An Eagle's Journey: Shadow of Disgrace

An Eagle's Journey: Shadow of Disgrace

The Iron Eagles are a hardcore City of Heroes supergroup on the Justice server. Any character who is defeated must be removed from the supergroup (see link above for full rules of engagement). This journal chronicles the career of Shadow of Disgrace, one member of the Iron Eagles. It is a combination of story-telling, game-play recaps, and build advice.

I'm posting this in the Tank forum due to Shadow of Disgrace being a tank. It could have just as easily gone in the Justice server forum, or the roleplaying forum, or even the player events forum with the Iron Eagles thread. But since a large portion of this journal will discuss build choices, it seemed appropriate to put it here.

Story: The Beginning

Every day, I feel anonymous hate; Forever in the shadow of disgrace
-- Replica by Fear Factory (Demanufacture)

A man walked down a road, moving slowly but steadily, toward the blue shimmer of war walls in the distance. Occasional flecks of shadow appeared on his face, around his body, though nothing appeared to cause them. Occasionally smoke would rise from his clenched fists. His face was set, fixed on the city ahead.

He did not know his name. He did not remember his history, though many fragments of memories teased at his mind. He had owned powers to rival the gods themselves, and been broken down to nothingness. He had ruled legions, and been cast out. He had loved, and been betrayed. He had lived for uncounted years, and died uncounted times. All this he knew in only the most general terms. Specifics eluded him, like sand pouring through his grasping fingers.

In his pocket, the man had found an ID Card: Paragon City Hero Registration, under the name "Shadow of Disgrace". His face was on the card, with an association to a group known as "Iron Eagles". It was all he knew, beyond the scraps of memories which confused more than informed. It was a place to start to unravel the maddeningly vague memories.

Without warning, something streaked through the sky above the city. He saw it fall, with an impact that threw debris high into the air. Seconds later, the sound reached him, a massive boom accompanied by a roaring wind.

The man did not stop; rather, his pace increased until he was almost running. He headed directly for the site of the disaster. Where better for a hero to begin a journey to uncover his past?

Build: The Beginning

Shadow of Disgrace is a Dark Armor/Fire Melee tank. Being a tank is a mixed blessing when running hardcore. The extra defenses and hit points certainly are useful for a character trying to stay alive at all costs, but you're also taking an awful lot of fire. To mitigate this risk, Shadow of Disgrace won't be doing a lot of teaming at low levels. I'd like to at least make it to level 22 (for SOs) before joining anything more than a 2-3 person team (with possible exceptions for all-Iron-Eagles teams). While it's unfortunate that this means I won't be joining task forces or the new low level trial, it does mean that I'll get to play through all the new Issue 21 low-level content.

I chose Dark Armor primarily because I don't have a lot of experience with it, and wanted to try it out. My only other Dark Armor character above level 20 is a stalker (which is of course a completely different playstyle). I haven't seen a lot of DA tanks around, though there are quite a few scrappers and brutes. I suspect he'll need quite a bit of help from pool powers and IO sets to get to the point where he's able to consistently tank large groups. Having high resistance to both End Drain and Psionic damage certainly is nice. The tier 9 power isn't useful at all for a hardcore character, of course, but I'd rather have no useful tier 9 power at all than take one with a potentially deadly crash.

The choice of Fire Melee is all about the damage. I already have two other tanks with Fire Melee and I love it. Between Death Shroud and the fire AoEs, Shadow of Disgrace should have a good damage (for a tank). This is important to me as I intend to solo a decent amount, probably through scanner/tip missions, increasing difficulty as level goes up. The biggest problem is going to be endurance, so I'll have to work on that with IOs as soon as possible.

Speaking of IOs, I don't intend to hold back on those. I've got plenty of influence and experience with the market, so there's no real need to be thrifty. I'll slot a couple of the more useful IOs as soon as possible (KB protection, the Steadfast Protection unique +def), then look to slot some L25 sets, a Miracle unique, and some LotG uniques as soon as I hit L22.

Isnt it quite odd that a set that gives you a second change (fire, dark, WP) is not allowed to use this? Roleplay wise it still makes sence.

Back to dark, rely on your healing _alot_. As long its hit, its even better then fire armor healing, as long you can pay the endurance. Fire melee? Bad choice imho. You want survive, you pick a survival set. Ice with ice patch, aoe sleep and a hold has huge survivability, but also SS and even DM have a great way of staying on the 'alive' side.

I do like the idea of the SG though, sadly i am kinda suicidal, or just a highly experienced hospital-teleport-tester.

Just now got my forum access back, which sort of put a crimp in my plans for keeping up on this thread regularly. But there was plenty of other things to do with the new issue.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SinergyX_EU Isnt it quite odd that a set that gives you a second chance (fire, dark, WP) is not allowed to use this? Roleplay wise it still makes sense.

Yep. On the other hand, I intend to make use of the story concept of "lived for uncounted years, and died uncounted times" to re-roll him if he does die. Deleting a toon and re-rolling a new one with the same name is perfectly fine per the Eagle rules.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SinergyX_EU Back to dark, rely on your healing _alot_. As long its hit, its even better then fire armor healing, as long you can pay the endurance. Fire melee? Bad choice imho. You want survive, you pick a survival set. Ice with ice patch, aoe sleep and a hold has huge survivability, but also SS and even DM have a great way of staying on the 'alive' side.

