Artakha

ArtakhaArtakha: Master Crafter of the Great RefugeArtakha is one of the most powerful beings in the Matoran Universe, the reclusive ruler of the hidden island that bears his name, whose crafters made the Avohkii. He governed a refuge no evil could enter and armed the Toa Nuva for their trip to Karda Nui. is the master crafter of the Matoran UniverseMatoran UniverseA civilization of biomechanical beings living inside a colossal robot, destroyed when Teridax seized control., created by the Great BeingsThe Great BeingsScholar-inventors of Spherus Magna whose creations shaped the Matoran Universe and whose absence defined the conflicts that followed. alongside KarzahniKarzahniBionicle used one cursed name three times, for a being, a realm and a plant, and every one of them earns it. This article untangles all three.. Each was given a land to guard. Karzahni's became a place where damaged MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body. were sent to be repaired, while Artakha's became a place of light where Matoran could work in peace. Karzahni's land turned into a horror; Artakha's turned out the gear that the Order of Mata NuiThe Order of Mata NuiThe covert organization founded by Helryx to serve the Great Spirit directly, operating in concealment from a fortress on Daxia and waging the open war against the Brotherhood of Makuta that decided the fate of the universe., the Toa and countless Matoran relied on. (BIONICLE Legends 2: Dark Destiny; BIONICLE World)

Origin and counterpart role#

Artakha and Karzahni were created by the Great Beings before Mata Nui's spirit was made, and each was given a land. Karzahni's was the place broken Matoran were sent to be repaired. Artakha's was a place of light where good workers could labour in peace and comfort. (BIONICLE Legends 2: Dark Destiny)

The two fought over the Mask of Creation early on, and Artakha won. Karzahni went on to twist the Matoran sent to him, while Artakha's land became the universe's great workshop. (BIONICLE World; BIONICLE Legends 2: Dark Destiny)

The hidden island#

Artakha's island shares his name. It was the first island the Great Beings made, and it lies west of the Northern Continent. (BIONICLE World)

The secrecy came after the Brotherhood of Makuta raided it. Makuta Kojol led the attack and stole the AvohkiiAvohkiiThe Avohkii is the Mask of Light, a golden mask that granted its wearer the power of Light and the ability to spread understanding. It was worn by Toa Takanuva., and afterwards Artakha asked the Order of Mata Nui to destroy all maps and charts of his island. The Order went further, eliminating everyone who knew its location, including Kojol and some of its own members, and the islanders destroyed the land bridge that had linked them to a larger, uninhabited island. (The Mutran Chronicles; Brothers in Arms; BIONICLE World)

From then on Artakha refused contact with the outside world, though he kept watching events across the universe. In time he and his island became a legend. (BIONICLE World)

What he built#

The Toa Mata came into existence on Artakha's island, using materials provided by the Great Beings, and the Avohkii, the Mask of Light, was forged there. (BIONICLE World)

Artakha also made the vehicles Axalara T9, Jetrax T6 and Rockoh T3 and placed them in the Codrex in Karda Nui, and he supplied weapons and equipment to the Order of Mata Nui. A Matoran saying held that if you wanted the impossible built, you left the materials at his gate and came back the next day. (BIONICLE: Makuta's Guide to the Universe; BIONICLE World)

His one attempt at making Rahi produced four Crystal Serpents too wild to tame. He wouldn't destroy them, so he let them go. (BIONICLE World)

Powers and equipment#

Artakha has no elemental power. His strengths are telepathy and teleportation, strong enough to reach through the shields of Karda NuiKarda NuiThe vast cavern at the core of the Matoran universe, home of the Av-Matoran's Sky Villages and the Codrex, and the site of the battle to awaken Mata Nui., and he can move himself, others and objects across great distances. (BIONICLE Legends 8: Downfall; Reign of Shadows)

He wears the Mask of CreationMask of Creation: the Legendary Kanohi of ArtakhaThe Kanohi worn by Artakha, the master builder of the Matoran Universe. It let its wearer envision a finished object from raw materials and learn how to build it, and Artakha won it in a fight with his brother Karzahni.. When he travelled to Metru Nui during Teridax's reign, he was a towering figure in greyish green armour covered in ancient symbols. (Reign of Shadows; BIONICLE World)

Dealings with the Toa Nuva#

When the Toa NuvaToa Mata and Toa NuvaSix biomechanical heroes created by the Great Beings to awaken Mata Nui and defeat the Brotherhood, transformed once and tested across an entire age. reached his island, the land shifted from paradise to storm around them as they made their way to his fortress. Artakha spoke to them from inside, asked to hear about their recent deeds, and when they had finished, gave them Adaptive ArmorAdaptive ArmorArtakha's shapeshifting armor gave the Toa Nuva environment-specific abilities, changing form from aerial to aquatic to everything in between. and teleported them to Karda Nui. (BIONICLE Legends 8: Downfall)

The fall of his island#

After TeridaxTeridaxTeridax orchestrated a thousand-year scheme that ended with him occupying the Great Spirit Robot itself before his death on Bara Magna. took control of Mata Nui's body, he sent Rahkshi against Artakha. When LewaLewaToa of Air, member of the Toa Mata and Toa Nuva, whose career was marked by repeated possession, body theft, and aerial campaigns from Le-Wahi to Karda Nui. arrived to help, shattered Rahkshi littered the coastline, more were advancing on the fortress, and Artakha's Matoran workers were fighting a holding action they couldn't win. Artakha's voice told Lewa it was too late and sent him to Tren KromTren KromThe first purely organic creation of the Great Beings, exiled to a stone island after surrendering the core of the Matoran Universe to Mata Nui. instead. (Reign of Shadows)

Artakha then entered the war himself. He went to the core processor in Metru Nui, where he interrupted a battle between Tren Krom, in Lewa's body, and HelryxHelryx: the first Toa ever createdHelryx was the first Toa ever made, commissioned by the Great Beings on Artakha long before the Toa Mata. She founded and led the Order of Mata Nui., Tuyet and the others, and swapped Lewa's and Tren Krom's minds back. When Helryx challenged him, he told her that creation was his essence and that she would destroy all that existed. Teridax then teleported the whole group into space. (Reign of Shadows)

Into the fortress#

After Lewa saved them from suffocating, VezonVezonHe started as a weapon misfire and a throwaway joke, and the canon spent four years quietly turning him into its most useful expendable asset. pulled the group through a dimensional window into a tower on Bota Magna that held a Great Being driven mad by the Ignika. The group argued over whether to free him. (Reign of Shadows)

The killer Velika, watching from outside, saw a chance to get rid of many of the universe's most powerful beings at once, Artakha among them, and set about rigging the fortress to explode. The serial ended before the attack was shown, and no later story says what happened. (The Powers That Be)

Legacy#

For most of his existence the Matoran knew Artakha only through his work and his legend. The Toa Mata, the Avohkii, the Toa Nuva's Adaptive Armor and the Order of Mata Nui's weapons all came from his island. His brother failed at the same task, and the universe suffered for it. (BIONICLE World; BIONICLE Legends 8: Downfall; BIONICLE Legends 2: Dark Destiny)