Mission:The Fate of All Men (Glacia)

The Fate of All Men

Briefing

Character, I'm Glacia. I know you, and now you know me, if you didn't already. Let's cut to the chase. Back Alley Brawler asked me to help him track down Statesman and Darrin Wade.

He wants me to stay here in Paragon and provide support, while the two of you look for Wade's lair in the Isles. Now, I disagree with Brawler's idea that I'm not ready for field work, but this isn't the time to argue when Wade is on the loose.

If you're ready, I'll give you the rundown on the situation. Hopefully at the end of all this, we'll have Wade in the Zig and Statesman back where he belongs.

This arc contains elite bosses, which may be difficult to defeat by yourself.

Mission Acceptance

Excellent. I've done some investigating on my end and found out that Darrin Wade and the formerly living Malaise frequently met at a bar in Port Oakes, one of the islands in the Rogue Isles.

Back Alley Brawler is near the bar, waiting for you. This is supposed to be a quiet operation, you understand. We can't risk letting Wade know we're chasing him, and we can't waste time dealing with Arachnos. You'll need to search the bar to see if you can find any evidence of where Darrin Wade's hideout might be.

In the meantime, I'll be doing what I can to track down Statesman.

Investigate the Blackbeard Bar

Unnecessary Solicitation:

I'm not having any luck on my end here, Character. How about you?

Mission Objective(s)

Map: SIGARC_BLACKBEARD_BAR

You step into the bar to see Back Alley Brawler arguing with members of the Vindicators.

• Investigate the Blackbeard Bar
  • Find Darrin Wade inside the tunnels beneath the bar
  • Get back upstairs
  • Defeat Captain Mako, Barracuda, Wretch, Silver Mantis, and Ice Mistral

You fought off Captain Mako and received information from Glacia on where to go next!

Enemies

Arachnos
Soldiers of Rularuu

Notable NPCs:

• Back Alley Brawler (Hero, Ally)
• Barracuda (Arachnos, Enemy)
• Captain Mako (Arachnos, Enemy)
• Darrin Wade?
• Ice Mistral (Arachnos, Enemy)
• Infernal (Hero, Ally)
• Ms Liberty (Hero, Ally)
• Mynx (Hero, Ally)
• Silver Mantis (Arachnos, Enemy)
• Valkyrie (Hero, Ally)
• Wretch (Arachnos, Enemy)

Assembled heroes, upon arrival at the bar.

Back Alley Brawler: Liberty, I told you, this was supposed to be a -quiet- operation.
Ms. Liberty: I don't care, Brawler! If Wade was behind my mother's death, then I'm going to bring him in!
Mynx: Yeah! You think just 'cause you were one of the Regulators that you can tell us what to do?!
Back Alley Brawler: You're all putting this entire operation in jeopardy! Do you think Arachnos WON'T notice all of us here?!
Valkyrie: You can't expect Ms. Liberty to stay out of such a personal matter!
Back Alley Brawler: I -expect- you all to keep your acts together and let Character and I handle finding Darrin Wade!

Darrin Wade?

Briefing

Why, hello, Character. I assume you're here to arrest me, right? That's too bad for you.

After all of your experiences with super villains, you're able to tell that this isn't Darrin Wade. His posture is wrong and the image is slightly see-through.

Wade left you a decoy, most likely to buy himself some time. The tunnel behind the fake Wade is collapsed, meaning that he does not want you going that way.

• (Call Glacia)

You call up Glacia and inform her of what you found, then ask for detailed plans on the tunnel system beneath Port Oakes.

Glacia informs you that she can get you that information in a few minutes.

The fake Wade continues talking, flinging various insults about your career as a hero and how useless/hopeless your efforts are.

• (Leave)

As you leave, you get a SOS from Back Alley Brawler!

• (Help Brawler!)

Showdown at the Blackbeard Bar

Before Combat:

Captain Mako: Looks like Character made it to this little shindig too. Like a nice little family. What're you doing here, Brawler?

Ms. Liberty: We're on an important mission here, Mako! Back off!

Captain Mako: Quiet, blondie, the adults are talking.

Back Alley Brawler: You've got a serious infestation of Rularuu beneath here, Mako! This is bigger than you!

Captain Mako: Maybe, but I rounded up the help from the patron sidekick squad to deal with you all.

Captain Mako: I figure, we'll slice ya all up, then handle whatever problems we've got with Rularuu.

Captain Mako: Now, take 'em down!

Combat Start:

Mynx: I'm in the mood for some FISH food, Barracuda!

Mynx: Do you realize how LAME you and Mako are?! Mutated FISH? Really?

Mynx: Too bad we're not in the water, I'm sure you'd do MUCH better there!

Barracuda: You haven't heard the last of us!

