View source for Virgil Tarikoss Strike Force

== Overview ==
{{Infobox TF
|name=The Beast Beneath the Mountain
|image=[[File:Virgil_Tarikoss.jpg|100px]]
|img_capt=Cagey Mystic
|contact=[[Virgil Tarikoss]]
|zone=[[Cap au Diable]]
|x=-2800
|y=238
|z=-528
|size=4
|levels=15-20
|merits=13
|enemies={{Enemy Bat'Zul}}
{{Enemy Circle of Thorns}}
{{Enemy Legacy Chain}}
{{Enemy Longbow}}
|badge=[[File:V_badge_BatzulBadge.png|32px]] [[Binder of Beasts Badge|Binder of Beasts]]
}}

The '''Virgil Tarikoss Strike Force''' is the first of five main [[Strike Force]]s on ''City of Villains''.  [[Virgil Tarikoss]] is located in the Mount Diable region of [[Cap au Diable]], to the far west of the pipe junction.

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{{ArcAward|m=13}}

== Missions ==

=== {{UL|Form Strike Force}} ===

==== {{UL|Stop the Legacy Chain Auguring}} ====

'''Briefing'''

If you have sought me out, then you must be ambitious.  If you have found me, you must be wicked.  These aspects combined make you perfect for the tasks I can place before you.

'''Mission Acceptance'''

Very well.  You wish to Prove you are capable?  You wish to prove that you are without compunction?  Good.  Not far from here there is an office wherein a group who could cause this enterprise trouble have gathered.  They are members of the pathetic [[Legacy Chain]], and even now they cast spells of augury to ascertain my ends.  You are to enter this place, take what they have uncovered so that no others will know it, and crush any survivors.  Leave no one standing.  Then, we will begin.

To cement this pack, I shall confer to you a name for this band of rogues.  I shall call you {{Strike Force}}.  A name that shall echo in the dark halls of infamy.

{{Mission Objective|Entrance=|Primary=Defeat all Legacy Chain in office|Secondary=Find ritual notes|Additional=|Completion=You broke up the Legacy Chain's ritual.}}

'''Primary Enemies'''

{{Enemy Legacy Chain}}

'''Notable NPCs'''

* Librarian Wembley {{Named|Faction=Legacy Chain|Type=Inferno of Flame}}

{{Mission Clue|Name=Notes on the ritual|Text=These notes are all about the Legacy Chain's ritual.

'The first group is reporting results.  Now that we know what to look for, it did not take long to verify it.  So obvious, why didn't we see it before?  It explains so much.

The second group has begun.  They're trying to trace it out now.  It's immense power, spreading out everywhere.  Does [[Dr. Aeon]] even know?  He must suspect!  It would explain the [[clockwork]], too.  The ones out here, they're not under the control of the [[Clockwork King]] of [[Paragon City]].  They're under it's control.  Incredible.

First group is back in.  They've traced its origin back.  We will need Henri's journals.  We must get them, and soon.

The second group had to stop.  They've been discovered.  The [[Circle of Thorns|Circle]] is watching.  They're planning something.  Something only their twisted minds could comprehend.  I worry even more about Tarikoss.  I warned that he would go too far and should have been stopped earlier.  It may be too late now.  I only hope I can get what we've discovered to my superiors.'}}

'''Debriefing'''

I felt their rituals break from here.  You were merciless and efficient.  Just what I've been looking for.  I know now that you are exactly what I seek for this grim work.  IF you help me in this, then all the riches and wealth of the world shall be yours.  If you have no stomach for darkness, if you are a mere poseur to villainy, then I have misjudged you, and you may leave.  But if you are willing to risk all the lives in the Isles and the world for your own power, then speak to me, for we will be ready to begin.

==== {{UL|Find Reason behind Circle Attack}} ====

'''Briefing'''

This is your last chance to leave all of this behind.  If you have any remaining moral qualms, if you still entertain pretensions that you are simply misunderstood, if some small part of you believes that there is a golden heart deep within you, then it is not too late for you to go.  I am not going to trifle around with petty games of position amongst the rabble.  I seek a greater power.  If you wish to profit by this, then there can be no hope of redemption for you.

But we are not unopposed in this quest.  The [[Legacy Chain]] seek the truth and will try to stop us, and the dread mages of the [[Circle of Thorns]] are also after the power we seek.  It is this later effort which worries me the most.  The Circle have unleashed a horde of demons to attack the power transfer system, and I would like to know why.  Discover their reason while I continue to prepare.

