"The Underworld awaits you Messenger. At last, the scroll will be ours!"
― Barma'thazël
Barma'thazël, also known as the Demon General, is a boss in The Messenger. He is the eighth boss in the game and is fought at the end of the Underworld. Barma'thazël is known for his ability of being very fast, and he serves the Demon King. He disguises himself as the Wanderer in order to keep an eye on Ninja, and while disguised, he acts as an enemy encounter in Bamboo Creek and Glacial Peak.
Barma'thazël is a tall muscular humanoid red demon. He shares some animal characteristics, like two tan backwards-pointing ram horns on the top of his head, two pointy ears on the sides of his head, and two legs with hooves and backwards-facing knees that are similar to a horse's legs.
Barma'thazël's eye flashes.
Barma'thazël sports a black eyepatch and and a black twin-tailed beard. He wears minimal tan armor, which consists of a singular shoulder pad that covers his arm, a leather belt that diagonally connects from the shoulder pad to the waist, and apron-like armor that covers the sides of his legs and the area in between. He wears tan wristbands and legbands. Occasionally, Barma'thazël's uncovered eye glows and fades away, like a small star, and this always happens the moment before he performs a fast dash attack. Barma'thazël wields two swords attached together by the handle. The two swords can detach from each other in order to be dual-wielded.
As the Wanderer, he wears a brown cape, a brown balaclava that covers his entire head, a white eyepatch, a white tunic, brown pants, a brown waist sash, and white shoes with brown soles. His brown cloak is held together by a clasp near his neck. A flask is attached to the side of his waist. He wields a tall polearm that is nearly twice his height.
Personality[]
Barma'thazël speaks respectfully to his ruler, the Demon King, and is obedient to him, following his commands. Barma'thazël is also very devious, brainwashing the normally kind Manfred to become evil, dropping Ninja into the Underworld, and attempting to kill Ninja on different occasions. Barma'thazël enacts evil plans that mostly involve leading Ninja into traps, and he tends to laugh evilly.
Wanderer Fight[]
The Wanderer only has 3 health, which normally means Ninja must damage him 3 times. However, if Ninja is on New Game + and has purchased the "Demon's bane" shop upgrade, a powered-up attack will immediately defeat him (while he is vulnerable).
Once the Wanderer's health is depleted, he teleports and vanishes from the arena. Ninja gains nothing from defeating the Wanderer, and returning to the arena will cause him to respawn, as if he was a generic enemy. Ninja can just completely ignore him and leave the room since there is nothing obstructing the exits. The Wanderer disappears from Bamboo Creek and Glacial Peak after Ninja gains the power to freely time travel.
Attacks[]
Default Stance[]
The Wanderer strikes downward with his polearm.
The Wanderer does not act until Ninja enters the Wanderer's elevation (anywhere from the bottom of the Wanderer's feet to the tip of the Wanderer's polearm). Once the Wanderer is triggered, he remains aggressive even if Ninja leaves the Wanderer's trigger zone. The Wanderer's first priority is to rush towards Ninja to close the horizontal gap between themselves. If the Wanderer is within striking distance of Ninja, he randomly intersperses between strafing and swinging his polearm downward to strike Ninja.
Straight Dash[]
The Wanderer does a straight dash.
The Wanderer is normally invulnerable. If Ninja attempts to hurt the Wanderer, the Wanderer teleports away before the strike lands, teleporting behind Ninja. (If there is no room behind Ninja due to Ninja's back being up against a wall, then the Wanderer just teleports away and immediately reappears in place.) After teleporting behind Ninja, the Wanderer immediately follows up with a straight dash, attempting to dash through Ninja to deal damage. Ninja can avoid the straight dash by jumping. The Wanderer pauses at the end of the dash. While the Wanderer is dashing or paused, he is vulnerable to damage. But once stricken, the Wanderer's invulnerability returns.
Upward Jab[]
If Ninja enters the Wanderer's vertical coordinates from above, the Wanderer freezes in place and jabs his polearm upward. The Wanderer remains frozen in place until Ninja exits the Wanderer's vertical coordinates.
"Straight Dash" and "Levitate" can be skipped if a shuriken is thrown during the appropriate "Idle Stance."
