Kritor Empire

The Kritor Empire, formerly known as the Kritor Alliance, was the name adopted by Kragator’s followers following their development of an empire in the the Broken Order Universe.

The Hand of Artakha
In the early days of the Matoran Universe, there was the Hand of Artakha, solving problems throughout the universe and correcting malfunctioning nanotech. Following a certain Great Being’s tampering with the Matoran Universe, however, the agents were unable to deal with the new, sentient beings and often became undisciplined and harsh in their operations. Seeing that the Hand could no longer perform its duties with the current organization, Kragator and Helryx, two of the four Archcommanders (the directors of the Hand), both played a large hand in the Hand’s dissolution; Helryx because of the damage the undisciplined agents caused, Kragator because of the lack of a central command structure. With the help of Sheriem and Koram, the other two Archcommanders, the organization was disbanded.

Several months later, a secret meeting was held at Keetongu Isle in the Southern Islands to discuss a means of reconstructing the Hand into a more effective structure. Helryx advocated the formation of a secret organization to maintain order in the universe. Kragator, however, sensed an opportunity. He suggested a visible organization and a heavy hand to keep the universe in check. The debate waged for months, the sides polarized between Helryx and Kragator with Kragator emerging as the more dominant of the two.

Finally, Helryx called a meeting with Kragator to force ahead the formation of the Order of Mata Nui. The two opponents argued, even fighting physically until they were broken up by Sheriem. They each returned to their bases on the island where Helryx issued the call for all agents of the Hand to return under the banner of the Order of Mata Nui. When Kragator heard of this, he launched a full-scale attack on the base of Helryx and her followers and sent soldiers to kill the messengers of Helryx. Helryx escaped, but the rest of her followers didn’t. When the Hand agents did return, Kragator was waiting for them. Unopposed, he declared the formation of the Kritor Alliance. He selected the island of Bythrain as their base and absorbed the native people into the organization.

Early Days of the Kritor Alliance
As the Kritor Alliance developed, Kragator very much kept in mind the official reasons for the Hand’s formation: to protect and serve Mata Nui. However, he worked carefully to keep the Kritor Alliance structured around a central monarch, and over time the Kritor Alliance became heavily dependent on his charisma and stable governance. Because of this, Kragator worried about having an heir in the event of his death, as a successor would need very specific characteristics to remain intact.

Not long after the Kritor Alliance was fully operational and the construction of the Bythrain Fortress was complete, Kragator tracked down Sheriem, the last of the Archcommanders (aside from Helryx who’d all but disappeared). Sheriem was living as a hermit when Kragator found him. The two met where Kragator offered him an opportunity to join the Kritors or be exiled to the Pit. Sheriem elected exile over joining the Kritors. Kragator left, and, two days later, Sheriem was spirited away by Botar, a Kritor soldier. As the Archcommanders, the only others who could claim leadership of the Kritor kingdom due to their leadership of the former Hand of Artakha, were gone, Kragator turned his attention to building up his empire.

Although his agents were constantly on the hunt for Helryx, Kragator considered his rule over the reformed Hand of Artakha to be complete. As a rising power in the universe, Kritor agents were sent out agents to all major inhabited islands to get a feel for them. Although the Kritor Alliance was wary of Destral, they were confident their power in the universe wasn’t threatened.

The Kritor/Maktua Conflict
The inevitable meeting between the Brotherhood of Makuta and Kritor Alliance finally occurred over a conflict involving the Makutas’ Rahi testing on the Tren Krom Peninsula. The natives, fed up from being used by the Makuta, appealed to the rising Kritor power for help. The Kritors, pleased by the recognition as a major power, came to their aid, and both organizations began mobilizing for war. Recognizing the destruction a war would cause, a council of Turaga and other world leaders met to negotiate peace between the two rival organizations. The powerhouses agreed to the terms of the peace and the clash was momentarily resolved. (Ironically, the resulting power struggle would not only guarantee conflict down the road, but it would ensure any resulting war would be far more devastating.)

The conflict only worsened as the Kritor/Makuta Rivalry deepened. A cold war began as both organizations raced to hold greater influence than the other. The only time this conflict paused was when both the Brotherhood of Makuta and the Kritor Alliance unofficially joined forces to crush a rising third power, the League of Six Kingdoms. However, as soon as the six leaders fell, neither wasted any time in resuming their power struggle.

