Mission:An Act of Mercy - Part One: The Suited Man

Part One: The Suited Man

Briefing

I am sure you are aware that Mot seems to be feeding off the deaths of those in this world, particularly those who die in a violent manner.

This fact means that time is against us on this matter. Every minute a person dies, and every minute Mot grows stronger. I believe the beast previously only gained a small portion of power when someone died in a violent manner, but now that it is fully awakened, it can absorb violent deaths wherever they happen.This god of death also seems to have the ability to twist a person's thoughts and destroy their hope. I assume you have seen it just as we have; we lost a small squadron of Arachnos operatives when we first came here because of that.

I believe it's safe to assume that this absorption by Mot gives him more power than a simple death of a person. This leaves us with an intricate problem, Character.

These Knives of Vengeance seem bent on delivering some form of bloody justice to those who they believe have done something wrong. Mot is luring those who have a tie to Dark Astoria or itself to this city, and these Knives seem to believe that those people must be killed and made to pay, which is only empowering Mot faster than we can combat him.

• What you're saying is we need a way to stop the Knives of Vengeance.

Yes, stopping the Knives of Vengeance should be our main priority. We also need to get more information regarding how to combat Mot and the possible connection these Knives have with it. Our main concern should be how to stop it from altering our minds and absorbing us, as so many have been before.

Scirocco and Ice Mistral departed to raid one of the Tsoo's main safehouses for information; the group has refused to work together with us, and so we must rely on force. I know you are fully aware of this. They have been in Dark Astoria for years fighting the forces of the Banished Pantheon.

I would request that you depart to aid Scirocco and Ice Mistral, as I fear that the Tsoo have become stronger than we could have ever anticipated.

Raid the Tsoo Safehouse

Unnecessary Solicitation

I shall stay behind to relay what we find to the appropriate channels.

Mission Objective(s)

Map: TSOO_WAREHOUSE_ASSAULT

The sound of battle rings through the air. You can hear the sounds of the Banished Pantheon in the halls. They must be trying to destroy any information the Tsoo have!

• Raid the Tsoo Safehouse
  • One bookcase to look through
  • Rescue Scirocco
  • Rescue Ice Mistral
  • Defeat the Ravager attacking the safehouse

You've discovered how the Tsoo fight against Mot, as well as a possible lead regarding the location of someone who can help fight the Knives of Vengeance.

Enemies

Banished Pantheon
Tsoo

Dark Astoria and the Mind

You found a book written by Hua Tov entitled, 'Dark Astoria and the Mind'. You read over a few pages to see that it covers the effects that Dark Astoria has on one's sanity. Hua Tov details that the sleeper beneath Astoria tries to twist a person's very memories, making them focus on the negative aspects of every experience instead of the positive. If you have loved ones, Mot will make you forget the good times with them and instead remember the horrible times, for example. Hua Tov believes that Mot is able to devour those who have lost their hope through this method, though he notes that it's possible Mot may be able to devour people without this method once it has become fully powered. There is a note in the book that the best way to combat this is to carry reminders on your person at all times about your loved ones or happy memories. At the end of the book, Hua Tov mentions that someone once fought Mot before, a man named David Hazen, back in the 1800's, but details about his fight are scattered and unreliable.

The God-Killer Sword

You were in the Tsoo safehouse looking for more clues regarding the Knives of Vengeance and Mot but instead found some information on a fabled 'God-Killer Sword'. According to the information the Tsoo have, the sword is incredibly difficult to forge, requiring items from all over the world that may not even exist. However, when forged, it supposedly can specifically absorb the power of any weakened god-like entity. It seems this may be the Tsoo's way of dealing with Mot, if they could ever find a way to forge it. It would take years, however, to actually forge such a weapon, and such work would have to have begun at least five or six years ago for it to be of any use today.

Scirocco Dialogue

Before Combat:

Scirocco: Where has this power come from?

Sorceress: Character! You will not aid Scirocco!

Scirocco: Character. Unexpected.

Upon Rescue:

Scirocco: We have much work to do. The Tsoo refuse to work with us, so they must be made to do the greater good.

Ice Mistral Dialogue

Before Combat:

Ice Mistral: I'm gonna turn you all to ice and shatter you into the wind!

Ice Mistral: Character?! I can do this, back off!

Upon Rescue:

Ice Mistral: Hrmph. That Mu guy sent you, huh? I guess that means we're OK, for -now-.

Ravager Dialogue

Before Combat:

Ravager: The one known as Character is here. We can feel his / her presence.

Combat Start:

Ravager: Character. Mot has not forgotten you, after all of this time. You shall not be the one to destroy Mot!

You defeated the Ravager and saw an image in your mind!

Flashes of Images

You defeat a monstrous Ravager of Mot in the Tsoo Safehouse and saw several images flash in your mind. You see a man in a suit surrounded by the Knives of Vengeance in some dark tunnels. You then see where the entrance to these tunnels are in Dark Astoria. A harsh voice assaults your mind at the end of the image, the same voice you heard when you were attacked with Sigil... 'Character, I groW strOnGeR by ThE MoMENT yOU havE no HoPE aGAINST the NaTURE oF deATH' You're not too sure what to make of it, but it seems that this man is somehow important in the fight against Dark Astoria. It's a weak lead, but perhaps if you find him, he can illuminate exactly he knows about what's going on.

