View source for Kualus (Fractures Alternate Universe)

{{Writer|BobTheDoctor27}}
{{Character|
color=grey|
image=[[File:M1 Fractures Kualus profile.JPG|250px|center]]|
header=Toa Hagah|
group=&nbsp;• [[Toa Hagah]] <small>(Formerly)</small><br>&nbsp;• [[Toa Metru (Fractures Alternate Universe)|Toa Metru]]|
element=Ice|
mask=Great [[Mask of Rahi Control]]|
tools=&nbsp;• Sub-Zero Spear<br>&nbsp;• Rhotuku Launching Shield|
status=Alive|
location=[[Fractures Universe]]: The Coliseum|
pron=CU-AYE-LUS}}

{{Quote|Regardless the size of the audience, always make an entrance.|Toa Kualus, ''[[Judgement Day]]''.}}
<br />
'''Kualus''' was a [[Ko-Matoran]] inhabitant of the [[Fractures Universe]] who became a [[Toa Hagah]] of Ice. Currently, his loyalties lie with the [[Toa Metru (Fractures Alternate Universe)|Toa Metru]].

==History==
===Early life===
Similarly to most other Toa of Ice, Kualus began his life as a Ko-Matoran on Spherus Magna, where he aided in the construction of the Matoran Universe. In this early stage of his life, Kualus developed a keen admiration of History, an unusual trait for a Ko-Matoran, and followed some of the earlier works of the Ko-Metru scholar known as Ihu. Surprisingly for a Ko-Matoran, Kualus also adopted a more sociable and open attitude as opposed to the typical coldness expected of his kind, though he still felt a strong impulse to approach his tasks alone.

Upon the completion of the Matoran Universe, Kualus settled on the Tren Krom Peninsula, where he became an Attenant, a prestigious profession which involved prompting the local Turaga with the management of the village and the supervision of public events.

Kualus remained in this position for the remainder of his Matoran life, settling into a secure and stable line of work. On one occasion, however, he embarked on an evening stroll and happened upon the body of the village's Su-Matoran Trapper, an individual by the name of [[Thode (Fractures Alternate Universe)|Thode]], half buried in the wild vegetation that surrounded their village. Upon close inspection, Kualus remarked that the Su-Matoran had been dealt a near-critical head injury and left for dead by an unknown assailant. Heroically, the Ko-Matoran struggled to carry the stranger back to their settlement, where he received medical treatment that saved his life. As a consequence of this incident, Thode received severe brain damage and underwent a process of intense change. In his struggle to survive, a primal, more ruthless side of his character manifested in his subconscious mind, causing him to awake two days later as a hardened, immoral, embittered Matoran.

While Thode recovered from his wounds, Kualus reported details of the attack to the local Toa Team, who launched a fruitless investigation into the Steltian hunter's activities.

===Life as a Toa===
At some point around the Great Disruption, Kualus was transformed into a Toa. Though details of his home island and actions in this period remain largely unclear, it is also known that Toa [[Thode (Fractures Alternate Universe)|Thode]], [[Tayluu (Fractures Alternate Universe)|Tayluu]], and [[Gorta (Fractures Alternate Universe)|Gorta]] were members of this Toa Team, which was based itself around his original settlement and replaced a previous generation of Toa guardians, who was deemed ineffective and dismissed from duty by [[Makuta]] [[Gorast]].

====Corruption of Gorta====
Around 40,000 years ago, the team was informed of a disturbance in the Southern Island Chains. Unwilling to leave their region unprotected, two of Kualus' teammates - a novice Toa of Water named Gorta and an unknown Toa of Sonics - were sent to investigate the situation. However, they soon discovered that the island had been overrun by Visorak and were swiftly ambushed by a patrol. Gorta was captured and mutated while her partner was killed on the spot.

Although she survived the transformation into a Toa Hordika, Gorta turned sour and blamed her fellow Toa for her mutation, convincing herself that they had betrayed her. Enraged, she returned to the Tren Krom Peninsula and began to terrorize her former team mates.

