TerroirNoir2

Because you make a difference. Everyone who steps up in some way and makes the world for the rest of us fun, and frankly BETTER, is important.

I'd happily slot @Darmian's Praetorian AEs straight into the existing game.

Thanks for the inclusion but I just play 🙂 You and all the others provide my fun!!

Agreed. I'm going to enlarge that list and include @cranebump, @Ankylosaur, @Darmian, @Zhym, @ZamuelNow, @twozerofoxtrot, @Jiro Ito, and those are just the tip of the iceberg!

Take care of Engineria for me, I'm proud of her. And maybe Araminta (when I am randomly on) will run into her in one of your future arcs.

This is Araminta.

Ok folks. Some sad news from me. Not RL sad news but Engineria sad news. I literally do not have the time in my schedule anymore to keep doing this. I have tried but I keep falling behind and I'd rather have an end point than something unfinished. So after I finish this little run, which will include @Ankylosaur's All That Glimmers 3.3: Gods in the Planes, @cranebump's Solace@ Part Two and @Darmian's Three Sisters, then Engineria will be retiring from active duty here. If you see me in the city I'll be on Araminta Levine. @cranebump, Engineria will be all yours to add to your team, as promised. You already have her in one of the existing arcs anyway. If you need any of her costumes send me an email here. @Zhym, thanks for your continued support over all of this and for having 70s Man join Engineria in one of her adventures.

Oh dear God what have I done? Err... anyway. I don't have a directory. The nearest thing I have are these: And the continuation: Nicely broken up by our friend @Zhym here: HOWEVER...IF YOU DON'T WANT SPOILERS FOR SOME OF THE ABOVE THEN TRY THIS: Lots of AE writers post a blurb for their work here in the Mission Architect section but (correct me if I'm wrong) so far I've only seen @Darmian do this. And I figure this sort a thing would fit into a directory reasonably well.

Easily fixed. For example the Shining Stars arc used to have you visit the Atlas Park AE, now it directs you to the Vault. Fiddly but not impossible.

Ok, then having them appear in arcs post their individual TFs would be necessary. Much as I like your idea for shuffling the contacts for the current TFs I don't see that happening TBH. The Patron arcs for Redside seem an "easy" analogue and in fact I'm surprised that there aren't equivalent Pool Power arcs for the FP. Perhaps there was meant to be but it never happened? I haven't checked on the AMAs in a while and can't remember. And the Praetorian counterparts don't even have that incentive of a Patron Pool and we still know more about them, even peripherally like Duncan, since they cross through each other's stories and are at odds. BABs as sole trainer in Atlas? I like that idea. (And while AE is not everyone's preferred play style I'd again say have a look at @Darmian's long Dark Deeds/Darker Deeds/Darkest Before Dawn series and see how one of us brings an NPC super group to life much better than the OG Devs did for the FP or the Vindicators.)

LOL. Perhaps! I'll hang out with Madame Maven and her team any day of the week though.

Other than that, I may just start nominating things myself and tagging Devs/GMs in the post!

I wouldn't go that far myself, LOL! But I'm assuming a small team of GMs/Devs to play and assess the nominations is pretty much what is needed. After all, the creation work is already done. I don't know the inner mechanisms.

That kind of reinforces my point that we don't know them.

I'll put one spin on this. We don't really know them. Almost none of the material in game gives us a feel for who they are. We have (and it's probably due to the later writing period) a better understanding of their Praetorian counterparts. When I have the time I play a lot of AE material (though my time is very constrained these days) and through the eyes of some authors I've had my character interact with and more importantly get to know NPCs. @Ankylosaur has done this with Wyvern and a few others. @cranebump has fleshed out an entire Kings Row worth of characters, including Hollow Point as a more rounded yet still nasty individual, and @Darmian's use of the Meteors (those NPCs standing around speaking to the press and public in Atlas Park) is well worth seeing for character development. Every time I run into an FP member in game I have none of this, no matter how often I do. I think others agree with me, I believe @Zhym does. So respect for the FP can happen but we need to see them close up and properly in various arcs.

The original pinned post was unpinned and locked, which is why I'm posting here.

Ok, I really think it's time that the Dev's Choice was reinstated properly.

