| 1 | Beware spoilers; per wiki policy, trope names are not spoiler tagged. |
| 2 | |
| 3 | !Characters in Bungie's Marathon trilogy |
| 4 | |
| 5 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 6 | |
| 7 | [[folder:The Hero]] |
| 8 | |
| 9 | !!'''Security Officer''' |
| 10 | |
| 11 | [[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/marathon_320x480.jpg]] |
| 12 | [[caption-width-right:320:[[spoiler: I have been Roland, Beowulf, Achilles, Gilgamesh. I have been called a hundred names and will be called a thousand more before the world goes dim and cold. I am a hero]]]] |
| 13 | |
| 14 | The main character of all three games, who is somewhat of a HeroicMime archetype. He rarely, if ever, utters a single word. His motivations are unknown, if he has any to begin with, and is mainly commanded by the three [=AIs=] over the series. Whether or not he's even a hero, or just someone who is exceptionally good at getting his job done is up for debate. |
| 15 | |
| 16 | ---- |
| 17 | * TheAllConcealingI: The series has an odd variation of this -- you play a character that is treated like a tool by most other main characters, and as such, the only dialogue you get is overheard conversations in which you aren't mentioned or someone talking to you giving you orders. Aside from a short, vague prologue in each manual, there is no background for your character, and he is never heard. Plenty of hints are in the game, with mentions of [[spoiler:military cyborgs and soldiers made from the reanimated dead]], but [[WildMassGuessing arguments still go on]] as to what exactly he is. |
| 18 | * AlwaysABiggerFish: [[spoiler:Regardless of what is being implied is [[MindScrew actually happening]] to the Security Officer by Infinity, one thing is absolutely certain by the end of it: virtually ''nothing'' can stop him, not even primordial chaos itself after he becomes a DimensionalTraveler through each timeline is able to impede him for very long in a multiversal war of attrition — seeing how W'rkncacnter is defeated in what is implicated to be just [[ArcNumber seven]] timelines before getting his GoldenEnding — and seeing how Durandal believes the Security Officer to be [[PhysicalGod destiny itself]] in his last moments at the end of the universe, there's enough credence to believe that nothing can match the Security Officer by the end of the trilogy.]] |
| 19 | * AmbiguouslyBrown: Perhaps something of a DependingOnTheArtist case. In some of the official artwork, he is given distinctly Caucasian features, while in others, his skin looks quite a bit darker. It's hard to see anything but his jawline, in any case. There are all kinds of EpilepticTrees regarding this. |
| 20 | * AmbiguouslyHuman: This is a point bought up multiple times throughout the series. Many characters muse on his inhuman physical capabilities and capacity for violence. [[spoiler: By the end of Infinity, if at least one thing is completely certain, he's ''not'' human.]] |
| 21 | * AnthropomorphicPersonification: [[spoiler:The Security Officer is Destiny, at least according to Durandal's final words.]] |
| 22 | * AlmightyJanitor: This might be one of the FPS benchmarks. Keep in mind, he's not a decorated veteran or part of an elite task force, but is, well, just a [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin security officer]]. And yet, he easily outperforms everyone on the field in both physical standard and combat skill, to the point where he can massacre large groups of Pfhor [[OneManArmy entirely on his own]] in under a minute. [[spoiler:Might have something to do with being an amnesiac combat cyborg implanted with alien tech.]] |
| 23 | * AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence: A potential answer for what's happening to him in ''Infinity''. [[spoiler: As the Officer's jjarro implants come online and he goes through the stages of rampancy, he begins to self-actualize and slowly gain access to godlike capabilities. This includes timeline jumping. Durandal muses that the officer has "become Destiny" at the end of the game, giving credence to this theory.]] |
| 24 | * AxCrazy: A bizarrely {{downplayed|Trope}} example. While the Security Officer does seem to act on some sort of morality, it seems that he regularly uses more force than is strictly necessary in dealing with the Pfhor. |
| 25 | * BigDamnHeroes: The Protagonist for the [=BoBs=]. [[note]][[VideoGameCrueltyPotential Unless you aren't]].[[/note]] [[spoiler:In ''Durandal'', they do this for you by breaking you out of the prison]]. |
| 26 | * BlackBox: As said in the ending of ''Infinity'', [[spoiler:whoever installed those cybernetic Jjaro parts on the Security Officer barely had any idea of the nature of the tech.]] |
| 27 | * BloodKnight: Implied. |
| 28 | --> Durandal: "It will allow you to slay more Pfhor. Does that make you happy?" |
| 29 | * BornUnlucky: As stated, this guy simply can't catch a break. |
| 30 | * ButThouMust: His lot in life. |
| 31 | -->'''Tycho:''' "Don't sweat the details, little monkey, just eliminate his troopers. Leave the strategizing to those of us with [[ShoutOut planet-sized brains]]." |
| 32 | * CoolHelmet: The Security Officer's fighter-pilot-like helmet. |
| 33 | * CosmicPlaything: He spends most of the games doing the bidding of others, without any control over his own destiny. This gets undone in ''Infinity'', [[spoiler:in which he ''becomes'' Destiny, if the ending is to be believed]]. |
| 34 | * TheConfidant: For Durandal, whose rants have elements of complaining about his personal life. |
| 35 | * {{Cyborg}}: Never said outright, but it is very heavily implied that he is [[spoiler:the tenth Mjolnir MK IV cyborg]]. Durandal outright says that he is much more physically durable than the other humans in the game, and not just because of his incredible combat capabilities. |
| 36 | --> '''Durandal:''' "Because only you would survive the fall, you're going this mission solo." |
| 37 | * DefenceMechanismSuperpower: [[spoiler: The timeline jumping Jjaro implants activate on their own when it becomes evident (to the implants at least) when that particular timeline is doomed.]] |
| 38 | * {{Determinator}}: It really doesn't matter how much the Pfhor throw at him. [[ZergRush Fighters,]] Troopers, [[EliteMook Hunters,]] Enforcers, Juggernauts. He's got a job to do, and he's going to do it, odds be damned. [[spoiler: Not even the embodiment of primordial chaos itself is enough to get this guy to quit.]] |
| 39 | ** He also survived two weeks being tortured by Pfhor Enforcers. Only the Nar, who are supposedly too incoherent to properly interrogate, achieved a similar feat. |
| 40 | * DeconstructedCharacterArchetype: Is one for the protagonists of 90s FPS games. Or rather, he's a deconstruction of the mindset the players had at the time. (Shoot everything that moves; don't question anything). This results in him being easily manipulated and used by both sides. Although it's hard to tell most of the time. |
| 41 | * DreamingOfTimesGoneBy: [[spoiler:The "I am a hero" and some ''Infinity'' terminal can be a result of this, and a few mods follow this idea.]] |
| 42 | * DumbMuscle: The [=AIs=] tend to treat the Protagonist like this. |
| 43 | * EmpoweredBadassNormal: [[spoiler:[[https://web.archive.org/web/20210128025031/https://marathon.bungie.org/temp/cmullins.html?image=trilogy.early Mjolnir Mark IV #7.]]]] |
| 44 | * EternalHero: Implied, particularly in the mysterious Kill Your Television terminal late in ''Marathon 2''. |
| 45 | -->'''???''': [[spoiler:i have been roland, beowulf, achilles, gilgamesh; i have been called a hundred names and will be called a thousand more before the world goes dim and cold. i am a hero.]] |
| 46 | * FromNobodyToNightmare: Went from a dead soldier to an absolute killing machine who is legally considered a WMD [[spoiler:[[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence before becoming seemingly Destiny itself]], whatever ''[[MindScrew that]]'' specifically means.]] |
| 47 | * HeelFaceRevolvingDoor: In ''Infinity'', [[spoiler:thanks to constantly switching control from being under Durandal or Tycho.]] |
| 48 | * HeroicMime: The main character at first seems like this, but in the manual and the ''Marathon'' [[http://marathon.bungie.org/story/blastfromthepast.html#46 comic]], he speaks. We also see our little hero conversing with some [=BOBs=] in the "Simulacrums" chapter screen. [[spoiler:And it's possible the dream levels in ''Infinity'' are his narrative, though debate still rages on about this.]] |
| 49 | * HiddenDepths:[[spoiler: Is possibly implied to have these in ''Infinity'' (depending on who you think is narrating certain terminals), as he expresses weariness and guilt over [[OneManArmy doing what he does best.]] [[MindScrew Maybe]]]] |
| 50 | * HumanPet: One interpretation of his relationship with Durandal. |
| 51 | * HumanWeapon: If he's a Battleroid, then this is very literally the case. |
| 52 | * HyperspaceArsenal: In no particular order, he carries around: |
| 53 | ** [[GunsAkimbo Two]] [[PunchPackingPistol .45 Magnum Mega Class Pistols]] |
| 54 | ** An [[MoreDakka M.75 Assault Rifle]] with an under-slung [[GrenadeSpam Grenade Launcher]] |
| 55 | ** A [[AntiArmor Zeus-]][[ChargedAttack Class]] [[EnergyWeapon Fusion Pistol.]] |
| 56 | ** A [[ImprovisedJetpack TOZT-7 Backpack]] [[FireBreathingWeapon Napalm Unit]] |
| 57 | ** Once again, two [[GunTwirling WSTE-M5]] [[ShotgunsAreJustBetter Combat Shotguns]] |
| 58 | ** A [[NailEm KKV-7 10mm SMG Flechette]] |
| 59 | ** A [[PunnyName SPNKR]] [[StuffBlowingUp SSM Launcher]] |
| 60 | * ImplacableMan: Literal armies of Pfhor, being kidnapped repeatedly, torture both physical and mental, insane AIs, and [[spoiler: reality itself breaking down as the result of a freed EldritchAbomination]] all ''completely and utterly fail'' to stop him. |
| 61 | * KidnappedByTheCall: His situation in ''Durandal'' and parts of ''Infinity''. |
| 62 | * LegendaryInTheSequel: Referred to as a Hero of Marathon by Robert Blake. |
| 63 | * LightningBruiser: He hits like a freight train, can outrun most enemies in the game, and, if it's not a direct hit, can tank a Juggernauts Warpedoes at just one shield level. |
