Grimm Troupe (Lore)

The lands of Hallownest are filled by several groups of strange sapient creatures. They occupy various territories around the vast kingdom and developed their own societies and cultures aside from the Pale King's rule.

Table of Contents

Bees • Flukes • Fools • Fungal Tribe • Mantis Tribe • Mosskin Tribe • Moth Tribe • The Nest • Snail Shamans • Soul Sanctum's Scholars • The Grimm Troupe • Godseekers

The Grimm Troupe are a joyous group of travelling performer bugs of various species. Their colour theme is red, and they all wear white masks with vertical splits crossing their eyes. The known members are the Troupe Master, the charming Grimm himself, the accordion player Brumm and Divine, as well as a couple of Grimmsteeds.

In truth, the members of the Troupe are slaves to the Nightmare's Heart, a being born from Nightmares, and tied to a perpetual Ritual to sustain it. They travel through dreams wherever an acolyte has set and lit a Nightmare Lantern, but will be banished from it if it is destroyed. There, Grimmkin Novices, Grimmkin Masters and Grimmkin Nightmares travel to harvest flames of Nightmares and feed them to a Grimmchild. Once the child reaches maturation, the Nightmare King, Grimm's Nightmare alter ego, must be killed to sustain the Nightmare Heart, and then be reborn anew.

The Grimm Troupe enters Hallownest once the Knight has lit the abandoned Nightmare Lantern in the Howling Cliffs, placed by a dead acolyte. They set their tents in Dirtmouth, under the anxious looks of the local inhabitants. There, Grimm offers the Knight to take part in the Ritual, and entrust them with the Grimmchild. The Knight must guide it through Hallownest and take the Nightmare flames from the Grimmkin. Grimm also indulges them in a fiery fight for an audience of Grimmkin and rewards them for their performance.

As the Ritual reaches its end, Brumm offers the Knight a choice. Either they complete the Ritual by killing the Nightmare King, or they banish the Troupe and so cease the profanation of Hallownest's memories. Whichever path the Knight takes, the Grimm Troupe vanishes from Dirtmouth. Nymm, an amnesic bug bearing resemblance to Brumm, will linger in Dirtmouth if they were banished.