Myth / Beti-Pahuin Mythology

Fang Ngil mask.

"I sow the wind! (Yes!) I shoot the elephant! (Yes!) Let the ears listen! (Let them hear the Mvet!)"

— Opening formula of the Mvet epics

The Beti-Pahuin or Fang-Beti peoples are a Central African group of Bantu speakers with mutually intelligible languages, a common culture, and shared ethnic origin. They historically spanned an area from the Republic of the Congo in the south through Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, and Cameroon in the north. Since the time of Portuguese rule there has been a population in São Tomé & Principe as well. Traditionally they lived as patrilineal farmers organized into clans led by paramount chiefs. Their heavily stylized artwork was brought to France and became a major influence on the avant-garde primitivist and modernist art movements. One notable admirer of Fang artwork was Pablo Picasso during his time in Paris.

Traditional myths and legends were sung with the accompaniment of a stringed instrument called the Mvet. Bards would be initiated over a long period of study and ritual by a master that taught them the lore of the people. The legendary first Mvet player was a man named Oyono Ada Ngone. In the ancient land of Engong the great patriarch Ekang Nna had a daughter named Okome Ekang who he adored so much he refused to let her marry so she would remain free with him in Engong. Okome Ekang was so breathtakingly beautiful that many men and spirits vied for her hand. Her nickname was “Ada Ngone” or Beauty of Beauties. She eventually attracted the attention of a powerful man named Zogo Bikuku “Uproar of the arachnids” from the Yemebett tribe in Oku. His nickname was ”Bifouga Zeeh” or ruffle beard because of the long facial hair he had to drag behind himself. Ada Ngone politely refused his marriage offer and became his lover instead. They had two sons together: Oyono Ada Ngone, and Ebe Okone.

Ebe Okone went on to found the smallest clan in Engong while Oyono Ada preferred the bachelor life as a wandering warrior and musician. Oyono Ada was tall, athletic, sharp eyed, and handsome. His warriors considered him invulnerable. Before each battle he would roar which summoned thunder and swirling rain storms that disoriented his enemies while he decapitated them. His storm powers fill the Mvets and the warrior Ntoutoume Mfoulou is often compared to him later. Oyono frequently prayed to Nzame or God before battle. While he led his warriors they weren’t sure where to travel next after leaving Lake Atok Ening (Lake of Life). So they joined the peoples at the Bingouara River Valley where it was feared he would become lost on the magic sea “Mang Bekon Be Bininga”. Shortly after a skirmish Oyono Ada fell into a mysterious coma. The people cared for him while he was unconscious for months. During that time Oyono was sent visions of the dawn of time to now by the ultimate manifestation of God, Eyo. Eyo showed Oyono how to create the Mvet. Oyono was tasked with singing the tales of the elder days to inspire hope and courage in the hearts of the Beti-Pahuin people as they marched into their new homeland and battled enemies. He would sing to them about the seemingly endless clashes between the immortal Ekang warriors in the southern land of Engong against the wily mortal sorcerers of Oku in the North.

The central conflict of the “Mvet Ekang” cycle between the men of the Yendzok tribe in Engong (better known as the Ekang for their progenitor) and Oku is over the jealously guarded secret of immortality which the Ekang are able to exploit, making them the most powerful tribe in the world. The Ekang are giants who call themselves the Iron Men. The tribes of Oku are highly diverse but share the aim of wrestling control of immortality from Engong through sorcery, trickery, and champions capable of challenging the immortals.

Geography

The Beti-Pahuin epics take place in a primordial world very different from the Africa we know now. The world of Mvett is composed of four main geographic areas:

Nkourou Megnoung Eko Mbegne: This is the region located in the far north of the Mvett world. It’s known as the far foggy drum country.

Etone Abandzic Mekok Engone: This is the eastern region. This is where life and its great mysteries were born, as well as human beings. This region is where Oyono Ada Ngone heard the voice of Eyo and that he had the supreme revelation. This region is also very rich in rivers, mountains, and gigantic trees.

Edoune Nzok Amvene Obame: This is a region located to the west. It is a territory rich in powerful men, but apparently quieter than others because many of Engong's warriors are the nephews of men in this region. It’s named “Rotting elephant carcass” as the implication is it’s so prosperous an elephant can live to a ripe old age.

Engong Nzok Mebeghe Me Mba: Called Engong for short, it’s located in the far south of the region, this realm is occupied by the immortals who created their country there. It is inhabited by the descendants of Patriarch Ekang Nna. The quintessential bellicose people, the men of Engong are valiant warriors who are experts in swordsmanship and wizardry. It is this unparalleled mastery of the occult arts that enables the men of Engong to be freed from death. Engong is a beautiful land, and home to thirteen great cities of which Oveng (seat of Akoma Mba himself) is the capital.

Oku is made up of the former three areas, and is occupied by mortals descended from the spirit Ndong Mebegue and his son Etura Ndong. The Beti-Pahuin peoples, Pygmies, Whites, all other people, and apes are said to hail from this place. The people of Oku are often as warlike and power hungry as those in Engong, but during peacetime their ability to throw celebrations has no equal.

Notable Ekang

• Akoma Mba is the supreme leader of the Ekang. Feared by almost all, his secret is that he has no secrets. He was the one who made immortality possible. His brothers call him ”Biyang” or the dominant one. Among other peculiarities, he speaks fluent porcupine and requires Oyono Mba to be his translator.

• Engouang Ondo is the general of Engong’s forces. He is called the battle bull and wields unimaginable magic powers, but oddly enough is the most peace loving of the Ekang. He has the most powerful evus (complicated, but in short: a spirit that facilitates magic) in the world. He watches over Engong at night and spends most of the day asleep.

• Medang Boro is the close companion of Akoma Mba. He is known as the bravest of braves. In battle he frequently fights alongside Otungu Mba and Mfoulou Engouang. He brings to them magical recipes on par with the famous Angouang Bere.

• Nze Medang who is likened to a leopard that spices the eyes of children. He torments his reckless opponents mercilessly and flips mountains. He is the messenger of Engong and more importantly the leader of the junior warriors.

• Angone Zok is the warrior with a ghost mother. He interacts with the dead as casually as he interacts with the living. Out of everyone in both Engong and Oku he is the most feared of all: In Oku he is the great instigator, who is always figuring out ways to incite wars. He is feared in Engong because Akoma Mba rarely denies him his wishes. In Engong he functions as something of a mayor and police chief. While Akoma Mba has supreme authority in all things, Angone Zok is a surprisingly proactive administrative leader.

• Medza Metougou is the wealthiest man who ever lived. He has over 900,000 wives and business connections everywhere in the world. Because of this, he is the most compassionate of the Ekang elders towards the tribes of Oku.

• Ntoutoume Mfoulou is called the storm, and the fearless one. Nothing takes him by surprise. He is the rage of Engong and the great terror of Oku. He is the hammer and daredevil of the Ekang. The first volunteer for any dangerous mission. He watches over Engong during the daytime.

• Angouang Bere is the head wizard and priest of Engong. He’s the one they call father of magic, and initiates all the Ekang youth into their magical mysteries. The secrets of Engong are all entrusted to him. In his ear lives his hornbill. He is called "Ayom Ngang" or the Old Fetish. The only wizard in the world who can compare to him is the mighty Ayangoum.

• Mbot Okomo Sala is the “snitch” of Engong. He works for Angone Zok, and watches the activities of the Ekang which he reports back to Angone Zok.

Tropes found in Beti-Pahuin mythology include:

