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[The Thorn Tree] is the objective of Operation Weedkiller, which a clue you can get from a Gunslinger's notebook and informs you of, revealing both the name as well as that villains always foiled it in the past.
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But why? Saying something is the objective of a mission doesnt answer the question of why. How does having the Thorn Tree advance the Malta Groups goal of putting superhumans under government control? Thats the question I think you need to answer.
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You say the Dark Dragon tried to kill you - which his message states concretely to the contrary with "Pardon the pirates, but I needed to know Scirocco wouldn't overwhelm you. They and Malta had orders not to kill. He doesn't."
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Exactly. The Dark Dragon sets you up to fight one of the most powerful villains in the world knowing full well you might die. He thinks you might survive, but you also might not.
Thanks for answering my question about Crimson, I just missed that. Im sorry. I still dont think the Warburg map is the best place, its an overt Malta presence and probably wouldnt be where theyd store something covert. The idea about Crimson being in on the plot is a great twist though. Wish Id thought of that.
But why? Saying something is the objective of a mission doesnt answer the question of why. How does having the Thorn Tree advance the Malta Groups goal of putting superhumans under government control? Thats the question I think you need to answer.
The arc is at least a borderline Mary Sue (the character is on the author's "whitmoorewiki" page; I was slightly more forgiving than you were), but in his defense "Operation Weedkiller" is the first part of the third villain respec trial. The reference here is basically a joke. I've never done that trial myself but on the chance that the Thorn Tree map was a reference to the trials I looked it up on ParagonWiki.
Current Blog Post: "Why I am an Atheist..."
"And I say now these kittens, they do not get trained/As we did in the days when Victoria reigned!" -- T. S. Eliot, "Gus, the Theatre Cat"
In that case, I'm afraid you'll have to wait until the devs decide to reveal why everybody and their mother wants the Thorn Tree other than the generic 'it has a lot of power and can be used for X amount of things, X being an integer that increases by one every time someone thinks of a new use for it' - because until that happens, I won't know either. 
As for the Malta base, in the normal game it's presented to be a (and actually, I haven't found anything to the contrary that it's the)major staging area for Malta heavy-hit operations headed into Paragon. Personally, I agree that a truly covert base would make more sense to do that sort of stuff in, but not only do I prefer to involve game canon in my arcs, but if Malta had any common sense whatsoever, they wouldn't be standing around in Paregrine and have the locations of their supposedly secret bases be public knowledge.
And Venture, that arc is no more Mary Sue than yours. Actually, it's a lot less because it revolves around the fact that the Big Bad doesn't have a lot of power (not to mention the character's not my creation). 
"If I had Force powers, vacuum or not my cape/clothes/hair would always be blowing in the Dramatic Wind." - Tenzhi
Characters
As for the Malta base, in the normal game it's presented to be a (and actually, I haven't found anything to the contrary that it's the)major staging area for Malta heavy-hit operations headed into Paragon.
It is not. It is nothing but an R&D facility. It is only ever mentioned in the LRSF; everything written about it can be found on the SF's ParagonWiki page. I used it myself in "Blowback" because I wanted the Big Bad to grab some advanced weapons for the Fight Scene. It has been dropped in the newest version (on Test), both because the map rapidly became overused and because of spawn issues.
And Venture, that arc is no more Mary Sue than yours. Actually, it's a lot less because it revolves around the fact that the Big Bad doesn't have a lot of power (not to mention the character's not my creation).
Power does not correlate to Sueness. Bella Swan in the early Twilight books is nowhere near the most powerful character in the series but she's a Mary Sue nonetheless even by my standards, if the author quotes on her Wiki page are accurate. TVTropes would (and does) call her an Anti Sue. Sueness is a quality of gravitas, not physical (or metaphysical) power.
(Let me point out here that I'm going by the commentary on the Twilight books, since I wouldn't touch one with somone else's hand.)
I did say "borderline" because I couldn't find any evidence you played the character at all. As for whether you created it, that's not really a factor in my estimation. Adoption counts.
Current Blog Post: "Why I am an Atheist..."
"And I say now these kittens, they do not get trained/As we did in the days when Victoria reigned!" -- T. S. Eliot, "Gus, the Theatre Cat"
Hm, I get the impression you've not been to Warburg much then - because there's indeed much more to that facility than just R&D. 
And fair enough, I suppose. At least one thing equals another there.
"If I had Force powers, vacuum or not my cape/clothes/hair would always be blowing in the Dramatic Wind." - Tenzhi
Characters
Hm, I get the impression you've not been to Warburg much then - because there's indeed much more to that facility than just R&D.