Of the League of Six Kingdoms and Other “Empires”
Despite having recruiting the majority of former Hand agents, there were still a handful of Hand agents unaffiliated with the Alliance. The Kritors did their best to either recruit these or kill them off.

One such member, an Arbiter called Axonn led a conquest of a significant amount of the Southern Islands including homelands of the Arbiter, Savager, Atelvas, and Imbiber races. Kragator, seeing potential benefits of absorbing Axonn’s empire (as well as the loss of a competitor), he dispatched several agents to appeal to his membership in the Hand. Axonn agreed to join the Kritors, donating his empire in return for a decent position in the Alliance. He was given a job as a head interrogator.

Following this, the Kritors sent several agents to investigate the native species and recruit those that held potential as Kritor soldiers. One such individual was Brutaka who would eventually find himself working alongside Axonn, the former master of his homeland. Although their relationship was rough at first, they soon became good friends.

When six beings known as the Barraki warlords began carving an empire for themselves, both the Kritor Alliance and the Brotherhood of Makuta responded harshly. King Kragator feared a nation rivaling their power and success, so the Kritors struck at the League of Six Kingdoms, working informally with the Brotherhood of Makuta, crushing it in the Four Month War.

The Bythrain reshuffling of power and the Karchari and Hapol Conflicts
The emergence of a rivalry with the Brotherhood as well as a looming fear the Kritor Alliance would see the same fate as the Hand of Artakha, Kragator started working to reshuffle power within Bythrain to reflect a more militaristic nature. This process saw many old buildings torn down and rebuilt for a more efficient and war-ready format. The reconstruction marked an abandonment of the original charter of the Alliance and the intention of protecting Mata Nui’s interests. Now the Alliance was a fully self-serving organization with what was already established as one of the two most powerful armies in history.

Desiring to test the new power structure, King Kragator decided he wanted colonial holdings. His army invaded pre-selected uninhabited islands along the rim of the universe, where the Makuta wouldn’t notice. One of these islands was the island of Karchari, just north of the Dark Hunters' base at Odina, strategically positioned in case they proved a threat to Kritor interests.

However, the Dark Hunters had already established a secret base there, and when Kritor armies stormed the island, they sent word to the Shadowed One who threatened Bythrain with a formal alliance with the Brotherhood of Makuta. Kragator begrudgingly withdrew his forces from Karchari. His secret invasions now exposed, he withdrew his forces from the other colonies due to pressure from the rest of the universe except for those at Jarlin in the Southern Islands and Yerefar to the north of Tren Krom. Additionally, the Kritors refused to give up several lands gained from Axonn’s conquest.

Not long after this, the natives of Bythrain (likely seeing weakness in Kragator following the Karchari Conflict) rose up, demanding exceptional treatment for their service and their island. Kragator opposed this and when they went on a rampage, Kragator was forced to crush the uprising and kill the rabble-rousers. While he did this quickly, it disrupted the power structure he’d established and meant Bythrain once again had to be reorganized. When the Dark Hunters called on the Kritors for help against the invading Makuta in the Hapol Conflict, Bythrain was in no position for war. Instead Kragator issued an ultimatum to both organizations. Consequently, the Makuta backed down and the Dark Hunters gained the unique privilege of protection from both the Makuta and the Kritors.

The Kritor/Makuta War and Reformation to the Kritor Empire
As time went on and tensions grew with the Makuta League, Toa took actions, distributing Toa stones and making preparations to protect the universe in case of all-out war. An organization known as the Alignment formed with the intent of tearing apart both the Brotherhood of Makuta and the Kritor Alliance. The Makuta ignored them, however, as they could do little to hurt the Brotherhood.

Tension with the rest of the universe finally boiled over when the Kritors refused to turn a being from another universe over to international waters in accordance with the Treaty of Gera Nui. Furious, the Makuta began mobilizing their troops, an action quickly matched by the Kritors.

