777 Stairs

"Is this far enough down?"
"We want it to take them time to reach the bottom, but not all of their days."
— Two Great Beings, Inferno

777 Stairs
Location
Status	Dismantled
Position	Southern Continent (Voya Nui)

The 777 Stairs were a set of stairs leading down to the Chamber of Life in the Voya Nui region of the Southern Continent.

History

The entrance to the 777 stairs

Over 100,000 years ago, two Great Beings traveled to Voya Nui, carrying the Kanohi Ignika with them. Using a powerful tool, the side of Mount Valmai was blasted over and over again, creating the 777 Stairs over a period of several hours. Along the stairs, various rooms, including the Zone of Nightmares, Chamber of Death, and at the end, the Chamber of Life were made. Guardians, such as Umbra and several Protodax were positioned along these stairs to ensure the safety of the mask, waiting to challenge anyone who journeyed down the stairs. These guardians were not responsible for stopping any beings climbing the stairs, only descending them.

The entrance to the stairs was concealed in an area of the Green Belt, and was covered with a fake rock wall.

During the Great Disruption, Toa Jovan and his team made their way to the bottom of the stairs, and retrieved the Mask of Life to be used in Karda Nui, costing the life of a member of the team in the process. The surviving members of the team later returned to Voya Nui and traveled along the stairs to return the mask to the Chamber of Life.

Much later, Piraka Vezon traveled to the bottom of the 777 Stairs, seized the Kanohi Ignika, and was fused to it. Later, during a battle between Piraka Hakann and Thok in the Green Belt, the explosion of a heat pocket destroyed the fake wall. The Piraka descended down the stairs, and the Toa Inika later followed.

During their descent, the Piraka were trapped in stone cylinders and were told by the creator of the 777 Stairs that if they all pulled a lever at the same time, they would all be freed. In addition, if only one pulled the lever before the others, only that being would be freed, dooming the others. Reidak did so, and the six Piraka fell into a pool of water, but managed to escape on a plain of hardened magma. The Toa Inika later reached the plain as well. The Inika and Piraka fought here. Victorious, the Piraka were the first to reach the Chamber of Life.

The secret entrance of the stairs in the Green Belt

While pursuing the Kanohi Ignika soon after, the Toa Inika followed the same path they took on their way down. As the Toa ascended, a poem about the Pit formed at their feet:

Beware the depths of darkness
That wait with chill embrace,
For those doomed to dwell within the pit
Can never leave that place.

No one will know your fate
If taken by the shadowed sea,
Only whispers of the waves will say
Death has at last claimed thee.

When Teridax was killed in the Battle of Bara Magna, the 777 Stairs were severely damaged, and the Matoran evacuated to Spherus Magna. Later, the 777 Stairs, along with all other locations in the Matoran Universe, were dismantled.

Features

The staircase was a long, winding corridor with stone steps, and the walls were lined with occasional lightstones. Early in the staircase, it split into two paths, one for those who sought the mask with heroic intent, the path to the left, and one for those who sought it with villainous intent, the path to the right. To those who were villainous, the heroic path appeared to be blocked by stone, and vice versa. The apparent stone blockage was realistic enough to fool a Toa of Stone, as Hewkii was convinced that the blockage had been there for a long time. Periodically the staircase was broken up by large chambers lined with lightstones that often contained various tests and challenges for those who sought the mask.

Zone of Nightmares

The first challenge appeared on the staircase after the paths split. Both paths experienced this challenge. It took the worst fear from the minds of those descending the stairs and brought them to life. Only by overcoming their fears, not through combat but by choosing to continue in spite of their fear, would they be allowed to continue. The Toa Inika saw various versions of old enemies that threatened them as Matoran, who when defeated shapeshifted into the Toa Nuva, who the Inika then believed they killed. The Piraka saw Irnakk, a terrifying figure from Skakdi folklore.

Chamber of Death

The first large chamber along the heroic path. When entered, an indestructible stone slab fell over the way back, and an invisible force barrier over the doorway forward. A recorded voice of one of the Great Beings who carved the staircase told the travelers they must choose one of their number to die in order to proceed. If they did not, they would forfeit their quest and be forced to leave. If one member choose to sacrifice themselves for their team, they would be disintegrated in a beam of light, before being resurrected moments later, as the test was not about death, but willingness to sacrifice.

Umbra's Chamber

On the heroic path, after the Chamber of Death, was a large chamber home to both Umbra and the Protodax. When travelers entered, the lightstones went out, and the Protodax appeared to attack them. Umbra allowed the Protodax to slay any Rahi that may have wandered down that far, but those with heart and spirit he chose to attack himself. Those who sought to reach the mask were required to defeat him in combat to proceed. If they succeeded, the chamber opened to reveal the stairs leading to the Lava Chamber Gate.

"Test of Trust"

Along the villainous path, stone cylinders would appear around the travelers on the staircase. The cylinders were too slick to climb, impervious to damage, and though open at the top, anyone who attempted to fly out would be shocked by electricity. There was a single latch in each cylinder, though no door. A recorded voice of a Great Being proclaims that if every member of the party lifts their latch at once, they all would be set free, but if one lifted their latch, that one alone would be freed while the others would perish. This however was a trick, if one lifted their latch to betray their comrades, all members of the group would be sent down tubes into a chamber of water below. In the chamber, bars of fire would erupt overhead to prevent them from flying or climbing out, and would boil them if they stayed for too long. At the bottom of the pool of water, there was a small winding tunnel they could swim through to escape. As the group would swim, stone slabs would fall in place behind the last member to keep them from going back the way they came. The tunnel opened up to the Lava Chamber Gate.

Lava Chamber Gate

A large underground plain of hardened magma containing a bridge over a river of flowing lava. At the other side of the bridge was the entrance to the Chamber of Life.

Chamber of Life

A large chamber ringed with lava that held the pedestal that the Kanohi Ignika rested on.

Appearances

Books	Comics	Online
Novels BIONICLE Legends 5: Inferno Guides BIONICLE: Makuta's Guide to the Universe (M)	Ignition BIONICLE Ignition 4: A Cold Light Dawns (FA)	Animations Voya Nui Online Animations (NC)