Beldam

"Mmmmmmwee hee hee hee! I have no quarrel with you...but I simply can't allow you to hunt for the Crystal Stars."

- Beldam

Beldam is the leader of the three Shadow Sirens which consist of herself and her sisters Marilyn and Vivian (who was later replaced with Doopliss). Beldam is a demon who is more than 1,000 years old, and happens to be the oldest of the three sisters. Beldam and the Shadow Sirens worked with the Secret Society of X-Nauts to find the Crystal Stars and open the Thousand-Year Door. Beldam and the Shadow Sirens are reoccurring enemies that appeared many times throughout Mario's adventure in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, making numerous attempts to slow him down and hinder his progress. Beldam and her teammates always appeared during even numbered chapters, and are fought a total of two times.

History
Sometime prior to the events that took place in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, Beldam, Marilyn, and possibly Vivian were servants of the Shadow Queen. After she had gotten defeated and sealed by the four heroes, Beldam and the Shadow Sirens devised a plan to reawaken the Shadow Queen, so they could serve her once more. They soon began to spread rumors of an ancient treasure that's been sealed behind the Thousand-Year Door in hopes that someone would find the Crystal Stars in order to open the seal.

Eventually, they came across the extraterrestrial organization known as the Secret Society of X-Nauts, and got acquainted with their leader, Sir Grodus; they then joined him, pretending to be nothing more than hired help. Taking advantage of Grodus's desire to rule the world, Beldam and the Shadow Sirens told him a lie, saying that the Shadow Queen will obey whoever wakes her, and aid him in his quest for world domination. Beldam also told Grodus that all seven Crystal Stars were needed to break the seal on the Thousand-Year Door, and that a pure maiden was needed in order for the Shadow Queen to be fully revived. Beldam also informed Grodus of the Magical Map that was contained inside of a treasure chest, which had radar-like functions that would allow anyone to track down the location of the Crystal Stars. However, neither Grodus or Beldam were able to open it themselves due to their evil and tainted ambitions, as it could only be opened by someone who's pure of heart. Taking this into consideration, they decided to have someone else open it for them.

Putting their plan into action, Beldam decides to go to the city of Rogueport to look for a pure maiden, which just-so-happened to be Princess Peach. Disguised as an old merchant, Beldam sold Peach the treasure chest containing the map in hopes of stealing it back (as well as kidnapping Peach in the process). However, a "strange old man" (as well as many other witnesses) were around at the time, causing Beldam to withdraw from the mission. As a result of Beldam's failure to steal the map, Princess Peach ended up mailing it to Mario, inviting him to go on a treasure hunt with her. However, by the time Mario arrived at Rogueport, Peach had already gotten herself kidnapped by the X-Nauts (which also managed to find the Crystal Star while they were there). Grodus interrogated Peach for a little while, asking about the whereabouts of the map. Peach refused to tell him, but accidentally does so anyway after one of the X-Naut soldiers told Grodus that a "dude in a red shirt and blue overalls" defeated Hooktail and obtained the Diamond Star. From there, it was confirmed that Mario had the map and Grodus makes it his sole mission to steal that map from him at all costs, so he sends Beldam, Marilyn, and Vivian to Boggly Woods in order to do so, but not before giving them a sketch so they'll know what Mario looks like when they come across him.

Due to the fact that the sketch had gotten "misplaced", none of the Shadow Sirens (except for Marilyn, apparently) recognized Mario when they saw him. Beldam then blamed it on Vivian, claiming that she was the one who lost it (when in actuality, it was Beldam herself). Vivian tried to tell Beldam that she never had it, but Beldam didn't listen and continued yelling at her, and decided to punish her by taking the necklace that she found. However, Beldam eventually found the sketch, and recognized Mario as soon as he came back (since he and his partners were trying to find the necklace that Beldam took from Vivian, which belonged to Flurrie). Shortly after that, the Shadow Sirens engaged Mario and company in battle, and were defeated. Beldam, humiliated by her defeat, blames it all on Marilyn and Vivian, telling them to prepare for a "world-class punishment session" when they get home (although, Vivian was most likely the only one who got punished, despite Beldam's claim of punishing them both). After that, they retreat and return to the base, leaving the necklace behind.

Later on, Beldam informs Grodus of the Superbombbomb, a new weapon that she prepared that would bring Mario to a "quick and certain end". Although he was displeased with her previous failures and was beginning to lose his patience, Grodus still trusted her words, and sent Beldam, Marilyn, and Vivian on yet another mission. This time, they were sent to Twilight Town, which was Mario and company's next destination. Somehow, Beldam managed to lose the Superbombbomb, and once again blamed Vivian. Beldam yelled at Vivian once more, talking about how much of a "useless little fool" she was. Then, Beldam decided to leave Vivian outside to search for the Superbombbomb while she and Marilyn go to take a "well-earned siesta", once again threatening to punish her if she doesn't. After Beldam and Marilyn were finished with their nap, they find that Vivian's no longer there (as she had recently joined Mario's party). Shortly thereafter, Doopliss, who was just defeated by Mario and Vivian, came rushing by. From there, Beldam recruited him as a new member of the Shadow Sirens (and thus a new member of the Secret Society of X-Nauts as well).

