Captain Nolan

The features discussed here may be implemented in future issues and are subject to change before release.

Overview

Captain Nolan
Zone	Peregrine Island
Coordinates	(-865.9, -0.0, -3295.5)
Level Range	+++ Missing Information +++
Introduced By	None
Introduces	Heather Townshend Ephram Sha

Captain Nolan is a hero contact in the Mera Heights neighborhood of Peregrine Island at coordinates (-865.9, -0.0, -3295.5) . His level range is 50+ (Incarnates?).. Captain Nolan is standing 168 yards west and slightly south of the Mera Heights neighborhood marker, outside the PPD building.

Captain Nolan offers an arc that is solo only in its latter stages (no teams). This introduces players to Dark Astoria.

Introductions

Contact Introduced By

None; Captain Nolan is introduced by contact popup at the appropriate level.

Contact Introduces

Captain Nolan's arc will introduce the character to Heather Townshend and Ephram Sha, both in Dark Astoria.

Information

PPD Captain Captain

Nolan has been with the PPD for over twenty years. He works the patrol for Peregrine Island, but as of late has been seeing some very odd cases appear on his desk.

Contact Unlocked

Captain Nolan of the PPD requests your help.

Captain Nolan of the PPD has sent you a message, saying the PPD needs the help of someone specifically with the power of the Incarnates. He is in Peregrine Island, waiting for you.

This contact has now been added to the active tab of your Contact window.

Initial Contact

Character, thanks for coming. The situation we have calls for someone of your... power level. Allow me to explain.

We've had a series of deaths in Paragon as of late, starting a little before we had to shut the doors to Dark Astoria. The autopsy reports say that some of them were suicides, while others were murders. However, the one thing they had in common was some sort of religious symbolism behind all of the deaths. The victims believed they had done something wrong and deserved to be punished.

We sent in Detective Hopp to investigate the case, but now he's gone missing. We then sent in some heroes to check it out, but they're gone too. We even requested help from a small supergroup, but... well, they're also missing now.

This is why I've asked for your help, now that you're an Incarnate. Whatever is going on here is bigger than us, Character, and I think it has to do with whatever is flaring up in Dark Astoria.

Greeting

• Let's get to work

Too Low Level

It's good to see you, Character. Keep up the good work.

Story Arc

Eye of Judgement

Souvenir

Image of a Dark Forest

You remember the image of a dark forest with an old man standing in the middle of it. You somehow ended up in the forest after walking through the door in an old apartment. It reminds you of a small journey called...

Eye of Judgement

It began when Captain Nolan asked you for help in dealing with a series of deaths. Several other heroes had been tasked with the investigation, but all of them had gone missing. Captain Nolan asked that you, an Incarnate, be called in to deal with the situation. Another man had been found dead, the cause was suicide by jumping off of a building.

You investigated the crime scene and the man's home, coming to the conclusion that he was tortured by nightmares from the city of Dark Astoria. These nightmares claimed his sanity and eventually his life, the man believing that he was saving the world by killing himself.

You went to investigate an apartment he went to shortly before his murder and ended up being teleported to a strange forest. You tried to push through the forest but appeared in an old subway tunnel. You were then flung through a deep hole, ending up within the cursed city of Dark Astoria.

It was clear at the end of all this that the power that was awake within Dark Astoria is what caused the death of Harry Ifer and all the other suicides. All of those missing heroes and officers must be in Dark Astoria somewhere, if they're still alive.

Eye of Judgement

Investigate the latest death

Mission Briefing

A man's body has been found in a nearby alley of Peregrine. It looks like he jumped to his death off one of the apartment buildings. Witnesses say he was mumbling something about sin and burdens before he jumped.

This fits the pattern that we've been seeing. I'd like to ask that you check out the crime scene and see what you can find out, Character.

• I will. But what is this about Dark Astoria?

Ah, yes. Something... bad has happened in Dark Astoria. Some time ago, these monsters began to spill out of the gates, monsters more powerful than we've ever seen before. Blue Steel and a squad of our, well, let's just call them 'super' PPD Kheldians held off the monsters as long as they could, but it was obvious that we were fighting a losing battle.

Blue Steel ordered that we shut the hazard gates while the heroes of the city investigate what to do about the situation. The Midnighter Club has set up a portal in Peregrine Island for those who are looking to investigate the cursed city.

I believe whatever caused these monsters to appear in Dark Astoria is somehow linked to this case, which has not only claimed the lives of civilians but also possibly the lives of an entire supergroup of heroes.

Be careful, Character.

Unnecessary solicitation

We have PPD on the scene to make sure you're not disturbed.