Tropes A to H

• 11th-Hour Superpower: Oveng transforms into lightning itself during his final duel with Engouang and his lackeys.
• Abduction Is Love:
  • Defied by Aloume Ndong Minko. She despised Ekang Nna for kidnapping her and hurting her parents. So much so she became a sorceress hoping she could eventually kill him with her spells.
  • Justified with Eyenga Nkabe. She already had fallen in love with Oveng Ndoumou Obame, so when he stole her from Engouang Ondo she had no complaints. Then Engouang Ondo stole her back and she wasn't too bothered because she had fallen in love with him as well in Engong previously during the betrothal.
  • Monoyane was kidnapped by Akoma Mba after a vicious battle with her husband Atoane Obame Ndong which killed hundreds of innocent people. In spite of this, she very quickly was swept off her feet both literally and figuratively by Akoma Mba.
  • Justified in the case of Mekui Me Mengomo and Efen Ndon's wife Nlem Okele Abum. It was more of an elopement than anything in truth. Nlem Okele Abum had fallen in love with the handsome prisoner of her husband, and frequently tried to spend time around him. When Efen Ndon offered Mekui Me Mengomo anything he wanted for all his hard work, Mekui asked for Nlem. Efen Ndon exploded into a rage and said absolutely not, so Mekui Me Mengomo just took Nlem Okele Abum and flew off with her.
• The Ace:
  • Akoma Mba frequently figures as a deus ex machina to resolve battles that have escalated too far. He mastered all forms of magic during the battle on the moon and was recognized as a great warrior before he was even a man yet. Akoma’s very name means “Creator of Mba” who is his own (albeit step-) father.
  • Oveng Ndoumou Obame was a utopian ruler that managed to awe the Ekang from his first appearance. His skill in battle was so great that they even compared him to Zong Mebegue the God of evil. He was beloved by every girl who saw him and possessed enormous occult power since he was a baby.
  • Obame Andome was begged to become ruler of humanity by many different tribes due to his gift for warfare, diplomacy, and great charisma.
  • Mesi Me Kot Endong the chimpanzee king was unanimously selected for his position due to his generosity, strength, and wisdom.
  • Asseng Mbane impressed the elders of his tribe easily. Strong as a buffalo, flexible like a leopard, skilled like a hawk. He was the greatest wrestler, archer, and runner in the Yemebem tribe. He radiated glory and prestige.
• Achilles' Heel: The one way to defeat a ghost is to give them an enema.
• Acid Attack: Nze Medang summoned a giant slug from the clouds during his battle with Ella Minko. It secreted a strange slime that softened the earth into mud, causing Ella Minko to sink to his shoulders.
• Action Film, Quiet Drama Scene:
  • Eyenga Nkabe’s reflection about her life on her wedding night with Oveng.
  • Akoma Mba wrestling with his newfound intrusive sense of love for humanity after countless years of merciless bloodshed during the start of Obame Andome’s legend
  • Engouang Ondo’s thoughts about the foolishness of war during the hunt for the Flame tribe.
• Action Girl: Nkeyeng Assoumou was the little sister of Angone Zok's mother Ofoyeng Assoumou. She was a deadly warrior who forced the powerful men of the Yebekon tribe to kneel before her might either by force or by humiliating them. She sometimes waited for mighty men to fail in battle, then would show them up by effortlessly achieving what they could not. Her biggest goal was to duel with Engouang Ondo. Because he did not believe in fighting women as one would fight men, she instead waited for any opportunity to see him fail so she could swoop in and surpass him.
  • Ayeme Bissa'a was one of Engouang Ondo's wives. She was a bold woman who put up one hell of a fight to protect her infant son from Eyene Ndong. When Eyene invaded her home she seized her baby and tied him securely to her back, then grabbed a cutlass along with some stakes in anticipation of battle. She and chief Eyene Ndong exchanged blows with their weapons until she was overwhelmed and Eyene flew off with the baby, having magically sealed him inside an elephant tusk. Ayeme continued her pursuit of the kidnapper until he vanished into the land of Bekon.
• Actually a Doombot: Engouang Ondo and Efoua Medang tricked Obame Andome into devouring their doppelgangers.
• Aesop Amnesia: After receiving forgiveness and cleansing of sins from Nzame, Akoma Mba immediately coveted Atoane Obame Ndong's beautiful wife named Monoyane. Despite the complaints of his own wife Melou Me Ne Mbeng, Akoma Mba kidnapped Monoyane from Atoane Obame Ndong. Atoane appealed to Nzame to help him get his wife back, but Nzame said this was an issue between the two of them. Atoane resolved that day to return to the ways of evil wholeheartedly and never look back.
• Age-Gap Romance: Oveng Ndoumou Obame was six months old when he came to power, although his magical initiation accelerated his development to 14 years old. His love interest Eyenga Nkabe was 20 years old.
• Alas, Poor Villain:
  • Oveng may have been a dick pursuing his goals, but the narrative certainly sympathizes with him: his dream of a world without war is crushed, the woman he loves has been taken from him, and his tribe whose safety is the entire reason he was born is about to be finished off by two of Engong's most vicious killers. Fortunately Engouang shared his dreams.
  • Obame Andome was a generous and kindhearted man. His only wish was to avenge his father. He and his father pleaded their case so well to God that they almost managed to get him to strip the Ekang of their immortality.
  • Mesi Me Kot Endong did what was right for his people and wasn’t even able to die in an honorable duel. Even if his people were testicle ripping, face eating, baby grabbing, crop destroying assholes.
• Albinos Are Freaks:
  • Albinos were thought to have magical powers among the Beti-Pahuin, and their remains were highly valued for the construction of Byeri guardian statues. Attitudes toward them ranged from ordinary respect to fear.
  • The Yemimfum were a tribe of white people led by chief Ntya Ajap Ndon Aya. They lived in the forest of Afan Mvut Mvom in Oku where there existed all manner of large and delicious foods growing wild. The Ekang elders briefly considered exiling Mekui Me Mengomo to this country but the Ekang ancestor spirits said no.
  • Ekuru Ayeme Atura of the Esangi tribe was an albino. He died valiantly trying to bring down the diabolical Alum Ndong Minko.
• All Girls Want Bad Boys:
  • Nkudang fell for the bloodthirsty Zong Midzi after merely hearing about him and his apparently attractive name.
  • Eyenga Nkabe of the storm tribe fell in love with Oveng despite him crippling her father. Then she fell for Engouang’s piercing gaze. Subverted with Ntoutoume Mfoulou though, his psycho death glare was just plain terrifying.
  • Monoyane was very quickly taken with Akoma Mba.
  • Nze Medang is among the most popular of the junior Ekang warriors due to his recklessness, arrogance, and raw aggression. Both married and unmarried women lust over him.
  • Despite being the most conventionally "heroic" of the immortals, women aren't drawn to Engouang Ondo's noble qualities as much as his aloofness, haughtiness, and capacity for cold-blooded violence.
• Always Night: Ngame Ekang cast a spell on the village of Mboulamiame to envelop it in an endless silent night. The spell was broken by Evine Ekang who slapped his stomach and coughed out an owl's eye, which he mashed on the ground. A massive bolt of lightning came down and all of Mboulamiame rumbled before the night sky disappeared and the sunny day was revealed.
• Amazing Technicolor Population: Everything and everyone in the land of the Blue Tribe is blue.
• Ambition Is Evil: Played with:
  • Akoma Mba's obsession with power didn't begin with his uncle Nnang Ndong giving him the fetish of power, he sought it out himself. The Beti-Pahuin were a Proud Warrior Race and idolized strong leaders like Akoma Mba. However Akoma Mba's obsession with power no matter who suffers eventually causes him grief.
  • The initiates of the Yemebem hold a meeting in the capital called Assia to debate Mbane Ona's plan to strengthen the tribe. The elders were very concerned about it because having a man of power would naturally attract other men of power to challenge him, per traditional wisdom. And that would inevitably result in a horrific war. The younger men argue back that the Yemebem are already subject to loss and degradation due to their tribe's unwillingness to fight their enemies.
• Ancient Tomb:
  • Ngame Ekang was made to guard the great stone tomb of Ekang Nnna day and night while his brothers led the tribe. He became frustrated by this treatment and it caused him to leave Mboulamiame with his mother Nkene.
  • Mve Minlame haunted his stone tomb on an island on the Nsangame river in the shape of an elephant. It was here that he kept his granddaughter Nseng Ondo prisoner.
• And Now You Must Marry Me: Elom Kam Afe of the Bibao tribe was tasked by his initiators to kidnap a girl from Engong in order to attain ultimate power. So he grabbed Oyane Medza.
• And the Adventure Continues: There’s no real ending to the Mvets. The immortals just keep getting into more shenanigans. Oveng’s tale foreshadows a great conflict with mysterious demons to the east blocking passage across the Bevuyeng river where the sun rises. Asseng’s saga ends with his jailers initiating a new conflict with Oku thanks to his construction skills.
• And Show It to You: Angone Zok's fight with the Ebigane was brutal, but swift. He cast an iron net at the beast, who broke free and charged him with its horns. Angone Zok regained his bearing and crushed it into the dust with his great pestle. He then ripped out its heart, scorning the way the warriors of Oku love sending their fighting beasts.
• Animal Mecha: Angone Zok sometimes rode about inside a great iron war elephant that would raise a big ruckus, devasting everything not fast enough to get out of its way.
• Animal Nemesis: The Foumazok ("Elephant Strikers/Slayers")tribe and the elephants ("Bezok" in the Fang language) were bitter enemies once. The elephants would destroy their plantations and villages, the Foumazok would hunt elephants in turn. The famous Foumazok hunter and chief named Famangong was at the battle of Mbel Alene after being personally invited by Bissiga Ndong, and contented himsef with stealing the secret of elephants from the pandemonium.
• Annoying Younger Sibling: Medza Mfoulou was constantly trying to help his big brother Ntoutoume Mfoulou regardless of any actual need or ability. It even got him captured once. Fortunately Ntoutoume must have had some soft spot in his heart for him since he found the kid’s antics entertaining. Others weren’t as amused.
• Antagonistic Offspring: Emamemouhou Engoang is always challenging his father Engouang Ondo and rebelling against him.
• Apocalypse How:
  • Class 4: Planetary Species Extinction: Nkeg Afane Mye from the Doubt tribe tried to dry up the rivers of the world to punish humanity for their sins.
  • Class 0: Regional Scale, Societal Disruption or Collapse: Obame Andome nearly destroyed Engong entirely during his battle with Engouang Ondo and Efoua Medang.
  • Class X: Planetary Scale, Physical Annihilation: Obame Andome's Abi Zalang was a rapidly expanding power crystal that would've swallowed the earth and vaporized it.
• Arbitrary Scepticism: Medang Endong REFUSED to believe that Angone Zok saw a bird-man in a world utterly teeming with magic. Turns out Medang Endong was right to be doubtful. The "bird-man" Afab Owono was revealed to be an Evus, not a man at all.
• Arch-Enemy: Engouang and Oveng has this relationship before evolving into Worthy Opponent
• Arc Hero and Arc Villain: Each tale usually focuses on a given mortal against a given immortal.
  • Akoma Mba the great overlord of Engong vs Abo Mama the rebel Yemedziit chief who refused to recognize Otungu’s authority despite being chosen by Akoma Mba
  • Nsure Afane, a beautiful youth of the Yemveng vs Zong Midzi the infamously ruthless Okane warlord
  • Nze Medang the immortal vs Alum Ndong Minko who needed forty human skins to decorate his house
  • Elone Kam Afe, fiancé of Oyane vs the Asseng Mbane her kidnapper
  • Engouang Ondo vs Oveng Ndoumou Obame from the flame tribe who sought to end all violence by eliminating metal, especially iron
  • Nguranguran son of Ombure vs Ombure the man eating crocodile spirit
  • Engouang Ondo vs Obame Andome out to avenge his father against Akoma Mba
  • Oyono Ndana vs Mesi Me Kot Endong the chimpanzee king and his unbearable army
  • Mekui Mengomo Ondo who sought out a bride vs Efen Ndon the ruler of the blue country
  • Ntoutoume Mfoulou vs Ekor Ngui Ndong the mountain crusher from the gorilla tribe
• Arc Words: "Sow the wind! Shoot the elephant!". Oyono Ada Ngone first heard these words from the darkness when he had fallen into his coma. Sow the wind means to improve the world with good words (namely songs and stories). Shoot the elephant means to overcome personal challenges.
• The Archmage:
  • Anouang Bere (AKA Ayom Ngang or "the Old Fetish") was one of, if not the greatest wizard in the world. He watches over the descendants of Ekang Nna like a hen for her chicks. He is always conducting countermagical activities and closely watches the scheming of mortal wizards from Oku. Part of Engong's immortality comes from his ability to counter virtually any poison, sickness, or dark witchcraft (believed by the Beti-Pahuin to be the main causes of death). He gave up his manhood during initiation for magic knowledge. The great sorcerer of the Yendzok tribe is ubiquitous: walking heaven, earth, and the underworld.
  • Ayangoum or Ayangomou is Oku's answer to Angouang Bere and possibly their greatest trump card. Like his rival from the south, he walks among the living and the dead. He claims to be from the mysterious Ayakoma tribe, whom nobody has ever actually encountered before besides him. No other Ayakoma will ever reveal themselves as Ayakoma. Nobody knows where his home is. He defies study across time and space. He arrives whenever and wherever he is needed most, and vanishes just as quickly when his work is done. Ayangoum rules over the north, east, and west of the world. He watches over the initiation of Oku warriors, sometimes conducting them himself. Nicknamed Edouk-Mefek or "the Deceiver of Tricks" he is one of the most mysterious figures of all. Some say he and Angouang Bere cooperate under certain circumstances. Nonetheless, the two supreme mages never share their discoveries and secrets with each other.
  • Bissiga Ndong is king of the Beku pygmies and one of the mightiest wizards who ever lived. He was respected enough in the magical community that all sorcerers accepted his invitation to Mbel Alene.
  • Eyang or Eyenga Mba is Akoma Mba's sister, and the great mistress of the occult sciences. It is quite telling that Angouang Bere himself pointed Akoma Mba over to her when they could not overcome Abo Mama's Sakonglo Konglo. She is a great magician who freely chose to live in the ghost country. She is never too far away, having a room in Akoma Mba's house with 1,000 mysteries. When any scion of Ekang Nna is in great difficultly they call on her name and she aids them with her seemingly endless arcane knowledge.
• Arrogant Kung-Fu Guy:
  • The only Ekang who averted this was Engouang Ondo. It proves to be an advantage for the Oku tribes, being constantly underestimated.
  • Zong Midzi was quite bold in challenging the Ekang directly and dismissing their abilities.
• Artifact of Power: Ngurangurane’s grandfather owned a magic talisman. He didn’t realize that it answered to Ombure only, and it betrayed his escape plan to the beast. Fortunately Ngurangurane was able to subject the charm to his own will, using it to call down a lightning strike against Ombure.
• Attractive Bent-Gender: Almost every man wanted to marry the gender bent Akoma Mba, allowing him to get close to his enemy Abo Mama and learn the secret of his staff.
  • Ntoutoume Mfoulou had his mother transform him into a beautiful lady so he could lure out Angone Obame Ndong.
• Asskicking Leads to Leadership:
  • Akoma Mba was already beating up other boys as a lad and claimed numerous heads in battle when most boys had only recently finished initiation. He was considered to be the master of his own (step) father. His ascent to power was almost entirely driven by fear.
  • Ntoutoume was angry his lineage didn’t have a great man yet so he challenged the descendants of Etounga and Mba to a a duel. They were evenly matched so Ntoutoume’s bloodline were called the hammers (like Etounga’s were stone and Mba’s were iron, a reference to smithing).
• Asshole Victim:
  • One can imagine the grins the people of Oku must have had on their faces when the Ekang were terrorized by the Mississim Spirits of Mt. Nkol Bizezam and nearly crushed before they begged for peace.
  • Two bandits of the leopard cult robbed and tried to force Okomo Nkabe and her brother Atomo Nkabe to have sex with each other before murdering Atomo. One robber was killed by having a pepper ball shoved down his throat. The other had his arm cut off, his legs cut off at the knees, and was hung upside down from a tree for the leopards to eat alive. What a bad day to run into the in-laws of their victims.
  • Zong Midzi butchered hundreds of innocent people in a rage over a war he started out of pride. It’s hard to pity him when Akoma Mba shoved a ball of molten iron down his gullet which exploded in his stomach.
  • It’s pretty cathartic to see Ntoutoume Mfoulou and Angone Zok get their asses kicked by ghosts.
  • Emane Toung Afane was the first human sacrificed to Asseng Mbane's ring. He was a cruel king who murdered and enslaved many people during his conquests. When he attacked the Yemebem tribe, king Mbane Ona found it an ideal opportunity to show off the strength of their people and also acquire a perfect victim for the offering.
• Audience Participation: Like many other cultures of the rainforest belt, audiences during epic performances were expected to participate by singing and dancing during the musical sequences. Audiences would also answer riddles during the appropriate sequence. The Mvet player would call the audience to attention by crying "I sow the wind!" to which the audience responds "Yes!" to which the Mvet player responds "I shoot/pull/push/befriend the elephant!" to which the audience cries "Yes!", the Mvet player then says "Let the ears listen!" and the audience cries "Let them hear the Mvet!". The Mvet player sometimes gauges the audience's attention by inserting the day of the week into this forumula.
• Awesomeness Is Volatile: Ekouma Ngoumou's iron club and Ntoutoume Mfoulou's hammer clashed with such force that there was an explosion. The blast could be heard from 7 moons walking distance in all directions. The sky looked as if it had burst, and lightning flew everywhere. There was mass panic.
• Awful Wedded Life: Aloume Ndong Minko hated her husband Ekang Nna with a passion, and he didn't think about her as anything more than a dumb baby factory.
• Axe-Crazy:
  • And the winner is Angone Zok. He likes torturing his enemies for the hell of it. Once he was asked why he hasn’t killed everyone in the world yet, he answered there would be nobody fun left to kill then. His house has a giant pair of scissors by the entrance that chop up uninvited guests, and sometimes invited guests. When he arrived in the capital of Engong at the start of the war with Zong Midzi he drove his elephant mecha around like a crazy person to remind everyone he was a man to be feared.
  • Ntoutoume Mfoulou is more of a Blood Knight but is always game to murder, rape, and pillage with his best buddy Angone.
  • Akoma Mba as a youth was out of control and EXTREMELY insecure about his shameful birth. Even as a young adult he still decapitated his brother-in-law for giving him a present he considered too small.
  • Alum Ndong Minko was a bloodthirsty maniac who wanted to build his home from human skins
• Back Up From Otherworld:
  • Angone Zok’s mother is a ghost. When he’s losing a fight he asks her for an amulet to give him the edge he needs.
  • Zong Midzi’s ancestors provide him with magical weapons and even try to make him immortal during his conflict with Engong.
  • Oveng’s grandfather Obame died in order to give him his invincible iron body. As a ghost he provides him with a fantastical army and arsenal with which to defend the surviving members of the flame tribe.
  • Andome Ella worked tirelessly as a ghost to unite the tribes of Oku against the Ekang and motivate his son to avenge him.
  • Medza m'Otounga Mba sang a spell, asking the spirit of his sister Efire Otouanga who had become very powerful as a spirit to help him end his battle with Mefoumou Mba, chief of the Foumazok tribe. Efire promptly responded, furious that anyone would dare challenge the bloodline of Otungu Mba, much less her dear brother. So she caused a sharp blade to spawn from the earth, which Medza m'Otounga Mba quickly slammed Mefoumou Mba on. Mefoumou Mba was impaled right through.
  • Efoua Medang shot two copper ropes into the underworld which were seized tightly by Evine Ekang and Ekang Nna's ghosts, the other ends attached to his ankles by hooks. He then flung himself at Obame Andome and secured the hooks into Obame Andome's flesh. The two ghosts pulled Obame Andome into the mud up to his knees. Now helpless, Obame Andome was struck repeatedly with Efoua Medang's magic swords, all three of which failed to kill him. Two broke against against his throat (although it was still very painful) and he managed to roll away from the third, which Efoua Medang swung into the earth.
• Badass Army:
  • The Ekang have almost never been defeated and boast a long record of elaborate victories.
  • Oveng protected his people with ghosts, gorillas armed with iron clubs, leopards with steel teeth, and batmen.
• Badass Boast: Ntoutoume Mfoulou was a fan of these. His most frequent one was "Saturated with strength and power! I would like to find one like it! Let death kill me if it can!" punctuated with whistling.
• Badass Family: You could consider all the descendants of Ekang Nna to be this. Even before Akoma Mba discovered immortality they engaged in numerous conquests on their campaign to Engong.
• Badass in Distress:
  • Nze Medang and Obiang Medza were captured by Oveng Ndoumou and strapped to two giant drums.
  • Mengana Mba was captured by Mfim Ekie and turned into a woman to be his slave.
  • Nguema Nsing Bere and Medza Me Mfoulou were placed under a sleeping spell and sent hurdling down deep into the underworld by Mefoumou Mba Foumou in his lair.
• Badass Normal:
  • For a given measure of normal anyway, the tribes of Oku may not often prevail but their champions can match the immortals blow for blow.