I agree, fire isn't the best attack set for surviving. I have no excuse except that I liked the "dark fire" theme. We'll see how it goes...if I do bite the farm, there's nothing stopping me from trying a different melee set on a re-roll.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SinergyX_EU I do like the idea of the SG though, sadly i am kinda suicidal, or just a highly experienced hospital-teleport-tester.

You would be far from the only one in the SG like this. Feel free to stop on by the Iron Eagles global channel if you ever decide to try it out.

Story: The Disaster in Galaxy City

The sounds of destruction were loud in his ears as Shadow of Disgrace entered the disaster area which had been the Galaxy City neighborhood. Buildings listed at drunken angles, cracks spread through paved streets, fires raged everywhere…and through it all, strange translucent creatures pulled themselves from the ruins and began adding their own destruction.

He saw others pushing back the monsters, and rushed to join them. A sudden clarity of purpose burst in his mind, and he knew that a dark power would protect him. He knew that he could channel heat through his hands to scorch his enemies. He pushed forward into the fray, not questioning this knowledge, only knowing that this fight was one step on his journey to remembrance.

After a time, a lull in the rush of monsters allow him to glance around and take stock of the situation. Nearby lay a fallen combatant, his blue clothing torn and his body battered. Shadow of Disgrace approached, and felt an aura of potential power around the fallen figure. Again, something in his mind clicked into clarity, and he knew that he could choose to restore the fallen warrior, or destroy him.

Shadow of Disgrace paused, fragments of his shattered memories flowing through his mind. He had been in this situation before. He had both healed and destroyed, saved and condemned. The choice now would set his path forward; to either serve only himself, or delay his own advancement for the sake of others. As these thoughts flowed through his mind, the feeling of confusion faded, to be replace by one of resolve. He who knew what it was to be alone with no place in the world would not abandon others in need of assistance. He reached down and willed his power to the figure on the ground.

A brief weakness, a feeling of loss…and then standing before him was a energetic hero, ready to rejoin the fight. "Thanks, stranger! I'm the Blue Spectrum, and thanks to you I'm feeling ready to push these Shivan monsters back." He pointed further along the road, where a group of Paragon Police had set up a checkpoint. "You've done your part here by bringing me back. Head over to those fellas and tell them Blue Spectrum sent you - there's plenty more that needs doing."

The Blue Spectrum dived back into battle. Shadow of Disgrace followed his advice, and shortly thereafter found himself out of the disaster zone. He still felt confusion, and the past was still a mix of confusing impressions and half-remembered scenes. Now, though, he felt a sense of purpose greater than restoring the puzzle of his past. The people of Paragon City needed his help, and he would not disappoint.

He walked through Atlas Park, until he found the man to whom the police had directed him. "Matthew Habashy? I'm Shadow of Disgrace, and I'm here to help."

Build: The Disaster in Galaxy City

Level 1

Power: Dark Embrace
Power: Scorch (L1 Will of the Seers IO)
Power: Brawl (L1 Resistance Tactics IO)
Vet Rewards: Sands of Mu, Blue Wisp Pet, Ghost Slaying Axe, Nemesis Staff
Other Useful Powers: Secondary Mutation, Mystic Fortune, Mutagen

Nothing particularly exciting at level 1 in terms of powers. I will say that I really like the new lowbie IOs that give you something useful to slot right away.

Level 2 (Trainer: PPD Defense Guardian)

Power: Fire Sword (L1 Syndicate Technique IO)
Other Useful Powers: Rest, Fitness

I could have taken another defensive power, but I'm going to take Fire Sword eventually anyway, and it'll make things go quicker through the next few low levels.

Story: Burnscar

Shadow of Disgrace cautiously entered the dimly lit office. As the door closed behind him, darkness closed in, broken only by flickers from small fires scattered around. Smoke hung heavy in the air, and he could hear the murmur of voices from ahead.

Interrogation of several Hellions around Atlas Park had led him here, in an effort to stop them from performing the Ritual of Souls. Somewhere ahead, innocent citizens were in danger. But more than this drew Shadow of Disgrace to this place. It felt familiar, almost comfortable. The darkness and the burning, together, called to something in his soul.

He moved forward, flowing down the hall like one of the shadows. Several Hellions crossed his path, and fell to the fire he drew from within. It appeared dull and gray compared to the bright orange flickers burning in the corners. Was his own internal source corrupted, or somehow deficient?

He pushed such thoughts from his mind as he approached an entryway leading to a large room. Pulsing, eerie light spilled into the hallway; clearly not the result of another fire. He heard only the crackling of fires from behind; from ahead came only silence.

As Shadow of Disgrace stepped through the entryway, a sudden roar filled his ears. The pulsing light and the sound came from a huge, circular field of energy. Within it hung suspended three people, clearly the citizens which he had tracked to this place. Off to the side stood a large, high-tech computer, incongruous in this dark and damaged place. But all this was merely background...he had only eyes for the burning figure ahead.