Arc 20 from our second author on "TerroirNoir's Cable Channel of AE" Reviews is @cranebump's Solace: Part 1. Mission 1: Room for Expansion. Recovering from her recent visit to a changed Nova Praetoria Engineria decides to go through her messages and finds one from Everett Daniels. Daniels is an idealist who opposes many things funded by corporate greed, including the corruption of law enforcement by dark money. Let's see what the man wants. The Solace Injunction. Ah...never heard of it. I know I know, I need to keep up with political events but I'm usually in the midst of things and have to pop my head up sometimes to see what is going on in the city with everyone else. So this injunction got the Longbow Overwatch station, the one that links Bloody Bay to Faultline, suspended. Why? Seems that piece of turf is prime real estate and the city wants it. Well, someone in the city wants it. Abra Krimulo has branded Longbow as "foreign" due to its NATO links, and a "foreign power" on our soil was flimsy enough of a screen to get the injunction. Yeah? They should visit Siren's Call some time! Arachnos is there. I don't see her protesting THAT! Daniels is seeing this is a blatant land grab by corporate forces. Time to investigate. Looks like someone is here before me! Headlong? Who are you, my friend? And Dark Water operatives? Those guys are shady! OOOH! Mental attack! Not good. I can see now how Headlong was captured. A Break Free and Engineria stumbles from its hold to defend herself. Although getting kicked in the throat didn't help either! Whew. Gimme a second or two, Headlong, and I'll be right with you. Just catching my breath here. Daniels has clearly found something going on. (That Hero Corps job is looking more and more attractive already) Right, what do you have to say for yourself? Oh, You're Cyrus Thompson's grandson? Well good for you. Keeping the heroing business in the family I see. Playing along, huh? Sure. Let's go with that. C'mon Junior, we have a building to check out. Heh. I'd heard about this (hell, I may have even posted about it before!) but somewhere there's a TANK, an actual TANK of Tacos! Seriously, look for these dials on a nearby wall when you're investigating one of these warehouses. Ok, on we go, Engineria and Headlong, into the maelstrom of whatever. More company! Let's get them! Hello! Who are you? Bengal? Welcome to the team, Bengal. This is Headlong - no, we just met, so no questions. On we go. Darkwater are everywhere it seems. It's a regular inheritance party here now. Bengal is related to Jake Montoya, yep THAT Jake Montoya. And there's a database to be found yet. Lots of mantle passing going on around here. I've not been working long enough to do that, though maybe Araminta from my SG might step up to the plate in future. She has a thing for robot assistants. Man, these new heroes are EAGER. It's making me feel old right now! Then Ii get the surprise of my life (at least for today) and run into Thunderhead Jim Bartlett! He thought the newbies might be in over their heads but calms a bit when he runs into Engineria. So we examine a few consoles and take what data we can from them before heading back out to see Daniels. Daniels is worried about Darkwater because those folks are EXPENSIVE to hire it seems. Someone has money to burn. As for the heroes, the Night Ravens, he knows the two senior members and perhaps allying with them could really move things along. Dr. Engles will take a peek at the data we harvested in the meantime. [Mission 1 = Ok, after the far flung malarkey of an alternate-now Praetoria we're back to territory Engineria grew up in and it's looking like a mission that sparks some serious social concern in the boro. Great start!] Mission 2: Bridge to Nowhere. Daniels informs Engineria that Darkwater appears to be doing cover up work FOR us. Instead of Daniels scrambling to hide our "interference"/investigation, no reports are coming out at all. Most likely Darkwater's doing. So Engles is sorting out the intel we recovered and while they're doing that, the rest of us - I BET that means Engineria - so MC Investments is next on the list to be checked out. Our new allies, the Night Ravens, are also sending in one of their team, so I reckon I'll be seeing them along the way too. Her name is Kestrel. Time to find out why MC Investments is so interested in this civic expansion. On we go! Time to find the "trainee". But if the Night Fox is her mentor then she should still be doing fine. And there she is. I suppose I'd better help. Ah. looks like you had that handled. Well, shall we continue on? There's evil afoot. Or at the least corporate greed. Not sure which is worse. At least evil seems to care that it destroys you, like you matter. AND first thing that happens is Kestrel rescuing my sorry ass as I get frozen. Ok, she's GOOD. Looks like I'm not the cobwebby old hero in this one. Or maybe I am! After Kestrel dusts me off and thaws me out we move forward and examine various computer consoles. And a few weapons caches. Interesting. Kestrel says this isn't a Hero Corps operation, and with the weapons that's obvious. And we uncover a name, Donner. Hmm. Santa? Is there a Comet and a Vixen? Ok, that's a bit silly, BUT have you seen the crazies I've encountered in my career as a mid level hero? Let me remind you of the Yule Lads! Oh boy. Hmm, a bunch of Arachnos style pods around a corner, cryo type things that appear to have held frozen Hero Corps members! Except where the hell are those Hero Corpsicles now? ....and I really need a peripheral sensor or something! We get jumped by site security! Site B? Ok, I'll have to ask about that. In the meantime Kestrel and Engineria are in mid combat! But we prevail! And catch our breath. Ok, she is very good. Didn't need to call in Buddy. Which is good I suppose, that guy does more than enough for me. Right, the site leader had a swipe care and there's a device in the final room. Let's have a looksee. Well that's ominous. Ok Kestrel, time to vamoose and get back to the boss, because Darkwater will be following us home by the looks of things. Daniels is ghasted. Of the flabbering type. And calls Jake. Hmm. And things ramp up immediately as Darkwater are making their way in. Time to just use their teleport activator and meet them head on. [Mission 2 = Classic @cranebump build up. No, not a criticism, just an appreciation of craft. The worldbuilding is great. Loving the Legacy team and the intro. Great stuff.] Mission 3: Dauntless. More ASAP.

Or that teaching position in Hero Corps!

Damnit! Work ramped up again for this week. I have Ninjas in the Wind finished, it'll just be a week or so (hopefully less) before I can get the rest of it posted. I thought I had some traction again but it was not to be. Nevertheless, I will persevere! Engineria out!

Not a problem! The team up was vital in Mission 4 too.

