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 main antagonist of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door and the leader of the three Shadow Sirens, which consists of herself and her sisters, Marilyn and Vivian (who is later replaced with Doopliss). Beldam is a Shadow who is more than 1,000 years old and is the oldest of the three sisters. She and the Shadow Sirens work with the Secret Society of X-Nauts to find the Crystal Stars and open The Thousand-Year Door. Beldam and her sisters are reoccurring enemies that appear many times throughout Mario's adventure in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, making numerous attempts to slow him down and hinder his progress. She and her Sirens always appear during even numbered chapters and are fought a total of two times. In the end, Beldam is revealed to have been the one who arranged for the events of the story, using even the X-Nauts as pawns in her scheme.

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
"Let's go, my lovelies! Marilyn! Vivian! Come! We've got a job to do!"

- Beldam

Prior to the events in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, Beldam and Marilyn are servants of the Shadow Queen. After she is defeated and sealed by the four heroes, Beldam and the Shadow Sirens create a plan to revive her, so they can serve her once more. Beldam and the Shadow Sirens soon begin to spread rumors of an ancient treasure that has been sealed behind the Thousand-Year Door, hoping someone finds it so she can steal it.

Beldam and her sisters find out about an organization known as the Secret Society of X-Nauts and are acquainted with their leader, Sir Grodus. They enlist in his services, and Beldam later informs Sir Grodus of the Magical Map that is contained inside of a Treasure Chest. However, neither of them are able to open it themselves since they are evil, as it can only be opened by someone who is pure of heart. Considering this, Beldam and Sir Grodus decide 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, who happens to be Princess Peach. Beldam fails, and as a result, Princess Peach ends up mailing it to Mario, inviting him to go on a treasure hunt with her. However, by the time Mario arrives at Rogueport, Princess Peach has been kidnapped by the X-Nauts. Sir Grodus interrogates Princess Peach for a small portion of time, asking about the whereabouts of the map. She refuses to tell him, but accidentally does so anyway after one of the X-Naut soldiers tells him that a "dude in a red shirt and blue overalls" defeats Hooktail and obtains the Diamond Star.

Boggly Woods
"If my information is correct, Mario should be coming down this road quite soon. You must ambush him and get that map!"

- Beldam

Because the sketch has gotten misplaced, most of the Shadow Sirens don't recognize Mario when they see him. However, Beldam eventually finds the sketch and recognizes Mario as soon as he comes back. Later, the Shadow Sirens engage Mario and company in battle, and are vanquished. Thus, the Shadow Sirens retreat and return to the X-Naut Fortress, leaving the necklace behind.

Twilight Town
Later on, Beldam informs Sir Grodus of the Superbombomb, which will defeat Mario. Sir Grodus reluctantly sends Beldam and her crew on another mission due to his frustration. This time, they are sent to Twilight Town, but Beldam somehow misplaces the Superbombomb. Then, Beldam decides to leave Vivian outside to search for the Superbombomb. After Beldam and her are finished with their nap, they find out that Vivian is no longer there. Shortly thereafter, Doopliss, comes rushing by, joining the Shadow Sirens.

Poshley Heights
"Normally, this would be where I finally deal with you and that homely traitor, Vivian... But something tells me that trying that alone might be unwise. So you live, for now. Instead, I'll just beat you to Poshley Heights and get that Crystal Star before you do!"

- Beldam

Beldam is seen again during the events of Chapter 6, where she attempts to obtain the Crystal Star before Mario. During Mario and company's ride on the Excess Express, Beldam makes it her sole mission to stop them from reaching Poshley Heights at all costs. Sir Grodus soon ends up getting into a quarrel with Bowser, who decides to detonate the Super Fire Bomb by breathing fire on it.

