How Permanent Are The Powers of The Mask of Life?

[Dorkpool]

Basically, if one who is not chosen by the mask touches it, how long do the powers received from it last? With the Barakki, it was temporary. With the Great Being...not quite.

[Shadowhawk]

'Curse level' could vary greatly, I imagine, based on how permanent and powerful the Ignika itself wishes the effect to be. The mask is sentient, after all, which introduces an awful lot of variables.

[The 1st Shadow]

Well, most seem temporary, while others, like Click's ability to turn into a shield, seem permanent.

 

[Quisoves Potoo]

I imagine that in the case of temporary curses (e.g. Metus) the Ignika charges the cursed being with a certain amount of life energy upon which the transformation is dependent, like freezing memory metal. Once the energy is expended, the curse ends. For permanent curses (e.g. the imprisoned Great Being or the Toa Mahri) the Ignika outright changes the being's physical or mental makeup.

Edited May 26, 2014 by Quisoves Pugnat

[fishers64]

I think it depends on what the Ignika itself decides.

[Pomegranate]

Wasn't Hydraxon II a result of the Ignika's curse? That seemed permanent enough to me. Like those above have said, it seems to vary and is probably entirely up to the Ignika.

[ALVIS]

What I know is that the GB's curse was only permanent because the Ignika was newly "born" and didn't fully understand its powers. IIRC, it thought it was being generous by sharing its tremendous power, though obviously the GB felt differently. Future curses were temporary and only lasted while the mask was being held by the cursed.

 

Dekar-Hydraxon, as well as Gadunka, the Protodax, and the 300-foot-long Venom Eel, were permanently transformed. (Until they were otherwise transformed, in the case of Gadunka.) But they weren't transformed by the Ignika's curse -- they were transformed to serve as its guardians. Half of these folks never even touched the mask, they were simply transformed because the Ignika needed/wanted a new guardian and they were nearby. So, different effect, different duration, essentially.

[Sumiki]

As permanent as Greg saw convenient.

[Master Inika]

In general, the "curses" (which occur because the mask is trying to give people the power of Life but doesn't realize its hurting people) only last as long as the person is holding the mask. The Great Being's was permanent because the mask was even less aware of how powerful it was. As Yaldabaoth said, the mask would also turn people nearby into guardians. These permanent transformations were not curses. As for Metus, his lasted the way it did (not permanent but still in effect when he stopped touching the mask) because Mata Nui was willing to Ignika to do it.

[TERIDAX941]

Actually the curses was what the masks did to anyone not destined to touch it (so anyone besides Matoro, and that other Toa who used it would get cursed) sometimes it was a good thing (Mantax- life aborption, Vezon- temporary mask guardian, fused to a spider, and granted powers) or a very very bad thing (Dekar- unable to kill, Pridak- madness, Kyrehx- any plant she walked by came to life and tried to eat her) for the one cursed.

[bonesiii]

Dekar-Hydraxon, as well as Gadunka, the Protodax, and the 300-foot-long Venom Eel, were permanently transformed. (Until they were otherwise transformed, in the case of Gadunka.) But they weren't transformed by the Ignika's curse -- they were transformed to serve as its guardians. Half of these folks never even touched the mask

Those things aren't mutually exclusive. Vezon touched the mask and was cursed to be a guardian. Dekar definitely touched it. And I was under the impression that so did Gadunka and the protodites that became the Protodax, although it's my memory so yeah lol. Venom Eel I think is the only thing on that list where the Ignika clearly initiates the transformation without it having touched it. So you could argue in that case that it might not be a curse... although I expect it probably had to deal with greater hunger than before.

 

Hydekaraxon's actual transformation wasn't as an instant result of touching it, though, so yeah. But the Ignika is allowed to take a while to decide what to do with people who aren't destined and touch it, and it has the ability to change its mind. Had the Matoran named Dekar not picked it up, the Ignika would likely never have chosen him as the one to transform, so it's related.