Mender Silos Strike Force

Mender Silos

Trading Places

Contact: Mender Silos
Level Range: 46 - 50
Notes: You can attempt this task force solo, but a team is recommended.
Zone: Ouroboros
Location: Ouroboros Citadel ledge
Primary Enemy: Longbow
Name: Trading Places

Missions

Agree to form a strike force

Trading Places
Part One

Briefing

Greetings, Character.

Editor's Note: This story was originally published in issues #10 - 12 of the City of Heroes comic book. Enjoy.

Mission Acceptance

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Mission 1 title

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Enemies

Longbow

Notable NPCs

• Manticore (Ally) (Elite Boss)
• Ms. Liberty (Enemy) (Elite Boss)

Trading Places

Mender Silos, a man who claims something beyond the good and evil you surround yourself with, sends you to Siren's Call to find Manticore. History tells him of a time when Manticore crossed the line from hero to villain. Silos believes that this point in history is key to determining what happens in the future and how to stop it. You go to Siren's Call and discover the Vindicators are there engaged in battle with Manticore. Never one to turn down a fight with Ms. Goody-two-shoes, you decide to aid Manticore. Afterwards, he looks you straight in the eye and says the funniest thing, 'take me to your leader.'

This should be interesting.

Aid Manticore against Sister Psyche

Briefing

Mender Silos: You don't have to hide your thoughts from me. I can see them all over your face. You don't believe Manticore would turn against his kind. Very well, I have just the place for you to go next. You will see who Manticore is willing to become.

Are you interested in seeing this transformation ?

Recluse made a proposal to Manticore: take out Sister Psyche. If you had difficulty believing Manticore would turn on his own, you'll likely find this even harder to believe. So, go back in time and see what this man who claims to be a hero did and then tell me, is it the actions or the intention behind them that makes us heroes or villains ?

Mission Objective(s)

• Capture Sister Psyche

You've found a hand written letter addressed to Character.
You've aided Manticore in capturing Sister Psyche.

Enemies

Arachnos

Notable NPCs

• Manticore (Ally) (Elite Boss)
• Sister Psyche (Enemy) (Elite Boss)

Dear Character...

While time traveling into the past, you visit an Arachnos Base and in a crate you find a handwritten letter addressed to Character...

"While you have not yet met me face to face, I hope you've grown to see the truth to my words and begun to question your Ouroboros masters. You, of all people, should not be bound by their constraints. They have come all across the cosmos, disregarding the law of nature, but yet they bind you to the events they control.Have you noticed how they rarely send you into the future? What secret do they guard there that they don't want you to learn ?

Mender Silos gives you no choice. It is only I who offer you that simple right. All I ask in return is that you question him, question Ouroboros, question everything - even me. I expect nothing less from you. You are an individual of intellect who will see through their lies and once you do, you will find me at the end of it, offering you the truth you deserve. It is then and only then that we shall truly meet for the first time.

Until that time, I trust that you have found my letters and have taken them to heart.
Ultimately, the choice will be yours. As always, look for me in the Pillar. I will make myself known when the time is right.

Travel well."

Debriefing

Well done. You've captured Sister Psyche. Now Lord Recluse will use her to power his Jade Spider. This of course, will kill her, nothing I'm sure you're too worried about. However, her death may well be what saves the world. I apologize if you find this mission morally ambiguous.

Lazarus was right about you. We did come to the correct time.

Trading Places
Part Finale
Assault Siren's Call

Briefing

The time has come. Recluse has made his assault on Siren's Call. From there he will sweep across Paragon and then the world. If my hypothesis is true, then he will succeed and in his success, he will actually save the world from annihilation.

Mission Objective(s)

Of all the places you thought Arachnos could assault, Kings Row was not one of them.

Lord Recluse is building up to something big. But what?

• Aid Manticore in Kings Row
  • 1 Raid Leader Left
  • 3 Raid Leaders to Defeat

you have saved Kings Row from Arachnos. Return to Mender Silos for further instruction.

Enemies

Arachnos

Notable NPCs

• Arachnos Raid Leader (Tarantulas Tarantula Queen)
• Arachnos Raid Leader (Mu Mystics Mu Guardian)
• Arachnos Raid Leader (Bane Spiders Bane Spider Executioner)
• Arachnos Raid Leader (Crab Spiders Crab Spider Webmaster)

Ambush! After defeating each Raid Leader, there will be an ambush from Arachnos.

Manticore's Warning

After you've defeated the Arachnos in Kings Row, Manticore approached you...

'You must leave me alone. I do not know who you are or where you come from. At first I thought Statesman had sent you, but now I see that is not the case. You've just gotten yourself mixed up in something that you best leave alone. I'm sorry, but you can't follow me down this path... no hero can.'

Debriefing

Did you speak with Manticore? What did he tell you? Ah yes, it was a warning for you to stay away from him. Where do you think he is going? What do you think he is doing?

Only time will tell.

Meet up with Vindicators

Trading Places
Part Four

Briefing

Manticore summoned a group of Vindicators to meet up with him in Siren's Call. It is possible that this is the moment when a man's fate will decide a world's future.

Go there and aid these young Vindicators. Witness the unraveling of history as a single string of fate's cloth is pulled to the point of breaking.