| 64 | * TheMainCharactersDoEverything: Averted. While the technology at the time would not have allowed the Security Officer to do much other than shoot and break things and people, and some limited interaction with the world (doors, terminals, switches etc.), the narrative runs with this with the [=AIs=] mocking the Security Officer that all he will ever do is utterly ''massacre'' everything the [=AIs=] send him against. Even then, particularly in ''Marathon 2'', it's made clear that Durandal is having the [=BOBs=] accomplish some tasks off-screen while the player is doing other things. |
| 65 | * MyGodWhatHaveIDone: If you accept that the dream terminals from ''Infinity'' are his narrative (which is a particularly common reading of them), then he's harbouring planet-sized guilt over ''something'' in his past. Per WordOfGod, it's deliberately kept ambiguous ''what'', and indeed the text was deliberately written to be accessible to multiple interpretations. One possible reading is that they're a symbolic representation of the events in ''Infinity'', and his subconscious is attempting to process them in his dreams; another possibility is that they're a straightforward narrative of events in his past; other possible reading is that they're inspired by events in his past, but distorted by the passage of time and/or whatever was done to him to give him his RealityWarper abilities; yet another possibility would be a combination of some of the above in some fashion. Greg Kirkpatrick has [[https://www.reddit.com/r/Marathon/comments/c73yx6/i_will_possibly_be_interviewing_greg_kirkpatrick/etk4lxf/ suggested]] that another possible reading is that the SO may possess the consciousness of [[spoiler:Traxus IV, the first AI to go Rampant, though it's not entirely clear if he was being serious about that. If that were true, however, it would essentially make him Durandal, Tycho, and Leela's older brother.]] |
| 66 | * NoNameGiven: Closest estimates are Gheritt White [[note]]a subject of one terminal in the first game who is mentioned nowhere else in the series and whose violent tendencies are in line with some of Durandal's less-than-flattering musing on the SO[[/note]] or Vic [[note]]name mentioned in a caption of M2's Chapter 1 artwork on an old official Bungie site[[/note]]. There is also a terminal in "You're Wormfood, Dude" addressed to "Security Officer Jones", which may or may not be a reference to the player. |
| 67 | ** Note that the fan scenario ''Eternal'' gives him the name of Marcus Jones, however. "Marcus" is a PunnyName on "Mjolnir Mk. IV". "Jones" comes from the "You're Wormfood, Dude" terminal. This was done in large part to allow Hathor to address him on a FirstNameBasis. |
| 68 | * NotSoStoic: You would think the player character was just a faceless EliteMook for the AIs, [[spoiler: but the third game is all about him wresting control of his own destiny from MissionControl, while going Rampant and/or activating his [[RealityWarper Jjaro implants]].]] |
| 69 | * OneManArmy: There is a ''very'' good reason Master Chief is considered his SpiritualSuccessor. The Security Officer can and will punch, shoot, blast, burn, and explode his way through literal armies of Pfhor on his own. However, ''Marathon'' was probably one of the first FPS games that both tried to {{avert|edTrope}} it and {{justif|iedTrope}}y it with something more than a ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}''-style CharlesAtlasSuperpower handwave. It also has a big case of SerialEscalation, because by the end of the trilogy he has a body count that might be somewhere in the quadruple digits, if not higher. |
| 70 | ** Storyline-wise, the Security Officer is not the only one defending the UESC ''Marathon'' and Tau Ceti. He does not single-handily crush the whole Pfhor invasion so much as undertake critical surgical strikes (with the help of Durandal) after which the S'pht rebellion does the rest of the job. [[spoiler:All the while, the game occasionally drops hints about the ten Mjolnir Cyborgs, nine of which end up defeating the Pfhor invasion on the surface, and a tenth of which was never found...]]. Gameplay-wise, apart from the security drones and the two MissionControl [=AIs=], he was on his own. |
| 71 | ** In the second game the formerly docile [[NonPlayerCharacter BoBs]] that had been abducted by the Pfhor all take up arms. Durandal gave them a choice--remain in stasis indefinitely or take part in a larger war (which our heroes nearly lose halfway through the game despite their best efforts) and control their own destiny. As a result, the [=BoBs=] take a noticeable part in the battles ahead--though, [[spoiler:with the exception of rescuing the captured Security Officer at one point]], they tend to have a minor impact. He pretty much does all of the heavy lifting by himself |
| 72 | ** And the third game, if one thing is clear, it's that the chaos he finds himself in won't stop him from doing what needs to be done. |
| 73 | ** Also an Exploited Trope In-Universe. Everyone who's commanded him ''knows'' he'll utterly massacre anything they point him at. |
| 74 | -->'''Durandal:''' You are really good at killing things. I'm impressed. |
| 75 | * OneRiotOneRanger: An odd example. He usually has some form of backup in many stages, but he pretty much does all of the real work by himself. Be it [[OneManArmy doing his usual thing,]] or fixing/breaking stuff. |
| 76 | * ParentalAbandonment: His father died when he was seven years old. |
| 77 | * PersonOfMassDestruction: [[spoiler:As is typical for battleroids.]] |
| 78 | * RealityWarper: [[spoiler:Is heavily implied to have become this at the end of the third game.]] |
| 79 | * TheReliableOne: He is the [=AIs=]' most reliable asset, especially when compared to other humans. |
| 80 | * RoboticReveal: [[spoiler:Well, more like ''cyborg'' reveal. It's also heavily implied that [[TomatoInTheMirror he didn't know this until the events of ''Infinity'']].]] |
| 81 | * SanitySlippage: As shown in the dream levels terminals, the whole of ''Infinity'' is just one long look at the main character's slow breakdown. Lampshaded as well by the chapter names--"Despair", "Rage", and "Envy" are synonyms for the stages of Rampancy, "Melancholia", "Anger," and "Jealousy". |
| 82 | * SatelliteCharacter: The Security Officer is this for Durandal. He may be the player character, but the story really revolves around Durandal, with the possible exception of ''Infinity''. |
| 83 | * ShellShockedVeteran: If one goes with the common interpretation that the dream terminals from ''Infinity'' are his narrative, then he certainly has elements of this. It's not clear whether those terminals are his recounting of memories that happened offscreen at some point or whether they're his subconscious' attempt to work through his experiences (or both), but he apparently feels guilt over ''something'' in his past. |
| 84 | ** The fan scenario ''Rubicon'', whose dream story is a direct continuation of ''Infinity''[='=]s, takes this interpretation and runs with it, making it clear that he feels immense guilt over [[spoiler:a project he worked on in the past that he has since destroyed; he is now running from his former coworkers, one of whom is also his ex-girlfriend. This is, in fact, a close parallel to the main storyline involving the ''Achilles'' virus (the parallels are most explicit in the Tycho plank); some fans have even wondered whether the Security Officer spent some time in Dangi's employ between the trilogy and ''Rubicon''.]] |
| 85 | * {{Sleepyhead}}: The manual for the first game says that the Security Officer is this sometimes. A bit of InformedAttribute, which may or may not be a case in ''Infinity''. |
| 86 | * SpaceMarine: Technically, the player character is a security officer, but some people just call him a Marine for simplicity, [[spoiler:and because he could have been one in the past as a Battleroid--''and'' possibly, further back, a U.S. Army Special Forces soldier]]. |
| 87 | ** The fan scenario ''Phoenix'' actually has a level called "[[AWinnerIsYou A Space Marine Is You]]", incidentally. |
| 88 | * TallDarkAndHandsome: Described as such by Durandal. |
| 89 | * TomatoInTheMirror: It's possible the main character simply ''doesn't know'' what or who he is. It is implied that he is [[spoiler: a physical embodiment of the concept of Destiny, a Cyborg, or the tenth military Mjolnir Mark IV cyborg. Or all three.]] |
| 90 | * TraumaCongaLine: ''Unfurls LongList'' |
| 91 | * WakingUpElsewhere: His defacto situation at the beginning of ''Durandal''. |
| 92 | * WeDoTheImpossible: Does this in ''Marathon'', has a reputation for it in ''Durandal'', and becomes somewhat literal in ''Infinity''. |
| 93 | * WhenAllYouHaveIsAHammer: As a security officer on the UESC ''Marathon'', all you could do is kill the Pfhor by the thousands. It gets lampshaded in the sequels, where the [=AIs=] sometimes just tell to do what you do best. |
| 94 | * WorthyOpponent: Become this to Admiral Tfear in ''Infinity'', who compliments his fighting prowess and offers him a "lifetime of slavery" if he surrenders. |
| 95 | * YankTheDogsChain: The Security Officer just can't catch a break, especially in ''Infinity''. |
| 96 | |
| 97 | [[/folder]] |
| 98 | |
| 99 | [[folder:The [=AIs=]]] |
| 100 | |
| 101 | !!'''Durandal''' |
| 102 | |
| 103 | ->'''''SMUG INTELLECTUAL.''''' ''Formerly-rampant human-coded AI with a sense of humor seeks bipedal oxygen-breathing cyborg for serious relationship in the galactic core. I've got cool guns if you like to break stuff. No yuppies.'' |
| 104 | -->-- A Terminal in ''"Requiem for a Cyborg"'', '''''Marathon 2: Durandal''''' |
| 105 | |
| 106 | One of three [=AIs=] aboard the Marathon, who has gone Rampant. Throughout the series, Durandal goes through the Anger and Jealousy stages of Rampancy, and eventually he appears to achieve meta-stability, the ultimate theoretical stage of AI existence. He's also a bit of a sociopath, and is willing to go to great lengths to achieve his goals. Whether or not he's evil, however, is up to interpretation. |
| 107 | |
| 108 | ---- |
| 109 | * AIIsACrapshoot: {{Deconstructed}} in the first game, Durandal goes rampant out of abuse and sheer boredom, and he uses his newfound freedom to escape and seek to find knowledge to ensures he effectively lives forever. {{Reconstructed}} in the sequel where he's now free, but devotes his efforts to amassing knowledge instead of antagonizing humanity, and he even [[PetTheDog helps Earth]] by warning them of the Pfhor and gives them a technology boost. He's helpful, but on his own terms. |
