TerroirNoir2

I'm currently playing through @Darmian's Praetorian arcs on my huge playthrough here, and I thoroughly recommend them. They're set at level 20 to 25 and are set between Neutropolis and First Ward. You have to play them in order.

Arc 16 from our second esteemed author on "TerroirNoir's Cable Channel of AE" Reviews is @cranebump's Mobius 5: Auguries of Fate and Time. Mission 1: All Heaven in a Rage. Paula Dempsey has called Engineria in for a talk. It's been a month since Dis' organization was decimated by the Autumn Wards. Dempsey is the new director (Fame! Sorta.) We're barely past the reintroductions when an alarm goes off, and so off to Skyway I go! Timespikes appearing across Skyway. With all the fallout that that might entail. Seems there's people already on the ground but they'll need back up. That's Engineria. Right. Shadow Supers. I've met some of these before, and they were a total pain. Well, time to find my ground team, Hollow Point too I suppose, and shut down these timespikes. Lady MacDeath? Ok then. And I'm held! Gah. And there's a Raymond Barnes and a Rose Ruin moving fast to my position. My non moving position! Sez you, Lady MacDeath! We'll see who gets to go through that particular door! And it wasn't me, Lady MacDEATH. No ma'am. Now however I'm getting hit by some sort of sonic attack by Rose Ruin, and yes, held...and immobolized! This is turning out to be a shitty day. Which is a pity because I got promoted in the office just before all this kicked off. Special Assistant to the Director. Isn't that nice? I might even get a badge. In the meantime, OW OW OW. I punch through Rose's defenses with Proton Blast and take her down. A moment to recover before looking over the edge of the flyover to my right....and what now? How is that possible? Rose Ruin? Again? And Street Angel. Well this time I'm expecting a sonic attack, so I snipe her and stun her before mopping her and Street Angel up. A few moments to take down the Timespike and then move on. Still no sign of Hollow Point though. (ROFL) I run into a variety of Shadow Supers, Gunbone, Tidal Townes, Kestral ( and they were another major pain) Hey, there's Hollow Point! Help (of a sort) finally. Or not. Oh you total ...remind me why you're not just a villain again? Shortly after taking down the last few Timespikes the remaining Shadow Supers just vanish. And back to Dempsey to file a report. So what's happening is Dis' is reversing the process that pulls people out of the Mobius Strip. Supers that respond to these 911s are getting pulled into this other dimension. That's not good. I wonder why I wasn't dragged in? Or Hollow Point for that matter. Though I can see why he vamoosed outta there. We need to find out who Dis is and apparently Engineria is the key! Eh, what? [Mission 1 = Straight into the action! Time to bring Dis and their gang of miscreants down. Mystery laced through the fight, love that. Good stuff! On we go] Mission 2: Eternity in an Hour. Paula Dempsey shows Engineria the largest Interlinked Time Portal Network in the world. Yep, impressive. (Secretly thinks "largest...that you know of, Paula"). And there's various technobabble that goes completely over my head. The big dealio is a thing called the "Resequencer" apparently. We simply (simply!) slide some of Dis's "chrono-DNA" into it and...what? Boil it like a kettle on the stove? Ok, from the top then, and this time I PROMISE I'm listening. PROMISE. So Dis places an overlay of her own consciousness on all her minions. Ah, so like that's a near hive mind thing? No? Ok, carry on. Whatever. Dis gets full control until the recipient goes mad. What if they're ALREADY mad? Never mind. I'm listening. So Dis herself is broadcasting like a timespike, almost. And if we can tap into that then we can find out who she really is. But we may go mad. Hang on, you mean me? The me that I am, that me? I may go mad. I may go mad? No, it's ok, I may go mad, but I also may not. Well, I'm sooo glad that's settled, you know with science and everything. Yup. Settled. (Note to self, stop working for these people) And the resequencer boots up and Engineria is elsewhere. And now I'm in a building. Ruined and damaged. There's a visitor log to find. And that's tucked into a corner upstairs in a mezzanine area. Got it. So, there's a Reichart Von Gehirensturm here so see Natascha Gressman. Von Gehirensturm AKA Dr. Brainstorm! Well, that's a thing. And I answer a phone call. So I attach the thingy to the other thingy and wait for a bit. And then an image or ghost...maybe a memory? Of Johann Parker appears, and I go chat to him. He of course has company. Honestly, this is all a bit Inception right now! I mean the mind's defences are trying to kick my ass! And I do NOT have the option of imagining bigger and better weaposn! I wish I did! OW OW OW! Oh dear mippety me! Even when I clear around him I'm still getting attacked! Activated dormant chronostrands you say? Well, I'm defaulting to Engineria Mode #1: Shoot them with radiation until they stop moving. Then shoot them some more. Plan? Plan. Ok, now what the hell are you doing? I really should have listened more to Paula Dempsey. Ok, I did listen, but I'm not a science geek here, so some of it was above my mental pay grade so to speak. Although that looks more like magic than science. Is there even a difference at some point? Now I have to face the First Phantom, whatever or whoever that is. Time to go exploring then! Found them! More pain. Maybe another armor upgrade is needed. Or a new job. Still waiting on my medals from Freitag, so I'll stick a request in there! Well now, the First Phantom is ...well, I'm not going to spoiler this! So check below. That's interesting anyway. Is the First Phantom a part of Dis? Or is Dis actually some sort of hybrid mind/gestalt? There's now a Second Phantom to meet. In similar circumstances they are heavily guarded by these chronostrand things...at least I think that's what they are. Either way they're getting slowed with Kinetics and blasted with Radiation. (I mean is this even happening? Are people outside the biogel chamber getting hit by my powers going off or is it all in my head?) No time for that! Second Phantom, pleased to meet you. Let's hope that's not jumping the gun! And you are? Well hell. Something outside. That sounds hella Lovecraftian. Well of course there's Nazis. I mean how else is my day going to go? Third (Reich) Phantom come on in, your time is up. I might have guessed. I'm surprised others didn't. Did they though? I'll have to re-read my notes. So A Supers version of Operation Paperclip I assume. Stands to reason that such a thing would happen. Look at Von Braun and his cadre. And a Final Phantom. Ominous. And some odd ritualistic items, like altars or whatever. Well the first three have been interesting, let's see who you are and how you tie in to Dis. And how this gets us any closer to finding her. What now? Oh that's not good. Not good at all. Ok I carefully take out the Chronshards around them and...oh I think I need to report back in to Paula Demspey about this. How the hell do I get out of this biogel chamber? I should have REALLY asked that question. Maybe they told me but I was busy getting covered in biogel. Oh, that's how... Followed by four days being comatose and then a few more in recovery before Engineria can even speak. Paula lays out what she thinks happened [I had to re-read back a bit but whoo!] As a result of Engineria's actions with John Knox, all this ensued. Sheesh. [Mission 2 = Well hell, that was an eye opener! Not spoiling it, just play the thing! Whoo!] Mission 3: Gold and Gems Adorn the Plow. So I get some explanation explanated to me. I am explained at. Explanatee is me. I might as well be a manatee for all the good it does me! So I managed to pass through the Mobius Strip somehow, rescued Teknique after I left, because