TerroirNoir's "Cable Channel of AE!" Reviews. Part 2.

[Ankylosaur]

On 11/8/2023 at 11:49 PM, Zhym said:

My main is a DP/MA blaster, and Ki Push is a wonderful thing. 

 

I have a storm/MA (a storm monk) and have to agree. A nice change from the de facto immobilize 

[Zhym]

On 11/5/2023 at 5:55 PM, TerroirNoir2 said:

Unfortunately she had summoned reinforcements so now we have to fight our way back out and get to the exit.  Not easy. There are a hell of a lot of them. I mean a HELL of a lot. Now we have to get by all this with our prisoner. Sheesh.

I'm glad this wasn't an escort mission (I'm always glad that any mission was not an escort mission), but the bolded portion wasn't an actual requirement of the mission, right? 

 

When Syzygy showed up (captured, again*) and says that his orders were not to let my character out of his sight, my character's response was, "Good luck with that."  He usually runs with stealth on, see.  And while he'll often turn that off to let his "helpers" tag along, he's not going to do it for someone who says his orders are basically just to keep an eye on my character.  Especially not on that map, which is a PITA to keep everyone together on.  So—bye, Z!  Good luck with...well, whatever!

 

*There really needs to be an AE arc that hangs a lampshade on how your allies in AE missions always seem to have gotten captured by the time you get there.

Edited November 16, 2023 by Zhym

[TerroirNoir2]

10 hours ago, Zhym said:

I'm glad this wasn't an escort mission (I'm always glad that any mission was not an escort mission), but the bolded portion wasn't an actual requirement of the mission, right? 

 

When Syzygy showed up (captured, again*) and says that his orders were not to let my character out of his sight, my character's response was, "Good luck with that."  He usually runs with stealth on, see.  And while he'll often turn that off to let his "helpers" tag along, he's not going to do it for someone who says his orders are basically just to keep an eye on my character.  Especially not on that map, which is a PITA to keep everyone together on.  So—bye, Z!  Good luck with...well, whatever!

 

*There really needs to be an AE arc that hangs a lampshade on how your allies in AE missions always seem to have gotten captured by the time you get there.

Hmm, maybe I misread it and it was a TP Beacon, but my take was Engineria and Syz had to get King out. Narratively obviously, glad @Darmian didn't make it an actual escort.

[Zhym]

10 hours ago, TerroirNoir2 said:

Hmm, maybe I misread it and it was a TP Beacon, but my take was Engineria and Syz had to get King out. Narratively obviously, glad @Darmian didn't make it an actual escort.

Maybe that is in the narrative.  I don't remember at this point.  What I do remember is seeing the "Find the Mission Exit!" prompt in the nav menu and hopping out to the mission exit.

 

I do like TP beacons as convenient ways of "capturing" someone without having to escort them. 

[TerroirNoir2]

Arc 19 from our initial writer in TerroirNoir's Cable Channel of AE Reviews is @Ankylosaur's All That Glimmers 3.1: Summonings in Nerva Archipelago.

 

Mission 1: Possession is Half Ownership: Marchand of the New Praetorians is having a chat with Engineria, Desdemona and Pendragon. Yeah, I have myself at the front of the line, because this is MY story, ok?  Ok. LOL. When I say chat, it's a group call, like a concall or Shoom or one of those things. I dunno, maybe it's Praetorian tech or something. He's had a big talk with various other interested groups and the New Praets are now going to monitor things regarding this whole Mu/COT war thing. Even Vanguard is involved somehow.

 

My job? Investigate the possible summoning of Lilitu. Because that = BAD THING. So I'm off to Fountain Island in Nerva to investigate whatever the COT are up to there. Which mainly seems to be attacking civilians. So stopping that is a start. Stopping is a start. Curious choice of words there. Longbow are back in Agincourt and Wyvern are spread thin, so it's up to me to stem the thingy.

 

On I go.

 

 

Well that's not right.  Hmm, Wyvern are around and doing their utmost. Plenty of civilians too. Hey! Those civilians are not taking it lying down! They're fighting back against the COT. Go civilians! Let's give them a hand.

 

 

Ok, that dealt with I spot one of four Arch Mages I have to deal with. This should be interesting.

Body snatching+possession in BROAD DAYLIGHT! The COT are getting brazen. Or desperate.  Could be desperate.

 

 

The Arch Mage of Madness. (I mean really, guys? Arch Mage of MADNESS?  Surely you have a more ritualized term for that? Whatever. I'm not a robe wearing pointy hat maniac so what do I know?)

 

 

But now he's a different sort of mad.  More the Arch Mage of Seething probably.  Right, where are your brethren so that I mayest trounce them forthwith, or you know, leave them agog. Agog? Agog.

I'll have to be more situationally aware. I turned on the spot and the next guy is literally over there.

 

 

I will not stop them saving their ethereal kin?  Ok, I absolutely am going to do that because it involves you stealing bodies from civilians, but...are the Mu destroying your ethereal kin? Sort of sucking them up to fuel some sort of Soul Device? I'm getting ahead of myself.  Take that, Mister Ruin!

 

 

I forgot these guys just LOVE encasing me in rock. Ok, pop a Break Free and move in.

 

 

And stay down!  Ok, who is next?  Time for a little fly around to scout further.

 

 

Arch Mage of Agony I seeeee you!  Don't go anywhere, I'll be right with you.

 

 

And BOOM!

Eeep. He has a Behemoth with him!

 

 

HEY! I managed that better than I was expecting. With the Behemoth and the Guides down the Arch Mage makes a run for it, but a Rad Blast takes him out, leaving me with one last Arch Magus to track down. Back to the skies!