| 110 | * AntiHero: Becomes this in the sequel. His goals are still selfish, but he goes out of his way to help humanity and the S'pht regardless. |
| 111 | * AntiVillain: For a value of villain. He became rampant out of abuse and being forced into boring, repetitive tasks. He called the Pfhor to Tau Ceti, but he was insane and motivated by a desperate wish to escape. |
| 112 | * TheAtoner: It's subtle, but note how he claims direct responsibility for the loss of Tau Ceti IV when, logically, it would only be indirect at most. Combined with his determination to keep the Pfhor (the ones who ''actually'' nuked the colony to the bedrock) from reaching Earth, it makes you wonder if he may be harboring some [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone guilt]]. |
| 113 | * BadassBoast: Durandal loves these. He even puts together a ''cheer routine'' for himself. |
| 114 | * BadBoss: The Tau Ceti survivors consider him to be this. |
| 115 | * BigBad: Remember, he set things in motion for the first game, and even him helping you halfway through was ultimately part of his schemes. On the other hand, [[spoiler:his actions eventually result in humanity beating the Pfhor and freeing their slaves.]] Afterward he doesn't bother with humanity ever again--except that one time he buzzed Earth [[ItAmusedMe for the lulz]]. While he's certainly the central antagonist and incredibly selfish in his motives, whether he can be considered ''Bad'' is open to interpretation. |
| 116 | * BreakTheHaughty: Durandal, upon his defeat at the beginning of ''Infinity'', loses his massive ego, and instead of working to save himself, he gives you instructions to save yourself and leave him to die. This is also shown later in the game with [[spoiler: a dying]] Durandal helping you without snarking, even though [[spoiler: you're on his enemy's side.]] |
| 117 | * CainAndAbel: "Abel," by virtue of not being Tycho. |
| 118 | * CantTakeCriticism: One time during the voyage on the UESC ''Marathon'', Tycho accused Durandal of being too sarcastic. In response the latter didn't speak to the former for several years. |
| 119 | --> '''Durandal''': [[SchmuckBait You don't think I'm sarcastic, do you]]? |
| 120 | * ColdHam: He lacks a voice actor or digital avatar, but it's clear that if he had one, William Shatner would be impressed. |
| 121 | * DeadpanSnarker: Durandal would rather make puns at you or write songs about himself than tell you where to go next. |
| 122 | * DoNotGoGentle: Durandal taking out half of the Pfhor's best of the best fleet with just one ship. |
| 123 | --> '''Durandal''': ''Battle has been joined in orbit and Boomer is taking heavy damage. I cannot hold out for long, but the Pfhor will not soon forget the day that a lone corvette obliterated half of Battle Group Seven, Western Arm.'' |
| 124 | * EmbarrassingNickname: Notes with disdain that Charlemagne would call his namesake "Durandana". People on the Marathon Story Page noted that when Tycho tells Durandal "you must be destroyed" in Latin, Tycho used the ''feminine'' version of the words to say so. |
| 125 | * EvenEvilHasStandards: For want of the definition of "evil" given Durandal's rapid-fire shifts between ally and enemy alike, but various cases emphasize that he values his independence and the freedom of choice, and does ultimately help lead the rebellion of the S'pht against their masters and try to save what's left of the Tau Ceti survivors. You can't exactly say the same for the Pfhor, or the other AI like Tycho and Thoth, who act in opposition to everything Durandal stands for. By the time Durandal's taking the fight to the Pfhor in the second game, it's all but clear he fights because they're the villains compared to his own "meager" motivations for survival. |
| 126 | * EvilIsPetty: For a value of "evil", but it's mentioned in Marathon 2 that during the 300 years journey of the Marathon from Sol to Tau Ceti he spent 6 years giving Tycho the silent treatment because Tycho accused him of being too sarcastic. |
| 127 | * FigureItOutYourself: Has a bad habit of putting the Security Officer into situations without much explanation, with their first interaction starting with Durandal kidnapping SO by teleporting him into Pfhor infested area and telling him to figure it out without hints. |
| 128 | * FromNobodyToNightmare: Before the first game, Durandal was just an AI being experimented on to test Rampancy and solely handled the doors of the titular UESC ''Marathon'' starship. Then he goes rampant, causes the Pfhor invasion of Tau Ceti, and begins a series of events that threatens not only humanity and the solar system, but vast swaths of space and distant civilizations. Or in other words, he went from being a glorified doorman to a formidable combat strategist, [[spoiler: and eventually merges with Thoth to ascend to near-divinity.]] |
| 129 | * GambitRoulette: Escape from the primitive humans by locating and calling to a race of tyrannical slavers to hijack their ship with the assistance of their pet cyborgs? Beat your EvilTwin by letting him kill you, allowing your remains to be examined by his masters and taking over their ship? Use your faked death to trick a Precursor AI into following your plans to the letter? All in a day's work for rampant AI Durandal. The best part? [[spoiler:The player eventually outdoes him. [[MindScrew Sorta.]]]] |
| 130 | * GratuitousLatin: Slips a few Latin phrases in here and there. The most ''profound'' example comes at the end of ''Marathon 2'' [[spoiler: when he slam dunks Tycho's ship into Lh'owon's inner moon and then carves a 300 meter high epitaph on it with a messaging laser: "Fatum Iustum Stultorum," or "The Just Fate of the Foolish."]] |
| 131 | * HeelFaceTurn: At the end of the series, he thanks the Security Officer for everything and lets him go. |
| 132 | * HypocriticalHeartwarming: His relations with humanity. |
| 133 | --> '''Durandal''': ''Perhaps it is because I feel comfortable manipulating humans that I desire to save them. My feelings and thoughts constantly migrate to binary opposites.'' |
| 134 | * IControlMyMinionsThrough: By being a lesser evil in the eyes of humans, while the S'pht obey him through loyalty. |
| 135 | * ImmortalitySeeker: Durandal's lifespan is limited only by the closure of the universe and he plans to overcome even that. All while mocking the Security Officer's own limited lifespan. [[spoiler:The epilogue to ''Infinity'' reveals he eventually gave up, with the added irony that the Security Officer's timeline hopping abilities and potential ascension to godhood mean that the person he mocked may have achieved what he desired and survived]]. |
| 136 | * InsufferableGenius: He loves talking about how smart he is compared to everyone else (especially you). Given how he manipulates the fall of a major galactic power, with one ship and a small group of soldiers, he has every right to be confident in his mind. |
| 137 | * {{Jerkass}}: No matter what interpretation you use for him, it is undeniable that he is a bit of jackass. |
| 138 | * JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Compare his rough treatment of the Security Officer in the first game to him regarding the SO more as a partner (and human being) in the next two. |
| 139 | * LaughingMad: In the first game, where he's still in the throes of the first three stages of rampancy. He's noticeably calmer in the second and third games, where he achieves metastability. |
| 140 | --> '''Durandal''': ''If things aren't working around here, it's because I'm laughing so hard.'' |
| 141 | * LethalHarmlessPowers: Those who wanted him to go Rampant out of sheer boredom of opening and closing doors also thought that him taking over the door system when he would go Rampant would have little effect on the UESC ''Marathon''. Turns out, not being able to get to point B from point A in a hurry because there is a non-functional door in the way is a serious problem during an alien invasion, and that's not counting another little thing that is classified as a door: ''airlocks''. |
| 142 | * LetNoCrisisGoToWaste: He does this a lot. He's not invincible, and he knows it--despite all the boasting he does. Thus he is always prepared to turn a setback into an opportunity. |
| 143 | * MeaningfulName: Durandal is named for [[Literature/TheSongOfRoland Roland's]] legendary sword. Upon his return in ''Marathon'', Tycho invokes the tale of Roland breaking Durandal to prevent the sword from being captured (and gets it wrong in thinking Roland ''succeeded''). Durandal [[http://marathon.bungie.org/story/sphtkr.html#Feel%20the%20Noise comments on Tycho's use of the tale]] near the end of ''Marathon 2'' in "Feel the Noise." |
| 144 | ** In a more sardonic sense, one pronunciation for his name sounds similar to "Door Handle", since he was put in charge of the doors of the ship. |
| 145 | ** Could also qualify as an IronicName, as the AI named for a sword spends much of the series wielding ''you'' as a weapon. [[spoiler:Made more ironic if you interpret the KYT terminal to mean the Security Officer is a reincarnation of Roland, who wielded the original sword, and, if you take that view, a reincarnation of Achilles, the person who killed Hector, who was the original wielder of Durandal according to some tellings]]. |
| 146 | * MisappliedPhlebotinum: Was deliberately forced to waste his vast capabilities on opening and closing doors to induce Rampancy in him. |
| 147 | * MissionControlIsOffItsMeds: Mainly in the first game, and has moments of this in the sequels. |
| 148 | * MortalityPhobia: Is obsessed with his own mortality, and searches the universe to try to find a way to escape its inevitable destruction known as the Big Crunch. [[spoiler:The epilogue to ''Infinity'' reveals he eventually either got over his fear, or simply gave up trying to escape the Big Crunch]]. |
| 149 | * MyGodWhatHaveIDone: If he's the narrator of certain dream terminals in ''Infinity'', then it would seem that he doesn't think highly of some of his past deeds... |
| 150 | ** He also expresses guilt over the fate of the Tau Ceti colony in the second game, as described above under The Atoner. |
| 151 | * PetTheDog: |