  • One mortal who is pretty normal even by “Magic slinging warrior” standards was Afougou Zogo of the Bebeh tribe. He was actually considered the most powerful man in Oku and fights the Ekang for fun relying mostly on his wits to survive.
• Bad Boss:
  • Mfim Ekie was a slave driving king who used defeated warriors as laborers and trade goods.
  • Efen Ndon liked imprisoning foreigners and forcing them to build roads for him on pain of death.
• Bag of Holding: Elone Kam Afe's magic bag contained a spider web which he covered his sword's pommel with.
• Barbarian Tribe: The Yemebong who live on the banks of the Assoumami river. They are the wildest, most lawless, most chaotic tribe in all of Oku. They spent their days bare-knuckle brawling and insulting each other.
• Bash Brothers: Ntoutoume Mfoulou and Angone Zok were a force to be reckoned with when they got to tag team enemies like Oveng Ndoumou or Asseng Mbane.
• Batman Can Breathe in Space:
  • During the great sorcery conference on the moon breathing wasn’t a problem for any in attendance. When Ntoutoume Mfoulou was punched to the moon his biggest issue was the possibility of being stuck there dangling from the neck.
  • Basically all of the Ekang are capable of traveling through air and space without any trouble. They move between stars if needed.
• Batman Gambit: Obame Andome at first fussed over where to hide his new wife (actually Eyeng Ondo) and adopted son (actually Engouang Ondo) from Engouang Ondo (actually his clone). Eventually he concluded he'd just hide them in their house in plain sight. He knew Engouang Ondo had a kind nature and wouldn't attack a defenseless mother and child.
• Bat People: Oveng Ndoumou Obame's army was comprised partly of these, all armed with spears.
• Battle Aura: It happens here and there. Like when Oveng Ndoumou Obame was showing off his strength during the first confrontation with the Ekang. Or when Oyono Engouang prepared to strike back at Mvome Oke Mfarega after being launched into the troposphere.
• Battle Cry: “Evini ye’Ekang!” which basically is a triumphant reference to the first patriarch of the clan.
• Battle of Wits:
  • Most fights against the tribes of Oku hit this point. They frequently rely on unique spells or aid from their ancestors to challenge the Ekang. The key is discovering how the spell works or convincing the spirits to abandon their efforts.
  • In one case the Oku people tried to destroy the great python bridge on the Melole river because they anticipated only the toughest fighters would want to overcome it, and thus immediately open themselves up to a preemptive attack by Engong.
• Beast Fable:
  • While deliberating over the destiny of their tribe, one very old man of the Yemebem named Father Ofobo began to tell the story of the adventurous boar Etong Ngu, son of Essia Ngu. Etong and his clan lived in a thicket near the Assoumami river. Etong dominated the other boars in his clan and waged war all along the left riverbank. Etong's army swelled with each victory, eventually it grew into the Nkouna Ngu: the unbeatable horde of wild boars. No matter how many leopards attacked them, they always shredded the felines to death. They dominated the bush and devoured whatever they pleased. One day Etong led his horde into a lush and well cultivated field where the swine gorged all night. He was so bold he declared they would keep eating through the day too. The other boars were nervous and told him their kind had always taken care to avoid the sun when on the move. But the arrogant boar threatened them with his huge tusks and made them stay past sunrise. Before they knew it there was a storm of bullets, arrows, and spears from angry humans hitting them from every direction. Over half the boars were killed, and Etong Ngu received a terrible injury to his leg. Now bitter, he accepted that the wisdom of the ancestors should not be disregarded. The meaning of the story implied the Yemebem should emulate their ancestors and not involve themselves in wars.
  • After Father Ofobo and Father Menguire debated their points, a third elder began to tell the story of the Eagle and the Leopard. Once upon a time the Leopard was king of the beasts. He was a cruel tyrant hated by all the other animals. But his beak and talons were so fearsome nobody could resist him. The lion and the elephant fought bravely, but were mutilated by the Leopard king. In those days the Eagle had a soft beak and talons, so he came up with a plan to steal the Leopard's. He sent Green Snake to sneak and steal the beak and talons of the Leopard as he slept. When the Leopard sent his wild cat messenger to collect tribute, the Eagle openly defied him. The Leopard accepted the Eagle's challenge, but was disheartened by the cheering of the other animals. All the beasts began to chant "Down with the Leopard!" in support of the Eagle. Realizing the population was against him and the Eagle had the advantage in weaponry, he surrendered. The initiate finished his story with two provebs about how it is the bold and daring who achieve their dreams. Arguing in favor of Asseng Mbane.
• The Beastmaster:
  • The entire Foumazok tribe were beastmasters. They spoke in a mysterious language with the elephants and rode them. Chief Mefoumou Mba Foumou would summon them with his whistle. He became good friends with his mount on the way to the Melole river.
  • According to some there are other tribes in the east of Oku beyond the mountains who live on cordial terms with dangerous animals like leopards.
• Beauty Equals Goodness: Subverted. Beautiful characters can lean towards the good side by modern standards, but often have a long ruthless streak. Especially so if they’re men.
• Benevolent Mage Ruler: Played for Drama. Bissiga Ndong was the great sage and king of the Beku pygmies who lived up on the moon. He was one of the most famous wizards who ever lived, and was beloved by his people. He was calm, wise, fair, generous, and the complete opposite of the tyrannical rulers of earth. He sat in meditation on his bed contemplating the woes of the world and came to the conclusion it was the fault of the innumerable evil spirits. So he invited all the magicians of the world to Mbel-Alene hoping they could cleanse the world of evil together and end all the suffering. Instead of a universal healing, the meeting ended in violence beyond description. The alien Evoung Tom Obiang clashed with the earthlings, killing countless Beku people as collateral damage. The survivors led by Bissiga Ndong fled to the jungles of earth.
• Berserker Tears: Ntoutoume Mfoulou and Angone Zok cried for their boss Engouang Ondo when Oveng Ndoumou had taken him to the underworld and fought even more furiously than before.
• Best Friend:
  • Akoma Mba's greatest companion and confidant was Medang Endong, bravest of braves.
  • Nze Medang was best friends with Obiang Medza.
  • Ntoutoume Mfoulou's was this with Angone Zok.
• Best Friends-in-Law: Oveng Ndoumou married Engouang Ondo's sister Mengue M'Ondo after becoming friends.
• Beware the Nice Ones:
  • Engouang Ondo is the least violent man of the Ekang. He’s still the commander of Engong’s armies and wields the single most powerful Evus. He’s the only man Ntoutoume Mfoulou and Angone Zok are sincerely afraid of or respect. As disturbing as he found it he still committed genocide against Engong’s foes when called up for it.
  • Oveng Ndoumou Obame was a champion for world peace. If you stood in the way of that goal, at best he would leave you bloody and broken.
• Beyond the Impossible: Oveng was cast into the pool of souls at the foot of Engong’s great tree, resisted the ghosts prepared to torment and devour him, then ascended out of the pool into the skies riding a giant tortoise surrounded by a massive bubble. That one made every jaw in Engong drop in bewilderment and Akoma Mba was shocked for one of the few times in his life.
• BFG: Obame Andome produced an iron tower from the earth which he ascended in a whirlwind. At the top of the tower was a swiveling turret, more like a heavy artillery cannon than anything. The entrance to the tower was a huge underground rock. Obame Andome unleashed mayhem and destruction in every direction with it, pissing off chief Ekouma Ngoumou of the Yebibam tribe.
• Big Damn Heroes:
  • Oyane Medza’s husband Elone Kam Afe and her brothers from Engong arrive in time to save her from being sacrificed by the Yemebem wizards to make Asseng Mbane immortal.
  • Elone Kam Afe saves Amanessigha and Efoutame from being raped by Beka and Oyame in the nick of time. He beat the hell out of the two old creeps and then fed them chunks of wax from his antelope horn which killed any attraction they had towards the girls.
• Big Eater:
  • The twins Mengono Ondoa Man Abeng and Mengono Mba Ande Biyen each ate nine thousand nine hundred bunches of bananas, peanuts, cornbread, and taro prior to setting out on their adventures.
  • The Ekang eat and drink in ridiculous quantities. The typical person in Engong eats two sheep with a side of chickens and ducks for a meal.
  • Angone Zok could swallow two buffalo whole, washing it down with fish and chicken.
• Big Good: Eyo or Nzame. The almighty cosmic manifestation of God. Very aloof from humans though as is common in African myths.
• Big, Screwed-Up Family:
  • A natural consequence of polygamy is jealousy, and all the woes that follow it. "The jealous co-wives" is a popular theme throughout Sub-Saharan oral literature. Ekang Nna's family was an especially screwed up example. He kidnapped and raped his first wife Aloume Ndong Minko. To add insult to injury he mutilated her parents and threatened to murder her if she ever crossed him. Aloume Ndong Minko threw herself into the most wicked of the dark arts hoping she could destroy him one day. In the meantime she turned all of Ekang Nna's wives against him, except Nkene Ndong whose son Ngame Ekang became the rival of all his half brothers due to the obvious favor Ekang Nna had for him. The brothers of Ngame Ekang were furious when Ekang Nna transferred all his powers to only him during initiation. The conflict however never came to physical blows as Ekang Nna had drilled into them that the brothers must never harm each other, even after Ekang Nna's death. Instead they played tit-for-tat social chess games back and forth until Ngame Ekang became sick of it and fled home with his mother and much property.
  • Mbane Ona confessed to his ancestors Ona, Tom, Ondo, and Milang that he gave special treatment to his favorite wife Ayétebé to the detriment of his other wives.
• Bitch Slap:
  • Medza me Mfoulou slapped the shit out of Mboumefek of the Bedzingoh tribe before Mboumefek calmly crossed the python bridge of the Melole.
  • Emane Toung Mfane lunged upwards and slapped Mbane Ona twice in the face in a rage after his army was defeated.
• Bittersweet Ending: A relatively good ending just has dozens of villages burned, only hundreds dead, and more displaced. Straight happy endings are far and few.
• Bizarrchitecture: Engouang Ondo's house is called Nda Bigouba or "House of Mysteries". The imposing structure floats high above Akoma Mba's house in the center of Engong behind Engong Zok Mebegue Me Mba. Engouang watches over all of Engong at night from this structure. There are myriad rooms and secrets inside. One of the rooms exists in heaven, another room exists in the underworld. The fetish room of Engouang Ondo contains a magic pool in the center with Andome Ella's still-bleeding, eye-twitching, and sweating head hanging from the ceiling. The terrace is decorated with the remains of Death itself.
• Bizarre Human Biology: The Ekang don’t appear to have hearts or other critical organs. In the legends the Oku tribesmen speculate that their bodies are just clothing for their immortal beings.
• Black Vikings: The Yemimfum are a tribe of native white people in Oku (distinguished from Europeans). They have Beti-Pahuin names and culture. Their warrior chief Eyene Ndong even fought the Ekang using his Evus and fetishes.
• Blood Bath: Asseng Mbane maintained his power by bathing his copper ring "twin" in the blood of beautiful young women and powerful men every nine full moons.
• Blood Knight:
  • Ntoutoume Mfoulou generally only feels two emotions: boredom and homocidal euphoria. That said, he drastically prefers killing people who stand a chance of actually killing him. He lives for war. That’s why they call him Nyele Mfoulou sometimes “Yes, Mfoulou” because he says yes to death, but death continuously evades him. He had the time of his life fighting Oveng Ndoumou Obame because he could actually fight on or above his level, calling him the perfect warrior. After getting stabbed, slashed, blasted with fire, clubbed, tossed into the sky, and whipped with chains he was obsessed with fighting Oveng. Ntoutoume was excited to fake being a hostage of Asseng Mbane to raise hell in his village.
  • Angone Zok is more of a straight murdering psychopath but he finds killing warriors just as fun as innocent villagers. Aside from being a prick, he had the python bridge constructed to attract fighters who would actually want to cross it.
  • Zong Midzi started an entire war because he found Angone Zok’s arrogant breathing unbearable and wanted to prove his own superiority in battle.
  • Akoma Mba certainly loved fighting and killing for pride alone back in his younger days.
  • Alum Ndong Minko butchered an entire wedding delegation just so the Ekang would seek revenge on him and he could gather trophies.
  • The entire Ekang tribe was basically this more or less, except the descendants of Ada Ngone. Oku has much more balance between warrior tribes and peaceful tribes.
  • Teme Mve was Ekang Nna's huge and musclebound brother-in-law through marriage to his sister Eyang Nna. He was a terrifying man who had become wealthy and powerful from his bloodthirsty assaults on the tribes of his region. As soon as he arrived at Ekang Nna's funeral wake he immediately scared everyone by shouting long winded threats, challenges, and insults thunderously. His personal motto was "To kill and help people kill each other". Teme Mve believed bloodshed would help purify humanity. He was angry nobody had told him the funeral of Ekang Nna would take place so soon and would have attacked Ngame Ekang if it hadn't been for the calm head of Olong Ndong Minkouna settling the situation.
• Blow You Away: Nze Medang's son Efoua Medang flew around surrounded by a whirlwind. When he arrived in Oveng from Akoga he blow dust all over Akoma Mba's court. He took another deep breath and blew the dust cloud away, revealing himself.
• Blue-and-Orange Morality:
  • The Beti-Pahuin believed there were three types of people in the world. Innocents (Miemie), Initiates (Akomnge), and Witches (Biyem).
  • Innocents are genuinely nice people who are generous, humble, and harmonious with society. Innocents are actually the only people who can ascend to the level of ancestor-divinity. But aside from that innocents are considered nobodies. They are vulnerable to will of Initiates, Witches, and other supernatural beings. They never become wealthy or powerful. They either don’t have any Evus or if they do it is never activated.
  • Initiates normally have had their Evus activated during adolescence in elaborate rituals. They are people of renown and status. The wealthy, the wise, the talented, the powerful, etc. Anyone who is very influential or successful in life is believed to be an Initiate. Initiates while mighty are more callous than Innocents. Initiates tend be domineering and even bullies. But unlike witches their relationship with the Evus is one where the capricious powers of the bush are put on a leash. The Evus is used to increase the prosperity of the tribe as much as to bring glory to user. Per western morality Initiates can definitely be seen as brutal assholes, especially at the fantastical level portrayed in the Mvets.
  • Witches are a negative force because of the Evus steering. By extension all the chaos of the wild is able to run amok using a human conduit. The Bush only cares about feeding, spreading illness, defending its territory, mating (taboos be damned), and violating everything that makes humans more than beasts. The Witch at first enjoys the new powers after eating their first human, but quickly succumb to the will of the Evus. When the human can no longer offer the Evus souls, flesh, and/or blood it will break down its own host for sustenance.
  • The Fang were once among the most fearsome warriors in their region of Africa and actively promoted stories about their merciless depredations to make themselves seem more terrifying.
• Bodyguarding a Badass: Ntoutoume and Angone function as Engouang's attack dogs more than bodyguards, but they still frequently orbit him nonetheless.
• Body Horror: The first Evus crawled inside of a woman’s vagina and transported itself into a human village.
• Boisterous Bruiser: Ntoutoume Mfoulou lived for the thrill of the fight.
• Both Sides Have a Point: During Obame Andome and Engouang’s argument Engouang notes that the men of Oku are already often warlike, would continue to fight for glory if made immortal, and badger them for the secret of immortality even though Akoma Mba is the only one who completely actually knows what went down on the moon. Obame retorts that anybody would love to be immortal and that the power gap between the Ekang with Oku makes their "wars" little more than bullying and only the Oku tribes allied to Engong are able to conquer much because the immortals are basically their nuclear option.
• Boulder Bludgeon: Nze Medang smashed a boulder over Ella Minko’s head.
• Boy Meets Ghoul: Obame Andome fell in love with the spirit of Eyeng Ondo who had come to earth and pretended to be the grateful mother of the baby (Engouang Ondo) he found. Obame Andome resolved to marry the girl and adopt the baby into his clan.
• Brawler Lock: Ntoutoume engaged in one during his fight with Oveng. And so did his annoying little brother Medza Mfoulou while fighting Mboumefek.
• Break Them by Talking: One common tactic the Ekang deployed was demoralizing their opponents to distract them prior to landing the fatal blow.
• Breath Weapon:
  • Ntoutoume Mfoulou once devastated poor Ndoutoume Allogo Minko’s village with a fire ball from his mouth while battling the Flame tribe in his village. The fireball exploded and caused a terrible inferno which could be felt beyond the mountains shielding the village.
  • Eleng Akena’s pet dog rescued her from Engouang Ondo’s wrath by shooting iron balls at him that sent him flying out of the mountain and across the barren landscape to the feet of his companions.
• Broken Ace: By the time Oveng returns to the underworld for the third time he is full of despair and resignation.
• Brother–Sister Incest: Bela Mindzi was a capricious girl who bore a son with her brother for the hell of it.
• Brother–Sister Team: Ntye-Ngono was the queen of the Jemins. Her brother had many testicles. He would turn his testicles into a horde of wild pigs that would eat up the food in a target village. When the angry villagers would set on them in the square, she would create an iron fence around the village. Then she used a magic jewel on her chest to transform the men into women for him to marry.
• Bullying a Dragon:
  • The people who humiliated and teased Akoma Mba as a kid seriously didn’t comprehend who they were fucking with.
  • Efoua Medang asked Angoung Bere how he could become famous. Old Angoung Bere instructed him to kill seven mothers as sacrifices for the spell to work. The last of the seven women was the mother-in-law of Akoma Mba.
• Bunny-Ears Lawyer: Angone Zok is mentally and emotionally unstable. That said, he is a highly competent warrior and administrative leader in Engong. Nobody can match his ability to plot and scheme conflicts into existence.
• Butt-Monkey: The Yemebem were peaceful and generous to a fault. All the other tribes would take advantage of them. A common insult in Oku was "Weak as a Yemebem". People would wander into Yemebem country and simply demand or take things by force. Even the Yemebem women were considered free for the taking as their men could not or would not protect them. Despite the basic prosperity of their country, the Yemebem were subjected to endless humiliation.
• By the Hair: Akoma Mba’s shiny bald head was the handiwork of Assame Ella during their fight. Assame grabbed his locks and spun him around like a cyclone.
• Cain and Abel:
  • Akoma Mba and Andome Ella. In Fang culture cousins are not distinguished from siblings. A male cousin is considered a brother and a female cousin is considered a sister.
  • Evine Ekang the oldest son of Ekang Nna vs Ngame Ekang the youngest.
• Captured on Purpose: Mba Evine Ekang wanted to spare his people in Meko'o the horrors of war so he allowed Zok Memveme to capture him from his village.
• Captured on Purpose: Obiang Medza eagerly jumped into the gaping pit Obame Andome had created in the earth with his slingshot, saying if Andome Ella wanted a prisoner so badly he'd give him one. Not a perfect plan as Andome Ella's ghost caught him in an iron net and proceeded to hack mercilessly at his throat.
• Carry a Big Stick:
  • Mfoumou Angong Ondo wielded an iron club the size of a Baobob tree.
  • Ekuru Ayeme Atura used an iron club against Alum Ndong Minko.
  • Efoua Medang whacked Obame Andome over the head with a heavy iron pestle, stunning him.
  • Obiang Medza fought Obame Andome with a club of iron.
  • Engouang Ondo's clone struck Obame Andome fiercely with an iron club after dazing him with super powerful punches.
  • Emane Toung Mfane summoned twin iron clubs which landed in his hands from the air. He smashed them over Mbane Ona's head which resulted in flashes of light and shockwaves.
• Casting a Shadow: Ayomongang was so angry the Ekang ate his sheep that he cursed all of Engong to live in darkness unless they found a way to pay him back.
• Cavalier Competitor: Ntoutoume Mfoulou loved trash talk and even sometimes applauding his enemies when they gained the upper hand. One of his titles was the insolent one.
• Challenge Seeker: Zong Midzi and Ntoutoume. Even Afougou Zogo just wanted to test his limits.
• Character Development: While it could be christian influence especially in later tales, Akoma Mba over time softens then starts to realize his destiny of pride and war may not be all it was cracked up to be.
• Chick Magnet: Elone Kam Afe attracted crowds of swooning women at every village he passed through on his journey to Engong. Women would be pulled away from the roadside by their annoyed husbands. One older woman named Nkene Ondo was chided by her husband for admiring Elone and saying she was too old for him anyway. She retorted that his jealously knew no bounds and that if a gorila attacked her he wouldn't slay it like a dangerous monster but as a romantic challenger, this made the assembled crowd laugh. The husband retorted once her dike opens nobody can stop the flooding, cue even more laughter.
