The Skarka Tribe, also known as the Chasm People,[10] and formerly as the Skar-Ka,[6] are a clan of nomadic Atlanteans who followed seasonal migration routes ranging from Skarka in the Arctic Ocean to the Orreki Reefs in the Pacific Ocean.[11] Due to their nomadic lifestyle, the Skarka Tribe were looked down upon as barbarians by the monarchical Atlantean Empire,[12] and at some point were banished from the Empire.[13]
The Skarka appear to be one of the earliest Atlantean communities on Earth, predating the foundation of Atlantis' kingdom and city,[4] having been active, as the Skar-Ka, as early as 9,000 BC.[14]
History
Origins[]
The Skarka Tribe's ancestral lands was Hellfall Deep, set 28,000 feet bellow sea-level, in what is known during the Modern Age as the Attumacht Trench, in the Skarka Sea, inthe North Atlantic Ocean.[15]
9000 BC[]
Circa 9,000 BC,[14] the Skar-Ka were a barbarian tribe led by Attumacht. They warred against neighboring village, including the more civilized Sera Thet,[4] allegedly raping and pillaging the Sera Thet for ages, according to Orelem, leader of the Sera Thet.[4]
He invented and made manufacture a new type of weapon that would give him a technological edge on the Sera Thet. When one of his own warriors suggested it might be better to instead work with the Sera Thet, Attumacht executed him. The scene was witnessed by time-displaced "Brighthair" (Namorita/Kymaera) who had joined the Sera Thet. Kymaera decided to train them, diverted tools into weapons, in order for them to repel the Skar-Ka, only to discover horrified that Orelem, ruler of Sera Thet, intended to wipe out the Skar-Ka entirely.[4] Kymaera broke out the fighting, and forced Orelem and Attumacht to consider their respective strengths and weaknesses, and realize their mutual interest self-preservation by working together,[5] bringing them together.[6]
0 AD[]
Roughly 2000 years ago,[16] Skarka barbarians led deadly attacks against Atlantis.[17] The Skarka were driven out but with many casualties and putting the Atlanteans in a vengeful mindset, Prince Balaal intending to pursue the Skarka and slay them with the help of Set, in opposition with Ossem, the Patriarch of the Atlanteans.[16]
19th century and early 20th century[]
Circa 1847,[18] Skarka invaded Atlantis. Although they were unable to conquer the city, it did sustain heavy damage; forcing the Atlanteans to abandon their city and move south to the frigid seas. Skarkan forces were also able to kill King Immanu, but took heavy casualties doing so.[19][20]
At some point following their banishment, the Skarka Tribe was enslaved by the bandit warlord Rorak, who sought to exploit a prophecy that a member of the tribe would usurp leadership of the Atlantean Empire; though the young Attuma led a rebellion and freed his people.[21] Despite their freedom, the Skarka Tribe was often forced to resort to banditry when unable to hunt or forge for sufficient resources.[12] Driven into the chasms, the Skarka Tribe fell under the leadership of Attuma's father, Attukar and renamed themselves the "Chasm People".[13]
In the 1930s, the Chasm People entered negotiations to integrate into the Atlantean Empire,[13] but diplomatic talks were interrupted when the Swift Tide - an elite group of Atlantean warrior-women whose ranks included the Skarka Tribe's Garanna the Breaker - discovered the location of the Unforgotten Stone, an eldritch artifact dating back to the time of R'lyeh.[11] Attukar and the representative of Atlantis, General Krang, agreed to send Attuma and the Atlantean prince Namor to accompany the Swift Tide to recover the Unforgotten Stone, hoping to encourage a friendship between the two princes and thus further improve relations between their peoples.[3] However, the expedition ended in disaster, with the Swift Tide being corrupted into monsters by the Unforgotten Stone and going on a murderous rampage through the oceans.[22] King Attukar and the other members of the Skarka Tribe's delegation were slaughtered by the Black Tide, Attuma assuming leadership of his people and blaming Atlantis for the deaths.[23]
Modern Age[]
Under Attuma's increasingly ruthless leadership, the surviving members of the Skarka Tribe settled in an area of the ocean known as the Murky Depths and began waging war with the Atlantean Empire.[24] When the Fantastic Four helped route Attuma's attempted conquest of the Atlantean Empire,[25] the Skarka Tribe began seeking to conquer both Atlantis and the surface world - bringing them into conflict with the Avengers,[26] Defenders,[27] and other surface-world superhero teams as well.