There was a Hellion standing near the energy field, but this one was different than all the others. Flames licked at his arms, and danced in his eyes. He saw the hero as he entered, and laughed, "Another hero? Come, Burnscar will reduce you to ash you like all the others!" He leaped forward and fire jumped ahead of him, straight at Shadow of Disgrace.

For a moment, he stood frozen, as a memory suddenly jumped to the forefront of his mind. He saw another burning figure, almost completely sheathed in flame, leaping at him with murderous intent. But it was not fire that jumped out from the memory's hand, but absolute darkness...

Pain flared as Burnscar's fire caught Shadow of Disgrace along the upper arm. His mind cleared, focused on the task at hand. Focusing his will, he drew his own gray fire into a sword, slashing it across the Hellion's torso. The fires dueled, one dull and gray, one hungry and orange, as the two men strove for dominance. Another memory surfaced, of a way to soothe the burning damage, but it was only a distraction. The struggle continued, both growing weaker, the burns taking their toll, sides heaving in exhaustion.

Burnscar fell back slightly, regrouping for another attack. Shadow of Disgrace saw his opening and leapt forward, but not wielding fire. Instead, a few sands trickled between his fingers, legacy of the Mu left in an ancient artifact, one of the clues that had led him here. The power in the sands lent strength to his fists, pummeling the helpless Burnscar, until he lay defeated amidst the fires.

The roaring stopped, the energy field disappeared, and the citizens crumpled to the floor. Shadow of Disgrace was exhausted, but the need to finish his work lent new strength to his body, and he helped each of the citizens rise and make their way safely out. Afterward, he would barely remember hearing another voice from the computer, and reporting it back to Matthew Habashy...could that really have been Matthew's missing wife?

All of that faded, buried by his focus on newly recovered memories. He would learn more control of his powers from them, but that was of secondary importance. The burning figure wielding darkness was the key, he knew this. The flames concealed the figure's face and other features, but it was familiar nonetheless. The details were still unclear, but Shadow of Disgrace knew that the figure had bested him in their last meeting. In time, he would face that challenge again, and he would be ready.

Build: Burnscar

Level 3 (Trainer: Ms Liberty)

Slots Added:
1 to Scorch (L1 Might of the Empire IO)
1 to Fire Sword (L1 Clockwork Efficiency IO)

Level 4 (Trainer: Ms Liberty)

Power: Murky Cloud (L5 Training:Endurance Reduction)
Other Useful Powers: Ninja Run/Beast Run

First slots went to spots that could use up the other lowbie IOs. The combination of extra damage, extra recharge, and the occasional proc is very handy. This may be the least I've ever used Vet powers on a lowbie. Although as mentioned in the story, Sands of Mu is always handy.

As usual while soloing at lowbie levels, defenses aren't really even worth running most of the time. But Burnscar did hit me fairly hard, and I'm likely to see more Damned bosses, not to mention Bone Daddies and various Outcasts that do non-smash/lethal damage. So I decided that picking up Murky Cloud early would be a good survival move.

Story: Frostfire

In the heart of the Outcast gang's headquarters in the Hollows, a shadow moved. The interior of the office building which the gang had claimed for their own was alternately scorched and covered with ice. Through this wasteland, gang members wandered. Some stood guard, some pursued errands of their own. And some met a painful defeat at the hands of the shadow.

It had been an eventful few days for Shadow of Disgrace. There was the Vahzilok plot to capture and dismember charity event guests. Arachnos had made an incursion into Atlas Park, looking to capture Galaxy City refugees; that had ended well, thanks to Matthew Habashy. He had met Twinshot and her associates, who seemed eager to join forces; but after visiting their base, he decided that he could do more good helping the police.

That had led him to King's Row, where he met Detective Freitag and the hero Blue Steel. He had received notification from the detective via police scanner of gangs of Outcasts, Vahzilok, and Clockwork. Having dispatched those, he was summoned back to Atlas Park to foil a bank robbery by the villain Comatorium. After putting the villain behind bars, he had been told of Lt Wincott and his work in the Hollows.

Shadow of Disgrace spent time with Lt Wincott and Meg Mason, cleaning up Outcast, Troll, and Hellion gangs. He even ran across the Hellion Burnscar again, who had escaped and was holed up in a Hollows warehouse. But Shadow of Disgrace had learned much in a short time, working with experienced heroes such as Blue Steel and Ms Liberty. This included how to better protect himself from fire attacks; this time their fight was short and one-sided. In due time, Lt Wincott directed him to Flux, who had led him to this scorched and frozen gang hideout.

Shadow of Disgrace was recalled to the present by the voice of Frostfire, somewhere up ahead. He gathered darkness about him as a shield, then launched his attack, drawing on experience from previous battles. The Outcast leader stood no chance before his relentless attack. He ignored the other Outcasts, the icy and burning simulacrums summoned by Frostfire, the fire and ice under his feet. In moments it was over, as Frostfire fell senseless to the ground and the others stared unbelieving at their fallen leader.

Later, after the Outcasts had been turned over to the police, Shadow of Disgrace reflected on his recent experience. He had made little progress in unraveling his confused memories, or identifying the burning figure that wielded darkness, who was never far from his thoughts. But he felt no disappointment from this. The urgency to uncover his past had not disappeared, but it was muted by present accomplishments. The deeds of today were enough…for now.