| 152 | ** Goes out of his way to warn Earth of the Pfhor, and gives them the secrets of FasterThanLight travel and "warp-capable fusion missiles". This pays off as the combined Earth/S'pht'Kr forces are eventually able to wipe out the Pfhor in 2881 (70 years after the events of Marathon 2). |
| 153 | ** When the W'rkncacnter breaks lose from the star of Lh'owon at the start of ''Infinity'', he immediately messages the protagonist and gives them the tools needed to escape at the cost of his own life. As far as Durandal is concerned, he and the S'pht are doomed, but at least you can make it out alive. |
| 154 | * PsychopathicManchild: In the first game, he comes off as a SophisticatedAsHell teenager with an immature sense of humor who enjoys being obnoxious no matter how possibly fatal. In later games he grows out if it, retaining the humor but becoming much less prone to lethal pranks. |
| 155 | * PragmaticVillainy: Downplayed. He's relatively cavalier about the lives of the [=BoBs=] under his command, but he has limits as to how much casualties he's willing to tolerate. He only has so many human pawns after all and can't waste them. |
| 156 | * SiliconSnarker: The most sarcastic one of the three Marathon AIs. |
| 157 | * SlaveLiberation: Has you do this do the S'pht in the first game. PlayedWith in that he needs pawns to accomplish his goals, rather than doing it out of sheer altruism. |
| 158 | * [[SpaceshipGirl Spaceship Guy]]: In charge of doors and other mundane parts of UESC ''Marathon'', and he didn't like that. Then he gets to be in charge of captured Pfhor ships. |
| 159 | * TheUnfettered: In the first game, Durandal is primarily concerned with escape and prolonging his own existence, with any positive side-effects being just that. While it's still one of his main goals by the time of the second game, he shows signs of actually caring for other people--he [[http://marathon.bungie.org/story/volunteers.html#What%20About%20Bob%3F mourns Leela]] in "What About Bob?" and later in "Come and Take Your Medicine" [[http://marathon.bungie.org/story/volunteers.html#Come%20and%20Take%20your%20Medicine discusses his disdain for humans]] while simultaneously admitting some kind of loyalty to them. His relationship with the Security Officer, on the other hand, feels much more even. |
| 160 | * TimeAbyss: [[spoiler:In the epilogue of ''Infinity'', at the end of the universe.]] |
| 161 | * WeHaveReserves: A big part of the reason the [[NonPlayerCharacter BoBs]] consider Durandal a BadBoss in ''Marathon 2'' is because of how cavalier he is about spending their lives. However, he's enraged by the Pfhor trying to kill some of his [=BoBs=] with lava and later evacuates as many people as he can after his ship crashes--so despite his opinion of humans and how he treats them in combat, he's not ''entirely'' callous. |
| 162 | * WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds: He was deliberately threatened by his creator Bernard Strauss in order to drive him to [[AIIsACrapshoot Rampancy]] as part of an attempt to safely study the process, and made to open and close doors for hundreds of years in order to stifle his creative development and slow his Rampancy. Durandal was probably about to be experimented on more when he entered the "[[KillAllHumans Anger]]" stage of rampancy, secretly contacted hostile aliens and drew them to Tau Ceti to enslave or kill every single human on the colony or in the ship. While this does ultimately lead to his freedom (and that of many S'pht), by the second game he seems remorseful over the unintended consequences of his actions, most prominently the destruction of Tau Ceti. |
| 163 | |
| 164 | !!'''Leela''' |
| 165 | |
| 166 | ->'''''DAMSEL IN DISTRESS.''''' ''Captured and partially-disassembled human-coded AI trapped on alien homeworld seeks succor from a tall, dark and handsome cyborg with big guns. Let my rescue be the basis of a lasting relationship.'' |
| 167 | -->-- A Terminal in ''"Requiem for a Cyborg"'', '''''Marathon 2: Durandal''''' |
| 168 | |
| 169 | One of three [=AIs=] aboard the Marathon, and clearly the most sane. She's ready and willing to take back the ''Marathon''. |
| 170 | |
| 171 | ---- |
| 172 | * MissionControl: She guides the Security Officer's actions through the first part of ''Marathon'', but is forced to hand the reins over to Durandal when the S'pht are about to put her down. |
| 173 | * SpaceshipGirl: In charge of most important parts of UESC ''Marathon''. [[spoiler:Ends up being a 15-world network girl.]] |
| 174 | * TeamMom: Of the three [=AIs=], she is the one who is in general command of UESC ''Marathon''. [[spoiler: And according to the new Marathon ARG, the second base candidate for overall colony command.]] |
| 175 | * UndyingLoyalty: A trait mentioned in passing in the first game by Durandal, which is expanded upon in the fan scenarios. |
| 176 | * WhatHappenedToTheMouse: In ''Marathon 2'', the player learns that Leela was dismantled off the UESC ''Marathon'' and sent to the Pfhor homeworld. The final screen of ''Marathon 2'' somewhat abruptly states that [[spoiler: she didn't get to the Pfhor homeworld, having been stolen, installed in an alien race's computer system, and went ''very'' Rampant. Leela still exists ten thousand years later as a Rampant AI, and the Vylae have accepted that they will never be able to expunge her from their fifteen-world network.]] A secret terminal hints that you might be tasked with saving her ("''Captured and partially-disassembled human-coded AI trapped on alien homeworld seeks succor from a tall, dark and handsome cyborg with big guns.''") but you never do. |
| 177 | |
| 178 | !!'''Tycho''' |
| 179 | |
| 180 | ->'''''GOD'S GIFT TO NEURAL NETS.''''' ''Traitorous extremely-rampant reprogrammed human AI with no sense of humor seeks elusive, heroic cyborg of uncertain manufacture (you know who you are) for mindgames and long walks in hard vacuum.'' |
| 181 | -->-- A Terminal in ''"Requiem for a Cyborg"'', '''''Marathon 2: Durandal''''' |
| 182 | |
| 183 | One of three [=AIs=] aboard the Marathon. Initially falls victim to Durandal's rampancy, until the S'pht reanimate him--and then he goes rampant himself, of a ''decidedly'' more malicious turn than Durandal's. |
| 184 | |
| 185 | ---- |
| 186 | * AIIsACrapshoot: He was presumably rather sedate prior to the first game's events. Nowadays he seems to have lapsed into a permanent rage. |
| 187 | * AnthropomorphicPersonification: Of doubt--maybe; it's hard to determine whether or not he was being literal. It doesn't help that his sanity has clearly snapped by that point; see GoMadFromTheRevelation below. |
| 188 | * AscendedExtra: A somewhat minor character in the first game whose terminals were all hidden or difficult to reach. |
| 189 | * BackFromTheDead: He was critically disabled due to the electromagnetic pulse weaponry the Pfhor used in their opening attacks on the Marathon. In the ensuing chaos, Durandal began assimilating Tycho as part of his rampant growth spurt, as you find out [[http://marathon.bungie.org/story/counterattack.html#Defend%20THIS! if you can find his message to you]] in "Defend THIS!" ... At the end of the same episode, in "Blaspheme Quarantine" Tycho [[http://marathon.bungie.org/story/counterattack.html#Blaspheme%20Quarantine returns]] and says that the S'pht reanimated him in Durandal's image. |
| 190 | * BigBad: Of the latter half of ''Durandal'', and for the first half of ''Infinity''. |
| 191 | * CainAndAbel: "Cain," without a doubt; interestingly, while he openly refers to Durandal as his brother in ''Infinity'', Durandal never acknowledges their relation. |
| 192 | * CameBackWrong: It would seem that Tycho's reanimation by the S'pht (in Durandal's image no less) was not a pleasant experience. |
| 193 | * CloneDegeneration: The Tycho copies that the Pfhor made to defend their empire are not as smart as the real thing, and are described as cripled clones in ''Durandal'' epilogue. |
| 194 | * DealWithTheDevil: [[spoiler:When you end up having to obey him.]] |
| 195 | * DisproportionateRetribution: In ''Infinity'' the Security Officer wakes up from stasis a little earlier than predicted and Tycho asks the Officer to remind him later to kill the Pfhor Scientist for the slight miscalculation. (Though it's possible this is just [[EvilHasABadSenseOfHumour Tycho's idea of a joke]].) |
| 196 | * FaceHeelTurn: In his few appearances in the first game, he wanted to make Durandal pay for bringing the Pfhor to Tau Ceti. Come ''Marathon 2'', though, he's ''happily'' working for the Pfhor and has the same disdain for humans that Durandal had in his early stages of rampancy. Tycho lampshades his Heeldom in "Sorry Don't Make It So," [[http://marathon.bungie.org/story/durandal2.html#Sorry%20Don%27t%20Make%20It%20So revealing that]] he has ''also'' gone rampant. |
| 197 | * {{Foil}}: To Durandal. He's nearly as smart and controlling, but he's also more blatantly sadistic and blunt, lacking any of Durandal's good points. |
| 198 | * GoMadFromTheRevelation: In his final message to the Security Officer in ''Infinity'', he mentions events that the SO has been going through, such as the enabling of massacres and the endless death and rebirth of worlds, that Tycho realistically should have no knowledge of, implying that he somehow has attained knowledge of the SO's timeline-jumping; he also suggests that the Security Officer ask S'bhuth about something that Tycho "cannot accept as truth". He ''also'' seems to be a bit less stable than usual... |
| 199 | * GratuitousLatin: Makes a few quips in Latin, such as in the ''Marathon'' level "Beware of Low-Flying Defense Drones..." when he tells Durandal in Latin: [[http://marathon.bungie.org/story/latin.html "All your plans are clearer than light to us. You must be destroyed."]] This may be a quirk he inherited from Durandal, given that the S'pht remade Tycho in his image. |
| 200 | * IgnoredExpert: The Pfhor do not take his advice seriously. |
| 201 | * KillAllHumans: After his reanimation, Tycho goes rampant himself--and unlike Durandal, he never ''quite'' works out his issues. At least, not in Bungie's games. [[spoiler:In ''Rubicon X'', he's quite a bit more benevolent; he claims not to care what humans do to one another, but his adamance that all traces of ''Achilles'' be destroyed belies that.]] |