• The Chosen One: The dying Mba Evine met his sons Ondo Mba and Akoma Mba to discuss the future of the tribe. The elderly patriarch said Ondo Mba would sire a special son who would play a huge role in the destiny of the Ekang. However Akoma Mba would be the one to raise the boy. The child? Engouang Ondo.
• Chronic Hero Syndrome: Discussed. When Obame Andome visits his father Andome Ella in the underworld, his father notes that it was foolish of him to try kidnapping the powerful Engouang Ondo head-on. Andome Ella tells him that he would have been more successful if he kidnapped a woman, a child, an elder, or a disabled person instead to make the heroic Engouang Ondo follow him into his clutches.
• The Clan: All over the place. Engong is home to four clans, but three of them are famous:
  • The Endong clan is the most populous in Engong. They represent rocks. Endong clansmen embody stoicism, resilience, perserverence, and above all: strength.
  • The Mba clan is the most powerful in Engong. They represent iron and invincibility.
  • The Meye (nicknamed "Gangue" derisively) were once a weak clan with no powerful men. Everything changed when Ntoutoume Mfoulou was born. His martial prowess and forceful personality caused all the other great clans to treat them as equals. He personally battled the strongest representatives of the Endong and Mba clans for respect, ending in a draw.
  • The Okome clan are largely ignored and like it that way. They have no army and devote themselves to peaceful activities unlike their brethren. Being a clan descended from a bastard, respect was never going to be something they would find.
• Classical Hunter: Famangong of the Foumazok tribe was one.
• Clothes Make the Superman: After being punched into the sky by Mvome Okê Mfarega of the Okane tribe, the injured Oyono Engouang took a break to just sit on the clouds. While there he took hold of the clouds to his left and right, drawing them over his body into wonderful shining garments which the witnesses (such as Akoma Mba from a magic mirror) to the battle admired. More and more clouds gathered around Oyono Engouang and he felt great power, and realized he could harness it for himself. The clouds had collected into a structure the size of a mountain, completely enveloping Oyono Engouang. By then the clouds had grown dark and stormy, before floating directly over the village of Mvome Okê Mfarega. Oyono Engouang burst from the cloud bearing an iron hoop he placed around himself and his enemy, which shrunk very small, binding them together. Engouang then tightened the hoop with a chain and flew off to Akoma Mba's court with the new prisoner.
• Cloudcuckoolander: Angone Zok once demanded he be made into a chief by Akoma Mba. Bemused, Akoma Mba asked him WHAT he wanted to be chief of. Angone Zok went on a tangent about how it didn't matter WHAT he is chief of, only that he be a chief. Akoma Mba thereby named him Chief Angone Endong.
• Cock Fight: Two young men of the Yemebem tribe named Aba and Semé got into a dispute over a girl of the Yemissem tribe. Both insisted that she had been betrothed to himself. They brought their argument before chief Mbane Ona who was biased against Aba. Aba was a troublemaker in the village and had seduced Mbane Ona's favorite wife Ayétebé once before. So Mbane Ona ordered Aba to leave Semé and the Yemissem girl alone. Much later the Yemissem girl came before Mbane Ona and told him she was betrothed to Aba, not Semé. Mbane Ona pelted her with insults such that she ran away crying. Though he greatly disliked Aba, Mbane Ona knew he'd done the wrong thing. His declaration could not be reversed.
• Cold-Blooded Torture: Subverted in the case of Ntoutoume against Oveng. Engouang refused to allow it.
• Coming in Hot: Obame Andome tried to fly off in his great turret after Ntoutoume Mfoulou defeated Ekouma Ngoumou. Ntoutoume Mfoulou followed him into the turret and threw a metal ball which caused the contraption to be coated in a viscious substance which melted the weaponry. As it crashed to earth, the two warriors flew away from it.
• Confusion Fu: Afougou Zogo’s favored technique. He relied on hit and run tactics, prestidigitation, and a bit of legitimate magic to clown the Immortals.
• Cool Airship:
  • Ngouba was a flying wicker basket which the Ekang sometimes used, it gave off rainbow exhaust fumes.
  • Many characters fly around riding rubber balls. This was how Nsure Afane fled the scene of his fight with Zong Midzi, and how Obame Andome tried to flee Efoua Medang before being pulled back to earth by the ghosts of Evine Ekang and Ekang Nna holding copper ropes.
• Cool and Unusual Punishment: Elone Kam Afe catches Mbomeyo talking about Anvam Eyegue Bong to the gathered Bibao initiates and bursts into the room in a rage. He grabbed Mbomeyo by the neck, lifted him up, bent him in half, slapped his spine, and turned him into a hunchback for the rest of his life.
• Cool Car: One of Angone Zok's prize possessions is his automobile. While not quite a "car" in the modern sense of the word, it's the closest description possible for storytellers. He often speeds around Engong showing it off.
• Cool Starship: The Ekang sometimes rode into battle on the spaceship Mivulu.
• Cool Sword:
  • Nze Ondo wielded the sword Okeng Be Nyaboro or "Sword of the Knowing". Also nicknamed Ebabatsila-Tsilébaba or "Jamais Vu" (the opposite of Deja Vu). Only those who crossed the darkness between life and death could wield it.
  • Ondo Mba's great sword was called Abe Nleme Otyen or "Sword of the Cruel Heart"
  • Speaking of hearts, Akoma Mba owned a sword that could only harm a person's heart, leaving the rest of the victim intact.
  • Medang Boro wielded a sword made of lightning and fire against Andome Ella.
  • Mekui Mengomo had a flaming sword he used to cut down a forest almost instantly.
• Cosmic Egg: Aki-Ngoss was the copper egg with four faces. It exploded and gave birth to Mikour-Mi-Aki or infinity.
• Crapsack World: It certainly says something when Engouang Ondo threatens to bring a mob of ghosts back to life by reminding them of how miserable living is.
• Crazy Jealous Guy: Engouang Ondo was extremely possessive of his wife Meki M'Assigue. He swore to kill any man who touched her. He would keep her under lock and key in her chambers whenever he stepped out on an expedition.
• Create Your Own Villain: Subverted. Many lives and villages could’ve been spared if the Ekang hadn’t killed Andome Ella Ezang, driving his son to seek revenge. However, his father was still attempting to subjugate Engong and violated all the laws of hospitality, up to and including the rape of his hosts wives.
• Creation Myth:
  • Oyono Ada witnessed Eyo create Aki-Ngoss which exploded into Mikour-Mi-Aki. Mikour-Mi-Aki generated Biyem-Yema-Bi-Nkour or the nebulae. Biyem-Yema-Bi-Nkour brought forth Dzop-Biyem-Yema or the sky. Dzop spawned Bikoko-Bi-Dzop or the heavens. The first spirit called Ngwa was born from Dzop. Ngwa made Mba-Ngwa who made Zokomo-Mba who made Nkwa Zokomo who made Mebegue-Me-Nkwa. Mebegue spawned three spirits: Zame the god of earth & life, Kara the divine ancestor of the Ekang, and Zong the god of evil/ruler of evil spirits. In other tellings their if a fourth god called Ndong who is the divine ancestor of mortal humans.
  • Another myth says that Mebegue created the spider Dibobia who squeezed out an egg sac which became the earth. He then crafted another part of the supreme godhead (Nzame) in the form of a lizard which he tossed into the sea, and it returned to land 8 days later as a human. Nzame shaped the universe but most importantly breathed life into it. He asked Mebegue and Nkwa to gaze upon his works which impressed them so much they made king of the earth. The three parts of Eyo then created a new man called Fam (power). Nzame gave him strength, Mebegue taught him leadership, and Nkwa made him beautiful. He was made king of the world and left to reign. The three subordinate chiefs of the earth were the wise elephant, powerful leopard, and witty monkey. But Fam grew proud and became a tyrant that bullied the animals before proclaiming himself superior to even Nzame. Nzame was enraged and destroyed everything on earth with thunder & lightning. Fam survived hidden underground because they had gifted him with immortality. Now he continues to wander the earth hurting people. The trinity created a new layer of earth and planted a giant tree which dropped seeds which became new trees. The leaves which fell into water became fish, and the leaves which fell on land became animals. Nzame created a new man called Sekume who was mortal in order to keep man from insubordinating heaven again. Sekume was given a bride named Mbongwe made from a tree. Unlike Fam who was entirely body & soul, mortal humans have souls separate from the body. Souls are what animate the body and shadow. The shine in everyone’s eyes is a glimpse of their soul: Made of the same substance as fire & starlight.
  • Others say Nzame had a wife called Oyeme-Mam he created from his big toe. They had sex with each other and Mebegue was sickened because he considered that incest. He was so disgusted he went up to the heavens. Oyeme-Mam had 8 children who were the ancestors of the great groupings of people in the world. Mebegue taught Nzame the arts of human culture which Nzame taught his descendants before he mysteriously vanished.
• Creepy Cave:
  • The Ekang communicate with their ancestors using an eerie cave. In the outer chamber is a circle of the red skulls of their forefathers. In the inner chamber is a wooden cylinder topped by a gorilla skull. When the skull is removed an enormous constrictor snake emerges and tries to devour anyone nearby.
  • Andome Ella's lair was a cave to the underworld in a mountain.
• Crossover Cosmology: Most Beti-Pahuin people are Christian now, so elements find their way into the Mvets. In one version of Andome Ella's legend Akoma Mba does battle with a flaming-sword wielding Angel, who demands he come to heaven for judgement about Andome Ella's killing. The angel curbstomps.
• Cruel and Unusual Death:
  • Dismembered and fed to leopards? Chopped in half by scissors? Decapitated? Immolated? Ripped apart by ravenous ghosts? Forced to swallow molten iron which makes the stomach explode? Smashed between rocks by a hairy giant and devoured? Flayed alive before having your skin worn as a coat or exterior decor? Eaten by a massive crocodile? Slammed on a spike from the earth? Drowned in a bubbling pool of wailing lost souls? There were plenty of ways to die.
  • Mefoumou Mba Foumou fled the cavern filled with smoke armed only with a dagger right into the pounce of Medza Me Mfoulou's rodent-canid monstrosity. The beast tore deep into his flesh with it's fangs and claws, taking long gulps of blood as it feasted upon the frantic Mefoumou. He continued to run straight into the metal noose Medza Me Mfoulou had placed by the cave opening, and was pulled high into the air with the monster latched firmly onto him. Medza then flew off with both hanging from a trammel. Ntoutoume Mfoulou looked up at his little brother and cheered heartily along with the rest of Engong. Ultimately subverted in that his Evuses and fetish named "Avalga" were just strong enough to save him.
• Cruel Elephant: Mve Minlame's ghost took the form of an elephant. He killed many brave warriors from Oku who dared approach his tomb attempting to save Nseng Ondo.
• Cruel Mercy: Asseng Mbane was more pissed off that the immortals spared him and sentenced him to a life of hard labor than letting him die with some honor. He never forgave his wife for begging his life.
• Cunning Linguist: Oyono Mba father of Beka B'Oyono Mba is a polygot.
• Curb-Stomp Battle: Typically when Engong joins a fight, it very quickly goes from an epic battle to a horror show.
• Curiosity Killed the Cast: A lone hunter named Aboghe Mekone gave in to his curiousity and entered the forbidden forest of Yemebem country. He was not an initiate. He was enveloped in rainbow fog and horribly killed by the copper ring of Asseng Mbane.
• Damsel in Distress: Nseng Ondo was once held prisoner by the evil ghost of her grandfather Mve Minlame who had taken the shape of an elephant. She was trapped on the Nsangane river which was teeming with crocodiles. So she cried out in distress for the strongest fighters to rescue her.
• Dandere: Nseng Ondo is quite shy around men. But she is playful with her husband Engouang Ondo.
• Darkest Hour:
  • Engong has faced two. Once when Engouang pissed off the Mississim to teach Ntoutoume Mfoulou a lesson, and the other when Obame Andome was poised to utterly destroy Engong with his solar powered hand canon.
  • The Flame tribe was on the verge of extinction and reduced to cowering in a gourd in a mountain after Oveng got captured then narrowly escaped.
• Dark Is Not Evil: The Byeri cult practiced by the Beti-Pahuin required devotees preserve the bones of their ancestors in beautifully crafted boxes and sculptures to honor them and ensure their supernatural protection even as they migrated. The human skull was believed to house the primary aspect of a person's soul, and as such they were considered especially sacred. European explorers were initially shocked by such practices and mistakenly thought they were ghoulish testaments to their cruelty.
• David vs. Goliath:
  • Considering all the Ekang were giants thheir wars with Oku could count for this.
  • The Dwarf-Giant war certainly qualifies.
• Deadly Gas: Ntoutoume Mfoulou once blew up a frog like a balloon and tossed it into the village of Angone Obame Ndong. It exploded and released a deadly gas that killed everyone who breathed it.
• Dead Person Conversation:
  • Oveng Ndoumou has a heart-to-heart with the ghost of his grandfather Obame Ndong. Obame Ndong tells him about how he didn't give him such powers to chase wild ambitions like he'd been doing early in the tale, but to simply protect and rule over the Yemikabe. Despite this Obame Ndong was aware Oveng had gotten himself into tons of trouble and agreed to help him out nonetheless.
  • Obame Andome was haunted by the vengeful spirit of his mighty father Andome Ella, demanding the youth avenge his killing at the hands of the immortals.
  • Akoma Mba's sister Eyang (or sometimes believed to be his aunt Eyenga)willingly took up abode in the underworld. She helped transform him into a gorgeous woman so he could approach Abo Mama with his guard down.
  • Eyeng Ondo was Engouang Ondo's twin sister. She functioned as his guardian spirit-double of sorts. When he was in lots of trouble he would ask for her aid. It was said she never actually died, but around age 12 she mysteriously entered the spirit world.
  • Medza m'Otounga has a similar case like Engouang Ondo. His sister Efire Otounga never died. She willingly entered the land of the spirits and gives him a hand when he asks.
  • Mbane Ona confesses a few of his sins to his ancestors before getting down to business and asking them to help make his unborn son a man of power.
  • It was widely believed that the ancestors could communicate with the living in dreams. Mbane Ona ordered perfect silence in the village after praying so he could discuss his plan to achieve Yemebem glory with the ancestors in his dreams.
  • Elone Kam Afe visited his father Kam Afe in the underworld by following a tunnel through his grave when feeling overwhelmed by loss after Amanessigha and Efoutame were taken from him. He hugged his father's spirit and told him all about how his uncle Bikuékué-bi-Loroto lied in order to get two brides to sell to his buddies. The Yemendzang were told that their daughters would marry Elone after helping him finish initiation. Kam Afe was very angry his little brother was spending all his money, cheating his son, and disgracing his family's name. So, he gave Elone Kam Afe permission to harm Oyame and Beka in order to humiliate Bikuékué-bi-Loroto (it would be a massive violation of tradition for a nephew to murder his own uncle and for a man to sanction the murder of his own brother).
• Deal with the Devil: Effectively how an Evus provides a human magic. It is a demonic manifestation of the pure savage Id of nature. When a person activates the Evus they are able to tap into extraordinary abilities but lose a degree of their humanity. When a person allows the Evus to take the reigns and gives in to the creature inside they become a witch. This is irreversible transformation occurs when a person with an activated Evus drinks human blood or eats human flesh.
• Death of a Child: The last Ekang to die before Akoma Mba’s discovery was a young boy named Mfina Mba. They haven’t forgotten this.
• The Death of Death: Engouang Ondo found and killed Death itself, a hideous creature during the confrontation with Andome Ella and his forces.
• Defeating the Undefeatable:
  • As much as the Ekang love to show off their invincibility, Obame Andome left them pissing their pants after taking the fight to the heart of Engong.
  • Oveng was lauded throughout Oku for beating the living tar out of two immortals and dragging them back to the Flame tribe in humiliation.
  • Abo Mama solo’d the entirety of Engong with the might of his scepter. Akoma Mba was forced to resort to trickery to defeat him.
• Defeat Means Friendship:
  • Defied in the following case. Zok Memveme respected Mba Evine so much after their fight he asked the youth if he could adopt him into his clan as his new son. Mba Evine refused on the grounds of protecting the line of Evine Ekang. Instead they agreed to a non-aggression pact.
  • Played straight with Engouang Ondo and Oveng Ndoumou.
• Defensive Feint Trap: Mbane Ona feigned retreat after Emane Toung Mfane's counterattack in the village. Emane Toung Mfane blindly gave chase before realizing he followed Mbane Ona directly into a trap. He found himself surrounded by the initiates of the Yemebem tribe and saw the terrible abyss with rainbow fumes emanating from it before the great Oveng tree of Assia.
• Dem Bones: Eleng Akena’s dog was a skeleton, at least when she wasn’t using magic to make herself and her home beautiful.
• Despair Event Horizon: Oveng Ndoumou after Engouang returned from the underworld intact.
• Deus Exit Machina: Many stories could be resolved in hours if Akoma Mba was directly involved. So much of the time he’s on his throne waiting to judge the new losers.
• Did You Just Flip Off Cthulhu?: Oveng Ndoumou spat in Engouang’s face out of contempt during the invasion of the Flame country.
• Dirty Coward: Zip Bibana wasn’t much of a fighter and gave up pretty quickly when the Ekang gave him an opening to flee.
• Dirty Old Man: Many of them drooled and circled like vultures when Amanessigha and Efoutame arrived in Bibao country, fully aware that Bikuékué-bi-Loroto was going to give them in marriage to collect a profit. The winners Oyame and Beka wasted no time in lunging at their new brides.
• Disproportionate Retribution:
  • Akoma Mba’s brother-in-law lost his head for offering him three chickens and four ducks. This gift was way too small for someone of his stature, so he killed him.
  • Andome Ella visited his cousin Akoma Mba bearing a smorgasbord of treasures and presents. Akoma Mba was insulted by this implication he was poor, so he brutally murdered him with the help of Medang Boro. Akoma Mba was even more embarrassed by the fact that he needed help after seven days of fighting. Subverted in that Andome Ella and his men raped many of the Ekang women for a week and tried to run off with the secret of immortality.
  • Zong Midzi considered heavy breathing to be an unforgivable offense and decided to try killing Angone Zok over that.
  • Engouang Ondo was angry that the ugly old sorceress Eleng Akena wasn’t able to maintain her beautiful form for very long so he decided strangulation was an appropriate response.
• Divine Intervention: The almighty Nzame was called upon to settle the dispute between Akoma Mba and dead Andome Ella in court.
• Does Not Know His Own Strength: Oveng Ndoumou decked his father in the face during a peptalk without remembering he’s made from Iron.
• The Dog Bites Back: Mefoumou Mba Foumou's horde of tormented ghosts respected the courage and strength of Nguema Nsing Bere and Medza Me Mfoulou who faced them courageously yet respectfully. After negotiating, the two Ekang convinced the ghosts that the two of them were their only hope for defeating their master and finally being able to rest in peace. So the ghosts revealed to them the main nexus of Mefoumou's power.
• Don't Go in the Woods: Enforced by the Yemebem tribe. The forest near Assia was a forbideen zone after Asseng Mbane's birth. Any non-initiate or foreigner foolish enough to go near would find themselves killed horribly and drained of blood.
• Doppelgänger Attack: Engouang Ondo sent a clone of himself to fight Obame Andome while he figured out what to do with the trial of Akoma Mba rapidly approaching.
• Dramatic Irony: Everyone in Oku thinks Afougou Zogo is the ultimate warrior when really he’s just a very lucky trickster who the Ekang get a kick out of fighting.
• Dramatic Shattering: Amanessigha dropped and shattered a calabash of water she was handing Elone Kam Afe when he broke the news that he was being sent south to find a bride rather than marrying her and her friend Efoutame as their parents had agreed to.
• The Dreaded: As a whole Engong is seen as a country of monsters at worst and tyrannical demigods at best. But in particular Ntoutoume Mfoulou and Akoma Mba stand out.
• Disaster Dominoes: After seeing Obiang Medza driven off by Obame Andome's turret weapon, Engouang Ondo came up with an idea. He produced a rubber ball which flew around the skies. Obame Andome would miss the ball and instead spread destruction among tribes like the Yebibam and the Essamoura.
• Drums of War: Abieremame Mba was the greatest drummer in Engong. He loved music more than anything. His job was to play the mighty war drum "Meki me Bore" or "Blood of Men" to rally the Ekang in Oveng when anything of dire importance happened.
• Due to the Dead: The Ekang originally sought out immortality after the death of the most beloved member of the tribe: Nkut Engouang Meye.
• Dung Fu: Angone Zok used his flying squirrel to poop all over the place and stop the flooding of the earth. When the squirrel pooped on the giant pearl he made, it exploded.
• Earn Your Happy Ending:
  • Oveng Ndoumou never gave up and fought to the bitter end to protect his tribe. He not only lived but was able to restore the Flame to their former glory like his grandfather originally wanted.
  • Obame Andome overcame everything Engong threw at him and more. He never surrendered to low bloodlust and was able to move past his father’s plans for him. Nzame himself rewarded him with life and restored his leadership of the Essighlessi tribe.