Build: Frostfire

Level 5 (Trainer: Ms Liberty)

Slots Added:
1 to Scorch (Training:Accuracy)
1 to Fire Sword (Training:Accuracy)

Decided to keep slotting the attacks up front. Each has 3 now, and I'll have to find a fourth for each sometime before L22. At that point I expect to slot 4x L25 Kinetic Combat IOs in each.

Level 6 (Trainer: Ms Liberty)

Power: Obsidian Shield (Training:Endurance Reduction)

Yay, status protection. Well, as much as Dark gets, anyway. The immobilization and knockback holes are annoying. But those are fairly easily filled, and the psionic resist is very nice later on.

Level 7 (Trainer: Ms Liberty)

Slots Added:
2 to Dark Embrace (2x Training:Resist Damage)

At this point I'm starting to need to use my defenses, so it makes sense to slot the smash/lethal resist a bit.

Level 8 (Trainer: Blue Steel)

Power: Dark Regeneration (L10 Theft of Essence: Chance for +End IO)

Now we're getting somewhere on the defensive front. Even soloing, there are times when Dark needs its big-gun heal to stay alive. And whenever I start teaming, it'll be a key power. One of my Iron Eagles compatriots was kind enough to provide the Chance for +End IO, which is handy given the big endurance cost.

Level 9 (Trainer: Blue Steel)

Slots Added:
2 to Dark Regeneration (Training:Endurance Reduction, Training: Healing)

Dark Regeneration is going to end up with at least five, perhaps six slots eventually. Good to get some of them in early.

Level 10 (Trainer: Foreshadow)

Power: Combat Jumping (L12 Karma: KB Protection IO)

Time to fill in those status protection holes. I take Combat Jumping on almost all of my hardcore characters. Getting both immobilization and knockback protection with a single power choice (plus IO), with no additional slots required, and at minimal endurance cost, is a great help in keeping low-level Iron Eagles alive. The extra combat mobility of Combat Jumping doesn't hurt, either.

As I'm sure everyone has gathered from the story section, I went over to the Hollows and ran missions up through Frostfire. Nothing gave me any serious trouble, mainly because I was careful not to get into a situation where I'd be fighting more than 4-5 minions at a time (or 1-2 plus a Lt). Even with that caution, I still needed Dark Regeneration a few times. Frostfire himself was no problem primarily because I timed my L10 level-up boost to hit right before entering his room, but I could have gotten the same result using up my inspiration tray if I'd had to.

Coooool.

Keep it, mang!

Story: Focus

Shadow of Disgrace knocked yet another green-skinned Superadine addict to the ground, then helped the captive citizen to his feet. The police presence in the Hollows was substantial, but often ran afoul of the Trolls and other gangs. There was plenty of opportunity for a hero to step in.

As he moved on in search of the remaining Trolls in this hideout, Shadow of Disgrace caught a glimpse of an object on the floor, something the last Troll must have dropped. Closer examination revealed a gauntlet, battered and worn but still servicable. He picked it up and put it on; the Troll wouldn't be needing it any more.

Clearing out the hideout went very quickly, because the Trolls weren't lasting long in each fight. Each heated punch, each swing of the dull gray sword of fire, was inflicting obvious pain on his opponents. Something had obviously changed when he picked up that gauntlet, and Shadow of Disgrace was determined to learn why.

He asked some of the police officers how he might find more information, and eventually was directed to the GIFT offices in Atlas Park. There, Prince Kiros Nandelu took the gauntlet and examined it closely.

"Yes, I recognize this item," Prince said. "It's fairly common for mutant to use a device such as this to focus his powers. Magic users will often do the same."

Shadow of Disgrace frowned, thinking. "I didn't do anything special, just picked it up and put it on."

"You must already know how to make use of a focus," Prince reasoned. "You just didn't have one until now."

"I don't remember anything about this, but then, I don't remember much of anything very clearly." Shadow of Disgrace paused, then asked, "You said mutant or magic user. Which am I?"

"We can determine that easily," Prince said, stepping over to a nearby desk and picking up a small device. He ran the device over Shadow of Disgrace's arm and studied the readout. He frowned, pressed a few buttons, and repeated the procedure, then stared again at the readout.

After a moment, his curiosity getting the better of him, Shadow of Disgrace prompted, "Am I a mutant?" He couldn't keep a note of anxiety from entering his voice.

Prince looked up and smiled reassuringly. "Oh, I'm sorry, it's just that I've never seen quite this reading before. You are unmistakably a mutant. What's odd is that the device also detected a strong magic presence, which is not at all usual for a hero of your experience." He put down the device and pulled out a map. "But let's not worry about that. Let me show you where you can find Subgenetics. You can find all kinds of focus artifacts there..."

Shadow of Disgrace listened, and followed Prince's advice, traveling to Subgenetics and outfitting himself with all manner of focus artifacts. He ran faster, recovered more quickly, absorbed more of the force of his enemies' attacks...he felt more powerful than ever. All the while, though, Prince's mention of an unusual "strong magic presence" replayed in a corner of his mind. He knew that this was an important piece of information, but it was not enough. He needed to learn more to unlock the mystery of his memories.

