The Order of Forgotten Mysteries #13: the Illuminati

[anonymous]

YEEEEEEY!!! Here we are again (gotta admit Raddyo, you made me feel a li'l bit guilty with your User of the Year comment :p), so let's start straight ahead!

 

The Illuminati, a faction of which, while appearing in the background the entire time, we know very little of. Their first indirect appearance was already in World at War’s second map, Verruckt, and the Timeline tells us that they even were involved in maps of the latest Zombies game, Black Ops 4. Were they, like history tells us, an order of important scientists striving for a more open, enlighted society? Or were they, like various conspiracy theories tell us, an evil secret society infiltrating every influential aspect of society, establishing a New World Order. In this week’s Order of the Forgotten Mysteries, I am going to sum up the Illuminati’s (and other secret societies under the Illuminati umberella) appearances and influences in our beloved game mode. Who are they?

This code, written in Illuminati language saying “Living Dead”, doesn’t only appear written on the kitchen wall in the Verrückt Sanatorium, but also on the lab coat of Yuri a.k.a. the Pentagon Thief…

 

Let’s start with the very origins of the Illuminati, ironically appearing in the map Origins. In the tombs and crofts of the dig site underneath the trenches we can encounter medieval Crusader zombies, having a large red cross on their armored coat: the symbol of the Knights Templar.

Their appearance in Pablo’s tomb makes sense since, according to the Timeline, the Medieval Great War against the Apothicans took place around the end of the 1200s. The Order of the Knights Templar were a society officially existing from the 1100s until the early 1300s, most notably in Northern France (so they existed around the time of the Great War and even in the right area). Next to being a continental military Christian organisation, they are considered to be the founders of one of the first bank systems of the world. Around their time, they were possibly the most important and influential society in Europe, attracting a lot of noble and religious knights. At a certain point, however, the Pope and the king of France found them to grow too powerful, and accused them of heresy and the worshipping of Satanic gods. Thousands of members of the Knights Templar were arrested, incarcerated, tortured and killed in the most brutal ways. In 1314, the Order was officially abolished by the Pope, but to this day it remains unknown what happened to other thousands of members that weren’t found and arrested yet. Some believe they might have gone underground, continuing as some kind of cult, and for this reason their name became infamous in conspiracy theories.

 

The Freemasons, or Masons in short, is an international brotherhood founded in the 1700s with members that are striving for spiritual and moral elevation, as well as mutual appreciation and help. It is the largest society that uses rituals, spread all across the globe, and thus: a popular theme in modern-day conspiracy theories. Their exact connection to the original Knights Templar remains unknown, but some believe the roots of the Freemasons lay with this medieval faction, united in a new organisation after most members were hunted down by the Church. The society is divided into several orders, and one of the most important and influential one is even called ‘the Order of the Knights Templar’, and similar like their medieval predecessors, if you can call them like that, the Freemasons were heavily opposed by the Church. So by these facts I would certainly see the connection between the Knights Templar and the Freemasons, the latter possibly be merely a modern-day continuation of the prior. The Freemasons are actually named once in our Zombie Saga, and well by no one else than good old Doctor Richthofen, a former member of the Illuminati.

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In Kino der Toten, upon picking up a carpenter power-up: “Must be the handy work of the Masons”. 

We know that Richthofen knew about Sam giving him the power-ups, so why does he mention the Freemasons now? Does he know something we do not know (yet)? Anyway we’ll head to the main subject of the week…

 

The Illuminati, or the Bavarian Illuminati, was a secret society founded in 1776. The society's goals were to oppose superstition, obscurantism, religious influence over public life, and abuses of state power. Just like the Freemasonry and other secret societies, they were outlawed by the Church. In the following several years, the group was vilified by conservative and religious critics who claimed that they continued underground and that they, along with the Freemasons, were responsible for the French Revolution, the beginning of the end of the days of the absolute monarchs in Europe. In the modern days, conspiracy theories say that the Illuminati are lurking in the shadows, controlling and masterminding world events and planting agents in government and corporations, in order to gain political power and influence and to establish a New World Order. Many large companies, organisations, influential political leaders, scientists and other notable people are believed to be members of this society. Their actions seem to have a large impact on Zombies mode, as they are believed to be behind events ranging from setting up the H.A.A.R.P. up to the assasination of the playable character we all love: John F Kennedy. Their umbrella is nowadays said to include various other secret societies such as the extraterrestials-related Majestic 12 and Bohemian Grove, something even mentioned by the Tranzit busdriver.

< Secret societies seen in a Black Ops I Campaign mission intro.

Now here is for all of the Illuminati’s occurances and mentions I could think of (special thanks to @AlphaSnake 's Satanic Illuminati thread), but feel free to add more in the commentbox:

The all-seeing eye in a pyramid, as seen in the Mystery Box.