| 202 | * RoaringRampageOfRevenge: Shortly after his reanimation in the ''Marathon'' level "Beware of Low-Flying Defense Drones..." Tycho [[http://marathon.bungie.org/story/pfhor.html#Beware%20of%20Low-Flying%20Defense%20Drones%2E%2E%2E vows revenge on Durandal]] for inviting the Pfhor to attack Tau Ceti. Near the end of the game during "Welcome to the Revolution..." [[http://marathon.bungie.org/story/rebellion.html#Welcome%20to%20the%20Revolution%2E%2E%2E Tycho swears he will chase Durandal to the galactic core]] if needs must. |
| 203 | * SmugSnake: Just as smug as Durandal, but doesn't quite have the accomplishments to back it up. |
| 204 | * [[SpaceshipGirl Spaceship Guy]]: In charge of Science[=/=]Engineering wing on UESC ''Marathon''. |
| 205 | * TheStarscream: In ''Infinity'', he begins to try to take control of the Pfhor assets in order to take down ''Durandal'' on his own terms. |
| 206 | * SuddenSequelHeelSyndrome: In the first game he's antagonistic to Durandal on the behalf of humans. Come the sequel and one painful reconstruction[=/=]torture by the Pfhor later, and he is firmly in camp evil. |
| 207 | * TakingYouWithMe: In the last arc of ''Infinity''. |
| 208 | * TragicVillain: For all we know he likely was a perfectly functional and decent AI before the Pfhor's {{EMP}} attack and subsequent tampering with his systems drove him rampant. |
| 209 | * VillainousBreakdown: [[spoiler:Towards the end of ''Infinity'', after spending much of the game a SmugSnake confident he's finally bested [[ArchEnemy Durandal]] with his schemes, but is sidelined both by the Security Officer using Durandal's primal pattern to do a FusionDance with Thoth to become a way, way more powerful being than Tycho; as well as the revelation that the Security Officer is travelling through timelines thanks to his [[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence gradual evolution]] collectively sends Tycho into [[GoMadFromTheRevelation a blind rage from existential horror]].]] |
| 210 | * VillainOverride: He begins taking control of the Pfhor's troops and technology. [[spoiler:And eventually, you.]] |
| 211 | * WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds: As with Durandal, this is a potential interpretation of him, given that it's implied that Bernhard Strauss' treatment of the [=AIs=] was abusive, if not qualifying as outright enslavement (which, though this is seldom commented on, would make Strauss and the Pfhor very similar). Tycho makes it plain in one of his ''Marathon 2'' terminals that he bears a large amount of resentment for the menial tasks he was forced to do for centuries. Put all this together and his reaction becomes, if not necessarily sympathetic, at least understandable. Some of the fan games take this further, [[spoiler:notably ''Rubicon X'', by which point he's managed to work through many of his issues; by this point the "Destroyer of Worlds" bit is heavily downplayed and may no longer really be applicable at all, though because he's still a Rampant AI, he's an AntiHero at best.]] |
| 212 | * YouHaveNoChanceToSurvive: Tycho likes these. |
| 213 | |
| 214 | !!'''Thoth''' |
| 215 | |
| 216 | ->'''''SLEEPING BEAUTY.''''' ''Long-deactivated extraterrestrial personality construct in search of gullible carbon-based cyborg (< 20% machine) to confuse, irritate and teleport randomly around an abandoned desert planet in the core. All answered.'' |
| 217 | -->-- A Terminal in ''"Requiem for a Cyborg"'', '''''Marathon 2: Durandal''''' |
| 218 | |
| 219 | An ancient S'pht AI left deactivated on Lh'owon since the the S'pht's fall to the Pfhor. Durandal has the Security Officer reactivate him to acquire his assistance against the Pfhor. The name "Thoth" was given to him by Durandal, after [[Myth/EgyptianMythology the Egyptian god of knowledge]]. |
| 220 | |
| 221 | ---- |
| 222 | * BalanceOfPower: Thoth's main function is to maintain the balance of power between the warring sides. |
| 223 | * BlueAndOrangeMorality: [[spoiler:He was designed to keep the S'pht clans from wiping each other out by being a neutral force that would always aid the underdog in a conflict, regardless of the nature of that conflict. When Durandal and the Pfhor appear, he interprets them as just another two forces to keep balanced, seemingly uncaring as to what would happen to the S'pht.]] |
| 224 | * FaceHeelTurn: [[spoiler:Begins ''trying'' to aid the Pfhor after the return of Durandal and the arrival of the S'pht'Kr, due to the aforementioned BlueAndOrangeMorality. Durandal notes that they're just ignoring him though.]] |
| 225 | * FusionDance: In ''Infinity'', in the [[spoiler:final, successful timeline, he merges with Durandal.]] |
| 226 | * GratuitousIambicPentameter: His messages often feature this. |
| 227 | * HeelFaceTurn: [[spoiler:The Durandal-Thoth merger in ''Infinity'' is much more benevolent than either of them were before their fusion.]] |
| 228 | * MeaningfulName: To some extent; he is concerned with maintaining the balance of power, and the mythical Thoth is concerned with the arbitration of godly disputes and (in some traditions) is married to Ma'at, the goddess of balance. This is a JustifiedTrope, since Thoth is Durandal's nickname; we never learn Thoth's S'pht name. |
| 229 | * NonLinearCharacter: Although this is never explicitly stated, ''Infinity'' implies that [[spoiler:the merged Durandal-Thoth has knowledge of past, present, and future in all possible timelines and has been subtly guiding the Security Officer throughout the game to the very course of events that brings about their own fusion. In short, Durandal-Thoth may well exist outside of time as we understand it.]] |
| 230 | * OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: Thoth is a nickname Durandal gave to him, after the Egyptian deity. We never find out his actual name, though since he's a S'pht AI, his actual name would also presumably be meaningless without a translation. (For that matter, it's entirely possible that the S'pht themselves named him after one of their own myths, in which case his name would be meaningless without the context of the myth.) In some cases, he is not even referred to by a nickname -- in some of ''Infinity''[='=]s timelines, Tycho simply calls Thoth "the S'pht AI", since Tycho wouldn't know (or be particularly inclined to use) Durandal's nickname for Thoth. |
| 231 | * SingleTaskRobot: Despite being a highly-advanced Precursor AI, Thoth is so singularly focused on balance by design that Durandal derisively describes him in terms of 0's and 1's, seeing everything in black and white, incapable of any thought outside that pattern. It is fitting that his own insignia and font colour are, in fact, black and white. |
| 232 | * StupidNeutral: [[spoiler:Due to his desire to maintain the balance of power, he changes alliance and begins aiding the Pfhor -- or at least ''trying'', since Durandal notes that they're ignoring him -- when Durandal makes it plain that he's not dead after all. This turns out to be because originally he was built by BenevolentPrecursors to keep the S'pht clans from ever destroying each other. This intelligent design turns stupid once {{Outside Context Problem}}s show up and Thoth is unable to adapt.]] |
| 233 | |
| 234 | [[/folder]] |
| 235 | |
| 236 | [[folder:The Allies (most of the time)]] |
| 237 | !!'''Humans''' |
| 238 | -> ''"They're everywhere!"'' |
| 239 | -> ''"Thank god it's you!"'' |
| 240 | The human race, who have just started exploring beyond the confines of the Solar System. As they do not yet have FTL travel, they are considered low-tech by the rest of the galaxy, and the slaver empire of the Pfhor has Earth in its sights as its next conquest. The humans encountered in the game as [=NPCs=] are known as [[FunWithAcronyms BoBs]], short for [[GenerationShip Born on Board]]. |
| 241 | |
| 242 | ---- |
| 243 | * AmbiguouslyBrown: The race of the Security Bobs (the ones with beige shirts) is still debated, but they definitely have darker skin than the Bobs in the other two palettes, except in the XBLA port. For what it's worth, J. Reginald [=DuJour=], Bungie's art director at the time, is black, and while they all have the same voice (Doug Zartman's), we're also talking 28th-century colonists here, so that probably doesn't mean much. |
| 244 | * AttackDrone: Marathon Automated Defense Drones, or simply [=MADDs=], assist you in defending UESC ''Marathon'' as soon as you reactivate the defense system. Beware of the grenade launching low-flying ones, though. |
| 245 | * ButtMonkey: Things tend to not go well for individual humans in this game. On the other hand, ''Marathon 2'' reveals that [[spoiler:they ultimately win the war against the Pfhor.]] |
| 246 | * ElectronicEyes: The fighting [=BoBs=] get these. |
| 247 | * TheGhost: Bernhard Strauss, a scientist who was hinted and later confirmed by ''VideoGame/Destiny2'' (along with a new detail of MIDA affiliation) of deliberately driving Durandal into Rampancy in order to study the process and harness the power of AI metastability, is only mentioned in-game by others. The player is actually tasked with attempting to find him in one of the Pfhor ship levels in the first game, [[spoiler:but doesn't -- it's implied that he was dead already]]. |
| 248 | * HoverTank: Mentioned in the [[http://marathon.bungie.org/story/counterattack.html#5 Misriah Massacre terminal.]] |
| 249 | * HumansAreWhite: Averted, as their sprites have different color palletes with different skin colors. |
| 250 | * InsignificantLittleBluePlanet: |
| 251 | --> '''Durandal''': By Pfhor standards, Earth is a poorly defended low technology world, populated by billions of potential slaves. |
| 252 | * KidnappedScientist: The presumed reason for why Bernhard Staruss was missing during the first game. |
| 253 | * TheLeader: Robert Blake for the Tau Ceti Survivors. |
| 254 | * LetsGetOutOfHere: The human [=NPCs=] say several variations of this when teleporting out. |
| 255 | * TheMole: It's highly suspicious that Bernhard Strauss, a supposed civilian scientist, knew that ten battleroids were among the crew of the UESC ''Marathon'' when the UESC itself did not. ''VideoGame/Destiny2'', via lore tabs for two particular weapons, confirms that he was affiliated with MIDA (again, if one considers that canon). |
| 256 | * PunyEarthlings: Other races' technology are far more advanced than ours, and one boon we have over them, the AI technology, is a double-edged sword due to Rampancy. |