Beldam was seen again during Chapter 6, where she eavesdropped on a conversation that Mario and his partners were having concerning the whereabouts of the next Crystal Star. She then emerges from the shadows, startling them in the process. She tells them that she would like to dispose of them, but feels that trying that alone wouldn't be wise, so she instead tells them that she will beat them to Poshley Heights to look for it. During Mario and company's ride on the Excess Express, Beldam made it her sole mission to stop them from reaching Poshley Heights at any cost. She originally intended to use the Superbombbomb to destroy the train while they were still on board, but that plan was foiled when Grodus sent Lord Crump to Twilight Town to retrieve it, and ended up getting into a quarrel with Bowser, who decided to detonate the bomb by blowing fire on it. As a result, Beldam had to come up with another strategy.

Somehow, Beldam found out about what would happen if Nitro Honey Syrup was mixed with seashells and gold, which is a sticky explosion that would gooify the entire train and immobilize everyone on board. She then had Doopliss board the train disguised as the famous actor, Zip Toad so that no one would suspect anything. After that, Doopliss stole the Ratooey Businessman's briefcase (which contained important documents), Toodles's Gold Ring, and the Toad Waitress's Shell Earrings. However, Mario, his partners, and fellow "detective" Pennington managed to track Doopliss down before the plan could be completed; they retrieved the stolen items and gave them back to their rightful owners. After the train stopped at Riverside Station, "Zip Toad" reverted back to his true self and ran off. A Toad then tells Mario that a "suspicious shadowy person wearing a hat" (which may have been Beldam) went into the terminal station to flip the switch. Not only that, but a bunch of small Smorgs were left there as well. However, it is unknown whether or not they had any official connection to the Shadow Sirens and/or the Secret Society of X-Nauts. By the time Mario and company, along with Pennington arrived at the Poshley Sanctum, they found Beldam, Marilyn, and Doopliss stealing the Crystal Star. As soon as they left, however, Pennington revealed to Mario and company that "Crystal Star" they stole was a fake, and told them that the real one was cleverly hidden within the sanctum somewhere.

During the events of Chapter 7 and 8, Grodus and the Shadow Sirens devised a plan to successfully open the Thousand-Year Door, despite the fact that they had already lost six of the Crystal Stars to Mario and his allies. Grodus left Lord Crump in charge of guarding the base, as well as the Crystal Star that they found in Rogueport prior to the beginning of the game. Grodus had planned for Mario and company to defeat him so that they could obtain the Crystal Star and open the Thousand-Year Door for them. He felt that regardless of whether or not Lord Crump succeeded in destroying Mario and his partners, or if it was the other way around, then it would still achieve the same effect regardless of the outcome. After obducting Professor Frankly and having him stuffed in a closest somewhere, Beldam (or Grodus) had Doopliss disguise himself as the professor to trick Mario and company into opening the door. "Professor Frankly" told Mario and company that Grodus somehow found a way to open the door without the Crystal Stars, and ended up entering the Palace of Shadow with Peach. As soon as Mario and company went through the door, Grodus and the Shadow Sirens followed them in secrecy. Grodus managed to get to the palace's throne room (possibly after Gloomtail was defeated, since it wasn't possible to advance through the palace without the Star Key). Beldam and the Shadow Sirens, on the other hand, waited for Mario and company in the "outside" area of the Palace of Shadow, and revealed to them that the "Professor Frankly" that convinced them to open the Thousand-Year Door was none other than Doopliss (which Beldam refers to as "Freak-Sheet", showing him almost the same amount of disrespect she showed toward Vivian). The Shadow Sirens once again engaged Mario and his associates in combat, and ended up suffering another defeat.

Later on, after Mario and company defeated Bowser and Kammy Koopa, who literally "dropped in" after Grodus's defeat, Grodus took Peach and managed to escape to the Shadow Queen's resting place. Declaring himself the new ruler of the world, Grodus unleashed the Shadow Queen, which literally covered the world in darkness by her mere presence. Grodus then presented Peach to the Shadow Queen as a vessel for her spirit. After the Shadow Queen possessed Peach, Grodus orders her to destroy Mario and company, but she refuses and blasts him to pieces, saying that she takes orders from no one. After the second strike to Grodus's head, Beldam, Marilyn, and Doopliss appear. Beldam then explains to the Shadow Queen that she orchestrated all the events that took place in the game, from tricking Grodus, spreading the rumor of the false treasure, and finding a pure maiden for the Shadow Queen to inhabit, thus making her the true mastermind behind everything. The Shadow Queen then congratulates Beldam and the Shadow Sirens for their work, and then offers Mario and company a chance to join her. They refuse, and engage the Shadow Queen in combat, eventually defeating her with the help of the seven Crystal Stars, Peach and the wishes of all their friends. Peach is then changed back into her normal self, and Beldam, Marilyn, and Doopliss retreat.

At the end of the game, it is revealed that Beldam renounced her evil ways after the Shadow Queen was defeated. She then apologized to Vivian, promising to never mistreat her again. Vivian accepted her apology, and now lives peacefully with Beldam and Marilyn in Twilight Town.

