Difference between revisions of "Dark Astoria"

As Mot rose again into the world of the living, the very earth was sundered in the passing. The offal of its millennial imprisonment rose with it, a mephitic concoction of the most vile nature. From weeping sores and gaping maws flows a fluid of reconstitution, flushing down its titanic mass and forming pools amongst the pockets of flesh and shattered earth. Here, Mot's followers flock, intoxicating themselves on the potent fumes and ecstatically receiving visions of Mot's glory.

Behold! Before you lies the glory of Mot. In this place its true body lies exposed; a vast expanse of reconstituting flesh and yawning maws, feasting on life so it can be resuscitated as it perpetually dies and rots anew. Mot's capacity for consumption does not yet equal its appetites, for much of the body is desiccated by centuries of imprisonment or is still bound in ways both arcane and metaphysical. The many mouths that scar its horrid form are, as of yet, still stifled and immature compared to their glory in antiquity. Only one has fully extended to its full voraciousness, but that one is enough to drag all of Dark Astoria into crushing oblivion.

Ever watchful of the sleeping god Mot, the Circle of Thorns have stood vigil on these grounds since its imprisonment. Even as the last of Mot's bonds were shattered, the Circle sought to contain its terrible power. Fools or heroes, the Circle's casualties were tremendous as they defied the wrath of the resurgent deity. It is said that the Demon-Prince Stolas was the first to confront the manifestations of Mot. When the Demon-Prince was broken and devoured, the ranks of his minions broke and fled into the streets of Dark Astoria.

Mot's hunger is insatiable and its power to feast upon life is prodigious. For sustenance, many innocent people have been spirited away into the haunted streets of Dark Astoria. Not all who have been abducted have met their end, surviving against all odds.

Even with every man, woman and child in Dark Astoria slaughtered, the city never ceased to be a thriving metropolis. The bonds that held Mot in its torpor also prevented the spirits of the slain from passing on. Forced to remain as ghosts among the empty remnants of their city, the citizens of Dark Astoria did their best to resume a semblance of normality. Founded by a powerful Tsoo ancestor spirit, the Palace of Stone Leaves was the nerve center of this ghostly community. Now a refuge protected vigorously by its living Tsoo guardians, it houses the few remaining spirits that were lucky enough to not be swept away and consumed when Mot first stirred from its slumber.

The dead have always cavorted through the streets of Dark Astoria, praying and making sacrifice to their mute master, and for good reason. Even after its fall, Mot's shadow has terrorized the dreams of mankind through all of history, for it is the embodiment of all that is unnatural and vile; death most unclean.

This was once Moth Cemetery, the hallowed ground within which Mot was sealed. As Mot's titanic will battered against the bonds that have held it for centuries, the very soil of the cemetery has roiled in revolt at the emerging presence of this vile behemoth. The seismic devastation of its passing causes the terrain to bloat, crack and surge skyward as it struggles to stand from below the ensnaring earthen edifice. As appropriate offerings to the all-consuming manifestation of Death, the vainglorious memorials have been churned down into the earth, pulverized against its corrupting flesh, as it twists and writhes to free himself; Mot abides no vanity but its own.

Many false heroes over the years have claimed vindication over the events that transpired in Dark Astoria, unaware that their hollow words would one day be called to account. Screaming and pleading, many have been dragged into the ruined city by the Talons of Vengeance to pay the ultimate price for oath breaking.

You have withstood the oppressive influence of Mot, at great cost to your health and sanity and earning you the mark of the Cold Hand of Death. Logging out within Dark Astoria will increase your defense and resistance to cold and negative attacks for a short time after you log back in.

Your time spent protecting your Supergroup's base has earned you the Monitor Duty Day Job. Logging out in your Supergroup base will earn you a Prestige bonus, when you log back in, each time you complete a mission for a short time.

You have spent a great deal of time working in the hospitals of Paragon City during your free time earning the Caregiver Day Job. Logging out in a Hospital will earn you a Regeneration Bonus, when you log back in, for a short time.

Your expertise in surgery and understanding pain has earned you the Pain Specialist Day Job. Logging out in a Hospital will earn you a Regeneration Bonus, when you log back in, for a short time.