Pridak

"Do you know who I am?... Then you'll know what I'll do to you if you disobey."

- Pridak to Nocturn

Pridak was one of the six Barraki, warlords that were the former leaders of the League of the Six Kingdoms. He was banished to and later freed from The Pit.

Early Life
Pridak, and his species, were created 95,000 years ago by Mata Nui, whom at the time created six sapient species in the Matoran Universe. He came under the employment of the Brotherhood of Makuta as aide to Makuta Icarax and given rule over a small territory. As Icarax's aide, he accompanied him and Mutran to the island of Xia to negotiate the export prices they offered to the Matoran. This mission was successful, and Pridak was taken with the island's potential that the two Makuta had to force him off the island. Not long after the mission to Xia, Pridak was chosen as the representative of his species to withhold order in the Matoran Universe, along with five others. 1,000 years later, Pridak, along with Ehlek, Mantax, Kalmah, Takadox, and Carapar, formed a military alliance and joined their armies into the League of Six Kingdoms. The six leaders of the League were now the Barraki- warlords.

Using their armies, they conquered the entire known universe and divided it into six territories for each to rule, although Pridak was known as the unofficial leader of the League. This was revealed at a meeting with the Brotherhood of Makuta, whom the League allied with to be provided with war Rahi. Although the Makuta present at this meeting did not accept this strategy, Pridak intimidated them as the chosen rulers of Mata Nui. Pridak then took control of the northwestern region of the universe, this included Xia. With Xia under his control, he reformed the island as a weapon manufacturer.

By 80,000 years ago, the League had sought the control of the island of Metru Nui and the overthrow of Mata Nui. During the final preparations for this attack, the League was ambushed by the joined efforts of a Brotherhood of Makuta army of Rahi, Rahkshi, and Exo-Toa under the command of Makuta Teridax, and the Toa. The Barraki, including Pridak, were captured, and brought before Teridax who ordered their execution by Exo-Toa. Before this could occur, however, the Order member Botar appeared and teleported the Barraki into The Pit. There, they were imprisoned by Hydraxon until 1,001 years ago, when the Great Cataclysm occurred. The Pit was shattered, allowing the criminals contained there to escape, and thus be mutated by the Pit Mutagen contained in the waters.

The Pit
Until the present, Pridak and the other Barraki were forced to be confined in The Pit, mutated into water-breathers that could never set foot on land again. He organized an army of Takea. 300 years ago, a region of the island above them, named Mahri Nui, broke off and crushed the Barraki Fortress, a structure similar to the one they previously had on land. Pridak allowed the inhabitants of the city- Matoran- to survive, seeing nothing to gain from them, although he and his Barraki did torment the Matoran with their armies.

They stayed there for quite some time, until news of a Mask of Life came. The Barraki agreed to do everything they could to get that mask, because if they did, they could become air breathers again. Pridak immediately went to action, and destroyed Defilak's sub, with Defilak, Sarda, Gar and Idris inside it,though they were not dead. He brought them to a cave to ask them about the Mask of Life, and what they knew about it. When Sarda refused to answer, Pridak showed his harshness by dragging him out of his water bubble and throwing him to his waiting army of Takea(the Matoran did not die from this, however). He then asked Defilak to show him. Gar and Idris swam away to Mahri Nui. However, Defilak delayed, and Pridak was getting angry, when a 300-foot Venom Eel came. Pridak knew that this beast was created from the Mask of Life, and followed its direction. He found Mantax, another Barraki, who told him where it came from, a cave, and that Kalmah, another Barraki, was knocked out from the force of it. They both left to see The Mask of Life. When they got there, Brutaka, as well as the other Barraki, were all there. When Pridak attempted to take Brutaka on, he was defeated. He later woke up and agreed with the others that Brutaka was a phony, and had him taken away by a Giant Squid. Then, all six of them went to confront Dekar, the Matoran with the mask. Pridak took it from him, and was cursed-he now was incredibly overreactional and prone to anger from the least bit of a nuisance. Takadox calmed this down with some hypnotizing powers.

