Bohrok

Bohrok are a species taken from the Lego series Bionicle. They were the main antagonists in 2002 and part of 2003, and have appeared on and off throughout the Bionicle saga, although on every occasion they were defeated by the Toa, the main protagonists.
===Origins===
On Incognito Inside , one member created an alternate version which was more pliable and usable in the Incognito Inside universe, completely shredding the canon version of these popular Lego sets.
In the canon version, the Bohrok are mechanical beings controlled by organic 'brains' called Krana. They are made from Matoran when they reach a certain part in their lives, and are controlled by the Bahrag Queens. There are three kinds, Bohrok being the main species, Bohrok-Va being a smaller species which is completely mechanical and helps the Bohrok, and the Bohrok-Kal, which are six powerful Bohrok which were built in case the Queens were captured. The canon story can be found here at Bioniclesector01.
The non-canon versions are far more organic, having fully-developed emotions and personalities.
===General Information===
Bohrok are a species of reptilian/insectoid beings, born in huge underground nests, also known as Vohrok, Vohroksi, Bahrakia and Varrok. They first appeared on the planet Taira (TEH-rah) where they quickly overwhelmed the local inhabitants and took the planet over as their home world. They soon developed a powerful kind of bio-mechanical technology and a way to travel huge distances in a short amount of time by using 'wormholes', and started travelling to other planets, where they set up colonies, or, in some cases, took over the planet as their own, if there was no intelligent life there.
Although Taira is the Bohrok home world, more commonly known as the Hive, there are several large colonies which support a huge number of Bohrok. The largest of these is on Kt'Ybia, where they support 200 huge nests, each supporting several billion Bohrok. Other planets include Spherus Magna, where the Bohrok there were enslaved, before breaking free and joining a similar species called the Baterra, Thanatia 1, Thanatia 2 and Thanatia 3, jungle/swamp planets where Bohrok trade unusual foods and technologies for rare metals and exotic lifeforms with the local Thanatians, the Zoin Coloney, where all the inhabitants are powerful telepaths, Sypria, a colony of Bohrok living on Threa, a parallel Earth and the 'Dump' worlds of Athelii, Achristia and Thanatia 5 and 6, where Vahrga are dumped and left to survive in their thousands.
===Young Bohrok===
Although the term Bohrok generally covers the whole species, the word itself only refers to the children of the species, most of which never make it to adulthood. Adult Bohrok are called Vahrga if they are male and Bahrag if they are female. For the purpose of this piece, the word Bohrok refers to the children.
Bohrok are mostly insectoid beings, which breathe a mixture of nitrogen and oxygen to keep themselves alive. This allows them to live on far more hostile planets, as nitrogen is a heavier gas than most and forms the atmosphere on most planets. They are capable of consuming a large variety of food in order to keep their energy up, and any waste is turned into a liquid inside their bodies and ejected. Their bodies are mostly made from an organic metal, keeping organic parts like vital organs deep, deep down inside their bodies.
They are small beings, rarely reaching more than 1.7 metres in height, with large heads and bodies and compact arms and legs which can be folded into the body, making a sphere perfect for rolling towards an enemy or for storage. Most Bohrok are born in this spherical shape.
On each Bohrok's hand is a shield created from an organic metal that grows when the Bohrok reaches 2 years of age. These shields sometimes restrict the Bohrok's hands, or in some cases, like the Bohrok of Spherus Magna, they replace the hand completely, leaving nothing but a small thumb for holding objects.
A Bohrok's head is a complicated thing. Bohrok have large lower canines which stick out from their jaws, mostly blocking the mouth from view. Most of the Bohrok's head is covered in the same organic metal that makes a Bohrok's hand shields. This metal can be flipped open on mental command to throw the Bohrok's Krana at an enemy. Krana are said to be Bohrok brains, but for most, they appear secondary, mostly containing a Bohrok's powers or abilities. But if the Krana latches onto another being, the Bohrok can control them for 24 hours, channeling their powers through the victim. If the Krana is removed for more than 24 hours, a Bohrok may lose their abilities permanently. Removing a Krana removes a Bohrok's powers, leaving the Bohrok weak, but for the Bohrok of Spherus Magna, removing the Krana powers down the Bohrok completely.
