Schwarzstrom

The Schwartzstrom group

The Schwarzstrom (シュヴァルツ・シュトローム, Shuvarutsu Shutoroomu, German for Black Storm) is a group of characters within the Soul series of games, most notably Soulcalibur and Soulcalibur VI. It consisted of Nightmare, Astaroth, Lizardman (Aeon Calcos), and Ivy.

Background

In both the Original Timeline and the New Timeline, Nightmare created this organisation to serve as a metaphorical shield after Siegfried had stumbled upon a weakened Soul Edge, which had narrowly escaped its own destruction after the demise of its former host, Cervantes. As such, he gave each member a title that is based off of the tinctures used in heraldry. However, Ivy, Astaroth and Aeon never considered themselves to be a part of the Covenant Shield; Schwarzstrom only existed in Nightmare's mind and not in fact.

Original Timeline

In the Original Timeline, Ivy, Astaroth and Aeon had all left the service of Nightmare. Ivy would leave after Taki reveals to her that she has the blood of Soul Edge running through her veins, Astaroth would be slain by Maxi, and Aeon would break free from the mind control of Fygul Cestemus and return to his homeland. Astaroth would later be revived and would go on to serve under Nightmare once more. However, by then, Siegfried was no longer Soul Edge's host nor the Azure Knight.

New Timeline

Similar to the original timeline, in the New Timeline, by the end of 1586, Astaroth would fall to Maxi and, shortly afterwards, Ivy would leave after Taki reveals to her about her origins. It is not known what happens to Aeon.