absolute time isn't linear and now thanks to me having the same instances of chronoDNA that Dis has, it's driving her mad. It's not doing me any favors either. Anyway, part of Engineria's issues are, well, all the parts of the gestalt are warring amongst themselves in Dis, causing the madness. And Engineria has been infected too! Oh, that's not good. So is there a solution. Kinda. Cold turkey for Dis. Cut her off from connection to the Mobius Strip. And with a good headwind that should help Engineria too. No pressure. Just have to find a source of power that will allow us to do that. Sheesh. So I'm off to Oranbega to steal the Azh Gadur from Baron Zoria. Angevin will be coming along, so that's good. Because this will get rough I'm thinking. It begins. And it seems that not everyone in here is Circle of Thorns, or at least not yet. Let's hope he gets out safely because I can't go back with him. Ah, what the hell are these hound things? My armor is full of holes now! That's going to be a pain to buff out! Also, OW! Although - ha ha ha - I'm not the only one having trouble with those things! And there's Angevin! Now we can get somewhere. Ok, let's go find Baron Zoria and get this Azh thing. Getting out will be an issue? Ok one thing at a time then. And we find Zoria. I get jumped by Hounds and whatnot and Angevin chops his way to Zoria and seems intent on beheading him! I manage to fight my way to Angevin to back him up and zap Zoria with Kinetics, slowing him down and pulling health into myself and Angevin. And Zoria goes down cursing us. We're dung beetles or something. We grab what we have to and run for a portal to get the hell out of here before the reinforcements arrive. And we are out. Time to talk to Paula Dempsey and see where we're going now and what the hell the next part of the plan is. Paula orders Engineria to get rest. It seems (oh doesn't it get better by the minute) that using the portal has sped up the condition. Let's hope it spreads back along the chain to Dis too! Then she gets interrupted by the phone and it looks like Engineria is NOT getting rest. Pep Becktrees has seemingly spotted Dis in Kings Row! [Mission 3 = A straightforward fight through Oranbega at the side of a sword wielding MANIAC. Lots and lots of fun. Loved it, LOL] Mission 4: The Fruits of Two Seasons. And Paula Dempsey via Brainstorm confirms things. An old 5th Column base, and they were some of the ones Dis first coerced/converted to her cause. I suppose I should say "their" cause, since Dis is a gestalt. And hey, the sewer is our way in. Go us! (sigh) I'm going in team handed this time. Acrobattle (I remember him!) and Giogre (oh, him too!) along with Whipsmart (Blogger Boy!) plus a local Vig called KR Devil. Yeah. Let's do this. Well this place is a whole passel of fun from what I can see here. Oh yeah. And it begins I suppose. Or begins to end? Whatevs. Time to kick some ass. Also, FIRE! OW OW OW! Not cool. In all sorts of ways. Engineria fights her way down through various foes, Tidal Townes being one, and Soldiers and time spikes, to reach an elevator. Ok, let's go further! Oh yeah, you're all alert NOW but a moment ago I was watching you sleep! OH HELL. I haven't linked up with my allies and I've run into Dis already! OH BOY. JEEZ LOUISE! This woman wants me erased! Well, that went like I imagined it would. OW. TP out and maybe bring Marcus and Buddy if I can't find my allies. This ain't over Dis! I arrive back in and long distance blast Dis this time. She's taking some serious damage! And...who the hell are these guys? And Dis is DOWN! However don't let me standing fool you, I'm dead. I just haven't fallen yet. My armor has probably temporarily locked. Those guys... Mister Liberty. JEEZ GAWD DAMN LOUISE. Who the hell are you? Some sort of alternate Statesman? And your friends? I didn't even get hit by them, they just arrived to gloat at me after he dropped me. There's a TP on my suit here somewhere. OW OW ...et cetera. Back in and I do something I've never done before, I don't call Buddy or Marcus, I call my Vanguard allies (Lores) and just go for it! I know I know, I should have found the allies but my dander is up now and I'm finishing this! Tough tough tough but we make it through! And we're done. I need PT and a vacation and some wine. Or whiskey. And some advil. And maybe a new head. Paula, talk to me. So in the fight with Dis, poor Annika (supported by her gramma) rose to the surface and she's dominant now. So we have her. There's only one thing left. There's a thing left? The Strip itself is sentient and it's activating to destroy us. ADVIL!!! And maybe a duvet to hide under. [Mission 4 =HOOO BOY. I rushed through this like a damn noob. And paid the price. I mean the allies are there for a reason, folks. And Mister Liberty hit like a damn Mack truck. I ache from playing it, never mind poor Engineria herself. Great mission!] Mission 5: Finale: Made for Joy and Woe. This is it. Mind you I thought taking out Dis was "it". But this is the BIG IT. The Mobius Strip needs to be destroyed or sealed off or whatever. Locked into stasis in the void forever or the heat death of the universe, whichever comes first. We've got the magic doohickey in the form of the Azh Gadur we stole from Baron Zoria. We've got a device called a Reverse Bridger built by Reichart and Hans that will use the energy to fuse things together. Sort of melt the lock? Hey, I'm not technical! After that we have Aaron Ruegad. (OMG, that guy!) [There's a bit of spoilering here that I refuse to do, so you'll just have to play this!] Aaron is brave and has volunteered but he's new at this, so Richard Cory and Angevin are going too. Only room for one more. Engineria straps on her burned and battered armor and pushes the medic away. Lead on. Arrivederci amore. I enter and up ahead I can hear Angevin. He's probably stabbing someone or something. Yep, makes friends quickly, that man. They don't last long though. Mysterious much, Angevin? Well, out with it. I figure we know each other pretty well now, seeing as I spent a lot of my time trailing around with you. Nope? Ok, let's get going then. We battle our way forward until we find Cory. Honestly, he makes Angevin look positively friendly sometimes. Gotta find young Aaron Ruegad now. And there he is. Quikling has lent him his suit to act as a Chronoshield or something. (I'll need to repair this armor myself at some point) Ok Aaron, let's get going and finish this. And we trudge on. Hang on, I have a thing for this. "To every man upon this earth Death cometh soon or late. And how can man die better Than facing fearful odds, For the ashes of his fathers, And the temples of his gods." Well, yeah. I reckon. I probably wouldn't have said it as fancy, I'd be more JL Picard, the Line is Drawn here! Anyway, we're here gang. We get Aaron to the focal point to do his thing and then we get attacked by an Eternal Guardian. And they look a lot like the late Sister Psyche! I'm flat on my back! That hasn't happened in a while. Aaron holds off my attackers while I stumble up and join him. We clear them down and then seal the second focal point. But they keep on coming and we keep on fighting. And then we're done. Finally. The Mobius Strip is sealed forever. And it looks like we're stuck here too. But we saved everyone else. And then.. Engineria gets to go home. Richard Cory doesn't. It's not right but it's needed. Paula fills me in on everything. And then Engineria goes for a long sleep. [Mission 5 = SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER and this is a great finale] Verdict. WHY AREN'T YOU ALL PLAYING THIS? IT'S GREAT! Seriously, treat yourselves to a long involved story with life or death consequences and plenty of feels. Next up from @cranebump is The Bleed 1: Insecurity Measures. Next up on TerroirNoir's Cable Channel of AE Reviews is @Darmian's The Eve of War.