War at last erupted when Kragator landed troops on Artakha, overrunning the island within a day. The Makuta responded in kind, gaining control of Xia and Stelt. Kragator then launched a siege of Karzahni which fell similarly. Following this, the Makuta gained control of Daxia and Zarnor. Undaunted by his rivals’ new power, Kragator seized Keetongu Island and Artidax, declaring the formation of the Kritor Empire on Artidax with him as its emperor. The Brotherhood of Makuta secretly recruited Varim throughout the universe and formally reformed along with the islands and species they controlled as the Makuta League. When they declared full post-war immunity for any race or organization that helped them during the war, Kragator did the same.

When the Kritor and Makuta forces collided at last on Nynrah, Kragator met with Miserix in person for the first time in six thousand years. The Makuta offered the Kritor an opportunity for an alliance, an opportunity Kragator turned down. When the battle erupted, the Makuta were initially winning until Kragator activated his new mask, the Mask of No Powers, the product of an alliance between Artakha and Karzahni.

To the Makutas’ advantage, the mask failed to give the Kritors the needed edge to score a decisive victory on Nynrah. The battle waged for days until the Dark Hunters/Alignment army swept down from the north, forcing both exhausted armies into a retreat.

When Kragator experienced a mental breakdown days later on Bythrain, the Kritor Empire, infinitely dependent on their leader, went into decline. The Makuta pressed their advantage, taking many Kritor lands as well as most of the Central Bodies (including Zakaz, the base of the Alignment). When Kragator emerged from his breakdown, the Kritors experienced a resurgence, taking control of all the Periphery Bodies except for Metru Nui. He then proposed a month-long truce which the Makuta agreed to.

Second Half of the War and the Siege of Destral
Some time later, a stabilizing Kragator sailed on his flagship, The Oblivion, to the island of Tren Krom. There he used his Mask of No Powers to interrogate the helpless Tren Krom into giving information that could provide an edge over the Makuta. He was told of Karda Nui and the secret to accessing it. Kragator filed this information away for later. When he returned at last to Bythrain, he led the resurgence of the Kritor Empire, issuing the conquests of the Periphery Islands except for Metru Nui. He then issued three letters; one for the Dark Hunters, one for the Makuta League, and one for the Alignment. In his letter to the Dark Hunters he informed them that they would be conquered by the end of the week. In his letter to the Makuta League, he commended them for their efforts in the war thus far, as well as their conquest of the Central Bodies, and offered an opportunity to partake in a month-long truce (this offer was taken up by the Makuta). In his letter to the Alignment, he thanked them for their focus on attacking the Makuta League (an action taken to ensure the Makuta League couldn't win the war so easily--something which would protect the Kritor Empire) in his absence. He then offered the unknown leader (though he suspected it was Helryx) of the Alignment a personal meeting, a rare honor offered by Kragator to those who impressed him.

In the month of peace between the Makuta and Kritors, Kragator ordered the Kritors blockade the periphery island chains under Kritor control from the Central bodies. Blockades were positioned along Bythrain, Artidax, Artakha, Karzahni, and Keetongu Island. Only Kritor airships were allowed to cross the blockade; all other ships were obliterated.

Interested in the information Tren Krom had given him, Kragator brought his High Commanders and general staff with him to Mount Valmai in the Voya Nui region of the Southern Continent. He ordered several technicians to blow holes near the base of Valmai, with the intention of shattering Valmai's floor and opening a hole to Karda Nui. Any doubt he and the generals had about Tren Krom's honesty vanished when a hole was shattered, and they were staring down the volcano at blue sky.

During this time, both armies worked to consolidate their hold on their respective empires. The Kritors began erecting blockades, cutting off their regions from anything except their own airships which flew in and out from Bythrain nonstop. The Makuta High Command was aware of massive Kritor activity going on in the islands just behind the blockade; however, Miserix ordered the Makuta to stay away from the blockades for the time-being. Spiriah disobeyed these orders and, using his various powers, flew over to Keetongu Island, the sight of one of the Kritor blockades, and saw massive Kritor armies and fleets, amassing for a blitzkrieg march along major Makuta islands ending at Destral.

Spiriah reported this to the Makuta. Miserix, knowing he couldn’t amass an effective force in time to combat the five Kritor forces, instead began working on a means of defeating the Kritors as they lay siege to Destral.

