Karzahni

In the LEGO Bionicle universe,; Karzahni is a name applied to multiple things, all of which represent death and suffering:

*An ancient ruler; legends state that poor workers were sent to him to be punished.
*The hell-like domain where the aforementioned ruler reigns.
*A plant monster created to terrorize the city of Metru Nui. It was named "Karzahni" after the legends of the ruler.

Most Matoran only know of the ruler and his realm through legends (the plant is unknown for the most part, though the Matoran of Metru Nui know of it through their Turagas' stories). Given the widespread nature of these legends, Karzahni is a common figure in exaggerated "boogeyman" horror stories. Angry Matoran also occasionally shout at each other to "Go to Karzahni!" (a direct reference of a human expression concerning hell, though possibly a little less profane considering how flippantly the Matoran refer to the ruler).

The Ancient Being

Karzahni and his brother Artakha were among the first creations of the Great Beings, and each was given a domain to rule over. Originally, Matoran were sent to Karzahni in order to be repaired and returned to their homelands - but Karzahni never really knew how to do his job. Instead of rebuilding them to restore their efficiency, Karzahni's attempts severely shortened their stature and strength. Ashamed to let others see his work, he sent a number of "repaired" Matoran with weapons to compensate for their physical shortcomings, to Mount Valmai, far away from everyone. After several more failures, Karzahni became convinced he was not to blame, but the Matoran themselves. He thought they should be punished instead of being fixed, so he imprisoned the Matoran. When nobody ever returned from Karzahni, Matoran eventually stopped being sent to him. Over time, his and Artakha's realms passed into legend, with the myths saying that bad or lazy Matoran were sent to him not for repair, but for punishment.

When Matoran enter Karzahni's domain, he has them abandon their old masks as a way of making them abandon their old identities, and he uses his Kanohi Olisi to show them terrible "what-ifs", making them lose all hope. For instance, Jaller saw the devastation which would have come to pass if Takua had never become Toa Takanuva. As a result of this, Karzahni gained possession of the Kanohi Hau Jaller wore, which had once belonged to Toa Lhikan, the hero of Metru Nui. It was only later that the Toa Nuva were able to recover it, after Karzahni had left his realm.

Until recently, Karzahni did not even know of Makuta, Mata Nui, the Toa or anything else of the world outside his kingdom. His first knowledge of them came from a group of Matoran from Metru Nui. At first, he didn't believe the tales they told, but then through his own mask power he saw that the universe would cease to be if Mata Nui died. Now that he knows what exists outside his kingdom, he aims to take control before Mata Nui wakes up; molding his Matoran slaves into an army for just such a purpose.

He has quietly followed the Metru Nui Matoran after they escaped his realm, watching as they became the Toa Inika. Along the way, he began assembling new military forces, including Zyglak and Manutri birds. However, he lost track of the Matoran after entering the undersea world of the Pit, distracted as its black water mutated him. He has since come across Toa Lesovikk and attacked him in order to sharpen his combat skills. Lesovikk escaped, but the hero has vowed to destroy Karzahni rather than let him threaten any Matoran again, be they those of the undersea city of Mahri Nui or the ones living in his own realm.

Soon afterward, Karzahni overheard some a group - including two Toa and a robot - discussing the Staff of Artakha. Hating anything to do with his brother, he immediately attacked and defeated the Toa. However, the robot was being possessed by the evil Makuta, and the two titans began to fight. Although Makuta won at first and turned Karzahni's army of Manas against each other, Karzahni made Makuta scream in terror by giving him a vision of Mata Nui awakening and delivering his wrath. Makuta retaliated by using his telepathic powers to completely obliterate Karzahni's mind, possibly making him more of a threat. Sure enough, when Lesovikk and his Matoran companions Sarda and Idris arrived at Karzahni's hiding place at a nearby sea cave, Karzahni used his mask power to show Lesovikk a vision of a timeline that was his greatest dream: one where his fellow Toa had not died, and one that he would never want to leave. Fortunately, Karzahni's illusion was flawed, and Lesovikk was able to break free. Meanwhile, Sarda and Idris lured Karzahni into a trap, and the now-captured conqueror was taken into Order of Mata Nui custody by Botar.