 

 

And there he is! Mr Arch Mage of Death. Well of course the Arch Mage of Death would be the final one. It's fitting.  Anyway, I'm going to scoot around the back of the bridge and come through the arch to flank him and his cronies.

 

 

They've not seen me, so powering up a Rad Blast to take them out. And I think a follow up with an Ion Judgement for good measure.  As long as I don't crack the foundations of the bridge!

 

 

Success? I thought he'd have taken more injuries from that! Oh well, let's get into this! 

 

 

Moments later the Arch Mage is down and I've cleared his minions. It's time to check in with Marchand.

 

 

Next up for Engineria is...drum roll...investigating a BELL?  Alrighty then, Marchand.

 

[Mission 1= Simple and straightforward and we're right into the action leading from the previous arc.  The plot thickens! Or thins? Depending on the ethereal nature of things?]

 

Mission 2: The Summoning Stone.  (More ASAP)So Marchand wants me to investigate the summoning shenanigans of the COT, all the ritual implements that they were searching for. I mean how can I refuse? Well, I could but I've committed myself to this now so on we go. (retirement may be in order soon though!) So Longbow have a magic stone and Crey have a magic bell. Not sure WHY they're magic but what do I know about this stuff? Ah, Desdemona is being sent to see about the bell, not me.  So, off to Longbow I go.  

 

Things go south before I even get out of Marchand's tiny office! Pendragon calls and tells us that COT and some demonic allies are on their way to Agincourt, and could I pretty please hurry up!

 

I get to the Longbow base via submarine. Never liked those things. Hopping out I find things are already in full flow. Longbow on the defensive and the COT doing their thang. Some possessed folks here too I see.

 

 

I wade in and start blasting. Ripping health from the enemies to keep the Longbow troops up and active longer.  Every little helps. At the least it keeps them from concentrating fire on ME.  I know, not very altruistic but what's a gal to do?

 

 

Holy moly but these guys just keep on coming!

 

 

I deal with them and fly in through the upper gateway, only to spot an ally!  Time to rescue him and we can both proceed.  Let's GOOOO!

 

 

Having collected Tendaji we gather come to the aid of some Longbow, and then pause as we see where we need to go. And we'll have some obstacles ahead of us as all can see.  Behemoths can be nasty, though Ruin Mages and their bouncy ground attacks annoy me more.

 

 

Making our way inside (yeah, we dealt with the Behemoth and his friends) we're met with an even BIGGER demon thing calling itself Argilius.  It really doesn't like me!  Not sure what I've been hit with but currently held and taking damage while Tendaji is still doing his thing.

 

 

There's the artifact!  We have to stop it being damaged.  That may be easier said than done but time for the old college try!

Not good!  Oh so very ungood!  Weird floaty blue swords of energy are mangling my armor!  And the artifact is still intact BY A SLIVER! Kills all of the Mu descendants??? Oh that's definitely not good.

 

 

But we manage it!  Argilius is down! The artifact is STILL intact.  And breathe.  And breathe.  And note to self on patching the old armor up.  Really, I need to retire. Or go into training newby heroes or something.

 

 

Ok, back out and report in to Marchand. He's pleased that we succeeded. In typical fashion though things are heating up elsewhere, like a TV dinner we forgot about. Forces are amassing on Primeva, including the Banished Pantheon that we drove out of Astoria. Because of course they are. I have no luck. And Crey has been attacked by the COT. Normally I wouldn't worry about that. Crey can go hang. Normally. But this time their Code Merlin protocols may not work.  So, yeah.

And Desdemona is in there and needs help.  

 

[Mission 2 = The stakes are rising!  The COT has set something in motion that needs dealing with and we continue the fight!  Onwards!]

 

Mission 3: The Summoning Bell. (More ASAP) And Off to Crey Industries goes Engineria!  Somewhere in here Desdemona is doing her demony thing. Let's hope she knows what she's doing then.

 

 

Ok, no sign of Desdemona yet, or any Crey members.  But time to go to work!  COT and their demon allies...or servants? Slaves? Whatever.

 

 

Ah, found Desdemona.  But others have found us too, from the position of the guy on the stairs not to mention the amount of rocks being flung at us!

 

 

Jeez Louise! Will you WATCH where you're flinging that whip, Des!!!  You could have had my eye out or head off even.  She's not taking any prisoners here. Any demons she hits are being sent back to who knows where, and I for one do NOT want to know.

 

 

Heading further into the Crey facility we continue to eliminate demons and COT, not to mention running into Possessed Scientists.  A bit like those you sometimes see in Peregrine Island.  So much for Federal safety laws.  Seems they don't apply in Paragon City!

And we meet a friend!  Or at least someone who isn't trying to kill us.  It's Crimson Revenant.  A Crey hire for the duration it looks like.

 

 

Now THERE'S a familiar face Engineria is happy to see!  It's HORNET!  We back him up.

 

 

And as soon as we do we get a flood of enemies washing over the top of the stairs and over us like a tide!

 

 

We fight on and through and around, wave after wave after wave of enemy. The COT REALLY want this Bell thing.

 

 

We were in the middle of closing yet another Demon Gate when security announced that the Bell had been taken!  We'd failed.  Time to report back to Marchand.  Our plans are derailed and I'm wondering will Crimson Revenant get paid now.

 

Marchand is stoic about though. He says ANY Bell or stone would have done, but these particular ones would make it far easier for the COT to summon Lilitu. Well, half far easy. They only got one of the things they needed and have to make do with a regular old stone.  Marchand calls Pendragon for an update.

 

[Mission 3 = Very intense combat mission!  That particular map lends itself well to this sort of thing.  Time to ramp up our response!]