• Earth-Shattering Kaboom: Defied by Engouang Ondo who used a magic crossbow to shoot an arrow into Abi Zalang which made the artificial sun implode on itself then explode in a glorious rain of shooting stars that lasted three days straight.
• Eating the Eye Candy: Angué Nzé just sat and stared with desire at Elone Kam Afe quietly eating sugar cane.
• The Eeyore: Fiana Bendoman was a country of these. Nobody smiles, nobody laughs, nobody dances, nobody celebrates, nobody is happy.
• Elemental Powers: Nkoum Akok Ndong Bibang of the thorn tribe fought against Engouang Ondo with sunlight, rain, and fire as weapons.
• Elite Army: When Andome Ella originally traveled to Engong, he assembled an team of only 10 terrible men from Oku: Eyegue Mve Mekoulou of the Ayangane, Ewa Mbegue Mimbim of the Beyeyess, Evou Ndong Nkoumou of the Bivolo, Toung Nfane Obame of the Bikoum, Nkom Ngui Ndong of the Binguelefouk, Nkone Yom of the Bindim, Akone Obame Mve of the Minkoum, Oboufek Ella and Ezamzamfek Ella of the Minsili, and Ekoum Yegue Mintere of the Abakoum.
• Embarrassing First Name: Akoma Mba in his youth was disparagingly called "Mborzok Bella Mindzi" meaning "Bella Mindzi's elephant-turd". He later forbid anyone from calling him Mborzok ever again.
• Enchanted Forest: Ebomam is a vast forest by the Meko Mengone mountains. The eastern slope is covered perpetually by a mysterious fog. Nobody ever goes there. Not a soul in the world knows what happens there.
• Engagement Challenge:
  • Chief Ole Mfegue of the Ngoul tribe had a splendid daughter named Eyumane Ole. He said the man who could take her off a gigantic crocodile’s back would be her husband. She sang each day for Nze Medang to rescue her from her lonesome fate, but he never seemed to answer.
  • Chief Mve Minlame believed his granddaughter Nseng Ondo only deserved to marry the strongest warrior around. So he trapped her in his tomb on an island on the Nsangane river. The river was infested with giant crocodiles. If a suitor managed to overcome the crocodiles they would then have to battle the ghost of Mve Minlame himself to free Nseng Ondo. Her parents spread world of this crisis from Oku to Engong and eventually Engouang Ondo answered the call. He rescued Nseng after fighting his way through crocodiles, other suitors, and Mve Minlame.
• Enhanced Punch:
  • Ntoutoume Mfoulou would insert his fist into his burning hot mouth and use it to throw devastating punches.
  • Alum Ndong Minko hit Ekuru Ayeme Atura with one of these.
  • Mvome Oké Mfarega beat his chest (invoking his Evus) to give himself enormous burning fists he used to deliver a Mega Ton Punch to Oyono Engouang. It was so mighty that Oyono Engouang was sent flying beyond the clouds.
  • Engouang Ondo's clone turned its fists into incandescent and burning hot fists to throw devastating punches at Obame Andome. They were able to stun him.
• Erotic Eating: Elone Kam Afe was brought sugar cane by Angué Nzé daughter of the loremaster Nzé Minko during his stay in Yemenen country. She was VERY excited by the way he ate it. He quickly realized she was enjoying it and then pretended to be ignorant of her interest.
• Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas: On the day Bella Mindzi died, her son Akoma Mba heard a particular song play. In his grief he forbid anyone to ever perform the song again in Engong.
• Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Andome Ella was genuinely panicked when Engouang Ondo declared he would kill his son Obame Andome for his attempt to destroy the world.
  • Akoma Mba was quite fond of his mother Bella Mindzi and his nephew Engouang Ondo, among a rare few others.
  • Ekang Nna was a stone-cold murdering, raping, kidnapping, pillaging, misogynistic, megalomaniacal warlord. He nonetheless loved his children, especially his little girl Okome Ekang. He insisted that his sons never raise a hand in anger at each other.
  • Angone Zok is unquestionably the most sadistic and cruel of the Ekang warriors, he also loved his niece Nkudang as if she was his own daughter. He cared about her happiness so much that he gave her the chance to try proposing to his enemy Zong Midzi. When Zong Midzi killed her, Angone Zok was beside himself with grief and rage.
• Even Evil Has Standards:
  • Ntoutoume Mfoulou and Angone Zok were absolutely sickened by the two bandits who tormented and kidnapped Okomo Nkabe after murdering her brother Atomo Nkabe when he refused to rape her.
  • The Ekang went to war with the Ebibis upon being asked for help by a tribe who were forced to give up their babies as sacrifices to the demons.
• Everything's Better with Rainbows:
  • Subverted much like in many African mythologies. The rainbow is considered uncanny at best and frightening at worst. Ndoutome the Rainbow snake was a bridge between the underworld and the heavens. He swallowed the souls of the dead to bring them up to the skies. Ntoutoume Mfoulou once summoned Ndoutome to coil around Oveng Ndoumou and fly off with him to infinity. Oveng was heavier than a mountain so the rainbow failed and tried breathing flames all over him. Oveng responded by using a magic rattle to vaporize Ndoutome.
  • Zong Midzi would emit two rainbows from his mouth to keep his opponent in his path, then a dark fog would fill the area between the rainbows so Zong Midzi could attack unseen.
  • Asseng Mbane's sacred shrine contained an abyss in the floor, from where rainbow-colored fumes wafted out.
• Evil Overlord:
  • Akoma Mba before he mellowed out.
  • Andome Ella.
  • Teme Mve.
  • Emane Toung Mfane was the leader of the Yebikoum tribe. He was a notorious conqueror and slaver from eastern Oku. He was huge, very muscular, red-eyed, and exceptionally cruel. He had a long caravan of fresh slaves and plunder behind his great army. Emame's forces raped, pillaged, and burned the Yebilot, the Yekang, the Yessom, and the Yefire tribes during his march towards the Yemebem country.
• Evil Uncle: Bikuékué-bi-Loroto was an Ungrateful Bastard who cheated his nephew Elone Kam Afe out of his inheritance. He was also a Dirty Coward unlike his big brother Kam Afe.
• Exact Words: Endong Oyono forbid all of his sons to share the bed of his wives. He forgave his son Medang Boro for having sex with his wife Ofoyeng Assoumou because they had sex but not specifically in HER bed.
• Excrement Statement: Andome Ella should’ve known there’s more ways to show your contempt for a host than using Medang Boro’s knee to wipe your ass with. “There were no leaves” just added insult to injury.
• Exploited Immunity: Engouang Ondo transforms into a giant chameleon to deflect Oveng’s final attack. (chameleons are immune to lightning in Beti-Pahuin folklore).
• The Fair Folk: The Minkug (singular "Nkug") are a race of magical spirits who pervade nature. Usually imagined as ugly dwarves they are prolific shapeshifters who can be good or evil. They function as familiars for wizards and witches. They prefer to shapeshift into apes and monkeys when given the choice. The Minkug are thought by some to be the spirits of the dead, and as such they are the ones who welcome the newly dead to the other side. Some types of Minkug can be very dangerous, particularly those who make their homes in the water.
• Familiar:
  • Mengono Ondoa sends a bat to Akoma Mba bearing a message about his capture by Mfim Ekie.
  • Angouang Bere has a hornbill.
  • Ayangoum has an owl sitting on his shoulder.
• Fantastic Legal Weirdness: During the trial of Akoma Mba vs. Andome Ella (ghost) it came to light that Akoma Mba did not actually kill Andome Ella. Andome Ella was decapitated by Medang Boro using a sword made of fire and lightning. Akoma Mba was embarassed that he was not the one to get the kill, so he made everyone present swear to agree that Akoma Mba was actually the killer.
• Fantasy Gun Control: Averted. When the Beti-Pahuin were introduced to muskets they were thrown into the Mvets to spice them up.
• Feathered Fiend: The countries of Edoune Zok were once the hunting ground of five birdlike monsters who lived high up on the massive rock dominating the Yemekom Valley. The monsters ate only human eyeballs. Entire tribes were blinded by the beasts. Many mighty warriors from across Oku tried to destroy the birds, and were quickly sent to the grave. Bold heroes like Bile Bi Tar Nkouk of the Ondem tribe or Ovoulou Mengueng of the Anga Lenga tribe had their eyes ripped out and their lives taken. Engouang Ondo deployed Nze Medang, Nkore Nze Beka B'Oyono, and Amvame Eyegue to slay the creatures. The three Ekang fought a battle of astounding violence and ferocity against the biggest and most powerful of the birds, but they failed to even knock off one feather of the monster. The three agreed that only Engouang Ondo was strong enough to defeat the bird of doom.
• Fire Balls: Plenty of warriors toss these at each other as the battle escalates beyond melee weaponry.
• Fire-Forged Friends: Assuming the Ekang don’t kill a vanquished foe or sentence them to hard labor, this is usually what happens. Especially so in the case of Engouang Ondo.
• Fire/Water Juxtaposition: The Abonong River is made of fire. Typically it is water until one throws even the tiniest piece of wood into it. A creature like a Dzun was said to make its home there.
• Flaming Sword: Both Efoua Medang and Mekui Me Mengomo own one.
• Flayed Alive:
  • Subverted in Akoma Mba's case. He only skinned Assame Ella AFTER killing him.
  • Alum Ndong Minko's trademark move was to shoot chains ending in hooks at his victims and then ripping off all their skin at once. This was how he defeated Nkomo Zok.
• Flying on a Cloud: Engouang Ondo sat on a black stormcloud where he grabbed a chunk of cloud and threw it at the earth. The cloud-ball exploded into an avalanche of massive drops of water which doused the apocalyptic flames created by Obame Andome's cannon.
• Floating Continent: The Apkakom tribe lived among the clouds in fear of Engong’s wrath. Their chief Eyeghe Ndong Metoulou murdered the little Ekang boy Mfina Mba while he was helping his uncles fish.
• Forced Sleep: Ngame Ekang cast this on Mboulamiame. Even the powerful witch Aloume Ndong Minko was caught in the spell for a long time until she managed to sneeze herself awake with the help of her Evus. She then smelled the magic in the air and went to see her son Evine Ekang. It took her three knocks on the door to awaken him from the magic slumber, and it normally only took one knock to wake him up.
• Force Feeding: Ntoutoume Mfoulou produced a thread to the sky, ending in a chunk of lead. He shoved the lead down Ekouma Ngoumou's gullet and used the thread to pull it back and forth in his stomach, esophagus, and throat. Ekouma Ngoumou resisted the torment by slapping his chest. His Evus made his skin hard like scales, and shrunk his stomach into a hard stonelike consistency to keep the lead in place. So Ntoutoume Mfoulou sent a fire down the thread which burned Ekouma Ngoumou's insides. He cried out for water as he died, looking like a cooked lizard.
• The Force Is Strong with This One: Evus users can often sense the power of other Evus users. Very important for detecting witches.
• For the Evulz: In most cases it’ll be Angone Zok or Ntoutoume Mfoulou. It’s even lampshaded when they cross the forest of smoldering ash heaps, noting that this place is the type rogues would love to haunt...like themselves.
• Fountain of Youth:
  • Nkeyeng Assoumou would instantly rejuvenate every year, becoming more beautiful each time.
  • Lake Atok Ening in eastern Oku had magical properties. Anyone who drinks the water does not grow old.
• Friendly Rivalry: Afougou Zogo with the Ekang. Except Nze Medang. Nze Medang despised Afougou and wanted to kill him.
• Friendship Moment: Oveng waking up to the three immortals carrying him and Engouang sharing a healing potion with him.
• Friends Turned Romantic Rivals: Amanessigha and Efoutame were friends and perfect "sister-wives" until having sex with Elone Kam Afe. Then they turned into romantic rivals.
• From Nobody to Nightmare:
  • Akoma Mba was just the bullied bastard son of an incestous pair. He would become the most powerful and fearsome man on earth.
  • The news of the Yemebem war with the Yebikoum spread like wildfire across Oku. Everyone was dumbfounded. The late Emane Toung Mfane was widely feared and considered insurmountable, but to add additional shock to the matter it was the long-considered weakling Yemebem tribe who slew him. It was the dawn of a new age for the Yemebem.
• The Gadfly: Meki M'Assigue once teasingly asked Engouang Ondo what would happen if she placed a hand on a male visitor. Engouang Ondo retorted that well, she'd effectively have killed the hypothetical man then.
• Geas:
  • Ekang Nna had a taboo that said he could not have sex with a woman who'd had sex with any man except him. He could also only have sex with the most beautiful ladies in a region.
  • Elone Kam Afe's taboo was that he could never have sex with a woman he intended to marry or successfully married before she poured a fetish sauce made with her menstrual blood over his late father's grave as offering. Failure to do this meant he would become vulnerable.
• Genius Bruiser: Angoung Bere, Akoma Mba, and Engouang Ondo have their moments. Akoma realized he couldn’t beat Abo Mama with direct force so he instead turned into a beautiful woman to learn the secret of his magic scepter. Engouang Ondo turned into a baby to appeal to Obame Andome’s paternal instinct.
• Genocide Dilemma:
  • Engouang Ondo isn't happy when it's been decided he should exterminate a tribe, but he'll obey the elders regardless. Just like during the war with the Flame tribe.
  • The Yemebem tribe was eliminated except for a few for their kidnapping of Medza Me M'Mtougou's daughter.
• Geometric Magic:
  • Obame Andome drew a magic circle in the underworld from which he shot his slingshot at the Ekang.
  • Elone Kam Afe used a red piece of chalk to draw a circle on a stone, turning the stone into a doorway into the mountain.
• Girls Like Musicians:
  • The mysterious sage Ngom of the Olee tribe learned about the Mvet from Oyono Ada Ngone. He became a famous musician who made it his habit of having sex with all the married women in villages he visited, inspiring the rage of their husbands.
  • Nguema Avoung of the Meye clan in Engong was a famous xylophone player. He is loved by women for this.
• God of the Dead: Ossimi Nguéma Ekang is the king and judge of Bekon, the people and country of the dead. The Ekang would sometimes refer disputes over to him when they crossed tribal lines, such as when Angone Zok's daughter was kidnapped by a mighty blacksmith and the Ekang negotiated a release of blacksmith women they previously caught in return for her.
  • Others know the king of Bekon as Zameyo Mebenga.
  • Some tribes know him as Ebakuda.
  • Esama Ndzingi is also recognized as the lord of Bekon. But other times he is merely the king of the Minkug in specific. His court is reached by a staircase of 999 steps.
• God of Thunder: Zeyaŋ is the lightning and punisher of evildoers. Usually imagined as a great cosmic beast like a leopard. His name would be invoked against enemies. It was thought his feces produced magic "sky-stones" on earth.
• Good Old Fisticuffs:
  • Medza Me Mfoulou told Mefoumou Mba Foumou he was there to punish him before engaging in an earth-shaking brawl with him after Nguema Nsing Bere left with Mefoumou's pot of souls.
  • Evine Ekang brawled with Zok Memveme after breaking free from his iron net. Evine then landed on a trees with such force he pushed the enormous plant deeper into the ground, such that the leaves were groundlevel.
• Grim Up North: The very far north of Nkourou Megnoung Eko Mbegne is a freezing cold desert landscape ruled over by the hideous queen Eleng Akena.
• Hammerspace: A recurring device. "He beat/slapped his chest". Characters produce weapons and other tools from their chests, bellies, and mouths when this happens.
• Half-Human Hybrid: Ngurangurane was the son of the monster crocodile Ombure after a tryst with one of his would-be victims.
• Hard Truth Aesop: After their battle Akoma Mba and Atoane Obame Ndong come to the same conclusion: the world is a terrible place where strong people will always get whatever they want and weak people just have to suffer according to the whims of the strong.
• Healing Potion: No warrior worth his salt leaves home without an antelope horn or calabish full. Obame Andome drank one to recover from Efoua Medang's initial attack.
• The Hermit: Ango Ekang wasn't famous like his brothers. He rejected the many women his father Ekang Nna offered him except one, taking her as his only bride. He lived in a reclusive area of Meko'o and later Oba'a. He very sporadically met with his brothers.
• Heroic Comedic Sociopath: Angone Zok is never taken too seriously by Beti-Pahuin audiences. His over-the-top psychopathy, stutter, and outrageous behavior are usually Played for Laughs.
• He's Back!:
  • Oveng Ndoumou from Engong and the Underworld just his people are under siege by Engong.
  • Obame Andome’s tribe thought he’d been killed or ran away during the cataclysmic offensive against Engong. Turns out it was him all along.
• Healing Spring: Ening Meyong was the healing pool of Engong managed by Angoung Bere. The Ekang were immortal but could still get nasty injuries if the enemy was powerful enough.
• Heavy Sleeper:
  • Engouang Ondo slept through Nze Medang breaking multiple swords against the ropes of his hammock in an attempt to wake him. Almost everyone in Engong is terrified of waking Enouang Ondo from his slumber. Nze Medang had to poke his brain through the ear with a knife to get him out of bed during the emergency caused by Andome Ella's reincarnations.
  • Subverted during the war with Zong Midzi. Engouang Ondo's wife Nseng Ondo tried to wake him up to answer Akoma Mba's summons. He faked being asleep to tease her for a while before leaping out of bed and landing on the roof of Akoma Mba's home fully dressed for battle.
• Held Gaze: Oveng Ndoumou and Eyenga Nkabe engaged in this twice. The first time was when Eyenga's father Nkabe Mbourou summoned her to help heal him after Oveng Ndoumou broke his leg. The second was when they met each other again during the initial Ekang expedition against Oveng. They completely ignored the battle raging around them (including Ella Minko's pleas for help as he lost consciousness) and just looked deep into each other's eyes.
• Helicopter Parents: Mve Minlame adored his granddaughter Nseng Ondo to an unhealthy degree. He had her initiated as a baby so she would become very wealthy and beautiful and bear many children one day. He abducted her from her parents and when she was 17 years old he instructed her to carry him on her back to his tomb when he finally died. Once there, he trapped her in a magic ball inside the tomb. * Hell-Bent for Leather:
  • Alum Ndong Minko wore leather clothing made from human skin.
  • Akoma Mba made a leather coat out of Assame Ella's skin, and sometimes wears it at ceremonies.
• Hidden Elf Village: Evine Ekang used magic to turn his vast town of Meko'o invisible, as he did not want to fight Zok Memveme's army initially. Zok Memveme cast a spell which revealed the huge settlement sitting in what would otherwise look like the middle of nowhere.
• Hold Your Hippogriffs: “Are you smoking Iboga?!” is used to mean "Are you crazy/stupid?!" by some characters. Iboga is a type of hallucinogenic plant smoked in this region of Africa.
• Honor Before Reason: The Beti-Pahuin once had a deep culture of honor & shame. The Ekang had a VERY deep culture of honor & shame. In the land of Engong, all insults and disrespect had to be answered for with the thunder of gunfire and the clash of swords.
• Hope Spot: The Esangi warrior Ekuru Ayeme Atura made his big comeback in the fight with Alum Ndong Minko by entering his Golden Super Mode and spear tackling him. Alum Ndong Minko proceeded to spit on his head and killed him.
• Horns of Villainy: Angone Zok’s mother Ofoyeng gifted him with a set of triple pointed horns that he used to stab Oveng in the back and tried flying off with him.
• Horse of a Different Color:
  • Eyenga Nkabe rode a leopard with whom she had a psychic connection.
  • Angone Zok rode a flying mouse the size of an elephant.
  • Ntoutoume Mfoulou rode a pelican.
  • Mefoumou Mba rode an elephant.
  • Many immortals were fond of flying around riding iron or rubber balls.
  • Engouang Ondo humiliated Zip Bibana of the Biguila tribe by forcing him to be his mount in public after defeating him in battle.
• Huge Guy, Tiny Girl: Mba the Ekang chieftain and the pygmy Bela Mindzi.
• Human Aliens: Evoung Tom Obiang was an extraterrestrial from the sun. He looked like a normal human albeit a large one.
• Humanity on Trial: Subverted, just some of humanity. Andome Ella became even more resolved to defeat the Ekang after Engouang Ondo formally declared a death threat on his son Obame Andome. Andome Ella was so angry and desperate to save his child he traveled the world assembling a massive following of people and animals who had been victimized by the Ekang before. He led a humongous train of disgruntled lifeforms to the court of Nzame.
• Humans Are Special: Well, were special. Originally everyone was supposed to be immortal like the Ekang. But through the flaws of mankind it was pulled from us. The first ancestor irritated God and he left.
• Human Sacrifice:
  • Ombure demanded offerings of a man then a woman on alternate days, and a beautiful virgin girl each full moon. After the tribe attempted to flee him he punished them by doubling the tithe.
  • Asseng Mbane was tasked with kidnapping one of the Ekang for a ritual where the victim would be immolated and he would then become immortal. He also had a magic copper ring which was his twin. The ring required fatal blood offerings from beautiful women and powerful men.
  • Angone Zok offered up his own mother Ofoyeng Assoumou as a sacrifice during initiation for more power. Interestingly enough she was quite happy with this arrangement. Her son became a powerful man of renown, and she got to hangout in the afterlife looking out for him rather than being pursued for sex all the time by her husband Endong Oyono.
  • Eyeghe Ndong Metoulou decapitated Mfina Mba and used his head in a ritual to enhance his own powers.
  • Obame Ndong sacrificed an albino and a new bride in order to remake his clan's Byeri.
• Hunk: Medza M'Otounga Mba was the most handsome of the Ekang.
  • Nze Ondo was also considered the most handsome of the Ekang in some tales.
  • Engouang Ondo was very attractive as well, he had many admirers in both Engong and Oku.
  • Oveng Ndoumou was another legendary hunk. When he was taken prisoner in Engong there was an uproar among the excited women, many annoyed that such a goodlooking man was doomed.