She has Doopliss board the train disguised as the famous actor, Zip Toad, so that nobody will suspect anything. Once on, he steals the Businessman's briefcase, Toodles' Gold Ring, and the Toad Waitress' Shell Earrings in an attempt to cause an explosion. However, Mario, his partners, and fellow Pennington manage to track Doopliss down before the plan can be completed and retrieve the stolen items. After the train stops at Riverside Station, "Zip Toad" reverts back to his real self and runs off. A Toad then informs Mario that a "suspicious shadowy person wearing a hat" went into the terminal station to flip the switch. By the time Mario, the group, and Pennington arrive at Poshley Sanctum, they uncover Beldam, Marilyn, and Doopliss stealing the Crystal Star. As soon as they leave, Pennington reveals to Mario and company that "Crystal Star" they stole is a fake, and tells them that the real one is hidden within the sanctum somewhere.

Palace of Shadow
"Mwee hee hee hee hee! So you still don't see it? Ah, such fools... The 'Professor Frankly' you were with when you opened the Thousand-Year Door... Was none other than this little freak-in-a-sheet!"

- Beldam

During the events of Chapter 7 and 8, Sir Grodus and the Shadow Sirens devise a plan to successfully open the Thousand-Year Door. He leaves Lord Crump in charge of guarding the base, as well as the Crystal Star that they find in Rogueport prior to the beginning of the game. Sir Grodus has planned for Mario and company to defeat Lord Crump. After abducting Professor Frankly, Beldam has Doopliss disguise himself as the professor to trick Mario and company into opening the door. "Professor Frankly" informs the heroes that he finds a way to open the door without the Crystal Stars, and ends up entering the Palace of Shadow with Princess Peach. As soon as Mario and company went through the door, Sir Grodus and the Shadow Sirens follow them. He manages to get to the palace's throne room, while Beldam and the Shadow Sirens wait for Mario and company in the "outside" area of the Palace of Shadow, and reveal to them that the "Professor Frankly" that convinces them to open the Thousand-Year Door is actually Doopliss. The Shadow Sirens once again engage Mario and his associates in combat, and end up suffering another defeat.

Later on, after Mario and company defeat Bowser and Kammy Koopa, he takes Princess Peach and manages to escape to the Shadow Queen's resting place. Declaring himself the new ruler of the world, Sir Grodus unleashes her, which blanketed the world in eternal darkness by her presence. He then presents her to the Shadow Queen as a vessel for her spirit. After she possesses Princess Peach, Sir Grodus commands her to destroy Mario and company, but fails in his attempt. After the second strike to Sir Grodus's head, Beldam, Marilyn, and Doopliss appear. She then explains to the Shadow Queen that she orchestrates all the events that occurred throughout the game. The Shadow Queen congratulates Beldam and the Shadow Sirens for their hard work and offers Mario and company a chance to join her. They refuse, and engage the Shadow Queen in combat, eventually defeating her with lots of support from the team. Princess Peach morphs back into her normal state and Beldam, Marilyn, and Doopliss retreat.

Redemption
"Now that the Shadow Queen's been defeated, I don't think Beldam's into evil. Oh, and Beldam also promised me she would never be mean to Vivian again. Yup, I believe the three sirens are going to live pretty peacefully from now on..."

- Goombella

At the end of the game, it's revealed that Beldam renounces her villainous ways after the Shadow Queen is defeated. She apologizes to Vivian, promising to never mistreat her again. Vivian accepts Beldam's apology, and now lives peacefully with Beldam and Marilyn in Twilight Town.

Super Paper Mario
Beldam didn't physically or visually make an appearance in Super Paper Mario, but she and Marilyn are still mentioned in Vivian's Catch Card description.