Despite the fact that they do not have physical vocal cords and various other organs with which to speak, Bohrok have developed telepathy which allows them to speak between both themselves and other species. This also solves any inter-lingual problems, since any thoughts are automatically translated in the mind of the speaker and the 'listener' despite what language they are speaking. Psionic Bohrok have hugely powerful telepathic abilities, and can easily create false thoughts, change opinions and completely erase the minds of others.
Bohrok have very varied life-spans, some living for a mere 40 years (20 in Bohrok years, since all dates are measured based on Taira), others living up to a hundred years or more. Bohrok reach half-maturity at around the age of 25, and their genders can only be recognised at the age of 30. Until then, a Bohrok is always called a 'he', up until his gender is confirmed. At 50-70 years if they are male and 45-80 if they are female, a Bohrok will form a cocoon and become a fully grown adult. If a Bohrok's tongue is cut out, for reasons unknown, that Bohrok will live for more than 200 years, due to the fact that it cannot reproduce and lacks the hormones to reach adulthood. Only about 1% of Bohrok actually grow up, most preferring to be neutered and having a longer life.
When a Bohrok is due to grow up, the organic parts of their bodies swell, causing the metal to rupture. Any remaining metal on the Bohrok's body becomes armour for the adult.
===Adult Bohrok===
====Vahrga - Male adult Bohrok====
Vahrga are male Bohrok, which make up the reptilian side of the species. They are generally large but fairly nimble creatures, powerful enough to survive outside a nest. They have long, clawed fingers, and the hand shields they once wore as Bohrok are now much less constricting, allowing for better movement. Their canines are increased in size and all Vahrga have tails tipped with metallic, spear-like points. Vahrga are more like armoured dinosaurs, feeding mostly on meat. They generally reach sizes of up to 20 metres long and anywhere from 4m up to 10m tall.
Not all colonies have Vahrga. Spherus Magna lacks Vahrga completely, and the Vahrga of the Threa colonies are said to be only 2-3m tall.
Due to the large amount of Vahrga compared to Bahrag (A 90:10 ratio), and the fact that one Vahrga can fertilise 20 Bahrag, only one in every 50 Vahrga were kept alive, the others being killed, before new rules meant that almost all Vahrga, unless they had 'genetic potential' or were classed as a rare breed, are now dumped on planets which, although they aren't barren, are dangerous places to live.
The average lifespan for Vahrga is very low, only about 20 years after growing up, due to the fact that many Vahrga are killed by Bahrag after mating, or die on the dump planets.
====Bahrag - Female adult Bohrok====
The female half of the species, Bahrag, are far larger than even the Vahrga. Up until a Bahrag is fertilised, it reaches a similar height to the Vahrga, but afterwards, and especially after the first mating, a Bahrag can swell up to 30 m in height. This huge size and the fact that most Bahrag spend their lives creating more Bohrok means that they are rather immobile, relying on Bohrok attendants to help them. Bahrag have huge jaws capable of snapping even metal in two, and have multiple tails, which over time have evolved into extended appendages. Each tail, which can reach 20m in length, is tipped with a claw which allows them to tend for new born Bohrok and place them into eggs and put to sleep.
Bahrag, compared to many other beings, have huge lifespans, reaching up to 1000 years of age. The oldest Bahrag was recorded to be 5075 years old. These long lifespans are due to the fact that all Bahrag do is produce children, and have very easy, laid back lives compared to other beings.
===Development===
Bohrok are born in special 'pouches' of mucus, which are then placed in special canisters made out of an organic kind of plastic, which is produced from left-over mucus and the mucus of older Bohrok which have hatched. At this stage the Bohrok lack armour and their hand shields, and the metal on their bodies is soft.
A Bohrok will spend three months like this until they properly wake up and can tear themselves free of the mucus. The mucus is removed by Nest attendants, and recycled, while the Bohrok spends several months being fed via tubes in the canister.
At a year of age, Bohrok are moved away from the main nests to training areas, where they spend half their time developing in their canisters and the rest of the time training for whatever job they will do in the nest. Those with genetic potential are placed to once side and are often turned into more powerful Bohrok. During this time, each Bohrok is checked and examined to determine its future duty in the nest.
At two years of age, Bohrok start to work in the nest, often working in either agriculture, hunting/gathering or maintenance of the nest. From then on, every five years, the Bohrok's jobs will be rotated. By the time they have reached adulthood, a Bohrok may have done as many as 40 different jobs around the nest.