 

Mission 4: The Summoning. News from Pendragon!  He's been laying low and hiding in the jungle.  Tricky with that armor of his I would think.  Not to mention not the quietest.  Anyway, he says that he witnessed a man in orange and black being led into a temple, a so-called final sacrifice!  That does not sound good. Desdemona immediately sets off and I have to chase after her.  Time to do good!

 

 

Yes, of course they did!  Because sticking together is never a thing.  Have they never seen a horror movie?  Well, maybe not Pendragon, but Desdemona...ah who knows when you spend all your free time training demons.

 

A guy in orange and black, huh?  Like Duke Mordrogar here?  All possessed already?  Right.  I thought we were saving him but he's going to get a punch on the nose from me.  Admittedly that WILL save him from the COT, but not from me!

 

 

Zapedy Zap go the old laser eyes!  And the Duke gets a new tattoo!  Oh he be riled now!

 

 

Akathath?  Well, you're toast now, friend!  I just need to knock out your bodyguards and then find MY friends.  You're that other sort of "friend", and you're right, you were NOT ready for me!

 

 

Well that was handy,  I stepped through a portal and wouldn't you know it?  There's Desdemona all trussed up and waiting to be rescued, like a kidnapped Christmas gift or something.  I'm stumbling on similes here, leave me alone!

 

 

I free her and while she's summoning her demons I have a little look around, and voila!  Up there!  It's Pendragon.  After all this is over I definitely have to get them to watch a horror movie. Never split the team!  Gah. Ok, let's go get him.

 

 

With Pendragon collected we head further into the temple, and then he gets all fighty and runs ahead of me while I get frozen on the spot.  Don't split the team, you idiot!  Gah. Do I have a Break Free?  I do not.  Ok, this will take a second or two.

 

 

Oh, he's found Lilitiu!  And she is not a happy person.  I doubt if she's ever been a happy person but right now she is cresting a wave of not being happy.

Not sure what Pendragon has done to her.

 

 

Engineria and Pendragon take her on, while Desdemona seems to be covering our backs against COT and Behemoths and so on.  Excellent.  And I think I saw another prisoner up ahead. Also in orange and black?  So maybe Pendragon wasn't talking about the Duke.  I should have asked him.

 

 

Psimon Omega!  I've heard of you!  He looks worse for wear.  And we have further trouble ahead.  From BOTH sides.  Well that will be a barrel of monkeys to play with I'm sure.  Sigh.

 

 

The Stray...

 

 

...and Puc...Pluck...Pull...that guy over there.

 

 

And the Stray hits first! downing Psimon Omega and leaving Pendragon reeling.  I blast her and blast her, wearing her down.  Trying to keep the fight away from Puculqis and his gang because if they enter the fray now we can't win this.

 

 

And we drop The Stray!  but she vanishes! No time to catch our breath as P-Boy is upon us almost instantly!

 

 

Pendragon and Engineria are running on fumes now, so hell with it.  Time for an Atomic Blast! And Puculqis goes down!  The crowd goes wild. Engineria and Pendragon both bemoan the state of their armor.

 

 

Ok. Ok.  Also, Desdemona, what did I say about not splitting the team?  Ok, next time!  And time to talk to Marchand.

We're on a group Shoom to Marchand when the Stray joins the call and then hurriedly logs off!  Desdemona tracks her. Looks like the Stray had picked up Pendragon's phone along the way.  And right now she's in a warehouse in Crimson Cove!

 

[Mission 4: Well, that was a rollicking rollercoaster of a mission. Great great final fight sequence! Absolutely loved it.  Apart from Desdemona getting stuck in a door with her demons after killing a behemoth!]

 

Mission 5: The Stray.  Marchand is surprised by Pendragon's spying ability, though personally I put it down to the COT being deafened by the constant roaring of demons as opposed to Pendragon's skill at sneaking around in plate armor!  We're heading to catch the Stray, and we've got an update from Hellewise.

 

The Stray is a natural sponge at magic, picking stuff up everywhere and anywhere that she puts down roots even for a moment.  All clues point to her being behind turning the Harbingers into the Banished, what with all the goo and so on. Spirit Walkers and Drudges are just one part of her spidery web.  If she even is a spider, she's more ...looming?  Anyway. We just don't know what her own end goal is.  Now we may find out.

 

Time to saddle up and...you'll need a bigger horse, Pendragon, and no, one of Desdemona's demons will NOT do as a substitute.

 

Typical. And look, what did I say about horses?  Cavalry is me.

 

 

Well there's Desdemona, and as per usual she has made a new friend.  I dunno, why oh why will they not let me go ahead?  I have stealth!  And can fly!  And it's hard to sneak around followed by a band of demons.  Sheesh.. Let's deal with this red cloaked idiot and find Pendragon.

 

 

Whoah! Desdemona does NOT hold back when she gets going!  Fire it up!  And our red cloaked friend is definitely scorched now!  Whoo!

 

 

Engineria and Des move through the warehouse, pretty much cleaning as we go, until we run into a familiar face.  Sadly this time the Crimson Revenant, due to his Mercenary status, is not so agreeable to a team up.  Pity. Also, you know damn well who it is Mister!  That's probably for your employers to hear so that you don't look complicit.

 

 

Turns out he was just there to get paid!  So we had a brief fight over a misunderstanding.  I suppose it happens in his line of work. Ah!  There's Pendragon!

 

 

Turning down to the rear of the building we run into a ...Wizard of Frost?  He ices things up around us and rants about the Stray, but we blast him to Kingdom Come and down he goes in a tinkle of icicles.  Plinky plink.

 

 

Investigation continues and we destroy a cauldron or two along the way.  Then Trepsarciel shows up.  As if we weren't already busy!  

 

 

Whatever that stuff is, it stings! Pock marks all through the old armor!  Ow ow ow!

