Tribe of Darkness
TheTribe of Darkness was a group of powerful beings who broke off from the rest of theTribe of Ancients around 2,000 years before the events ofSuper Paper Mario. The tribe was known for being secretive and keeping to themselves, so not much is known about them, but it is rumored they lived in acastle deep in a forest. They forbade marriage outside the tribe out of pride and for fear of diluting their powers. They were also accused of stealing theDark Prognosticus from the Ancients, with some suspecting they intended to use the book to enhance their dark magic; however other stories explain that they did it to prevent the book's power from being misused. Because of the accusations, mentioning them became forbidden.
Nolrem is a descendant of the tribe, andCount Bleck is the last surviving member of the tribe itself, having destroyed the rest of the tribe afterhis father seemingly killedthe girl he had fallen in love with. In addition, it is hinted thatNastasia was originally a bat that transformed into a member of the same species as Bleck, whom she had fallen for, which may make her a member of the Tribe of Darkness as well.[1]
History[edit]
Before breaking off, the members of the Tribe of Darkness were a group within the Tribe of Ancients who possessed more magic power, so they were valued as an important resource to the rest of the Ancients. The reason behind their power's importance has since been lost to time.[2] They avoided mixing with other people out of pride. In particular, marriages outside their group were forbidden out of fear it would dilute their magic.[3][4]
3,000 years before the events ofSuper Paper Mario, an Ancient magician used knowledge gleaned from the Dark Prognosticus to create "thinking tools" known asPixls to expand his people's physical abilities. This allowed the Ancients to build a vast civilization.[5][6][7] However, a thousand years after the Pixls were created, a huge Pixl calling herself the Pixl Queen appeared and used her powers of mind control to turn the rest of the Pixls against the Ancients, leading them to be overthrown and enslaved. Amidst the devastation, the inheritors of the 12 original Pixls defeated the army of Pixls and freed the enslaved Ancients, but only one fighter survived to confront the Pixl Queen. Thanks to the sacrifice of his Pixl, she was defeated.[8] The last freedom fighter was confronted with the fact that the Pixl Queen was actually the first Pixl ever created, and that the magician had made her using knowledge from the Dark Prognosticus. In order to prevent the Dark Prognosticus from being misused like that again, and potentially causing more tragedies, he took the book from her and went into hiding.[9] Due to the last freedom fighter being the one to steal the Dark Prognosticus, they are thought by some to be the founder of the Tribe of Darkness.
The newly founded Tribe of Darkness disappeared from the Tribe of Ancients and went to live in secret castle deep in forest, far from any outside contact. Despite their altruistic origins, their secretive nature soon earned them mistrust, with some accusing them of stealing the Dark Prognosticus to use it to enhance their dark magic, rather than hide it. Mentioning them became forbidden.[10]
In their solitude, they still kept their insular customs and attitudes, especially toward humans. However, this line of thought eventually led to their downfall. Shortly before the events ofSuper Paper Mario, Lord Blumiere, a member of the Tribe of Darkness, fell in love with a human named Timpani, and they intended to run away together in hopes of finding a place their love would be accepted. Blumiere's father learned of his son's forbidden love, so he banished Timpani from their world and cursed her to wander through dimensions forever. When Blumiere heard from his father what he had done, he went on a long search after her through the dimensions, which is when he met Nastasia.[1] Unable to find her anywhere, he returned home and took the Dark Prognosticus. Despite his father's pleas, he opened it and awaited its command. Blumiere took on the name Count Bleck and destroyed world the Tribe of Darkness resided in and those who lived there, leading into the events ofSuper Paper Mario.
Names in other languages[edit]
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | ヤミの一族[?] Yami no Ichizoku | Tribe of Darkness | |
| French | Tribu des Ténèbres[?] | Tribe of Darkness | |
| German | Dunklen Klan[?] | Darkness Clan | |
| Italian | Tribù dell'Oscurità[?] | Tribe of Darkness | |
| Korean | 어둠의 일족[?] Eodum-ui Iljok | Tribe of Darkness | |
| Spanish | Tribu Lóbrega[?] | Murky Tribe |
References[edit]
- ^abCarson's "Of Bats and Men" reads: "Once upon a time, a man went to look for the girl he loved, who was missing. As he passed through a forest, he found a bat stuck in a trap. He set the bat free. It promptly thanked him and disappeared. As he lay down to camp that night, he heard a voice and looked about. [...] There stood before him a woman he had never seen. The bat had transformed into the species of the one she had fallen for." It is strongly implied that Bleck was the man, Timpani was his lost love, and the bat was Nastasia.
- ^Carson's "More Tribe of Darkness" reads: "They started as a group within the Ancients who had more magic power. [...] Their power was considered an important resource by all of the Ancients. But no one knows why their power was so important now..."
- ^Carson's "Tribe of Darkness" reads: "They avoided mixing with other people out of pride..."
- ^Carson's "More Tribe of Darkness" reads: "Fearing their power would be diluted, they forbade marriage outside the group."
- ^Garson's "Pixls" reads: "Those wily Ancients were smart, but not too strong. They needed muscle. So they made the Pixls for anything physical they couldn't do on their own."
- ^Carson's "Creation of the Pixls" reads: "A powerful magician among the Ancients created [the Pixls] about 3,000 years ago. [...] These Pixls became widely used as 'thinking tools' for the grateful Ancients. Through the work of many Pixls, the Ancients prospered as they never had before."
- ^Carson's "Pixl Uprising's End" reads: "The master magician had made [the first Pixl] after studying the Dark Prognosticus."
- ^Carson's "More Pixl Uprising" reads: "The Ancients were overthrown and enslaved by the Pixl revolt led by the Pixl Queen. In the midst of the ruin appeared the inheritors of the twelve original Pixls. They defeated the waves of Pixl soldiers and freed the enslaved Ancients. [...] They saw their friends fall one after the other in battle, but they persevered. The last survivor managed to make it to the castle of the Pixl Queen. But the Pixl Queen used her powers of illusion to hide. She then unleashed horrific images upon the surviving freedom fighter. One of the Pixls at his side was immune to this, for it could see truth. It helped the survivor fight, and he and his Pixl finally defeated the Pixl Queen. But in the process, the Pixl's game was ended..."
- ^Carson's "Pixl Uprising's End" reads "The vanquisher of the Pixl Queen was confronted with an awful truth. It turned out that the Pixl Queen was actually the very first Pixl ever created. The master magician had made her after studying the Dark Prognosticus. So when the last surviving apprentice took the Dark Prognosticus from the queen... He decided to disappear with the book so that this sort of catastrophe wouldn't repeat."
- ^Carson's "Final Tribe of Darkness" reads: "They did something so bad that mentioning them has become forbidden. I hear they stole the Dark Prognosticus from the Ancients and hid it. [...] Some say they did it to use the book's power to enhance their dark magic... Some say they hid it from others who would use it for evil..."
