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"While we're stuck waiting, why don't you tell us who's really under there?" |
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Wu and Garmadon's journey was an event when the sons of the First Spinjitzu Master were tasked by their father to get the special tea plant to heal Garmadon.
History[]
The Curse of the Cat-Eye Jewel[]
For years after Aspheera's entombment, the First Spinjitzu Master had lost faith in his sons, Wu and Garmadon. Although he never directly said why, Wu realized that their father was beyond disappointed in he and his brother's theft of the Scrolls of Forbidden Spinjitzu, noting that their father had been very angry with them when they returned home after defeating the Serpentine Sorceress. One day, the First Spinjitzu Master informed his sons that he was sending them off on a journey to the Northern Ocean in search of a special tea plant that he believed could cure Garmadon of a darkness he sensed growing within him.
The next morning, both brothers set out on their journey, stopping first in a village for some breakfast noodles before traversing their way through a dark, mist shrouded forest. Within the forest, the brothers were attacked by a strange beast but were fortunately saved by a hooded stranger. As they continued onward on their journey, the brothers were soon attacked by a group of warriors who wore green uniforms with feline motifs. Escaping from the masked warriors, the brothers were once again saved by the stranger who revealed herself to be a cat woman named Nineko.
Curious about the Spinjitzu-like martial art performed by Nineko, Wu insisted for her to teach the brothers her ways, a request she granted under the condition that once the brothers' training was complete, they would retrieve the Cat-Eye Jewel for her, claiming it had been stolen from her long ago by the green uniformed 'bandits' she had rescued the brothers from. For several days and several nights, both brothers would then train under Nineko's wing in the art of Catjitzu. During this time, they learned more about Nineko's past, specifically that she had once been one of their father's former students whom he expelled after believing that she had stolen one of his katanas. At last, the day finally came when both brothers had successfully mastered the art of Catjitzu and they set out to fulfill their end of the bargain. However, not all things are as clear as they seem...
Learning of Nineko's treachery, Wu came to side with the green warriors, now revealed to be the rightful protectors of the Cat-Eye Jewel, the Order of Felis. Garmadon on the other hand refused to believe such claims and returned to Nineko, only to discover to his horror the truth of the warrior's assertations, shortly succumbing to Nineko's mastery over Dark Magic and being enthralled against his will. In the battle that followed outside of the Temple of Felis, Nineko used her sorcery to raise the Warriors of Felis to assist her in combat against the Order of Felis while Garmadon and Wu raced to the top of a mountain in pursuit of the Cat-Eye Jewel. Although Garmadon was able to retrieve the jewel, with it ultimately landing in Nineko's hands, the Sorceress' victory would be short lived. Unfortunately her command over dark magic was not nearly as skilled as she believed, having given Garmadon specific instructions to "get the jewel," regardless of who had it! Still enthralled, Garmadon tackled Nineko, causing her to lose the jewel, and in a mad and desperate attempt to regain possession of the gemstone, Nineko slipped and fell off the nearby cliff, freeing Garmadon from her control.
With Nineko defeated and the battle won, the brothers returned the Cat-Eye Jewel to the Order of Felis before continuing once more on their journey.
The Lair of Tanabrax[]
After leaving behind the Order of Felis, the brothers continued onwards on their journey, walking through many forests and fields for the next five days. As the brothers rounded up a hill, they spotted a small village lying in the distance. With their food supplies running low, the brothers agreed to spend the night there and restock on their supplies.
Upon entering the tranquil village however, nothing was as it seemed. Wherever they went, the villagers seemed to shun then, turning their children away and suggesting for the brothers to leave immediately. Although initially perplexed by the villagers' hostility towards them, the brothers would eventually learn from a dumpling vendor, and her granddaughter, Hana, that the villagers were actually looking out for the brothers' best interests! Apparently, residents have been mysteriously disappearing at night for weeks and the townspeople were attempting to drive out the brothers to prevent them from becoming the next victims. Upon learning of their hosts' plight, Wu and Garmadon decided to set up a plan to uncover the truth behind the mysterious disappearances.