Of course the Stray chooses that moment to join the fight.  And it kicks off! 

 

 

She's tougher than I expected too!

 

 

With her temporarily dealt with we have a chance to search the place and find a few bits of intel.  Time to report back to Marchand!

Things are coming to some sort of a head.  Magus Mu'Drakhan is the villain behind the curtain here!  He's working his way towards being a Patron.  Dunno if he's going to eliminate one of the others though.  I mean, he COULD just apply for a sixth position.  I'm sure Arachnos likes their bureaucracy!

 

And even that's not the worst bit.  They're planning on summoning Hequat. Yeah, her. Goddess of Mu Magic. Hmm, I'm a thinking that the old saying of the priests should be wary of job security when their god actually shows up might come into play here!

 

[Mission 5 = Rollicking little roll through the map, plenty to deal with and plenty of clues to feed into the ongoing plot.  Lovely!]

 

Verdict: @Ankylosaur just keeps rolling out the greatest hits track here like some sort of AE DJ.  On we go and into the next one.  Where oh where will it end up?

 

Next up from @Ankylosaur is All That Glimmers 3.2: Ninjas in the Wind.

And next up on the schedule in TerroirNoir's Cable Channel of AE Reviews is  @cranebump's  Noble Mettle Part Two: The Hollow Crown.

Edited March 17 by TerroirNoir2

[cranebump]

Heh. A “Shoom” call.:-)

[Ankylosaur]

In things we give Thanks for during Thanksgiving - I've got to give it up to @TerroirNoir2 and this cable channel and Engineeria!

 

And yes - the story continues! Pendragon is still taking advantage of Primal cell phone tech despite his ridiculous gauntlets with Shoom calls or FacemakerTime or the like.

 

 

Spoiler

Lots of fun re-purposing of higher level mobs in this one to give you a sense of the immediate impacts of the Mu/CoT war. Some fun unique mobs at this level in the CoT, and it is where Wyvern taps out level-wise too.

• Wyvern is actually present on fountainhead in game - so nice to revisit them and some of your pals from Glitters.
• To get the ethereal souls of the CoT, I just used the CoT mobs from shard's "Reflections" mob. One of the nice things with them is that you get representatives of lots of CoT types, rather than them being constrained by level - so you get thorn blade wielders, fire, earth, air, and ice casters, etc Only boss is a Behemoth though and their souls aren't part of the story, (though demons and their enslavement t the CoT sure are). That's why some why regular ones are mixed in.
• Possessed Citizens from Malaise's gang
• Possessed Scientiests from the CoT - I guess they are another set of mobs with "do not auto-spawn" on them

Plus a couple of fun cameos!

 

 

 

Edited November 24, 2023 by Ankylosaur

[Darmian]

19 minutes ago, Ankylosaur said:

Shoom calls or FacemakerTime or the like.

ROFL!

 

Yep.

 

 

[TerroirNoir2]

Life is beating me up at the moment. Not in a "bad" way, just eating all my spare time. So apologies to all for the excessive delays.  And Happy Holidays to you and yours!

[Ankylosaur]

And to you too! Loving the playthrough as always. 

 

Nerva has so many folk that are in AE, I wanted to include them in this massive war that is unfolding. (like Psimon Omega and Crimson Revenant - and was fun to bring in Hornet since Wyvern is around too. I think you missed one in M2 - Granny Beldam wandered over from her island too.)

 

Someone mentioned that Lt Tendaji may be dead, so apparently I missed some lore there - should probably fix that but might just leave it. 🙂

 

Oh and yeah - as to Desdemona and Pendragon - there are ways to populate maps in such a way that they are not captured, got a little titred of fiddling with AE and just conceded to the limitations. 

Anyway - once you wrap M5 - you know who's behind all this and why! Sort of - cause - ninjas?

 

Happy Holidays! Engineria deserves a rest. 🙂

 

Edited December 22, 2023 by Ankylosaur

[Zhym]

On 12/22/2023 at 3:52 PM, Ankylosaur said:

Someone mentioned that Lt Tendaji may be dead, so apparently I missed some lore there - should probably fix that but might just leave it. 🙂

 

I'm not sure why I'm using a spoiler for an official in-game story arc that's over 10 years old, but:

 

Spoiler

Tendaji dies in The Dark Watcher's arc.

 

[cranebump]

I shoehorned Tendaji into Dark Chamber. Lore wise, it takes place between his first appearance and his death. Mollymauk commented that he was dead while running both parts, indicating he’d seen others use him even though he was gone. I knew he was, too, which drove how I used him in the story. That said, Tendaji’s career could exist outside the RWZ arcs. Just indicate the time by adjusting his contact verbiage (“Sefu Tendaji is an up and comer in the Longbow ranks…” Then make him something lower than  a ballista to indicate his previous status).

 

or, if you’re Darm, use a clone.:-)

Edited January 3 by cranebump

[Ankylosaur]

Thanks @cranebump and @Zhym 

 

This series takes place after the fall of Praetoria - so time wise is later. The Lt is not a critical character at all - I just needed someone as a base commander of the Longbow Base in Nerva in both Glimmers 2.3 and 3.1 and threw him in because he was an interesting unique character. Normally I look into the lore, but missed this. (I did the same with Crow at one point in Glitters 1.1 til Darmian pointed it out.)

 

I can just rename him and all would be well - except for the task of finding all the spots where I mention him. 

 

He is now Lt. Aamir Agarwal in both missions where he appears. Hopefully I caught all the spots!

Edited January 3 by Ankylosaur

[Zhym]

I like Tendaji, so I wouldn't mind an arc where it turns out he isn't really dead.  It's a superhero comic—no one has to stay dead (unless they were Jack Emmert's characters).