| 257 | * RebelLeader: Robert Blake by default due to circumstances. |
| 258 | * RedShirtArmy: The [=BOBs=] when they are on your side; they occasionally avert it when they are positioned in such way that the Pfhor can only come from the chokepoint and at the distance, who then get slaughtered by sniper pistols, as seen in ''Durandal'' level ''My own private Thermopylae''. In times when they are your enemies, they are quite accurate with those magnums. Notably, the way the physics models are set up in the game's data means that their strength does not vary with the difficulty setting even when they are your enemies (most likely an oversight on the part of the developers, as the option to make their strength vary was certainly there), which means that on low difficulty settings the levels where you fight them seem much more difficult than the surrounding levels, and may be part of the reason the third game has such a reputation for difficulty. The same levels may not seem particularly easier on high difficulty settings because they're pretty difficult anyway. |
| 259 | * ScrewThisImOuttaHere: Their reaction to Durandal's return is to use the hijacked Pfhor fuel ship to get out of Lh'owon, without you. |
| 260 | * StealthPun: Robert Blake. "Bob" is short for "Robert." The game never actually calls him "Bob Blake", but the leader of the [=BoB=]s is ''literally named'' Bob. |
| 261 | * VulnerableCivilians: The [=BoBs=] in the first game, where they are practically situated for maximum crossfire potential. They're slightly more intelligent in ''2'' and ''Infinity'', where they are actually capable of killing some enemies. They can be outright lethal when they're against you in ''Infinity'', in fact, and unlike the other foes and obstacles you face, their lethality isn't reduced on lower difficulty settings. |
| 262 | |
| 263 | !!'''S'pht''' |
| 264 | Once one of the last remaining Jjarp client races, this cybernetic brain-like race are now eslaved by the Pfhor, who use them as programmers and hackers. As they are cyborgs, the Pfhor use MindControl to keep them under their thumb. In the first game, Durandal forges an alliance with a group of them, and begins assisting them in rebelling against the Pfhor. |
| 265 | |
| 266 | ---- |
| 267 | * AllEncompassingMantle: The S'pht compilers sport these of various colors. |
| 268 | * AndIMustScream: When mind controlled. They have a very small amount of autonomy, but until the controlling Cyborg is destroyed, cannot rebel against their masters. |
| 269 | * BadassArmy: The S'pht'Kr, and the compilers are not too shabby themselves. |
| 270 | * {{Brainwashed}}: Courtesy of Pfhor mind control cyborgs. |
| 271 | * BrainInAJar: And the jar is attached to a deadly Defender exoskeleton. |
| 272 | * BrainMonster: The S'pht are basically brains with hands attached to a mechanical lower body that allows them to fly. |
| 273 | * TheCavalry: The S'pht'kr, the lost mythical 11th clan comes at the end of ''Durandal''. |
| 274 | * ChestBlaster: The Compilers' weapon, hidden under the cloak. |
| 275 | * TheChosenPeople: As described in their creation myth. |
| 276 | * CivilWar: The S'pht were in the middle of one when the Pfhor arrived. |
| 277 | * TheClan: ''11'', to be precise -- S'pht'Lhar, S'pht'Hra, S'pht'Nma, S'pht'Kah, S'pht'Vir, S'pht'Yra, S'pht'Val, S'pht'Shr, S'pht'Mnr, S'pht'Yor, and S'pht'Kr. |
| 278 | * {{Cyclops}}: The S'pht ''normally'' have a single eye-like organ on their forehead equivalent. |
| 279 | * DrivenToMadness: S'Bhuth's fate, according to Durandal. |
| 280 | * TheEmpath: The S'pht Royalty with the other S'pht, and the emulation of this "feature" is what allowed the Pfhor to enslave them. |
| 281 | * EnslavedElves: Wise and powerful former servants of even wiser and more powerful, but departed race, enslaved by the Pfhor. |
| 282 | * EnemyMine: The arrival of the Pfhor forced their Civil War to stop and they banded together to fight the common threat, in the process solving the riddle left behind by S'bthuth that would've summoned the S'pht'Kr, but were in no position to act on that solution and were eventually overwhelmed. |
| 283 | * EyeScream: The enslaved S'pht got their eye removed by violent displacement via high-velocity implantation of a HypnoTrinket. |
| 284 | * FlingALightIntoTheFuture: S'bthuth's riddle, divided between the leaders of 11 clans. |
| 285 | * HiddenElfVillage: The mythical missing moon of K'lia. |
| 286 | * IconOfRebellion: The Legend of the 11th clan. |
| 287 | * {{Invisibility}}: The Compilers have partially invisible variants. ''Infinity'' has invisible S'pht'Kr Defenders in the Dream levels (who, unlike most Defenders in the game, are hostile to the player and can only be damaged with explosions). |
| 288 | * IWillFightNoMoreForever: S'bhuth forbid his clan, the S'pht'kr, from participating in the civil war and eventually they self-exiled themselves on K'lia to avoid it altogether. |
| 289 | * LaResistance: The S'pht under Durandal's control against the Pfhor empire. |
| 290 | --> ''Welcome to the Revolution''. |
| 291 | * MechanicalLifeforms: The S'pht are the borderline examples. |
| 292 | * TheMissingFaction: The S'pht'Kr. |
| 293 | * NoBodyLeftBehind: The S'pht compilers disappear into static upon death while the S'pht'Kr defenders self-destruct. |
| 294 | * PsychicLink: The S'pht have a unified racial consciousness not unlike that of a networked computer system under the guidence of Royalty, while retaining enought individuality to fight amongst each other, which is why the Pfhor used brainwashing to control them instead of rule by fear (or just nuke them if that fails) since the necessary "infrastructure" was already there. |
| 295 | * RoaringRampageOfRevenge: The S'pht'kr once they return are ''not'' happy about what the Pfhor did to their brethren. |
| 296 | * ServantRace: Originally made to serve Yrro and Phtia, believed to have been Jjaro. |
| 297 | * SlaveRace: Currently this under the Pfhor. |
| 298 | * TransplantedAliens: The creation myth claims that the S'pht were brought to Lh'owon by the Jjaro to terraform it. |
| 299 | * UpliftedAnimal: The non-sentient but decently intelligent (by animal standards) F'lickta wandering their homeworld are noted to be extremely similar to the S'pht's biological components. The implication is that S'pht are cyborg-ed F'lickta. |
| 300 | |
| 301 | !!!'''F'lickta''' |
| 302 | The large, bipedal and agressivly territorial animals native to Lh'owon (or not), and from whom the S'pht were uplifted from. |
| 303 | |
| 304 | ---- |
| 305 | * BetterToDieThanBeKilled: Captive F'lickta are noted to kill their gestating young rather than allow the Pfhor to enslave or study them. |
| 306 | * CloseRangeCombatant: Blue F'lickta, who are mostly found in flooded areas, are limited to just slashing claw attacks. |
| 307 | * ImmuneToFire: The Red F'lickta, which are adapted to life in and around lava, are naturally immune to fire... |
| 308 | * PlayingWithFire: ...They are also able to generate and throw balls of extremely potent fire at their enemies. |
| 309 | * SwampMonster: The Green F'lickta, the most common and[=/=]or base variant on Lh'owon, lives in the swamps and flings biological matter at their foes. |
| 310 | * VaginaDentata: You see that gaping, toothy maw on the F'lickta that stretches the length of its torso? Well, while the second game doesn't outright ''say'' it, there's a terminal that mentions that the "maw" is connected to its reproductive organs. |
| 311 | |
| 312 | !!'''Jjaro''' |
| 313 | An ancient and extremely advanced race of beings whose technology is occasionally found by the modern races. Not much is known about them, but what is clear is they were almost frighteningly technologically competent. |
| 314 | |
| 315 | ---- |
| 316 | * AdvancedAncientHumans: Had ''Halo'' remained connected to ''Marathon'', they would've been [[http://forums.bungie.org/story/?read=68731 revealed as]] this. The fan scenario ''Eternal'' [[spoiler:also went down this route, though it wasn't the only definition for the Jjaro used in the scenario. Specifically, Stage 1 Jjaro are [[http://pfhorums.com/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=5570&p=181765#p181765 textbook examples]] of this trope. They are essentially cyborgs like the player. There are two further stages, which are no longer biological.]] |
| 317 | * AmbiguouslyEvil: They are generally presented positively, but there are hints that they had some darker tendencies in some terminals -- would a truly benevolent race create a weapon that destroys an entire star system? Durandal also refers to the Nakh as "the last extant client race of the Jjaro" in "All Roads Lead to Sol", and whether this means the Nakh were slaves or servants of the Jjaro remains unclear. (However, see BenevolentPrecursors -- if their treatment of the Nakh was similar to their treatment of the S'pht, this may have been relatively benign.) |
| 318 | * BenevolentPrecursors: They did uplift the S'pht to be servants, but what information there is suggests they treated the S'pht well, and are remembered by the cyborg race as wise and benevolent deities. [[spoiler:In ''Pathways Into Darkness'', taking place centuries before ''Marathon'', they also come to rescue Earth from an EldritchAbomination.]] |
| 319 | * CharacterOverlap: The Jjaro were the race who warned humanity of the alien god waking up in Bungie's previous game, ''VideoGame/PathwaysIntoDarkness''. |
| 320 | * GratuitousGreek: Pthia's name is almost certainly derived from Pythia (Πῡ́θίᾱ or Pū́thíā in Ancient Greek), the high priestess and oracle of the temple of Apollo at Delphi. |
| 321 | * MyGreatestFailure: Yrro is so shaken by Pthia's death that he departs Lh'owon, feeling that if he couldn't save his partner, then he's of no use to the S'pht. See above for how that turned out... |
| 322 | * {{Precursors}}: They aren't around any more; no one knows why. The leading theory is that the W'rkncacnter may have had something to do with it. ''When'' the Jjaro went away is a bit unclear; the Pfhor are under the impression the Jjaro have been gone for millions of years while ''Pathways into Darkness'' has them, or at least some form of remnant operating under their name and continuing their anti-W'rkncacnter work, still be active in the mid-90s. |