Arc 20 from our first author on "TerroirNoir's Cable Channel of AE" Reviews is @Ankylosaur's All The Glimmers 3.2: Ninjas in the Wind. Mission 1: Who Has Taken Her? Engineria strolls in to the Vanguard base to restock on her Fragmentation grenades. As per usual the armorer will only give her a complement of 30. Rats. Oh well, space them out as always with regular grenades and some Plasmatic Taser use. Dark Watcher is nearby on his cell phone and ends his call then beckons her over. Apparently Engineria is just the person he needs right now to go to the Isles and do a little covert work, since an official presence there might not go down so well. So what am I doing over there? Ice Mistral has been kidnapped. And...how is that our problem? It seems that WSPDR is reporting that Foreshadow and Mirror Spirit along with "storm monks and ninjas" appeared out of nowhere and grabbed her. Except Dark Watcher just got off the phone with Foreshadow and no, that wasn't them. So doppelgangers. How are doppelgangers a new thing? I mean with Nemesis alone there's a bunch of them. Not to mention Praetorian duplicates and who all knows what those 1960s Arachnos cloners were at. But the whole storm thing is piquing people's interest, even Levantera and Borea who are listening in on this whole chat. And they're being cryptic about it with Dark Watcher. Yes, ok, I'll go and check things out. Where? The Giza in St. Martial? Fine. Ah, this place is always breathtaking. Gotta admit that. But I'm here to find two of the kidnappers so let's roll! Ok, that's the basic plan. And immediately I run into some of Arachnos' own catch teams and have to fend them off. It's not an issue, I think I can deal with these guys pretty fast, although I mustn't get overconfident. Wait! What do I see over the bridge? Is that a captured ninja? It's definitely a captured somebody. I'll just fly over the water and have a looksee. Yup. Some sort of ninja! Well, you're in Arachnos' custody right now but I reckon you'd be better in mine. The Spiders aren't known for their excellent Yelp reviews when it comes to the treatment of prisoners. Or anyone else for that matter. Let's see about freeing you from the web, metaphorically speaking! And of course you're antagonistic and a complete pain in the ass after being rescued. Not even a grudging "Thanks", no, it's instantly attack me for no damn reason that I can see. Not even an introduction! Well, I'm Engineria and I'm not taking any of your nonsense! Oh! He summons minion ninjas! Neat trick. How do they stand up to Radiation by the way? Same as everyone else? Good. Blasty blast! Well, Mr. Konran, let's have a look at you now you're prone and unconscious. Hmm, very little apart from some muttering about the "magic of the winds". That's probably important but the bodycam will have it all recorded anyway so I'll turn that over to Dark Watcher when I get back. Now, according to Arachnos there's another one of these folks around here somewhere awaiting transport. Let's find him or her or them and maybe this time I'll get an actual conversation. Or I'll get ranted at. If I had a nickel for every time I got ranted at...I'd have a lot of nickels. Well look who I found all trussed up in energy coils under the bridge. Mr. Taitu Majutsu-Shi. You appear Asian. Or have done a bit of cultural appropriation, it's hard to tell from this angle. Let's get closer and dispose of your captors, shall we? Oh, another reluctant speaker. Not used to being the center of attention? And the only answers are to be found in the elements? Dark Watcher better have more insight into this than me because I dunno what he's talking about here. And stay down. Ok, time to report back and see what Vanguard's finest can glean from all this. Me? Baffled so far. Arriving back in the RWZ via the St. Martial Vanguard base, Engineria goes to see Dark Watcher. Levantera and Borea are close by, listening it seems. Dark Watcher tells Engineria that he's seen the bodycam footage and yes, the powers and tactics used against me are those of the Order of the Four Winds. (Nope, I got nuthin'). In the past they granted "Mantles" to those they deemed worthy, but some of these mantles, like the one used by Ice Mistral, have long since fallen out of their control. Dark Watcher surmises that perhaps they are seeking to reclaim their lost powers (Ok, with you so far) but it's not their manner to impersonate people, like what happened with Mirror Spirit and Foreshadow. So something is a bit squirrelly here. And then he stops to answer his cell phone. Taps foot. Brushes gank off armor while waiting. Oh, this is gonna be interesting. [Mission 1 = Instant mystery, just add ninjas, teleporting and doppelgangers! We're off to a good start and a really nice use of the St. Martial map here. That map doesn't get used enough IMO though I imagine it is tricky.] Mission 2: Who Has Taken Him? Engineria gets beckoned over to Borea and Levantera while Dark Watcher is on his phone. They agree between them that it seems the Order of the Four Winds is Dark Watcher's chief suspect in this investigation. Borea thinks they're definitely after the mantles, but only those that are being abused. Her and Levantera have such a mantle each and obviously they aren't abusing theirs. Engineria doesn't ask how this criteria was established and continues listening, with a few dutiful nods thrown in along the way. Even so they are going to take precautions. Very wise I'd say. At that point the Dark Watcher finishes his call and signals to Engineria. Vanguard's agent in Grandville has reported more teleporting ninjas attacking the main tower in Grandville, with possibly Scirocco himself as the target, since he possesses a mantle. Time to get to Grandville then. Porting through the Vanguard portal and making her way into the heart of the Web, the first thing that greets Engineria is...flying...Mech bots? (Is Mech bot a tautology? I don't know. Distracting myself here, back to surveillance!) In the mean time, this guy again? Seems Arachnos didn't bundle him into a wagon after I left him lying under the bridge in St. Martial. Looks like I have to teach you your lesson again. And I do. And please, stay down this time because next time - and there better not be a next time - I won't be so nice. Get me? Ok, I ping the Mechs out of the air and switch them off before continuing deeper into the tower. I mean these guys are everywhere! Surely in the heart of Arachnos these guys should have been eliminated already. Aw! Guys. I know we're not normally on the same side but for once could you recognize that I'm attacking the same people that you are attacking? That I'm quite literally attempting to rid your command post of these invaders? But no, can't have that. Then again I suppose that's all about controlling the narrative possibly and any stray person such as myself can't be allowed to tell a different story. Bah! And you're going to strike against W.I.S.D.O.M.? Foreshadow and Mirror Spirit are the only ones I know of but that is NOT going to go down well in Paragon. Oh well, moving on further let's see what we can see. AHA! Maybe. Or OHO! Anyway, someone here thinks I'm here to avenge Scirocco. Does this mean he's already gone or kidnapped and these guys are simply the mop up crew? I'll try to sort my thoughts on this later but in the intervening period I plan on Rad Blasting the bejeezus out of this guy. He's tricky to deal with and I wince away through a field, a literal FIELD of damn caltrops. Ow. I wonder does my armorer do reinforced soles? Maybe. Note to self for that. Aha! A console. Let's have a quick look at the tower's CCTV footage and see what happened. WHAT? Ok, Dark Watcher needs to know this. I mean this is not reportage from WSPDR but actual footage that I've seen with my own eyes. (I wonder did my bodycam get a copy of this copy?) And there's the raid leader coordinating the evacuation of her