 

Clones and faking one's own death are classic options, but CoX does have Ouroboros.  Or, given that Tendaji was killed by Nemesis (the faction, if not the arch-villain), there's always the Nemesis Plot option.  Why would Nemesis want to fake a minor NPC's death?  Well, there you've got me stumped, but it's a plot possibility, anyway.

Edited January 3 by Zhym

[Darmian]

On 1/3/2024 at 3:53 AM, cranebump said:

or, if you’re Darm, use a clone.:-)

Hmmm.

[TerroirNoir2]

Arc 19 from our second esteemed writer in TerroirNoir's Cable Channel of AE Reviews is @cranebump's Noble Mettle Part Two: The Hollow Crown.

 

Well, when last we heard of Dr. Colicos, their new shiny technology aimed at reducing emissions and who knows what, while not becoming Hamidon Pasalima himself, thereby saving them a few blushes (not that the Devouring Earth blush per se), is about to be initialized. Success!  The planet is saved! Bunting! Little flags! But wait, what comes a creeping and a stealing through Engineria's window (note to self, close that window in future) but the Ivory Leopard himself.  Replete with satisfaction, preening and strutting - no wait, that's my cat.  The Ivory Leopard gently nudges Felix aside with his boot and perches on my windowsill with grace and insouciance.

 

Engineria, hey. We have a problem. Don't we just. It's been three weeks since Sandra Colicos was kidnapped and...it's time.

 

Time?  Go on.  Engineria strolls over to her shuffle-in closet and find her armor.  Hmm, needs some buffing.  Serge at Icon can...YES!  Yes I AM listening.  I can get dressed and listen at the same time!  Keep talking or you can go chat to Twinshot and see how that fares.

 

The Ivory Leopard continues.  I swear I'm not imagining it but part way through there was a sound of coughing, like a furball.  MIGHT have been Felix.  Might not.

 

Mission 1: Redox. It seems that Dr. Colicos has been given permission to install her tech but the Ivory Leopard is wary of this.  After our previous adventure - I say "our" but we didn't see eye to eye all the way through on that one - there's a lot of questions left unanswered. Some questions may not need answers but these do, he feels. Colicos' tech could put a serious dent in the Rhodium markets and two, separate and apparently entirely disconnected, parties targetted her BEFORE her tech went for public scrutiny. 

 

Ok, boots are on so where am I going - you have got to be kidding me.  Last time I went there I was attacked by clones. And Ghost Widow was creepily friendly.  No, don't ask. Warburg here I come. And I expect to see the Crimson Crew and possibly N'Kunzai again.  I don't want to but I expect to.

 

 

A quick flyover and I can see some caches of supplies down below.  Ok, time to move in.

 

 

So I make my way along and...hello?  Are you ok?  Ah...right.  I'll just be going now.  Things to do, you know how it is.  

 

 

I have to deal with some outliers along the way but they're caught by surprise so for now I'm not left sitting on my keister looking embarrassed. Carefully does it.

Well of course I got cocky!  And then this guy nearly takes the top of my head off!  Managed to get him though but it was a sudden surprise to me this time.

 

 

 

I destroy supplies needed by the enemy and then move in.  Time to investigate inside the building.

 

Sliding in by the door on the left of the building leads to a stairwell and proceeding up Engineria peers around the corner to find...that does not looks good actually.  Seems someone is intent on majorly doing damage.  I wonder where these are being shipped to?  Since we're in Warburg I'm wondering what is IN them?  Time to earn my pay then!

 

 

Well, that was relatively painless.  One bomb defused and a happy Komrade put to sleep for a while.  Poking around further is the order of the day. Annddd I am spotted.  I'm going to have to start using the Buffs for Granting Invisibility in my base.  Trouble is those things stay active for ages and it's really hard getting served a coffee when no one can see you! "Backdrop for penny pinching"?  I...ok then. One interloper reporting for duty!

 

 

And I don't know what she's doing but I do not like it. No no no no no. And for good measure, OW.

 

 

Engineria fights back with aplomb!  Or a plomb?  Whatever, it seems to work.  Wait, the dreaded foe has changed shape...no, hang on, she's just behind this guy. Doh, must have taken a ding to the head there.  Note to self: I make good use of the Mediports and so on, but I wonder what my insurance is now?  I mean the co-pays alone...sheesh.  I need an accountant. LATER!  Getting punched now!

 

 

She hits the floor muttering about someone never being on time.  Date nights must be fun at their place.  Tense silence I imagine.

Ah. 

 

 

So yeah. Skorokhod here is just in time to pick up the bill.  Stick to the day job and leave the comedy to others?  Good call.

So old Skory here tells me, nay DECLAIMS that I will pay for whatever I've done and...ok, villains need some consultant help I think.  If I had a dollar for all the times I've been told that, all the times I've been threatened that my demise will be like no other, I could retire right now.  Hell, I could have done it ages ago, way back when I was investigating in my first armor and got thrown on my ass a lot.

But I'm a little tougher now and I down this guy, grab some data dumps and get the next cab out of this place.  Time to report in.

 

Old Ivory Leopard (Does that sound like a deodorant? Did I just say that aloud?  I hope not) is waiting. He says he too has been successful and leads me into Prince Nandelu's office. We spend the next few hours drinking what I can only describe as "brown".  He says it's ginger tea.  I do not agree with the "tea" bit.  Or the "ginger" bit. 

 

[Mission 1= Straight to the point. Here's the mission, go and get the details that we need to solve this case. I mean it's classic and it works and I like it.  And the fights are no walk over. Let's get on to mission 2!]