Attacks[]
Idle Stance[]
Barma'thazël reflecting a shuriken.
Barma'thazël stands there, not doing anything for 2.5 seconds (for Phase 1) or 0.5 seconds (for Phase 2 and 3). Then, the idle stance ends, and he moves on to his next attack. However, if Ninja throws a shuriken at him during the idle stance, then Barma'thazël will spend 0.5 seconds to reflect it with his swords and stand idly for 2.5 seconds. Each time a shuriken is thrown during idle stance, the 2.5-second timer resets. Ninja can take advantage of this fact, throwing shurikens in intervals and sword-slashing Barma'thazël to get in free damage.
Straight Dash[]
Barma'thazël doing a straight dash.
Barma'thazël twirls his swords like a windmill, crosses his arms together, then his eye flashes, which telegraphs that he will do a straight dash attack. On the ground, Barma'thazël dashes forward until he passes Ninja's vertical coordinates a small distance or reaches the wall. He finishes the attack by twirling his swords around like a windmill once again. During the beginning and ending of this attack while Barma'thazël twirls his swords, he'll automatically reflect any shurikens thrown at him.
Throw Sword and Dash (Phase 1)[]
Barma'thazël dashing through the air towards Ninja.
Demon Hives appear and pop out of their holes. Ninja can attack them to Cloudstep around the arena. After the Demon Hives appear, Barma'thazël throws his sword up to the ceiling or to a wall and disappears, teleporting to grab his sword where he clings to the wall. Many times in a row, his eye will flash once, he'll lock onto Ninja's position and dash forward in a straight line until he hits a wall, then he will repeat the process. Barma'thazël will do this until he touches the ground once or twice (alternates depending on which part of the attack pattern he's on), or until he does 10 dashes. If the 10th dash is reached, he'll automatically dash to the middle section of the ceiling, then down to the middle of the ground. If Barma'thazël has dashed at least 3 times in a row before he touches the ground for the final time, then he pants for 6 seconds or until 6 damage is dealt to him. Afterwards, all Demon Hives retreat into their holes.
Throw Sword and Dash (Phase 2)[]
Barma'thazël panting.
Similar to phase 1: Demon Hives appear, Barma'thazël telegraphs his dashes, and caps out at 10 dashes. However, he does not alternate between 1-2 ground touches; instead, if Barma'thazël touches the ground after doing at least 3 dashes, he will automatically dash to the middle of the ceiling, then down to the middle of the ground, where he pants for 6 seconds or until 6 damage is dealt to him. Afterwards, all Demon Hives retreat into their holes.
Throw Sword and Dash (Phase 3)[]
Identical to phase 2, but if Barma'thazël touches the ground after doing at least 5 dashes, he will automatically dash to the middle of the ceiling, then down to the middle of the ground, where he pants for 6 seconds or until 6 damage is dealt to him. Afterwards, all Demon Hives retreat into their holes.
Levitate[]
Barma'thazël levitating in a room filled with fire.
Barma'thazël twirls his swords like a windmill, tosses his swords away, throwing them outward to both sides of the room where they stick to the walls, and teleports away. Demon Hives appear and Barma'thazël materializes into one of the upper corners of the room, where he levitates in place. The swords fill the floor with fire. If Ninja deals 3 damage to Barma'thazël, he will teleport to the opposite corner of the room. Barma'thazël levitates for 12 seconds or until he takes 9 damage. Then, he'll teleport back to the ground, the side of the room furthest from Ninja, and all Demon Hives retreat into their holes. During the beginning of this attack while Barma'thazël twirls his swords, he'll automatically reflect any normal shurikens thrown at him.
Rotating Bar[]
A rotating fireball bar with spinning blades follows Ninja around the arena.
Barma'thazël twirls his swords like a windmill, tosses his swords away, and teleports away. Three fireballs form into a rotating bar with spinning swords on both ends, and the bar follows Ninja around for about 8 seconds. Afterwards, the bar disappears, and Barma'thazël reappears on the ground. During the beginning of this attack while Barma'thazël twirls his swords, he'll automatically reflect any normal shurikens thrown at him.
Main Story[]
Barma'thazël agrees to the Demon King's orders to follow Ninja.
