Knives of Artemis

[Techwright]

I cannot recall a blue-side task force that features the Knives of Artemis.  Is there one, blue or red?  If not, was it ever a stated intention to have one?  I almost never encounter them on the PUGs I run with.

[Sakura Tenshi]

Nope, not really. This isn't helped for a small number of reasons, chief of which being that KoA mobs are really really REALLY boring and given how bad their caltrop spam tends to be were probably never intended to be fought with a large team (at least way back in issue 1). Add to that that the KoA were not involved in any new content after their introduction besides Tip missions until Dark Astoria revamp suggests the Developers of Live didn't really like them either. Topping it all off is that the KoA these days were largely either turned into Knives of Vengeance by the Talons or killed likely means they're story was likely to be closed for good in Paragon's lore.

 

That said, I personally could easily see DA survivors being taken in and integrated fully into Malta as agents and possibly a few independant KoA vets who escaped DA's corruption and slaughter to become independent operatives of their own (like Shadow Spider).

[Eva Destruction]

There are some tidbits in character descriptions that suggest there is more to the group than "we are a bunch of mercenaries who will kill you with thumbtacks."  It's really too bad nobody ever did anything with them besides kill them all off in service of the New Shiny.  They would have been a good candidate for a revamp, like the Skulls and Family got.

[Sakura Tenshi]

7 minutes ago, Eva Destruction said:

There are some tidbits in character descriptions that suggest there is more to the group than "we are a bunch of mercenaries who will kill you with thumbtacks."  It's really too bad nobody ever did anything with them besides kill them all off in service of the New Shiny.  They would have been a good candidate for a revamp, like the Skulls and Family got.

Especially weird that they never got a bow user, given Artemis was a known archer mythologically, and even barring that, archery and trick arrow would be perfect for an exotic (relatively) weapons for modern assassins.

[Haijinx]

12 minutes ago, Sakura Tenshi said:

Especially weird that they never got a bow user, given Artemis was a known archer mythologically, and even barring that, archery and trick arrow would be perfect for an exotic (relatively) weapons for modern assassins.

they do have the cool pistol crossbows though. 

[Lazarillo]

Honestly, the thing that always got me is that despite a couple points in the lore claiming that they only have 100 members, there was never a badge for defeating at least 101 on a single mission with the text "The rumors about the numbers of the Knives of Artemis are definitely untrue.  You checked."

[Sakura Tenshi]

31 minutes ago, Lazarillo said:

Honestly, the thing that always got me is that despite a couple points in the lore claiming that they only have 100 members, there was never a badge for defeating at least 101 on a single mission with the text "The rumors about the numbers of the Knives of Artemis are definitely untrue.  You checked."

Alternatively they should have made it so KoA defeat animations showed them teleporting away or sometimes having hidden spawns where they teleport in to suggest you might avtually be fighting the same damn groups in every single mission.

[Turric]

3 hours ago, Haijinx said:

they do have the cool pistol crossbows though. 

I really want that pistol crossbow for my poison/archery defender. It would go nicely with my concept.

 

[MTeague]

I always liked KoA as a villain group.  I wish I could have some for lore pets.  Not Knives of Vengeance, not Talons, Knives of ARTEMIS.  I select any mission I can get where they appear. 

 

That said, I'm not exactly holding out much hope that they'll be used much more. It'd be nice, but I think it's easier to do more with many ohter villain groups.

[Sakura Tenshi]

35 minutes ago, MTeague said:

I always liked KoA as a villain group.  I wish I could have some for lore pets.  Not Knives of Vengeance, not Talons, Knives of ARTEMIS.  I select any mission I can get where they appear. 

 

That said, I'm not exactly holding out much hope that they'll be used much more. It'd be nice, but I think it's easier to do more with many ohter villain groups.

no arguments there, in the Kallisti weekly discussion I wanted to note them down as possible enemies to be included who could be fleshed out, but as mentioned, lorewise, the KoA are sadly not strong enough to be a faction of their own again anytime soon unless we make some story about the survivors who still hold out for the Knives of Artemis as an organization go recruiting. Actually that would be the perfect arc to flesh them out and expand on their roster.