Fortunately, by this point, Kualus had been approached by the Brotherhood of Makuta, who had offered him a position a high-ranking member of Makuta Chirox's Elite Toa Hagah Team. After tension over the leadership of his team with a Toa of Iron, Kualus eagerly accepted the offer and left the Tren Krom Peninsula to lend his sword in greater battles. The Toa of Ice was endowed with metallic armor to indicate his status as an Elite Toa. Additionally, he was presented with a new Mask of Rahi Control, which was sculpted to mimic a Noble Mask of Psychometry and served as a badge of honor.

For the proceeding few centuries, Toa Kualus served as the deputy leader of Makuta Chirox's Toa Hagah Team. However, when the group's leader was executed for plotting the assassination of his Makuta charge with a Nynrah Ghost, Kualus rose to take his position, usurping his predecessor. However, the Toa of Ice was disturbed by the grotesque manner of punishment that the Makuta chose for [[Nordix (Fractures Alternate Universe)|the Nynrah Ghost]], causing him to doubt the good intentions of the Makuta species.

===Brotherhood Invasion===
Due to the absence of Makuta Teridax in the [[Fractures Universe]], the Brotherhood of Makuta's inevitable quest for universal domination became a less-coordinated, wild bid for power. Without Teridax's strategic mind or knowledge of the Matoran Universe's inner mechanics, the Makuta launched an open rebellion. Sensing the uprising but unable to intervene due to the inner turmoil that the Brotherhood's actions had caused, Mata Nui became intent upon returning to Spherus Magna. When the Great Spirit Robot did return to the devastated remains of Spherus Magna, however, Mata Nui's operating system developed a fault. Owing to the universal spread of the Brotherhood's invasion, the inhabitants of the Matoran Universe were unable to fulfill their duties. Thus, Mata Nui fell into a state of disrepair. 

Recognizing the extent of this fault, the Order of Mata Nui emerged from secrecy and established a unified counter-rebellion to combat the Brotherhood of Makuta. By this point, the Toa Hagah became increasingly aware of ill-advised actions on the part of the Makuta. Inciting a rebellion, Kualus made contact with a Toa Hagah team led by a Toa of Fire named Norik. The revolt of the Toa Hagah proved to be a striking blow against the Makuta, causing some of their valuable military information to be leaked to the Order of Mata Nui.

For the next 300 years, Kualus joined a rag-tag team of the surviving Toa Hagah and attempted to evade capture from Brotherhood spies on Karzahni, Xia and Stelt. However, when the Toa Hagah became involved in the chaos of the Toa/Dark Hunter War taking place on Metru Nui, which allowed them both an opportunity to blend in with other Toa, but also a chance to redeem themselves for having spent much of their lives fighting on the wrong side. During this conflict, Kualus was known to have allied with Norik and Pouks to fight a battle in Ga-Metru.

Additionally, Kualus was known to have formed a Toa Kaita in order to transport two injured, less-experienced Toa from a Dark Hunter prison.

When the Brotherhood of Makuta rose to a position of absolute power and the War was settled by both an alliance between the Toa and the Dark Hunters, the Toa Hagah played an instrumental role in combating the Brotherhood, who were a common enemy of the two warring factions. Consequently the Order of Mata Nui emerged from secrecy and began conscripting Toa to serve as soldiers in the upcoming conflict. Kualus volunteered for this duty with the remaining Toa Hagah teams and became an influential battle strategist.

For the majority of the war, Kualus took up the position of a Field Commander on Xia to prevent the Makuta gaining control of such a strategic industrial region. Although the Vortixx were generally ill-receiving of the Order of Mata Nui's movement of troops onto their island, Kualus and the other Toa Hagah worked hard to form partnerships with the locals. During this period, he was also known to have made his first contact with [[Racasix]], a female Vortixx operating under the Xian Secret Service, and earned her trust.

However, the Order of Mata-Nui's forces were eventually overwhelmed and the island was ravaged. Kualus was met with the full-strength of the Brotherhood's forces and acquired a back injury while fighting his way to safety.

As he did not regroup with his team on Stelt on account of his wound, the other Toa Hagah assumed him dead.