minions. Thistle Ona-Musha. She's definitely got a storm building around her, and I can see the edges of the silhouettes of her personal guards. I'm not going to mess around with this one so its time for an ion Judgement. And BOOM! Oh. She handled that pretty well. Reckon it's back to Rad Blast and Kinetics then. Time to roll up the sleeves and set to. No, I'm not Arachnos. What gave me away? Was it the Paragon City accent? (Which is mostly Founders Falls to be honest but the family used to live in Astoria a LONG time ago, like the 40s.) Maybe the uniform? Nah, it was the trail of unconscious Arachnos troops behind me I reckon. Where the hell did all these extras come from, Central Casting? C'mon! Ok, Atomic Blast it is then. Oh fergawdsakes! These people are insanely tough and I am thinking I should have given Buddy a call, but I know he hates working in the Isles. JEEZ LOUISE! I am never going to get out of this spider infested tower, am I? SO I'm moving and firing and eating Greens like they're candy and pulling health and power and speed from them with my Kinetics, in fact it's only my ridiculously accelerated speed that is keeping me going for a bit as my armor is starting to peel and crack by now. And then there's a pin on the timer on my wristband and oh baby, Ion Judgment is recharged! And the minions are flung aside and Thistle herself goes down! Oh yes! Touch down! And Engineria pauses and catches her breath. Which is difficult with what appears to be several cracked ribs and so on. Bit of a hitch in the old breathing department. And chill. Time to get the hell out of here. No time wasting though. Dark Watcher listens and has obviously seen the bodycam footage of the CCTV, however second or third generation. The trouble is Mirror Spirit was actually in Faultline when this happened. As well as that Dark Watcher knows Pa Soong, the leader of the Order of the Four Winds, and at no point have they ever used Mechs or anything of that sort. Ninjas? Storms? Yes. Mechs? No. And the next intriguing thing is Flower Knight. Flower Knight? I know that name from somewhere! Yes, facial recognition has determined that this Thistle person matches Flower Knight. except the capabilities shown far exceed anything on record for Flower Knight. As for the last troubling bit? Dark Watcher says it seems that Lord Recluse and Mu'Drakhan are somehow complicit in allowing the attack to take place. Ok. Weird. I mean yes, they (and Daos and perhaps the Patrons, the non-Scirocco ones) could open the gates so to speak, but why? I'm to get back to Vanguard and our next step will be considered. [Mission 2 = Well, the action ramped up considerably in this one! I didn't do it justice @Ankylosaur but the fight with Thistle was a definite back and forth, with me popping green inspirations to keep going and she and her minions hit hard! And the mystery continues! Good stuff.] Mission 3: Who Has Taken Them? On her way out of Vanguard Engineria's cell phone buzzes. A text from Dark Watcher. They enemy are here. Ninjas in Vanguard! About face and back inside! Getting inside Vanguard Engineria immediately sees Dark Watcher himself held captive. Time to get to work then! These two aren't heavy hitters as far as the enemy goes so they go down fast to Engineria and Dark Watcher is free again. He's immediately ready to retake the base and to find Levantera and Borea. They've been taken! Ok and on we go. Down around the corner of the conference room we find Serpent Drummer floating in a sort of energy field. Some coils of green power anyway. Possibly magical? We don't have time to figure that out and go on the attack. I power up Dark Watcher with Kinetics' Speed Boost and Increase Density and the two of us launch into combat against the intruders. The fight is over in moments, especially since Dark Watcher summoned Spectral Servants and Decoys to aid us. Serpent Drummer informs us that Spark Blade and Rose Star are still on site and we have to take them out. Wait, I thought they were part of W.I.S.D.O.M? Are they doppelgangers? Never mind, time for explanations later as we turn down the corridor that leads into the main RWZ zone base. Ah. Definitely doppelgangers. He might look like Spark Blade but he isn't the same man. And with our combined strength, again boosted by Engineria's Kinetics, Mega-Katana fails to defeat us. But it's still not an easy fight. Rose Moon? So that's the name of the other double? She has to be around here somewhere. And there she is! She rushes us and the swirl of combat moves around the corners of the base, bouncing us against steps and walls and back again. We manage to pin her against a wall and beat her down but she seems even stronger than her partner. Serpent Drummer's kicks rain down on her head and Dark Watcher's servants continue to attack while Engineria rips power and speed and health from her. And her last words, like most of the others, are that the winds will carry them home. Whatever that means. Their version of "Today is a good day to die"? Who can tell. The base is secure and Vanguard troops are arriving from around Paragon and the Isles through the various Portals. Things are returning to normal. Apart from Borea and Levantera being taken that is! Serpent Drummer lays it out for us now. Those two, and obviously Foreshadow and Mirror Spirit's doubles, are Praetorian! The refugees that came from Praetoria after the war spoke of an Asian empire on the other side of the world. Leaving Dark Watcher to agree and tell us that we've just encountered Neo-Tokyo and their version of the Order of the Four Winds. Wonderful. However the sisters are still missing and we need to get them back. [Mission 3 = The RWZ base map always provides a tight spot for some great fights and I was MASSIVELY helped by my allies in this (and using Kinetics on them really helped). It could have been very different without them. A great little action packed middle sequence leading to the rescue later.] Mission 4: Foreign Spirits Tamed: Dark Watcher explains that he was studying the Praetorians' use of magic in their attack and that he had experimented with their version previously (Refugee help I suppose). Their escape route, while similar to the TUNNEL network used by the Carnival of Light, at this point doesn't lead to Praetoria but to an abandoned part of Eden. Abandoned part of Eden? I thought ALL of that place was pretty much abandoned! And since he and Serpent Drummer are needed in Vanguard....aw. But I don't wanna go to EDEN! It's nasty. Oh, I'll be teleported in to their location and not be wandering around as bait for the Devouring Earth? Better. Right, take it away! I appear in some sort of warehouse. It's always a warehouse, isn't it? Dark Watcher told me that Tyrant somehow took the mantles of the Praetorian Order of the Four Winds from them, so Watcher reckons that they want ours. And that it's easier to take them from live hosts than dead ones which means I can still save our allies. Well that's good. Excellent! There's Levantera. Now my incredibly detailed and clever plan is...do EXACTLY what I did in the Vanguard HQ. Rescue my allies and supercharge them with Kinetics so we have a fighting chance of getting out of this place. Plan? Plan. And we're off to a good start already! Ah...I hope this plan of mine holds up! Boosted Levantera has just sped to and cut down two enemies before I even had a chance to Rad Blast a single one of them. I ended up irradiating a body. Sheesh. Jeez Louise! She's just a whirling blur of blades and murder! I mean hold on lady, if you DO run into someone tougher than you expect I'll be too far away to help you. And then they'll kill me! And neither of us want that do we? And as we proceed down the hallway I can see Borea up ahead. Ok, time ... will you chill for a minute?... time to rescue her. And of course Levantera just WHOOSHES in and starts the fight! Hang on! I'm right behind you! Leave some