I have. I certainly hope you're not conflating the Web and the missile system with the Malta base.
Current Blog Post: "Why I am an Atheist..."
"And I say now these kittens, they do not get trained/As we did in the days when Victoria reigned!" -- T. S. Eliot, "Gus, the Theatre Cat"
Of course not. The two have nothing to do with one another. Well, at least not directly.
"If I had Force powers, vacuum or not my cape/clothes/hair would always be blowing in the Dramatic Wind." - Tenzhi
Characters
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Hey, why the heck not. Try my arc Power Play. I could use more feedback on it.
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I reviewed this arc on my Ice/EM tanker.
Lazy Mans Review: 4 Stars. Great story, first person narrative, treats your character like a real villain, tough custom mob.
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Thanks for the review. The ability to slip into the role is key to the enjoyment of this arc and I can see you were able to do that. I can also see that you were able to follow the major plot points and missed or misinterpreted only minor details.
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He even has the gall to send you all the way to Paragon City on a meaningless Clockwork hunting mission while hes busy analyzing the HAL schematics.
....
The only thing I have any confusion over is the Clockwork reference, I really dont get why Aeon needed them. I assumed he just wanted them for another experiment, and sent you to get them because he treated you like a lackey.
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I'll address this issue first.
First, the Clockwork reference ties to my other arc, The Once and Future King, for which HAL X-34 is the contact and wherein other clues about HAL X-34's origin are hinted but not yet fully explained. Both arcs share a mythos but also exist seperately, and while not quite "a meaningless Clockwork hunting mission" because it does advance the overall mythos, it's not critical to the advancement of the plot of this particular arc. Because it's a first person narrative which limits exposition opportunities to the immediate experience of the protagonist, and because you never actually go and get any Clockwork for Aeon to study, there is no logical reason to include further explanation than what is offered in the arc.
((SPOILER ALERT)) The other, more immediate reason (to let you in on what Aeon was thinking at this point) is that the inspiration of the Clockwork's Assembler Prince is what leads Aeon to design VAL-X3 as a robot mastermind and depart from the powerset implementations of both Smythe's HAL and Creed's VAL. Again, there is no reason for Aeon to divulge his methods or reasoning to you since he's planning on doing away with you once your part is finished.
Other points:
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Therefore, you offer to ally with Mercys mad genius against Aeon
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Quite the opposite, Creed is the one that extends the offer to align, primarily as an act of desperation once you have him cornered. You are a crafty villain keeping your options open, and an alliance (albeit temporary) with Creed improves your chances at exacting your revenge on Aeon.
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a computer technician with a hate-on for Dell
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Great catch! One of my favorite bits here.
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Using a computer virus given to you by Dr. Creed, you turn Aeons VAL soldiers rouge, and they slaughter the Arachnos guards in short order.
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In mission 1, the VAL Constructs you face are the spawn of Creed's VAL Prototype. They refer to Creed as "father" and are extremely loyal to him (as a matter of programming). In mission 4, the VAL Constructs are the spawn of Aeon's VAL-X3 and refer to her as "mother". VAL-X3's "rebellion" extends to her children as well. The virus you plant is a trojan that opens a backdoor for Creed to hack in, but (in the clue) you learn that VAL-X3's intelligence is already in the network and dispatches his intrusion quickly. Creed is not responsible for the Constructs turn, they are never on your side.
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Technical: The custom mob was a bit overpowered in my opinion. I had to drop down a few difficulty settings because I got slaughtered in the first mission by the VALs. They enjoy a brutal synergy created by the buffs/debuffs of kinetics, and the endurance sapping powers of their attacks.
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You're not the first to mention the powerset choices for the VAL Constructs group and I definitely agree I need to work on them. It's not necessarily that they are overpowered on an individual basis, it is the synergy of their powersets in combination that make them so difficult to deal with, especially on higher difficulty settings and/or in larger groups (based on team size).
Thank you again for the review and feedback.
I'll add mine.
Arc Name: The Trifecta Task Force
Arc ID:164681
Faction: Heroic
Creator Global/Forum Name: @Ashcraft
Difficulty Level: Medium- Designed for teams or strong solo characters.
Synopsis: A unique mutant with ties to the Midnighters Has called on you for help. His brain has mutated to the point where he has three separate personalities. Sister Psyche tried to help him but the time he spent with the psychic powerhouse caused another mental mutation.
Trifecta now has three distinct personalities wrecking havoc in the world with uncontrolled psychic power. One shard of his mind has contacted you and asks that you help him before he loses his mind... for good.
Estimated Time to Play: 5 missions, 20-40 minutes
Promotional Video
A Guide to Champion Drama
My Videos
Ashcraft been published.