During the demon army's invasion of Ninja Village, the Demon King commands Barma'thazël to his side. Barma'thazël teleports in, and the Demon King instructs him to keep an eye on Ninja. He agrees to do so and teleports away.
As Ninja travels through Bamboo Creek and Glacial Peak, he comes across a robed figure known as the Wanderer, who wields a tall polearm. The Wanderer engages Ninja in combat as Ninja passes through these areas. Ninja can attempt to defeat the Wanderer, but the Wanderer will eventually teleport away rather than dying. After Ninja completes the "leap of faith" in the Tower of Time, the Wanderer is seen in 16-bit Cloud Ruins, waiting for the Tower of Time's arrival. The Tower of Time appears, and the Wanderer teleports away before Ninja enters Cloud Ruins for the first time.
Barma'thazël plans to take Ninja's scroll.
As Ninja travels through Cloud Ruins, he is chased by the brainwashed Manfred several times. He reaches the end of Cloud Ruins, defeating Manfred and restoring him back to his normal self. Manfred flies off, and the Wanderer teleports in. The Wanderer explains that he has been watching Ninja for quite some time. Ninja asks of the Wanderer's identity, to which the Wanderer reveals that he is wearing a disguise. He is disappointed that Ninja broke Manfred free of his mind control but is confident that he can defeat Ninja anyways. The Wanderer discards his disguise, revealing that he is actually Barma'thazël. Ninja is quite shocked by the reveal and declares he'll make Barma'thazël pay for what he did to Ninja Village, but Barma'thazël decries Ninja for speaking so boldly and states that the Underworld awaits for Ninja and that the demons will finally obtain the scroll. Barma'thazël merely taps his weapon against the ground, which removes the clouds beneath Ninja's feet, dropping Ninja into the Underworld.
Barma'thazël refers to Ninja as the "champion of the blue robes."
Ninja traverses the Underworld. In the shop before the boss room, Ninja can speak with The Shopkeeper to inquire about the upcoming boss fight. Ninja believes that Barma'thazël must be up next, and The Shopkeeper warns him that she's heard that Barma'thazël is pretty fast. Ninja enters Barma'thazël's room, proclaiming that Barma'thazël has nowhere left to run now. Barma'thazël retorts he has no reason to run, and it is Ninja who has stepped into his trap. Ninja asserts that it is yet to be determined. Barma'thazël laughs at Ninja's confidence and states that the two will put an end to this now, calling Ninja the "champion of the blue robes" before they engage in combat.
Barma'thazël disappears in a flash of light.
Ninja defeats Barma'thazël. Bewildered with the loss, Barma'thazël states that he is the fastest there's ever been. Ninja demands Barma'thazël to reveal how to end the curse, but Barma'thazël replies that it's not a task that can be summed up so simplistically. Ninja is adamant that he'll put an end to this and to the Demon King. Barma'thazël informs him that neither of them will leave the room alive, and that if he can't obtain the scroll, then he shall destroy it. He levitates and glows brightly, disappearing in a bright flash of light, causing the room to shake violently. The ceiling collapses and creates large holes into the floor, causing Ninja to fall down an extremely tall chasm. Just as Ninja is about to land into a river of lava, Manfred flies by and catches him at the last second.
The Demon King is upset that Barma'thazël has failed him once again.
Ninja flies with Manfred to 16-bit Ninja Village, rescuing the village from the Demon King's attack. The Demon King is displeased by Barma'thazël's failure to take care of Ninja and eventually teleports away. Later on when Ninja reaches the Demon King's room in Forlorn Temple, the Demon King commands Barma'thazël to his side, but he does not appear. Ninja explains that Barma'thazël has been defeated, to the Demon King's dismay.
Barma'thazël gazes into a scrying orb, watching Ninja's approach.
In an alternate timeline, far off the coast of Messenger Island, five Phobekins enjoy a picnic on an idyllic secluded beach on the tropical Voodkin Island. But unbeknownst to them, Barma'thazël hides in a bush in the nearby jungle. Barma'thazël ambushes the Phobekins and grabs a corner of the picnic blanket, upturning the Phobekins' picnic and terrorizing the Phobekins. He uses the picnic blanket as a kidnapping sack, scooping up all five Phobekins. Barma'thazël then walks into the jungle with the sack of Phobekins on his back, leaving behind the sad remains of an uneaten picnic. He plans to use the Phobekins for an evil ritual. Later, Barma'thazël gazes at Ninja's approach within a scrying orb, and the narrator implies that Barma'thazël is leading Ninja into a trap.