for me! (Honestly, how is a gal supposed to get any experience if this keeps happening? Tcha.) Now I have two allies with me, all nicely buffed up on Kinetics and...look at her go! Straight in there and sword a swinging! I pop off some eye beams and help her out. We battle our way up and down corridors, taking out genin and so on as we go until we reach a set off stairs leading up to ...that guy looks like Foreshadow but he's most likely not. Oh he's called AFTER THOUGHT. I see. Bit of a reversal there in the names. And the mantles are no use to our side but your side will use them to fight the Hamidon? You know, Vanguard aren't unreasonable. You COULD have asked for their help so I'm thinking your own damn pride got in your way in this case. And that's not all that is getting in your way! Borea and Levantera are pretty pissed off at their treatment and you're a prime target for their frustration. Well you can't say I didn't warn you. Right, who is next on the Grudge List? Tirips Rorrim? What sort of...wait. That's Mirror Spirit reversed! AHA! Now where were we? No, you can't have them because you don't get to decide who is and isn't honoring the mantles of an entirely different world. You're no better than Tyrant. She's very strong! The three of us fight her across the space of the dojo (at least I think it's a dojo), slowly wearing her down. And finally she falls. Again apparently the winds will carry her home. Borea? Levantera? Can you get in touch with Dark Watcher to get us out of here because I for one am NOT crossing Eden. Thank you. Thanks are handed out. Pa Soong, leader of the Order of the Four Winds is delighted that their name has been cleared. The Praetorians have been expelled back to their own world, though the mantles of Scirocco and Ice Mistral still need recovering. [Mission 4 = Well that was a worthy set of fights! Some very tough opponents though I had some VERY tough allies and that was greatly appreciated. Ok, finale time! Bring it on!] Mission 5: Neo Tokyo: OKAY. Now Dark Watcher lays some serious intel on us. He has discovered that the TUNNEL portals have had wards embedded within them! Normally the TUNNEL portals will deposit you in Praetoria in a period prior to the War. But those who access the portal and trigger the wards are able to go to the PRESENT. (I could have sworn that post War Praetoria was riddled with Hamidon and more than likely irradiated? No?) Dark Watcher has tracked the path of the Praetorian Order of the Four Winds through the TUNNEL portal and surmises that they have returned to Nova Praetoria, a Nova Praetoria now free of radiation and where Hamidon is kept at bay by magic. Well wheee doggie! Don't that beat all! Dark Watcher can replicate what they did and we're all going to Aruba! I mean Nova Praetoria. (Note to self, go to Aruba) @Ankylosaur. And we're zoooomed through the TUNNEL with Dark Watcher triggering the wards around us! Hey, where are you guys gone? Anyone? Hello? A Daimyo. Well that's not good. Better deal with him and then look for the others. Surprise and destroy me? Well they might destroy me but I think you've ruined the surprise! Tcha, villains get so filled with hubris. I'll just slide to the side and Rad Blast you repeatedly. How do you like them apples? Not a fan? Not my problem. Down you go. Now I think I see a friend of mine further along so I'll be moving on. Bye for now. You totally read my mind, Levantera! I second that motion. The two of us have some brisk fighting ahead, including genin and mecha bots and all sorts of things before finally rounding the corner of the very tall building...the Magisterium? I just need to catch my breath before we do this next one. Ah, they've noticed that I freed Levantera. Well, she's a mite riled up now so, ha ha, sow the wind and reap the whirlwind, yeah? On your on head be it! And like the other Daimyo he too falls before us. This may take a while. Any sign of Borea? I could take to the air but I'm not about to battle flying mecha solo, that's not a fight I want. We keep going, still searching. Aha! Do you see who I see, Levantera? Just up there. Borea, we're on the way! Hang on! Levantera and Engineria free Borea and then we spot Dark Watcher himself on the other side of the central plaza. With the four of us together we should be able to deal with whatever the Praetorians throw at us. Hopefully! We've been battling all night! It's dawn again! And before us more daimyos! Except THIS time there's four of us. Kinetics on, increasing density and speed buffing, let's go for it! And Suio-ryo is no more. But Nito-ryo stands before us still, aided by his acolytes, or whatever the Order calls minions. This guy is tougher than his predecessor! We have to circle him and lay in all at once! But even he takes a knee after a while. And now Ma Soong awaits us. The Praetorian counterpart to Pa Soong. I don't know how that works, but I think Fusionette had a different gender double as well. He's in the Zig now though. Fusion I believe. And this time there's more ritual to it. Ma Soong's choice here. Personally I'd have just blasted her and slapped the cuffs on. I think there's some emergency procedures still on the books about how Vanguard deal with invading Praetorians and they very definitely invaded. Ok, they didn't STAY, but that's not the point. We go for it! She fights viciously but the combined strength of the four of us overwhelms Ma Soong! Tight but down she goes. Whew! Ok. Ok. NOW what? Argh! This is not a good day. I am not pleased with this version of Praetoria. Hmm. On second thoughts I suppose it is preferable to a radiation cursed and Hamidon infested hell hole. Yeah, it most likely is. At least here I won't die like the people in that "Annihilation" movie. Right, let's have a think about his. Hold up my fam. Let's check our resources. So this particular Patron is...corrupted? Not corrupted? Whatever, he's not supposed to be here and we still have to deal with him. Tactic A go! (Tactic A? Same as the last time. CHARGE!) OMG. Scirocco is down. And we don't even have the time to relish a victory, because there's Ice Mistral waiting to exact vengeance on us. Or Transmontane or whatever she's calling herself now. Is this entire dimension twisting the Mantles so that those from Primal are reshaped in some way to what their Praetorian versions would be or should be? How does that work since the Mantles are Primal? AH! I don't have time for existential thoughts right now, leave that for back in Vanguard if we live through it. Get her! And anyway, she's Arachnos. So there's that. Yeah yeah, Vanguard has that entire Foreign Legion "ask no questions about your past" thing but frankly I don't care right now. She's fortunately not as tough as her boss so we drop her. At least we didn't meet them the other way around! Ok DW, what's the dealio now? Well that ain't good! SHEESH. Ok, good to be home but the rest of it? This is NOT over and I dunno if I'm happy about this. Little Engineria is getting on in her career as a Mid Level Super and she's been battered and bruised and hurt a lot over the years. Might be time to take that teaching job at Hero Corps. I mean pension and pay, nice indoor work with no heavy lifting? That's sounding PRETTY GOOD. Later. Time to debrief. [Mission 5 = And @Ankylosaur brings the A GAME. The parallel universe/multiverse that these stories exist in just flows over everything and ups the ante. Loved it. Go and play this for yourself.] Verdict: @Ankylosaur has been leading up to this for a long time and has created his own comic book world that seems similar to the main COH/COV world but has chosen to advance the world plot onto his own thread/branch and it's very fun to take part in this and experience it. Well done! Next up from @Ankylosaur is All That Glimmers 3.3: Gods in the Planes. And next up on the schedule in TerroirNoir's Cable Channel of AE Reviews is @cranebump's Solace: Part 1.