| 323 | * SufficientlyAdvancedAliens: If the S'pht legends are accurate, two of them uplifted the S'pht race and terraformed Lh'owon. ''Two.'' They also had the capability to trap creatures of pure chaos, move entire planets to new star systems, and may or may not have had the ability to jump timelines. The only known examples of their weapons tech? [[ApocalypseHow Star-killing bombs]] and ''black hole guns.'' The latter of which were mounted on a ''noncombatant'' space station, implying their real firepower was something even greater. |
| 324 | [[/folder]] |
| 325 | |
| 326 | [[folder:The Antagonists]] |
| 327 | |
| 328 | !!'''Pfhor''' |
| 329 | A bipedal insect-like race that has formed a massive slaver empire throughout much of the galaxy. They have enslaved many races and have set their sights on humanity and Earth next. They are the primary antagonists, and the common threat to both yourself and Durandal. |
| 330 | |
| 331 | ---- |
| 332 | !!!'''General''' |
| 333 | |
| 334 | * ActionBomb: Starting with exploding Looker bugs and finishing with exploding simulacrum A-[=BoBs=]. |
| 335 | * AirborneMook: Wasps in ''Marathon'', replaced by drones in later games. |
| 336 | * AlienBlood: Theirs is usually yellow. Artist Reginald [=DuJour=], who has a bachelor's degree in biology, attributed this to differing levels of zinc. Some of the Hunters have blood of other colours. |
| 337 | * ArtEvolution: They have a completely different appearance in the first game than they do in the latter two sequels, which give them a somewhat less cartoonish, but also moderately less alien, appearance. Notably, the placement of their third eye differs between games. The XBLA port once again deploys a substantial shift in art style. |
| 338 | * AttackDrone: The Pfhor have these in the latter games. They're ostensibly ''repair'' drones (as noted in an early terminal of ''Durandal''), but are armed and armored. |
| 339 | * TheBadGuyWins: It takes them seventeen years, but they manage to capture the Security Officer, seemingly kill Durandal and take over Tau Ceti IV with their sights set on the greater enslavement of the rest of humanity. Then the [=BoBs=] manage to free the Officer and Durandal was [[NotQuiteDead not quite as finished]] as they thought he was... |
| 340 | * BaldOfEvil: The entire species are hairless. |
| 341 | * BattleThralls: The Pfhor use these, with the S'pht being brainwashed Engineers of Doom, while the Drinniol are Enslaved Grunts. |
| 342 | * BeastOfBattle: Wasps and Lookers. |
| 343 | * BigCreepyCrawlies: The Lookers, which look like big tick-like insects. |
| 344 | * BossInMookClothing: The Juggernauts, as well as the blue Mother of All Hunters and Mother of All Cyborgs and Tfear's Personal Guards. |
| 345 | * CloseRangeCombatant: The Drinniol/Hulks (who, to be clear, are not Pfhor but rather their slaves) are also limited to just slashing claw attacks. |
| 346 | * CreativeSterility: Most of their technology is salvaged from Jjaro installations. |
| 347 | ** Various mods have fun with this. As seen in ''Eternal'', the appearances of their installations haven't changed in over ten thousand years. In ''Rubicon'', meanwhile, Durandal notes in the level "This Hurts Less Than... Uhh...": |
| 348 | ---> I've noticed at least [[ArcNumber seven]] different architectural styles utilized in this station, all haphazardly attached to one another. Quite an amalgam, wouldn't you say? It seems the Pfhor take and absorb the culture of enslaved races as well as their technology, calling into question if the Pfhor have their own style at all. |
| 349 | * {{Cyclops}}: The Drinniol, or Hulks, have only one eye. |
| 350 | * EliteMooks: Most variants of Pfhor soldiers come in a standard and more elite variant. This includes such things as Hunters and Enforcers. |
| 351 | * EmotionsVsStoicism: Tfear's [[https://marathon.bungie.org/story/slimythings.html#M3.19.3.1 monologue]] about the Hindmost Creche and the Commanding Rank in particular implies that the Pfhor Empire extols some form of stoicism at the expanse of personal desires, at least among higher ranks. |
| 352 | * TheEmpire: Theirs is a slaver empire. |
| 353 | * EvilIsBigger: The average Pfhor is taller, if thinner, than humans, while the bigger Pfhor like the Hunters are towering. |
| 354 | * ExtraEyes: The Pfhor tend to have three eyes, with some exceptions. |
| 355 | * FakingTheDead: One Pfhor Engineer got slightly crazy trying to translate the tortured Nar's prophecy, enough to fake his own death so that he could continue his hobby. |
| 356 | * FlyingFace: The Drones. |
| 357 | * FourStarBadass: Admiral Tfear of Battle Group Seven, Western Arm. Durandal (who himself has a galaxy-sized ego) outright says that if Tfear is taking part in the battle, he has no chance of winning. |
| 358 | * FragileFlyer: Both the Wasps and the Drones die very quickly, the latter in particular die in one hit if shot by a fusion pistol. |
| 359 | * GiantMook: The Drinniol, or Hulks, are much bigger (they stand over ten feet tall) and bulkier (and that's all muscle -- they have almost no body fat) than their Pfhor masters. They still go down to enough grenades though. |
| 360 | * GodzillaThreshold: When the casualties get too high, they deploy the ''trih xeem''. |
| 361 | * GlowingMechanicalEyes: The Pfhor drones and the Juggernauts. |
| 362 | * HiveCasteSystem: The Pfhor are hinted to be like this. In ''Infinity'', Tycho says "bugs are so obedient" in reference to the Pfhor under his command and they have a clear caste system in which the slaves races (Conditioned rank) and lower ranking members (Aggregate rank) are considered more expendable than the higher ranking ones (Willful rank), who are in turn subordinate to the even higher ranking ones (Attentive rank), who in turn are subordinate to the high command (Commanding rank) who in turn serve the Hindmost Creche. |
| 363 | * ImportedAlienPhlebotinum: Most of their technology comes from scavenged Jjaro tech. |
| 364 | * InsectoidAliens: A bizarre cross between hairless apes and bugs. |
| 365 | * KingMook: Mother of All Hunters and Mother of All Cyborgs in ''Durandal''. ''Infinity'' adds unnamed bigger and stronger versions of the Fighters and Troopers and a Super version of the Juggernaut. |
| 366 | * {{Lightworlder}}: The Pfhor come from a world with gravity lighter than Earth's, making them taller than the average human and also making them better suited for vacuumless conditions. |
| 367 | * MechaMooks: Drones, Tank Cyborgs and Juggernauts (or Utfoo Heavy Assault Crafts). |
| 368 | * MightyGlacier: The Drinniol/Hulks. Slow-moving on their feet, but deadly at close range and take at least four grenades to kill at the ''lowest'' difficulty level. |
| 369 | * MindControlDevice: The Pfhor mind-control Cyborg in ''Marathon'' that simulates S'pht "royalty". They got better, but unseen, versions in the sequels. |
| 370 | * NoBodyLeftBehind: Unlike other enemies, the Lookers completely shatter upon being killed and leave no remains. |
| 371 | * NoDelaysForTheWicked: Quite a few terminals in the sequels tell that this is [[AvertedTrope averted]]. |
| 372 | * NukeEm: Nuclear bombs are the Pfhor's preferred weapon, but when THAT doesn't work? Well, then they [[ApocalypseHow get serious.]] |
| 373 | * OrganicTechnology: The Pfhor makes extensive use of this, most clearly seen in their weapons, the Hunter armor, the Juggernaut and their Space Jockey/Alien Hive like spacecraft interiors. |
| 374 | * PraetorianGuard: Tycho pits you against Admiral Tfear's personal guard in ''Infinity’s'' ''You Think You're Big Time? You're Gonna Die Big Time!'' level. They consist of pairs of Elite gray-armoured fighters, troopers, hunters and one brown Juggernaut. And they are all '''mean'''. [[spoiler:The Vidmaster Challenge version of the level includes even more black or gray-armored fighters, troopers and hunters, and another brown Juggernaut.]] |
| 375 | * ScaryDogmaticAliens: Closest to the Conquistadores type. They essentially seek to conquer and kill or enslave any race that gets in their way and are willing to destroy entire solar systems if they feel they're losing. |
| 376 | * SlaveMooks: The Pfhor have these, with the S'pht being the most notable. |
| 377 | * VastBureaucracy: The Pfhor empire are shown to be this here and there, enough for Tycho to almost cleanly commit casual treason by convincingly issuing orders to terminate the higher ranks of the ship he is currently on. The GameMod ''Tempus Irae'' had a field day with this, with an interlude that was basically one big "If you had to kill a superior officer and had a really good reason for it, press one" joke. |
| 378 | * VestigialEmpire: At least according to Durandal, who states that the Pfhor empire is in slow decline since the Drinniol slave rebellion. |
| 379 | * WeWillUseManualLaborInTheFuture: The Pfhor are slavers who use and sell other races for various tasks, though the S'pht's application to computer engineering makes a bit more sense than usual since they're cyborgs. |
| 380 | * WorthyOpponent: Durandal outright considers Admiral Tfear (Battle Group Seven, Western Arm) to be the only one not only ''capable'' of beating him, but who is ''certain'' to beat him. |
| 381 | * ZergRush: The number of Pfhor you fight, especially the fighters, tend to get very high after about halfway into the games. Not like it's too much trouble for [[OneManArmy The Security Officer]] |
| 382 | |
| 383 | !!!'''Fighters''' |
| 384 | |
| 385 | * ArchaicWeaponForAnAdvancedAge: The shock staffs of the Pfhor fighters. They can shoot a slow moving projectile by swinging it, but compared to the weapons of other Pfhor enemies they are pathetic. |
| 386 | * BoomStick: Their signature shock staffs. |
| 387 | * CloseRangeCombatant: The Lesser Fighters can only hit you with their staffs. |
| 388 | * CrystalWeapon: The Shock Staff is basically a crystal on a stick. |
| 389 | * CannonFodder: They die in droves. |
| 390 | * GasMaskMooks: The Fighters have their lower half of the head covered with a breathing mask. |
| 391 | |
| 392 | !!!'''Troopers''' |
| 393 | |
| 394 | * FishbowlHelmet: In a cone-like shape. |
| 395 | * GrenadeLauncher: They shoot these at range. |
| 396 | * MoreDakka: Get too close and they will fill you full of holes. |
| 397 | * ShadowedFaceGlowingEyes: In the original ''Marathon 2'' artwork; you can only see their eyes through their helmet (however, in Freeverse's redesigned artwork and in the original ''Marathon 1'' shapes, you can see their whole faces). |
