Mission:Doorman - Introduction to First Ward
Introduction to First Ward
Enter First Ward and talk to Jester
Briefing
You will need to talk to Jester. He has been in First Ward longer than anyone. It's said when the second person came to First Ward, they asked Jester where they were and he said, Nowhere. You will hear many such tales in your travels throughout the destroyed city. Most of them are wild speculation, but any of them could be hiding a truth about how this chaos came to be.
- I'll keep that in mind.
Remember, Character, not everything is as it seems in First Ward. The bizarre is the normal, and the sane are the insane. But most of all, watch your back.
Unsolicited contact
Speak with Jester. He has watched the chaos grow in First Ward for years. He will tell you all you need to know.
Mission Objective(s)
- Enter First Ward and talk to Jester
Doorman recommends that you talk to Jester, a man who knows The First Ward better than anyone.
Ah.
The actors begin to take the stage.
I am Jester and I welcome you to this patch of rough we call home. Still, it's got its charms.
Well, the swirling vortex in the sky is less impressive during the day, but the picture book history of the Hamidon Wars is well preserved in the ruins, and continuing to play out even today.
Not quite what you expected, hmmm?
- What is that swirling vortex in the sky?
- Jester doesn't even look at the vortex, but instead he giggles, bizarrely.
- We have no idea.
- What I know is that when the vortex appeared, that's when First Ward got very interesting. That's when the Seeds of Hamidon started arriving, and when the people and the alliances that kept them civil started to disintegrate.
- Tell me about the Seeds of Hamidon.
- Years ago, First Ward was attacked and nearly destroyed by the Devouring Earth. Though the creatures were eventually pushed back and defeated, it was decided to abandon First Ward and rebuild in Neutropolis.
- Now, with the coming of the vortex, the Seeds of Hamidon renew their assault and colonization of the city.
- If they are allowed to take root here, then the city will be forever lost.
- About that. What is that swirling vortex in the sky?
- Restart from beginning of dialogue.
- What other dangers are there?
- Jester looks about as if for danger.
- Well, the biggest threat is dust.
- Dust? I mean, I suppose it could be toxic...
- Jester laughs.
- No, no, no.
- Not -dust-. Dust!
- He sounds out each letter of the acronym D.U.S.T.
- It stands for Dimwitted Urban Strike Team, but my definition might be slightly skewed.
- Make no mistake, Character. D.U.S.T. is dangerous. Few people encounter them and are ever seen again.
- What are they doing here?
- That's a fine question. A fine question indeed!
- As far as I've been able to determine, D.U.S.T. is here to conduct live combat training, using those exiled to First Ward as the most dangerous prey.
- They are an urban combat team; their goal is to pacify urban areas by neutralizing all resistance, civilian or otherwise.
- For now they remain in the area designated the Free Fire Zone, but they do make forays out into other regions of First Ward, and rarely take prisoners.
- D.U.S.T. is the reason we created the Shadowed Paths...
- What are the Shadowed Paths?
- The Shadowed Paths are places where this world and the spirit realm overlap. I don't know the specifics of how they were made or why they can exist, but I do know that it has to do with a weakening of the fabric between the realms of the living and the dead.
- The Shadowed Paths conceal those within them from the world of the living, and so we can move unseen by D.U.S.T. and maintain communication throughout First Ward without fear of D.U.S.T. interference.
- Still, it is not a perfect system and there are gaps. If you are mindful, however, you can get around unnoticed. As far as the Survivor Compound even.
- Tell me about the Survivor Compound.
- The Survivor Compound is located in western Eltentown and is the stronghold from which civilization clings on against the odds. This is also the crux from which the chaos that threatens to undo us all is manifesting.
- Mistress Nadia of the Carnival of Light has been overseeing the rapidly degrading situation. If you are to make a difference, it is with her that you must start.
- I recommend using the Shadowed Paths to make your way to Nadia; D.U.S.T. controls the territory between here and there.
- Speak with Meredith; she is the walker of the Shadowed Paths and will show you the way.
- I'm ready to go.
- Tell me about the ruins and the Hamidon Wars.
- Years ago, First Ward was attacked and nearly destroyed by the Devouring Earth. Though the creatures were eventually pushed back and defeated, it was decided to abandon First Ward and rebuild in Neutropolis.
- Now, with the coming of the vortex, the Seeds of Hamidon renew their assault and colonization of the city.
- If they are allowed to take root here, then the city will be forever lost.