Agreed! Though I'm told that some writers have a way of mitigating that.

Sorry, I'm blanking here! I'm only on Mission 1 of Mobius 5 and I've not posted anything yet.

Well, ol' TerroirNoir here is not a writer, just a player of SFMA arcs, but I reckon that more maps would be the first thing anyone would ask for. I reckon.

Will have a look ASAP.

Welcome back, and hell with the speeders who think everyone knows everything, and will never admit that they don't know a thing. There's a lot of fun to be had. You've probably found this already but check for the P2W lady in Atlas or Mercy, because there's a bunch of handy freebies you can pick up there, for, you know, FREE. And get at least one starter zone's exploration badges, like that's Merits right there plus it should unlock some stuff. The rest will come back to you or it'll just be fun finding out again!

I've been reviewing their stuff, and it's like one of the ones in an arc near the end of a long line of arcs, so it'd be tricky to find. @Darmian? bit of assistance here?

@Darmian has this crazy mission where the last thing you do is meet one of your allies and you need to lead him to the exit. So he goes through and says something like "I'll scout ahead, see you inside", and then you take the next mission and he's already ahead of you. I liked that a lot, though it kinda can't be used all the time.

Well, maybe I got lucky then, because I hella enjoyed it, and didn't get a fail message. Go Engineria!

This was brutal...but in a good way, ha ha. A good follow on from Part 1 I thought.

I have to say that old TerroirNoir here doesn't make any arcs but actually playing them is a major part of what I play in the game, so many good SFMAs in there, so many. I encourage people to look for them and to try them out, and because they are so diverse don't get put off if you hit one you don't like, keep looking!

