Dark Astoria (Pre-Issue 22)

This article contains information that no longer applies to the current version of City of Heroes Freedom. It is provided for historical purposes.

Dark Astoria

Hero Hazard Zone (21-29)
Trainers:	none
TF Contacts:	none
Events:	Adamastor
Exploration Badges:	Dark Mystic, Seeker of the Unknown, Cairn Warder, Whisperer on Witchburn Hill, Phantom Radio, Too Dark Park, Astoria's Last Stand, The Sleeper Below
Plaques:	Authority IV, Historian III, Researcher IV, V
Day Jobs:	Caregiver, Mortician
Enemies:	Banished Pantheon, Circle of Thorns, Tsoo
Connecting Zones:	Talos Island
Transits:	none

Overview

Dark Astoria was originally known as Astoria.

Once an idyllic commercial center, much like Talos Island and Steel Canyon, this area thrived as people bustled about their daily lives. Even the presence of the pastoral Moth Cemetery did not detract from the beauty of this area. The Rikti Invasion came and went, and the people in this peaceful neighborhood were relatively untouched by the devastation.

However, while the Heroes of Paragon were busy rebuilding the city, the trickster god of the Banished Pantheon stumbled upon something... beneath the sod and graves of Moth Cemetery lay an ancient god, far older than those of the Pantheon, and far more powerful. Wishing to use this power to release him and his fellow gods, he ordered all of his followers to invade the area and seize control of it.

The city authorities and Heroes, already reduced in number and staggering from the Rikti onslaught, had no choice but to relinquish the area to the Pantheon and wall it off. Within the walls, the army of Husks and Shaman ravaged the zone, tore the ground apart and sacrificed every man, woman and child in their efforts to wake the god Mot. But all their efforts were in vain. To this day, Lughebu's soldiers search for a way to wake the sleeper, while the spirits of those who once lived there wander about, unable to sleep.

Prior to Issue 16, a hero needed to be at least Security Level 21 to enter.

Dark Astoria Reconnaissance Officer

(6118, 0, 2576)

I don't know what malignant force brought you here but you are now in the place known as 'Dark Astoria.' Not far from here, the dark god Mot stirs from his slumber, intent on devouring us all. Do not give up hope though! Both heroes and villains who have reached the pinnacles of their training and have begun to unlock their Incarnate powers have been known to survive for a time on these forsaken streets.

If you have found yourself here, uncertain on how to proceed, look for either Captain Nolan or The Arachnos Threat among your contacts.

See my report for more information. It should give you an idea what to expect:

RECONNAISSANCE REPORT
*** Approved Use Only ***

History: The fog that has gripped Dark Astoria for years has receded, revealing a place filled with evil. Mot's influence is nearly complete, but it is not just his followers that roam these streets threatening the unfortunate souls that have found themselves trapped here.

Hostiles Strength: Levels 50 through 54

Suggested Squad Parameters: 1-person to 3-person teams. 1-person to 5-person teams in Moth Cemetery

Neighborhoods:

- Romero Heights

The Bulwark can be found here, offering protection. Level Range: 50

- Barca Plaza

Beware of the Tsoo that guard this neighborhood. Scintillating Prism can be found here, offering protection. Level Range: 50 to 51

- Toffet Terrace

Watch out for the Knives of Vengeance that prowl these streets. The protected area known as The Rose Lamp can be found here. Level Range: 51 to 52

- Raimi Arcade

The Circle of Thorns control this neighborhood. While here, seek out Fading Nimbus or Flicker for sanctuary. Level Range: 52 to 53

- Dido's View

Talons of Vengeance threaten all who enter here. Illuminous offers protection in this neighborhood. Level Range: 53 to 54

- Moth Cemetery

Banished Pantheon maintain unwavering control over the Cemetery. It is here that Mot's sway is absolute. There is no protection to be found amongst the desecrated monuments so be cautious. Enemies here are more numerous than anywhere else. Level Range: 54

Identified Hostiles:

• Banished Pantheon
• Circle of Thorns
• Tsoo
• Talons of Vengeance
• Knives of Vengeance
• Knives of Artemis

Amenities:

- St. Elegius Hospital

Zone Events

Adamastor sometimes spawns in the Moth Cemetery neighborhood.