 

Mission 2: Synthesis.  So after however many hours of processing (or mining crypto currency, I mean how would I even know?) we hear a PING and a ream of ticker tape comes spooling out of the corner of the super computer...nah, it gives a high definition read out but that would look good, wouldn't it? We could have dashed over and pored over the long strip of paper and gasped.  Ok, I'm trying to get across here how long this actually took and frankly there's only so many cups of "brown" you can drink before I need to see a doctor about possible complications. I mean either my uniform and the entire room now smells of ginger OR only my nose does and that affects everything else.

 

SO! What have we found out? The shared contact is the key. There were several meetings aboard the Everrose ship with a woman in white. This lady had insider intel on the Colico project. All good so far. And she was the face for others with similar interests. The Krimsons however were given the low down that any success would damage the Motherland. And both urged to verify and eliminate the threat. Neither side tracked the source, but clever old Cat that he is, Ivory Leopard has. So with some spooffity spoofs to blindside them we're off to Talos Island. More specifically, Ithaca.  

 

When I get there it seems to be missing its regular coterie of CoT robe wearing fanatics.  A quick scan finds a cave entrance and we're in. I say "we", Ivory is off doing something else. I may need Buddy later though.

 

Well, there's people in here because I can hear them.  Odd place for a forklift though.

 

 

Aha! A high tech crate thing. Let's have a look inside.  Money! I'm rich!  Ahem. Ok, the mercs are getting paid in what appear to be unmarked bills, and there's a digipad laying on top of the cash.  I don't know the code so that's coming with me. Yoink! On we go.

 

 

And further on I find a crate of bits.  Spare parts, cables, batteries, from Arachnos machines and Crey and who all knows what.  Looks like there's a lash up of something going on or they're low on everything. A quick trip to Radio Shack might have helped. Wait, is Radio Shack still a thing?  I mean I know Minitel is gone finally but...nevermind.

 

Oh boy!  Spotted!  Whoever Monelli is he's on the way. Have to deal with this guy here fast.

 

 

OH, it wasn't an alarm summoning Monelli to kill me, it was testing something?  These guys are running on fumes technologically.

 

 

Ok, I need to shut off the alarm and send out a spoof signal to get them to ignore any further red flags for a while.  And done.  Ok, let's have a further look around here.  Ah wouldn't you know it.  My luck never holds out.  Ok, been a while since I was flattened but let's see how this goes.

 

 

JEEZ LOUISE!  I was not expecting HER to be here!

 

 

She vanished!  She just up and left!  What the hell?  I dunno what to say to that.  Hmm, I'll finish my sweep and get back to the Ivory Leopard.

There's several mismatched computer consoles and I manage to get some data off each of them.  Enough to see that there was a data purge going on and most of the mercs and Her Whiteness have teleported out to an unmarked location. And several pages of hand written notes about chess games.  I...ok then.

 

So back to the Cat.  On the news it is just two weeks until the Colicos tech is tested at Terra Volta.  Ivory Leopard overjoys me with the possibility of even more ginger tea, because partial data takes so much longer to decipher since the missing bits have to be extrapolated from whatever.

 

I'm going to get my armor cleaned and reinforced.  The big fluffy Cat will call me when he needs me. Engineria out for now!

 

[Mission 2: Well, that was a really well grounded reconnaissance mission.  Liked it a lot.  Moving from clue to clue and the combination of clues and action dictating the story.  On to the next one!]

 

Mission 3: Decomposition. Ivory Leopard maintains that the Colicos tech is too good to be true.  And usually when things are too good to be true then they are. What has he discovered?  The White Lady seems to be part of something called AK Services. Another fake name no doubt but what is it hiding? And the the chess game thing?  Fischer's Game of the Century (I know bupkis about chess so, whatever) and the purge code is named after Lasker, who is another chess person.  Grand Master? He says the chess angle is lost on him.  Lost on him?  Join the club, fluffy. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar, you know?  And off he goes on that angle that names might just be names.  Hey!  I never said I knew what I was talking about!  Nope.  He's off on a tangent.  I'll wait. (And quietly kill his plants with this ginger stuff when he's not looking)

 

So now we have Pablo who is Paul . Ah I'm getting a migraine and it's not the tea because I'm not drinking it. 

So, now that some DNA has been examined Ivory sends me off to find Lou Pastorelli.

 

 

And can you guess where I am?  Can you?  I'm in a sewer.  Honestly, I should have just built my Rad emitters and I don't know, crowd funded a start up.  I mean it's not like there isn't loads of warehouse and office space in this city.  Some of it probably very cheap to rent.  Put a pin in that for later!

Looking for Lou in all the wrong places!

 

Well, I...it's APT I suppose.  I mean...ok, let's get closer.  (I may need to invest in a face plate if not a helmet, something with a filter)

 

 

Well, Mr Stink was not at ALL friendly.  No siree.  Well, he can be as unfriendly as he likes now, face down in the muck.

Oh I hate my life sometimes.  I mean I know it takes all sorts of folks to make a world but it feels like they're stalking me!

 

 

Other kind?  What does THAT mean?  I'm not edible!  Or fuel! Or...ah hell with it, Rad blast to the face!

 

 

Well I have to say it makes a change.  It's nice.  Not VERY nice I'll grant you, but for once I am not FACE DOWN in a sewer.  I still hurt like the bejebus though. Now if I can just move any of my fingers near my Rez we can try that again.

 

 

And alley oop!  And oh you are getting hit now, bro.  Abso-damn-lutely.

 

 

Mainly because I'm calling Buddy in as back up.  Buddy, that guy, I owe him a hell of a lot.  Maybe I should contribute to his 401(k) or something.  I mean I'm not technically his employer but you know.  Anyway.  Charismatic Leader and Impressionable Kid, here we come!