'''Mission Acceptance'''

Now, you are committed.  There is no turning back.  Very good.  Very good.  Now, as to the Circle:

Their attack on the Power Transfer System proves that they know a great deal about its true nature.  The question, then, is why attack now?  Your goal is not to stop their attack.  Let [[Arachnos]] worry about that.  Your goal is to find out why they're attacking.  Find survivors and beat the truth from the attack's leaders.

{{Mission Objective|Entrance=The PTS is always unsettling, even without the Circle's presence.|Primary=Find reason for Circle attack|Secondary=Find Foreman
** Defeat attack leader & crew|Additional=|Completion=You found the information you needed to know.}}

'''Primary Enemies'''

{{Enemy Circle of Thorns}}

'''Notable NPCs'''

* Attack Leader Zurabsal {{Named|Faction=Circle of Thorns|Type=Ruin Mage}}

{{Mission Clue|Name=The Foreman's story|Text=The PTS foreman told you a bit about what happened right before the attack:

'We didn't have any warning.  The [[PTS]] had a sudden power drop, like the Volcano went dead.  Then the attack hit us before we could even figure out what when wrong.}} 

{{Mission Clue|Name=The cacklings of Zurabsal|Text=
Right before his defeat, Zurabsal mocked your efforts, but gave away a bit too much:

'Your attempt to stop our plans is in vain.  It's too late.  The prisoner is now in our control, and soon we shall unleash it on our foes.'}}

'''Debriefing'''

That this power drop from the PTS should co-incide with the Circle's attack would be enough, even without the words of the Foreman and that fool Circle Sorcerer.  This confirms what they've done. They must have known that I was close, and that with your aid we could succeed, and so were moved to rash action.  Action we can take advantage of.  But first, we must deal with some of the others who will have noticed what the Circle has done before they become a problem.  Our moment of victory comes, but we must first clear the way.

You have proven to me that you may be capable.  Capable indeed.


==== {{UL|Retrieve Padre Henri's Journal from Legacy Chain}} ====

'''Briefing'''

That you have dedicated your dark heart to my endeavor seems to have forced the [[Circle of Thorns|Circle's]] hand.  This will actually help our plan in the long term, but the action they have taken was so blatant that even the pathetic dabblers in the [[Legacy Chain]] will have noticed.  We must stop them from learning enough to be a threat to our plans.  To prevent this, I am sending you to retrieve a book they would need to stop us, for it contains information they would need to find what the Circle has taken.  The book will be well guarded by the Legacy Chain's finest.  You would be well advised to recruit a gang of extra villains.

'''Mission Acceptance'''

The book in question is a translation of the journal of one [[Padre Henri]].  It could be quite informative for you to peruse.  Taking the book from the Legacy Chain should put an end to their interference in the plan.  You will also need to deal with the leader of the investigation.  He knows too much already, and must be removed from the game board.

{{Mission Objective|Entrance=According to Tarikoss, the Legacy Chain should be meeting here to discuss the book and what to do next.|Primary=Take book and stop investigator|Secondary=Take journal
** Defeat investigator|Additional=|Completion=You got the journal of Padre Henri.}}

'''Primary Enemies'''

{{Enemy Legacy Chain}}

'''Notable NPCs'''

* Investigator Toddsworth {{Named|Faction=Legacy Chain|Type=Tellus of Earth}}

{{Mission Clue|Name=Padre Henri's Journal|Text=This book is a translation of the Journal of Father Gerard Henri, a French monk and reputed master of mystic powers who worked for the French government in the 17th century.  According to entries in the Journal, Henri came to the [[Rogue Isles]] in response to tales of a demon-worshipping cult called the [[Children of Enos]].  He arrived to find both the Cultists and the Garrison sent to fight them wiped out.  There are pages missing, but what's left talks at great lengths about the preparations Henri and his cohorts went through to face something the Cultists had summoned from the depths of the netherworld in their desperation.  Something Henri felt was too powerful for him to destroy, but could be contained within the mountain.  Something called Bat'Zul.}}

'''Debriefing'''

Toddsworth told you I would betray you?  Preposterous!  I have no plans of the kind.  I need your power, your skills, and your willing participation to complete this.  I have my plan and I know my abilities, but I would not dare to cross one of your power and demonstrated viciousness.  Toddsworth was just making a poor final attempt to insert doubts that would stop our plans.  And they must be our plans, now, you have earned it.  If you have read the Journal, then you already know much.  I will do as I can to clarify the rest so that you will understand your next task.