When Attuma decided to finally set aside his grudge against Namor, the Skarka Tribe allied with Atlantis.[9]
War of Seven Kings[]
After Namor abdicated and surrendered to custody of the surface-dwellers, seven parties emerged as pretenders to the throne of Atlantis: Snake-worshiping Lemurians, the Scientists Supreme of Old Atlantis, the Abbot and his monks, King Kailani of the Secret Seas, the King in Coral, the Lord of Orphans, and King Attuma of the Skarka. Attuma considered Kailani the least of the pretenders to the throne. Amidst the War of Seven Kings, Atlantis was abandoned, and Lemuria ended up in ruins. The Skarka preyed on the Atlanteans, stealing and brutalizing the helpless, while residing at Hellfall Deep, in Attumacht Trench.[15]
Attuma tried to have the former king assassinated at the Sea Cage Prison, by sending Skarka assassins with poisoned weapons, along with mercenaries Manowar and King Crab. The assassins were defeated, and Namor was saved by Stingray who passed this way and administered him antivenom.
Stingray managed to have Namor released for a few days to stop the War.[1] Namor headed to the rim of Attumacht Trench, where he witnessed a victim of the Skarka, before heading into Hellfall Deep. There, he challenged Attuma to the Crimson Swim, a drunken duel swam in wine and bloody carcasses of fish. Namor learned more about the war before easily defeating Attuma. He then ordered the Skarka to stop their campaign of violence, but was mocked by the barbarians who did not recognize his authority, and Namor consequently decimated Attuma's army. King Kailani arrived after the fight,[15] Kailani alleging she had come with the intent to propose Attuma to join forces, but arriving upon the scene, captured the drunken Namor instead.[28]
After Namor met with the Orphan King in the royal palace of the ruins of Atlantis, the Orphan King summoned all of the claimants for a final battle, including Attuma, the Barbarian King, and his hordes of berserkers.[29]Paraphernalia
Equipment
Weapons
Notes
- Marvel Atlas #2 lists Orka as citizens of "Sharka", (a typo of "Skarka" repeated throughout the profile).[7] It is unrevealed whether this is an error (based in Orka's affiliating with Attuma on occasion), or if Orka was indeed made a member of the tribe proper.
See Also
- 29 appearance(s) of Skarka Tribe (Earth-616)
- 2 minor appearance(s) of Skarka Tribe (Earth-616)
- 7 mention(s) of Skarka Tribe (Earth-616)
- 4 mention(s) in handbook(s) of Skarka Tribe (Earth-616)
- 3 image(s) of Skarka Tribe (Earth-616)
- 9 member(s) of Skarka Tribe (Earth-616)
Links and References
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Namor (Vol. 2) #1
- ↑ Tales to Astonish #88
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 King in Black: Namor #1
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Night Thrasher #11 ; Blood and Water
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Night Thrasher #12 ; Blood and Water, Act II
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Women of Marvel: Celebrating Seven Decades Handbook #1 ; Namorita's profile
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Marvel Atlas #2 ; Atlantis' profile
- ↑ Squadron Supreme (Vol. 4) #1
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Nick Fury #4
- ↑ Who Is... Namor Infinity Comic #1
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 King in Black: Namor #1–2
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 King in Black: Namor #2
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 King in Black: Namor #4
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Women of Marvel: Celebrating Seven Decades Handbook #1 ; Namorita's profile mentions she found herself "some 11,000 years in the past"
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 Namor (Vol. 2) #2
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Spectacular Spider-Man Annual #9 ; The Saga of the Serpent Crown Chapter Six: Golden Serpent
- ↑ Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z #1 ; Atlantis' profile
- ↑ Vampires: The Marvel Undead #1 ; Thakorr's profile
- ↑ Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe (Vol. 2) #1 ; Atlantis' profile
- ↑ Saga of the Sub-Mariner #1
- ↑ Fear Itself: The Worthy #6
- ↑ King in Black #2
- ↑ King in Black: Namor #3
- ↑ Dark Reign: Made Men #1
- ↑ Fantastic Four #33
- ↑ Avengers #154
- ↑ Defenders #7
- ↑ Namor (Vol. 2) #3
- ↑ Namor (Vol. 2) #5