Ninja reaches the top of Fire Mountain where he encounters Barma'thazël and the imprisoned Phobekins. Barma'thazël explains his evil plan, stating that he has a magic seed within his possession that he plans to charge with voodoo energy, fueled via the fear supplied by the Phobekins. He uses the power of the Voodoo Altar to trap Ninja, which creates the Dark Messenger and Dark Quarble. Barma'thazël explains that Ninja must reach the Voodoo Idols within the heart of Fire Mountain before the Dark Messenger does, else he'll lose his protector, Quarble. He taunts Ninja and teleports himself and the Phobekins away.
The transformed Barma'thazël acknowledges The Shopkeeper's presence.
Ninja destroys Dark Quarble via the Voodoo Idols and continues forth deeper into the Voodoo Heart, encountering Barma'thazël and the imprisoned Phobekins once more, along with the Dark Messenger. Barma'thazël ignores Ninja's demands to release the Phobekins, revealing that it was part of his master plan to have the Dark Messenger untethered from its greed demon. He and the Dark Messenger each raise an arm up into the air in order to "do the thing," fusing together to form a being similar to the Arcane Golem. Ninja, The Shopkeeper, and The Artificer follow suit, as they fuse together to form the Arcane Golem in order to counter Barma'thazël. The Arcane Golem wins, resulting in Barma'thazël returning back into his normal form, and the Dark Messenger to be replaced by a dark ball of pulsating energy. Barma'thazël takes the opportunity to absorb the dark energy into the seed before making his escape by teleporting away.
Barma'thazël dons his disguise as the Wanderer and speaks with Colos and Suses at the top of Searing Crags. He requests the two for assistance in planting the magic seed, explaining that it will grow into a beautiful plant that will produce herbs that can be used for cooking. Colos and Suses are successfully persuaded and agree to help Barma'thazël plant the seed.
Outside of the game, players from the official The Messenger Discord server were given a chance by The Archivist to choose between three different books: a green book labeled "NINJA," a blue book labeled "THE ALCHEMIST," and a red book labeled "BARMA'THAZEL." Players voted for the book labeled "NINJA." The Archivist provided players a taste of the info they had given up: if Barma'thazël's book was chosen, The Archivist would have shown an excerpt detailing what Barma'thazël's special power was before he lost an eye, and how he came to lose it.
#the-void
TheArchivist
@everyone Greetings, Messengers.
Today I have selected three books from The Archives, so that you may decide together which you would like to see an excerpt from. I trust by now that you should be able to read the labels.
Consort and choose wisely; I will return tomorrow.
: 24
: 6
: 3
: 4
#the-void
TheArchivist
@everyone It seems making the red herring green was all it took.
While you have yet to realize why I needed you to witness Ninja's story first, that bit of information is subjective to me and would never be found in an objective record of events.
Ninja's story has already been fully fleshed-out for you by SaboTeam, but reagardless, I offer you this mostly redundant excerpt:
TheArchivist
As some of you seem to doubt the real impact and potential of the choices I regularly present you with, I want to share today a few hints on what you missed: Had you chosen , I would have shown an excerpt detailing very important information about my origin story. Had you chosen , I would have shown an excerpt detailing what the Demon General's special power was before he lost an eye, and how he came to lose it. Had you been daring enough to choose , I would have reluctantly shown you the cover of the second book I intend to give SaboTeam, showing the title of the next big adventure way ahead of time.
I can not solve this on my own. Moving forward, I hope you can appreciate the importance of your contribution. Godspeed!
March 15, 2019[]
In the official The Messenger Discord server, the Clockwork Concierge wrote a message related to Barma'thazël's special power.
The Clockwork Concierge is surprised about The Archivist's "hello."
#general
Soleil
The Archivist said to say "hi" a long time ago.
Clockwork Concierge
Is that so, Soleil? Quite unlike his character.
Soleil
Is he not very social?