You have proven very useful to me.


==== {{UL|Prevent Circle from Controlling Bat'Zul}} ====

'''Briefing'''

It is now time that you learned the truth of this enterprise.  I have promised power and the riches of the world to you, but have not told you how this would be achieved.  If you've read Henri's Journal, then you probably beginning to understand, but I will clarify.  When [[Father Henri]] came to this island, he discovered that the Cultists living here had summoned a great beast of the netherworld in their desperation.  It was bound within the volcano, and Henry seized on this.  He bound it tighter, and trapped it within the mountain, where it lay until now.  Dr. Aeon's geothermal experiments accidentally began to tap the fiend for power, and began to weaken Henri's seals.  Now it approaches freedom, but is still weak enough to be re-bound or threatened with it.  I seek to bind this beast, this [[Bat'Zul the Imprisoned|Bat'Zul]], to my will.  The [[Circle of Thorns|Circle]] seeks the same.  And no doubt the [[Legacy Chain]] seeks to imprison it with the best seals they can manage.  With the beast properly bound, not even [[Lord Recluse]] will be able to stand against its power.  And that is the power I promise you a share of.  But first, we must find out what the Circle has done and prevent them from gaining control of Bat'Zul.

'''Mission Acceptance'''

As you are aware, Aeon's power system truly draws its power from Bat'Zul and the spells imprisoning him.  The drop in power could only occur if the Circle has somehow interfered with the spells or with Bat'Zul.  My portal is ready, and I will send you through it to a section of the Circle's hidden city.  Discover there what they have done with the fiend we will control.

{{Mission Objective|Entrance=Perhaps it's the mystical power flowing through this place, but you feel as though a thousand eyes are watching you.|Primary=Find Circle plan with Bat'Zul|Secondary=Discover Circle plan
**  Defeat Circle Librarian|Additional=|Completion=You found the information and defeated the Librarian.}}

'''Primary Enemies'''

{{Enemy Circle of Thorns}}

'''Notable NPCs'''

* Librarian Hazthri {{Named|Faction=Circle of Thorns|Type=Ruin Mage}}

{{Mission Clue|Name=Circle Journals|Text=These books are written in the strange language often used by the members of the Circle of Thorns.  You cannot read it exactly, but it is copiously illustrated with images of the volcano, and of a great demonic beast imprisoned within it.  Further illustrations look as if the demon and its prison has somehow been closed off from the rest of the Volcano with mystic wards.}}

'''Debriefing'''

You did well to recover the book, but I have bad news.  The Circle were also visited by the hero Infernal, who seeks to banish Bat'Zul for his own glory.  His heroic presence will no doubt enrage the field, possibly causing it to break free from its weakened bonds with devastating consequences.

As to the book, it is written in the ancient tongue the Circle's cultists have taken for their own.  It's called 'Oranbegan,' after the lost city of [[Oranbega]] where they've taken residence.  Fortunately, I can read it.  According to the text, they did not merely sever the link between Bat'Zul and the power system, they have actually separated his prison from the rest of the mountain using power wards.  This actually makes our task easier, once we've found a way to breach their barriers.  And I know just the place to learn such a technique.


==== {{UL|Find Method to Pierce Barrier}} ====

'''Briefing'''

The [[Circle of Thorns|Circle]] thinks they can buy time to strike a bargain with [[Bat'Zul the Imprisoned|Bat'Zul]] by sealing him away while they attempt to bind his will?  Unfortunately for them I have found a way through this obfuscation.  The portal in my control could pierce the barrier, but I will need some more information to direct it.  The Circle would never betray such information, but it could be possible to force a Portal Corporation technician to divulge the secrets I need to penetrate the barrier around Bat'Zul's prison.

'''Mission Acceptance'''

The Portal Corporation's technology can not only detect the barrier, but should allow them to circumvent it.  Once I have the principles, I can duplicate it magically with the portal I control.