Save the Suited Man from the Knives of Vengeance

Unnecessary Solicitation

I suppose this is worth a shot, Character. We have little else to go on regarding how to fight Mot and the Knives of Vengeance.

Mission Objective(s)

Map: ASTORIA_DUNGEON

You're able to find the tunnels you saw after defeating the Ravager. You can hear the cries of civilians in the distance; it seems the Knives have kidnapped other civilians and brought them in here.

• 4 civilians to rescue (optional)
  • Rescue the Suited Man
  • 3 heads of the Knives of Vengeance to defeat
  • Rescue Max

You've found a lead to use against the Knives of Vengeance and a possible clue as to how to defeat Mot!

Enemies

Knives of Vengeance

Hostage Dialogue

Before Combat:

Tormented Civilian: Why is this happening...?

Tempest: The world is full of those who flee from their responsibilities. You are one of them.

Combat Start:

Tormented Civilian: Help...!

Tempest: You will be slaughtered for your interruption!

Upon Rescue:

Tormented Civilian: I never want to see this city again.

---

Before Combat:

Tormented Civilian: Why is this happening...?

Tempest: The world is full of those who flee from their responsibilities. You are one of them.

Combat Start:

Tormented Civilian: I don't want it to end like this!

Tempest: Character. We shall not let you get away.

Upon Rescue:

Tormented Civilian: I don't know what's wrong with this place!

---

Before Combat:

Tormented Civilian: I can't take it... please... end it...

Tempest: This is your punishment. You shall embrace it.

Combat Start:

Tormented Civilian: Help...!

Tempest: We serve the Furies. You can not win.

Upon Rescue:

Tormented Civilian: I don't know what's wrong with this place!

---

Before Combat:

Tormented Civilian: Please, leave me alone!

Tempest: This is your punishment. You shall embrace it.

Combat Start:

Tormented Civilian: Help...!

Tempest: You will be slaughtered for your interruption!

Upon Rescue:

Tormented Civilian: I thought I left Astoria behind all those years ago.

	Rescued All Civilians
	You rescued all the civilians from the forces of the Knives of Vengeance.

Knives of Vengeance Dialogue

Before Combat:

Guardian: The slaughter must begin soon, we cannot tarry.

Combat Start:

Guardian: Character! Your heroics do not belong here.

---

Before Combat:

Assassin: The supergroup has been disposed of. These civilians will follow.

Combat Start:

Assassin: We will gladly take you as well, Character!

---

Before Combat:

Conqueror: The man Max must be destroyed. He is a remnant of an old way.

Combat Start:

Conqueror: Character has offered himself / herself for our justice!

Suited Man Dialogue

Before Combat:

Suited Man: Ladies, please, I'm sure this is a misunderstanding. Why don't we put down the swords and talk this through?

Assassin: Silence! You hold the secrets, you worked for the ones who have broken nearly all the oaths. You shall be punished.

Combat Start:

Suited Man: Character? Well, looks like I might've been wrong about heroes.

Assassin: Character! You are in league with them!

Upon Rescue:

Suited Man: You need information on the Knives of Vengeance? You got it, I just need some time to, you know, recover from these things attacking me.

The Man named Max

You rescued the suited man, who seemed surprised to see you show up. 'Name's Max, yeah, I was in Astoria trying to see if what I heard was true when I was rounded up by these gals. Horrible stuff, really, they made us watch as they slaughtered a supergroup of heroes. Those guys didn't stand a chance; there was about ten of them, they couldn't have more than forty security levels among 'em all. Anyway, you're looking to put a stop to the monsters in this, right? I can give you a hand, sure, but I need time to get together all of my data. It's only gonna be against the Knives of Vengeance, though. If you're after Mot, I'd suggest looking for information about a guy named David Hazen. This guy supposedly fought Mot back in the 1800's. A contact of mine was supposed to drop off documents regarding Hazen at the old Astoria bank. I'm not going anywhere near there, not in this condition, but my contact already made the drop off. Get to that bank and you'll find what you're looking for.'

Debriefing

Character, Scirocco and Ice Mistral told me that you had gone to look into this 'suited man'. We received word that he made it safely to one of the portals out of Astoria; the woman known as Heather Townshend said she saw a rough-looking man escorting the suited man to safety.

I have gone over the information you and Scirocco recovered from the Tsoo. It makes sense to me, the information regarding a person's mind being warped in this place. I... am somewhat concerned regarding Scirocco, if I may be blunt.

Scirocco has a sordid past, as you may or may not be aware. If Mot is looking to gain more power, then Scirocco would be someone who would be a prime target to sway towards hopelessness. Scirocco is, for lack of a better word, showing his weakness in these days. Ice Mistral can detect it, but I am unsure why she has not acted upon it. However, I am a trusted companion of Scirocco, and I will do my best to aid him.