Arc 16 from our first author on "TerroirNoir's Cable Channel of AE" Reviews is @Ankylosaur's All that Glimmers 2.1: Shunting in Croatoa. This one starts off with Engineria meeting up with Archmage Hellewise. We all remember her, yeah? She gives us a little mission in First Ward that allows us to shunt between First Ward and Night Ward, flipping between the two realms. I suppose "realms" is a reasonable word for it, since Night Ward is a peculiar semi non-place. So that's her. Mission 1: Into the Spirit Realm. Hellewise seems a bit ditzy, scattered in thought. She can't remember if she met me in First Ward or not. She didn't but I'm not going to bring that up in case she cries or something. Either way she knows about my role in the Doomsday plots malarkey and is thankful for my help there. Whoo! Go Engineria! Or whatever. Anyway, she has a theory about what Arachnos might be doing collecting all that magical power, and that is attracting denizens of the Spirit Realm to Primal. As to why? Well that's to be discovered but Arachnos aren't known for their social awareness programs. So she wants my help. And she's given me a link to her blog where she details how lots of things work. Bookmark that on my phone. So I'm to visit Croatoa and she'll shunt me to the Spirit Realm where I'll look for things drawn to the magic like iron filings to a magnet. This should be interesting. And it begins. Oh it definitely begins! These guys are persistent and tough, but not unbeatable. Now, I have to rescue someone. And somewhere out here is Finn MacCool. He needs taking down, whoever he is. So after dealing with several packs of Shadow Hounds and assorted Tuatha I spot Mr. MacCool. He's doing some sort of ritual. Right, rolling up sleeves, let's go have a talk with him. Way to make a gal feel wanted, yeah? OMG this guy is crazy tough. I mean seriously. (I wasn't expecting THIS tough from an enemy conning as Orange) I'm a gonna have to have a little think about this...once I get out of the hospital and Hellewise shunts me back here. A little think. Might need to call Buddy in to help. Ok, in the end I had to call Buddy AND Marcus. (And if you check my health I'm still getting hit badly here) until finally Finn MacCool stops being so dangerous because he's lying on the ground nursing his busted head. Let me just say OW. OW OW OW. Still have a person to rescue though, and I've not seen them. Time to go looking in the woods I suppose, like you do in a horror movie. Oh great. Hey, it's Percy Winkley! Excellent. So I rescue Percy and he proceeds to summon zombies to serve him. You know, I really should have rescued you FIRST. You would have been kinda helpful against old MacCool back there. Now Percy and Engineria have to destroy a magical beacon of some kind. Which we proceed to do despite some opposition. Those Grave Knights really pack a punch I can tell you. With that I have to get back to Hellewise and report in. I assume Percy is coming with me. Maybe not. Hellewise tells me about Shadow Hunter from Praetoria and how this Finn MacCool guy seems to be a version of him from here. Or there. Not Praetoria there, but Croatoa there. Forget it, I know what I mean! As for the beacon, well we don't know if those guys placed it there or it was calling to them, however thanks to rescuing Percy, I may have mended some fences with the Midnight Squad, and they may be able to help in the next part of this investigation. [Mission 1 = Oh so deceptive! This one is a hell of a lot tougher than you might think. Finn is brutal if you're not a heavy combat character. But the mystery deepens and on we go!] Mission 2: Policing the Archives. So Hellewise informs Engineria that Archivist Jaena is back on board and to meet her in the Midnighter Mansion for tea and cookies. (Or maybe not tea and cookies, but we'll see!) Percy has filled Jaena in on what happened in the spirit realm, and MacCool's shenanigans, so she's up to speed on that at least. Just need to go see her. Now that is NOT a good sign. Power up Infiltration and shields and tread warily onwards I think! Oh boy! Yeah, the place is under attack from what look like Drudges and so on. Hang on, that spectre is on OUR side! Odd. Not complaining though! I move on and look for Jaena. No sign of her yet but the entire Mansion is infested with Drudge people. And like Hellewise was talking about, they are folks that exist on the far side of the shunt. Rad Blast to the head, Patrolman! And your floaty lamp friend! Found Jaena! She's still alive thankfully and I'd better make sure she stays that way. Ok, rescued her. So why do these attackers want spectres of all things? Is there something special about spectres? Note to self: Are spectres even ghosts of the dead or are they something else? I've never known. And yep, I was busy expelling them while searching for you, Jaena, so happy to continue on that. Now who the hell are you exactly, Taskmaster Carrington? And unchain the souls? Hmm. Oh I totally would. And I absolutely will. Let's dance, Taskmaster! What the hell is he hitting me with? I think I've gone blind! And he's still speechifying at me. I have some help from nearby spectres though he seems lethal to them. (What IS lethal to spectres though? I mean aren't they already dead or something?) And he goes down but it looks like he and his kind are not stopping in this mission of theirs. Jaena strolls in after the fight to "help" me, LOL. Well, oddly for once I'm the combat monster in this place. Take it as it comes. I suppose I'd better talk to Hellewise after all this. Hellewise confirms the entire Drudge thing. Their mission is to shepherd souls to some nebulous next life (no, I don't know how) and expelling them has definitely mended any breach we had with the Midnighters. Hellewise is now going to confer properly with Jaena, so we have an idea of where to go. [Mission 2: Simple mission but thematically right. Fits right in with the fallout we had earlier with the Midnighters and doesn't just hand wave it way. Like that a lot. On to the next one!] Mission 3: Old Haunts Around Town. Hellewise just got off the phone with Jaena. Seems that mended breach with the Midnighters is patched up nicely. Anyway, the Drudges and the Spirit Stalkers are running around Croatoa rounding up spirits and ghosts for their own ends. Something to do with wax my failing memory tells me. Need to check that. The village of Salamanca has been targeted so that's what needs to be dealt with. More shunting to the spirit realm is going to happen and then we'll see what sort of trouble I get myself into. And that's not a great start as Engineria steps through into the spirit version of Salamanca, is it? And that's Taskmaster Worthington. I think I'll leave him for a bit and hunt for my allies before tackling him. I got caught on the backfoot with Finn MacCool like that before and I'm not doing it again! Wandering up to the right I get in an altercation with some very thin people and some floating lamps, neither bunch seem happy to see me though how a lamp can (a) see me or (b) convey happiness is entirely up for discussion. I inferred it from the fact that they were blasting me with things. That normally in my line of work as a mid range super indicates people don't want me around. I'm lucky I stay off social media then I suppose. Having dealt with those guys I proceed to crack open a sort of stone beacon thing. Let's hope that's what I was supposed to do. Magic is...not my thing. I just try to listen to the experts and nod along. Like Sam Rockwell's character Guy in Galaxy Quest. Of course a final Hooded Lantern floated out to