Neighborhoods

• Barca Plaza (Orange - Level 24-29) (Music)
• Dido's View (Orange - Level 24-29) (Music)
• Moth Cemetery (Red - Level 26-29) (Unused Music Loop)
• Raimi Arcade (Yellow - Level 21-25) (Music)
• Romero Heights (Yellow - Level 21-26) (Music)
• St. Elegius (Green) (Unused Music)
• Toffet Terrace (Orange - Level 24-27) (Music)

Famous filmmakers George Romero and Sam Raimi are presumed to be the inspirations for some of these neighborhoods.

Exploration Badges

Dark Mystic Some once claimed the reason the spirits walk the streets of Dark Astoria is the fact that there is a powerful Ley Line nexus in the middle of Moth Cemetery. They have since learned the truth.

Seeker of the Unknown This tomb was used to represent the thousands of heroes who gave their lives in the Rikti War. It now stands a mute vigil at the site of even greater atrocities.

Cairn Warder Mortals erect petty monuments and cairns in the foolish pursuit of stemming the forces of Death. Mot has since sundered such vanities.

Whisperer on Witchburn Hill It was rumored that in the dim past of the nation's founding, this hill was the site of witch burnings. Even before Astoria fell to darkness, this hill in Moth Cemetery was well known for feelings of unease it elicited in anyone brave enough to scale its heights. Since the fall of Astoria, priests of the Banished Pantheon have flocked to this locale, using it as a site for dark rituals. It was from this vantage point that, for the first time in millennia, the voices of the faithful supplicants was heard by the dreaming God in His violent slumber.

Phantom Radio Since the fall of Astoria, shortwave enthusiasts in Paragon City and beyond have occasionally happened upon strange transmissions of ghostly whispers, wailing pleas, bestial shouts of rage, and haunting voices chanting in dead languages. Those who have heard these grim transmissions nearly always suffer for it; their lives claimed by some unexpected calamity or their minds by a sudden and inexplicable mental illness. M.A.G.I. eventually traced the transmission to this radio tower.

Too Dark Park In a far corner of the district lies McCraughly Park, a shadowy strip of green that had a dark reputation even before Astoria and its citizens were consumed by evil. Clusters of suicides, strange disappearances, and even a well-publicized multiple murder cast a dark shadow across the park. In the years leading up to the rise of Dark Astoria, the park was largely shunned, but now that the Banished Pantheon have dominion over the district, the park has become a focal point for their evil rituals.

Astoria's Last Stand As the darkness closed in and the dead rose from their graves, this warehouse became a scene of unimaginable horror as a group of survivors fled here in the hope of rescue that never came. They fought valiantly, keeping the minions of the Banished Pantheon at bay for hours. The forces arrayed at them were too numerous and too powerful to be denied forever and the survivors succumbed along with the rest of Astoria's doomed inhabitants.

The Sleeper Below Behold the God Mot, roused from His slumber! Behold the power of his faithful adherents, their prayers strong enough to stir Him from His dreaming! Behold the crucible of undoing, the maw through which all life shall soon pass so that all shall be unmade; an end to life, an end to hope, an end to all that respires in this corrupt and fallen world!

Historical Plaques

• One Authority Badge monument
• One Historian Badge monument
• Two Researcher Badge monuments

Day Jobs

Common

Mortician Your time spent studying death itself has earned you the Mortician Day Job. Logging out in a graveyard will earn you protection against Experience Debt, when you log back in, for a short time.

Hero-Specific

Caregiver 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.

Villain-Specific

Pain Specialist 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.

Transfer Points

• There is a gate along the west wall of the zone that leads to Talos Island
• The Dark Astoria Beacon location is (3580, 0, 631.5), northeast of the Barca Plaza marker.

Villain Groups

• Banished Pantheon
  
• Circle of Thorns
  
• Tsoo