Nocturnus Clan



The Nocturnus Tribe (ノクターン一族), also known as the Nocturnus Clan, the Marauders (マローダー), the Fourth Great Civilization, and the Dark Brotherhood, are a long-lost group of echidnas who appear as the villains in Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood. Their leader is Imperator Pir'Oth Ix.

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 automatons 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, 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 and Chaos Emeralds, 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 descendant of their ancient enemies, the Knuckles Clan) and set up a temporary base in the remains of the Metropolis Zone (Doctor Eggman's former base, then deserted) along with other hideouts used by Doctor Eggman and also reactivated old technology that were created by Eggman. They used the Chaos Emeralds to bring Angel Island to them, so that they could steal the Master Emerald without interference from G.U.N. When Sonic, Knuckles, and their allies traveled to 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 even if both sides had to experience losses. 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 stopped 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 armor and glowing sigils, their leech-blade attacks can sap friendly characters' health to replenish their own.

Nocturne Soldiers

 * Nocturne Scout
 * Nocturne Vet Scout
 * Nocturne Velite
 * Nocturne Hastatus
 * Nocturne Princeps
 * Nocturne Triarius
 * Nocturne Equites
 * Nocturne Praetorian
 * Nocturne Decurion
 * Nocturne High Praetorian
 * Nocturne Procurator

Design Influences


Although the Nocturnus Tribe have not appeared explicitly in any other Sonic media beyond the Chronicles game, they appear heavily reminiscent 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 series: the sorcerer Ixis Naugus.

Shade the Echidna is also reminiscent of another Archie comic character, Julie-Su. She is a former Dark Legionnaire who turned traitor to the Legion when she fell in love with Knuckles. Likewise, dialogue does seem to hint Shade has an interest in Knuckles. She also turned traitor against her former group for a new group of friends.

The soldier classifications in the Nocturnus army are taken from Imperial Roman army ranks; triarius, hastatus, equite, and prateorian to name a few.

Trivia

 * The Nocturnus tribe could be based off of the Archie Comics' Dark Legion, since both are a race of echidnas with high-tech weapons and both have a female traitor who could have a relationship with Knuckles (Shade).