Build: Focus

Level 11 (Trainer: Foreshadow)

Slots Added:
1 to Dark Embrace (Training:Resist Damage)
1 to Dark Regeneration (Training:Recharge)

At about level 10.5, I broke my own rules and did a little teaming in the Hollows. There was a person broadcasting in the Help channel asking for help with Frostfire, and since I was already there, helping him out seemed like the neighborly thing to do. Turns out that this guy was quite the newbie (no Vet badges showing), playing an Electric blaster, so it's not surprising that he found Frostfire to be a tough opponent. Another veteran from Help joined us on a Brute, and we made our way through the mission. With only three of us, there was no real danger as long as didn't do something incredibly stupid, and fortunately everyone was happy to follow my lead. With no taunt or AoE power, I had to spend quite a bit of time running around hitting every Outcast I could find so they wouldn't kill off the blaster. I made much use of Dark Regeneration, probably a bit more than necessary, but on a hardcore toon better safe than sorry. Enough blue inspirations dropped for me that I was able to keep using it pretty much any time I got down around half health. Got almost a full level in that mission, so it was a good use of time, and I think we helped the new player out a bit. When I leveled, I decided to slot the defensive powers a bit more, just in case I end up in another similar situation before getting to 22.

Level 12 (Trainer: Blue Steel)

Power: Combustion (DO:Accuracy)

Dual Origin re-enhancement time! I finished out Julius the Troll's missions, and ran a quick scanner in KR, to push my XP bar up to L12. No problem with cost since I'd transferred 20 million inf to myself earlier, so Shadow of Disgrace is now fully kitted with DOs (plus the Karma KB IO and Theft of Essence +End IO). I didn't change any of my enhancement choices - just replaced every training enhancement with the corresponding DO.

I chose Combustion because 1) I'm tired of not having an AoE attack power (other than Sands of Mu) and 2) it serves as a sort of ghetto-taunt with Gauntlet, in case I end up in another team. I'd rather have an attack power than the always-sucking-down-End damage aura at this point, although of course I expect to take Death Shroud later in my career.

Story: The Sewers

Shadow of Disgrace stepped out of the bank in King's Row, dragging the limp form of the villain Martial Gloom. The waiting PPD officers relieved him of the burden, pushing the villain into a magically-sealed paddy wagon for transport to the local jail.

The job here finished, Shadow of Disgrace once again turned to the police scanner for any other signs of trouble. But before he could activate the scanner function on his all-purpose communicator, another notification caught his attention. The Iron Eagles were calling.

He had yet to fight alongside any of the others in the Iron Eagles supergroup. He had joined them in hopes that they would be another opportunity to learn more of his past, since their name had appeared alongside his own on the ID card that was his only physical link to whatever had gone before. Now several of the Eagles were calling for assistance in breaking up a dangerous concentration of villains deep in the sewer system of Paragon City. He decided to answer the call.

Working with a group of like-minded heroes was a completely different experience than fighting crime on his own. Each had their own areas of strength and weakness. Shadow of Disgrace found himself leading the charge, absorbing many of the blows from the Hellions, Vahzilok, and Lost. The others followed his lead, cutting down each new group of villains almost as quickly as they appeared.

Almost before he knew it, they had reached the lowest level of the sewers. A pair of sickly green pulsating mounds of hydra flesh filled the final sewer junction. Once again, he led the charge, but this time only narrowly escaped a massive gas explosion which bubbled up through the disgusting waters. One of the other Eagles was not so lucky, falling face down into the muck. The remaining heroes persisted in their task, and after an epic battle the hydra heads were destroyed.

Shadow of Disgrace emerged from this experience both stronger and wiser. He knew now what it was to be part of something greater than himself. But he also knew the grief that came from losing a valued comrade. Both feelings were familiar, like old friends met again after a long separation, but the details of his prior experiences still eluded him.

Build: The Sewers

Level 13 (Trainer: Sewer Trial Trainer)

Slots Added:
2 to Stamina (DO:End Recovery)

Level 14 (Trainer: Sewer Trial Trainer)

Power: Super Jump (DO:Leaping)

Level 15 (Trainer: Blue Steel)

Slots Added:
1 to Health (DO:Heal)
1 to Combustion (DO: Damage)


When some other Iron Eagle lowbies decided to run the Death From Below sewer trial, I decided it was time to introduce Shadow of Disgrace to the supergroup. I really like the trial. Not only is it a great way to get some quick low levels without the boredom of power leveling, it also gives new players a good way to get some early team experience. Well done, Devs!

I also managed to work my way through scanners to get the KR safeguard, so I now have a couple of temporary travel powers. With that in mind, the choice of Super Jump may seem like a strange power choice. I picked it primarily because I intend to take Acrobatics soon, and I really don't like Jump Kick at all. Acrobatics is a very useful survival power, even though it's overkill most of the time. When running hardcore, overkill on defense is a good thing.

I'd noticed some endurance issues (already!) and thus the extra slots in Stamina. At some point I'll probably end up with a fourth slot, and four Performance Shifter IOs, but I won't be ready for that until L25.