Personality
As Goombella has stated in her Tattle information, Beldam's personality "stinks", meaning that she has several negative personality traits. She's extremely rude, bossy, and domineering, and often plays favoritism, treating all group members except for Marilyn with as little respect as possible. For example, Beldam happens to be very forgetful, and would often blame her own mistakes on Vivian. She would constantly disrespect her, talking about how "ugly" and "useless" she is. Beldam shows almost the same amount of disrespect towards Doopliss, always calling him "Freak-Sheet", rather than referring to him by his name (despite the fact that he corrected her). An example of the favoritism she showed, was when she told Vivian to search for the Superbombomb (which she, herself lost), while she and Marilyn go to take a "well-earned siesta", threatening to punish Vivian if she doesn't find it. Also, during the second battle with the Shadow Sirens, Beldam showed concern for Marilyn, asking if she was okay, and wouldn't show any towards Doopliss at all, instead threatening to punish him if he loses. Going by this, it's safe to assume that Beldam had absolutely no respect for anyone (aside from herself, Marilyn, and the Shadow Queen), as she appeared to have as much sympathy and compassion for her own sister and associate as she did for her enemies.

Beldam is also the kind of person who would do whatever it takes to accomplish her plans, regardless of how many innocent lives are taken in the process. She has clearly demonstrated this when she planned to destroy Mario and his partners with the Superbombbomb while they were aboard the Excess Express, which would have resulted in many lives being taken. Beldam has also shown a blatant disregard for other lives by planning to release the Shadow Queen in the first place, knowing that the world would get plunged into chaos, knowing that it would result in the deaths of trillians, but still did it anyway regardless. She also seemed to care very little about what would happen to Grodus after the Shadow Queen has been released, since she only saw him and his organization as nothing more than pawns to be manipulated.

As leader of the Shadow Sirens, Beldam happens to be the "brains" of the group (while Marilyn, on the other hand, is the "brawn"), and she's the one who usually comes up with their plans. Despite her constant forgetfulness and frequent displays of incompetence (which she likes to blame on other people), Beldam has still proven herself to be a highly intelligent, conniving, and manipulating individual. This was shown when she spread the rumor of a false "treasure" behind the Thousand-Year Door, as well as when she pawned Grodus (and the entire X-Naut legion). She was able to take advantage of Grodus's desire for power and control, by tricking him into releasing the Shadow Queen, telling him that she would obey his every command if he were to do so. This, of course, resulted in Grodus trying to command the Shadow Queen, getting blasted to pieces, and nearly getting himself killed in the process.

While Beldam has been shown to be extremely sinister and evil throughout the course of the game, it is hinted that this was because she was under the Shadow Queen's influence. At the end of the game, Beldam was shown to be much nicer, as she apologized for the way she treated Vivian, promising that she'd never do it again. However, it was never revealed whether or not she made that same promise to Doopliss.

Powers and Abilities
Although Beldam is physically weaker than the other members of her team, she makes up for it by using powerful magic abilities. She possesses power over the ice element, which she uses to freeze Mario and his partners, causing them to be immobilized for at least two turns. Beldam has various other abilities as well, such as increasing the size and attack power of her teammates, as well as giving them more attack turns. She also has the ability to do the exact opposite to Mario and his teammates. Beldam's other magical abilities are slowing Mario and his partners down, giving her teammates "fast" status, and the ability to poison her opponents. As with her sisters, Beldam also has the ability to use the Veil technique, where she could sink through the shadows, and eavesdrop on other peoples' conversations (like in Chapter 6, where she heard from Mario and his partners that the next Crystal Star was at Poshley Heights). However, she has never been seen using that ability in battle, and only used it during the various cutscenes that took place throughout the game.

On-Field Tattle Data

 * "This shady woman is certainly selfish and mean! You see how cruel she is to her own sister? What a total meanie! I wonder what went on between them..."


 * "That's Beldam of the Shadow Sirens. Remember?  Vivian's sister? I'm totally surprised she followed us all the way out here, though. And what was that plan she was yapping about, huh?  This sounds bad..."

Quotes

 * Please see here for a full list of quotes.

Trivia

 * Beldam's name comes from the word "beldame", which is used to describe a witch or an ugly woman. It also comes from the word bedlam (with the L and the D switched), meaning chaos or disorder.
 * The color of her hat represents the power she has over the ice element.
 * Beldam is the first character in the Paper Mario series (with Dimentio being the second) to use another villain as a pawn, making plans to secretly betray him in the end.
 * Beldam's line, "my lovelies" is a possible reference to The Wizard of Oz, where The Wicked Witch of the West would always refer to Dorothy as "my pretty".
 * Out of all the antagonist groups in the Mario series (such as the Axem Rangers, Koopa Brothers, etc.), Beldam is the only group leader who wears blue, rather than red. She is also the only older sibling who wears something other than red.
 * Most likely by coincidence, Beldam has a similar laugh to Cloaker, a mini-boss from Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars.
 * Although Beldam didn't physically appear in Super Paper Mario, she and Marilyn were still mentioned in Vivian's Catch Card description.