Outcast Villain Backgrounder
By
Arctic Sun,
Posted on: 2005-12-02 11:22 in CoH and CoV General Discussions
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Earth, air, fire, water
all ready to rumble!
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Where is the heart Outcast!? We all know he's the Aquaman of the Planeteers, but they still can't summon Captain Planet without him!
Nicely done, Artic_Sun. Dang, I actually felt a bit of sympathy for Frostfire...he was just trying to do the right thing. But his subsequent record pretty much means he's fair game.
Earth, Wind, and Fire! Back to the Shire!
Seriously, though, good piece. THough I'm -still- wondering just how the Outcasts manage to find so many natural elementaly-themed mutants who want to be bad. I mean, does Frostfire have some unknown ability to spark genetic potential in people, or something?
I loved the mug shots of Frostfire. Very cool. 
He's a lot older than I thought.... like 43 or so?
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Earth, Wind, and Fire! Back to the Shire!
Seriously, though, good piece. THough I'm -still- wondering just how the Outcasts manage to find so many natural elementaly-themed mutants who want to be bad. I mean, does Frostfire have some unknown ability to spark genetic potential in people, or something?
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I thought they mostly used magical artifacts, and possibly demons to get their powers? Or is that just the Hellions and Skulls?
I always thought the Outcasts were all mutants.
18+months in the making and it's finally here!!!
:P
Good read.
Really nice info and background story, but I'm confused: The article states that his base of operations is in Steel Canyon, but everyone knows he hides out in the Hollows. Am I missing something? 
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Earth, air, fire, water
all ready to rumble!
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Where is the heart Outcast!? We all know he's the Aquaman of the Planeteers, but they still can't summon Captain Planet without him!
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HEART!
Props to you Arctic! I really like the case file part. Nice addition to backgrounds.
You don't hit smiling monsters - Sister Flame
Artic might correct me but as I understand the outcasts structure. they tend towards young mutants or those that they cna sence ((through the use of some mystic artifacts)) have an elemental affinity.
they then train them or use the artifacts to awaken there powers and let them grow at a natural clip. in fact theres an entire story arc or 2 about the outcasts dealing in stolen artifacts in one, and trying to flood the streets with them in another.
So as I understand there pretty much a combination of both. mutants and mystically altered individuals. only the fact that there a street gang with many opposing allegiances. And by there very nature opposing elements fire vs ice, stone vrs air etc. keeps them from being a trully unified front and a trully terrifying force to be dealt with.
So you mean you'll put down your rock, and I'll put down my sword; and we'll try and kill each other like civilized people?
Dubbed first knight of pep-istan by her majesty Queen Pepcat. first catmonaut to walk onna moon.
PENGUIN!!!...(^)>
...............C(...)D
.................m.m
Nice work. I also enjoyed the "click here if you dare" portion, for those who are unconcerned about spoilers. Spiffily done.
There are no words for what this community, and the friends I have made here mean to me. Please know that I care for all of you, yes, even you. If you Twitter, I'm MrThan. If you're Unleashed, I'm dumps. I'll try and get registered on the Titan Forums as well. Peace, and thanks for the best nine years anyone could ever ask for.
It is nice, but it doesn't answer my biggest, longest-held question: how are they getting away with it?
Not how are they getting away with operating in the Hollows, that's obvious -- law enforcement has practically given up there, too many places to hide. But downtown Steel Canyon is the heart of the city's financial district. It has never made sense to me that the nicer the neighborhood, in Paragon City, the higher powered the villains. Wouldn't it be more realistic that the nicer the neighborhood, the higher priority the city would have made it to get villains off the street? All those banks and insurance companies and jewelers, and a branch headquarters of Freedom Corp nearby, and nobody has hired Freedom Corp to clear the streets of low level mutants? It just doesn't make sense to me, any more than the blatant Rikti and CoT presence in Founder's Falls does.
I was going to make this suggestion for a different reason, but this is another good reason for what I was going to suggest:
Spawn Longbow patrols in Steel Canyon. In City of Villains, there are at least two missions around level 20 that send us to (an instanced-outdoor version of) northeastern Steel Canyon for vandalism. When we villains get there, yes, we find a few Outcasts and Council and Tsoo, and I think I remember even one or two Vahzilok ... despite the fact that (having been tipped off we were coming?) the streets are swarming with Longbow.
Honestly, especially given that they're engaged in all-out war in next-door Siren's Call, and given that there's a Freedom Corps Basic Training center in Steel Canyon, and given the amount of wealth there is to protect (and to use to hire Freedom Corp) in Steel Canyon, having Longbow patrols in Steel Canyon makes sense to me. So why not add them to City of Heroes, too? Make it a random zone event where a certain percentage of the spawned groups are Longbow. Make them allied to the heroes, and have them start at the spawn point and "patrol" from there towards downtown (and if they make it that far, and back). They're all but guaranteed to patrol into high level Council and/or Outcasts and get into fights; they won't last more than two or three fights, probably.