The following night, the brothers discovered that the disappearances were caused by an army of living Puppets - once people whose souls had been transferred out from their bodies by the dark sorcerer Tanabrax. Not long after this discovery, Wu was captured and transformed into a puppet, leaving Garmadon alone to rally up and train the villagers into an army capable of defeating Tanabrax. Fortunately, one of Tanabrax's generals, Moody, whom Garmadon had captured previously, would undergo a change of heart after being exposed to Hana's kindness, ultimately assisting Garmadon and the villagers in destroying Tanabrax and returning the transferred souls back into their original bodies.
Following their victory, the brothers entrusted Tanabrax's cursed medallion to Obachan, who buried it deep beneath the ground where no one would ever find it again. After enjoying a victory dinner in celebration, the brothers would depart the village to continue onwards on their journey to the Northern Ocean.
The Maze of the Sphinx[]
Some time after leaving Hana's village, Wu and Garmadon took refuge in a cave, but unwittingly disturbed a bat colony that was nesting within. Fleeing from the bats, the brothers were forced deeper into the cave, where they would discover an extensive series of tunnels lying before them. Picking one at random, the brothers walked down its path in complete darkness for five minutes before reaching the exit. Emerging out of the tunnel, the brothers found themselves in an arid, desert village. As the brothers wandered into the village in search of food and drink, they gazed in awe upon the black pyramid that sat in the village center, dominating the landscape.
As the brothers arrived at a market stall, enjoying honey cakes and tea, they would learn from the locals about the culture of the village, including the legend of the Sphinx. According to legend, passed down through generations, a majestic Sphinx with the power to grant wishes resided within the black pyramid, bestowing any wish upon those worthy enough to reach her. Intrigued by this story, Garmadon immediately rushed off towards the pyramid and began to search for an entrance, intending on wishing his growing evil away so that he and Wu could finish their journey here and now. Upon entering the pyramid, both brothers reacted in awe and terror as they found themselves face to face with the Sphinx; the legends were true after all! The Sphinx then dropped both brothers deeper within her pyramid, challenging them to survive her labyrinth and make their way back to her chamber to be granted a wish.
Throughout the vast labyrinth, both brothers were forced to make their way across many perilous challenges, including the Sand warriors, the Scorpion Highway, and the Mirror of Dread. Along the way, they met another adventurer who had been trapped within the labyrinth, a mysterious woman named Shezada. With Shezada's superior knowledge of the labyrinth and its challenges, the trio were able to finally make their way back to the Sphinx's chambers, becoming the first in countless centuries to succeed. Victory however, would be short lived. Unfortunately, Shezada had been bitten by one of the Ghouls in the chamber preceding the Sphinx's room, and as a result, she was now turning into a ghoul as well. To further complicate matters, the devious Sphinx declared that since the trio had come together as a group, she would only grant a single wish between the three of them. Feeling in his heart that even the Sphinx's magic would not eliminate the darkness growing within him, Garmadon chose to use the wish to save Shezada, to which the Sphinx obliged.
After being granted leave from the pyramid, the trio found themselves swarmed by the locals, all of whom were brimming with curiosity, asking many questions about the trio's journey and escape from the Sphinx's pyramid. In the midst of the chaos, Shezada slipped away to continue her own journey, leaving Wu and Garmadon behind. Once the crowds dispersed, the brothers decided to stay a bit longer in the Valley before continuing onwards on their journey.
The Chroma's Clutches[]
After leaving the Valley of the Sphinx, the brothers decided to follow the North Star, believing that its guidance would lead them to the Northern Ocean. Their journey now led the brothers to a range of lush mountains that stretched far above the clouds, filled with beautiful butterflies and flowers of all manner of bright colors. As the duo trudged their way through the green landscape, they encountered a strange monkey-dog creature which seemed to be beckoning for the brothers to follow it. By following the creature, the brothers were soon led to the top of the mountain, discovering to their surprise an expansive villa and its owner, a young woman with dark purple hair, painting out front.