Arc 19 from our third author on "TerroirNoir's Cable Channel of AE" Reviews is @Darmian's Spirals: Part Three. Spirals: Part Three is subtitled "(Imperial Crusader, Ch. 8 )" which means it is meant to follow on directly from "Spirals: Part Two (Imperial Crusader, Ch.7)", which follows "Spirals: Part One (Imperial Crusader, Ch. 6)", which follows on directly from "Blood of Tyrants (Imperial Crusader, Ch. 5". Mission 1: Mirror, Mirror. Odysseus informs Engineria that things have ramped up a bit. Seriously? Like I did not know that. What with the Syzygy and the betrayal and whoozit? But go on, you tell me more, oh Bearded Sage. Maybe I should have been less sarcastic. He's gone all emo now. Give him a minute or two. How many have you sent to their deaths? I don't know but I do know that you need to pull yourself together, man! Oh wait. 0 to 60 he can go from emo to really angry, and I may have a bit of difficulty calming down someone who came back from the dead when all those others didn't. No, you carry on. I was lucky to escape and Odysseus is surprised that Duncan didn't bring her full forces against me. That bothers him. I prefer the being alive bit but I getcha. So we're going to be concentrating on what Duncan is actually up to. The Resistance's contact inside Praetor White's team (they have one inside that?) has reached out to tell us that Duncan is looking for some rare items. Oh, it's Cleopatra! You know, now that I think of it that makes sense. Anyway, one particular item, TMR PRM, needs to be kept away from Duncan at all costs. Odysseus figures if it can help the war effort we should have it. Agreed. Time to meet Cleopatra then. Off to a Powers Division Office! In we go, and she appears to be having a little difficulty with some Clockwork. So Engineria deals with Cleopatra's "friends". And on we go. One slightly baffled Resistance fighter and one covert deep cover agent. Along the way we search through several displays containing valuable items from the history of the state. I'm searching for this TMR whatever and Cleopatra has her own agenda. Why does everyone have their own agenda? I mean yeah, I want a sandwich occasionally and don't feel the need to tell anyone, but you know, not to the detriment of all of the plans we're trying to carry out. Some people get political over the smallest thing, even if the smallest thing is a HUGE thing, like Praetor White. I wonder what's going on there. No, don't ask, Engineria, you might not like the answer. And Odysseus I feel would agree with me. Ah! Found the TMR! Wait, PRIMAL EARTH COPY? What does that mean? Never mind, I'll chat to Odysseus later about all that. In the meantime that went better than...I had to jinx myself didn't I? Some day I'll learn, but not this day! Ok, at them! And Engineria and Cleopatra proceed to deal with the problem. And out we go! Excellent. Not a scratch on the armor yet either! Let's see how long that lasts. Back to Odysseus He examines the TMR, which is basically a medallion. The Primal Earth copy designation puzzles him too, especially since he thinks he's something like it before. Duncan's plans are still clear as mud though. And Cleopatra searching for her own item? Odysseus is concerned. So in the meantime he's giving the medallion to Vanessa DeVore to examine and he'll be in touch when those results come back. [Mission 1 = Straightforward introduction to the story, with a mystery embedded already as well as the carry over from the previous arcs. Looking forward to the rest.] *And I encounter for the first time a thing @Darmian mentioned in another thread. The contact's post mission text is included in a closing clue so that players who aren't the Team Lead can see what's going on. Very cool! Mission 2: The Face of the Past: More So here we go! Odysseus calls Engineria back in to reveal the results of DeVore's analysis of the medallion. It seems that it is one of a set of three! The other two? Primal Earth thinks Odysseus. And here's the kicker. This one seems to be a near match for the medallion that once gave Transmuter his powers. AH! TMR! Transmuter! Cue a little history from the big guy about the Hamidon Wars back in the day when Transmuter was a Big Leaguer. That all ended when Reese showed up though. The fact that Dominatrix is somehow involved is interesting. She may be attempting to lure Transmuter away from his current employer, Chimera. No love lost between the Praetors it seems. And the war is ongoing. We're winning. I think. Siege and Nightstar are destroyed and the BAF over run. Tilman is AWOL and the allies' next target is Lambda. However, getting Transmuter repowered, someone who back in the old days could go toe to toe with the worst Hamidon was throwing at Praetoria, that could make a difference. Odysseus says we need to stop that. So Engineria is going to kidnap him BEFORE he gets a power up. Yaaay! (Sad little voice) Off I go. Trudge. Some of Chimera's troops that I've never seen before. Well, they're in my way so down they must go. With them dealt with Engineria loops the last 20 seconds of CCTV, just enough to get Transmuter out and hide her presence before the iterations are noticed as a spoof. Except Chimera's forces seem to be dealing with OTHER intruders? Intruders that are not me. Ok, that'll give me some cover though! On we go! Who the hell are you people? Zealots? Talons? AHA! Just the man I am looking for! Time to take out your bodyguards, including the nearly invisible one, yeah, I see you mister! After dealing with Transmuter's companions he informs me that I have to reopen the base if we want to get out. Well wonderful. Ok, come along Mr. Floppy Coat! And stop cowering! Ok, happy now? Let's get out of here. And of course there's an issue. We have incoming intruders, more of these zealots and Talons, whoever they