Why bother? Well, for two notes of realism, for one thing. For one, if we villains see them, why do the heroes never see them? And for another, they probably should have been there all along. On top of the realism angle, because players love that kind of thing. Look how popular the gang-vs-gang fights in Striga and Croatoa are, which is presumably why you copied the format of them for all seven sectors in the Rogue Isles. This would be an easy way to add that kind of content to Steel Canyon.
Another nice article, especially considering I was getting overwhelmed with "numbers" talk from the responses to Statesman's answers.
I too was a bit confused, both by the base of operations note, and the reference to the Hollowing. The Hollowing was recently stated to be pre-rikti war. This article is much more ambiguous, at least to me. Can we get a confirm on when the Hollowing was. (I prefer it be an event post Rikt war myself, in line with when it really got added to the game).
Otherwise, keep up the good work Artctic...and don't forget to get an original story in there sometime too.
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Earth, air, fire, water
all ready to rumble!
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Where is the heart Outcast!? We all know he's the Aquaman of the Planeteers, but they still can't summon Captain Planet without him!
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Actually, the captain can be summoned with any combination of elements, but his powers will differ (for example, without "air" he cannot fly). Extented time without an element in his makeup will begin to change his personality.
In his origional incarnation, Captain Planet was created with the four elements, earth wind water and fire. The resulting personality was downright dangerous, and could not see the value in life. The modern Captain Planet has the "fifth element" of heart to add a more human personality.
The hell? When did *that* happen? I must have missed that episode of Captain Planet - I don't remember any story of a "Heart"less Cap at all.
Storm Summoning is great because it makes you better than everyone else in the game. - Camma
Knockback is mitigation. It won't be removed just because meleers ***** and moan. - Chaos Creator
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Actually, the captain can be summoned with any combination of elements, but his powers will differ (for example, without "air" he cannot fly). Extented time without an element in his makeup will begin to change his personality.
In his origional incarnation, Captain Planet was created with the four elements, earth wind water and fire. The resulting personality was downright dangerous, and could not see the value in life. The modern Captain Planet has the "fifth element" of heart to add a more human personality.
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That sounds REALLY cool. I don't remember ever seeing that one.
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Actually, the captain can be summoned with any combination of elements, but his powers will differ (for example, without "air" he cannot fly). Extented time without an element in his makeup will begin to change his personality.
In his origional incarnation, Captain Planet was created with the four elements, earth wind water and fire. The resulting personality was downright dangerous, and could not see the value in life. The modern Captain Planet has the "fifth element" of heart to add a more human personality.
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That sounds REALLY cool. I don't remember ever seeing that one.
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Is it wrong of me to be more interested in the Captain Planet history then the Outcast's? >.<
Great work though! I did like the indebth view of Frostfire... poor kid...
Kudos on an amazing backgrounder! Frostfire's personal story is the kind of thing that great comics are pulled from! 
Agent Parker -- Mind/FF Snark Lord
Captain Hadron -- Will/TW Immovable Object
Destroyer-X -- Elec/EA SMASH
Ms Apprehension -- Ill/Rad Chaos Controller
Permanent resident of Virtue
Let me just observe that PlayNC could earn a bushel of bucks by selling Outcast-style t-shirts. I mean, the Arachnos and Stateman styles are nice, but -- I love that lightning logo.
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The hell? When did *that* happen? I must have missed that episode of Captain Planet - I don't remember any story of a "Heart"less Cap at all.
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Captain Planet's wasn't always Ted Turner's communist propaganda tool. In the origional concepts, Captain Planet actually looked like it was going to be kind of cool.
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The hell? When did *that* happen? I must have missed that episode of Captain Planet - I don't remember any story of a "Heart"less Cap at all.
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Captain Planet's wasn't always Ted Turner's communist propaganda tool. In the origional concepts, Captain Planet actually looked like it was going to be kind of cool.
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That's all very nice if you're in the mood for a discussion on the ulterior motives of media moguls. However, it does not answer the question.
Storm Summoning is great because it makes you better than everyone else in the game. - Camma
Knockback is mitigation. It won't be removed just because meleers ***** and moan. - Chaos Creator
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Really nice info and background story, but I'm confused: The article states that his base of operations is in Steel Canyon, but everyone knows he hides out in the Hollows. Am I missing something?
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Their main base *is* in Steel Canyon, but as the article explains, a splinter group of the Outcasts has moved into the Hollows. I think it can be safe to say Frostfire is hanging out with them to make sure this chapter can hold its own ... and he would have gotten away with it if it weren't for you meddling capes!
As to the timeline:
Hollowing - Late 2000
Rikti War - 2002
cheers,
Arctic_Sun
Earth, air, fire, water all ready to rumble! Introducing the Outcasts, one of the street gangs found throughout Paragon City. A motley collection of low-powered criminals, they terrorize the city in their struggle for territory. Although they tend to call Steel Canyon home, a chapter has moved into the Hollows.
Outcast Villain Backgrounder