Members

• "Fredrick Schtauffen": Chief Gules (The Red First)
  • The father of Siegfried, current bearer of Soul Edge. Frederick was a knight of the Holy Roman Empire, but was slain by his son—who had become the leader of a group of bandits called Schwarzwind—when he returned to his homeland. In an effort to resurrect his father, Siegfried is gathering powerful souls and feeding them to Soul Edge. Frederick is the primary symbol of Schwarzstrom, but what would he think of the atrocities his son is committing...?
• Nightmare: Honor Azure^[Note] (Glorious Blue)
  • The red-eyed Azure Knight who carries the cursed sword, Soul Edge. This figure is in fact Siegfried Schtauffen, a young knight who became possessed by Soul Edge three years ago. His eyes have grown cold from the countless horrors he has caused, and little humanity can be seen in them, leading many to believe that the cursed sword has consumed the man's soul. However, even if he is the weapon's host, Siegfried's will can be seen throughout the organization—from the shield imagery that defines it, to the fact that his father is used as its symbol, and even from the name Schwarzstrom (Black Storm), which is similar to Schwartzwind (Black Wind), the name of the group of bandits Siegfried once led.
    Combined with Nightmare's mission to resurrect his father, Frederick, these facts indicate that Soul Edge has not taken total control of Siegfried. The sword and the man share a common goal, but whether or not powerful souls are enough to bring back the dead remains a mystery.
• Astaroth: Sinister Sable (Dire Black)
  • Even among Nightmare's bizarre followers, Astaroth's massive frame stands out. He is in fact a golem created by the Fygul Cestemus cult, and his aim is to obtain Soul Edge. Naturally, this means that his alliance with Nightmare is one of temporary convenience.
    There is a single purpose behind Astaroth's alliance with Nightmare: feeding Soul Edge souls to restore the sword's power. Once this has been accomplished, Astaroth intends to take the weapon from Nightmare. After it is in his possession, he will further gorge the blade on the souls of Nightmare, Ivy, and other powerful members of Schwarzstrom, maximizing its might before delivering it to his master. Nightmare may be aware of this plot, as he has charged Astaroth with the task of eliminating potential threats—a duty that keeps him away from the Azure Knight. "Allies" or not, Ivy despises Astaroth for his brutality and cruelty.
    Astaroth's true master is not Kunpaetku, Grand High Priest of the Fygul Cestemus cult, but rather the deity they worship, which they call "the Executioner." If yet more powerful souls are needed to complete Soul Edge, Astaroth would happily sacrifice the Grand High Priest, and even himself. Their god embodies destruction, and shows favor to none.
• Ivy: Dexter Purpure (Fortuitous Amethyst)
  • Among the menagerie of nightmarish creatures that make up Covenant Shield, Ivy is the only seemingly ordinary human. Her sword, however, fits in well with her companions: it writhes unnaturally, like a snake.
    She owes her control over the weapon to Nightmare, and it is likely that her willingness to collaborate with him comes partially from a sense of obligation. Her goal is to destroy Soul Edge, but she is unaware that Nightmare is its owner. The Azure Knight conceals this fact well, despite keeping Ivy at his side.
    At first glance, keeping Ivy close seems an illogical choice for Soul Edge's host, but there is an explanation. Soul Edge has selected Ivy to be a spare host. As previously noted, when the weapon found itself in danger of annihilation, it learned of the need for self-preservation. Thus, Ivy is the cursed sword's emergency escape route.
    Why would Soul Edge choose Ivy? Her desire to destroy the weapon puts it at great risk. However, there is a startling fact beneath all of this: Ivy carries the blood of Soul Edge. When the cursed sword possessed Cervantes, it sought to create a child, and one of the methods it employed was through procreation by its host. Ivy is the fruit of that experiment. Ivy's mother was the daughter of the proprietor of the Black Tail Inn, who was slain by Cervantes. The daughter was driven nearly mad from the experience, and she fled in terror from Spain. (Perhaps she sensed the new life inside of her, and left in order to protect her unborn child.) Eventually, she arrived in England, and knew she would not live much longer. Praying that at least some good fortune would grace her daughter, she left the newborn outside of a mansion belonging to the House of Valentine. Afterward, she disappeared to die somewhere, nameless and alone.
    Ivy quietly tolerates the slaughter she sees around her. To her, the destruction of Soul Edge comes first and foremost, and anything that leads to that end can be justified. It is also possible that she has learned some of the requirements for the ritual to destroy Soul Edge from Nightmare. However, her suspicion toward the Azure Knight grows each day, and as Soul Edge increases in power, she will soon learn what he has been hiding. When that time comes, she will surely seek retribution.
• Aeon Calcos: Base Vert (Vile Emerald)
  • Chief of the lizardmen that give Nightmare's retinue its reputation as a pack of monsters. Highly adept with the short sword and shield, he is far more intelligent and capable than his fellows. Interesting fact: status among the lizardmen is determined by combat prowess.
    Like Astaroth, the lizardmen are abominations created by the Fygul Cestemus cult, and their purpose is to acquire Soul Edge. For now, they remain obedient to the Azure Knight while they wait for the sword to attain its full power. By Nightmare's order, the lizardman chieftain and his underlings assist Astaroth, but they also act as foot soldiers, carrying out acts of heinous violence night after night. The creatures have little control, and when their gory overindulgences leave too much evidence, Ivy is sent in to erase it.
    Like Astaroth, the lizardmen are followers of Fygul Cestemus, but there is one major difference: Astaroth is a direct servant of their deity, but the lizardmen are loyal soldiers of the Grand High Priest, Kunpaetku.

Trivia

• The group's name has an error in it, as "storm" would translate to "Sturm" in German, whereas the German "Strom" is equivalent to "stream". However, the Japanese translation of the name (黒い嵐 "Black Storm") indicates that it is supposed to be "Sturm" rather than "Strom".
• It can be considered as an evil/dark counterpart of Siegfried’s Schwarzwind.
• Nightmare and Siegfried's stances are named after members of Schwarzstrom:
  • Nightmare's Night Lower Stance and Siegfried's Base Hold are both called "Base Hold" in Japanese.
  • Nightmare's Night Behind Stance and Siegfried's Chief Hold are both called "Chief Hold" in Japanese.
  • Nightmare's Night Side Stance and Siegfried's Side Hold are both called "Dexter Hold" in Japanese. Furthermore, a couple of Nightmare's attacks in Night Side Stance have "Purpure" in their Japanese names.
  • Nightmare's Night Reverse Side Stance and Siegfried's Reverse Side Hold are both called "Sinister Hold" in Japanese. Furthermore, the Japanese name for "Helm Shear"—one of Nightmare's attacks during Night Reverse Side Stance—is "Sable Slap" in Japanese.

Gallery

A modern depiction of the group in the new, rebooted Soulcalibur VI timeline (Inferno may not be an official group member, but is the mastermind)

Notes

• ^α In Schwarzstrom Organisation Chart released on Soularchive.jp, Nightmare's title was translated as "Honour Azules".