{{Mission Objective|Entrance=Energy crackles around you as you pass through the portal.|Primary=Steal barrier piercing knowledge|Secondary=Kidnap Portal Tech
** Lead Portal Technician to computer|Additional=|Completion=You got the information you sought.}}

'''Primary Enemies'''

{{Enemy Longbow}}

{{Mission Clue|Name=Barrier Theorem|Text=These notes and theories explain how someone could tune a portal to bypass or breach a mystical barrier.

Curiously, these seem to have been translated from captured notes made in the alien language of the [[Rikti]].}}

'''Debriefing'''

With this information, all is ready.  I will prepare the portal.  Bat'Zul's power is almost free.  We must be done before then.  Prepare all of your wickedness and all your fell powers.  You will need all that you can muster.


==== {{UL|Bind Bat'Zul}} ====

'''Briefing'''

The way is prepared and the Gate is ready.  Now is the time to bind [[Bat'Zul the Imprisoned|Bat'Zul's]] power forevermore.  Be warned that it will be difficult.  Bat'Zul will not allow himself to be bound easily, and there are many forces opposed to it.  The [[Circle of Thorns|Circle]] will try to stop you, as will [[Infernal]] and the [[Legacy Chain]].  Tell me when you are ready.

'''Mission Acceptance'''

Listen carefully: Bat'Zul is very strong, but the Circle has already begun to bind his power.  He cannot appear until you have used the 5 altars they have placed within this stolen inferno.  Once you have brought him forth, destroy his material form, and I will do what needs to be done from here.

Bat'Zul's demon spawn will try to stop you, but there are other threats.  Infernal and the members of the Legacy Chain may have found a path into Bat'Zil's prison.  Infernal seeks an answer as well as the end of the beast, but due to his heroic nature, he will be weakened in this place.  Do not allow him to stop you.  He mustn't try to cage the beast.  That is solely your honor.

{{Mission Objective|Entrance=This place is a small slice of the underworld, forged as a prison for the Demon Bat'Zul|Primary=Bind Bat'Zul|Secondary=5 altars remaining
** Stop Infernal
** Bind Bat'Zul
|Additional=|Completion=Bat'Zul has been re-imprisoned, but you are still free!}}

'''Primary Enemies'''

{{Enemy Legacy Chain}}
{{Enemy Bat'Zul}}
{{Enemy Circle of Thorns}}

'''Notable NPCs'''

* [[Infernal]] (Hero)
* [[Bat'Zul the Imprisoned]] (Archvillain)

{{Mission Clue|Name=Infernal's warning|Text=Just as he was being recalled to [[Paragon City]], Infernal whispered a warning to you:

'You fought well, and deserve this much: Beware Tarikoss!  He is not one of you.  Tarikoss is one of us who has lost his way.  His aims are not what he claims them to be.'}}

{{Mission Clue|Name=The Voice of the Demon|Text=Even as its physical form failed, and the demonic beast was forced back under the volcano to be bound forevermore, its voice rang in your head like a thunderstorm:

'KNOW THIS: THAT THE ONE YOU CALLED [[Virgil Tarikoss|VIRGIL TARIKOSS]] IS KNOWN TO ME AS TARIKOSS THE VIGILANT, A GUARDIAN OF BALANCE AND AN ALLY OF THE GOOD AND THE JUST.  TARIKOSS EXPECTED ME TO TAKE OUT MY WRATH UPON THE ONE WHO BOUND ME BENEATH THE MOUNTAIN AGAIN, AND BIND THAT ONE WITHIN MY PRISON FOR ALL TIME.  YOU WERE TO BE HIS SACRIFICE, BUT I SHALL DEFY THESE PLANS!  HE MUST FEAR YOU GREATLY, AND SO I SHALL TAKE MY VENGEANCE IN YOUR FREEDOM.

GO, AND SOW WICKEDNESS AND DESTRUCTION IN MY WRATH!'}}

'''Debriefing'''

Bat'Zul is imprisoned, yet you return. I admit that I am disappointed. I was counting on Bat'Zul taking his revenge on you. Perhaps it was Infernal's heroic presence that kept the energies in balance. Perhaps the fiend saw through my scheme. It doesn't matter now, I suppose.

Did the fiend tell you? It's all done, and there is no need for my deceptions now. Virgil Tarikoss was a mask for me, for I am called Tarikoss the Vigilant, and I lied to you from the start. The demon Bat'Zul needed to be bound once more, but I feared that anyone with a pure heart or heroic motive would be trapped with the beast for all time. So instead, I went on my own and decided to use someone vile and wicked whom no one would miss. Someone like you. The Legacy Chain thought it was too cruel and tried to stop me, but they couldn't understand that it had to be done.