[Peacemoon]

They’re quite an interesting group of female assassins, it was a shame how they got used for the Dark Astoria storyline, I don’t think that was necessary.

 

Its worth remembering they are allied to the Malta Group. Dark Astoria hinted at a 2.0 version of the Malta Group, equipped with advanced nanotechnology. You could probably make up a lore reason for how any surviving assassins of the Knives of Artemis joined the Malta Group for new work, and have a special Artemis Boss in any Malta Group 2.0, so that they can live on. They could be made even more interesting as a standalone female assassin mob within a faction of soldiers. (I do love the Malta Group!)

 

But yeah, they really are a mercenary subgroup of the Malta Group and show up a bit in their story arcs.

Edited May 20, 2020 by Peacemoon

[Eva Destruction]

They're not intrinsically tied to the Malta Group.  They're mercenaries, Malta wants to have people offed, they hire the Knives.  They show up in a few redside missions that have nothing to do with Malta.  Honestly, I think they have more story potential as their own group.

 

Who knows, maybe the Talons picked on them because they'd lost their way, and the group was formed for some greater purpose than assassins for hire?  (okay, we know it's really because the devs had no idea what to do with them, but bear with me here).  Maybe the survivors go back to the old ways.  Maybe they don't recruit again, and keep it to 100 members.  They wouldn't be a faction per se, no more missions full of them, no more picking caltrops out of my shoes, but sometimes maybe people just...show up dead.  You go and investigate, because of course you do, fight your way through a bunch of other factions, looking for clues, interrogating some dudes, the usual drill, and the final mission takes you to a seemingly empty map, where you're ambushed by a handful of KoA bosses, with a bit of variety to their powersets just so they're more interesting to fight.

[Peacemoon]

9 minutes ago, Eva Destruction said:

They're not intrinsically tied to the Malta Group.  They're mercenaries, Malta wants to have people offed, they hire the Knives.  They show up in a few redside missions that have nothing to do with Malta.  Honestly, I think they have more story potential as their own group.

 

Who knows, maybe the Talons picked on them because they'd lost their way, and the group was formed for some greater purpose than assassins for hire?  (okay, we know it's really because the devs had no idea what to do with them, but bear with me here).  Maybe the survivors go back to the old ways.  Maybe they don't recruit again, and keep it to 100 members.  They wouldn't be a faction per se, no more missions full of them, no more picking caltrops out of my shoes, but sometimes maybe people just...show up dead.  You go and investigate, because of course you do, fight your way through a bunch of other factions, looking for clues, interrogating some dudes, the usual drill, and the final mission takes you to a seemingly empty map, where you're ambushed by a handful of KoA bosses, with a bit of variety to their powersets just so they're more interesting to fight.

They’re not part of the Malta Group, true, but they are one of Malta’s assets and I could see how a few Artemis survivors might might join their ranks. Just an interesting way of keeping their old identity alive somehow. Given that they’re meant to be pretty much all dead, and their HQ was destroyed, it would be a tad unbelievable for them to return as a stand alone faction again. Malta could find a purpose for them I’m sure, and they have history. 

[Aberrant]

I always thought that the Knives looked quite fetching in Midnight Blue.

Considering that Malta were potentially going to work with Battle Maiden for her nanotech, maybe the Knives could have latched onto Battle Maiden, replacing her Warrior Earth allies.

Edited May 20, 2020 by Aberrant

[tidge]

I occasionally find myself longing for a 'time travel' mission in which your hero participates in the conversion of Indigo. (She is a former KoA, right?)

[MTeague]

11 hours ago, Sakura Tenshi said:

Alternatively they should have made it so KoA defeat animations showed them teleporting away or sometimes having hidden spawns where they teleport in to suggest you might avtually be fighting the same damn groups in every single mission.

I actually really like this idea.