Once, long before the time of our fathers and grandfathers, the land was whole. 

It was a rich and abundant land, a land of rolling hills and pristine forests and its people were many and exotic. Some 
arrived on ships from distant lands and chose to stay. Some were descended from the hill-folk, and could recite the names 
of their ancestors beyond the most ancient histories. War was not unknown, but peace was the rule: a peace born of 
strength and abundance.

...

That was four years ago. Now it's a barren wasteland.

When the Horde arrived, they destroyed our beautiful home, reducing it to dust and sand. Anything that stood in their way, 
even the strongest of Toa, were killed with little effort. Nothing, not even weeds, lived when the Horde invaded and struck 
our lands. But that all changed when the Ice Clan made an alliance with the Serpent Clan. 

The Ice Clan already had their Earth Clan slaves defect, and were willing to do anything to reclaim them for themselves. 
A spy from the Serpent Clan overheard this, and told the Serpent Lord, Aoran, about the situation.

Lord Aoran sent that same spy to the Ice Clan, and ensured he would reveal himself to make the Ice Clan fall into his 
hands, knowing that what the spy told the Ice Clan would benefit him.

...

The two Clans met atop the Ridge of the Damned, and settled a deal. Lord Aoran would return the captured Earth Clan members 
to the Ice Clan if the Ice Clan used their wicked magics to prolong the Horde's conquest. Hathaku agreed to this 
settlement, and the Ice Clan moved off to meet the Horde.

Meanwhile, the Serpent Clan forcefully persuaded the last of the free Clans to make one last stand, one that would surely 
be a suicidal one, but with the wicked and dark magics of the Ice Clan, they would at least have some hope of succeeding...

...

The next day, as the first rays of dawn began to appear, a wall of Toa, Matoran, Turaga, and Rahi stood along the Kkani, 
ready to fight for their lands. Seeing the army of shadow running over the hills in the horizon, they armed themselves 
and hoped for the best.

And this, of course, is where the new legends form...