Story: Frostfire's Return

Hailing Frequencies ducked as a chunk of rock flew by his head. An energy beam from his rifle took out the Troll behind that close call, but there were plenty more where that one came from. Temporal Rime was nearby, sending chunks of ice through the air toward the oncoming Trolls. Spell Shooter and Twilight Sunfire were further ahead, but slowly began to give ground, dropping Trolls with blasts of fire and energy as they went.

After the last of the green-skinned gang had fallen to the ground and been teleported away to secure medical facilities at the nearest PPD precinct, the young Iron Eagles took a brief rest. All four were newly arrived to Paragon City, and had just recently attained their tenth security level. This trip to the Hollows in support of Lt. David Wincott and the undercover officer Flux was their first venture into one of Paragon City's hazard zones.

"It's a bit rough out here." A murmur of general agreement met this pronouncement from Hailing Frequencies. "And Flux said he had something even bigger after we finish off this group."

"Bigger as in more dangerous, I assume." Spell Shooter grimaced and continued, "I don't particularly care to join the three previous Spell Shooters on the Eagle memorial just yet."

"I suppose we could put out a call for help to the rest of the Eagles...." Temporal Rime said, but then trailed off. None of them wanted to be known as the heroes who had to call for help in their first really dangerous outing.

After a moment, Twilight Sunfire said, "The other day I met another new Eagle, and he mentioned that he had also spent time in the Hollows. Said he'd be happy to help if I needed anything, and he knows what it's like here. What do you think, should I call him?" The other three nodded in agreement, happy to have an alternative to a general call for help.

The call placed, the young heroes finished the job of clearing out the Troll gang's hideout. When they returned to Flux, he greeted them warmly. "Welcome back, Hailing Frequencies! Thanks to you and your friends for your help with those Trolls." Flux turned to a figure standing nearby, covered in shadow. "Have you met my good friend Shadow of Disgrace? Not too long ago, he helped me to bring in the same villain that you are about to face - Frostfire. It's unfortunate, but the PPD can't seem to keep him locked up."

Shadow of Disgrace stepped forward, extinguishing his protective aura of darkness and shaking the hand of each of the other Iron Eagles. "When Twilight Sunfire called, I came as soon as I could. Frostfire can be a dangerous foe."

Flux gave Hailing Frequencies the location of Frostfire's lair, and the Eagles set out. The scorched and frozen gang hideout was much as Shadow of Disgrace remembered it, though this time Frostfire had gathered an even larger number of Outcast gang members.

As they hunted through room after room in search of Frostfire, Shadow of Disgrace found himself acting in the role of leader, though he was scarcely more experienced than the other young heroes. His protective aura of darkness both protected and sustained him, allowing him to take the brunt of the Outcasts' blows. He led the charge against each new group of enemies, sending pale gray flames at the strongest Outcasts. He was their center of attention for the critical moments needed for the beams of energy, jagged chunks of ice, and fiery blasts from the other Eagles to clear all opposition from their path.

Frostfire himself had kept some of his strongest subordinates nearby. When the Eagles finally found him, they were plunged into the most difficult battle yet...but they were equal to the challenge. Shadow of Disgrace stood toe-to-toe with Frostfire and his guard, while Temporal Rime and Twilight Sunfire supported him and weakened their foes. Hailing Frequencies and Spell Shooter poured rifle energy fire into the Outcasts, dropping them one by one.

When the final Outcast had been defeated, the Eagles gathered for a quiet moment, enjoying the camaraderie. Quiet congratulations were exchanged, well-deserved for a job well done. Then each went their separate ways, a little stronger and wiser, ready to face their next challenge.

Build: Frostfire's Return

Level 16 (Trainer: Foreshadow)

Power: Death Shroud (DO:End Reduction)

Level 17 (Trainer: Foreshadow)

Slots Added:
2 to Death Shroud (DO:Accuracy, DO: Damage)

I continue to fail to mostly solo as originally planned, which is perfectly fine because it's a lot of fun. It is more dangerous, though. The Frostfire mission with four other Eagles was run below my level (11 or 12, I think), which is nice since it gives me a bit more margin for error. Still had a couple of hairy moments, where I'd used Dark Regeneration and it hadn't recharged yet, and my health stubbornly continued to drop. Inspirations and some good support from the team kept me out of any real danger, but I was still a little nervous on a couple of rooms. Especially when we managed to aggro three groups in one of those ice-slide rooms.

The mission got me a couple of levels, and I chose to use my power choice on Death Shroud since I was really feeling the lack of an aggro control tool on that team. It'll be useful solo, too, whenever I can herd up a couple of minion groups. Probably won't run it all the time until after L22, which I can get SOs and some IOs for better endurance management.

I also picked up a Steadfast Protection +Def IO from the Iron Eagle base. For now it's in Dark Embrace. Eventually that 3% defense-to-all will be important to help stack up to a decent level of defense.

Story: The Changed

Markol meditated upon the Change.

With his mind empty of all else, he could feel a connection to his fellow Lost. Many were nearby, in this abandoned building which they called home. Those connections were strong, almost enough to identify individuals. Other, fainter connections indicated Lost in other parts of Paragon City and even the rest of the world. Faintest of all, he sensed the Others, who had completed their Change. Or perhaps they had always been Other.