try to stop me, but obviously failed, or else this recounting would have come to a stop already! And down there is Amy Jonsson! I reckon she needs a little help. Let's go to it then! Time to rescue Amy then. And while I take a few nasty hits here it goes reasonably well (popped a few greens because I didn't have the space to hit Kinetics) Anyway, Amy rescued! Go Engineria! Amy and I...and a ghost friend we seem to have picked up along the way...spot War Witch, also ensnared in those green flames or whatever it is being used to bind people in place. Another new friend to make! And War Witch seems spicy. I like her! (And thanks to the joys of AE I've now worked alongside Apex AND War Witch!) She's intent on taking the fight to the Drudges and their friends. Can't argue with that. Still have a few more people to rescue PLUS that Taskmaster to deal with. Oh hell! That happened sooner than I wanted! Still, with the three of us he goes down fast. Well, faster than me solo anyway. And here I was worrying about the Taskmaster, when his BOSS is also here. Not good. Plus War Witch and Amy are particularly riled up at him, so all I can do is follow them and hit him as hard as I can! For some reason - maybe it's the two very irate witches hammering him with magic, who can tell? - Marshal Billingsly makes a run for it! But he doesn't get far! After him girls! And then he's down! Well done all. Time to go see Hellewise and, you know, report or something. Is she a full time research witch or something? I mean compared to War Witch and Amy here. Apparently the marshal will be back...for my wax. Creepy or what. Hellewise seems impressed. Thank you thank you, all part of TCB, Takin' Care o' Bidness. Now, what's striking Hellewise here is that the beacon I took out seems to be Oranbegan. So it's time to have a chat with an expert on that, because Hellewise isn't one. At least on Oranbegans. [Mission 3 = VERY atmospheric little mission here. Plus anchoring further into the plot and the world as we move forward. Plenty to think about. And on we go!] Mission 4: What Lies Beneath. So Hellewise has been speaking to Jaena, who also believes the beacons are Oranbegan, which means the Circle of Thorns are involved. And these beacons are probably what drew the Spirit Stalkers and Drudges to Croatoa in the first place. So, it's time to gird the loins (which apparently has nothing to do with beef or lamb) and find out their locational origin. Percy - helpful but hapless Percy - has found an originating signal. In Salamanca itself. Somewhere underground, and hurray, I get to do my favorite thing and visit some sewers. I love my job. In the meantime the war across Croatoa continues and Finn is back. He'll have to be dealt with at some point. Sheesh. And absolutely right from the moment I set foot in these stinking sewers the fight is on. Hydra! What the hell are Hydra doing out in Croatoa? Ok, lots of water...fair enough I suppose. These guys are literally everywhere! And I've wandered into what seems to be an Arachnos base! So, let's see if the Spiders have anything interesting to say. No sign of any Circle of Thorns yet though. GAWDAMIT! GET THE HELL OFF ME! Ok then. And take a breath. Right. Right. Now that's a bit odd. Definitely strange. Ah, Mu' Khulkan! I should have guessed you would be involved in this situation. Well, let's see what you have to say for yourself. You Mu folks have a little trick you like to do, so I'm just gonna reverse it on you! I love my Kinetics! Voila! Hit me now, when you have no Endurance left! Well that sounds rather ominous, doesn't it? And I see another one of those stone beacon things tucked in behind him! I'm running out of power myself here, so I have to take him out ASAP! I drop Mu' Khulkan and his allies and then move to destroy that beacon. Takes a moment or two but it is done. Now to get back to Hellewise and report in. Hopefully SHE can make sense of all this. She's glad to see me. Looks like mystic beacons were also deployed in the Nerva Archipelago and in Astoria, but we can't do much about those right now. On top of that, the Midnighters and the Cabal teamed up and routed some Drudges. Go Team Not The Bad Guys! But the enemy has retreated to Croatoa, and isn't actually beaten yet. In fact it may be gathering its strength. So I know where I'm going next. [Mission 4 = Short mission but definitely filling in the through line on a long plot. Interested to see where this goes. Mu are always up to something magically nefarious.] Mission 5: Saving Croatoa. Hellewise is definitely sending Engineria to Croatoa again. She forwards me a link to a blog post of hers concerning Finn MacCool and the gods. He's possibly a version of Shadowhunter. Looks a lot more like Woodsman to me, and now I'm maybe recalling that those two are sort kinda maybe the same person. Praetoria has a lot of mirrors of Paragon after all, and this would be like, a third? So a splinter version? Anyway. Amy has witches of the Cabal with her and Percy has Midnighters, so meet up with them before anything else, and that seems like sense, because Finn MacCool handed me a whupping last time I met him. I'll have Buddy and Marcus on speed dial too! So I step into Spiritoa (I know, I know!) and the first thing I see is War Witch in need of some help, and once I get her onside then the ball begins rolling! Way to go on making things complicated, Clarissa! I have heard that story, yeah, but your version will keep for now. We have Percy and Amy to find. So, do you see who I see, WW? Let's go get him! Agent Percy of the Midnighters seems a little overwhelmed there. I dunno, what is it with Masterminds? Fer Gawd's sake, summon your minions BEFORE you get jumped by the enemy! I mean how hard is that? Nevermind, you're here now so let's find Amy. And I reckon that's Amy over there. Let's go see. Yep, totally was. However, Percy? I need you, yes you, to keep your undead friends under control or we are all totally dead. Like for real dead and not you rezzing us to throw at people. Why? LOOK OVER THERE! I'm warning you, you get close to that guy and the rest of us, mainly me, is leaving you behind. Ok, that worked. Apart from a few zombies getting stuck in bushes and tree roots, oh and being attacked by shadow wolves and what not, but still better than getting my head caved in by Jack in Irons, yeah? Ok Buddy, you're up to join the main team! Let's get to it! Finn MacCool is going down! Oh, he's as tough as ever. So as a leftover from Christmas I have a Snowbeast and decided to bring him on instead of Marcus. And that definitely turned the tide for us. Engineria & the gang 1, Finn MacCool 0. Let's get back to Hellewise and finally see what was going on in this rurally weird place. Hellewise is delighted that balance has been restored to Croatoa (Jaena filled her in on some other stuff that helped that), but the mystery of Arachnos remains. What's with the beacons that look Oranbegan/Circle of Thornsy? Why Nerva and Astoria? Time to get back to Nadia in Astoria and talk to her. [Mission 5 = Several tough fights across this mission, with the option of fighting a giant monster no less. Very much a middle point in the bigger story but with more to come!] Verdict. Fleshing out the long game for this entire magical section of Glitters/Glitters et cetera, it's worth following all the way through for all the threads and hooks revealed. Nice. Next up from @Ankylosaur is All That Glimmers 2.2: Banished in the Spirit Realm. Next up on TerroirNoir's Cable Channel of AE Reviews is @cranebump's Mobius 5: Auguries of Fate and Time, the finale to the epic Mobius saga.