[[File:M1 Fractures Kualus profile 04.JPG|thumb|left|300px]]

====[[Toa Metru (Fractures Alternate Universe)|Toa Metru]]====
Given the severity of his injury, Kualus became unfit for duty and was forced to retire from the conflict before its conclusion. Disheartening, he traveled to Metru Nui in order to lend his services on the home front of the conflict. As he was idle at this point, the Order of Mata Nui stationed him on the island as one of its primary guardians while they deployed both own their forces and Metru Nui's law enforcement - the Vahki - to the Southern Island Chains. Kualus agreed and formed a strong friendship with both Toa [[Lhikan (Fractures Alternate Universe)|Lhikan]] and Toa [[Matoro (Fractures Alternate Universe)|Matoro]].

Being the most experienced Toa on the island, Kualus took up the responsibility of training the local Toa and supervised them in the task of responding to civil disturbances amongst the Matoran population. However, when refugees from the other islands in the Matoran Universe adopted residence in Metru Nui, the local Toa Team became ill-equipped to combat the increasing crime rates. Even with Matoro's decision to become a Turaga and the subsequent introduction of the island's first [[Toa Metru (Fractures Alternate Universe)|Toa Metru]] - which Kualus and Lhikan shared leadership of - the Toa remained shorthanded.

Strangely, it was during this period that the former Toa Hagah became popularized by the local media as the new face of the island's law enforcement. As Kualus' rise to leadership of the Toa Metru coincided with Matoro's first political term as the leader of Metru Nui, he became something of a role model for Matoran to hold as their ideal. As such, he endorsed Matoro's campaigns and facilitated in an age of peace in Metru Nui, showing that the direction of goodly, morally-right leaders would bring the island out of its recent dark times.

Towards the end of the War, Kualus worked hard to string together any remaining Toa in the Matoran Universe in order to protect the citizens of Metru Nui. On numerous occasions he appealed to his fellow Toa Hagah to retire from the theater of war so as not to risk the loss of their valuable knowledge of the Brotherhood's forces. Additionally, he tried to contact Toa [[Tourik]] - a Toa of Plantlife residing on Artahka - and Toa Thode, who had become a freelancing assassin by this point. Neither Toa was interested in joining Kualus' group. Fortunately, Toa Kopeke, Toa Dalu and Toa Zaria responded to his summons and served as honorary members of the team.

With both Zaria and Lhikan deferring to Kualus' superior experience, the Toa of Ice remained the most able Toa on the island and was given the position as the unofficial leader of the Toa Metru. However, as individual members were gradually picked off and the rostrum was whittled down to just two of its original members, Kualus began to lose interest.

On the day that the war ended, when a Brotherhood naval attack penetrated the gates of Metru Nui, Kualus witnessed the arrival of Toa Jollun, a figure whom he had only heard in myths of the ancient Southern Matoran Universe. The Toa of Light battled his way through the invading army to the Coliseum, then requested permission to speak with Turaga Matoro. After subduing the invaders, Kualus returned to the Coliseum and witnessed Jollun's proposal to plug himself into the Core Processor of Metru Nui. After a brief vote with the Turaga High Council, it was decided that the Toa of Light's plan should be carried out. Kualus witnessed Jollun venture beneath the Coliseum, accompanied by Toa Kopeke, Toa Dalu, Toa Zaria and Solek, the Chronicler, and was one of the last individuals to see them before their supposed heroic deaths.

Later on that same day, the Matoran Universe was reprogrammed and set into lockdown mode, preventing the Brotherhood of Makuta from returning and leaving them stranded on the surface of Bara Magna. Kualus witnessed Turaga Matoro making a speech over the Telescreens of Metru Nui, proclaiming that the War was over.

====Post-War Work====
One day later, however, in a cruel twist of fate, Jollun's Core Universe counterpart arrived in the Fractures Universe, along with a number of other dimensionally-displaced companions, including Toa [[Tollubo]]. After saving the lives of Toa [[Vhisola (Fractures Alternate Universe)|Vhisola]] and Toa [[Orkahm (Fractures Alternate Universe)|Orkahm]], the group was brought to the Coliseum, where Kualus and Lhikan greeted them.