Tropes I to O

• I Have You Now, My Pretty: Oyame and Beka of the Bibao tribe immediately try to force themselves on Efoutame and Amanessigha once they bring them back to their homes. The girls kicked and screamed and cried.
• I Just Want to Be Special: Efoua Medang was frustrated he was not famous like his fellows.
• I Know Your True Name: Only initiates were allowed to say the true name of God, and only under exceptionally important circumstances such as during an actual initiation.
• I'm a Humanitarian:
  • The old sage Bitome Bizo'o knew his death was approaching soon, so he performed a ritual where he removed his own liver and heart with a knife and served them to his disciples as a meal. He told them every Mvet player will have a piece of his heart and liver, and the art will live on that way.
  • The wizard Ayomongang was a cannibal. The giant Mbuandong was a maneater. Ayomongang wanted to eat Mbuandong once and agreed to restore light to Engong if they brought the villainous giant to him to eat. On capture, Ayomongang injected fat into Mbuandong's knee and buttock which transformed him into a great mass of fat he devoured.
  • Ayomngang once tried to eat his own daughter after a long fast but failed to kill her with the tooth he tossed at her. Her distraught mother went to Angone Zok and demanded he save her daughter's life. Angone Zok dragged his feet on the matter until she threatened to feed him to Ayomngang. Angone Zok negotiated with Ayomngang and the great wizard healed the girl in exchange for food.
  • Obame Ndong of the Yemikabe allowed his corpse to be eaten by his fellow wizards after the ritual to give baby Oveng Ndoumou iron organs and magic powers.
  • Mekemeze was a cannibalistic tyrant defeated by the Eton (a subgroup of the Beti) hero Aneng Bikale.
• Immortality:
  • The Ekang men enjoy Complete Immortality, however the women of the Ekang are explicitly barred from immortality.
  • Ngom of the Olee tribe enjoyed a sort of Legacy Immortality. He was arrested and executed by the Ndong tribe for committing adultery with everyone's wives. However before his death he told his jailers he wanted to be cremated and have his ashes poured into an antelope horn, the calabash resonator of his Mvet, and then have them suspended on the veranda of a hut at night. Then the bravest of his disciples were to arrive and play the Mvet. The Ndong tribe granted this wish and two of Ngom's disciples arrived: Ondene Ekoume Ekaba and Essone Nze of the Amvome tribe. During their performance the mighty voice of Ngom declared he was now immortal, and they were to spread the Mvet across mountains and rivers to the rest of the world.
• Immune to Bullets: Zok Memveme ordered his men to open fire on Mba Evine after losing the fistfight with him, worried the Ekang was somehow more powerful than his father Evine Ekang. The ammunition bounced off Mba Evine and killed many of Zok Memveme's people.
• Incompletely Trained: The Essighlessi elders were concerned that Obame Andome was unfit to rule them since his father refused to initiate him while he was alive.
• In Love with the Mark:
  • Asseng Mbane fell in love with Oyane Medza and decided to keep her for himself instead of sacrificng her for immortality like the wizards of his tribe wanted.
  • Similarly Obame Ndong fell in love with Nsagone Akoma despite his mission to kidnap and sacrifice her to create a Byeri for his clan. He did not want to let such a beautiful girl go to waste.
• Insulted Awake: Medza Me Mfoulou and Nguema Nsing Bere picked up some of Mefoumou Mba Foumou's fetishes, uttering coarse incantions sarcastically and laughing. This mockery was enough to wake Mefoumou Mba Foumou from his meditation and lash out at the intruders in his village.
• Invisibility:
  • Akoma Mba turned himself and the Ekang assembly invisible with a wave of his hand at the start of Obame Andome's fight with Efoua Medang and Engouang Ondo.
  • Engouang Ondo turned all of Engong invisible as Obame Andome fled from Efoua Medang. All signs of human occupation were hidden from view. Any passerby would only see virgin wilderness.
• Involuntary Dance: Ndoutoume Allogo Minko made his people to dance & sing nonstop day and night. The grooving went on for months. Whenever somebody died from exhaustion, hunger, or dehydration he would tap them with his magic flyswatter to revive them and continue the party. Eyenga’s leopard scared the people so much they stampeded which ended the dance. Ndoutoume Allogo decided maybe he partied too hard and finally allowed his tribe to rest.
• "Just So" Story: Nlo Dzop the sun and his wife Ngone the moon were happily married until a wealthy chief appeared and seduced Ngone. Nlo Dzop discovered the infidelity from his children, the stars who had been covering for their mother. Nlo Dzop flew into a rage and began devouring his children and chasing the rest of his family across the sky. Occasionally he catches up to Ngone and bites her, which is why the moon waxes and wanes.
• Kid Hero:
  • Oveng Ndoumou (physiologically and mentally) and Elone Kam Afe were both early teenagers.
  • Oveng Ndoumou was chronologically six months old.
• Killer Gorilla:
  • Some tribes would capture gorillas and unleash them during melees to raise hell.
  • Oyono Nna had several guardian gorillas from the time he was born.
  • Oveng Ndoumou had an army of gorillas armed with iron clubs who ravaged Ntoutoume Mfoulou.
  • The jungles of the Beti-Pahuin world were thought to be haunted by the "Forest man" or "Woodman" who was a spirit very reminiscent of a gorilla. They have only one eye and ride around armed with a spear on large yet skinny wild hogs. They can only be killed with fetish spears stabbed into their belly buttons.
• Kill It with Fire: When the giants were losing their initial clash against the dwarfs they cut down the surrounding jungle and made a huge circular fire in hopes they could burn the dwarfs alive.
• Kissing Cousins: Bella Mindzi in some tellings, resulting in the birth of Akoma Mba. The Beti-Pahuin do not really distinguish between siblings and cousins.
• Know When to Fold 'Em: Zok Memveme surrendered to Mba Evine after having his village destroyed and witnessing the amazing powers of Evine Ekang's son.
• Lady of War: Nkeyeng Assoumou was initiated by her father Assoumou Ondo like a man would be. This transformed her into a fearless superhuman warrior. Though a breathtakingly beautiful and delicate-looking maiden, she was a ferocious war-lady who ruled the Yebekon tribe with an iron fist that subdued many other tribes in Oku. Her forces were thrice the size of Engong's. She challenged Egouang Ondo to single combat and cleared Edoune Nzok Amvene Obame of a monstrous race of gigantic eye-eating birds who lurked the Yemekom valley.
• Large Ham: Ntoutoume is certainly the loudest of the immortals. To gather the attention of Engong sometimes he would shout so loudly every living creature froze in place. He could knock down houses and flatten trees when he began yelling. Between himself, Angone Zok, and Engouang Ondo he would typically be the one vocalizing.
• Lecherous Stepparent: Played with. Endong Oyono was an Abhorrent Admirer for his much younger wife Ofoyeng Assoumou. Because of this she sought solace with his son Medang Boro who was her own age, despite being his step-mother. Endong Oyono ended up surpisingly OK with this development but still lusted after Ofoyeng who preferred to be dead than feel his touch.
• Let's You and Him Fight: Engouang Ondo created a rubber ball which flew around to bait Obame Andome into shooting at it with his magic cannon. The collateral damage angered Afab Owono and Ekouma Ngoumou.
• Likes Older Women: Not older women per se. But Nguema Nsing-Bere has a notorious fetish for breastfeeding young mothers. He once was mesmerized by his mother-in-law Obone Ava and threw caution to the winds, engaging in a wild Mating Dance with her at a celebration despite it being forbidden in Fang culture for a man to dance with his mother-in-law. Once he crawled out from underneath her skirt, Medza Me Mfoulou reprimanded him for the erotic dance. Nguema Nsing-Bere merely retorted he wished he had met Obone Ava before her daughter, and the only thing holding him back from going further was the respect he had for Akoma Mba.
• Lizard Folk: Akoma Mba's sons Menye Me Akoma and Medja Me Akoma were covered from head to toe in scales, like reptiles.
• Longest Pregnancy Ever: Bella Mindzi was pregnant with Akoma Mba for 150 years.
• Losing Your Head: Andome Ella's still-animated head sits in Engouang Ondo's secret room in Nda Bigouba.
• Lotus-Eater Machine: Mevele Ze was a Jemincon tribesman who had a unique Evus named Bejo’o Jo’o. People who enter his domain cannot remember the way out. They soon encounter a great feast, leisure, and wealth. Once the traveler is comfortable the Evus causes it to disappear and they become a slave with no memory of where they came from.
• Love Is a Weakness:
  • Among many others, Akoma Mba especially believed in this. Despite having seventeen wives and a son (Ondo Biyang) by one of them he absolutely refuses to fall in romantic love. He views his women more like possessions and sources of pride. Even when he has sex with them he maintains absolute discipline and sees it as a purely physical act.
  • Subverted by Ntoutoume Mfoulou & Angone Zok during the legend of Oveng. As much as they told each other that love turns men into wimps submissive to women, they immediately fell in love with the girls offered to them in a Yemikabe village during their genocide mission. Wanting to save face, they pretended to simply want to enjoy some hospitality while inside thinking "If he tries to hurt these girls, I will destroy him" about each other.
• Love Triangle: Amanessigha and Efoutame were the wives of Elone Kam Afe. They were both deeply in love with him. His preferences flip flopped between the two of them.
• MacGuffin: Some say Engouang Ondo flew up to the Sun and Moon, demanding they hand over the secret of life and death. The Sun and Moon submitted to the will of Engouang Ondo and gave him a shining ball he took to his fetish room in Nda Bigouba. This helped make the Ekang immortal.
• Madden Into Misanthropy: Beka B'Oyono was once among the kindest people in Engong. He believed that all men are brothers and it was merely ignorance of each other's humanity that caused wars and strife. Like Oveng Ndoumou Obame whom he once admired, he had great dreams of creating a utopia. So he set out to connect all tribes in the world with roads. After all, he thought if everyone was conneced together they would interact and realize their differences were not things to fight about. So he instituted the building of a massive road system between Oku and Engong for all people to use. He assembled a team of workers from both regions and got to work. But the workers would complain, and demand too much, slack off, and start squabbles. Beka B'Oyono became furious at the ungratefulness humans have and concluded that the world is altogether wicked. He said kindness has no place in the world and people only care about themselves, inevitably turning on people who stop to help them once they become capable enough. He decided that only brutality and force can make humans behave, not kindness. From then on Beka B'Oyono was an absolute tyrant over Bikalik.
• Made of Iron: Emane Toung Mfane was stabbed in the gut and spinal cord by Mbane Ona's two swords and still continued fighting him.
• Mage Marksman: Zong Midzi was gifted a magical musket in the underworld by his ancestors, the bullets would relentlessly pursue whoever he shot at with it.
  • Ondo Biyang used the famous automatic rifle "Ngoung Nga'a" which never runs out of ammunition. He used this magic weapon to drive back the host of the Mississim warriors during their epic clash with the immortals.
  • Obame Andome saw Engouang Ondo and Efoua Medang hot on his trail in the sky, and produced a gun the size of his forearm. The firearm shot a dazzling beam which struck the exact spot the two immortals were standing moments before. There was a whistling noise and then a blinding explosion which spread fire across the land.
• Mage Species: Evuses are a sort of supernatural parasite or symbiote. They can be given to other people or taken from them. A witch is someone who has entirely given themselves over to the Evus. Everyone has an Evus, even animals have Evuses. Evuses are not entirely bad, though by nature they lean towards evil owning to their Horror Hunger. What a person chooses to do with the Evus is what matters. Most people are selfish, so Evuses are generally used for selfish purposes.
• Mage Tower: Mfim Ekie lived in a huge bronze tower.
• Magic Cauldron:
  • The Essighlessi wizards used one to brew a magic sauce to try initiating Obame Andome by force. When they brought a spoonful to him the cauldron exploded, scalding and blinding all the sorcerers. Those who didn’t die immediately fell incurably ill before succumbing.
  • Angry wizards from the rest of Oku kidnapped Edzang Ella in an attempt to learn who was responsible for killing the venerated sorcerers. They brewed a magic sauce again which they dripped on a vine, transforming it into a python. The creature attacked Edzang until he confessed it was his nephew Obame Andome who somehow caused the explosion.
• Magic Kiss: Eyeng Ondo put Obame Andome back to sleep with a kiss while searching his body for the source of his power.
• Magic Mirror:
  • Akoma Mba owned one which he used to watch events in the world.
  • Engouang Ondo also owned such a mirror.
  • Afougou Zogo's great mirror could reflect the rays of the sun. He used it to confuse the immortals, and also once used it to roast 10 pythons from the massive python bridge to death.
  • Medza Me Mfoulou used a magic mirror to see the several tunnel made like a labyrinth where Mefoumou Mba Foumou was hiding.
• Magic Potion:
  • Obame Andome poured one at his feet and then smashed two turtle eggs from his satchel in order to free himself from the copper hooks Efoua Medang had attached to him. He did a frantic ritual dance and flew away.
  • Bikuékué-Bi-Loroto beat his chest to produce a bottle of warthog oil. He dumped it on Elone Kam Afe's head and calmed his furious emotions.
  • Elone Kam Afe gave his wives vials of potion tied to the feet of their beds. If he ever died then they were to drink it and be teleported back to the safety of their homes in Yemendzang country. The potions however had no effect unless he was actually dead.
• Make My Monster Grow:
  • Mefoumou Mba Foumou turned a mouse into a terrifying Ebigane in order to destroy the python bridge on the Melole river.
  • Medza Me Mfoulou took a mouse and fed it a twig, turning it into a horrific looking half-rat-half-dog beast.
• The Man Behind the Man: Andome Ella became a very powerful ghost and respected figure among the dead. He plotted and schemed to send powerful men from Oku to attack Engong again and again. He often initiated many of the men himself when needed.
• Maniac Monkeys: Chimpanzees are not nice creatures. In Beti-Pahuin lore they represent the absolute savagery of nature in man if left uncontrolled. When their king was assassainated they waged a relentless war against the humans. Inverted with Gorillas who were viewed as simply hairy weirdos humans shouldn’t bother.
• The Man in the Moon: A woman named Menone Me Anyam lives on the moon. She sends her breath down to earth to make women ovulate and menstruate.
• Mega Ton Punch: Mba Evine threw one at Zok Memveme, which missed. The force behind it was so great it created a new lake that could be seen up to the horizon.
• Men Don't Cry: Bikuékué-bi-Loroto chastises his nephew for getting emotional over his two fiancee's: "Would you be sentimental? I warn you that a powerful man should not be bothered with sentimental emotions. A mighty man is the fire that cleans the bush; his heart is of rock, his mind of iron. Sentimental people are effeminate people who are dangerous to introduce into society. Take your position as a powerful man seriously and do not weigh down your mind with the tears of little virgins."
• Mix-and-Match Creatures:
  • The Ebigane was a monster that was part mouse, part buffalo, part elephant, and part bat. Sometimes it was part human.
  • The Dzun was a great river monster with tusks, paws, and thick folds of skin.
  • Medza Me Mfoulou fed a mouse from his satchel a twig, turning it into a half-dog and half-rat monstrosity. The beast's hair stood up like thorns and smoke billowed from it's mouth. He sicced it on Mefoumou Mba Foumou who was trying to escape suffocation in the smoking tunnels of his mountain.
• Mood-Swinger: Angone Zok was emotionally unstable among other things. He could go from a dissociative rage to murderous glee to surprising generosity & kindness in a short window.
• Morality Pet: Engouang Ondo for Akoma Mba and the rest of the Ekang leaders. Akoma Mba is known to occassionally indulge Engouang's compassionate nature.
• More Dakka: Ondo Biyang's famous gun was called "Ngoung Nga'a", meaning "the Hornbill". It was fully automatic and helped push back the Mississim hordes.
• Mr. Exposition: Ze Minko of the Yemenen tribe was Akoma Mba's maternal cousin and childhood friend. He had extensive knowledge of not only Engong's history but also the history of all the tribes of the south. Elone Kam Afe's uncle instructed him to visit Ze Minko to learn more about the Immortals in order to marry one of their women.
• Mutilation Interrogation: After kidnapping Aloume Ndong Minko, Ekang Nna was confronted by her outraged parents and their tribe for his violation of custom. Ekang Nna was angry because he thought they should be grateful their daughter was marrying such a powerful man of renown. So he had three graves dug and dressed for battle then gave long speeches about how rotten mother-in-laws, father-in-laws, and wives can be. After addressing his mother-in-law, he cut off her left ear and threw it in a grave. After addressing his father-in-law he cut off his right thumb and threw it in the next grave. Finally he threatened his new wife that if she ever crossed him he would send her to the ghost country in the third grave.
• My God, What Have I Done?:
  • Akoma Mba eventually admitted to himself that he was an absolute monsterwho had caused an unmeasurable amount of suffering and misery in the world in the pursuit of power at all costs. This made him and his wife Melou Me Ne Mbeng decide to seek out Nzame to be cleansed of his sins.
  • Atoane Obame Ndong of the Bivangong was a warlord almost as terrible as Akoma Mba, who through self-reflection decided to receive absolution from Nzame.
• Mysterious Mist: This is often cast in anticipation of combat.
• Mystical Pregnancy: Mbane Ona's wife Ayétebé was carried in her sleep to the sacred hut at the foot of the Oveng tree. There, Mbane Ona came face-to-face with the great wizard of Oku: Ayangoum. The wizard ordered him to place the ancestral skulls in a basket and leave. Ayangoum drew a red line down Ayétebé's lower abdomen from the navel and blew a powder of hot chili and a black subtance into her face to make her sneeze. Ayétebé immediately gave birth to Asseng Mbane in one moment. Ayangoum made her sneeze again and she gave birth to a copper ring via C-section, which he placed beside the newborn. As Ayangoum washed the baby, a shooting star illuminated the night sky and halted when it could be seen by all. All the powerful men on earth could feel the arrival of Asseng Mbane. Olong Ndong of the Beard tribe proclaimed the earth was shaking on the banks of the Bevuyeng river and all should open their eyes. Chief Anvane Obame from the village of Edoune Zok (who commanded all the tribes surrounding Lake Atok Ening several months walking distance away from the Bevuyeng) said "The earth quivers somewhere! Bloodshed is close at hand!". Nkoulou Adzap of the Yeko (Parrot)tribe said "It is very important to Mikour Megnoung-Ne-Nkol-Adzap. A powerful man has been born.". Meanwhile in Engong, Akoma Mba's fetishes had gone into a trance. His crate full of skulls shook frantically until he made them still with a wave of his and a commmand of "Calm down. I have noticed the earthquakes. I am aware one from the abyss was born in Eton-Abadzik. His star shines above our heads, a sign of remarkable power. I will inform Engouang Ondo." before shutting the box again.
• Naked First Impression: When Abo Mama challenged Otungu the latter had just finished enjoying marital relations with his wife and answered the door stark naked.
• Nature Adores a Virgin:
  • New initiates can only be fed food prepared by virgins in order to maintain ritual purity.
  • Elone Kam Afe had two virgin girls from the Yemendzang tribe cooking for him: Amanessigha and Efoutame.
• Nephewism: Engouang Ondo was raised by his uncle Akoma Mba per the instruction of Mba Evine. Akoma Mba was a devoted and loving uncle: he taught Engouang how to hunt, how to fish, how to fight, how to do magic, how to farm, and how to be wise.
• Nested Story: Very common. Mvet performances frequently go off on detours telling stories within stories either by the player himself or by characters within the stories telling stories.
• Nigh-Invulnerability: The Ekang were an entire nation of this. Meanwhile some of the mortal warriors were similar, taking many blows from sharp or blunt objects which just make the weapons break.
• No Biological Sex: Angouang Bere's wife Okumele Bikang has no vagina.
• Noble Savage: The Beku pygmies lived on the moon in a sort of Edenic paradise. Free from war, disease, and hunger they were ruled over by The Good King Bissiga Ndong. After the catastrophic battle in Mbel-Alene between Evoung Tom Obiang and the earthlings the Beku retreated to the deepest jungles on earth where they live even now.
• No Smoking: Mvele-Mekomo was a chief of the Yeminyon who detested smoking. He beheaded anyone he caught smoking. He started a war with the Ekang by trying to stop their consumption.
• Nothing but Skulls:
  • All over the place, considering the key role of the Byeri cult.
  • Mbane Ona prayed to his ancestors by entering a sacred hut at the foot of an Oveng tree and taking out four skulls painted red, black, and white. He placed fetishes of leopard teeth, snake skins, and antelope horns full of black wax before them.
• Obi-Wan Moment: Chief Engong Ella of the Yemisem tribe did not panic, curse, weep, cower, or shout as Alum Ndong Minko closed in on him. He calmly told his son Obama Engong Ella to lead the Yemisem and take as many as possible to safety in Engong, reassuring him that he was fully prepared for his new duties.
• Offing the Offspring: In one telling Akoma Mba was going to make his wife sacrifice his yet-unborn firstborn son in order to gain more power. Ondo Mba thought that was unacceptable and sent the woman away. To compensate Akoma Mba he gave him his own son Engouang Ondo to raise.
• Off with His Head!: Where to begin?
  • Mvome Oké Mfarega was decapitated by Nzé Ondo using his legendary sword Okeng be Nyaboro nicknamed Ebabatsila-Tsilébaba.
  • Akoma Mba willingly had his head cut off on the advice of Angouang Bere during a ritual to visit his sister/aunt the sorceress Eyenga in the spirit world so he could learn how to defeat Abo Mama.
  • Zong Midzi cut off Nkudang's head when he realized she was one of the Ekang, so her lover Nsure Afane retaliated by cutting off the head of Zong Midzi's wife Esone Abeng.
  • Medang Boro cut off Andome Ella's head, avenging the evils he and his entourage had committed against Engong.
  • Akoma Mba decapitated Assame Ella who had blocked the road with his beard during Akoma’s wars of conquest.
  • Mfina Mba had his head cut off by Eyeghe Ndong Metoulou, infuriating the then-mortal Ekang.
  • Nze Medang and Obiang Medza avenged Mfina Mba years later by dragging Eyeghe Ndong Metoulou from the cloud country and hacking off his head on earth.
  • Medza Me Mfoulou cut off the witch-doctor Mbale Biang's head in order to help liberate the ghosts owned by Mefoumou Mba Foumou, and break his power.
  • Aboghe Mekone was decapitated by Asseng Mbane's ring after wandering into its shrine. As he tried to run away from the area, the ring flew up and wrapped around his neck like a collar. Then razor-sharp blades came out from the inner ridge and spun like a power tool, ripping his head off as a fountain of blood dribbled from his neck hole.
  • Emane Toung Mfane was lured by Mbane Ona to Asseng Mbane's ritual site. As the drums played he fell into a trance and was helpless as two huge initiates as strong as gorillas lifted him up and threw him into the deep chasm in the earth with Asseng Mbane and his ring. The ring put itself over Emane's neck, shrunk tight to fit, and from it sprang blades which spun in a circle and shredded his head off. The blood sprayed all over Asseng Mbane who achieved new strength from the ritual. Then all the surviving warriors in Emane Toung Mfane's army were beheaded, their blood being splattered all over Asseng Mbane and his ring. Their corpses were tossed into the Bevuyeng river.
• Oh, My Gods!: “By the shiny bald head of Akoma Mba!”.
• Old Man Marrying a Child: Ofoyeng Assoumou was married off to Endong Oyono when she was a tiny girl, effectively raised by her co-wife Eyang Mba. Endong Oyono was even older than her father.
• Ominous Latin Chanting: As Mefoumou Mba Foumou recited his dark spells against Nguema Nsing Bere and Medza Me Mfoulou, they could hear the voices of his numerous ghost slaves chanting along with him.
• One-Man Army: Evoung Tom Obiang defeated every single great wizard from planet earth at the battle of Mbel-Alene up on the moon, even killing several of them. He even fought Akoma Mba to a draw, the first time Akoma Mba had ever failed to crush an opponent.
• One-Steve Limit: Angono Zok Obama Ndon tried to enforce this trope. He thought only one man was worthy of the name Angono. On meeting another he challenged him with the newcomer’s wife Nda Mengono as a wager.
• Orphan's Ordeal: Elone Kam Afe lost both of his parents as a kid. He lamented this especially in times of difficulty.
• Our Demons Are Different: Obame Andome had a hideous Evus that even Eyeng Ondo struggled to find inside him. It was a black-furred humanoid with horns on its knees and head, with a tail like a monkey. It was the master of evil, equivalent to the Christian Satan.
• Our Dwarves Are All the Same: Averted. There was said to be a tribe of "dwarfs" led by their chief Angonzing.
• Our Giants Are Bigger:
  • The man eating giant Mbuandong had to be dragged from his lair using a great ship.
  • The Ekang are themselves giants, but not massively so.
  • There was another tribe of giants like the Ekang, led by their chief Ndongmba.
• Our Ogres Are Hungrier:
  • Ezuzums were nasty bush devils who ate people.
  • Ebibis were far worse than Ezuzums. Well organized, skilled in magic, and more powerful than their Bizuzum counterparts. Not to mention hungrier. They were able to even give the Ekang a spot of trouble after an old sorcereress joined the ranks of the Ebibis. They were occasionally associated with water.