The Vortex is an enigma. It showed up in the sky one evening and hasn't abated since. Some put the blame of First Ward's recent troubles squarely on the Vortex; others call it a sign of the apocalypse. Only one thing is certain: it's arrival has changed everything.
The Seeds of Hamidon are enormous creatures that were apparently built as siege breakers. They showed up early during the Hamidon Wars, lazily floating into cities and converting the area into a Devouring Earth paradise. If the Seeds are allowed to take root here in First Ward, it will only be a matter of time before the entire region is overrun with the Devouring Earth.
D.U.S.T. are the next generation of T.E.S.T. troopers. Hand-picked by their commanding officers for their loyalty and brutal efficiency, D.U.S.T. teams appear to be in First Ward simply to use the place as a kind of battlefield training ground. The survivors in First Ward are live targets, and D.U.S.T. is not interested in taking prisoners.
Passageways that cut through the fabric of reality and skirt the realm of the dead, the Shadowed Paths were created by Vanessa DeVore's Carnival of Light and allow safe travel through First Ward without attracting the attention of the living. Without them, the Carnival would not have been able to maintain order after D.U.S.T. arrived and created the Free-Fire Zone.
Find Meredith and the Shadowed Paths
Unnecessary Solicitation
+++ Missing Information +++
Mission Objective(s)
- Find Meredith and the Shadowed Paths
Welcome to the place that should not exist, Character. I am Meredith, a guide to the world between worlds.
We are between worlds now, half spirit, half material, yet still whole.
The Carnival, too, is split in two, yet remains whole, for now. The events at the Survivor Compound have jeopardized the tenuous peace which First Ward has relied upon for years merely to survive.
The Carnival of Light is now mirrored by the Carnival of War. Both seek the same thing, but their methodology is very different. Violently different. As we speak, the Carnival of War's actions threaten to cut the last threads of sanity here in First Ward. I beg of you to stop them before it is too late.
The Carnival of War has trapped some survivor scavengers in an abandoned office not far from here. They seek to make an example of them in the hopes that the people of the Survivor Compound will lay down their arms against the Carnival, but we all know that it will merely incite open conflict. Stop the Carnival of War and rescue the scavengers they have captured before it is too late.
The closest thing to civilized free people left in First Ward live in the Survivor Compound. Together, the people here work hard to scrape out a living in a ruin that increasingly tries to kill them. According to Jester, that civility is starting to crumble at an alarming rate, and most people blame it squarely on the Vortex's arrival.
There is currently a crisis unfolding in the Survivor Compound that could jeopardize the already strained relationship between the survivors and the Carnival of Light. Mistress Nadia is in great need of outside help, and you are it.
Stop the Carnival of War
Unnecessary Solicitation
+++ Missing Information +++
Mission Objective(s)
The heady aroma of mildew hangs heavy in the air.
- Stop the Carnival of War
Enemies
Notable NPCs
- Captured Scavenger x5 (Non-escort hostage)
- Anchorite of War (Carnival of War Lieutenant)
- Eremite of War (Carnival of War Lieutenant)
- Mistress of War (Carnival of War Boss)
Return to Meredith
Unnecessary Solicitation
+++ Missing Information +++
Mission Objective(s)
- Return to Meredith
You did an excellent job there, Character, but I'm afraid all you've bought is some time. You'll need to speak to Mistress Nadia if we are to put an end to the hostilities.
- They called me Powers Division, what does that mean?
- Meredith smiles at your costume
- Here, in Praetoria, one such as yourself is assumed to be a part of the Powers Division; a world spanning collection of super powered individuals working for the good of Praetoria. In the past, they were a force for good, but now many consider them to be nothing more than tools of Emperor Cole's regime.
- That you would be here or come to anyone's aid will no doubt raise many questions in the people's minds.
- Where can I find Nadia?
- Follow the Shadowed Paths west to Nadia. You can find Nadia outside of the Survivor Compound keeping watch from her vantage point. To her, they are still her responsibility, even if they don't want her help any longer.
- I'll go speak with her.
Talk to Mistress Nadia
Unnecessary Solicitation
+++ Missing Information +++
Mission Objective(s)
- Talk to Mistress Nadia
The loa told me they felt a powerful presence coming to aid me, and now he / she stands before me.
- You are Nadia?
- You come to ol' Nadia for answers, don't you, child? Did Jester not answer enough? Speak to me - speak to us. The loas have gathered to hear your questions.
{{EdNote|note=From here, Nadia gives her own missions. Doorman serves to introduce a character to First Ward's contact chain.]]