===Genetic potential===
====WGP Bohrok - Bohrok-Ksa/Xa/Kal====
Bohrok with 'genetic potential', also known as WGP Bohrok, are Bohrok who, with proper training and experimentation, can become incredibly powerful. These Bohrok, who have spent most of their lives away from other Bohrok, are experimented on by the oldest Bohrok of the nest on behalf of the Bahrag, and generally spend many years living in agony before becoming useful to the nest. All WGP Bohrok wear silver armour to help distinguish them from others. While they are being experimented on, their hand shields, Krana and even their very shape can mutate. These Bohrok are known in most places as Bohrok-Ksa, Bohrok-Xa, or, as they are most commonly known on Threa, Bohrok-Kal. Once completed, Bohrok-Ksa/Kal generally serve as Swarm leaders or as generals and diplomats, ready to die defending their nests. WGP Bohrok work more closely with their weaker brethren, and are next in the chain of command after the Bahrag of the nest. Some WGP Bohrok are sent out as explorers in order to learn more about the area around them. The only drawback to WGP Bohrok is that they age quicker and become adults that much more suddenly, and end up with shorter lifespans.
===Bohrok Societies===
====Politics====
Most Bohrok live in huge colonies on any planet that has an atmosphere made of nitrogen. These colonies consist of anything from one to 200 nests, depending on the size, location and climate of the planet, and are ruled by a council based in the largest nest, composed of two Bahrag Queens and a group of high-ranking Bohrok. Each Bohrok in the council represents his or her nest, and is voted into power by the Bohrok of his or her nest. The Queens are voted into power by the Bahrag of every nest, requiring a majority of 60% to win. These councils are normally known as Organoi.
Each nest is ruled by the Bahrag of the nest along with any WGP Bohrok who live there. The Bahrag's main duty is to produce more children and deal with internal matters such as food production, leaving the WGP Bohrok to deal with external matters and the defence of the nest.
====Jobs====
There are a huge number of jobs in a Bohrok Nest, including farming and agriculture, building and maintaining new tunnels, guarding entrances, helping raise newly hatched Bohrok, teaching and educating youngsters, working in the labs, hunting and gathering, medical work, maintaining the sleeping chambers, cleaning and feeding the Bahrag and general maintenance. As there are so many jobs, a Bohrok will switch jobs every 2-5 years. Any Bohrok who become good at a particular job are made head of their department and are given the duty of educating new workers in that department. Not all Bohrok decide to switch jobs, and in many nests, the Bohrok are given an option whether they want to stay with their current job or not.
====The Bohrok Army====
The Defence Sector, or Stratos, is the inter-planetary Bohrok army, run by members of the Organoi of Taira, and is the most profitable sector of a Bohrok nest, especially if they have become a Vahrga. Despite being a dangerous occupation, the Stratos offers a more exotic life, allowing most Bohrok the chance to travel around the universe, something they would miss if they remained working for their nest. Many Vahrga find themselves enrolling in the army, as it spares them the horrible death of dying alone on some dump planet. Vahrga are invaluable in battle, since their size and strength can deter even some of the most powerful weapons.
Bohrok weapons themselves are highly complicated things, often built to paralyse or knock out targets instead of killing them, and work based on a recognition system, with a circular device on the weapon slotting into a round hole on the Bohrok's hand-shield.
====Dump Planets====
Dump planets are the names given to planets that, although they are habitable, they are incapable of sustaining a Bohrok Colony. These planets are generally ruled by other species, and Bohrok only visit these places to dump large numbers of unwanted Vahrga on them. These Vahrga are generally scattered and alone, either forming small packs or being killed by larger Vahrga and native monsters. This loneliness very often causes an illness called Agriopsyhia, most commonly known as 'Going Feral'.
Agriopsyhia is basically the weakening of both the immune system and the Vahrga's mental health, and build up until the Vahrga suddenly explodes with anger and madness. This illness causes Vahrga to become queer and estranged, and will often attack any being in sight, especially other Vahrga and allies that may try to help them. They may also attempt to rape, kill and eat their victims, and will eventually kill themselves if they have not been killed by other Vahrga already. Groups of Vahrga, normally made from 2-10 Vahrga, will often put down one of their comrades than let them lose their minds and cause huge amounts of damage. The younger the age at which a Bohrok becomes a Vahrga, the more likely they are to become ill.