Clockwork Concierge
If you ask me, he is mainly very busy and concerned. Even though I would never question The Archivist's wisdom, I sometimes wonder why he would have me set aside the thing I am guarding over at the Clockwork Castle.
Thierry
Yo Concierge, can you not?
Clockwork Concierge
[deleted message]
Thierry
ok enough !
Thierry
time out for a few days
Thierry
jeez
Phil (Rookie Clockwork Operator)
alright, time for maintenance.
Paraphrasing of the deleted message:
Clockwork Concierge
"I wonder if it would censor me [******] disabled [*****'******]'s special power."
The first asterisk word was blue, like the name of a friendly character. The second word was red, like the name of something related to evil. The first asterisk word was six letters long, and the second word had an apostrophe, according to Boo, a person who was able to memorize part of the message before it was deleted.
March 22, 2019[]
In the official The Messenger Discord server, the Clockwork Concierge held a small quiz for Time Shards. He asked two easy game-based trivia questions, then he asked an impossible question related to the Demon General.
The Clockwork Concierge offers to hold a small trivia quiz.
#general
Clockwork Concierge
I believe I should give away of few shards to start thing off proper. Are any of few up for some beginner trivia?
Kammesennin
Let's do it!
Boo
I'm ready for that
Legitimate Ted
Messenger trivia or real world trivia
Babushka
Let's goooo
Legitimate Ted
Cause I'm gonna be next to useless for one of those
Clockwork Concierge
Alright, let's try three easy questions. Number one how far into the future did theTower of TimetakeNinja?
Boud
500 years
Babushka
500 years
Boo
Yup, 500 years
Clockwork Concierge
Correct.
Clockwork Concierge
Number two What is the name of littlePhobekinwho is afraid of heights?
Kammesennin
Acro
Legitimate Ted
Acro
Babushka
Acro
Clockwork Concierge
[deleted message: (paraphrasing) "Who was the last Messenger petrified by the Demon General before the Bowman?"]
April 26, 2019[]
In the official The Messenger Discord server, the Clockwork Castle was threatened by the Demon General, which prompted the Clockwork Concierge to recruit a couple of moderators earlier than scheduled.
The Clockwork Concierge goes on high alert.
#general
Clockwork Concierge
ATTENTION ALL MESSENGERS
Clockwork Concierge
THE SEALS OF THE CLOCKWORK CASTLE HAVE WEAKENED
Clockwork Concierge
ALERT! ALERT! THE DEMON GENERAL FOUND THE DEMON KING'S PRISON
Clockwork Concierge
ADDITIONAL SUPPORT REQUIRED IMMEDIATELY
Clockwork Concierge
My, what a terrible turn of events!!!
Clockwork Concierge
I was not entirely done reviewing candidates. But time is of the essence it seems!
Clockwork Concierge
Messenger Boo.
Boo
Yes?
Boo
Hi!
Clockwork Concierge
For you positive attitude and constant contributions to this community, I would welcome you as a Moderator. Do you accept?
Boo
Why, of course!
Boo
Also you typo'ed that but I love you regardless
Clockwork Concierge
Beautiful! Please join me in the Clockwork Castle now for briefing.
Boo
Right away, sir!
Clockwork Concierge
Quickly.... I.... need one more...the seals...
Clockwork Concierge
Messenger Aevoa.
Aevoa
Clockwork Concierge
Ah yes, ever the silent one. I have considered your application, and while you are not the most vocal here, I believe you have what it takes to act decisively when the situation requires it.
Clockwork Concierge
I would have you as another new Moderator. Do you accept?
Aevoa
I accept!
Clockwork Concierge
Beautiful! Step forward Aevoa, and join me in the Clockwork Castle for your briefing!
Clockwork Concierge
THREAT CONTAINED. ALL SYSTEMS STABLE.
