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| Tribes of the Moon | |
| Aliases: | Night Breed |
| Continuity: | Nightbreed |
| Type: | Tribe |
| Status: | Active |
| Leaders: | Baphomet Dirk Lylesberg Aaron Boone |
| Members: | Annastasjia Beloit Motto Cabal Chocolat Kinski Kushnir Day Ohnaka Peloquin Rachel Shuna Sassi |
| Allies: | Berserkers Night Breed |
| Enemies: | Naturals Philip Decker Shere Neck Police Department Sons of the Free Tribes of the Sun |
| 1st appearance: | Cabal |
The Tribes of the Moon are a fictional organization featured in the 1988 horror novel Cabal by author Clive Barker. They were brought to even larger life in the 1990 feature film adaptation Nightbreed. They were also the central characters featured in the Night Breed ongoing series published by Marvel Comics under their Epic imprint in 1990 as well as the twelve-issue Nightbreed comic series published by Boom! Studios in 2014.
Description[]
The Tribes of the Moon are a coalition of racial groups that fall beneath the umbrella term of Night Breed. Often the two terms can be used interchangeably, but there are some slight distinctions to be made, as there are other tribes that are not connected to the Tribes of the Moon, and there are also separate classes of Night Breed altogether, such as the Berserkers, which have completely different characteristics as well as different origins.
The Tribes of the Moon were founded by a godlike deity known as Baphomet. Its members possess unique and varied physical traits. Many are shape-shifters who can make slight physical alterations to their nominal form, while others maintain a static physicality that sets them apart from baseline humanity, which the Tribes refer to as "Naturals". Many members of the Tribe possess characteristics similar to that of vampires, which may include a need to consume blood or human flesh, and a fatal vulnerability to sunlight.
During the Dark Ages, the Naturals persecuted and executed the Tribes near to the point of extinction. Baphomet led the Night Breed on a great Exodus from Europe, and they established a subterranean safe haven in the wilderness of Canada near what would one day become the town of Shere Neck in the province of Alberta. This underground sanctuary existed beneath a dilapidated rural cemetery and was known as Midian.
For centuries, it had been prophesied that one person from the natural world would embrace the ways of the Night Breed and lead the Tribes of the Moon to Salvation. The Tribes of the Moon illustrated their history through glyphs and pictographs that decorated the lower catacombs of their warrens. It wasn't until the late 20th century that this chosen one was realized in the form of a young man from Calgary named Aaron Boone.
Aaron Boone had suffered from intense nightmares, but through his dreams learned about a mythical place called "Midian" where one would find acceptance. Boone's torment was exacerbated by the sinister efforts of his own psychiatrist, Doctor Philip K. Decker, who was actually a serial killer who targeted "breeders", and sought to frame Boone for his various crimes.
Following an unexpected hallucinagenic experience brought on through prescription drugs, Aaron Boone ended up in the hospital. While there he met another mental patient known only as Narcisse. Narcisse was also a patient of Doctor Philip Decker and had likewise heard of the legends of Midian. Believing that Boone was sent by the Tribes to test him, he attempted to show Aaron his "true" face, and began slicing away his human face with a pair of sharpened thumb blades.
Aaron Boone escaped from the hospital and made his way to the gates of Midian. In his first encounter with the Tribes of the Moon, suffered a bite to the neck from the cannibalistic Peloquin. While attempting to escape from the pursuing Night Breed, Boone encountered the Shere Neck Police Department, whom had been falsely advised that Aaron was a serial killer. He was gunned down right in front of the gates to the cemetery above Midian. Philip Decker had been working closely with the Shere Neck Police Department, and was instrumental in Boone's downfall. Through his manipulations, Decker was now aware of the location of Midian. He saw this as the final step in his psychotic desire to remove undesirables from the world, and made plans to exterminate the fabled Night Breed.
Aaron Boone's body was taken to the morgue in Shere Neck, but was stolen soon after and taken to Midian where he was resurrected. The leader of the Tribes of the Moon was an elderly individual named Dirk Lylesberg. Other members of the Tribe that Boone encountered at this time included half-moon faced Kinski, a woman of smoke named Rachel, the corpulent tentacled man Leroy Gomm, and Shuna Sassi, the porcupine lady. Lylesberg inducted Aaron Boone into the ranks of the Tribes of the Moon.
Shortly thereafter, human aggressors that included the Shere Neck Police Department as well as the radical fringe group the Sons of the Free staged a massive violent raid on Midian, with the intent of exterminating all creatures above and below. Baphomet baptized Aaron Boone as Cabal, and from there, Boone assumed a leadership role within the Tribes and fought against the naturals. Although Midian was destroyed, most of the Night Breed survived. Boone led them away from the fires of their old home with the promise of establishing a new safe-haven for the Night Breed.
Members[]
- Aaron Boone
- Annastasjia
- Babette
- Baphomet
- Beloit Motto
- Chocolat
- Devil Lude
- Dirk Lylesberg
- Leroy Gomm
- Kinski
- Kushnir Day
- Narcisse
- Ohnaka
- Otis and Clay
- Peloquin
- Rachel
- Shuna Sassi
Notes & Trivia[]
- The Tribes of the Moon were created by author Clive Barker.
- The name of the group was also used as part of the title of a documentary feature called "Tribes of the Moon: Making Nightbreed", which was featured on Blu-ray releases of the 2014 director's cut version of Nightbreed.
- There are a few characters presented in Nightbreed who become Night Breed, but are not members of the Tribes of the Moon. This includes Reverend Ashberry, Lori Winston, and Philip K. Decker.
Related categories[]
See also[]
External Links[]
Appearances[]
Books Film Night Breed, Vol. 1 (Marvel/Epic)
Hellraiser/Nightbreed (Marvel/Epic)
Nightbreed, Vol. 1 (Boom! Studios)
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