Lore question: Scout (possible spoilers)

[Techwright]

This may be spoiler talk for new players who want to read lore as they progress.  I'll not encapsulate all in a spoiler box but...you have been warned.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Besides that found in the Numina TF, do we have any additional lore on Scout, the unwillingly coerced hero we encounter?  We know from the TF that he operated in the early part of the 20th century, which makes me wonder if there's lore associating him with the foundation of the Freedom Phalanx, or at least operating as an independent when Statesmen and others were doing the same before 1932.   As his disappearance was many years ago, Scout apparently has been "imprisoned" for decades.

 

Also, until I really looked at the text of the Numina TF,  I'd always gone on other lore statements that Nemesis created the War Hulks from his own fallen soldiers, but with Scout's story, apparently Nemesis can coerce others to be the core of a War Hulk as well, much like certain other villain organizations that use cybernetics.  That rather changes the idea of destroying a War Hulk in a role-playing sense.  You may be destroying a Nemesis soldier, or freeing an unwilling victim from a terrible fate.

[Snarky]

How is Nemi compelling Scout to follow orders?  

[Techwright]

6 hours ago, Snarky said:

How is Nemi compelling Scout to follow orders?  

 

Scout was turned into a War Hulk against his will.  Here's some of the dialog from the TF mission recorded to the unofficial wiki:

 

Scout's final words

I...thank you. I have dreamed of this for many years, and welcome the peace of death. I must ask you one last favor, a final request. You must find Woodsman. He is trapped somewhere in the city, I know it. I was trying to find him when Nemesis captured me and turned me into this monstrosity. Something...old...took him, took him from the woods long ago. you must find him, this is my last request...do...not...fail...

Debriefing

Such cruelty! That poor man has been trapped in that living prison for a lifetime. His passing is a blessing upon him. His dying words ring true in my ears, it is the Woodsman we seek. We must find him, but I cannot seem to pinpoint his location.

Task Force, you are truly a boon to Paragon City.

 

Additionally, and the wikis do not record this, Scout has a speech bubble upon being found that says something like "I hope you can defeat me", implying he's forced to fight, likely in the programming of the machine.  

[Snarky]

26 minutes ago, Techwright said:

 

Scout was turned into a War Hulk against his will.  Here's some of the dialog from the TF mission recorded to the unofficial wiki:

 

Scout's final words

I...thank you. I have dreamed of this for many years, and welcome the peace of death. I must ask you one last favor, a final request. You must find Woodsman. He is trapped somewhere in the city, I know it. I was trying to find him when Nemesis captured me and turned me into this monstrosity. Something...old...took him, took him from the woods long ago. you must find him, this is my last request...do...not...fail...

Debriefing

Such cruelty! That poor man has been trapped in that living prison for a lifetime. His passing is a blessing upon him. His dying words ring true in my ears, it is the Woodsman we seek. We must find him, but I cannot seem to pinpoint his location.

Task Force, you are truly a boon to Paragon City.

 

Additionally, and the wikis do not record this, Scout has a speech bubble upon being found that says something like "I hope you can defeat me", implying he's forced to fight, likely in the programming of the machine.  

if the machine is fighting, against Scout's will, exactly what use is Scout in there?

[SeraphimKensai]

11 hours ago, Techwright said:

This may be spoiler talk for new players who want to read lore as they progress.  I'll not encapsulate all in a spoiler box but...you have been warned.

Considering it's content that's over 20 years old, I think you're in the clear.

[Hedgefund2]

Not gonna lie, after literally hundreds of Numinas I didn't know that.  "Scout" has always just been text to insert into my target bind, nothing more.  Until now.

[lemming]

24 minutes ago, Snarky said:

if the machine is fighting, against Scout's will, exactly what use is Scout in there?

Using some of the auto uses of the brain, but not the conscious portion of the brain.

[Snarky]

4 minutes ago, lemming said:

Using some of the auto uses of the brain, but not the conscious portion of the brain.

that is both amazing tech and useless tech.  surely if you can do that almost any other system would be better

[Octogoat]

32 minutes ago, Snarky said:

that is both amazing tech and useless tech.  surely if you can do that almost any other system would be better

Irl were already trying to make use of homegrown brains as computer parts

[Snarky]

29 minutes ago, Octogoat said:

Irl were already trying to make use of homegrown brains as computer parts

that is both amazing tech and useless tech.  surely if you can do that almost any other system would be better

[Lazarillo]

3 hours ago, Snarky said:

that is both amazing tech and useless tech.  surely if you can do that almost any other system would be better

Nemesis apparently hates "computers", so he's gotta do a lot of workarounds to avoid them.

[Scarlet Shocker]

I genuinely didn't know this... we do a lot of the TFs with little time to read the missions and then ... we have to do them again! 🤣

[Techwright]

6 hours ago, Techwright said:

 

Additionally, and the wikis do not record this, Scout has a speech bubble upon being found that says something like "I hope you can defeat me", implying he's forced to fight, likely in the programming of the machine.  

 

I ran the Numina TF again and snagged Scout's last comment with a screenshot.  It reads "I am sorry for what I must do.  Destroy me if you can please".   That says to me that he's not in control, but is lucid enough to invite his death.