Although the Kritor forces weren’t fully operational yet, their discovery by Spiriah prompted Kragator to launch his plans sooner than expected. The Kritor fleets and armies launched from Bythrain, Artidax, Artakha, Karzahni, and Keetongu Isle respectively. On their way, they paused at the Makuta League islands only long enough to damage them enough that they couldn’t aide Destral for the next several days. The Makuta began teleporting in and out of Destral to make the necessary arrangements for the Kritors—an alliance with the Bahrag.

The forces landed in stages and began circling Destral. Miserix, knowing all the Makuta would be important fighters in the upcoming battle, ordered all Makuta to return to Destral. As soon as the fifth fleet, the Bythrain fleet arrived under Kragator who activated his Mask of No Powers. With the Makuta imprisoned within their own fortress, the Kritor ships unleashed Tobduk (vengeful against the Makuta for overrunning his homeland, Visorak) and the brainwashed Atrak onto the island under the cover of hailfire from the circling ships.

The Atrak and Tobduk tore through Destral, tearing the Makuta, Bahrag, and all other inhabitants of the fortress to pieces. By the time morning came, Destral was devoid of life and soon occupied by the Kritors. In the Makuta Convocation chamber, Emperor Kragator was crowned Great Spirit of the Matoran Universe by his generals.

As the fleets made their way back to Bythrain, they made stops to destroy any remaining Makuta outposts and to cement their new control of the Central Bodies. Unopposed, the Kritor Empire ruled the entire Matoran Universe. Most of the Kritor forces remained distributed throughout the Universe; however, Kragator, Ervik, and a small detachment returned to the capital.

Upon arriving back at Bythrain, Kragator started working on three things to ensure the survival of his empire: taking steps to ensure Mata Nui never could take his universe back; rearranging and tying species together to be more efficient than ever before; revising the Kritor communication systems; and establishing a universal code. As he began dictating these to Ervik, the Alignment soldiers leapt out of their hiding spots and taking the Kritors by surprise.

Arrin and Kelrik were the first to reach the throne room at the top of Kragator's tower, only to stop short upon seeing Ervik, their teammate. Taking advantage of their surprise, Kragator began talking with the two Toa who slowly brought him to the realization that Bythrain was irreversibly falling. As more Alignment soldiers neared the room, Kragator was stabbed in the back by Ervik. Kragator fell back and Ervik whispered in the emperor's ear that the Toa would carry on the emperor's legacy right as the others arrived.

Aftermath
Having grown so dependent on their liege, the Kritor Empire dissolved. Most of the Kritor High Command either hid or was captured by the Alignment. Of the nine Kritor High Commanders, there was no word. Kritor soldiers and agents were forced into civilian life, even as many civilians flocked to join the ballooning Alignment. The Wyraks took back control of Bythrain with one, named Jeyatro turning Artidax into a tourist destination.

Structure
Kragator organized the structure of the Kritor organization into a strict monarchy, initially to prevent the Kritors from following the same fate as the Hand of Artakha, and later to establish a powerful empire and lasting legacy. To achieve this, Kragator directed every aspect of the organization. The empire became wound so tight around him that upon his death, the empire collapsed immediately.

Directly beneath him were the Kritor High Commanders. These nine men were entrusted with individual military decisions and were given large independence within Kragator’s large scheme such that they could do anything he didn’t tell them not to do. These generals were hand-picked by Kragator over the course of his tenure as ruler.

Well beneath the High Commanders were the standard commanders who answered entirely to the High Commanders. Beneath those were the regulars. Neither the lower commanders nor the regulars could do anything without the approval of Emperor Kragator or the High Commanders; however, they hold authority over slaves non-Kritors within occupied zones as they have been selected personally by the top ten.

Known Members

 * Emperor Kragator
 * Kritor High Commanders
 * General Tobduk
 * General Fortag
 * General Botar
 * General Hazat
 * General Hydraxon
 * General Krax
 * General Karian
 * General Trinuma
 * General Lorgon
 * Axonn
 * Brutaka

Trivia

 * The term "Kritor" comes from "Kritekk Mator" or ancient Matoran for "Destiny's Masters".
 * The history section is mostly derived from the Kragator page with some aspects drawn from the Makuta League (often verbatim) up until the Aftermath portion. Due to the length of the history section, readers are encouraged to visit the other pages for the same information, as those often have extra tidbits.