Turning from her work, the young woman introduced herself to the brothers as Peri, a young painter who was aspiring to follow in her father's footsteps. Peri then invited the brothers to stay for the night, to which they agreed, noting it was a good idea to never turn down an offer of a free meal and lodging. Throughout the course of dinner, the brothers and their host learned a bit more of one another, though Peri seemed guarded and reserved whenever questions were asked about her family. After the brothers retired for the night, Garmadon would be awoken by the sound of strange howling, prompting him to leave his room to investigate. Although he was unable to determine the source of the howls, he began to develop a suspicion that Peri knew more than she was letting on.
The next day, the brothers assisted their host with some of her daily chores before agreeing to pose for a new portrait for her to paint. During this time, Peri had relented a little more about her family and revealed that her mother had passed three years prior and that her father and sister would be back soon. As Peri continued to paint the brothers' portrait, both brothers suddenly fell asleep as the minutes slowly ticked away into hours. Upon awakening, the brothers discovered to their horror that Peri had somehow transported them into the paintings that adorned her villa's walls. Although initially confused and angry, they would soon learn from their new guide, Jelena, the full truth of Peri's story: after her mother's death, her father gave into his grief and sorrow, inadvertently creating a monster from his paintings - The Chroma. And now, for the last three years, Peri's father and sister had been imprisoned within the Chroma's painting to prevent the creature from crossing over into the real world. Upon learning of Peri's plight, the brothers agreed to destroy the Chroma and free her family.
After crossing through the many paintings that lined the villa's walls, traversing through a variety of different landscapes, each with their own unique perils, both brothers finally arrived in the Chroma's painting - a bleak, gray world of emptiness. After their initial encounter with the Chroma, both brothers were forced to retreat upon discovering that they could not physically attack the beast which appeared in the form of a giant cloud. Taking refuge in a nearby cave, they discovered Mindaro and Indi, Peri's father and sister respectively, and would work on a plan with them to destroy the Chroma after realizing that the creature's weakness was color. With some assistance from Peri, the four were able to then splash the Chroma in a variety of bright, colorful hues, destroying it and transforming the bleak landscape into a lush paradise. With the Chroma no more, all those who had been trapped within its painting were finally free to return to the real world. Upon their return, Peri apologized profusely to both brothers for her deception, though they were quick to forgive her. After staying a bit longer at the villa upon her family's insistence, both brothers left to continue their journey onwards to the Northern Ocean.
Legacy[]
Although Wu and Garmadon were unable to cure the latter of the Devourer's venom following the conclusion of their journey, Wu oftentimes looked back to their journey as a defining moment in his life. For Wu, the most important aspect the journey was the strengthening of his and Garmadon's bond, recalling the events of the journey even centuries later as he conversed with a sentient spell at the Dragon Stone Shrine, particularly the Maze of the Sphinx and his battle against the Warriors of Felis. In fact, Wu even kept Nineko's umbrella, which had been recovered following her fall, keeping it as a tragic reminder of how close he came to losing his brother.
Not every memory of the journey was a pleasant one for Wu, however, with some even inflicting long lasting consequences. For one, Wu would develop an immense, life-long fear of puppets as a result of his experience being transformed into one by Tanabrax, even snapping at Jay centuries after the end of the journey just for mentioning the word. Additionally, Wu also remained wary of the Chroma's portrait, reacting with caution after discovering it again in the Ninjago Museum of History. Despite having personally witnessed the creature's destruction centuries ago, Wu carefully studied it for a few moments before dismissing it as possessing any remaining threat. In both circumstances, and unbeknownst to Wu, his caution would be well founded, for despite the passing of time, some ghosts of the past fail to move on...
Appearances[]
Ninjago: Dragons Rising[]
Season 2[]
- 25. "The Spell at the Waterfall" (mentioned)
Books[]
Spinjitzu Brothers[]
- The Curse of the Cat-Eye Jewel (flashback)
- The Lair of Tanabrax (flashback)
- The Maze of the Sphinx (flashback)
- The Chroma's Clutches (flashback)
Gallery[]
The Curse of the Cat-Eye Jewel[]
The Lair of Tanabrax[]
The Maze of the Sphinx[]
The Chroma's Clutches[]