are. I don't know who you've been associating with, Transmuter, but I'm not appreciating it at all. It seems they want the medallion! Serene commands it. How the hell do they know about that? And ow ow ow! And who is this Serene? Chimera's forces arrive in response to the intruders, as well as me! So it's time to get the hell out of here! Run! And we're out! Odysseus was certain I'd succeed in getting Transmuter. The others? He's never heard of them either. He can't figure it out. They only way they could have known is via Cleopatra or Dominatrix. He'll call DeVore and see if she can shed any light on this situation. [Mission 2 = Well that was intense! Plenty of Chimera ninja goons, as Odysseus calls them, to deal with. Not to mention the Talons of Vengeance. And it seems we've gone by the events of "The Eve of War" and even some of the Incarnate Trials in the Praetorian War. This is definitely advancing the Praetorian storyline!] Mission 3: Vengeance: DeVore had informed the Resistance that these new enemies have been appearing in First Ward and call themselves the Talons of Vengeance, and they have a serious enmity with Praetoria and it seems anyone else who gets in their way. So the enemy of our enemy is NOT our friend. In fact we may have common ground with the Loyalist forces here, which is not something you need in the middle of a war. Our Primal allies don't know who they are either though they have encountered a group called the Knives of Vengeance. Something to think about. So I'm off to First Ward to investigate these people. Roadflare, one of the Resistance's people in the zone had provided a small file on a series of caves near the Mother of Mercy Hospital. No rest for Engineria it seems. But I'm going to have some help on this one. Welcome 70s Man! (Hello @Zhym!) And there they are! The Zealots of the Talons of Vengeance. And they seem particularly vengeful towards us though I'm unsure what we did to cause all that acrimony. Nevertheless, 70s Man and Engineria deal with them. 70s Man's Dual Pistols echo loudly in these caverns, So now everyone knows we're here. (Never sure how loud my Rad Blasts are to be honest) We move on and search the caverns, overturning pieces of rubble and so on until we find a dart. Well lookee who it is, 70s Man! Hey there, Dominatrix. Last time we met you were intent on killing me. Changed your mind? Is this a strange bedfellows moment? NO! Eyes up and mind elsewhere! I mean it differently and you know it! Ok, we've freed Duncan and I'm assuming that she's the one the Talons drugged. Come to think of it that would be a way to capture Duncan, what with her foibles and suchlike. Wait what? Diabolique? What are you talking about? It seems Duncan came here with a squad of D.U.S.T. and they succumbed to what she calls a hate virus. (Why was she immune?) They turned on each other and anyone else nearby, including those Talons. And this other medallion? No, she shuts up on that question! Now we have to find an obelisk and hopefully get clear of this infested place. Ah, there we go! You know, 70s Man, I just bet there's someone waiting to stop us leaving. I just bet...there we are. The Engineria-sense is strong in this one! Ah, you have an arrow in you, 70s Man. That jacket is going to need repair. I know a girl who repairs my armor very well. I can give you her number. We fight our way clear though and stagger out into the cliff face around Mercyview in First Ward. Dominatrix decides to leave us stranded here in First Ward but before she goes: That last bit does not sound good! 70s Man! We need to get back to Odysseus pronto! Odysseus ponders the mention of Diabolique. He says he hasn't heard that name in ages. And now he thinks that Cleopatra lied to us. But we're to get rest and come see him later. [Mission 3 = Nice to have some company on this one. A big thanks to @Zhym who cameoed as 70s Man in this mission (and the next one!) The plot thickens as the events around First Ward and Night Ward bleed across to the Praetorian War. In depth stuff!] Mission 4: Transmuter Reborn: And neither Engineria nor 70s Man make it to the door before Odysseus calls us back. He's just heard that they didn't make it to Transmuter in time. He's escaped. WITH THE MEDALLION! The last anyone saw of him he was heading deeper into the Underground tunnels. Talking to Cleopatra is going to have to wait, especially since the Primals have launched an assault on Lambda where Praetor White will be. That complicates things. So Odysseus is joining us on this Transmuter hunt. He reckons if Transmuter has recovered his power then we're in big trouble but this has to be done ASAP. And he heads into the tunnels. Engineria stares at 70s Man and they both nod. Ok then. Let's do this. But of course. Ghouls. I mean it's always damn ghouls down here, isn't it? We catch up to Odysseus who is surrounded by Ghouls and pry them off him. He didn't need much help but we do it anyway. And the dead? They're littered along the path of the train, shards of rock jutting through their bodies and that, according to our fearless leader, is historically one of Transmuter's powers. Is it some sort of Ghoul vacation? I mean they are literally falling from the ceiling in here! The three of us moving along slowly, dealing with bunch after bunch of spasming and thrashing semi-clothed maniacs, and no, that's not a good detail! They just don't quit! Down vast flights of steps like we're descending into the depths of Moria and still they come. I mean c'mon! Gimme a break here! I can see 70s Man surreptitiously checking his ammunition and muttering and that doesn't bode well. And then. And then. And then we turn the corner into a chamber and Transmuter stands before us. And he's got some company. Somehow he's gotten a message to his Loyalist compatriots and a