He, along with all the other Barraki went to "greet" the Toa Mahri once they found out that the six Toa were coming from the Stone Cord. The Barraki captured the Toa Mahri and put them into confined cells, while attending a meeting about who should take the Mask of Life. They eventually came to an agreement-Nocturn, Ehlek's lieutenant, should take the mask because he was too stupid to do anything with it. However, Pridak soon found out that the Toa Mahri had escaped, and he commanded the Barraki to split up into groups and destroy them. He teamed up with Takadox, and they found Matoro with Maxilos (actually Teridax). They commanded their armies to attack his army of reanimated dead creatures, and there was a tremendous battle. Pridak's army was starting to win, when Ehlek's army advanced on Pridak's. Pridak, currently unaware that the whole thing was caused by a trick from Hewkii, attacked Ehlek's army, and there was total chaos. The Barraki eventually realized that they had been tricked by the Toa Mahri, and they started to gather up to attack them, when a meeting was called for from Mantax. Pridak attended the meeting, just like all the Barraki, and realized that Mantax had both the Mask of Life and the Betrayal Contract. Mantax had started to give a list of demands when an avalanche fell, causing chaos. Pridak battled the Toa Mahri but the six Toa escaped. However, the Barraki began to gather up their armies to destroy the Toa Mahri when Maxilos interfered, revealing that he was Teridax. Pridak was the most angry, stating that Teridax had ruined their lives enough, without interfering again. However, "Maxilos" simply stated that he was not interfering, and knocked out all six Barraki. However, Maxilos/Makuta had failed to realize one thing-the Barraki's armies were still at large. They had destroyed Maxilos and left Teridax's fate unknown by the time Pridak and the others woke up, and Pridak commanded an all-out charge to destroy the Toa Mahri once and for all. They arrived, and began viciously attacking the Toa Mahri, until the Mask of Life teleported them away.

Release
Pridak and the other Barraki then tried to avoid capture. He lasted longer than the others but was captured. Pridak was offered the chance to fight the Brotherhood of Makuta in the Order of Mata Nui's army. Pridak accepted the offer for all of the Barraki, seeing an opportunity to rebuild the League of Six Kingdoms. He was given the resouces needed to rebuild his army on land and immediately attacked a brotherhood base. While searching through the rubble, he finds records of The Plan destroyed but he starts to piece them together.

Personality
Pridak was the official leader of the Barraki and previously was the unofficial leader of the League. He was a fiery leader and would not hesitate to reward disobedience or insolence with pain. He once blinded Kalmah in one eye and bit off one of Nocturn's arms in a separate engagement. Pridak was a leader who ruled with his emotions, able to hold a grudge against someone indefinitely. His mutations were possibly the worst punishment he could recieve, before his transformation he took great pride in his own appearance and believed creatures that carried monstrous faces such as the one he would later bear did not deserve to live.

He, like the other Barraki, despised Teridax, and would not hesitate to defy him to his face, he was also almost as complex a thinker as The Makuta. His hate for Makuta was especially intense, as he alone once worked as little more then a slave of the Brotherhood of Makuta. Although hot-headed, he was very practical, since he saw no gain from killing the Matoran of Mahri Nui, he chooses not to, but if he could get something out of it, he would gladly destroy the entire city and sleep peacefully that night.

Pridak was cursed by the Kanohi Ignika when he tried to touch it. He was stuck forever in a murderous rage. This was later cured by Takadox's hypnosis power.

Powers & Tools
Pridak was physically the most powerful and one of the fastest Barraki.

Pridak also possessed all of the enhanced senses of a real shark, such as enhanced eyesight; hearing; and smell. He could also detect electrical fields.

Pridak's weapons included Shark Tooth Blades, along with powerful jaws lined with Protosteel teeth sharp enough to rip through Makuta armor. He also wielded a Squid Launcher.

Set Information

 * The amount of pieces in the set is 47.
 * The set number is 8921.

Trivia

 * Although many think that Pridak's red coloring was the "blood" of his victims, Greg Farshtey has confirmed that it was really part of his natural coloring after being mutated.
 * What is ironic is that when Pridak was in the League of Six Kingdoms, he stated that mutated beings have no right on this earth, and have every right to be destroyed.
 * His name is likely based on the word "pride".