Yeah, well I do my best but there's SOOO much stuff in there that's actually great. And even better, I can't wiki it to find out what is waiting for me! It's NEW NEW NEW!

Yeah, I know I'm a bit slower than I was before the holidays, but sadly work time etc ate into my enjoyment life here! I'll try to make it up when I can.

Arc 15 from our third author on "TerroirNoir's Cable Channel of AE" Reviews is @Darmian's Damnatio Memoriae. (Caveat. I have played these before but never reviewed them. Although it has been a while, considering the number of other AEs and stuff I've been getting through!) Damnatio Memoriae is subtitled "(Neutropolis Warden, Ch, 6)" which which means it is meant to follow on directly from @Darmian's "The Spark of the Blind (Neutropolis Warden, Ch. 5)" and that follows on from the in game "To Our Health (Neutropolis Warden, Ch. 4)". Mission 1: Aftermath. (Aftermath? That looks ominous!) So here I am, Praetorian Engineria, back reporting in to Belladonna Vetrano. She seems irate about something. I have to confess that as far as I can see she's always irate about something. But in a cool way, like she's annoyed but she's handling things. Ok hell, it's all hitting the fan. That place she mentioned before, Terra Volta, it's being attacked right now so while Cole and his forces are over on Primal Earth we need to get our asses in gear here and do some damage to the system. Except we have a little bitty problem. Calvin Scott is AWOL. And Engineria needs to find him because the Resistance needs its leader right now. Seems he had something to do with the Enriche factory getting nerfed recently but hasn't shown up after that. Investigation time! BV is NOT happy. She's gone past irate I think. So into the place below the old Enriche facility I go. We're off to a good start. DURAY? Oh that does not look good. Still, as the man says, better than Tilman. Even the T.E.S.T. guys are afraid of Mother Mayhem. So it looks like Scott is definitely still alive then. I may have been premature on Scott's survival! Nah, this can't be him. Surely not. No way of Engineria identifying the remains. Just grab a piece and pocket it for the experts back at HQ to look at. Or a psychic maybe. Scott and whoever may have destroyed the Enriche factory but these guys are starting to rebuild it already. So construction materials and Clockwork are all over the place. I avoid some of the T.E.S.T. teams and run around a corner in the Underground and straight into a floating IDF platform! Not cool! And let me just say, OW! With more OW as needs be. Pattern Delta is painful, assuming Pattern Delta is "Shoot Engineria a lot", which from my POV is exactly what it is. I stagger away from the now wrecked IDF thingy as it cools its metal on the floor and make it to the main open area of the Underground, sort of a processing zone with pipes and tanks and things. Silos? Maybe. And then I find the Emergency Fire Suppression System. Looks like it had been totally hacked and shut down. Scott wasn't leaving anything to chance when he and his team took out the Enriche production. Nearby I find the 4 spots where the bombs went off. No sign of Provost Wagner though, so I need to search through the tunnels I haven't been in yet. Ah, there he is. Nope, not a coincidence. And it sounds like you don't know where Scott is either, but you DID see him so I'm gonna take that intel out of your hide. Oh yes. Dead is fine? Brutal. I mean I was just going to crack your ribs but now it's you or me buddy, and it AIN'T gonna be me! I drop him and search him. And I find some things. Along with intel that T.E.S.T. have a prisoner here! Time to find that prisoner. Ah, I should have checked the end of the main zone, doh! Blocker Dan is Resistance and looks a bit knocked around, kinda woozy. Let's get him out of there. And now you're free, my friend! Back with Belladonna Vetrano she goes over the intel. It's very unlikely that the bones belonged to Calvin Scott but she'll have them checked all the same. Two locations now in Neutropolis to check. I'm to get some rest and she'll call me. [Mission 1 = Concise investigation/combat mission, filling in lots of early war era Praetoria as we go. (Honestly, these AEs should be in the game!)] Mission 2: Blacksite 6. Back with Belladonna Vetrano she tells me that she's holding everything together, with some help from people called Dark Watcher and Steven Sheridan. The Resistance has to hold out long enough for the Primal Earth forces to arrive in Praetoria. No pressure then. Apparently there's an attack due on the Mother of Mercy Hospital and Scott is needed for that. Well, I suppose he does have personal experience of the place. But where is Scott? Well, I'm off to Blacksite 6, since that place and the one on the address given to me by Blocker Dan are identical. There's intel there that we need to get. As for the other site with the purge order? Not my problem, a different team will handle that. Oddly Blocker Dan himself has vanished, but that's not unusual in these fractured times, or in the Underground for that matter. Ok, time to get to it. So, that's handy. Janitor's desk or something or a security lead maybe? Anyway, checking for CCTV and so on. And yep, Engineria spots Calvin Scott hisself, he's going to the back of the building and he's got an electronic keycard in his hand. And then he's out of shot. I wonder how no one saw him? Or maybe they did and he's been caught? Time to check out the back of the building then. OH WOOZY! I seem to have attracted some attention in my exploring. And I'm stunned! Man, these guys are for some reason hella resilient today! But I finally get them off me and grenade the hell out of them! Whew! And there's a mainframe! Ok, Let's have a looksee. "Welcome IVy" it says when I boot it up. Now that IS interesting. IVy being Neuron's pet Victoria style clockwork. And a wall safe! Looks like THIS is what Calvin Scott had that electronic key for. Anything left inside? And with that bombshell it's time to high tail it outta here and get back to Belladonna Vetrano and report in. BV says the other team investigated the site in Neutropolis but only found a burned out building. Dead end there it seems. IVy's memory cache is something the Resistance could definitely use, and as for Anti-Matter's drives? Well, BV says it's obvious Scott thinks he's found something very important in number 3. However, Vetrano is a cynic, and she sees "trap" written all over this. She'll call me when she needs me, the found intel will be examined in the meantime. [Mission 2 = Fast and furious little mission. T.E.S.T. were unusually tough but not insurmountable, didn't need to call on Buddy. The plot thickens! On we go for the good stuff!] Mission 3: Blocker Dan. Vetrano is adamant that it's a trap and she has proof. The bones Engineria found turn out to be the remains of the real Blocker Dan. Seems like the imposter never returned to the Resistance HQ because he was actually a T.E.S.T. agent. She thinks there's a pincer movement here. T.E.S.T. didn't catch Scott after the Enriche sabotage job so they lured him somewhere with intel that was just valuable enough to get him to go himself. Initially Vetrano thought it was Praetor Sinclair, but apparently it's far too convoluted for his methods. She says it's probably Duray. Which backs up what I heard in the Underground. And the intel? What would be so important? Two things. A way to free Aurora Pena or a way to incapacitate Tyrant. And she thinks it is the latter. IVy's files contain details of devices built by Anti-Matter to channel some unknown energy to imprison Statesman. Yeah, the Primal version of Tyrant. And they worked! Until his side rescued him. But if they could be used on Tyrant then Scott would definitely be interested. That's a lot to take in. So where am I going now? To find fake Blocker Dan. Vanessa Devore has located him psychically. So off I go! And that sounds ominous, yeah? And there he is! He likes to gloat. I assume that's gloating anyway. Why do all these types like a good gloat? Gloaters! Again with the tough tough T.E.S.T! And from the sound of things my day is just gonna get worse. I mean a gall has to ask herself why she even gets up in the morning sometimes. Worse got real worse fast! OW. I mean seriously OW. (Also, due to it being a power, my Rune Soldier costume vanished when I died!) I get up, manage to take down the surviving T.E.S.T. trooper, stagger a bit, get my uniform straight, and then get flanked by a flying IDF turret! Damn but those things can hit hard. Fortunately not hard enough this time though. Staggering away from that fight,I find files that lay out Duray's plans. Fake evidence was planted in the late Crow's belongings that would lure in Scott. Ah. I see. An up ahead I see Duray himself! Well, after Blocker Dan and his friend dropped me earlier, I think it's time to call on Praetorian Buddy! I'm not going in there alone! OMG. You are literally repulsive, Duray. I'm going to enjoy kicking your damn head in. Good work Buddy. High Five there. Let's go home, yeah? Wash the stink of this place off us. Back to Belladonna Vetrano then. She knew it was Duray. And then she says the lovely sentence "Killing him is one thing, him staying dead is another." Well that's just not fair. I'm to get some rest before she has my next job. Files are being deciphered. [Mission 3 = Well, that was actually tough! I was expecting a mid arc mission, where plots turn, and they did, but was not expecting to get dropped like that. On to the next one!] Mission 4: Jessica's Folly. Belladonna Vetrano, that's BV to you, says Calvin Scott is a damn fool and that even the noobiest Resistance member should see that he's heading into a trap, but he's too set on the prize to see beyond his goal. So, it's up to me to go rescue him from himself if no one else. So, after the files were decrypted they revealed a hidden cavern near the bridge to First Ward in Imperial City. Of course no one goes there. Why would they? So, Engineria goes in, looks for Scott and rescues him. Best case. Worst case? Kill everyone there. No pressure. Plenty of T.E.S.T. in here. So, I fight my way through them. A LOT of them. A lot. And finally I get to...what the hell? Is that a throne? Lava? What sort of fantasy Emperor craziness is this place? And there's Calvin Scott. Well, item A marked off my TO DO list then. Getting him out alive is next. Or killing everyone. One of those. Let the fun begin! OH! They like attacking in mobs. That's not fun! Not fun at all. Well, on with the Kinetics Repel and bounce them back. As soon as I can free Scott then he can give me some help here. I hope! Yeah yeah. And she want to hang you up by vital parts of your anatomy for being so damned headstrong and foolish. However, in the mean time we have to deal with Provost Kensing, who brought you here. So, let's get to that, shall we? Or do you want to wait here why I do all the work? (I'm starting to sound like Vetrano now!) The Provost is a confident one. He's either tough as nails, knows something we don't or is too dim to realize he has lost this fight. All of which means there's still a fight. SCOTT! Wherever you are, a bit of help would be appreciated! I'm really sounding like Vetrano! Destroy the whole place? How?? So I drop the Provost, and turn around to find that Scott had actually found new friends for us. Oh great. Olympian Guards fergawdsake. I mean how much worse does my day have to get? STATESMAN? Well, someone has been given the wrong ID for Calvin Scott! Or me even! Both Scott and myself survive (THANKS TO KINETICS!) and badly injured we stagger around a bit before finding the unlocking mechanism for the cavern and head back out to meet with Belladonna Vetrano. I'd love to be a fly on the wall when she gives Scott a piece of her mind on his solo tactics of late! HA! I don't have to sneak around, she lays into him in front of me! And Vetrano assigns that particular job to me. Scott is to go and see Vanessa DeVore for a psychic debrief. [Mission 4 = Fun and awesome little mission. Very atmospheric and the Olympian Guards were NASTY! Great stuff] Mission 5: Conciliatory Measures. Sooooo....I'm to break into a facility and eliminate Duray. A Duray. Not necessarily THE Duray. I don't even know if there IS a THE Duray anymore. I don't know if anyone knows. Soooo...Duray's genetic imprint is in one of the mainframes there, wipe those as well as eliminating any Duray clones. And if that wasn't enough, Vetrano has more intel for me on the strangeness that surrounds us all. Ok, time to shut off the security system and get further inside. Found it. And CCTV shows Duray at the rear of the building. And lookee there! A Duray Clone Pod. Time to destroy that then. Hmm, a few more of these to go. Then I need to plant bombs and clear the place. Ah, found a mainframe and Duray's gene code. Wiped! And sometimes it is very useful to be cautious! Edging up to a doorway I spot Duray around the corner before he sees me. Ok, going inside is dangerous but at least I'm not running in blind. Oh, I hate him and his stupid smug face! Oh I'm achiveing something all right, I'm dropping you, you evil hearted maniac! And the smug just keeps on coming! Ok, you used Scott's ego against him, to be honest that's fair but even so, I'm not letting you get away with it. And yes! (A fair bit of OW in the middle of that though) But yes! And there's a Dr. Arvin. So I rescue him and he runs away rapidly. Ok then, at least he isn't trying to kill me. Now to plant the rest of the bombs. Ah JEEZ LOUISE. You cannot be serious. Should have guessed. And he and his goons are right beside the final bomb! No, to be honest I didn't think it would be that easy, but you know, you sometimes hope, don'tcha? And it seems the fleeing doctor did his own version of sabotaging Duray. And he is down! Last bomb is set and I run like the bejeezus. Exeunt pursued by Ghouls, as Praetoria's playwright might say. The facility is destroyed and I report back to Belladonna Vetrano. [Mission 5 = Great finale to this Lore filled arc. Really feeding into the entire story of Praetoria. Loved it.] Verdict. Well, play it. You'll enjoy it, I did. Sometimes you can't say more than that for arcs. Let's see how this entire Resistance trilogy ends up then! Next up from @Darmian is The Eve of War. Next up on TerroirNoir's Cable Channel of AE Reviews is @Ankylosaur's All That Glimmers 3.1: Shunting in Croatoa.