small detachment of them are with him. Oh boy. 70s Man undersells the position I think. We take the shot and Transmuter responds, full of the rage and ego of a man who had lost it all and now has it back and intends to do something about all the perceived slights he suffered in the past. At least that's my considered take on it. At the time I'm thinking "I don't wanna die here!" But we're in luck! Sort of! Transmuter is losing power! Maybe it being from Primal Earth means he can't align his chakras or whatever the hell he has to do, the details I don't care about. And Chimera's goons arrive to back up the troops Transmuter already had, but these are intercepted by OUR side! Resistance forces followed us into the tunnels and are engaging with the enemy! Engineria and Odysseus keep the troops off 70s Man as he takes aim and proceeds to target Transmuter accurately and repeatedly. And he does it! 70s Man drops Transmuter! He's not happy about it either. And none of us care right now. Time to get back to Resistance HQ and sort ourselves out. There may be some trouble ahead on the way back, but who is going to survive messing with us three? "Transmuter is right about one thing" says 70s Man. "Damn that Reese." We left Transmuter lying in the tunnels. Minus a medallion. How he gets himself home is his own business. Once we're back in the HQ Odysseus holds the medallion up and stares at it. He says we should melt it down and fling it in the sea. Then he remembers there are two more of them somewhere. But THEN he remembers that that isn't our problem. Our problem now is Cleopatra. But first rest since we didn't get any. [Mission 4 = A rolling fight through the tunnels being swarmed by ghouls, almost like a zombie movie. Without 70s Man and even with Odysseus that would have been much tougher. I love how all these things are fitting in to the background of the Praetorian war and the iTrials. Great stuff. Once again, thanks to @Zhym for joining me. Mission 5: The Asp: Odysseus is not happy with Cleopatra. He reckons she has justified whatever she has done in her own mind but there's obviously conflict going on there since she's involved with Praetor White and all. The last anyone saw of Cleopatra was her entering an old office block in Neutropolis pursued by IDF. So maybe her cover is actually blown, I dunno. I'm speculating here. Odysseus is needed here for the next part of the war effort so I'm chasing after Cleo on my own. Ok, after facing a powered up Transmuter how much harm can she so me? Best not count my chickens. I step in to find the IDF in a pitched battle with those crazed Talons of Vengeance people! And none of these are on my side. Solo it is then! I wade into the fight secure in the knowledge that it doesn't matter who I hit, they're ALL enemies. These girls really like nets! I've been pinned several times in the last several minutes! And arrows! Oh do they love their arrows. My armor is practically mesh by now. And I know I recommended my armorer to 70s Man, but with the war on she may be kind of busy right now. Found you Cleo! Unfortunately so have the Talons. I'd better deal with them. Cleopatra isn't particularly happy to be rescued. Or maybe she isn't particularly happy to be rescued by me? I barely register with her at all, she just rants about being tricked and they had the amulet all along or something. Is an amulet the same as a medallion? I suppose so. Duncan had another patsy. Now that seems familiar. I recall Duncan saying something along those lines when we met her in the caves in First Ward. Cleo shakes herself and tells Engineria that Cassilda, the leader here of the Talons, was the last one to have the medallion so it might be possible to stop them doing whatever the hell it is they are doing. Then Cleo runs off to find Praetor White, leaving Engineria to clean up the mess left behind. Thanks. Appreciate the vote of confidence. That's what I'm here for. Sigh. I had better find this Cassilda then. After wading through the flooded corridors and rooms of this building and cracking a few heads of Talons of Vengeance along the way, Engineria emerges into an open space and there ahead is Cassilda. Human? Furies? Ok, the Serene bit I have heard before and I still don't know who she is but the rest of it sounds grim. Seems like poor Praetoria is in for a bigger apocalypse than "just" the current war. DAMNNIT! More nets! I can see this one approaching me almost in slow motion! I can't get out of the way in time. Oh this is NOT good. I knew I shouldn't have counted those chickens. I mean I was counting Cleo in their ranks, but this is an entirely different breed of...amazing what goes through your mind when you're spiking on adrenaline and about to die! Ok, smoke bomb! Rad Blast! Laser eyes! I have had just about enough of this nonsense. You and your assistants, lady, are about to eat floor! And down they go. And Engineria catches her breath before hauling her battered self back into the streets of Neutropolis, where the flames are still rising over the ruins of the Lambda complex. At least it wasn't the reactors. Time to get back to Odysseus and report in. [Mission 5 = Ok, GREAT wrap up. Loved all the Lore tie ins. Absolutely loved them. Wonderful.] Verdict: @Darmian seems to know their game Lore very well. I've learned stuff just from playing these arcs (and checking the wiki as I go) and I hope to see more of these in future! HINT! To anyone else, if you like your Praetorian stuff then I can't recommend these enough. Next up from @Darmian is I Sing of Arms and the Man. And next up on the schedule in TerroirNoir's Cable Channel of AE Reviews is @Ankylosaur's All That Glimmers 3.2: Ninjas in the Wind.

No reason why it wouldn't be! First of all...NINJAS! And secondly, NINJAS!

Again, apologies for real life eating my time!