Before being mutated Karzahni had an ancient appearance, with ebon- and gold-colored bladed armor and a Kanohi Mask that was seemingly made of three or four older masks patched together. This mask is an Olisi Mask of Alternate Futures, able to make himself and others experience alternate or possible futures; usually bad ones. As part of his mutation in the Pit, his mask has fused to his body, but he can still use its powers. He also carries a burning chain and his gauntlets crackle with energy. Shortly after he arrived in the Pit, he found one of the Barraki squid launchers and began carrying it as his own weapon.

The Realm
As Karzahni and his realm became myths, they described the land as a nightmarish world; one shrouded in darkness and even hotter than Metru Nui's Great Furnace. This land had no name, but eventually also became known as "Karzahni".

The Matoran that became the Toa Inika recently rediscovered the dark realm during their travels. The land is indeed as dreadful as the legends said; there are volcanoes that erupt burning ice and waterfalls of dust. In addition, thunder makes no noise, but a breeze of wind can be deafening. The pathways are filled with "statues" of Matoran: lazy Matoran who sat on stones for too long and turned to stone themselves. In the center of the realm is Karzahni's palace, once a magnificent home for a ruler, but now a smoldering wreck, and the forges and furnaces used by the Matoran who live there.

Karzahni is also the birthplace of the Dark Hunter codenamed "Devastator", who is reputed to have emerged from a fiery crevice in the region.

The realm used to be accessible by boat or airship. However the waterways dried up and now it can only be reached through an overland path infested by Manas.

Karzahni has long been watched over by a Makuta named Icarax. Despite the fact that the Makuta were once guardians, Icarax never rescued the Matoran; he felt that workers bad enough to be sent to Karzahni were worthless. With its ruler gone, Icarax sought to conquer Karzahni and establish a power base there. However, the Toa Nuva confronted him (after evacuating the Matoran) and, in desperation, Toa Gali unleashed the full extent of her water power, completely destroying the realm.

The Plant

When plotting his scheme to take over Metru Nui, Makuta designed an intelligent plant creature to drive the Matoran towards the city's center; he named this creature "Karzahni" after the fabled tyrant. However, the Karzahni was too powerful and too ambitious, so Makuta abandoned it and instead engineered a weaker plant creature, the Morbuzakh. Karzahni swore revenge on Makuta, but this was taken from it when the Toa Metru imprisoned Makuta during the Great Cataclysm.

When the Toa Metru were returning to the city, Toa Nokama was critically injured by the Rahi Nui and Karzahni took the opportunity to strike a deal with the Toa: it would cure Nokama if the Toa would get him some energized protodermis. They did so, and Toa Nuju figured out that the Karzahni not only wanted the protodermis to become more powerful, but to save its life; as Makuta deliberately designs a fatal flaw in all his creations. However, the Karzahni was not destined to be transformed by the protodermis, so it was instead destroyed, leaving nothing but dead wood.

Shortly afterward, the Toa Metru used the dead Karzahni branches as part of a boat to bring them to Metru Nui; but none noticed a single sprig that seemed to have sprouted when immersed in the water. This sprig later grew into a new Karzahni plant, with all the memory and experience of the old. This Karzahni hid for a while, and when the now-free Makuta sought the Vahi Mask of Time, he made a deal with Karzahni and had it impersonate the Morbuzakh in an illusion he crafted for Toa Vakama. But after the illusion had been shattered, Karzahni switched sides and helped Vakama by bolstering his self-confidence, revealing that despite evidence that he and his team had found, they were always the ones destined to be Toa. It also said that it had gotten this information from a member of the Order of Mata Nui (and implied that it killed the member). By this time, Makuta had caught up with the two, and Karzahni was seemingly killed again when Makuta encased it in a shell, cutting it off from heat and light.

The Karzahni had full control over its vines and branches and possessed great strength. It could also produce healing sap and fruits at will. It communicated using telepathy and was able to gather information through any of its growth.

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