Mynx: Go back to whatever pond you swam out of!

Back Alley Brawler: I'm sending you back to where you belong, Mako!

Back Alley Brawler: I've handled a ton of mutant punks like you, Mako. You're just another blip on the radar!

Back Alley Brawler: You made a mistake trying to take on the Brawler, Mako!

Captain Mako: This isn't the end, we'll be back!

Back Alley Brawler: Run back to your master, tell him to get his island in order!

Ms. Liberty: You don't deserve that mantle of yours, Ice Mistral!

Ice Mistral: Blondes always annoyed me. Unlucky for you, Liberty!

Ms. Liberty: You could change, Ice Mistral! Don't you see this path isn't taking you anywhere?!

Ms. Liberty: The Monks chose you for a reason! You can still rise to what you were supposed to be!

Ms. Liberty: Think about this, Ice Mistral! It could be different!

Valkyrie: Your reign of terror will end today, Silver Mantis!

Valkyrie: You may have brute force, but I have skill on my side!

Valkyrie: Give up, Silver Mantis!

Silver Mantis: Fantastic...!

Valkyrie: You're finished, Silver Mantis. Don't come back!

Infernal: You're a troubled soul, Wretch. It pains me to do this!

Infernal: Tell your patron that she is next! I have dealt with her kind before!

Infernal: You fight well, Wretch! But even your strength is no match for us!

Wretch: Wretch hurt bad...!

Infernal: We'll break you free from Arachnos one day, Wretch.

	Port Oakes Tunnel System
	You received a detailed map of the tunnel system located beneath Port Oakes. You look over the map to see where Blackbeard's tavern is located. After a few minutes, you're able to figure out how to get into the tunnels that Darrin Wade seemed to be protecting; unfortunately, it will require you going into one of the older sewer networks in Port Oakes.

Access Darrin Wade's Lair

Unnecessary Solicitation

Let's hope you can find something in his lair about what he's planning. I've got nothing on my end. Ugh!

Mission Objective(s)

Map: ABANDONEDSEWERS_TO_WADE_LAIR

Port Oakes is normally not a dangerous place, but you can sense something wrong in these sewers.
You feel a weird energy flow through your body - the presence of Rularuu monsters!

• Access Darrin Wade's Lair
  • Get inside Darrin Wade's Lair
  • Defeat Viridian, Mu'Drakhan, and Shadow Spider
  • 3 groups of Rularuu monsters to clear out of Darrin Wade's lair
  • 3 pieces of evidence to find in Darrin Wade's lair

You've discovered where Darrin Wade is and that he plans on killing Statesman!

Darrin Wade's Lair

Enemies

Soldiers of Rularuu

Notable NPCs:

• Crimson (Longbow, Ally)
• Indigo (Longbow, Ally)
• Mu'Drakhan (Arachnos, Enemy)
• Shadow Spider (Arachnos, Enemy)
• Viridian (Arachnos, Enemy)

After entering Darrin Wade's lair from the sewers

Not Alone (Mu'Drakhan, Viridian, Shadow Spider, Crimson, Indigo)

Before Combat:

Mu'Drakhan: Well, Character, you're here. Just as we had suspected.

Viridian: I'm sure, though, that Character isn't terribly afraid of us.

Shadow Spider: And that he / she didn't come alone. I know you're both out there!

Indigo: Still as sharp as ever, I see.

Crimson: Enough with the chit-chat. We're here to handle business regarding Darrin Wade.

Viridian: So are we. It's unfortunate that we'll have to solve this the old-fashioned fighting way, I prefer more subtle approaches.

Crimson: So do I. Let's not waste any more time, then.

Combat Start:

Mu'Drakhan: You're only prolonging the inevitable!

Crimson: It's been a while, Viridian. Almost too long.

Crimson: Are you losing your touch? Have you already forgotten the military training?

Crimson: You'll have to report a failure back to Recluse, Viridian. That won't look good at all, will it?

Viridian: Well. Until next time.

Crimson: Tell Recluse that we'll take good care of this information.

Indigo: Here I thought we'd never cross paths again. Shadow Spider, though? You went with that code name?

Indigo: You've spent too much time outside of the field. Your moves are too predictable.

Indigo: You'll never win like this. You're trying too hard.

Shadow Spider: Hrmph.

Indigo: Until we meet again, 'Shadow Spider'.

After Combat:

Crimson: Situation handled. We'll cover you from up here.

Indigo: All clear. We'll keep an eye out up here.