Tropes P to Z

• Pals with Jesus: Engouang Ondo had a room in his house that opened into a room in heaven, making him and Nzame neighbors. They would sometimes share whatever they happened to trap or hunt like friends.
• Pay Evil unto Evil: Akoma Mba eventually settles on this attitude.
• Pelts of the Barbarian: A popular fashion was a leopard skin worn as a cape.
• Perfectly Arranged Marriage: Nkene Ndong was the daughter of Ndong Minkouna of the Ayangane tribe. After the death of their father, her brother Olong Ndong realized he needed more powerful allies as his status was attracting strong enemies. So he offered her in marriage to the mighty king Ekang Nna. It was a fantastic match. Ekang Nna accepted her graciously. Nkene Ndong loved and respected Ekang Nna throughout their marriage, and she proved to be his favorite wife.
• Perfect Pacifist People: The Yemebem were a near-utopian people. They did not know of war or murder. They lived lives of leisure and wealth. Their country was beautiful and lacked nothing. The people were tall, strong, and beautiful. Visitors were recieved with incredible hospitality. Unfortunately, their pacifistic nature made them targets for the myriad warrior tribes of Oku.
• Perplexing Pearl Production: Angone Zok produced a pearl from his chest that grew to massive size and flooded the earth after piercing it with a spear.
• Pinball Projectile: Zong Midzi's musket fired bullets that would fly every which way until it finally hit its target, no matter the distance or change in direction.
• Pooping Food: Ayomongang owned a goat that would poop out delicious wads of fat.
• Portent of Doom: Elone Kam Afe had a flask of water on the wall of his house. If the water turned into blood it meant that he was dead.
• POW Camp: Beka B'Oyono turned his village of Bikalik into a concentration camp. In order to complete his road project he decided mass forced labor was necessary, and what humans deserve. Warriors who are sentenced to Bikalik are NOT being shown mercy. It is actually considered better to simply be excuted by the Ekang than go to Bikalik. It is a nightmarish Hell Hole Prison where the malnourished prisoners look like walking skeletons with flesh tightly stretched over them. They are fed one banana per day and get a calabash of water every full moon. Anyone who even considers tasting the waters flowing nearby the roadworks is severly punished. Sometimes workers with strong wills and ability are able to rise up to team leader. Life for team leaders is almost pleasant. Almost. The worst part about Bikalik is that the prisoners have hope and nothing else. A life without being able to enjoy anything is worse than death.
• Power Crystal: Obame Andome jabbed his big toe into the earth and called down lightning which opened the earth. He drew from it the magic Crystal Ball "Abi Zalang" or "lightning waste". It was about the size of his thumb and shined rainbow colors. It was powerful enough to obliterate the entire planet.
• Power Glows: Mvome Oké Mfarega of the Biboukoum tribe in Oku threw a glowing spear he materialized from nowhere at the great Python Bridge of the Melole river, skewering three of the colossal monsters and flying them high into the air. When Engouang Ondo's son Oyono Engouang flew after him, Mvome Oké Mfarega shined like a shooting star and with a sound like thunder flew back to his own tribe with his three trophies.
• The Power of the Sun: Abi Zalang grew to massive size once it was launched into orbit, the burning crystal of destruction was going to swell to a size greater than the earth, sun, and moon.
• Pretty Boy: All the descendants of Okome Ekang (or Ada Ngone as she was nicknamed) were gorgeous like she was. The males such as Oyono Ada fell into this.
• Pummel Duel: Alum Ndong Minko and Engbwang Meye Megiri created a big chasm in the earth from their duel.
• The Quiet One:
  • Engouang Ondo is the strong silent type. He never raises his voice. Even in the heat of battle or when commanding his warriors.
  • Mbane Ona of the Yemebem was a man of few words.
• Rage Against the Heavens: Akoma Mba was said by some to have flown to heaven and fought Nzame himself, demanding to know why he lets bad things happen. Nzame narrowly survived the battle and gave Akoma Mba additional powers.
• Rain of Something Unusual: Oveng Ndoumou distracted the Immortals prior to retreating by throwing a fireball into the air which exploded and sent down a hellstorm of flames that couldn’t be quenched by water.
• Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil: Andome Ella and his men violated the wives of the chiefs in Engong during his disastrous visit. These offenses among others pushed Akoma Mba and the immortals to retaliate against him in spite of their attempts to be good hosts.
• Rapid Aging:
  • Oveng Ndoumou Obame was as developed as a 14 year old by the time he was 6 months old.
  • Asseng Mbane aged into a grown man by the time he was 9 months old.
• Really Fond of Sleeping: Angone Zok prefers to stay home and sleep if he has nothing important to do.
• Reincarnation: Andome Ella was allowed to reincarnate after losing his court battle against Akoma Mba and the Ekang, still seeking revenge. He was born as twin brothers: Bizango Nkut Obama and Eyegue Obama.
• Reluctant Warrior: Engouang Ondo fights with no hate in his heart. He greatly dislikes violence despite his incredible capacity for it, and the fact that he is a general makes it harder.
• Reptiles Are Abhorrent:
  • Alum Ndong Minko the crocodile-man was born from a giant floating egg. He was one of the most vile foes the immortals faced.
  • All terrible and powerful men were called "Crocodile men"
• Resurrective Immortality: After the death of Nkut Engouang Meye, the Ekang resolved to end death for good. Mengone Ekang (chief of Elik-mkpala) joined Eyenga Zame Nguema on a journey to Nnom Bekon. They stationed themselves at the gates. Now when any Ekang person arrives in Nnom Bekon they are simply turned away by the two. Even miscarried children come back to life.
• Retired Badass: In some tales supreme overlord Akoma Mba is retired and hands over the reigns of Engong to Otungu, Angone Zok, or Engouang Ondo so that he may finally be free from The Chains of Commanding.
• Ring of Power:
  • Engouang Ondo owned a copper ring which allowed him to teleport to Nda Bigouba if he twisted it.
  • Medza Me Mfoulou twisted a copper ring to fill Mefoumou Mba Foumou's tunnel network under the mountain with black smoke, hoping to smoke him out.
• Ritual Magic: Obame Andome took an antelope horn full of black wax and stuck it in the ground. He took a whistle in his left hand, and in his right he put two dry pieces of grain on the horn. He blew the whistle and the grains opened up, spilling scalding hot white fluid from them. The white fluid was so hot it immediately melted Obiang Medza's iron prison and began burning him.
• Rivers of Blood: Mveng Metue was a river of blood fed by the extremely violent tribes who lived in its basin: the storm tribe, the lightning tribe, the silkworm tribe, and the assembly tribe. The first two tribes hated the last two tribes and were always at war with them. The area was called the country of mysteries, and even very brave people avoided it when possible.
• Rule of Three:
  • Enforced by the Ekang. The council of elders is headed by a representative from each of the three warrior clans. Any military expedition by the Ekang must have a representive from the three clans.
  • Akoma Mba heads political power in Engong, Angouang Bere heads spiritual power, and Medza Me Otoungu heads economic power.
  • Engouang Ondo, Angone Zok, and Ntoutoume Mfoulou form a Power Trio known as "the terrible ones".
• Running Gag: Whenever the Ekang commune with the ancestors they always volunteer Ntoutoume Mfoulou’s sheep as sacrifices, this annoys him greatly.
• Sacred Hospitality: Very important in Beti-Pahuin culture. Hosts must always be accomodating to guests and guests must always be polite to hosts. Even the Ekang take great care to make their guests comfortable. Serious matters are only discussed the day after the arrival of travelers. Noteworthy events:
  • Andome Ella and his men all ended up dead for abusing the hospitality of the Ekang.
  • Ntoutoume Mfoulou was insulted Ekouma Ngoumou met him and Angone Zok with hostility even though they had not engaged him in any hostility yet. He called him out, noting that the Ekang are always gracious to whatever Oku tribesmen visit Engong in peace.
  • Ekang Nna approached the parents of Aloume Ndong Minko as a guest, and immediately violated the law of hospitality by kidnapping Aloume Ndong Minko. When her parents and their tribe tried to mount a rescue mission Ekang Nna initially accepted them as guests, then immediately threatened them all with violence the next morning.
• Sad Bollywood Wedding: Aloume Ndong Minko's wedding with Ekang Nna was a massive occasion attended by tribes from throughout the lands. It didn't change the fact that she had been ripped from her home, brutalized, and was going to be violated by her groom.
• Save the Princess: Awoune Mve of the Bee tribe set out to rescue Eyumane Ole from her life on the back of the monster crocodile after hearing her sad but enchanting song. He approached with a canoe while the monster slept and tried to lift Eyumane but she was supernaturally stuck to it. The beast awakened and chomped his canoe in half while he tried to flee. It tried to crush him with its tail and jaws which touched opposite river banks while he shot at it. The croc roared and drank half the river before shooting out a scalding steam from its mouth. Awoune became itchy and cured it with a magic potion. He then ejected two tusks out of his nose which entered the crocodile’s gaping mouth and fatally impaled its squishy insides.
• Scaling the Summit: Mekui Me Mengomo climbed up the mountain in Oveng to Akoma Mba's house.
• Scary Black Man: Kinda goes without saying when almost every dude is a headhunting central african superhuman warrior-magician.
• Scary Scorpions: Oveng had huge black scorpions among the gifts his ancestors gave him. Ntoutoume Mfoulou tried to cut off one’s stinger with scissors and failed. The creature stung him quite badly and their brawl sent them flying out of the mountain and back to Angone Zok & Engouang Ondo’s location. Angone slew the monster with a magic arrow.
• Scary Skeleton: Ogengé is a fearsome giant skeleton spirit. It lurks in dark forests and piles of sand waiting to grab travelers by the throat, strangling them to death. The only way to overcome their hauntings is to hit the ground on your belly and cross your legs. Ogengé will have to copy you and disappears at sunrise.
• Serious Business: Card games in one modern tale. Such games became all the rage in Engong to the point that one priest considered it a corrupting influence, so he tried to have it banned. This snowballed into an argument between immortals that would be decided by an ultimate card game. The winner would get the final say in who may play or not.
• Sex God
  • Obame Andome and Eyeng Ondo (in disguise) had passionate sex from sunset to sunrise after Engouang Ondo's clone failed to show up for another attack.
  • Elone Kam Afe was an excellent lover who pleasured his wives from the tips of their toes to their hair. Amanessigha was overwhelmed with delight, and the shy Efoutame had a fantastic experience despite being very nervous.
• Shear Menace:
  • The entrance of Angone Zok's home has a massive pair of scissors which chop up tresspassers with lightning speed.
  • Obiang Medza freed himself from Andome Ella's iron net by sneezing out a big pair of scissors while in the underworld.
• Shotguns Are Just Better: Mbuandong owned a four barreled shotgun.
• The Shut-In: Angone Zok likes listening to music at home relaxed in his woven chair, smoking his pipe.
• Siege Engines: The giant warrior Nloutangmba wielded the famous crossbow named Ngorkmimbang. It's actually more of a catapault than a bow since it launches boulders to crush enemies to death instead of arrows.
• Sinister Whistling: Ntoutoume Mfoulou loves whistling when he's bored, annoyed, or excited for violence.
• Sleeps with Both Eyes Open: Enouang Ondo could sleep with his eyes open.
• Snakes Are Sinister: Angone Zok and Beka B'Oyono had a bridge built on the Melole river made from hundreds of gigantic, writhing, fire-breathing pythons.
• Solitary Sorceress: Eleng Akena was the queen of the end of the world up north who lived alone. She was both a Wicked Witch and a Hot Witch. All who entered her frigid, barren, unforgiving kingdom would never leave. She was a hideous old hag surrounded by flies, her legs were covered in putrid sores, her skin was itchy, and her hair was a matted mess full of lice, her body smelled like rotten dog flesh. She frequently cackled. At her feet was a mangy dog with prominent fangs. But when she felt like it, she could transform temporarily into a superb young girl with abundant hair, smooth skin, full lips, and gleaming ivory bracelets.
• Sonic Stunner: Chiefs Afab Owono and Ekouma Ngoumou went to confront Obame Andome about the destruction in their countries. While they voiced their anger the trio was suprised by Angone Zok and Ntoutoume Mfoulou. Angone Zok was fascinated and amused to see Afab Owono whom he called "Bird Man", demanding to take him to show Lord Akoma Mba. Afab Owono was furious about such insolence and tackled him. Angone Zok rammed his big toe into the earth, and summoned a great sword with a strange copper ball at the tip. Angone Zok inserted the ball into Afab Owono's ear. It made a horrible noise which made Afab Owono take to the skies hoping he could find a way to silence the device. The terrible ringing send all the men, women, children, and animals in Yinamessok running for the bush to escape. So he flew southwest to the Yemissem tribe, the people were terrified and their chief Ebolo Fa Bekouh drove him off with a sword from his hip. Then Afab Owono flew to the Yemintoum tribe and scared them with the sound of the too, so chief Onyonyo Mifibi chased him away with a sword. He then flew over the Yemibat tribe led by chief Mimbotomo Ella. At last he landed in the land of the Bilulugne tribe, specifically the village of Abiame which was protected by Essok Dzam Ondo son of the Bilulugne chief Ondo Mfet Mam. Essok Dzam Ondo was the son-in-law of Otungu Mba by marriage to his daughter Ada Otungu, and thus preferred to settle conflicts between Oku and Engong whenever possible. Essok Dzam Ondo gave Afab Owono a white helmet which silenced the ringing, but with instructions to visit Akoma Mba or face doom. Afab Owono tried to flee home with the helmet and dropped it over Abiame. When he tried to recover it from Essok Dzam Ondo the latteer told him to leave his country or he'd kill him himself. Afab Owono decided to head to Engong to be rid of the atrocious noise. He flew over Mveng-Oyom and was intercepted by Mengong Me Mfoulou who sat on his shoulders and ordered him to go to Oveng, seat of Akoma Mba's throne. Lord Akoma drew a circle around Afab Owono's ear with mysterious red wax and silenced the device. When Medang Endong called him out as an Evus, Afab Owono panicked and tried to fly away. Akoma Mba turned the ringing back on by twisting his magic copper ring.
• So Proud of You: Ondo Mba was very proud of his son Mekui Me Mengomo for his victory over the Moneblum, and bringing home a bride of his own successfully. He proclaimed that his boy had truly become a man.
• Sorcerous Overlord: Sorcery was basically a prerequisite for any kind of political power.
• Soul Jar: Mefoumou Mba Foumou had a pot hidden under his bed containing the bones and organs of his victims, which allowed him to maintain power over them after their deaths. Nguema Nsing Bere shot two copper hooks from his chest and seized the pot from its hiding place. He then spat two slugs onto the lid who softened the rim with their slime. Medza Me Mfoulou then struck Nguema Nsing Bere with a mighty hammer to send him and the soul jar back to Engong while he dealt with Mefoumou Mba Foumou.
• The Spartan Way: Ondo Biang tests all the new recruits in Engong for their toughness before initiation as warriors. He hits them with his huge axe and they cannot show any sign of injury or even flinch. Otherwise he dismisses them as unfit.
• Speaks Fluent Animal: Akoma Mba can speak porcupine. He stole this power from Andome Ella.
• Spike Shooter: Obiang Medza roared in pain and retaliated against Andome Ella's attempt to cut off his head by shooting iron spikes from his chest into the ghostly chief.
• Spontaneous Generation: Whenever an animal is used in Engong for food, it is immediately replaced by another from thin air.
• Spooky Séance: When the immortals talk to their ancestors, it’s pretty damn spooky. They wrestle a giant snake and throw a goat sacrifice to it. Once the beast has eaten it relaxes and glides into the pool before the chamber. It rises up and speaks in the voices of the ancestors.
• Springs, Springs Everywhere: After Nzé Medang snatched Afougou Zogo's magic mirror and ate it, Afougou Zogo made his escape by producing a drum with four springy legs. He bounced on it to fly very high up into the air.
• Standard Hero Reward: Awoune Mve won Eyumane by winning her father’s challenge. Unfortunately for him, Nze Medang eventually learned about this and was not happy that the girl who originally sang about him married another. He then set out to teach Awoune Mve a lesson...
• Staring Down Cthulhu: Asseng Mbane's wife Nkene Messie faced down the Ekang at his trial. She showed no fear of them, made unwavering eye contact, and had absolute composure when defending her husband and his actions. Such a thing was unheard of: a woman, a young woman, one not even related to the Ekang by blood or marriage speaking directly with the most powerful men on the planet.
• Stealth Hi/Bye: Ayangoum loved doing this. He scared the shit out of Mefoumou Mba Foumou by appearing behind him and placing his hands on his shoulders while he was eating in the great dark forest of Doumou-Afane in southern and southwestern Oku. He vanished shortly after delivering some exposition on Andome Ella & Obame Andome, then warning him to beware Angone Zok's machinations.
• Straw Misogynist: The Fang generally did not think very much of women.
• Stutter Stop: Angone Zok speaks with a stutter.
• Suffer the Slings:
  • Obame Andome was furious that the Ekang had invaded the Essighlessi capital of Messola Nkini, especially that they stood in the guardhouse as if they owned the place. So he took his sling and shot a pebble at them, which exploded. Engouang Ondo sensed the danger though and tore off the roof, using a net to scoop his comrades back up to the rainbow cloud they flew on just in time.
  • Obame Andome shot Abi Zalang into orbit with his slingshot, hoping to destroy the world and damn the Ekang to an eternity adrift in space.
• Sugar-and-Ice Personality: Engouang Ondo was a very aloof and stoic man. But he was also "kinder than rain". Even the people of Oku considered him a hero. He fed the hungry, clothed the naked, and defended the weak. These traits made the other Ekang consider him something of an oddball due to the tribal Protagonist-Centered Morality that ruled the age.
• Super-Scream:
  • Ntoutoume Mfoulou was known for his supernatural vocalizations. During the cave battle against Oveng’s forces he screamed a mob of Gorillas into the walls before killing them.
  • Engouang Ondo (in giant chameleon form) used his Evus to scream at a deafening pitch as Oveng Ndoumou careened toward him from the sky armed only with an iron club in a last-ditch effort to win their fight.
• Super-Speed:
  • Nguema Nsing Bere is faster than thought.
  • Mbil Dan Mebo is Akoma Mba's messenger. He is known as "Faster than feet". In only a few seconds he can deliver messages to every chief in the world in all four directions.
• Swallowed Whole:
  • This was your fate if Ombure was in a good mood.