Barma'thazël's Revenge[]
Barma'thazël's Revenge is a story that's separated into three acts: Picnic Panic, the Tower of Thyme, and a third act related to the Clockwork Castle. The Messenger has only addressed the first act, Picnic Panic, in the form of a free DLC. Whether or not the other two acts will ever be addressed is yet to be determined, and it is entirely possible those stories would be released in a format unrelated to The Messenger.[2]
As revealed by the ARG, the Demon King that Ninja fought during The Messenger was not the real Demon King, and the Demon King's remnants are held captive in the Clockwork Castle.[3] Barma'thazël's Revenge would entail Barma'thazël's scheme in bringing back the real Demon King.[2]
Pre-Picnic Panic[]
Barma'thazël does not die in the Underworld after his boss fight in The Messenger. His mastery of speed gives him the power to phase shift,[4] and he uses that power to hop into the alternate timeline of Picnic Panic.[5]
In the ARG, the seals of the Clockwork Castle were weakened, and Barma'thazël broke into the castle, locating the Demon King's remnants. However, he failed to free the Demon King's remnants as the seals were restored.[6] This event was confirmed to chronologically occur before the events of Picnic Panic.[7]
Picnic Panic[]
Barma'thazël enters the alternate timeline of Picnic Panic, goes to Voodkin Island, kidnaps the Phobekins there to lure Ninja into a trap, and infuses a magic seed with voodoo energy. After the credits roll, he disguises himself as the Wanderer and convinces Colos and Suses to assist him in planting the magic seed.
Tower of Thyme[]
The magic seed infused with voodoo energy would be planted with the help of Colos and Suses, and it would grow into a giant beanstalk.[2] Tower of Thyme's story would also address lore involving Time Shards.[8]
Third Act[]
The adventure would take Ninja to the Clockwork Castle, a location that floats above the open sea, slightly to the west of Ninja Village.[9] In the ARG, the Clockwork Concierge refers to "Chapter 3" as his favorite,[9] and that he really wishes that SaboTeam would release the story related to "the kids,"[10] so it is possible that the third act would touch upon lore related to them.
Trivia[]
Barma'thazël is referred to as "DEMON_GENERAL" in the dialogue files and "DemonGeneral" in the picture files. In his disguised form, he is referred to as "WANDERER" in the dialogue files and "Wanderer" in the picture files.
There is unused dialogue between Ninja and Barma'thazël in the dialogue files, referred to as "BARMATHAZEL_GAUNTLET_INTRO." This cut section of the game was originally involved in obtaining the Key of Chaos, as Ninja travels through 8-bit Underworld.
Barma'thazël: And so you step into my lair yet again.
Ninja: I've seen how this ends, Demon! You won't like it.
Barma'thazël: *snort* You think I can't use simple scrying magic? Don't make me laugh.
Ninja: Then you know you can't defeat me.
Barma'thazël: Not in one on one combat.
Ninja: ...
Barma'thazël: You really should learn to watch your step. We are right above The Underworld's unstable core. It's been a pleasure, Messenger. Now let's see you deal with THIS!
"enemyTemplate," used as a placeholder since no 16-bit Wanderer fight sprites exist.
Although not accessible through normal gameplay, "enemyTemplate" is used as a placeholder for 16-bit Wanderer in Bamboo Creek and Glacial Peak. "enemyTemplate" is placeholder art for normal enemies, drawn by game programmer, Sylvain Cloutier.
In the "Sabobo Direct - March 2019" video, it was revealed that The Bowman's main villain was Barma'thazël.[11]
Thierry Boulanger, the main writer and director of The Messenger, confirmed that The Bowman was the one to shoot an arrow to take out Barma'thazël's eye.[12]
As Ninja arrives to future Cloud Ruins for the first time, the Wanderer is seen right outside the Tower of Time before teleporting away. Thierry explained that Barma'thazël is actually tracking the Tower of Time and is getting really good at it.[13]
Barma'thazël's dialogue "I'm the fastest there's ever been..." and "I told you once you son of a scribe, I'm the fastest there's ever been!" references the lyrics of "The Devil Went Down to Georgia," which goes, "I (done) told you once, you son of a *****, I'm the best that's ever been."[14]
, I would have shown an excerpt detailing very important information about my origin story.
, I would have shown an excerpt detailing what the Demon General's special power was before he lost an eye, and how he came to lose it.
, I would have reluctantly shown you the cover of the second book I intend to give SaboTeam, showing the title of the next big adventure way ahead of time.
The Archivist said to say "hi" a long time ago.
Barma'thazël: And so you step into my lair yet again.
