| “ |
Listen to my tune and feel the power of my wrath! |
” |
| —Dark Piper, Fabled Legends: The Dark Piper | ||
The Dark Piper was a main character and antagonist in the Dark Parables spin-off game, Fabled Legends: The Dark Piper. The Dark Piper is the alter ego of the Viceroy of Hamelin, which is (in turn) the alter ego of a young man descended from the Roma and out for revenge. We don't know the man's actual name.
The Dark Piper is based on the German legend of the Pied Piper of Hamelin.
Appearance and Personality[]
The Viceroy is an attractive young man with shaggy dark brown hair and brown eyes that are capable of glowing bright red. He has a long, straight scar that runs vertically down the left side of his face, passing over both his eye and his mouth. He has a well-trimmed goatee and a tanned complexion. As the Dark Piper, he wears a mask made of bone that conceals his face. He also wears a long purple cloak and carries the fabled Pied Piper Flute.
The Dark Piper lives for revenge. It consumes him entirely and he has lived his entire life with the goal of destroying those who destroyed his family and the Romani camp they lived in. At some point, his mind was lost in his pursuit of revenge. When his plans are foiled by the Fabled Inspector, the Viceroy takes his own life.
History[]
The Dark Piper was born in a Romani camp outside of Hamelin, Germany. While he was still young, the Romani camp was taken over and destroyed by men commissioned by Duke Alfred. The Dark Piper's parents were killed in this attack, and it is likely this is also where he received the wound that caused the sizable scar on his face.
His childhood and young adulthood after that point are unknown. It's clear, however, that he grew with nothing but anger and revenge on his mind. He dedicated his life to seeing the destruction of Duke Alfred and all men like him. In 1890, the Dark Piper created a coat of arms for himself and went to Hamelin, purporting himself to be a Viceroy sent to govern the town.
In Hamelin, the Viceroy made contact with Duke Alfred, and the two used each other to advance their own specific goals. Together, they accessed the forgotten ruins hidden under the town, where the Viceroy found the Pied Piper Flute and the Disappearing Cloak. He also found a way to combine chemicals and create fumes that could infuse regular rats with the Bubonic Plague (also known as the Black Death). Unbeknownst to the Duke, the Viceroy was also stockpiling dynamite and building an entire batch of fake Pied Piper Flutes, capable of destroying all of the towns in Europe that were run by men like the Duke.
At an annual Pied Piper Festival, the Viceroy made his first public appearance as the Dark Piper. He called forth a swarm of his plague-infested rats to attack the townspeople, who fled in fear. This attack gave the Duke just cause to summon the Fabled Inspector to Hamelin to investigate the situation. The Dark Piper toyed with the Inspector, merely to direct the investigation to locations pertinent to the Duke's and his own motivations.
Once the Inspector had obtained the key needed to unlock the vault in the ancient ruins below the city, the Dark Piper revealed himself to the Fabled Inspector as the Viceroy of Hamelin and his plans with Duke Alfred were revealed. However, once the Inspector fully unlocked the vault, the Viceroy then revealed his true identity and intentions to Duke Alfred - and used his plagued rat swarm to kill the Duke and his men.
However, the Fabled Inspector managed to escape destruction (thanks to the Ravenlore Whistle), which threatened to put a kink in the Dark Piper's plans. The Dark Piper sealed the vault up, but the Inspector would eventually reopen it. While the Dark Piper was trying to open a nearby door, the Inspector hit the Dark Piper with a rock right when he summons his rat swarm. The Dark Piper, having dropped the Pied Piper Flute, escaped via his Vanishing Cloak and made haste to bundle up his fake flutes and leave Hamelin, however his escape was stopped by the Inspector, who stole the Dark Piper's Vanishing Cloak and used the Pied Piper Flute to summon the Dark Piper's own swarm of rats to attack him.
Still, the Dark Piper would not die without a fight. He rallied himself and managed to make it back to the Hamelin Clock Tower, which he had commandeered as his own private office. It was here that the Viceroy had been storing his stockpiled dynamite, which he now intended to set off - destroying himself, the Fabled Inspector, and the Clock Tower itself. The Inspector escaped the explosion via the Vanishing Cloak, but the Dark Piper has successful in ending his own life.
Powers and Abilities[]
- Alchemy: The Dark Piper has a profound understanding of alchemy and is able to concoct a chemical compound that can infuse normal, healthy rats with the plague.
- Glowing Red Eyes: It's unknown how, exactly, the Dark Piper's eyes can glow as they do. It's assumed to be some kind of Romani magic... or perhaps mere madness or contacts.
- Pied Piper Flute: Through the use of this magical Grail Item, the Dark Piper is capable of summoning and commanding a swarm of rats to do his bidding.
- Disappearing Cloak: Through the use of this magical Grail Item, the Dark Piper is capable of disappearing and reappearing at will.
- Plagued Rats: The Dark Piper used his alchemical knowledge to infect Hamelin's rat population with the Bubonic Plague. He then used the Pied Piper Flute to command these rats to do as he wishes. This combination leads to a weaponized swarm of rats capable of killing anyone and everyone that the Dark Piper wishes.
Relationships[]
- Duke Alfred (arch-enemy and pseudo friend)
- Plagued Rats (creation, extinct)
- Fabled Inspector (enemy)
Quotes[]
- "There is no justice. The death of the Gypsies, my people, must be avenged."
- "I have returned. For what you have done to me, I will see Hamelin burned to ashes!"
- "Listen to my tune and feel the power of my wrath!"
- "I will be watching you."
- "Inspector, this town has many secrets. You are about to witness one."
- "How about a Romani tune to celebrate?"
- "I have been waiting patiently for the day I could avenge my people."
- "It is time for you all to die."
- "This is not over."
Gallery[]