Mission Objective(s)

• Investigate the latest death

Editor's Note:

The initial series of objectives are a series of way points. At each location the character finds enough to move further on. There is no combat. To start the character proceeds to the location shown on their map. There they find a Victim lying on the ground. They investigate. Afterwards, they will need to go to the Docks and then investigate a boat.

The latest victim.

The scene before you is a grim one. You search through the dead man's pockets to see that his name is Harry Ifer, and that he was carrying several hastily written notes. They talk about how he never should have left, that he knew he would have to pay for his sins after that day.

One note describe in detail dreams that he was having, stating that he saw horrific monsters clawing at his body, pulling him inward, all the while saying that they will feast on the power of his sin. The man concluded that he had no choice but to leave this life to prevent the evil from winning.

You look through his pockets and see that he was living out of a boat nearby in Peregrine Island. You might be able to get more information from there.

Mission Objective(s)

• Go to the docks in Peregrine Island

You've arrived at the docks in Peregrine Island.

Unnecessary solicitation

Watch your back, Character.

Unnecessary solicitation Those notes match what we've found on the other victims, Character.

Mission Objective(s)

• Investigate the victim's boat
  • Investigate the boat

You found the man's journal, which points to this starting in a nearby apartment complex.

Harry Ifer's Journal

You searched the boat in Peregrine and find the journal belonging to Harry Ifer. He writes about restless dreams that kept him up at night. The dreams began a few weeks before the monsters spilled out of Dark Astoria. His early writings are coherent, Ifer wondering what they could all mean. He mentions that he saw images of his old apartment in Astoria and that sometimes the dreams in his mind were replays of his escape from the town when the Banished Pantheon monsters began to rise.

Ifer goes into great detail about his escape from Astoria. The dead were swarming the streets, slaughtering people by the dozens. He was following a woman named Heather Townshend. He was separated from the group at a certain point and ran for dear life, eventually making it into Talos Island. Ifer accounts that he later saw Townshend, who refused to talk to him.

The writing in the journal becomes less coherent as the days go on, the nightmares seeming to overcome Ifer's sanity. His last entry says that he was going to visit someone in an old building nearby in apartment 113. Ifer said that he saw the apartment in his dreams, and that he hopes that he can get the answers he desperately seeks from there.

Investigate Apartment 113 (Solo Mission)

Mission Objective(s)

This apartment complex is run down and in dire need of renovation. How could such a place exist in Peregrine Island?

• Investigate Apartment 113 (Solo Mission)
  • Investigate Apartment 113

Unnecessary solicitation

That apartment is old, Character, but there are no reports of any villains hiding out there.

Editor's Note:

The character enters the apartment building from the street. Then down a corridor. They enter apartment proper, and it is full of occult items and such, and very messy. Then out the back door... and right into a strange forest! Nearby is a man labelled '???' standing with his back to the character, .

Mission Objective(s)

• Investigate Apartment 113 (Solo Mission)
  • ???

You've somehow fallen into the destroyed city of Dark Astoria!

The man in the forest

Briefing

The man in the forest speaks to you, though he does not look at you.

It begins again. The ebb and flow, back and forth. More march to the slaughter which we all hoped to stop. But we were cast out, called insane, after our work was done.

No one would try to remember the past, how hard we fought to save the future.

• Who are you?

No one. I was someone, once, but now, I am no one. I was cast out for what I did, for what we all did. They called us crazy, they couldn't believe what we said.

We tried to save the world, and we were destroyed for it. Now, the world is paying for the sins of the past, for the sin of forgetting the past.

• What do you mean?

The man remains silent, refusing to answer your question. You notice that he is somewhat ethereal, a ghost.

• (Leave)

• Where am I?

The border of life and death. Its world, or rather, part of it. I've been here before, when we first fought.

If you're here, it means it wants you, just like it wanted me so long ago. There's no turning back now. If it wants you, it will find a way to get you closer and closer. That's what happened with me, but it wasn't expecting what I did, not that it mattered, in the end.

• What is this 'it'?

The man remains silent, refusing to answer your question. You notice that he is somewhat ethereal, a ghost.

• (Leave)

Editor's Note:

The player can choose to ignore the man, and go on; or speak to him, and go on. Going further, past the man, brings the player to a new area, a tunnel. Filled with.. strange things. Once the character arrives there, they cannot return to the man or retrace their steps. Pushing forward, they will then fall through some great channel, and arrive in 'First Light', a very small warded neighborhood in the Raimi Arcade neigborhood of Dark Astoria. Now the objective changes.