The Secrets of Cimerora

You found a large pile of notes regarding Cimerora. It appears that these notes were taken over the span of ten years. You read them over, all of the information coming together to form an almost improbable conclusion. It begins with a woman named Sister Airlia, who was able to enchant Imperious, the former ruler of Cimerora. He would listen to everything she would say. Romulus Augustus, an enemy to Cimerora, had his armies driven back by what Wade calls 'time-travelling meddlers'. He made one last attempt to attack Cimerora, this time aided by monsters called the Talons of Vengeance. Wade makes a note, saying he's not sure why the Talons attacked Cimerora in the first place. Romulus Augustus was defeated one final time by a time traveler. However, due to his powers, he could not be killed by normal means, much like Imperious. Sister Airlia, however, had a plan, one that she had been working on for many years. Sister Airlia created a powerful ritual that could nullify the essences of Imperious and Romulus. The ritual would then use the built up power to kill the two. The ritual required the blood of Imperious to be empowered, although Darrin Wade makes a note here that it could be anyone's blood related to the 'target'. Sister Airlia convinced Imperious that if Cimerora was to be safe from Romulus, Imperious would have to give up his life to keep Romulus in place for the ritual. Imperious accepted, and the ritual was performed at the top of the Sybil Temple. Imperious and Romulus were killed, ending the reign of Imperious and the terror of Romulus. On the bottom of the last page is a comment by Wade, stating that he finally gathered all the components needed to match Airlia's ritual. You realize that if this is true, Darrin Wade has the power to kill Statesman!

Summoning Rularuu

You looked through the remains of Darrin Wade's library to find any sort of important information. You find multiple journals and read them over, looking for anything important. It's odd that Darrin Wade would leave such important items here. He must believe it's too late for his plan to be stopped, or he wants you to know what he's doing. You see that over the past ten years, Darrin Wade has been working on a magic spell that would break the dimensional barrier between this world and the Shadow Shard, the dimension where Rularuu is imprisoned. Wade makes notes that this mission is pure suicide without proper preparation, as Rularuu will destroy all of existence if he is to be released. Wade, however, decided to come up with a plan: to merge with Rularuu and take control of the creature by summoning small portions of him into this world. If he could take over Rularuu piece by piece, he could ascend and become something more than any super-powered individual. Darrin Wade's goal was... or rather, is, to become a new Rularuu! He makes note that once this happens, he can have full control over the world. No longer would he have to live in a world where all of the knowledge he has amounts to nothing against a dumb oaf who happened to be blessed with super strength. The final page in his last journal details that he's gathered all the items needed to bring Rularuu into this world, a trio of artifacts called the 'items of power'. There is fresh writing at the bottom, as if Wade wrote the last part hours ago. It's written to you, with Wade saying that it's far too late to stop his plan, but that you're welcome to try. Wade says that today everything will come together and a new age will begin.

Luring our Statesman

You dig through another one of Wade's chests for any information. You find a letter, addressed to you. 'Dear Character, Did my trick in the tunnels fool you? Or did you try to butter up the Arbiters to get information about me? Oh, what about my journals? I hope you were able to piece together the research I did on Cimerora. It's very sloppy, but then again, I have been working on this for nearly a decade. Anyway, today is when all of the pieces snap together. To be honest, I'm excited to see it happen. My hands are trembling slightly at the very thought. Today, I will kill Statesman, and then, I will kill you. There is still more to my plan after this, and I can't risk having you living. The beautiful part will be taking both Statesman's powers and your own. I have the final obelisk belonging to that idiotic ghost, Alastor. It's tucked away, safe and sound; I won't be revealing that part of my plan. I'm assuming you were held up by the numerous road blocks I put in your way. As we speak, Statesman is flying towards the modern day ruins of Cimerora. I've sprinkled information for him to find me there; after all, he has been looking for me for quite some time. He doesn't know a thing about the ritual though, which is why it'll be that much more exciting when I kill him. Of course, the ritual won't work on you. Or anyone else, for that matter. The components are all destroyed once it's used, thanks to how poorly Sister Airlia formed the ritual. I'll just kill you with Statesman's powers, and if that doesn't suffice... well, there are plans. I need to get going, my Rularuu guests have arrived. I'll look forward to killing you, Character. Regards, Darrin Wade.

Darrin Wade's Plan

In Darrin Wade's lair, you discovered his plans to summon Rularuu into this world and take over the monster. Wade also plans on using an ancient Cimeroran ritual to kill Statesman. All of this seems to stem from his desire to become more powerful than anyone in this existence. You have to wonder what caused Wade to be like this. Was the idea of being normal in a world of super-powered beings too much for him to handle? Even with all his magical artifacts, Darrin Wade still felt that he was just a regular man. The only questions that remain are how Darrin Wade intends to take over the mind of Rularuu, and what Statesman's powers have to do with this.

Confront Darrin Wade

Unnecessary Solicitation:

What?! Character, this is bad, you need to get there, NOW! I'm trying to scramble the rest of the Phalanx together, so just hang in there!