Mission Acceptance

Ms. Liberty will be leading them at this time. Join up with her and her little gang of heroes. I believe Manticore will make himself known to them and perhaps reveal his true intentions regarding Arachnos.

Unnecessary Solicitation

You need to go back to the point in history when Ms. Liberty meets up with Manticore in Siren's Call. This point in time is crucial.

Mission Objective(s)

Manticore has called Ms. Liberty, Mynx and Swan to Siren's Call.You need to question him to find out what else he knows about Recluse's plans.

• Question Manticore

Manticore has changed sides. He now appears to be working for Arachnos.

Enemies

Arachnos

Notable NPCs

• Ms. Liberty (Hero, Ally)
• Mynx (Hero, Ally)
• Swan (Hero, Ally)
• Manticore (Hero, Enemy)

Vindicators Dialog

Ms. Liberty: "So, Manticore sent for you too, Character."
"Well, let's go find him and ask him why he wanted us here."

Manticore reveals his allegiance to Arachnos.

Manticore:

Sorry, Character.

I have no choice in this.

I don't expect you to understand, that's not why I called you here.

I expect your defeat to be used as proof to Recluse of my TRUE loyalties.

Manticore Dialog

At 75% Life: "There are things at work here bigger than you, Character."
At 25% Life: "Defeating me will only make things easier for me."
Defeated: "You have not defeated me. Only hastened my role in Arachnos"
Defeats a hero: "(Missing text)"

Debriefing

Ah, so that's what happened? We were lead to believe something along those lines, but honestly, did you expect anything less? Manticore has always walked the line from Hero to Villain. I myself have witnessed multiple timelines where he was in fact the right hand man to Lord Recluse. It may horrify you to know that in almost all of those worlds, Recluse and Manticore ruled without question.

Lazarus was right about you. We did come to the correct time.

Agree to Mender Silos' mission

Trading Spaces
Part Finale

Briefing

Lord Recluse is poised to strike Paragon City. I've found the key temporal node where this event takes place. I would like to send you there to determine if the 'greater good' is actually brought about.

Mission Acceptance

Recluse assaults Siren's Call to use it as a staging ground to assault Paragon City. Heroes and Villains clashed at that harbor, each fighting for what they believed in. Neither side knew that this battle could play a part in the events of the future. Even Lord Recluse himself would have difficulty comprehending the full measure of his actions.

Go to Siren's Call and aid the heroes of your time. Make sure they succeed where so often they have failed.

Unnecessary Solicitation

You need to go through the portal to Siren's Call. Aid Statesman and the others in their defense against Arachnos. It is my current belief that the heroes must win this battle.

Mission Objective(s)

As you step out of the Ouroboros portal, you can feel the ground shaking under your feet.

• Stop Arachnos Assault
  • 13 Phalanx and Vindicators to Aid
  • Defeat the Jade Spider

You've defeated the Jade Spider and helped saved Paragon City... this time.
You've saved Paragon City from Lord Recluse's attack.

Enemies

Arachnos

Bug! Though each Vindicator and Freedom Phalanx character is presented as a Hero, his Hit Points and attacks are those of a Pet class ally, regardless of difficulty. Citadel is the only exception to this rule, and he spawned as an Elite Boss. He could be a Hero in fact. Please update this info if this is the case.

Notable NPCs

Allies:

• Back Alley Brawler (Ally, Hostage)
• Citadel (Elite Boss Ally, Hostage)
• Infernal (Ally, Hostage)
• Manticore (Ally, Hostage)
• Malaise (Ally, Hostage)
• Ms. Liberty (Ally, Hostage)
• Mynx (Ally, Hostage)
• Numina (Ally, Hostage)
• Positron (Ally, Hostage)
• Statesman (Ally, Hostage)
• Sister Psyche (Ally, Hostage)
• Swan (Ally, Hostage)
• Synapse (Ally, Hostage)

Enemies:

• Jade Spider Battalion x 7 (Arachnos Bane Spider Executioner) (Boss)
• Black Scorpion (Arch-villain) (Guarding Synapse)
• Mako (Arch-villain) (Guarding Citadel)
• Ghost Widow (Arch-villain) (Guarding Positron)
• Lord Recluse (Arch-villain) (Guarding Statesman)
• Scirocco (Arch-villain) (Guarding Ms. Liberty)
• Silver Mantis (Arch-villain) (Guarding Mynx)
• Jade Spider (Arch-villain) (Spawns once all heroes have been rescued)

Ambush! Character is with the Freedom Phalanx! After rescuing each Freedom Phalanx member, you will be ambushed by one squad of Arachnos soldiers.

Ambush! Character is with the Vindicators! After rescuing each Vindicator, you will be ambushed by one squad of Arachnos soldiers.

The Jade Spider attacks Siren's Call.

Arachnos Fortunata Mistress:

Look! The Jade Spider arrives.

Arachnos Fortunata Mistress:

Arachnos shall prevail.

Debriefing

The Jade Spider has fallen, and with it Recluse's plans for domination of Paragon City. You would not believe the world that unfolded from Recluse's successful assault. I believe even he would not want such a world to rule.

Reward

Unlike the larger Task Forces, "Trading Places" is more like a Story Arc, and can be completed in about an hour. Consequently, it has no accomplishment badge, and offers only a Single Origin Enhancement reward instead of a Pool C Recipe.