I disagree on the suckage (though I could do with less timers, or more of a heads up that a timer is about to happen maybe!). I'm remembering your comparisons of directors to you and the other two, so yeah.

Engineria slapped some Kinetics Speed Boost on him for funsies. OH MY!

Currently on 238 missions! Whew!

Arc 15 from our second author on "TerroirNoir's Cable Channel of AE" Reviews is @cranebump's The Bleed 3: Wave, Landing. Mission 1: Moondance. Engineria is back with Dr. Cheng and he is waxing lyrical (in a decidedly non Mr. Miyagi way) and he speaks of Wave, Landing, that place where it all went to hell so many years ago. The Night Brigade, once famed (though that faded through what seems to be a combination of fleeting fame and deliberate concealment, so that I'd never heard of them until now) but now rising again as infamous. Or they will be if I don't do something about it. So says Dr. Cheng at least. Madeleine AKA Pretes is the final key. And she unlocks the final hell. Ah, I'm tired of being threatened by a series of apocalypses, Cheng, what are we going to DO about it? Cos he says we can't stop her the old way, since she now controls that, so we have to use the Bleed Magic she surfs on. I'm gonna do what I usually do with magicians at this point and nod a lot while checking my energy levels for Radiation. (Slipping from character: I'm not spoilering all this for anyone) Cheng knocks Engineria out of her musing. "...so you need to find Moonlight." Moonlight. Gotcha. Cave. Gotcha. Saengcanthr. Got...what? Tub Ci? Tsoo? Cave. Gotcha. Right, off to the cave to find Moonlight then. Ok, I found the Tsoo pretty fast. Or they found me. PotAYto/PotAHto. And it gets very interesting for a bit, and I reckon the rest of this will be interesting too! See, MY power set includes Kinetics, and over my adventures I've got reasonably good with it. And the Tsoo, well they too use it. So there's a moment where I'm facing off against these guys and we're standing there stealing speed and power from each other, until I flip on Repel and rip their Endurance from them. Which is good, because their Martial Arts can be hella tricky to counter, especially when outnumbered. On I go! But they don't let up! And I see two distinct factions of Tsoo facing off against each other. Looks like Moonlight's team vs Tub Ci's. Well, I skirt some of those fights and leave them to it but there's only so much of that you can do before you turn a corner and need to rip out the old Repel/Rad Blast combo again! (with a little help from the old Plasmatic Taser) Alley-oop! And down they go. And I run as fast as I can. Which isn't that fast with all the speed debuffs on me. The only thing balancing out the fights was they were as slow as me! And cresting the edge of the cavern I can see Moonlight. The guy, not the...you all know that. And he ain't happy to see me. Well, he doesn't know me from Sister Psyche but he does know Dr. Cheng, and that name went down like a lead balloon. Oh, a side quest? I should have just stayed home and spent my time rearing Chocobos to race, but no, here I am about to fight Jade Dragon for Moonlight. I mean for all I know Jade Dragon might be entirely reasonable. He probably has a library card and everything. Ok, ok, I'm going. Cheng is gonna owe ME a favor after all this. Oh, so it's only me doing the fighting? Well great. What else is new in my world? Nada. By the way, OW OW OW! This guy hits harder than you'd think and the old Kinetics is not slowing him down like it does his minions. Oh, I spoke too soon. Moonlight joins the fight, no doubt after ritually cleansing his sword or something, and just in time too because this guy's spines are wrecking my concentration, not to mention his minions getting involved and stabbing me. A lot. I mean a hell of a lot. Might be time to patch up the old uniform after all this. Unfortunately for Jade Dragon his skills might be better than mine, but they're not better than mine AND Moonlight's together, So he takes a little nap and I take a breather. Moonlight is all cooperative now so I report back to Dr. Cheng. So yeah, all his notes on Bleed Magic, well turns out Tub Ci stole them or something so we have to get them from him. And that's gonna be a party I'll bet. [Mission 1 = Straightforward but very intense. Dives into the action from the get go and keeps on going. Liking it a lot. More please!] Mission 2: Moondance, Redux. Right right, Cheng is (quick check on word on the old interwebmachine) loquacious. Yep, bigly so. He's doing his wax on/wax off routine again about how Moonlight's intel is all stashed in a cavern complex in Talos, some sort of storage location now that Tub Ci has booted old Moonbeam out of the Tsoo. Or however that works. I mean are the Tsoo a gang? An ethnicity? What? I've never understood that to be honest, and I'd rather not be accidentally racist here. That said I WILL flatten people actively trying to hurt me, so there's that. Cheng thinks Moonlight will at some point try to betray us, i.e. betray ME, since it'll be me in there. Reading between the lines that seems like a scorpion and the frog thing rather than Moonlight actively seeking to destroy us. Same end result for me though. Ok, off to a cave in Talos I go. Annnd....I was expecting a cavern like the one I found Moonlight in, but this is a lot more Circle of Thornsy, a lot more Oranbega. And Moonlight/Saengcanthr has run off ahead of me, no doubt trying to get to the intel before I do. Blah. I dunno who was here first, but there's a bunch of people who do not want to be left in second place here. So, I'm gonna let them fight it out and move on. Whoops! These two caught me off guard. They saw through my Infiltration. Oh wait! I ran by a RED CRYSTAL so I took a bit of damage and they could see me, have to be wary of that. And wouldn't you know it? Such a place to die, just beside a GREEN CRYSTAL. I was injured faster than it could heal me, but I dropped the Behemoth as I fell, so that's a small victory snatched in the moment. Found the intel on Bleed Magic! Now I have a few ritual items to source and we should be done with this hellhole of CoT and Tsoo madness. Found Moonlight. Well, I already have the intel but I'm not going to tell you that, am I? Nah, don't think so. Well that's just unfortunate. Luckily I have ranged powers. I'd hate to be standing in that red damaging glow having to punch that thing! Yeah, that's much better. Some ranged blasts and that takes care of that! I wonder where Moonlight got to? I didn't take my Infiltration off so he's probably looking for me somewhere. I'll go find him. AW yeah! ESWAT have arrived to back me up! I love those guys. Go team! I find a pile of bones along the way, they seem to be glowing. And there's Moonlight, where I found him. Was he meditating again or what? Suffice it to say he's not happy to see me and makes a point of showing that. Doesn't go well for him. Nope. Time to get back to Dr. Cheng and see what we can see. He starts brewing tea and encourages me to join him and listen to the sea. Right. Thought we had a rush order on here. No? Tea it is then. [Mission 2 = Slicing and sliding through this combo Tsoo/CoT environment was fun, and don't get complacent like I did, it can drop you rapidly if you do. Good extension of the world building with some history hinted at between Cheng and Moonlight. Next!] Mission 3: Ancient Highway. Wait what? I have to use the bones...bone dust, ok. Gotcha. Use the bone dust of a mystic...this isn't AT ALL gruesome by the way, Cheng, just saying...and whose bones are these? We don't know. Maybe that's for the best. So the bones are a sort of