The following day, a group of Brotherhood of Makuta servants called the [[Cult of Darkness]] launched an offensive on the island's government, devising a plan to draw Kualus and Lhikan away from the Coliseum only to launch an attack on the building. Responding to the call of a distressed Ta-Matoran citizen in Ga-Metru, however, the Toa walked directly into a trap laid by a former Dark Hunter named "[[Terminator]]", who proceeded to fire his Cordak Blasters at a building behind the two Toa and the Matoran. Acting on instinct, Lhikan ran to protect the Matoran from the falling rubble only to be buried in it himself.

After successfully trapping the Toa and Matoran of Fire, "Terminator" began to taunt Kualus before revealing that he had purposely used Harma to draw the two Toa out of the Coliseum. After toying with the Toa of Ice, "Terminator" aimed one of his Cordak Blasters at the Toa's head and pulled the trigger. However, the Toa managed to raise his Rhotuka Lunching Shield to block the missile, damaging the Rhotuku Launching function. The two warriors then engaged in a heated battle, in which Kualus used his Mask of Rahi Control to summon a winged Rahi to his aid. "Terminator" was, however, able to kill the creature brutally with his mace.

Yet, whilst the ex-Dark Hunter and the Toa of Ice were distracted by their skirmish, a Vortixx named [[Racasix (Fractures Alternate Universe)|Racasix]] managed to dig the Lhikan and Harma out of the debris. When the two fighters learnt of Racasix’s presence, however, she shot "Terminator" with her Pulse Cannon and helped Kualus to return Lhikan to consciousness. Fortunately for "Terminator", a Cult of Darkness member named [[Bioka]] had been watching the battle and managed to drag him off to safety while the assassin was inert, where they would later regroup with the Cult back in their Ga-Metru base.

==Abilities and Traits==
Being a Ko-Matoran, Kualus would have possessed a minuscule amount of control over the element of Ice. As such, he was able to endure severely cold temperatures.
[[File:Fractures Kualus 01.JPG|thumb|300px|right]]
As a Toa of Ice, Kualus could create, control, and absorb Ice. This also gave him the ability to manipulate temperature, trigger avalanches, flash-freeze a target, and produce frozen constructs. Furthermore, Kualus possessed a natural resistance to colder temperatures.

===Powers and Tools===
Kualus wore a Mask of Rahi Control, which enabled him to summon and control different types of Rahi. In the Fractures Alternate Universe, this Mask of Rahi Control was molded into the shape of a Noble Kaukau in honor of a past hero.

As a Toa Hagah, Kualus wielded a Sub-Zero spear, which both channeled his Elemental Powers and had Elemental Ice powers of its own. In addition, he carried a Rhotuku Launching Shield, which had the capacity to launch Confusion Rhotuku capable of temporarily scrambling a target's sense of time and place. When charged, this Rhotuku could also cause a target to lose all sense of balance and become uncoordinated.

==Forms==
{|class="prettytable" style="width:auto%;font-size:0.906em;"
!Picture
!Form
|-
|[[Image:BTD27_Matoran_Kualus.JPG|100px]]
|Kualus as a Matoran.
|-
|[[File:M1 Fractures Kualus profile.JPG|100px]]
|Toa Kualus clad in his Elite Toa Hagah armor.
|}

==Trivia==
*The reason [[User:BobTheDoctor27|BobTheDoctor27]] had "Terminator" damage the Rhotuka Launcher feature on Kualus' shield was solely so he would not have to think of a Rhotuku power, which may prove to contradict any future canonizations regarding the Toa Hagah. The reason he eventually gave Kualus' Rhotuku a power was because it had become obvious that LEGO clearly were not going to give Kualus a canon Rhotuku power.
*As Teridax never existed in the Fractures Universe, Kualus was put into the Toa Hagah team that guarded Makuta Chirox. As such, he never worked with Norik, Gaaki, Iruini, Bomonga or Pouks until the Final Push.

==Appearances==
*''Tragedy of Knowledge'' <small> - First Appearance</small>
*''[[Whispers in the Dark]]''
*''[[Over Your Shoulder]]''
*''[[Frozen Calling]]''
*''[[Zero Hour]]'' <small>- Hinted</small>
*''[[Judgment Day]]'' <small>- To Be Written</small>

{{Fractures Toa Nav}}
[[Category:User:BobTheDoctor27]]
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