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I will submit:
Name: Trademark Infringement
Arc ID: 2220
Name: Death to Disco!
Arc ID: 84420
Thanks,
WN
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I reviewed trademark infringement on my ice/kin corrupter. Because of the nature of the mission (humor) I'm foregoing a plot summary and simply doing a review. I rated the arc four stars.
Story: Funny. All of the custom mobs were well named, I laughed more than once at the dialogue, and the concept itself was entertaining.
Technical: The custom mob is tough, especially the lieutenants with rage. As a squishy, they really hurt me once they popped rage and got that 80% damage buff. The boss, Copy Cat, was the same way. I might be wrong, but I think you gave it build up. That's a real pain. Other than those two, the custom mob was good though. Maybe just consider adding another lieutenant so the spawning is more diverse.
Spelling/Grammar: No problems.
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Technical: The custom mob is tough, especially the lieutenants with rage. As a squishy, they really hurt me once they popped rage and got that 80% damage buff. The boss, Copy Cat, was the same way. I might be wrong, but I think you gave it build up. That's a real pain. Other than those two, the custom mob was good though. Maybe just consider adding another lieutenant so the spawning is more diverse.
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Thanks for the nice review.
None of the Lts. have rage and Copy Cat does not have build up.
WN
Check out one of my most recent arcs:
457506 - A Very Special Episode - An abandoned TV, a missing kid's TV show host and more
416951 - The Ms. Manners Task Force - More wacky villains, Wannabes. things in poor taste
or one of my other arcs including two 2010 Player's Choice Winners and an2009 Official AE Awards Nominee for Best Original Story
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Technical: The custom mob is tough, especially the lieutenants with rage. As a squishy, they really hurt me once they popped rage and got that 80% damage buff. The boss, Copy Cat, was the same way. I might be wrong, but I think you gave it build up. That's a real pain. Other than those two, the custom mob was good though. Maybe just consider adding another lieutenant so the spawning is more diverse.
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Thanks for the nice review.
None of the Lts. have rage and Copy Cat does not have build up.
WN
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Really? Wow. I feel like an idiot, um. In my defense, I played the arc late at night. Other than that, I'm sorry. I really don't know why I thought that.
Thanks for the review, I like the in-character style which I have also used myself in one of my review threads. I understand your point about the plot holes, and I plan to change the council base to a custom-standard group soon. As for the recruiting process, the idea is that they are lured into the cult with typical cult-promises and recruiting tactics. Then after they are convinced, they are scarred in an initiation sequence so to speak. Also, the Matchstick Women recruit those women who already have fire powers. I suppose I could make that more clear somewhere in there.
Sure thing.
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What I did have a problem with is them having a way to return home automatically. Why didnt they just use it right when they got captured?
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is mainly answered in the water dragon's clue with "as he went for help", though Player's clue (Oranbega's dark magic being bad and disruptive to their own magic/abilities) and the final mission clue also make mention to it by telling you their way home had to be kept secret - i.e. they couldn't use it until you, the player, were gone.
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What does the Malta Group even want with the Thorn Tree?
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It's the objective of Operation Weedkiller, which a clue you can get from a Gunslinger's notebook and informs you of, revealing both the name as well as that villains always foiled it in the past.
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We only go to the base because Crimson suggests it, and he doesnt even have a clear reason why hes suggesting it, and all we find there is plans for the next base we attack. Whats Malta doing with plans for an Arachnos base in their Warburg robotics plant?
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Well, apart from using them as common sense implies (as a strategic asset in the planning stages of an attack on enemy territory), they're there for you to pick up and convince your contact to send you to the submarine base. Strategic asset is the 'official' answer, though.
And in regard to Crimson, he does. Peter relays it as "our best bet is the Malta base in Warburg since they often hide their latest projects there". True, it's not a very strong reason, but that's what you do in a criminal investigation: you take suspected leads and follow up on them. Well, either that or Crimson's in on the 'trap' and plays along, as my conspiracy theorist players tell me.
As for you reading all the clues, I'm sorry, but I'm having a really hard time believing that, mostly because you say the Dark Dragon tried to kill you - which his message states concretely to the contrary with "Pardon the pirates, but I needed to know Scirocco wouldn't overwhelm you. They and Malta had orders not to kill. He doesn't."
Mind you, no foul there. You interpreted the story in your way, and I think you for it. It's another point of view that I can use to better my arc, and it helps me narrow down where I need to be more direct in delivery of the main plot points.
"If I had Force powers, vacuum or not my cape/clothes/hair would always be blowing in the Dramatic Wind." - Tenzhi
Characters