Look for signs of friendly life

Mission Objective(s)

• Look for signs of friendly life

Editor's Note:

The way-point takes the character to another warded area at the eastern end of Raimi Arcade. Here can be found Midnight Squad members. And Ephram Sha. The warded area they occupy is actually a neighborhood called 'Flicker', and is very small. They make there way to the place shown on the map, which turns out to be Ephram Sha. Interacting with him adds him as a contact, and changes the mission objective too.

Ephram Sha: Ah, Character. I am pleased to make your acquaintance. My name is Ephram Sha. I represent the broader interests for the Midnight Squad, here in the heart of darkness. D

Dark Astoria is in turmoil, Character. Everywhere one looks, there is death and chaos rising to claim this world. My mind's eye is capable of ferreting out the sources of this darkness, but my powers alone cannot banish it.

The Midnight Squad has tasked me to seek out spirits of great power, and request their aid. If your aim is to turn back the tide of death in Dark Astoria, then we have a common goal. I will be here to fight against the darkness that emerges. However, if you wish to get to the bottom of what is happening, I would suggest finding Heather Townshend. She is helping two of my associates with the matters here in Dark Astoria.

Ephram Sha is a repeatable mission giver in Dark Astoria. You can always get various missions from him. Enemies in these missions will reward incarnate experience and have a chance to drop incarnate threads. Completing a repeatable mission will give you a choice of either two incarnate threads, five reward merits, or a single super inspiration.

Mission Objective(s)

• Find Heather Townshend

Editor's Note:

Heather is located in another of Dark Astoria's unique very small 'safe' warded neighborhoods. This one called Scintillating Prism. And the content of the briefing tells me we are still on Nolan's mission.

Heather Townshend

Briefing

The woman before you seems to look worn out, the circles around her eyes indicating that she has either not slept for days, or has barely slept at all. She smiles as you step past the runes.

You're Character, right? I've heard everything about you. My name is Heather Townshend. It's nice to see a friendly face around here. But...

How did you get here?

• (Explain to Heather what happened)

Entire supergroups gone? And a mysterious apartment? I... see. It seems whatever is in this city wanted you to come here... perhaps to destroy a hero as well known and powerful like yourself.

• What are you doing here? What are these runes?

I can't really answer either of those very well, but I'll do my best. A while back, I began to feel a... pull to Dark Astoria. Something was calling me to return. I used to live here, before the city was taken over by these monsters.

When I entered the city, something felt wrong, more than usual. It felt like something was on the brink of bursting forth. There were these strange winged creatures flying towards the cemetery. Some of them were attacking some women who were armed to the teeth, they looked like assassins.

I hid in the shadows as I watched these winged women fight the assassins. The monsters called them traitors to the cause. Their fight was interrupted by this... this horrible moaning in the distance, followed by a violent earthquake. Something must have burst out of the cemetery. The monsters killed the assassins and departed. I felt an incredible force overcome me, and I blacked out.

• And then?

I woke up where we're standing right now, surrounded by these protective runes. There were two people with me, a man named Kadabra Kill and his wife, Sigil. I asked them where the runes came from, but they said they did not know. All they knew was that they were enough to hold back the darkness and the monsters, but they would not last for long.

They both told me to leave, that they would help get me out, but I refused. I... came here to finish something, Character, something that had been bothering me for a long time, and I intend to do just that.

They requested that if I saw anyone else that I ask them to help their investigation. They said they were part of some secret organization that was seeking to find out what was happening in Dark Astoria and put a stop to it. I guess that you would count as someone who could help their investigation, right?

• I will do anything I can to stop this.

There's a lot to be done to save Dark Astoria, but I think we can make a dent.

(End of dialogue)

• Did you know a man called Harry Ifer?

Heather Townshend sighs, nodding her head.

He came to me a while back, even though I told him never to talk to me again. Harry said that he was having dreams about Astoria and asked if I was having them too. I... lied to him, told him I did not.

He and I both were from Astoria and were here when the Banished Pantheon rose and attacked. We were separated... I went with one group of survivors, while he went with others. We both barely made it out with our lives.

I wanted to forget it all happened, Character, that is why I told poor Harry to leave me alone. But the dreams... they wouldn't stop. They became worse every day. I knew I had to come back here and find the answers to my dreams. I tried to find Harry, but by then, it was too late. He was delusional, driven mad by his dreams. I hoped that if I went to Astoria, I could find the answer to both our problems.

How is Harry doing?

• Harry is dead, Heather. He killed himself.

... Just like the others. I heard about the rash of suicides. They were all people who used to live in Dark Astoria.

Whatever is awake here is causing this, Character. We have to find out what's going on and put a stop to it!

• I will do anything I can to stop this.

There's a lot to be done to save Dark Astoria, but I think we can make a dent.

(End of dialogue)