  • Obame Andome created two bells linked by a spring which he used against the cloud Engouang Ondo and Efoua Medang were sheltering on. The two immortals were dematerialized and swallowed by Obame Andome.
• The Swarm: During the war of giants and dwarfs the dwarfs flew around in great numbers like bees and stabbed them all over.
• The Symbiote: One way of looking at Evuses. They are flesh-and-blood creatures in the Mvets, but also spiritual. Mefoumou Mba used his to save him from death after being impaled on a blade by Medza m'Otounga Mba.
• Sympathetic Adulterer: Ofoyeng Assoumou was married to the far older Endong Oyono since she was a little girl. However she was not aware of this, it was her understanding growing up that she had been given to her beloved Medang Boro. When she came of age and learned she had been married to his father Endong Oyono she was shocked, angry, and disgusted. To avoid consumating the marriage she ran away to her family in Oku. Endong Oyono sent Medang Boro to recover her, Medang bringing Akoma Mba with him for greater security in the perilous lands of Oku. They successfully negotiated the reluctant return of Ofoyeng from her parents home. On the way back she devised a plan to have an "official" political husband in Endong Oyono and a "real" husband in Medang Boro. She used magic ointment to make Medang Boro love her and they slept together with the excuse he would "guard" her from ravenous men.
• Sympathy for the Devil:
  • Mba Evine spared Zok Memveme despite the latter having killed his father Evine Ekang.
  • Akoma Mba spared Ba Meniane of the Mountain tribe after a battle of 21 moons.
  • Medang Boro spared Mbele Mengong of the Sin tribe, and Olong Ndong of the Beard tribe after a terrible battle which lasted several years.
• A Taste of the Lash: Nkabe Mbourou flogged Ella Minko to humiliate him after claiming his whistle and rattle.
• Tears of Joy: Amanessigha and Efoutame cry these when they are saved and reunited with Elone Kam Afe.
• The Tease: Eleng Akena in her beautiful form held Engouang Ondo's hand, smiled at him, and ran away. He chased her around in the dim light for a while before she allowed him to catch her. After playfully resisting him they consumated their desires.
• Tender Tears: Obame Andome cried tears of affection while holding the abandoned baby he found on the road (actually Engouang Ondo shapeshifted).
• Tell Me About My Father: After years of wondering, Elone Kam Afe asks his father why he died. Kam Afe tells him that he was visiting Assangone Obiang in Maane Meni after returning from Mikour-Megnoung-N'Ekobègne across the Mveng Metué river. He had recently married a young woman and had a huge train of animals as wedding gifts with him. It was then that he ran into the terrible Anvam Eyeghe Bong, the scourge of Etone Abandzik Meko Mengone who kidnapped his new bride and stole the vast fortune in wedding gifts. Kam Afe did not want anyone to tell his son about this and gravely warned him to flee Anvam Eyeghe Bong immediately if they ever met. Kam Afe told Elone that he was the last precious thing he has left in the world of the living, causing the youth to cry and hug him again.
• There Was a Door: Nguema Nsing Bere was sent flying out of the roof of Mefoumou Mba Foumou's house by Medza Me Mfoulou, interrupting the sorcerer-king's chanting yet again.
• Through His Stomach: Amanessigha and Efoutame cook rich meals of antelope & peanuts, catfish, banana paste, and peanut sauce as he falls in love with them.
• Til Murder Do Us Part: Aloume Ndong Minko eventualy managed to kill the aging Ekang Nna with her magic. He was fully aware of what she was doing to him from the start, but figured it was simply fate.
• To Hell and Back: The underworld was very accessible. Heroes of all kinds frequently popped in for a visit to get advice or magical aid from their ancestors.
• Travel Transformation: Sometimes the Ekang and Oku tribesmen prefer to break themselves down into smaller particles and fly to another place, then put themselves back together.
• Trick Arrow: Ndongmba had three. One hit anything in the air, one hit anything underwater, and one hit anything underground.
• The Trickster: Afougou Zogo was a mortal joker to the Ekang. He gave them plenty of fun trying to murder him.
• Turn Out Like His Father: After Elone Kam Afe asserts himself and brutalizes Beka and Oyame, the Bibao initates worry that they will not be able to control him. The lad was the spitting image of his father, and shared his temperment. This concerned them a lot.They worry that his initiation was TOO successful.
• Tyke Bomb:
  • When Engouang Ondo was born Akoma Mba came to the hut where everyone was cooing over the baby. He took the infant and vanished with him. Then he went to the king of magic Angouang Bere to initiate the boy. Akoma Mba was shown a perfectly clear pool of water which the trio entered. They all dematerialized and then rematerialized at the crossroads of the world. At the center was a fire, surrounded by three stone altars in a triangular shape. On each altar was a pot filled with water and magical ingredients. Next to the fire was a great mat. Around this formation stood the almighty (N)Zame Mebegue, Kare Mebegue, and Zong Mebegue the lord of evil. There stood also the ghosts of Nguema Ekang, Nkome Ekang, Mboungoa Ekang, Mengone Ekang, and Eyang Mba. Even the Oku wizard Ayangoum was part of the semi-circle. They had all been invited by Akoma Mba. Engouang Ondo had been chosen to lead humanity, and as such he required the greatest of all powers to initiate him. Little is known about the initiation itself. What is known is that Engouang Ondo rapidly grew into a young man 20 dry seasons of age and witnessed his own initiation. Then he turned back into a baby. Akoma Mba then put all the fetishes present into a cylindrical container. Everyone at the ceremony including Akoma Mba had to swear they would never initiate anyone or even participate in the initiation of anyone who could ever rival Engouang Ondo's power. God himself was the first to march over the Nsek (cylinder full of fetishes) and Akoma Mba was the last. Akoma Mba then ate the Nsek and Engouang Ondo's famous white Evus was activated.
  • Oveng Ndoumou Obame was created to be the ultimate warrior and leader of the Yemikabe tribe. His grandfather Obame Ndong had spent a lot of time and effort assembling the means to perform a great initiation for him.
  • Asseng Mbane was created because his father Mbane Ona was tired of the Yemebem tribe getting pushed around by everyone. His ancestor Milang told Mbane Ona to carry his pregnant mother to the great Oveng tree where the wizard Ayangoum would help initiate him during birth.
  • Obame Andome was initiated in private by his father Andome Ella and later used for a revenge plot against the Ekang.
  • Many other mighty foes of the Ekang were initiated as small children or babies to fight and conquer. As the initiator in the stories is often the grandfather or grandmother of the child, it reflects the belief in the cycle of life-death-and-rebirth in not only Fang-Beti culture but many other tropical West/Central African cultures as well.
• Ultimate Blacksmith: Nguéma Ékang, the second son of Ékang Mebe'e is the greatest of all blacksmiths. He resides in Bekon where he works his craft.
• The Underworld: Nnam Bekon is the land of the dead. It's a realm little different from the land of the living. Dead people must cross the river Yom to reach Nnam Bekon. If they are weighed down too heavily by their sins they sink to the bottom and drown. Of course it's also possible to tunnel one's way into Nnam Bekon as well.
• Undying Loyalty: Nkene Messie risked everything to ask the Ekang to allow her to join her husband in Bikalik. The Ekang were moved deeply by the bravery of the small woman going so far for her husband, joining him in a living hell.
• Unstoppable Rage: Ntoutoume Mfoulou’s hair would stand up on end, his eyes would blaze, and his thunderous shouting would terrify people for miles when he was angry. He was called the rage of Engong for good reason.
• Unusual Ears: Akoma Mba had noticeably big ears.
• Uriah Gambit: The Bibao initiate Mbomeyo suggests sending Elone Kam Afe into the path of Anvam Eyeghe Bong and the Benvik tribe.
• Use Your Head: After Eyeng Ondo revealed Obame Andome's Evus, she vanished. Engouang Ondo then appeared in Obame Andome's room and headbutted him, carrying the dazed Obame to Akoma Mba's trial in heaven by copper hooks.
• Villainous Rescue: Played with. Medza Me Mfoulou parried Mefoumou Mba Foumou's sword just as the latter was about to kill his Bastard Understudy Mbale Obiang for being a Manipulative Bastard and charlatan. Mbale Obiang thought Medza would side with him. Then Medza Me Mfoulou himself kills Mbale Obiang after the latter foolishly asked him what makes the Ekang immortal, and to follow the instructions of the chief ghost.
• Volcano Lair:
  • Not exactly a volcano but the Flame tribe wizards conducted their meetings inside a mountain which would open and close at their will. Oveng later hid his people here while the Ekang were trying to commit genocide against them.
  • Elone Kam Afe lodged his wives in a mysterious mountain after forsaking the Bibao tribe and setting out on his quest to the south. The interior of the mountain was a beautiful abode with every kind of provision they could want and many rooms.
• Voluntary Shapeshifting: Afab Owono of the Essamoura was a winged man with the power to turn into a huge bird with a beak and talons of steel. He would terrorize enemy forces in this shape. He was so terrible when transformed that nobody dared to wage war against the Essamoura.
• Weather Manipulation:
  • Nsangane Obame Ndong was initiated by his uncle and gained the power to control rain. He began charging high fees in order to release them. This led to a horrible drought. Akoma Mba rallied the Ekang for war while Angouang Bere hunted for the rain.
  • Ondo Mba created storm clouds and filled the courtyard of his home with darkness after his son Mekui Me Mengomo Ondo asked him for a wife a third time.
  • Ekouma Ngoumou of the Yebibam tribe extinguished the fire Obame Andome's turret caused in his village of Eyameyong by summoning rain.
  • Afab Owono stopped the fires caused by Obame Andome in Yenamessok by flying into the air and summoning a tornado to blow the flames away.
  • Elone Kam Afe created thick white mist to conceal his special initiation. He slapped his hand against his sword flat and created a deafening roar which caused a raging thunderstorm to begin. Elone then stripped off his leopardskin loincloth and jumped into the tornado and swallowed a magical gecko which was caught up in it. He then went back to his house, put on his loincloth, folded his arms, and made a sharp noise which made the storm vanish into a bright sunny day.
  • Elone Kam Afae was so angry to watch Amanessigha and Efoutame violently dragged off by the hair while crying bitterly that he caused thunderclouds to form and lightning to strike random things in the village. There was pandemonium as the people pleaded with chief Bikuékué-Bi-Loroto to just give the girls back to Elone.
• Wedding Finale: Oveng Ndoumou's epic ends with his marriage to Mengue M'Ondo. As they say their farewells to the Ekang they are taken up to the clouds in a flash of thunder and lightning, as a small songbird flew overhead.
• We Help the Helpless: When Elone Kam Afe is initiated by the Bibao tribe sages they repeatedly remind him that he should defend the weak.
• White Mask of Doom: The page image is an Ngil (gorilla) mask. They were worn by the members of the secret Ngil society who were a mystic cult among the Beti-Pahuin peoples largely concerned with police action. Wrongdoers would be brutally punished by the Ngil members dressed in gorilla masks and grass costumes at ceremonies. The villain Alum Ndong Minko owned an Ngil mask he mounted on his house of horrors. When Nze Medang, Engbwang Meye Megiri, and Mengong me Mfulu approached the mask exploded and became a powerful Ebibi wearing an Ngil mask.
• Whip Sword: Ntoutoume Mfoulou wielded a long whip sword. He used it to stop Angone Zok’s war machine from crushing everything when he reported for duty during the war with Zong Midzi.
• Who Wants to Live Forever?: Like in most African mythologies, almost everyone did.
• Why Won't You Die?: Zok Memveme became increasingly frustrated and erratic trying to kill Mba Evine:
  • After Mba Evine escaped his cage and throttled him, Zok Memveme gave weapons to all his subjects. Men, women, and children tried to hack Mba Evine to death with only broken weapons to show for it.
  • Zok Memveme then tried to throw Mba Evine into a large brazier, hoping to roast him alive. Mba Evine was unharmed and only began to sweat. He sweated so hard it flooded the entire region.
  • Even angrier, Zok Memveme cursed Mba Evine's name and just threw him into the Melole river tied up with magic rope. Mba Evine grew to massive size and stopped the flow of the river. completely. Then he left the river and drowned Zok Memveme's village. Zok Memveme gave up and allowed Mba Evine to live in peace.
• Wicked Wasps: Angouang Bere once reached into his bag of mysteries and pulled out a spider web. He opened the web and released two wasps who stung Afab Owone on the neck and chest, killing him. Evuses are vulnerable to wasps.
• Widowed at the Wedding: Obame Ndong kidnapped a new bride at her wedding so he could sacrifice her to create a Byeri.
• Winged Humanoid:
  • The Ekang were known to give themselves iron wings to fly around with.
  • Afab Owono of the Essamoura tribe was born with wings. After he was initiated he was presented with three birds: a hornbill, a toucan, and an eagle. Afab Owono outflew all three. He was faster, flew higher, and had greater endurance.
• Wise Old Folk Façade: Chief Mbale Biang of the Bedzingoh tribe took Mefoumou Mba Foumou under his wing, presenting himself as a wise old sage prepared to help him achieve glory. When the Ekang attacked he mockingly told him that the only reason he bothered with him was to leech off his accomplishments and power.
• Womanliness as Pathos:
  • Even aside from the fights over the love of women like Nkudang, Eyenga, and Oyane you have characters insulted by being compared to women or influenced by women.
  • The big one is the fact that Evus and by extension witchcraft entered the world of humans from a woman bringing it into the villages inside her vagina. So they continued to be blamed for the overall phenomena in people’s lives.
• World's Most Beautiful Woman:
  • Aloume Ndong Minko from the village of Aloum. She was said to be more beautiful than moonlight.
  • Nkudang, niece of Angone Zok. Her title was "Who myriad admirers failed to touch with their sighs".
  • Eyenga Nkabe was described as more beautiful than the river goddess.
  • Nkene Ndong and Ada Ngone were known as "beauty of beauty".
  • Etom Ebede Ndili was Otungu's wife. She was a woman of such beauty she made many men fight each other over her. Otungu proved to be the strongest and won her. Her charm made people run out of drool in their mouths.
  • Nseng Ondo was blessed with beauty during initiation by her grandfather. Her skin was shiny like palm oil or the fruit of the Adzap tree, colored like the branches of a raffia palm. Her cheeks were round when she smiled, and her smile became one with her words. Nseng Ondo was radiant like the sun. She had thick thighs and calves, round knees, and an outie bellybutton (the Fang-Beti find this highly attractive). Her hair shimmered and the space between her breasts shimmered as well.
  • Assangone Obiang daughter of Obiang Assembé was the most beautiful woman on the banks of the Menen river. She lived in Maane Meni (Crosssroads of the Four Paths) in the region of Etone which spans the vast area betwen the Bevuyeng and Menen rivers. She charms all men who visit her village, but she has sworn a Vow of Celibacy.
• World Tree: Engong Zok Mebegue Me Mba was “The hilltop tree which all tribes can see”. The country of the Ekang was named for this. Sometimes the tree was called Oveng which was the name of Akoma Mba’s village where it stood. It was associated with many creatures who acted as alarms if Engong was in deep trouble. At its feet was the pool of lost souls where the Ekang would keep their slain foes to enhance their own power.
• The Worf Effect: Played with. Ntoutoume Mfoulou and Angone Zok typically do not WIN fights against the current Big Bad, although they rarely ever lose. Despite their great power they usually go back-and-forth with the major enemy before Engouang Ondo saves the day. Of course this is dependent on the Mvet player and his audience. Some tribes prefer to hear about Ntoutoume Mfoulou, or Akoma Mba, or Nze Medang, or Angone Zok as The Hero.
• Worthy Opponent: Nkeyeng Assoumou hoped that Engouang Ondo would be embarrassed because she killed the demon birds of the Yemekom Valley before him. Instead, Enouang Ondo happily congradulated her after watching her spectacular victory over the monsters his own lieutenants were not able to conquer, and for saving many people. His cool reaction squashed her hopes of humiliating her rival.
• Worthy Opponent: Mba Evine respected Zok Memveme and vice versa after their battle ended. Zok Memveme considered both Evine Ekang and Mba Evine brave and honorable men despite their conflict. Mba Evine recognized Zok Memveme's courage in standing up against him despite being the weaker fighter.
• Wouldn't Hit a Girl:
  • Engouang Ondo refused to fight Nkeyeng Assoumou because she was a woman, despite her great power. Said it was unworthy behavior.
  • Then again he still strangled Eleng Akena for reverting to her hideous old form after their fling.
• Wreathed in Flames: When he was held captive by Zok Memveme, Mba Evine began to glow red and turned into a being of flames, melting away the iron net and lunging at his father's killer.
• Wrestler in All of Us: Medza m'Otounga Mba (the son of Akoma Mba's brother Otungu Mba) was a famous master wrestler. It was a delight to see him hurl an opponent around. During his battle with Obame Andome's comrade Mefoumou Mba Foumou the latter had placed him into a full nelson. So Medza m'Otounga Mba reversed the move and gave him a Killer Bear Hug. Medza then went low and flung Mefoulou overheard by the right arm, slamming him onto his back. Mefoumou Mba Foumou performed a recovery roll away from Medza m'Otounga Mba. Medza m'Otounga Mba began to fly around Mefoumou Mba Foumou, looking for an opening to attack again. This forced Mefoumou to rotate in order to keep eyes on him. Finally Medza dived in like a bird of prey and dragged him about by the shoulders, bending him like a reed.
• You Killed My Father:
  • Elone Kam Afe swears to avenge his father Kam Afe against Anvam Eyeghe Bong.
  • Mba Evine avenged his father Evine Ekang against Zok Memveme.
• Yandere:
  • Zong Midzi flew into a homocidal rage when he caught Nsure Afane strolling with his proposed fiancée Nkudang, and also flirting with his wife Esone Abeng.
  • Engouang Ondo chopped down plenty of men who made the mistake of trying to get comfortable with his wife Meki M’Assigue Nseng.
• Your Soul Is Mine!:
  • Mefoumou Mba Foumou kept dried or pickled body parts from his slain enemies which his wizard Mbale Biang turned into fetishes. He would command the ghosts at will and their powers increased his own powers. He once tried to pull this on Nguema Nsing Bere and Medza Me Mfoulou, hoping to become the most powerful man in the world by stealing the souls of two immortals. It did not work.
  • The Ekang had a lake behind Engong Nzok Mebeghe Me Mba where they would store the remains of their enemies to become even more powerful collectively. Mvome Oké Mfarega's severed head was tossed here with a fishing hook to much applause.
  • Akhoulenzame carried around a sack full of ghosts he used to do his bidding.
• Zerg Rush: Ella Minko unleashed a mob of birds, beasts, and insects of all fantastic sorts against the Ekang during their initial skirmish.

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"And that is all I know of this tale"