after expending much of their planet Orolax’s resources, now sought to expand to new frontiers. Despite their focus on efficiency, the Orolaxians had adapted their society long ago into one that placed Nehrua above all else. Not only had they named Orolax’s capital city in their honor, but there were glorious Orolaxian cathedrals built in adoration of Nehrua as well.
By this time, Nehrua’s final days were approaching. Their body was now left frail from their powers eating away at them over billions of years, forcing Nehrua to hasten their search. Nehrua had identified a multitude of candidate species, including the Orolaxians, who all appeared capable of inheriting their power. However, Nehrua was left wondering which species was really the greatest, so they organized a test. The Universe would be thrown into disarray, and whichever species was left standing would become Nehrua’s successors.
What ensued was nothing short of calamity. Stray asteroids shot into planet’s surfaces, solar flares burned civilizations to a crisp, and supernovas unleashed deadly radiation that rippled across space. The Orolaxians, in particular, became faced with a sickly disease that entrenched itself within their great cities. Highly contagious and destructive, this virus would twist the mind and body of its victim, morphing them into a slave to spread its infestation further.
In the end, this virus would consume everything on Orolax. Their cities and holy structures were left in ruin, and their once-proud species was now reduced to nothing. That was except for a meager few. Little did they know, but this small remaining band of Orolaxians was the only life left in the entire Origin-1 Universe. These Orolaxians had managed to escape their planet among the chaos, and now drifted aimlessly aboard a dingy vessel as they debated their next course of action.
Soon, however, Nehrua would intervene. The Orolaxians were brought before Nehrua where they were informed of their situation. They were to become the inheritors of Nehrua’s power, which had long given them domain over the Universe and Existence as a whole. Each Orolaxian would receive a fraction of Nehrua’s power, giving them command over a specific element of Existence.
Through receiving their new powers, each Orolaxian would take on a new identity, both in form and in name. In addition, they were also gifted with legendary artifacts known as Kanohi to aid the Orolaxians in focusing their abilities. Then, having accomplished their goal, Nehrua would fade away in peace.
The Orolaxians, having been devout followers of Nehrua, accepted these gifts with utmost gratitude and promised to use them responsibly. Their first act would involve returning the Origin-1 Universe to its former glory, as it had been left in shambles from Nehrua’s test. The Orolaxians chose not to tamper with the existing Universe, as they wanted it to remain as a reminder of the past, so instead, they expanded it birthing new worlds and life in the process.
One such world would become the Orolaxian’s new home, where they would establish a great fortress and become leaders to the species who resided there. In time, both this planet and the Orolaxians would come to be called by new names. That of Spherus Magna, as well as its rulers, the Great Beings.
-Equipment & Abilities-
Aspects of Virtue
When Nehrua learned of their mortality, they created The Aspects of Virtue as a means of judging their creations. The Aspect of Unity (Blue) allows Nehrua to determine a species’ ability to cooperate and organize themselves as a society. The Aspect of Duty (Red) shows Nehrua their conviction and dedication, both important factors in the survival and evolution of a species. And finally, there is the Aspect of Destiny (Yellow), which displays the true goals and motivations of a species.
These virtues of Unity, Duty, and Destiny would become the criteria by which all species were judged. If a species failed to work together or harbored goals that were harmful to the Universe at large, Nehrua was likely to purge them from existence. However, if a species displayed these traits they would be allowed to survive and would become candidates for inheriting Nehrua’s legacy.
Eventually, the Great Beings would also learn of these virtues, adopting them into the culture of Spherus Magna, and the Matoran Universe later on.
Elements of Existence
Due to Nehrua’s nature as an Oroborn, they’re able to manipulate Existence in almost all aspects. The creation of new life, control over space-time, and the birth of new dimensions are all within Nehrua’s grasp. This power, however, is both a blessing and a curse.
With these powers, Nehrua was able to spark their greatest achievement: the creation of the Origin-1 Universe. Though simultaneously, the strength of this power is beyond that of Nehrua’s body and spirit, causing it to eat away at them over billions of years. This is what led Nehrua to search for an heir to inherit their abilities, as they knew that one day they would succumb to this power.
-Personality & Character Traits-
Nehrua is an entirely emotionless creature with no real motivations aside from the preservation of their own power. This makes Nehrua impervious to any emotional bias that might otherwise cloud their judgment, and leaves them unfazed despite their purging of numerous species.
This lack of emotion means that all Nehrua’s decisions were ultimately left up to their Aspects of Virtue. Whether a species lived up to these Virtues was the sole factor in determining their fate, which was entirely by design. For a species to be capable of ascending to Nehrua’s position (or continue to exist in itself), they would need to prove they were truly worthy.
This led to varying views of Nehrua across the multitude of cultures that inhabit the Universe. Some species, like the Orolaxians, revere Nehrua for gifting them life and wish to live up to their expectations. While others have grown to denounce Nehrua, seeing them as ruthless and unforgiving.
-Trivia-
- The story of Nehrua, as well as the Great Beings, is meant to be an analogy of Bionicle as a Lego Theme, except with a much darker twist. Nehrua and the early Origin-1 Universe are representative of Bionicle in its heyday; great but not lasting. In addition, the Great Beings are comparable to the Bionicle community today. The torch was passed onto them when Nehrua died, and now they have their own vision and goals for the future.
- Nehrua’s design was made to reference some significant iconography from Bionicle. Their 3 eyes and Aspects of Virtue are both references to the 3 Virtues Symbol, and their shoulder armor alludes to important figures in the form of Mata Nui and Takua.
-Extras-
Instructions
Below you’ll find PDF Instructions for the Nehrua, The Precursor! If you’re interested in recreating this Moc or curious to see how it was built, they’re available to download completely for free!
Moc Showcase
Select Mocs built for Bionicle: Origin-1 also receive a Moc Showcase! These videos delve into the design decisions that go into a Moc’s creation, and below you will find the Moc Showcase for Nehrua, The Precursor!
Theme Music
Most Characters in Bionicle: Origin-1 also receive a Theme Song to accompany them. Here you can listen to Nehrua’s Theme!
Thanks for checking out Nehrua, The Precursor! I hope you enjoyed, and stay tuned for more!