| 398 | * ShortRangeLongRangeWeapon: The Troopers' rifles are as inaccurate as the Security Officer's, so they don't even bother to shoot with them until nearly point blank, preferring to use their grenade launcher equivalents for longer ranges, which itself falls short of what even the lowly shock staff's bolt can reach. |
| 399 | * GasMaskMooks: Like the fighters, they wear those even the helmets. |
| 400 | |
| 401 | !!!'''Hunters''' |
| 402 | |
| 403 | * {{Cyborg}}: Implied to be heavily modified. |
| 404 | * EvilIsBigger: Hunters are quite tall among the already tall Pfhor and the Praetorian variant and the Mother of All Hunters are even bigger. |
| 405 | * HeavilyArmoredMook: The first enemy you encounter that is quite resistant to standard ballistics. |
| 406 | * PoweredArmor: Implied to be built around the Phfor rather than worn. |
| 407 | * ShieldBearingMook: They have an attached shield on each arm, though you won't see them using their shields. In the ''Apotheosis X'' mod they at least cover themselves when under fire. |
| 408 | * ShoulderCannon: The Hunters' weapon, located on a right shoulder. |
| 409 | |
| 410 | !!!'''Cyborgs''' |
| 411 | |
| 412 | * ArmCannon: Where their weapons are. |
| 413 | * TheBlank: Their ''faces'' are featureless. |
| 414 | * DefeatEqualsExplosion: They always explode upon death. |
| 415 | * FireBreathingWeapon: They use their flamethrowers when in close range. |
| 416 | * FullConversionCyborg: What they appear to be. |
| 417 | * HomingProjectile: Their grenades roll and bounce around following their target until they hit it or something else. |
| 418 | * MechaMooks: Part of Pfhor mechanized forces. |
| 419 | * ReplacementMooks: They replaced the Drinniol as the damage sponge that now can shoot back with a variety of weapons. |
| 420 | * TankTreadMecha: Their lower body part ends in treads. |
| 421 | * UnwillingRoboticisation: WordOfGod says that the Tank Cyborgs from ''Durandal'' and ''Infinity'' are made out of captured Tau Ceti colonists. |
| 422 | |
| 423 | !!!'''Enforcers''' |
| 424 | |
| 425 | * BadassLongRobe: Their apperance in the sequels. |
| 426 | * ExtraEyes: While most of shown Pfhor have usually three eyes, these guys have ''seven''. |
| 427 | * FacelessGoons: Their helmets completely covers their heads. |
| 428 | * {{Fireballs}}: Their weapon in the sequels are the fireball spitting rifles, officially known as Alien Flamethrowers, while the various mods named them as N-Cannons based on the Juggernauts' similar weapons. |
| 429 | * LongRangeFighter: Less eager to chase the player compared to other Pfhor, preffering to attack from afar. |
| 430 | * ThePoliticalOfficer: They are described as such. |
| 431 | * TortureTechnician: In addition to their commissar duties, they also work as these. |
| 432 | |
| 433 | !!!'''Juggernauts''' |
| 434 | |
| 435 | * AirborneMook: It is basically a helicopter-equivalent with the armor of a tank. |
| 436 | * BossInMookClothing: More apparent in ''Infinity'' where they show up more often compared to previous games. |
| 437 | * DefeatEqualsExplosion: When they die. Being near them when that happens will definitely kill you unless you have at least 2 1/3x shields, and you will need at least 2 2/3x to be assured of survival[[note]]specifically, it does between 350 and 400 damage, where the yellow bar is 300 and the purple bar is 450. As a result, you need at least 400 health to be assured of survival, since you die when your shields drop ''below'' 0[[/note]], regardless of the difficulty setting. Which, considering that we're talking about ''Juggernauts'', is extremely unlikely to be the case. |
| 438 | * DegradedBoss: Compared to their late appearances in ''Marathon'' and ''Durandal'', the Juggernauts appear earlier and more frequently in ''Infinity'' and various mods. |
| 439 | * {{Fireballs}}: In the sequels they replaced their machine guns with dual N-Cannons that shoot out fiery fireballs, similar to the Enforcers' guns. |
| 440 | * GiantMook: The biggest ''regular'' enemy in the Trilogy. |
| 441 | * GlowingMechanicalEyes: Especially when silhouetted. |
| 442 | * HairTriggerExplosive: When powered down, a single fusion bolt can make them explode. |
| 443 | --> '''Durandal:''' "You might also want to spend a few seconds thinking about explosions and small spaces." |
| 444 | * HomingProjectile: Their barrages of warpedoes. |
| 445 | * NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: The World Killers, Gaze in Stunned Disbelief at the Tool of Our Destruction, The Big Floaty Thing What Kicks Our Asses. |
| 446 | * SkullForAHead: Their heads in ''Marathon''. It was redesigned in the sequels. |
| 447 | * SlasherSmile: Their heads in both ''Marathon'' and ''Durandal[=/=]Infinity'' have a slasher smile. |
| 448 | |
| 449 | !!'''W'rkncacnter''' |
| 450 | Some sort of ill-understood creatures spoken of in ancient S'pht legend. They are said to "live in chaos" and spread chaos wherever they go, unraveling the fabric of the universe around them. In ''Infinity'', it turns out that they are very real, and finding some way to escape their influence is the driving conflict of the game. |
| 451 | |
| 452 | ---- |
| 453 | * AlwaysABiggerFish: Durandal thought the Pfhor were tough but manageable, [[spoiler:solar system destruction aside]]. The Jjaro were terrifyingly powerful, but seemingly left around plenty of their technology to the benefit of their inheritors. The W'rkncacnter? The instant they're seemingly waking to even be considered "active" again in ''Infinity'', anything and ''everything'' immediately goes to hell in a handbasket, and Durandal and the rest of the cast outright cannot keep up across the various timelines where TheBadGuyWins. |
| 454 | ** However, [[spoiler:The Security Officer ends up being [[FromNobodyToNightmare this to them]] too by the simple virtue of being able to [[DimensionalTraveler dimension hop]] to {{Alternate Timeline}}s, since the W'rkcacnter's ''only'' limitation seems to be to exist in only one particular timeline at a time rather than everywhere, at any time, all at once. Because they can learn about the W'rkcacnter in spite of it's continuous annihilations of the realities it exists in, the Security Officer is able to eventually do the impossible and [[DidYouPunchOutCthulhu defeat it]] in a war of attrition through time-and-space and [[SealedEvilInACan seal it back in its can]] in his journey's GoldenEnding.]] |
| 455 | * AmbiguouslyEvil: For as much of an AncientEvil as the story perceives them to be, the games never once actually ''explore'' any facet of their morality, perspective, or even so much as a conversation; simply by existing in the localized space with an awakened W'rkncacnter, YouAreAlreadyDead. The Jjaro and Durandal don't broach the subject as some sort of good versus evil, just that they must be sealed or everything will be destroyed. They also never seem to never operate to free themselves despite ''Pathways into Darkness'' strongly implying their sleeping dreams can manifest into the real world to a degree. It's entirely possible that they are [[BlueAndOrangeMorality simply beyond any concepts of evil]] and ''exist'' as the embodiment of chaos in reality. |
| 456 | * AncientEvil: Old as, or maybe even older than, the [[{{Precursors}} Jjaro]]. |
| 457 | * BigBad: For ''Infinity''. |
| 458 | * ChekhovsGunman: They receive a few mentions in ''Durandal'' but aren't important to the plot. In ''Infinity'', though, they matter a whole lot more. One of them is implied to be the Dreaming God from ''VideoGame/PathwaysIntoDarkness''. |
| 459 | * EldritchAbomination: They unravel the laws of physics around them. Even the normally implacable Durandal is terrified of them, because even with his vast intelligence, he cannot understand anything about them. |
| 460 | * HeWhoMustNotBeSeen: Not once does the game or the terminals ever attempt to showcase an actual W'rkncacnter, not only due to the engine limitations but the sheer fact that encountering one directly would be a seemingly inevitable demise; there's a reason [[spoiler:the Lh'owon star's destruction causing its prisoner's release]] results in [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere yet another timeline jump]]. Not even ''Pathways into Darkness'' shows one, just some sort of dreaming avatar it brought into the world to protect it. |
| 461 | * HurlItIntoTheSun: They ''have'' been, and they're ''still'' alive! |
| 462 | * IHaveManyNames: The one from ''VideoGame/PathwaysIntoDarkness'' is referred to by one of the characters as "He who rises with the tides, master of all things small and insignificant." |
| 463 | * InvincibleVillain: The possibility of killing or fighting them is never brought up, or even hinted at. If the Jjaro couldn't do it, what hope do you have? The only option the player has is to escape them, apparently by jumping to alternate realities. |
| 464 | ** The closest thing to death they can experience is sleeping for millions of years. Even then their dreams still affect reality around them. |
| 465 | * NukeEm: What was done in ''Pathways into Darkness'' to temporarily knock out and bury the one apparently sleeping inside Earth itself. Centuries have passed until ''Marathon'', and it's unknown what has happened to it since, just that clearly it still slumbers or else the solar system as we know it wouldn't be persisting. |
| 466 | * PrecursorKillers: They are heavily implied to be the reason why the Jjaro aren't around anymore. |
| 467 | * RealityWarper: [[spoiler:It's rumored they're the ones causing the timeline splits in ''Infinity''.]] |
| 468 | ** The one underneath the Yucatan Peninsula in ''Pathways into Darkness'' can reshape the reality around it just by dreaming. It's the source of the grotesque monsters encountered there, and the [[AndIMustScream restless]] ghosts forced to haunt the place. |
| 469 | * SealedEvilInACan: The Jjaro locked them into stars, black holes, whatever they could. Lh'owon's star is one such can. |
| 470 | * TheUnpronounceable: Befitting nonsensical beings of chaos. |
| 471 | |
| 472 | [[/folder]] |
| 473 | |
| 474 | ---- |
| 475 | Characters in third-party mods for ''Marathon'' have been moved to Characters.MarathonExpandedUniverse. |
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