Blackrock Canyon was the abandoned fortress of the Brotherhood of Ak'rei'an, destroyed by the people of Ga-Koro and Po-Koro centuries before Makuta 's downfall. But after the flight from Darkmine, the Brotherhood has once again made Blackrock its home. Reduced to rubble after an attack by Syvra and Co during the Brotherhood's occupation of Ko-Koro
History
Under the Brotherhood's second Grand Master, centuries before the First Toa set foot on the island, Blackrock Canyon was constructed. Upon its inception, it was used by the Brotherhood as a base from which to raid Po- and Ga-Wahi.
It lasted the coming of the First Toa, and into the age without them. The Brotherhood and Grand Masters believed it was impossible to destroy, that it would become the Brotherhood's capitol when it conquered the island. But their arrogance proved to be their undoing.
When the the first Toa to lead the Brotherhood, Makron Blackheart, disappeared in Ko-Wahi, his Skakdi manservant took power. Gorlur The Tame, as he was called, chose to focus on study instead of raiding. He canceled the planned assault on Ga-Koro, and cut Brotherhood patrols.
This gave the Po and Ga Koroans, who tired of endless Brotherhood banditry, the chance to destroy the order. In the dead of night, they attacked Blackrock Canyon, smashing through its walls, and putting it to the torch. Scores of Brotherhood men died defending it, including Gorlur. A small number managed to escape down its tunnels, to the eventual haven of Darkmine.
Thus, the burned out ruins of Blackrock were left to crumble. The trails to it faded into the desert, maps showing it were destroyed in fire or tossed away. Being as the fortress was in an near-inhospitable locale, no one tried to settle it. So it faded out of the memories of all but the Brotherhood.
It was elders of the Brotherhood, Dryken and his fellow, those who had lived in Blackrock, and survived its destruction, who lead the Brotherhood back to it. With the supplies scavenged from Darkmine, the new Brotherhood mangaged to rebuild after the old.
Sometime after their return to Blackrock, the Brotherhood formed The Mangaia Pact and invaded Ko-Koro, leaving a bone-crew of guards in Blackrock. During this time, Syvra Ex-Ak'rei'an member, Demos/Phantom Ussalry prisoner and Seren member of the Onu-Koro Ussalry, assaulted Blackrock. During the assualt they killed any guards and through the use of carefully orchestrated explosives, reduced Blackrock to rubble.
Location Details
Blackrock Canyon was a fortress made from the stone around it, carved and hollowed out into a mass network of tunnels and parapats and blending in with the native environment. Despite its camoflauge, a joint manuveur by the Po-Koro Guard and Ga-Koro Marines routed the Brotherhood from their fortress, leaving it a smoking ruin and purging the stain from the desert.
Three stories tall it once was, a massive, watchful keep of ebony stone. The first floor was, to the center and right, a small, humble throne room, a large dining hall, armory and bathhouse. To the left, was a meeting room and barracks for the Grandmaster's guards.
The upper floor was the chambers of the Grand Master, the Steward, and the Priests. It was where they studied, slept and fasted. It housed an armory and personal library in addition to bedrooms.
The lower floors were where the animals, slaves and prisoners were held. Where converts saw the light of Ak'rei'an, where food was slaughtered, preserved and housed, and weapons and armored were forged. A densely packed area.
To the outside was the temple, a structure black and tall, made of the same black stone. It was one story, but was almost as tall as the keep itself. It housed a carved statue of Ak'rei'an, the Purple Lightstone, and dozens of stone benches. Below it was the hidden archive, stores of Brotherhood knowledge guarded by layers of earth and rock. To the right of the temple, were the barracks where the Brothers and sisters of Ak'rei'an slept.
When the Brotherhood returned to the Canyon, almost all of it was gone. Destroyed as much by time as by torch fire. The outer wall had crumbled to dust, the inner wall two thirds gone. The temple and barracks but scorchmarks. The keep had its upper floor collapse, taking the central and right areas of the great halls with it. The lower floors were filled with sand and rock.
Only the well, hidden archive, a small portion of the inner wall, the meeting room, and the keep's barracks stood intact but exposed to the elements. In the time since their arrival, the Brotherhood has began to rebuild. A third of the inner wall has been replaced with earthworks, and earthen huts have been made to house supplies away from Po-Wahi's sun. The Hidden Archive, long stripped of books, was turned into a conversion chamber. The inhabited areas have since been seealed by adobe walls.
Location in Po-Wahi
Blackrock Canyon is located in one of the most remote and inhospitable parts of the Motara Desert. Po-Wahi's northeast peninsula. Here, water is not to be found for miles. No streams, no wells, nothing. Massive, towering sand dunes cover much of the peninsula, confusing the eyes. Sandstorms are endemic, and almost neverending. The interior is uncharted, but its coasts are decently known. These factors make the area avoided by Sentinel, Bandit and Miner alike.
Blackrock is specifically located near the tip, in a shallow depression of black stone. All around it, sand dunes obscure it from view, and it is far from the seas.
Notes
- Blackrock is unique to the reboot.