I can do you no further harm, and were you to harm me, your part in this matter would be revealed to all. So we are at an impasse, and neither of us gets what we truly wanted. Take this as a lesson, then: When you choose a life of darkness, you will find no one to trust. But let's not leave on completely grim terms. Consider this: You saved the islands, and possibly the world. I doubt you'll take satisfaction in it, but the achievement is yours all the same.

Goodbye,<br />
We are done.


=== Souvenir ===

'''The Beast Beneath the Mountain'''

It began when you found your way to Virgil Tarikoss. He wanted you to prove your power and your commitment to do evil, and had you break up a [[Legacy Chain]] divination ritual to do so. The notes you found at the ritual babbled about something that was in control of the [[Clockwork]] in [[Cap au Diable]], something even [[Dr. Aeon]] might not have known about. You stopped the ritual before they could find out more, and proved yourself to Tarikoss.

Tarikoss gave you one last chance to turn back from his evil work, but you declined and continued. He sent you to a section of the [[PTS]] that was under attack by the [[Circle of Thorns]]. While there, you learned that something had caused a major drop in power from the PTS. Tarikoss seemed very interested in that, as if it meant something very important.

Tarikoss next sent you to stop the Legacy Chain's interference in his plans by defeating one of their lead investigtors and stealing a book they needed. The book, a partial copy of the journal of an 18th century Jesuit priest called Padre Henri, told about a great demon called [[Bat'Zul the Imprisoned|Bat'Zul]] that once dwelt in the volcano after being summoned by desperate cultists. Tarikoss promised to reveal all, but you still had lingering doubts, and the warnings of Tarikoss's eventual betrayal spoken by the Legacy Chain's investigator hung in your mind.

Tarikoss told you the whole story. About how [[Father Henri]] had imprisoned the Arch-Demon Bat'Zul beneath the mountain, hundreds of years ago. About how Dr. Aeon's geothermal experiments had accidentally tapped into the fiend drawing tremendous power from it, and weakening the seals that kept it bound. And that Tarikoss planned to re-bind the creature to his will with your help, sharing its power with you. In order to go through with this, however, the Circle couldn't be allowed to maintain their control over Bat'Zul. You went into a Circle den, disrupting their rituals and stealing their notes. Tarikoss was able to read the Circle's strange language, and discovered that they hadn't just cut the link between the fiend and the PTS, but had actually moved part of the volcano's interior to another dimension so that they could bargain with Bat'Zul without interruption. You also found out that the hero Infernal had come on the Legacy Chain's request to help imprison Bat'Zul.

In order to find the sub-dimension the Circle of Thorns had created to hold Bat'Zul, you broke into a Portal Corporation facility, and forced one of the technicians to find it using their advanced detection gear.

{{missing}}

== Strategies ==

=== Circle of Thorns Badges ===

There are a couple of Circle of Thorns missions with lots of mages and bosses. Though it is not required, defeating all of the Circle of Thorns in these missions is very useful towards obtaining the Soul Binder badge and the supergroup badge to thwart the Thorns.

=== The Final Battle ===

[[File:BatZul_vs_Infernal.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Hero vs. Archvillain]]
In the final mission, both [[Bat'Zul the Imprisoned]] and [[Infernal]] are very tough opponents. Some time ago, Infernal was changed from an Elite Boss to a Hero, which is much stronger, and knockback powers now simply have a chance to knock him down, not force him into the lava.

Infernal is a Hero and Bat'Zul is an [[Archvillain]]. Fortunately, they hate each other as much or more than they hate you.

One strategy for fighting is to ''not'' defeat Infernal. If possible, activate the five altars to summon Bat'Zul, then draw Bat'Zul's minions to Infernal for them to fight each other. Once Bat'Zul is summoned, draw him to Infernal, and sit back and watch the fight of the century. Bat'Zul usually has a slight upper hand against Infernal. Once one of the enemies is defeated, finish off the other to complete the mission.

Another strategy is to lead Bat'Zul to the mission door to defeat him there. he tries to flee often, and this can make extremely difficult as he flee's across the lava pits.

[[Category:Trials and Task Forces]]