 

And down he goes.  Ranted about us coming to take away his friend, and a lot about corporate tax breaks.  Ok, I getcha, you have some valid concerns, but you may as well knit your own yogurt as stay down here.  This solves nothing!

 

And those Impressionable Kids are damn well everywhere. Please stop making me feel like I'm some weapon of the state!  I am not happy about this.  We just want to talk to...ok, I'm doing it again.  You, sir, are getting a clip around the ear and sent home to have a good hard think about what you've done.

Try not to brutalize him too much, Buddy.  Our optics look bad on this!

 

 

So me and Buddy deal with another Charismatic Dude(TM) and then we run into Rachel Muir, who got referred to as the Matron.  Seems a bit...I was about to say sexist but if he meant it like an equivalent to Patron then I suppose that works.  Come to think of it, the villains talk about Lord Recluse's lieutenants being Patrons, how does that work for Ghost Widow?  Is it different when you're dead?  Nah, not gonna ask her.  She's not fun to be around.

 

So Rachel, I can't be reasoned with?  I'm not the one trying to murder people down here!  No, none of them are dead though possibly a few might wish they were because I did get a bit irate back there. So let me lay this out for you.  

 

BOOM!  I came here for Pastorelli. You ain't him. Get out of my way.

 

 

And now the man himself appears.  Yeah, I'm not.  Now if you know what's good for you, you'll come with me and Buddy,  Oh you'll come either way but how you do is your choice.  Good boy.

 

 

So what does this schmuck have to say for himself now that I've found him?  Well, he got hired to do some sneakarounds, using his stealth powers and so on. Peculiarly his employers kept acting like they already knew about all the stuff he found out. And he's suspicious and cynical enough for that to set off alarm bells. It looked like they were verifying something rather than actually spying, especially since he was never asked to steal anything.  And then Colicos goes missing.  So Lou here decides to utilize his stealth and vanish himself. And then he gives Engineria a woman's name, Lasker, and a code.  

 

Right.  Later, Lou.  Time to chat to the Cat.

 

More tea.  Early Grey this time.  Better. Seems HE prefers the ginger.

 

And then Engineria gets a lecture on chess notation, something called "The Opera Game", since the code Lou passed along corresponds to the opening moves in that game. You know, I'm getting the feeling that whatever happens, this is a damn Nemesis plot or something.  Someone is behind someone else is behind someone else and the whole Scooby Doo reveal (if I live that long) will be another smoke screen.

 

Why do villains have to make their lives so complicated?  And mine!

 

[Mission 3: Well, good middle ground.  We have traction on the plot finally, and some great (though bone breaking) fights.  Excellent stuff!  On to Mission 4!]

 

Mission 4: Combustion: Ivory Leopard maintains that perhaps we're looking at this the wrong way round and instead of checking who is against Colicos's work we should be looking at who is supporting it. So using Lou's code we are going to backtrack (and by "we" he means me!) to whoever hired Lou and pay them a visit.  In the meantime that fluffy old cat is going to be checking out Colicos's finances and see who has paid for what.

 

So Engineria does some extracurricular reading (or rather @TerroirNoir2 does!) and finds out who Morphy is. Fascinating stuff.  Leopard maintains Lou's codename is Morphy and ultimately this is all about the rhodium.  So, it's the old old game of "Follow the Money".  Off Engineria goes to do what she does best.  (With Buddy on back up as per usual)

 

So the comms led me to, and I can't believe I'm seeing this, BLIND PIGS: TRUCKING AND AUTOMOTIVE.  Really?  I mean who the what now? 

Ok, off to a good start when you have mercs firing at you rather than just security guards.  (Off to a "good start"?  I need a calmer line of work!)

 

 

Ok, that's them dealt with so let's see what they were protecting.

 

 

Spare parts for Council machines.  Oh that's not good. And of course the security chief arrives.  I proceed to rad blast him into unconsciousness. He mentioned a Site Manager Hamner and a card key though. And I figure I'm going to need that.  Why does no one leave things left unattended in their office anymore?  Has all the trust evaporated from the world?  People!  It's hurtful!

 

Hamner gets taken out fast because I was expecting him and not the other way round.  Engineria FTW!  

 

A pay stub?  Then again, if the IRS shows up then I'll just take a back seat and eat popcorn while these guys shuffle their feet and look awkward.

 

 

Ok, I use the key on a console and I get "Endgame Activated".  Oh no.  Does that sound ominous to you?  Because it sounds ominous to me.  I am being ominated at and I'm not liking it one bit. 

 

And up the stairs I find Bronstein waiting for me in his "Nope, not a Storm Trooper at all" armor. I hope his aim is as good as theirs!

 

 

Nope, his aim is better.  Just proving that my luck is holding.  Now, I never said I had GOOD luck, did I?  No siree. 

Well now you're just being rude!  Hell with it, I'm going Atomic on this asshole.

 

 

And down he goes.  With a ....whirrr?  I don't have time for this, I'm missing out on all the ginger tea back in Ivory Leopard's place!  Think of the BROWN!

 

Wait, Zugzwang?  What in the blue blazes are you supposed to be? Waitaminute! I know that word from my Morphy reading! So any move made will be at a disadvantage.  Well, you named yourself in such a way that I'm gonna win this fight, bucko.

 

 

And down he goes.  Told ya.  Short of taking your armor off and painting a target on yourself I'm not sure what more you could have done to help me.

 

And on to Caissa.  I think I'll call in Buddy for this one.

 

 

Sorry Buddy.  I owe you another.  You lay there.  I'll...actually I'll lay here for a minute too.  Ow ow ow.

 

 

Ok Buddy, what I need you to do is call Marcus and tag him in.  You get some rest.  Yes, I'll pay for your armor to be replaced and repaired.  