===Bohrok Religion and Traditions===
Despite Bohrok being logical beings, many Bohrok believed in the Gods and Goddesses of Life, Death, Light and Shadow. These four beings are said to be beyond that of this universe and live in host bodies, which they change every 1 million years. These four beings, according to the stories, are technically mortal but can only be killed by one of the other gods. Over the millennia, the belief in these beings has all but faded out, and many Bohrok are atheists, believing in the eternal circle that when they die, they will slowly be recycled before coming back as another being, very similar to reincarnation.
The main Bohrok 'deity' is Yparxi, or existence itself. Yparxi isn't so much a deity as it is a way of being thankful of what a Bohrok has, and is more commonly used as a name for the universe. Only very few cults of Bohrok actually pray to Yparxi, apparently believing that their prayers will give them eternal life, something that is forbidden in the universe.
Another cult that has appeared in the last few decades is the Thanarcian Cult, or the Bohrok Death Cult. Bohrok of the element of death are extremely rare and do not occur in nature, but there have been many attempts to create such beings. Although few have succeeded, many of the Bohrok that have resulted from such experimentation have grouped together, finding support in their numbers, due to their tortured childhoods. These Bohrok have a so-called Dark Spot, and claim that they have the ability to become a Bohrok of Death of they can channel their powers.
===List of planets inhabited or ruled by Bohrok:===
*Taira - The Bohrok homelands, once ruled by a species known only as Great Beings. Consists of over 200 nests.
*Kt'Ymbia - Often called the Second Home, many of Kt'Ymbia's residents are powerful telepaths. Consists of 250 nests.
*Polemia - A planet once ruled by humans who destroyed themselves in a huge war, consists of 180 nests.
*Axia - A mechanical planet ruled by mechanical beings, many Bohrok find themselves at home living in huge, underground nests. Consists of 157 nests.
*Athelia - Once a dump planet, when the ruling species killed themselves with a lethal illness, the Bohrok took over and made it their own. Consists of 142 nests.
*Thanatia 1 - The desert planet of the Thanatian planetary system, many Bohrok nests are situated under ground or at the poles. Consists of 102 nests.
*Thanatia 2 and 3 - Planets very similar to planet Earth and linked together by a huge bridge-like device, home to many nests and even more exotic beings. Consists of 78 nests.
*Thanataia 4 - A jungle habitat all over, consists of 40 nests.
*Tairani - One of the larger moons of Taira, Tairani has a nicer atmosphere with less smog and less nitrogen in it. Consists of 69 nests.
*Nekria - A cold, desolate planet, many ice and sonic Bohrok have adapted to its harsh environment. Consists of 40 nests in the winter, 89 in the summer.
*Gyi - Located in an asteroid belt, Gyi is well-known for its fluctuating population, of 3 nests in the winter months, and 30 in the summer months.
*Pteria - A planet consisting of huge bodies of water and islands, both in the sea and floating, almost all Bohrok there have wings and or large tails and fins. Consists of 20 nests
*Fida - With almost every species there evolved from a species of snake, the Bohrok living there adapted in the same way. Consists of 5 nests.
*Keevra - Undiscovered until recently, Keevra is home to the Tetran Bohrok, an odd, quadruped race. Consists of 5 nests.
*Dya - Well-known for every being on the planet having 2 heads or more. Home to the Matria, a powerful, 6 headed Bahrag. Consists of 3 nests.
*Spherus Magna - Home of the biomechanical beings known as the Agori and the Matoran, the Bohrok here seem rather undeveloped compared to others. Consists of 2 nests.
*Threa - An experimental nest designed to breed rare death and shadow Bohrok, the Syprian nest has produced some of the most successful Bohrok ever. Consists of 1 nest.
*Ethra - Another experimental nest, many of the Bohrok here are completely adapted to their strange walks of life. Consists of 1 nest.
*Nirvana - A bi-product of the two experimental nests, the Bohrok here are the children of a Threan Vahrga and an Ethran Bahrag. Consists of 1 nest.
*Dump Planets Thanatia 5 and 6 - Deemed too dangerous for a nest, Thanatia 5 is home to many Vahrga and even more Thanatians, the native, reptilian species well known for their amazing hunting skills.
*Dump Planet Athelii - With only one huge land mass and a huge ocean, Athelii is an easy place to live if you can make it to the shore line and avoid the Terraniks that live there.
*Dump Planet Achristia - With such low nitrogen and oxygen levels, only the strongest Vahrga can survive on Achristia.
*Dump Planet Xystrris - Covered in huge mountain ranges, Xystrris is a challenge for even the beings that live there, let alone unlucky Vahrga who are sent there.
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