Background
Goombella states in her Tattle information that Beldam has several negative personality traits. Beldam is extremely scurrilous, rude, bossy, domineering, and often plays favoritism, treating all group members except for Marilyn as scurrilously as possible. For example, she tends to be very absentminded and will often blame her own mistakes on Vivian. Beldam will constantly disrespect her, talking about how "ugly" and "useless" she is. Presumably because of this disrespect, she also seems to keep Vivian in the dark about her true plans about using Sir Grodus. She shows almost the same amount of disrespect towards Doopliss, always calling him "Freak-Sheet", rather than referring to him by his actual name. An example of the favoritism she shows is when she tells Vivian to search for the Superbombbomb (which she herself lost), while she and Marilyn go to take a "well-earned siesta", threatening to punish her if she doesn't find it. Also, during the second battle with the Shadow Sirens, Beldam shows concern for Marilyn, asking if she is alright, but threatens to punish Doopliss if he loses. Based on observations, Beldam has absolutely no respect for anyone (aside from herself, Marilyn, and the Shadow Queen), as she appears to have as much sympathy and compassion for her own sister and associate as she does for her enemies.

Beldam is also the kind of person who will do whatever it takes to accomplish her goals, regardless of how many innocent lives are taken in the process. She has demonstrated this when she planned to destroy Mario and his partners with the Superbombbomb while they are aboard the Excess Express, which would've resulted in many lives at stake. Beldam has also shown a blatant disregard for other lives by planning to release the Shadow Queen in the first place, knowing that the planet will get plunged into anarchy, knowing that it will result in the deaths of millions, if not billions, but still did it anyway regardless. Beldam also seems to care very little about what will happen to Sir Grodus after the Shadow Queen has been released, since she only sees 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 is the one who usually comes up with their plans. Despite Beldam's constant forgetfulness and frequent displays of incompetence, she has still proven herself to be a highly intelligent, conniving, and manipulating individual. This is shown when Beldam spreads the rumor of a false "treasure" behind the Thousand-Year Door, as well as when she pawns Sir Grodus (and the entire X-Naut legion). Beldam is able to take advantage of his desire for power and control by tricking him into releasing the Shadow Queen, telling him that she will obey his every command if he is to do so. This, of course, results in Sir 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 dastardly throughout the course of the game, it's hinted that this is because she is under the Shadow Queen's influence. At the end of the game, Beldam is shown to be much kinder, as she apologizes for the way she treats Vivian, promising that she'd never do it again. However, it's never revealed whether or not she makes 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. Beldam possesses cryokinetic abilities, 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. Beldam also has the ability to do the exact opposite to Mario and his teammates. Her 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 can sink through the shadows and eavesdrop on other peoples' conversations (as she demonstrates in Chapter 6, where she hears from Mario and his partners that the next Crystal Star was at Poshley Heights). However, she has never been seen utilizing that ability in combat and only uses it during the various cutscenes that take place throughout the game.

Quotes

 * For a full list of quotes, see here


 * ”The honorable Grodus has need of us? Then we arrive without delay!“
 * ”Fear not, sire! For I, Beldam, will return with what you seek!“
 * ”Let's go, my lovelies! Marilyn! Vivian! Come! We've got a job to do!“
 * ”SILENCE, YOU DITZ! How DARE you talk back to me like some rebellious child?!? It's clear to me that the only rationale your type understands is force... So, for your punishment, I'll be taking that necklace you just found. Yes, so sorry.“
 * ”Oh, what IS it, Mr. Mustache? I have no business with you, so scram! Right NOW!“
 * ”Mmmmmmwee hee hee hee! I have no quarrel with you…but I simply can't allow you to hunt for the Crystal Stars.“
 * ”Those who seek names are often disappointed, but if you insist, we'll tell you. We are…“
 * ”Vivian! What are you babbling about?!? It's 'Shadow Sirens', you nincompoop! I don't see three beauties! I see two, but then there's you, and you're PLUG–UGLY!!!“

Trivia

 * Beldam's name comes from the word "beldame", which is used to describe a sorceress or a hideous woman. It also comes from the word "bedlam" (with the L and the D switched), meaning chaos or disorder.
 * Beldam is the only one of the original Shadow Sirens to not have a common name.
 * In the Japanese version of the game the Shadow Sirens are male instead of female.