Bane

Lore & Background

This character is a fabrication of fan speculation, with no verified backstory or presence in any official *Tribes* game, novel, or other media. Claims of training under a legendary commander or turning against the Tribes are entirely invented and unsupported by any canonical source.

In Their Own Story

In the dim light of a shattered moonbase, Bane stood over a holographic map, his fingers tracing the paths of approaching Tribal forces. 'They think they can outflank us,' he murmured, a cold smile playing on his lips. 'But I've already seen their every move.' As the first shots echoed through the corridors, his trap sprang—mines detonated, sensor spikes flared, and the Tribes' advance crumbled into a chaos of confusion and fire. It was not a battle; it was a lesson.

Reader's Guide

Bane is a tactician's dream and a rusher's nightmare. As a high-level opponent or playable character, his kit revolves around area control and disruption: deploy mines, motion sensors, and decoys to turn any corridor into a deathtrap. He fights best from the shadows, reading the flow of combat and springing traps at the perfect moment. Patience and planning are his greatest weapons—but his reliance on setup leaves him vulnerable in a straight fight. Stick with teammates to cover his flanks, and force enemies to play your game. Bane doesn't win by outgunning you; he wins by making every move you take the wrong one.

Did You Know?

• This character does not appear in any official *Tribes* game or media.
• The 'Siege Anchor' is not a known weapon or tool in any *Tribes* game canon.
• The backstory of training under a legendary commander and turning against the Tribes is entirely fan-invented.

Taxonomy, Range, and a Place in the Garden

Aconitum is a genus encompassing more than 250 species of herbaceous, perennial flowering plants classified within the buttercup family, Ranunculaceae. These plants are predominantly native to the mountainous regions of the Northern Hemisphere, ranging across North America, Europe, and Asia, where they thrive in the moisture-retentive yet well-draining soils of high-altitude meadows. Despite their broad geographic reach, the genus maintains a comparatively restricted color palette relative to certain close relatives. A defining characteristic of most Aconitum species is their extreme toxicity, which necessitates very careful handling. Yet the genus is not without horticultural distinction: several cultivated hybrids, notably the Arendsii form of A. carmichaelii, have been honored with the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit, proving that even deeply poisonous plants can earn a respected place in the cultivated garden.

The Helmet, the Spur, and the Absence of Doubles

The most immediately recognizable feature of Aconitum is the galea—a cylindrical, hood-like structure formed by the posterior petaloid sepal that gives the plant its English name monkshood. The tall, erect stems are crowned with racemes of zygomorphic flowers in shades of blue-purple, white, yellow, or pink. Beneath the hood, two large upper petals sit on long stalks, each tipped with a hollow nectar-holding spur. The remaining petals are reduced to small scale-like structures or absent entirely. Leaves are dark green, palmately lobed with five to seven segments, each further trilobed with coarse teeth, arranged alternately along the stem. The fruit develops as an aggregate of follicles—dry, many-seeded capsules. Notably, unlike many other Ranunculaceae in cultivation, no double-flowered forms of Aconitum exist, setting it apart from genera like Delphinium and Ranunculus where doubled varieties dominate the trade.

Names Carried in Poison

The very names attached to this genus tell a story of danger. The Greek word aconitum likely traces back to akon, meaning dart or javelin—weapons whose tips were coated with the plant's toxic extract—or to akonae, referencing the stony terrain where the plant was believed to grow. The Greek lycoctonum translates directly to wolf's bane, a name rooted in the historical practice of using the plant's juice to poison arrows or bait intended to kill wolves. In English, monkshood simply describes the flower's shape, while wolfsbane and devil's helmet carry darker connotations. All of these names converge on one biological reality: most Aconitum species are extremely poisonous and demand careful handling. The alkaloids present in the plant serve a dual purpose—deterring unsuitable pollinators from stealing nectar while making the plant hazardous to anything that ingests it carelessly.

A Niche Built on Strength and Specialization

Aconitum occupies a specialized ecological niche defined by a partnership with long-tongued bumblebees. These robust insects possess the physical strength to force open the flower and access the single nectary located at the top of the flower's interior. Shorter-tongued bees that attempt to bore holes into the flower's crown to steal nectar face a chemical defense: alkaloids in the nectar act as a deterrent, discouraging species ill-suited to genuine pollination. Beyond pollinators, Aconitum supports a remarkable array of lepidopteran larvae. Caterpillars of at least a dozen moth species—including the yellow tiger moth, golden plusia, and dot moth—have been recorded feeding on various Aconitum species. Two Old World bumblebee species, Bombus consobrinus and Bombus gerstaeckeri, rely on Aconitum as their primary food source, underscoring the plant's irreplaceable role in specific mountain ecosystems.