Once he had been Mark Cole, a human being of no particular note. One of the dregs of society, mostly on the streets, living by begging and petty theft. Then he was chosen, and the Change remade him. His body became larger, stronger, different. His very thoughts were affected by the Change. He welcomed it, concentrated all his energies on continuing the Change, aspiring to join the Others.

The other Lost which he could feel most strongly were no longer tranquil. Something had disturbed them. Within a few moments the agitation was strong enough to break his concentration. The connections disappeared. His own Change was not yet complete enough to maintain the connection in all situations.

Markol moved, gathering lesser Lost to him as he went. Toward the source of the agitation. He would smooth over this disturbance, and then return to his contemplation of the Change.

Rounding a corner, he saw several Lost lying unconscious on the floor. Over them stood...no, floated, her feet did not touch the ground...a young woman. UnChanged. Dressed in a tight blue body suit, with blue hair in pigtails, and the glow of nuclear energy at her hands.

The woman spoke, but Markol paid no attention to her words. Energy came in bolts and waves from her hands, knocking many of his fellow Lost to the ground. But the Change had make Markol strong, enough to weather the storm. He pushed with his mind, and felt a mental resistance. His mind was the stronger, though, and he felt the resistance falter. The blue woman fell from the air. Another push, and she lay unconscious at his feet.

At the next opportunity, the woman would be taken to receive the sacraments of the Change. Until then, one small part of his mind was devoted to muting her powers, keeping her docile. His fellow Lost regained their tranquility.

Markol meditated upon the Change.

Time passed, unmeasured. Then the nearby Lost were disturbed once again. Markol felt their agitation, and felt its source coming nearer. The connection was lost again, but there was no need to seek out the disturbance. It had come to him.

Coming toward Markol was a vaguely man-shaped cloud of darkness. When it passed near one of the Lost, there would be a brief struggle, then the cloud moved on, leaving behind an unconscious body. It moved steadily closer. Markol stepped forward to meet it.

Markol pushed, but instead of the feeling of overcoming resistance, he felt his mental strength slip away. Another push, and again he was turned away. The dark cloud was nearly upon him. He pulled forth his sword, curved and crackling with lines of energy. He swung blindly into the darkness, and felt contact, but it was only a glancing blow. The cloud enveloped him. Heat singed his skin and stole his breath away. Then, all was darkness.

Later, Markol awoke. The dark cloud was gone. So was the blue woman. He and his fellow Lost had been left where they fell. Other than the fallen Lost and missing woman, there was no sign of any struggle. Even the memory of it was slipping from his mind. It was of no importance...the Change was all.

Markol meditated upon the Change.

Build: The Changed

Level 18 (Trainer: Mirror Spirit)

Power: Taunt (DO:Recharge)

I didn't want to take another power that would stretch my Endurance even further, so I decided on Taunt. Obviously useful in teams, but I've also found it handy when soloing for gathering enemies together for Death Shroud and Combustion. The range debuff is extremely useful to a melee character.

Level 19 (Trainer: Mirror Spirit)

Slots Added:
1 to Scorch (DO:Accuracy)
1 to Fire Sword (DO:Accuracy)

The lowbie levels have an inherent accuracy boost. After SOs, you have a good chunk of accuracy from a single slot. But the high teens through L21 are a accuracy hole, where you really need to slot two slots per power. At least, you do if you want to hit 80-90% of the time, which I do. So I decided to add a slot to each of my single target attack powers. They're devoted to accuracy now, and this also gives me 4 slots in each, which conveniently is the number of slots I'm going to want at L25 to slot in 4 Kinetic Combat IOs per power.

Story: Safeguard

Traveling from King's Row to Independence Port, Shadow of Disgrace came upon a gathering of heroes. This was not uncommon in Paragon City, of course. Many would gather in Atlas Park or Pocket D to socialize, near Wentworth's Consignments to barter, or around members of the Freedom Phalanx to volunteer their services to serve the city.

This was a gathering of a different sort, however. He recognized Petroglyph, one of the mightiest of the Iron Eagles, with his great hammer of stone. There was Burning Fuery, legendary for his control of heat and flame. Vox Populi, Umbral Paladin, Last Daughter, Unstoppable Typhoon...the names seemed endless, many of Paragon City's elite. Also present were relative newcomers to the city, such as Avalanche Fighter, and Shadow of Disgrace himself.

In all this gathering, with all their powers, there was one common theme: protection. Each was armored in their own way, and every one was ready to step between others and harm. Shadow of Disgrace approached, eager to discover what occasioned this gathering of such a force. But before he framed his questions, a flurry of activity erupted.

The gathering dissolved into several small groups of heroes. He overheard one such group mention Citadel, one of the Freedom Phalanx, and a task involving the Council. Others spoke of things they had heard on the streets, tips that could lead to stopping nefarious plots by a wide range of villains. But nearest to Shadow of Disgrace, Burning Fuery's voice rang out: "Peregrine Island is under attack! Malta and the Carnival of Shadows roam the streets, and Arachnos is attacking the bank!"

Since coming to Paragon City, Shadow of Disgrace's powers had grown steadily. It often felt as if he was relearning old skills, rediscovering abilities that previously had been second nature. And much more still awaits discovery. Yet despite all of his progress, he knew that the danger of Peregrine Island, including these Malta and Carnival of Shadows, were well beyond his current abilities. Nonetheless, he was determined to do his part in this emergency. He volunteered to help. Following the example set by Burning Fuery and Petroglyph, he knew he could overcome enemies well beyond his normal abilities.

