A book titled 'The Truth'

Overview

From the Story Arc "The Horror of War" given by Dark Watcher.
This Souvenir is restricted to the level range of 45-50.

Souvenir's Text

Souvenir: A book titled 'The Truth'

Many people died over the contents of this book. The well-written volume lays out in comprehensive detail the terrible truth of the Rikti War and its origins as the merciless machinations of none other than Nemesis, the so-called 'Prussian Prince of Automatons'. The author chose not to use her name with good reason. Of the many people named in the book who were instrumental in uncovering the truth, you're one of the few who are still alive. Whenever you hold it, you recall the adventure you remember as:

The Horror of War

It all began with an important mission from The Dark Watcher. A general of the Nemesis Army wished to defect and claimed to have important information. You went to the agreed meeting spot to find General Sherman of the Nemesis Army about to be executed for treason by his former comrades. The allegations General Sherman shared with you were more explosive than you could have imagined: he claimed that the Rikti War had been started on purpose by Nemesis! And what's more, he knew where you could find the proof: the Nemesis Army's Shadow Shard base!

The portals at Vanguard's disposal aren't powerful enough to reach the Shadow Shard, and even if they were modified, Longbow could block the transmission using Portal Corp's more powerful equipment. So instead of fighting against Longbow, the Dark Watcher suggested you try to talk them into helping. But when you arrived at their hidden base in the War Zone, they were being over-run by the Nemesis Army! You joined up with Captian W.M Dietrich to link up with Lt. Sefu Tendaji and clear out the attackers. But triumph turned to tragedy when you found Lt. Tendaji's body, slain by the Nemesis Army. Captain Dietrich's mask of icy cool shattered when she saw the body of her friend, then reformed into a righteous anger. She promised all the support you needed to get to the Shadow Shard, as long as you brought retribution down on Nemesis and the Nemesis Army.

The portal in the Vanguard base was ready in record time, and you found yourself hurled into the strange reality known as the Shadow Shard. While there, you did more than just get the proof you were looking for, you found working Imposter Automatons of the Freedom Phalanx that had been used in the attacks on the Rikti! With all the evidence you needed now in your possession, it was time to get the truth out about the real origin of the Rikti War.

The truth spread quickly. Vanguard and Freedom Corps both used all of their power and media savvy to tell the truth to every corner of the globe. The Nemesis Army began to strike back, desperate to keep the truth hidden. One of the most hotly contested battlegrounds was the Rogue Isles, where the brave reporters of WSPDR were under attack by Nemesis forces trying to shut them down. You went in to help them so that even the people of the Rogue Isles could know the truth.

The truth had powerful effects. There were reports of massive in-fighting and purges among the Rikti Restructuralists, and the group-mind near-suicidal depression among Vanguard's Traditionalist allies was only fought back with help from Earth's psychics. One of the most important effects was the desertion of General Bu'Dekka, a high-ranking war leader fresh from the Rikti Homeworld. With support from Captain W.M. Dietrich and Longbow, you helped Bu'Dekka and her troops escape the wrath of Hro'Dtohz. During the battle, General Bu'Dekka revealed a terrible threat: Hro'Dtohz was determined to keep the truth from reaching the Rikti Homeworld, and was planning to destroy the Earth in order to keep the truth buried!

In order to get the troops he would need, Hro'Dtohz would have to radically widen the conduit between Earth and the Rikti Homeworld, endangering both planets to keep the truth of the war hidden. There was only one place he could do that: the Portal Cavern beneath the Rikti Saucer. Joined by some old friends along the way, you descended into the depths once more to confront Hro'Dtohz, destroy the portal stabilizers, or both. Yet there was another twist to play out, as Nemesis attacked during the battle! His plans in ruins, Nemesis had a terrifying back-up strategy: to implant a copy of his consciousness into the Rikti mental network, taking them over entirely! As the Nemesis Army and the Rikti Military fought, you battled to complete one of your objectives to deny victory to all of your foes!

In the end, you carried the day. Hro'Dtohz is still out there, as is Nemesis, but neither of them accomplished their goals. At least one world now knows the true role of Nemesis in instigating the Rikti War, and maybe one day both will know the truth. For now, it is enough that, though the battles will continue, Earth will survive. And this day, it owes that survival to you.