Zakaz

"Home. True, I've never been to Zakaz... I'm not even really one of the native species... in fact, they'll probably kill me on sight... or worse, tie me upside down over a spiked dagger plant... but at least I'll die at home."
— Vezon, Federation of Fear

Zakaz
Island
Status	Dismantled
Inhabitants	Skakdi (formerly)
Population	None
Assigned Makuta	Makuta Spiriah (formerly) Makuta Krika
Position	South of Karzahni and off the coast of the Northern Continent
Pronunciation	ZAY-kazz

Zakaz was an island in the Matoran Universe home to the warlike Skakdi species.

History

Zakaz was built by the Great Beings during the construction of the Matoran Universe. During the reign of the League of Six Kingdoms, the island was ruled by Barraki Ehlek.

Zakaz was a peaceful island, until an allegedly renegade Makuta, Spiriah, appeared on the island. He saw potential in the Skakdi to make great warriors. Spiriah started to train the species in how to fight and defend themselves, as well as conduct experiments on them that gave them unnatural powers. Spiriah eventually left the island leaving a few Visorak in his stead to watch over the Skakdi.

Industrial towers on Zakaz

When Spiriah returned to Zakaz, all the Visorak had been killed and half of the island's inhabitants were waging war against the other. As a result, Spiriah was cast out of the Brotherhood and went into hiding. Krika was ordered to take over the island in his stead, and he put into place a ban on all ship travel to and from the island, one of the few things the Order of Mata Nui agreed with the Brotherhood on. The ban was not quite respected; Xia repeatedly did deals with Skakdi after the ban was set, such as when the warlord Nektann ordered the robots that were eventually named after him to be used in war. In a more recent occurrence, a ship from Xia arrived on the island at around the time of the Toa Inika's quest for the Kanohi Ignika, dropping off a cargo of what was assumed to be weapons. It appeared that a group of Skakdi on the island had successfully made a deal with the Vortixx, and a shift in power on the island was anticipated. Dark Hunter ships were also sighted around the island, awaiting the return of the treacherous Piraka.

During the Order's mission to rescue Makuta Miserix, Spiriah mutinied against Brutaka and sailed to Zakaz with a Zyglak fleet in order to exact his revenge on the Skakdi. The Zyglak viciously destroyed the Dark Hunter ships stationed around the island. However, the fleet was defeated when members of Ehlek's species in the employ of the Order attacked and sank the fleet. Brutaka attacked and subdued Spiriah, foiling his attempt at vengeance.

Axonn and Brutaka later arrived on the island, hoping to forge an alliance with Nektann, which they attempted to do by going directly to his fortress. Instead, the inhabitants amassed an army to confront the two warriors, cornering them on a beach. After Brutaka felled a building on part of the army, the pair gave themselves up. Then the duo were brought to the warlord and convinced him to ally with them in the war between the Brotherhood of Makuta and the Order of Mata Nui. Afterwards, the rest of the warlords were approached and convinced to side with the Order. Under the direction of Axonn and Brutaka, the assembled Skakdi of Zakaz traveled to an unnamed island in one of the southern chains to confront a Rahkshi fighting force.

After Nektann defected to Teridax, the surviving Toa Mahri were ordered by the Order of Mata Nui to discover the motives of the other warlords and to find the mutated Piraka who went missing after the destruction of the Daxia Fortress. After breaking into a stronghold on Zakaz, they found a secret underground cavern where the Skakdi had acquired a tank of Energized Protodermis. The natives then threw three prisoners - a Zyglak, a Vortixx, and a worker class Steltian - and the five remaining Piraka into the pool. Zaktan, in the form of a greenish cloud, also entered the substance. Moments later, the Golden Being emerged from the Energized Protodermis.

Rahkshi were sent to Zakaz in order to pacify the Skakdi. Afterwards, Nektann organized his Skakdi to follow the Rahkshi in their departure for the Southern Islands. Following the Battle of Bara Magna, the residents of Zakaz joined the mass migration onto Spherus Magna. Later, Zakaz, along with all other locations in the Matoran Universe, was dismantled.

Landscape

An urban region of Zakaz before the civil war

Prior to Makuta Spiriah's experiments, Zakaz was a land lush with much flora and water. After the civil war took its toll, Zakaz became a barren island with sparse vegetation, including spiked dagger plants. Fortresses were built everywhere but were usually destroyed shortly after, leaving behind large amounts of rubble. In the center of the island was a great lake. This was the only location on the island which the Skakdi would not fight over, as it was the only source of water available; it was declared a no-fighting zone.

Non-mobile Nektann defense towers were placed at strategic points all over the island to shoot down any Airships that approached the island; this reinforced the Brotherhood's no-travel orders forbidding any approach to Zakaz.

Skakdi Fortresses

A dilapidated Skakdi fortress on Zakaz

Several fortresses were established by various Skakdi warlords. Most, if not all, were in ruins and left unstable by the constant attacks on them. The fortresses had no dungeons, or anything to confine prisoners, mostly because keeping a Skakdi as a prisoner was a futile effort. The Skakdi kept their Tahtorak mounts in pens near the fortresses.

Nektann situated his fortress near the Zakaz coastline.

Former Inhabitants

Sapient Species

• The Skakdi
• Ehlek's species (beneath the sea)

Rahi

• Tahtorak
• Spine Slugs
• Stone Rats
• Muaka
• Necrofinch, a type of bird that sings even after it is deceased
• Kinloka were sent by Skakdi to set off any booby traps that may lay ahead of them. This method is called "stalking kinloka".
• A hostile species of fish

Trivia

• At the time of the Destiny War, there were approximately half a dozen Skakdi warlords.

Appearances

Books	Online
Legends BIONICLE Legends 6: City of the Lost (M) (NM) BIONICLE Legends 11: The Final Battle (M) Super Chapter Books BIONICLE: Journey's End Guides BIONICLE: Dark Hunters (FA) (NM) BIONICLE: World BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated BIONICLE: Makuta's Guide to the Universe	Story Serials Federation of Fear Destiny War Reign of Shadows