Six heroes came to the aid of Peregrine Island that day. The force was unconventional, even in a city full of superheroes. No wizards threw fireballs, no far-future rifles fired laser blasts. No subtle confusion was inflicted on the villains, no trick arrows spread glue and oil in their paths. Each of the heroes that day stood face to face with his opponents, withstanding all the damage they could do, and wearing them down to defeat.

The chaos in Peregrine Island was turned to order through the efforts of these heroes. Arachnos was driven back. The plots of the Carnival of Shadows were stopped, from firebombs to weapons deals. Malta were cleared from the streets, and the Paragon Police once again have control. All made possible by these heroes who put themselves in harm's way.

The heroes went their separate ways, once the emergency was done. Each had other tasks, other groups of heroes to assist. Shadow of Disgrace was once again alone, but he had grown from the experience. The example set by those more experienced heroes showed him a path to greater power, better ways to improve his abilities, and other ways to be of service to Paragon City.

This story written in honor of Tanker Tuesdays (see the November schedule here).

Build: Safeguard

Level 20 (Trainer: Valkyrie)

Power: Build Up (DO:Recharge)

Finished up Penelope Yin's arc in the Hollows, leveled up and did some shopping in Steel, then ran a few tip missions. I'm aiming to get my hero confirmation and then perhaps run the SSA missions as I level up a bit.

Level 21 (Trainer: Aurora Borealis)

Slots Added:
2 to Build Up (2x DO:Recharge)

Got to level 21 with the fine tanks of Tanker Tuesday. Had a couple close calls fighting in that PI bank mission, as it was once again made clear that a L21 sidekicked to L49 is in no way equal to an actual L49. But fortunately being on a Tanker Tuesday team means there's always someone else around to grab your aggro when you need it.

Level 22 (Trainer: Ms. Liberty)

Power: Cloak of Darkness (SO:Endurance Reduction)

Woot, level 22! Got there via a few more tip missions. I ended up using a respec to move a few slots around, though I fully expect to need another one in a few levels once I can reasonably fit Fighting pool powers in without losing my ability to solo at a decent speed. (8+ years of veteran status means respecs are pretty much an unlimited resource.) Picked up a Miracle unique, a couple 4-IO sets of Kinetic Combat, and a Reactive Armor 4-IO set out of my stash of L25 IOs. Everything not filled with an IO now has SOs. Feeling much more survivable now. Another couple of levels and I'll probably start looking to join a few task force teams.

Story: Moonfire

Striga Isle teemed with Council soldiers. Dozens, hundreds, perhaps thousands. From steep volcanic slopes to the docks of Port Noble, the Council army dominated the island, though their rule was not without challengers. The Banished Pantheon held sway over certain lowlands in the center of the island. The Warriors held a base of their own on a smaller island nearby. Sky Raiders conducted frequent raids from a fortified airfield. Against all of this stood the heroes Ravenstorm and Moonfire. Despite the overwhelming odds, they made their presence felt, with the help of many other heroes from Paragon City.

A small team of Iron Eagles gathered near Moonfire. They had heard of the danger posed to the world by the Council's Nictus soldiers, and particularly their leader, Arakhn. Rainy Knight, Cristallin, Pure Boost, Rad Stacey, Cold Fusionette, and Shadow of Disgrace accepted the risk of defeat to meet this challenge. With guidance from Moonfire, they set out to track down Arakhn and defeat her.

Caves filled with the Council's Vampyr and Werewolves, squadrons of soldiers in underground bases, Galaxy troops infused with Nictus power from Arakhn's experiments...the Eagles faced them all. Shadow of Disgrace led the charge, drawing enemy fire, trusting his friends to defeat the enemies before they could overwhelm him. And he was not disappointed. One after another, the Council groups fell.

In time, Arakhn was cornered. Having come this far, the Eagles showed no hesitation. Her Council guards were defeated swiftly. Arakhn was left alone, more than a match for a single opponent, yet unable to stand against the combined might of the heroes. Dark energy flowed around her, potent and deadly, yet she grew weaker moment by moment as her powers failed to absorb all of the Eagles' force.

During this battle, Shadow of Disgrace stood closest to the Council Nictus leader. His body took the brunt of her attacks, blunted by the dark powers which protected him. Pale gray flame leapt from his hands, barely singing Arakhn, but drawing her attention away from the other Eagles as they pounded her defenses. Unable to stand the force brought to bear by the heroes, Arakhn fell.

To any outside observer, the battle was a great success. The Eagles celebrated their victory with customary restraint, quietly enjoying a job well done. But within the mind of Shadow of Disgrace, victory was not so clear. Yes, Arakhn had been defeated, and the Council threat was diminished. During that battle, though, he had not seen Arakhn before him, but rather a figure wrapped in flames, attacking with fists as black as night.

That burning figure haunted his dreams, ever since he had first seen it long ago. But this time was different. He knew that something was about to change. It involved the Council, and the magical presence detected first at GIFT. It was dangerous, perhaps even catastrophic. And alone, he stood no chance in stopping it.