Praetoria
Overview
Praetoria, also known as Praetorian Earth, is a utopian alternate Earth, under the rule of Emperor Cole, who is known to the heroes of Primal Earth as Tyrant.
Praetoria is, in fact, a "mirror universe", where, unlike on our Earth, the most famous superbeings are twisted and evil, having given in to their darker sides. The Praetorian Archvillains are not as strong as their Paragon City counterparts, but they still prove a challenge to all but the most powerful of heroes.
In-Game References
The Portal Corporation refers to this dimension as Upsilon Beta 9-6, with the name Praetorian Earth assigned by Portal Corp techicians. This dimension was first discovered by Tina Macintyre due to invading forces by Anti-Matter. Several missions assigned by Tina Macintyre and Maria Jenkins take place there, and it is also the locale for the upcoming City of Heroes expansion: Going Rogue. The early press releases for the expansion were the first to refer to it as Praetoria.
Background of Praetoria
There is no want or need in Praetoria. Basic necessities of life are provided for -- water, food, shelter. There is no manual labor. All of those tasks are performed by the Praetorian Clockwork which work and exist among the populace. There is neither crime nor discontent due to the Seers and Praetorian Guard on every corner. Due to the increase amount of leisure time available, the arts and sciences have greatly advanced to new levels.
Praetoria is the ultimate Meritocracy. You can choose not to do anything at all for a 'living' as everything is povided for you. But if you choose, you can advance in society to a position of power. If you can shoulder the burden for something, you are allowed to do so for as long as you are able.
Known Zones
- Nouveau Praetoria - the heart of Emperor Cole's domain. Emperor Cole's tower can be seen from almost anywhere within the zone. War Walls do not exist.
Known Groups
Praetorian Guard
The Praetorian archvillains are:
- Anti-Matter (counterpart to Positron)
- Battle Maiden (counterpart to Valkyrie)
- Black Swan (counterpart to Swan)
- Bobcat (counterpart to Mynx)
- Chimera (counterpart to Manticore)
- Diabolique (counterpart to Numina)
- Dominatrix (counterpart to Miss Liberty)
- Infernal (counterpart to Primal Earth's Infernal)
- Malaise (counterpart to Primal Earth's Malaise)
- Marauder (counterpart to Back Alley Brawler)
- Mother Mayhem (counterpart to Sister Psyche, and occupying the body of Aurora Borealis' counterpart)
- Neuron (counterpart to Synapse)
- Nightstar (counterpart to Luminary)
- Shadowhunter (counterpart to Woodsman)
- Siege (counterpart to Citadel)
- Tyrant (counterpart to Statesman)
All of them have different costumes to wear on Praetoria. It is not known if the new costumes will be carried over to various Hero-side missions related to the Praetorians. Additionally, members of the Praetorian guard may be known by other names on Praetoria. Tyrant, for example, is more well-known as the savior of mankind, Emperor Cole.
Known Organizations and Mirrored Factions
As heroes are turned into villains on this mirror world, some enemy groups are turned into heroic organizations - if they have not already been oppressed by the might of the Praetorians. Some are new groups entirely.
- Seers - Mother Mayhem's psychic network of psychics which she uses to monitor the population to ensure everyone is behaving appropriately. Said to be all female, they may well be the Praetorian counterparts of Arachnos Fortunatas.
- Syndicate - When organized crime is put down, it gets even more organized. All of the resulting gangs and groups have banded together under one large crime syndicate. They will apparently take the appearance of Yakuza, Cyberpunk, Black colours, Jackets, Multiracial and possibly more. They will also have super-powered shotguns, and motorcycles.
- Resistance - the rebels of Praetoria. Players may have an opportunity to join their group, which will lead to the Praetorian player becoming a Hero. They are led by a man named Calvin Scott, who on Primal Earth, is the husband of Aurora Borealis. As Mother Mayhem is occupying the body of Aurora Borealis' Praetorian counterpart, this may serve as one of the reasons why he formed the Resistance. Also among their ranks is the Praetorian Belladona Vetrano, better known as Ghost Widow on Primal Earth. The Resistance might be the Praetorian counterpart to the Freakshow.
- Praetoria Police Department - the counterparts of Paragon Police Department. They serve as the first line of defense against the Resistance. They are apparently an alternative career path for loyalists, which will lead to the Praetorian player becoming a Villain.
- Carnival of Light - the counterparts of Carnival of Shadows, they are a group of heroic freedom fighters. They were first mentioned in City of Heroes storylines and apparently bear some similiarities to the Carnival of Shadows, as Anti-Matter's forces confuses the Carnival of Shadows for the Praetorian versions. It is possible the Praetorian counterpart of Vanessa DeVore may be involved with the Carnival of Light, if she is still alive.
- Praetorian Clockwork - the counterparts of Clockwork, there are Blue and Silver Clockwork groups, created by Anti-Matter and Neuron. It is not known if there is a Praetorian Clockwork King. Additionally, new Praetorian Clockwork were introduced during Hero Con 2009 as passive servant-class robotic humanoids who do maintenance work and generally repair and rebuild the city as required. They will only attack players if players attack them first.
- Devouring Earth - the Praetorian version of Primal Earth's Devouring Earth, they have apparently overrun much of the planet due to widespread usage of nuclear weaponry.
Confirmed NPCs
- Lord Recluse - for unknown reasons, when Stefan Richter and Marcus Cole found the Well of the Furies, Stefan was killed by Marcus, and never became Lord Recluse due to his early death.
- Ghost Widow - her counterpart is working with the Resistance, under her normal name Belladona Vetrano. It is not known if she is alive or is in her undead state.
- Calvin Scott - his counterpart is the head of the Resistance. He has the ability to remain hidden from the Seers, making him highly valued to leading the Resistance.
- Aurora Borealis - the wife of Calvin Scott, her body is still being possessed by Mother Mayhem.
- Nemesis - his counterpart is reportedly a nobody.
- Hamidon - due to the much earlier use of nuclear arms, Hamidon Pasilima unleashed the Devoured Earth much earlier compared to Primal Earth. Due to this, the world governments literally gave power to Marcus Cole, now Emperor to save the world. Emperor Cole did just that, and created a world free of want or need.
Related Badges
Defeating all of the Praetorian archvillains except Mother Mayhem, Shadow Hunter, and Tyrant earns a hero the Dimensional Warder Badge.
You have made yourself legend by defeating the Praetorians, an evil version of the Freedom Phalanx from an alternate dimension.
Successfully completing the mission "Defeat Tyrant and his minions", earns a hero the admiration of Statesman and awards the coveted Statesman's Pal Badge.
Additional Notes
Sadly, none of the Praetorians have goatees (barring Malaise, but this opens up a new can of beans, see profile).