Nocturnus Tribe
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The Nocturnus Tribe, also known as the Marauders before their true identity is revealed, are a long-lost group of echidnas who appear as the major villains in Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood. Their leader is Imperator Pir'Oth Ix.
[edit] Story
Four thousand years before Sonic's time, the Nocturnus Clan fought a protracted war against their fellow echidnas, the Knuckles Clan, for supremacy in the ancient world. More technologically-orientated than Knuckles' ancestors, the Nocturnus prosecuted this conflict with professional armies and prototype Gizoids - ancient automata with a penchant for mimicry, of which Sonic Battle's Emerl was the most advanced to be created.
The war only ended when the Knuckles Clan was laid waste, not by the Nocturnus, but by Perfect Chaos after Chief Pachacamac assaulted the Master Emerald shrine - events recounted during Tikal's flashbacks in Sonic Adventure. With their rivals wiped from the face of the earth, the Nocturnus Clan "nearly colonised the whole world" (as attested by Shade in Chapter 6). However, their ascendancy was abruptly curtailed by the mysterious Argus Event, which saw the Nocturnus civilization (along with their capital city, the Nocturne) uprooted and imprisoned in the Twilight Cage.
When faced with the multitude of cosmic horrors cohabiting the prison dimension, the Nocturnus Clan was forced to change rapidly, from a clockwork-and-waterwheels tribal system to a sinister technophilic imperium. Through strategic alliances (or failing that, direct subjugation), Imperator Ix was able to dominate the other races of the Twilight Cage, and hatched a plan to return to Sonic's world with the power of the Master Emerald, leading to the events of Sonic Chronicles.
A few years after arriving in the Twilight Cage (according to Nestor the Wise), they finally succeeded in sending a few warriors (led by Procurator Shade) back to Sonic's world by means of phase-shifting technology, only to find that several thousand years had passed there while they had been gone. They successfully stole the Chaos Emeralds from Knuckles the Echidna (last descendent of their ancient enemies, the Knuckles Clan) and set up a temporary base in the Metropolis Zone (Doctor Eggman's former base, then deserted). They used the Chaos Emeralds to bring Angel Island to them, so that they could steal the Master Emerald. When Sonic, Knuckles, and their allies travelled to the Angel Island to stop them, Shade discovered that Imperator Ix intended not merely to return their people to their original world, but actually subjugate the world under Nocturnus rule. Learning this, she switched allegiance and joined Sonic's team. Together, they journeyed into the Twilight Cage, uniting Ix's vassal states (the Kron, the Zoah, the N'rrgal, and the Voxai - all of whom resented Ix's rule) and launching an attack on the Nocturne, they stole back the Master Emerald and destroyed the remains of the Nocturnus Tribe. Shade managed to escape the Twilight Cage back to Sonic's world, but what happened to the other members of the tribe is unknown.
The troops of the Nocturnus army are Sonic's principal enemies during the second part of Sonic Chronicles. Clad in matte black armour and glowing sigils, their leech-blade attacks can sap friendly characters' health to replenish their own.
[edit] Design Influences
Although the Nocturnus Tribe have not appeared explicitly in any other Sonic media beyond the Chronicles game, they appear heavily reminiscant of one of the long-standing features from the Archie comics continuity: namely, the Dark Legion. Not just in terms of a similar name: like the Nocturnus "dark brotherhood", the Dark Legion were a faction of technophilic echidnas who fought against Knuckles' ancestors, only to be banished to the Twilight Zone, where time flows more slowly than on Mobius.
The name "Dark Brotherhood" is possibly derived from the Dark Legion and the Brotherhood of Guardians, two groups of echidnas from the Archie series.
Pir'Oth Ix, the leader of the Nocturnus, has also been likened to Doctor Finitevus - a "Technomage" of the Dark Legion. Fans of the older UK Fleetway Sonic the Comic series, however, are quick to point out that Finitevus himself seems inspired by STC's Doctor Zachary. All three of these characters are evil-aligned, white-furred male echidnas, with a penchant for technology and megalomania. Ix's name is also reminiscent of another character from the Archie Comics seres: the sorceror Ixis Naugus.
The soldier classifications in the Nocturnus army are taken from Imperial Roman army ranks; triarius, hastatus, equite, and prateorian to name a few.
[edit] External Links
| Playable characters | Sonic | Tails | Amy | Knuckles | Rouge | Big | Froggy | Cream and Cheese | Eggman | Shadow | Omega | Shade | Super Sonic |
|---|---|
| Other characters | G.U.N. | Commander | Nocturnus Tribe | Ix | Nestor | Space Pirates | Super Ix | Gizoids | Emerl | Scylla | Charyb | Knuckles Tribe | Egg Bot | Egg Robo | Swatbot | Krag | Syrax | Raxos | Haniman | Queen N'rrgal | Thebes | Thelxe | Overmind | Precursors | Chao | Argus | Vector |
| Places | Green Hill Zone | Central City | Blue Ridge Zone | Mystic Ruins | Angel Island | Metropolis | Kron | Nocturne | Twilight Cage | Zoah | N'rrgal | Voxai |
| Other | Dexter | Argus event | Sequel | Archie Prequel |
