Sheriem

Sheriem is one of the four former Archcommanders, the leaders of the Hand of Artakha in the Broken Order Universe.

Hand of Artakha
In the early days of the Matoran Universe, Sheriem was one of four beings created by the Great Beings with the purpose of leading the Hand of Artakha (the others being Helryx, Kragator, and Koram). In the organization’s early days, Hand agents only had to deal with malfunctioning nanotech, reprogramming them and setting them back in order. However, following the actions of a certain Great Being, the nanotech of the Matoran Universe were given sentience. The Hand was unable to deal with the newly sentient beings and when the Archcommanders tried to correct the faults in the organization, they found it was too decentralized to do so.

Seeing this, Kragator and Helryx proposed dismantling the Hand, an action Sheriem and Koram agreed to. Eventually their soldiers were scattered and the organization was but a memory. Sheriem, happy to be out from under the burden of leadership, began making plans to retire.

Meeting on Keetongu Isle
The dissolution of the Hand left Mata Nui without a protector organization, and several months later, Helryx and Kragator called a meeting on Keetongu Isle--a meeting between the four rulers and various other highly ranked beings in the Hand--to reshape the organization.

Sheriem came, regarding the establishment of a successor organization to the Hand as his duty as an Archcommander, but firmly established that he would have no part in it.

From the onset, a clash of ideals prevented a clear course of action from emerging. Helryx viewed the Hand’s bain as being the lack of discipline with its members as well as the visibility of the organization; she felt that any new organization would have to be completely invisible and highly self-disciplined. Kragator, however, viewed the Hand’s downfall as due to the lack of a centralized command structure; he felt that the Hand’s replacement would need a king, an emperor, a ruler who controlled every aspect of the organization.

Sheriem, initially doubtful of Helryx’s idea of an invisible organization, initially supported Kragator’s plan for reestablishment, but as the debate went on, he came to understand Helryx’s vision. When the fighting between Helryx and Kragator grew more and more intense, Sheriem grew to hold a more neutral stance, often having to break up much of the fighting. At one point, he even set forth his own plan, an intended compromise where the Hand’s successor was both invisible and centralized. This plan wasn’t picked up however, for neither Helryx nor Kragator intended to compromise.

When Helryx at last issued the order sending messengers throughout the universe to rally the Hand of Artakha agents to her order of Mata Nui, Kragator and his supporters attacked the base of her and her proponents. Most of Helryx’s supporters were killed and she escaped. When the Hand agents arrived at Helryx’s command, Kragator declared the formation of the Kritor Alliance based on his plan. Sheriem, furious at Kragator’s actions, left the island, acting on his plans for retirement.

Confrontation with Kragator
Sheriem made a home for himself in the southeastern area of the Northern Continent where he lived in peace for several thousand years.

Kragator, however, made the most of his rule over the Kritor Alliance, building a base on Bythrain and developing the organization into a world player. As his power grew, he grew worried that many Kritors still held allegiance to Archcommand as a whole and that the others could act on these loyalties. Koram had been killed by a Makuta on the Southern Continent and Helryx was in hiding, so the only Archcommander who held an active threat to Kragator’s rule was Sheriem.

The two met at Sheriem’s home on the Northern Continent. Kragator spent a few days at Sheriem’s house where the two reminisced and the king tried to explain his actions on Keetongu Island. Sheriem came to forgive him for the attack on Helryx and her followers, but still remained apprehensive.

Toward the end of Kragator’s stay, the king revealed the purpose of his visit. He gave Sheriem a choice; join the Kritor Empire as one of Kragator’s High Commanders… or be doomed for an eternity to the Kritor prison known as the Pit. Sheriem refused to serve Kragator, so Kragator left. Two days later, the Kritor general, Botar arrived to take him to the Pit.

The Archcomin Offering
Over the course of his prison time, Sheriem nursed a hatred for Kragator and the Kritors, swearing that if he ever got out, Kragator would suffer his vengeance. This hatred developed into a hatred of the universe in general for letting him suffer there, due to no fault of his own. Torn between feelings of hurt, resignation, and wrath, Sheriem grew unstable.

Approximately a year after the end of the Kritor/Makuta War, a Wyrak called Jokrah visited his cell. He informed the cold prisoner of the Kritor/Makuta conflict, the siege of Destral, and the death of Kragator and the Kritor Empire at Helryx’s hands. He then informed Sheriem of the existence of an organization he belonged to, worshipers of the Archcommanders, who saw the four rulers of the Hand as superhuman figures on par with the Great Beings. He told Sheriem that the organization would do anything Sheriem demanded of it.

Sheriem, taken with the thought of avenging himself on the universe, accepted.

Abilities and Traits
Like Kragator, Sheriem is only capable of accessing the powers of Kanohi. Additionally, Sheriem is also ten feet tall and shares a similar build to the Kritor king; however Kragator and Sheriem are not of the same species. Rather, they are both one-off beings.

Prior to his time in the Pit, Sheriem was a strong believer in Kragatorial nobility, of head-to-head combat, and of fighting the enemy on equal terms. Following his exile, Sheriem was far more aggressive, a keeper of secrets, and a guerilla warlord. This change was deliberate; Sheriem viewed Kragator’s “nobility” as what landed him in the Pit in the first place.

Trivia

 * Sheriem represents a sort of combination of Kragator and Helryx (and arguably Miserix).


 * Sheriem’s present-day bent on conquest is partially based on Kragator’s successes; when Jokrah told Sheriem of the Kritor king’s empire, the latter felt a need to surpass Kragator, his old peer.

Appearances

 * Of Visitations and Revisitations
 * The Wake