Tren Krom (Being)

"You think me an alien... an 'other'... but I am of the substance of this universe, and I walked here long before you or even Mata Nui himself. Have you not heard the tales?"

- Tren Krom to Brutaka

Tren Krom was an entity created by the Great Beings long before Mata Nui ever existed. He initially watched over the universe from inside Karda Nui, but was later exiled in order to prevent him from causing trouble for Mata Nui.

Origin and Early History
Long ago, before the Great Spirit Mata Nui existed, the Great Beings created an entity that was totally organic: Tren Krom. It was his job to keep the universe in order until Mata Nui was ready to take over. He did this, but was then exiled to a small island and fused to the rock of a cave so that he could not leave.

Some time later, Makuta Mutran was sent to meet with Tren Krom to ascertain his motives and goals. Mutran was almost turned insane at the sight of the organic being, but Tren Krom then linked his mind with that of Mutran. Tren Krom gained knowledge of how best to strike at Mata Nui, but for some reason, Tren Krom seemed intrigued by Mutran's mind, and so released him.

Federation of Fear
Later, Brutaka's team landed on Tren Krom's island. Vezon was the first to detect him, and Lariska heard a wet, breathing sound, and something slithering. Tren Krom then caused impenetrable walls of stone to spring up, and attacked Brutaka with a tentacle, dragging him into his cave. Carapar tried to attack Tren Krom from the side and surprise him, but the entity killed him with an eyebeam. When Brutaka and Spiriah told him of the danger to the universe (and him) from the Brotherhood of Makuta, he told them of his creation and past life. They tried to persuade him to help them in their cause, but he refused, as he was disappointed in them and their kind for bringing only anarchy to the universe that he had once watched over. He eventually released them, saying that no condemnation of his was worse that what they already faced: life in a broken world that they had created.

Reign of Shadows
After Teridax's takeover, Lewa was teleported to Tren Krom's island by Artakha to persuade Tren Krom to fight with the resistance against Teridax. Tren Krom stated that there was a way to free him from his prison so that he could help, but at a great cost to the Toa of Air. Lewa replied that he was willing to risk anything, and Tren Krom transferred his spirit into the Toa's body, and placed Lewa's into his. Tren Krom later left the cave, and Artakha teleported him to the Archives, because Tren Krom had his powers still, not Lewa's. There he met Macku, Hafu, Kapura, and Tuyet. Only Tuyet realized that Lewa Nuva wasn't himself, and Tren Krom had to talk like Lewa to convince the Matoran. Later they slipped out of the Archives and met the Toa Hagah Pouks and Bomonga, and Tren Krom used his power to make them and their teammates realize what was happening in Metru Nui. Tren Krom tells them they are going to the Coliseum, to send as message to Mata Nui. Hafu askes him how he would get a message to Matu Nui, and askes what Mata Nui could do to help them. Tren Krom smiled, and tells the Matoran that they would be suprised. The party then met up with Toa Helryx. Tren Krom then freed Miserix from the illusion that he was in. After sending a message to Mata Nui, he sided with Brutaka and Tuyet and did not want to destroy the Matoran Universe. Both sides attempted to kill the other to carry out their own plans until Artakha arrived. Artakha then restored Lewa Nuva and Tren Krom back to their respective bodies.

Physical Characteristics
Tren Krom was described as having an appearance so horrible that Brutaka had to struggle to maintain his sanity. He was completely organic, and apparently was mainly a scarlet, gelatinous mass, with tentacles for arms. "In the interests of writing a complete record, I should include every detail of my time there. In the interests of the sanity of anyone reading this, I will not. [...] I remember only a scarlet mass, a face that was not a face, tentacles lined with tiny, sharpened hooks, eyes that were little more than holes in a gelatinous skull, and that voice [...] made Makuta Teridax sound lilting and sweet."

- Mutran, The Mutran Chronicles

Powers
The full extent of Tren Krom's powers are unknown, however it has been implied that he was immensely powerful, almost as powerful as Mata Nui himself. He had demonstrated the ability to link his mind with those of others, gaining their knowledge and giving them access to his, and even switching minds entirely. In order to keep Brutaka's team from leaving, he erected impenetrable walls of stone around his island. He could also fire beams of energy from his eyes that shattered the object they were aimed at. He also has been shown to have extraordinary mental powers far exceeding Teridax, as demonstrated when he cured the Toa Hagah of Teridax's illusion effortlessly, while inside Toa Lewa's body.

Trivia

 * Turaga Vakama named the Tren Krom Break of Ta-Wahi after him.
 * Greg Farshtey has stated that he conceived Krom as a nod to the works of HP Lovecraft whose work seems to have had something of an influence on Bionicle. Like many Lovecraftian entities, Krom is gelatinous, possesses tentacles and is so hideous the sight of him causes insanity.
 * Tren Krom's ability to cause insanity if a being looks at him is somewhat like the Greek myth Medusa.