Gaarnax

Gaarnax is a Forgren warrior and a veteran member of the Order of Mata Nui.

Early Life
A member of Forgern race native to Mevock, Gaarnax was quickly drawn into the war between his people and their neighbors, the Zeverek. Fighting on the front lines for several years, Gaarnax eventually became a prominent battlefield commander and an inspirational figure amongst his forces. During the centuries long conflict, Gaarnax led some of their race's most successful campaigns against the Zeverek, as well as mastermind some of their most valued strategic advances.

However, the Zeverek eventually proved too overwhelming, and after the occupation of Mevock by the Xevthian Empire, and his race were slowly forced back and pushed to the brink of total extinction. With no choice left, the remainder of Gaarnax's people conceded defeat and surrendered control of Mevock over to the Zeverek. Disgruntled and outraged at the Zeverek's victory, Gaarnax left Mevock and became a wanderer, drifting around the universe and journeying across different lands for many decades.

At one point, Gaarnax managed to defeated a pair of Dark Hunters who were threatening a small Matoran village on the Northern Continent. Unwilling to see this happen, Gaarnax defeated the operatives and saved the village before heading on his way. Not long after, Gaarnax was approached by a Mersion named Mersery, who offered him membership into a secretive organization called the Order of Mata Nui. Wishing to have a purpose in life, Gaarnax accepted. Following his joining, Gaarnax would become a very close friend of Mersery's.

Order of Mata Nui
Not long after joining the Order, Gaarnax received a power enhancement that granted him the ability that granted him a limited hypnotic ability. From there on, Gaarnax became a highly prominent field agent, partaking in some of the Order's most dangerous missions. Frequently, he was tasked with gathering information on potential enemies from behind their lines, resulting in him became a specialized stealth operative. On several missions, Gaarnax was tasked with collecting information on certain Makuta and their assigned regions; one such Makuta being Dredzek, the Makuta of Versuva.

Eventually, Gaarnax became a one of the Order's most senior operatives, and frequently provided their Gatherer of the Fallen, Botar, with information on targets he had been assigned to recover and imprison in the Pit. Gaarnax was also assigned to monitoring the land of Karzahni and ensure its tyrannical ruler did not become over-ambitious or interested in expanding his domain.

Shortly before the Great Cataclysm, the ailing Great Spirit Mata Nui set the stars above Metru Nui to falsely present prophecies concerning the identities of the future Toa Metru. To support this deception, Gaarnax was tasked by the Order to plant evidence that supported these misleading predictions, such as the Toa disks. This deception successfully fooled Teridax and allowed the correct Matoran to become the destined Toa Metru.

On a mission to Zakaz, Gaarnax was informed by a dying Tahtorak that its kind have had enough of the Skakdi's warring and warlike ways, and were planning to wipe them out. Another of Gaarnax's many duties was to investigate the whereabouts of any Order members who were missing and report their status back to their leader, Toa Helryx.

War with the Brotherhood
When the Order finally decided to reveal itself and declare war on the Brotherhood of Makuta, Gaarnax was tasked by Helryx in overseeing defense efforts made to the Southern Continent after the Order learned that the Makuta had placed an army of Rahkshi in the Southern Islands to stage an invasion upon the continent. Fortunately, this invasion plan was stopped by a large army of Skakdi which had been rallied by the Order. From there, Gaarnax departed and was joined the Order's attack force on the Brotherhood's main base on Destral. After a long and fierce battle, Gaarnax and his allies succeeded in claiming Destral.

Gaarnax was then sent to Nynrah to challenge the Brotherhood's claim to the island in the Order's first wave. Although it was a close and fairly tough battle, reinforcements and the arrival of Helryx and Keetongu ensured that the Order won the battle. Following this victory, Gaarnax traveled to Metru Nui, where he helped defend the island city against the Brotherhood's last-ditch invasion to claim the universe. Eventually, the their enemy's forces were defeated and the Brotherhood itself was destroyed, marking the end of the war.

Teridax's Reign
When Teridax banished Mata Nui into space and assumed dominance of the universe by taking control of the Great Spirit's body, Gaarnax and a small surviving splinter of the Order was forced into hiding. After performing a number of minor hits on Teridax's forces, Gaarnax set his eyes upon a Matoran-inhabited island which served as a critical outpost for the Makuta's Rahkshi forces.

Realizing they would be unable to claim such a heavily-defended outpost alone, Gaarnax reluctantly decided to hire a Zeverek bounty hunter named Skorr, who's additional support would give Gaarnax's allies an edge. After launching an attack on the island, Gaarnax and his forces fought long and hard to beat the Rahkshi back, and the battle ended with a satisfying victory for the Order. Aware that they would not be able to maintain control over the land for long, Gaarnax destroyed the Rahkshi outpost and ensured it's Matoran inhabitants would be better prepared for when Teridax sent his forces to reclaim the island.

When the Great Spirit Robot was rendered defunct following the Battle of Bara Magna, Gaarnax and the surviving denizens of the Matoran Universe migrated to Spherus Magna.

Abilities and Traits
A true warrior, Gaarnax is known for his bravery and strength on the battlefield. Gaarnax is a veteran of many fights, many of which have pitted him against dramatically uneven odds, which has resulted in him becoming extremely level-headed and calm in the face of danger. On the battlefield, Gaarnax confronts his enemies with unflappable aplomb. He is ruthless when he has to be, though heroic in the face of the often suicidal missions and tasks. However, his heavy entrenchment in violence and combat has made him extremely hyperparanoid, meaning it is exceptionally hard to gain his trust. Gaarnax is a tough and hardy individual, considered by many of his colleagues to be the ultimate survivor of battle.

As a Forgern, Gaarnax is naturally tough and durable, being able to take a huge amount of damage and still keep going. He is also noted for his incredible strength, though he lacks agility and is fairly sluggish. A natural ability his kind possess is a limited (yet powerful) fragmentation power, which allows him to shatter objects upon contact. He also possesses a finite degree of hypnosis, thanks to a power enhancement given to him by the Order upon his recruitment. As is mandatory with all Order members, Gaarnax has his mind shielded against all forms of mind reading and telepathy.

Mask and Tools
Gaarnax wears a battle-scarred Kanohi Hau, the Great Mask of Shielding. He originally wore a different Kanohi mask, though upon joining the Order, chose to replace it for the Hau as a sign of his allegiance to Mata Nui.

Gaarnax's primary weapon is the Shatter Staff, a unique weapon forged from Protosteel. The tool's blade serves as a drill or chainsaw, which has enough strength to pierce through most substances. The staff is also equipped with an energy launcher that can channel Gaarnax's fragmentation ability into focused bolts. He also uses a sharp wrist blade in situations where he lacks his staff in close combat.

Trivia

 * used two characters as the primary sources of inspiration for Gaarnax's character. One was the grizzled Auror Mad-Eye Moody from the Harry Potter book series. The other was Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart from the science-fiction television series Doctor Who.
 * Gaarnax was created out of desire to introduce a character who was an old friend of Mersery's.