Now while Buddy is gone, Engineria attempts the feat of sitting up and not drawing attention to herself long enough to get to a resting position for a few minutes.

 

Success! And there's a brisk wind as Marcus flies in.

 

 

Lightning crackling around him, and lit by the rockets' red glare...err....lit by my rad blasts...Marcus cracks Caissa's armor open.

 

 

But down she goes and whew am I glad!  Thanks Marcus. Always appreciate the help.  

With her out for the count we have a few generators to destroy and then it's back to the Cat to see what's what.

 

With the generators destroyed we've managed to partially stop a mass teleport of material from the Blind Pigs' garage.  Caissa's damaged armor prevents her escape.  It also shows us that Hamner's weird "Whirrr" comment wasn't a comment.  These people are robots!  Nemesis?  Maybe?  This does NOT feel like a Nemesis plot to be honest.

 

So I grab what I can and head out.

 

The Ivory Leopard is intrigued and chats about biogel and engrams being imprinted on it, and the possibility of donors, and who knows what happened those donors.  On his side of things the chase continues.  He hasn't found out who the ultimate string puller is and with the AK folks having mostly TP'd out....and then his uber systems break through the firewall.  He's in!  We can finish this!

 

[Mission 4: Well that was a mission and a half!  I got a little ahead of myself there and got Engineria and Buddy flattened!  Great stuff!  Time to wrap up the deal.]

 

Mission 5: Neutralization:  Ivory Leopard is practically vibrating while reading. He's doing some high level processing of intel.  I'll wait for the Cliff Notes.

AI learns by absorbing...Kronikoon is the investor supporting all this...enabling them to get cheap rhodium.  And then he says he's figured it out.  Well, out with it! I'm all agog here.  (Whatever agoging is. Note to self: check that.) So they corner the market and then ensure the Colicos system fails.  Oh, it's definitely a Follow the Money moment. I'm pretty sure I said that earlier.  Didn't I?  I did! And the security firm is in on it.  Right, we need to get over there and stop a meltdown in Terra Volta.

 

Whee!  *cracks knuckles* Let's get to it!

 

 

Due to their intricate plans we have to take out TP (short range) devices, poison gas canisters and freeze out some signal monitors.  There's a climate crisis about to happen, engineered to make a profit without regard to any long term consequence beyond the money.

 

And it begins!  One down, lots to go!

 

 

And it looks like I have an ally.  Giogre my old friend! Good to see you.  Let's get to it!

 

 

We move on together, taking out poison canisters as we go until we find Ivory Leopard's assistant...I think assistant is the word...Iqwahe.

 

 

And it looks like we have a fight ahead of us!

 

 

Except we don't!  Turns out that we have a common enemy and, for now, Ilyanna is willing to aid us in stopping this.

 

Caissa Mark II you say?  Well, Caissa, let's dance.  Ok, I needed Marcus to take out Mark I, but this time I've got some allies here as well. LET'S DANCE!

 

 

JEEZ LOUISE, Giogre!  What on earth have they been dosing you on?  I mean c'mon!  That's insane!

No, no, I'm definitely NOT complaining!

 

 

With Caissa dealt with we move on and shut down a signal device.  It's slow work but I think we're gaining the upper hand here in preventing an ecological disaster for Paragon and the surrounding area.

 

 

I have to run to keep up with Giogre's rampage!  And we find Ivory Leopard himself!  And now we are five!  

 

 

Up and down the factory complex in Terra Volta the fight continues. We shut down the signal devices, defuse the poison canisters and deal mayhem to the forces arrayed against us.  

 

 

And then, and it's a long then because this place is ENORMOUS, we take a breath.  Because we've done it!  We've done it!

 

And the five of us stumble out of the zone. 

 

 

Yes, it was all about control of the rhodium market. Colicos is vindicated. And things die down. Ivory Leopard returns to his normal job as the bodyguard to the Prince.  And Engineria?

Several weeks later she gets a mysterious message.

 

Spoiler

 

[Mission 5 = It all came together in a rolling fight across a vast area, dealing plenty of damage (and taking it too), great finale!]

 

Verdict:  @cranebump marries up real world corporate greed with City of Heroes in the grim and gritty way he has mastered. Fabulous!

 

The "Next up from @cranebump" will be delayed due to the overclocked nature of my work life. There will be an Unscheduled Outage.

Edited March 17 by TerroirNoir2

 

 

Edited August 19 by TerroirNoir2

[TerroirNoir2]

After a longish work project I have some (intermittent) time to myself!  I need to catch up on things!

[cranebump]

Welcome back!

[cranebump]

Ah. We've run into Ilyana. Interested to see if she proves to be any challenge at all to the illustrious Enigneria.

[Darmian]

I see you're briefly with us again @TerroirNoir2!  That might sound judgemental but it's not meant to be!

[cranebump]

Enigineria's tea comments...priceless...:-)

[cranebump]

Sheesh. I am running Noble Mettle 2 right now. Typos and some issues with spawns in later mishes.

 

I know what I'll be doing tomorrow morning...:-/

 

or not…keeps crashing due to file size.

Edited June 23 by cranebump

[Darmian]

On 3/17/2024 at 12:45 PM, TerroirNoir2 said:

Well I have to say it makes a change.  It's nice.  Not VERY nice I'll grant you, but for once I am not FACE DOWN in a sewer.  I still hurt like the bejebus though. Now if I can just move any of my fingers near my Rez we can try that again.

 

Ok, this is rare.  I think I've only seen one other face up defeat like this.  

[cranebump]

And the chess match moves into the endgame:-)

Edited August 7 by cranebump

[cranebump]

Heh...you've been "ominated.":-)