spirit sink, or carbon trap for whatever Bleed Magic is there. Where? I'll find out. You know, if I never see you again Dr. Cheng, I'll be a happy gal. No don't take that the wrong way. There's no wrong way, it just is what it is. Oh. It's a sewer. Ok, better than the caverns of Tsoo-bega though. I think. Oh, well we're off to a good start. Possessed Crey guy, looking a bit anxious. Scratch that, looking like he wants to stab me with a pipette or something. Well I rad blast the hell out of him and move on. Possessed Family and ...let's just say there's a lot of people here who didn't want to be here, and surprisingly none of them are me. Who'd a thought? Possessed Council guy and one of those Spectral Portal things. And lots of pots. Or urns? I can't tell the difference. Is it shape or use that sets them apart? Whatever. Possessed Tsoo. And I think I'll leave you in your little energy cage trap thing. For my safety anyway. Oh, and just beyond you I can see one of the places I need to place the bone dust. Excellent. I'll just get that done. Ok, some more of these to find. I'm wandering around like some weird version of the Sandman, throwing bone dust in the eyes of spirits or something. I wade through several more Possessed folk, including some Possessed Nemesis, which if it was an automaton then that's a double weirdness! But finally I place all the bone dust and a spirit appears. So, time to forge an alliance and get back to Dr. Cheng. Ok, that was weird but relatively "normal" compared to some of the stuff he's had me do. The spirit is definitely helpful, but also there's a catch. That's how these things work it seems. Back with Dr. Cheng he comes over all mysterious. More Mysterious then. He knows what the ring signifies but says it's not a thing for now. Aurora Scott (Aurora Borealis to me!) contacted him. The fissures are appearing and growing all over Independence Port, centered on Wave Landing. Her and her allies are keeping them contained but that's all for now. We have to act fast. [Mission 3 = Straightorward set up mission filled with plot details and asides. (If my story telling here is a bit thin it's because I really don't want to spoiler things!) On to the next mission! Mission 4: Finale. Into the Mystic. Cheng says we have one shot at this, and even then that's because the very nature of Pretes' allies, being chaotic, has slowed their progress. So we have this chance to stop them. So the plan is rather than cutting her access to her power we're going to bust it open and overload her, and while she's reeling from that we hit the home run and win the game. That's a LOT of "ifs" to be relying on there, Dr. Cheng. A LOT. Still, it's the hand we've been dealt so let's get to it. What's first? Cheng is going to be putting relics in place and I have to seal every Spectral Tear apart from the one Cheng himself opens. Then, and only then, can we win. This is a Skywalker Deathstar Trench Run, isn't it? You haven't seen that...HOW CAN YOU NOT...nevermind. Right, let's go then. To the elevator! Dr. Cheng gets himself ready and it's my turn to go and place the pouches in the right areas. Well, I hope you can protect yourself while I'm away, Doc, because according to you this could get real nasty. Ok, I run around placing the pouches and then we get ready for the showdown. And there's Bocor arriving to do his part of this. I can see ESWAT arriving in force too, which is good because I'll probably need them! Yeah, got all that from Dr. Cheng, thanks. And ESWAT are taking care o' bidness over there! Go team! In the meantime let's you and me mosey, Bocor. Bocor and Engineria cut their way through enemies and seal one Spectral Tear after another, until the last one is reached. Vermin? Ok, my uniform is a bit scorched by now but c'mon! Give a gal some slack here! But Cheng is in trouble! Pretes is targeting him so we need to amscray back up the elevatorscray...I dunno, pig latin is not a big part of supers training, or any part of supers training. Not that I got any training. Shut up! Ok, Bocor, time for us to save the day and take Pretes down. And she ain't going without a fight by the looks of it. Oh crap on a stick. That barely scratched her! Bocor! Stop screwing with the minions and help me over here! Bocor joins me and we hammer her with blasts of all sorts of power, back and forth, with me keeping us up by stealing health from her with Kinetics, but JEEZ LOUISE is she strong. Then Cheng's plan finally starts to kick in and an unearthly voice echoes from the void, telling Pretes that her time is nearly over. She tries to run for it but we are after her! And she runs straight into a bunch of arriving Tsoo and Council, fresh from being possessed and none too happy about that. By the time Bocor and Engineria reach Pretes there's not much of her left so we just drop her fast. And then we breathe a long sigh of relief. It is done. Time to collect Dr. Cheng and do a debrief. All the fissures around Independence Port are closed and life is returning to as normal as it gets in a place as odd as Paragon City. There's just one last thing left to do. There is? Ok, spit it out, Doc. I need to visit a place? Seems simple. Let's do that then. [Mission 4 = Tough and FULL of plot detail and so on. I've left a lot out because I simply do not want to spoiler anything for people who play this, and you should play this because it's damn good. Mission 5: Epilogue: Hymn to the Silence. Looks like I'm attending some sort of service. Ok, let's go, Dr. Cheng. Let's finish this thing once and for all. I meet Bocor part way up the hill to the temple. Well, it looks like a temple to me but what do I know? I'm just a mid level super from Paragon City. Ok, NOW it's getting a bit creepy. And where are your feet, Doc? Hell, where are MY feet? What the hell is with the grass around here? Ok, there's the stone. Or Sssssstonnnne, as Cheng is calling it. Let's see what happens. The air swirls and reforms around us. And there is Somnia in her true form. Ok then, a resolution! And we are done. What did she ask? Well, that's between me and her, friends. That's between me and her. [Mission 5 = A lovely little coda to the entire thing. A necessary wrapping up of loose threads and ends. Bravo!] Verdict. Well, what the hell can I say other than play this arc? I've limited myself a lot by not spoilering so much of this because frankly the story is great and very in depth. Play it! And make sure to read all the clues and text, because it does reward you on this. Next up from @cranebump is Potter's Field. Next up on TerroirNoir's Cable Channel of AE Reviews is @Darmian's Damnatio Memoriae.

I'm hoping to get some more up at the weekend, folks. I'm a little bushed right now due to work and so on. My only real logging on right now was just to get some rust knocked off and try the traditional Valentine's Day events. THOUGH...I did finally play the Major's arc (semi accidentally because I swapped alignment to Vigilante to deliver a Valentine!) and who do I see in it? Well, if it isn't Recall from @Darmian's Loyalist stuff! Looks like when he said he was staying in Primal Earth he meant it. Didn't go well for him though!

OMG a Victor Kiam reference.

Two for Warburg please. On the all in tour including the Warburg Astoria.

Goshdarnit, @Ankylosaur! I'll never get finished at this rate, ROFLMAO.

Snag with that is much as we're lovely people here and just minding our own business, no "legit" company needs someone else saying to them "we're not doing business with you because you support a private server", implying they support piracy or what have you. It's more hassle than it's worth I think.