Editor's Note: This mission unfolds in three stages. Entering the mission, find and defeat each ambassador - clearly identified as 'Rularuu Ambassador'. Defeat them and the Rularuu surrounding them to continue. Leaving the cavern brings you immediately to the cutscene of Darrin Wade and Statesman. Following that, confront Darrin Wade. He will fight with (as he says) some or all of the powers of Statesman, but will vanish after taking one quarter damage. After a brief pause, the Aspect of Ruladak is summoned by Wade and must be defeated. Only then can the player go to Statesman and end the mission and this arc.

Mission Objective(s)

Map: MODERNSYBILTEMPLE

Some sort of barrier prevents you from reaching the top of the temple. You'll need to destroy whatever Rularuu soldiers are forming the barrier!

• Confront Darrin Wade
  • 3 Rularuu 'Ambassadors' to defeat in order to break Wade's seal on the temple
  • Find the entrance to the topside and defeat Darrin Wade!
  • Defeat the Aspect of Ruladak the Ravager!
  • Investigate Statesman's Remains

Statesman is dead, and Darrin Wade has vanished once more to continue his plot.

Enemies

Ex-Midnighter
Soldiers of Rularuu

Notable NPCs:

• Aspect of Ruladak (Soldiers of Rularuu, Enemy, similar powers to Ruladak_the_Strong (TBC))
• Darrin Wade (Ex-Midnighter, Enemy)
• Rularuu Ambassador (Rularuu Honored Brute)
• Rularuu Ambassador (Rularuu Overseer)
• Rularuu Ambassador (Rularuu Wisp Overlord)
• Statesman

Darrin Wade: It looks like... You're -really- taking your daughter's death hard, Statesman! Statesman: There's nowhere left to run, Wade! You're going to pay for everything that you've done! Darrin Wade: Oh? Are you going to kill me now, Statesman? Darrin Wade: Avenge the death of your daughter once and for all? Statesman: No, Wade. You're going to -rot- in prison, and I'm going to make sure you do so until the day you -die-. Statesman: I don't kill. Darrin Wade: That's too bad, because I -do-. Statesman: AAAAAAAAGH!! Darrin Wade: Do you have any last words, before you die? Statesman: You'll never... succeed... Wade... villainy like yours... never... does...! Darrin Wade: -That- was it? How trite. Goodbye, Statesman, I'll use your power well! Statesman: AAAAAAAAAGHHH! Darrin Wade: I can feel it, your power flowing through me! Finally... Darrin Wade: After so many years of planning... Everything is nearly complete. Now, to tie up one last loose end before it's Psyche's turn...

Taking Down Darrin Wade

Before Combat:

Darrin Wade: Character! I see you've found everything I left for you! Let's finish this, once and for all!

Combat Start:

Darrin Wade: Your efforts are pointless, Character! I have the power of Statesman, the power of Zeus!

75% Health:

Darrin Wade: Hrmph. I have things to do and heroes to kill. I have monsters that can kill the likes of you!

(Darrin Wade vanishes, and the Aspect of Ruladak appears)

75% Health:

50% Health:

25% Health:

Upon Defeat:

Statesman

Briefing

Statesman lies on the ground, his body completely still, his lifeless eyes staring past you. You're not sure why, but despite the immense amount of pain he must have been in, Statesman died with a small smile on his face.

• (Revive Statesman)

You do everything in your power to bring Statesman back, but nothing seems to work.

Statesman is dead and gone, his spirit beyond your reach.

• (Close Statesman's Eyes and Leave)

You close Statesman's eyes and step away from him. Wherever he is now, hopefully he can finally find the peace that he never had in his life as a hero.

• (Leave)

Debriefing

You tell Glacia everything that happened at the temple in Cimerora. She stutters for several moments before speaking.

I... I don't believe it. How could... how could Statesman have been killed by someone like...

He fought in the Rikti War, Character! He stood toe to toe with Lord Recluse countless times! He saved the world more times than I can remember!

And now he's... he's just gone. No farewells... no speeches. What are we supposed to do now, Character? I know Statesman was only one person, but he was a symbol, Character. And now that symbol is gone.

I'm sorry, I've seen so much death and suffering on the Rikti homeworld, especially when they captured Hero 1. Maybe I was just hoping that things would stay constant here, unlike our time fighting in that place. I shouldn't be afraid, though. You said you fought Darrin Wade to the point where he was forced to retreat, right?

I'll be fine... I'm starting to come around now. Things look bad, downright horrible, but we can get through this because we're all in this together, and because we have you. There's clearly one person left that Darrin Wade is terrified of, and that's you, Character. Statesman is gone, but... we can still get through all of this, as long as we stick together. I'm going to work with the Phalanx on what to do next. Someone will contact you when the time is right, if you don't find Wade on your own, that is.