Something I assume we are all familiar with: The all seeing eye as seen on screens in both Ascension and Five. The Pentagon, as a matter of fact, is interchangeable with the pentagram, a symbol associated with both the “Satanic” Illuminati and the Apothicans/Keepers. In Five, we also encounter paintings of George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, Benjamin Franklin & Abraham Lincoln, all four believed to be Freemason members. The Illuminati symbol is also seen at various spots in Kino der Toten, proving their influence there as well. Are they watching us?

 

The first actual direct mentions of the Illuminati in our story was in the Ultimis maps of World at War, where Richthofen referred to them as his masters. However, in the later released Kino der Toten, Richthofen says, upon obtaining the Raygun from the ‘Black Magic Box’, that “the Illuminati will never get their hands on him again”. When the Timeline was released after Black Ops Three, it was revealed that Richthofen joined Group 935 secretly on behalf of the Illuminati, but left the latter soon after his discovery of the MPD. This could be either due to him not wanting to share the knowledge of the existence/location of the MPD with the Illuminati, or he did it on behalf of the Apothican voices in his head, the schizofrenia he received upon touching the static field of the MPD for the first time.

In Dimension 63, the Illuminati are also mentioned for constructing Primis Richthofen’s lab, possibly acting in favour of the Keepers (assisting Richthofen in saving the Multiverse) or the Apothicans (assisting the Warden in trapping Primis). Interesting enough, in the underground of Morg City we observe that the area was used by the Order of the Keepers to perform rites and such, and there is also a map of Alcatraz found (which can be related to the Illuminati). What appears certain to me, is that the Illuminati was very knowledgeable of Element 115, the Aether, Agartha and the Vril-Ya. The roots of the Illuminati umbrella may possibly lay with the very knights fighting the Great War against the Apothicans. There are Illuminati language found in ancient plates in Shangri La. Many of the Tranzit busdriver’s quotes can be related to the H.A.A.R.P. and such presumed Illuminati outposts, and the busdriver was built by Broken Arrow. Next to Richthofen, they might have multiple infiltrants in not only Group 935, but also Broken Arrow, the Ascension Group and Gorki-Korelev (GK). The question remains: What side were they on?

[RadZakpak]

7 hours ago, anonymous said:

YEEEEEEY!!! Here we are again (gotta admit Raddyo, you made me feel a li'l bit guilty with your User of the Year comment :p

No guilt intended, only a yearning for more discussion!

 

I'd also like to bring back discussion here about the Ancient Order of the Keepers, a similarly forgotten Order:

 

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 "Hey Mr. Rapt. So, I went by the market again today. For some reason, the fruit seller was much more talkative, even if what he said was more than a little crazy. He told me that when he was a boy, his uncle would get drunk and start talking about how a 'dark force' cast its shadow over the city. How good and evil were battling right on our doorstep, and that the only thing holding back the forces of the apocalypse was.. The Ancient Order of the Keepers. Well, even if what he said was more than a little crazy, I'm not sure he was. Even though they're scared, or maybe because they are... people are talking more. Asking around, I've heard more than a few whispers about this Ancient Order and the Keepers. I think it's some kind of cult. They say you can hear them chanting sometimes, from beneath the city. There's all these rumors about human sacrifice and freaky shit that even the police won't investigate. Because they've been paid off, or because they're too damn scared? I'm not sure what to believe anymore."

An old fruit vendor of Morg City, the same man who heard a story about a sickness spreading through a New England town in 1882, told the Reporter about the Ancient Order of the Keepers. The way he describes it, the forces of good and evil, Keepers and Apothicons are battling and pushing against one another in Morg City. We know the Apothicons are trying to weasel their way into Dimension 63 and assimilate its inhabitants. What's interesting here is the sentence, "I've heard more than a few whispers about this Ancient Order and the Keepers". I double checked the audio, which you can listen to here, and he puts extra emphasis on the word and, as in the Ancient Order and the Keepers are two separate entities. The organization "The Ancient Order of the Keepers" seems to be made up of humans worshiping the Keepers beneath the city. Whether they have been ordered to do these "Human sacrifices and freaky shit" by the Keepers themselves is unknown. The seem to be not just a bunch of weirdos in the subways, and have enough influence and money to be able to pay off the police or they at least frighten them in some way.

 

How does that relate to the Illuminati? In Dimension 63 both the Ancient Order of the Keepers and the Illumnati operate around the same time; The Order of the Keepers operating in and around 1944, and the Illuminati helping Richtofen build the lab in at latest 1941. It's possible that the Illuminati may be lead by the Apothicons, with the Order of the Keepers being an opposing group. That brings into question why Richtofen would leave the Illuminati to do the bidding of the Shadowman, then, if they were all led by the same force.

 

I would propose it would make more sense for the Illuminati to be influenced by Monty, instead. We know Monty doesn't like to intervene directly, valuing our sense of free-will, despite all the problems it has caused. He, however, is not above little nudges that push us in the right direction, from the perk machines to the Maxis being sent on his journey to create the first MTD prototype. The Illuminati would be a perfect tool for pushing his own agenda to keep the cycle going, because despite his desire to defeat the Apothicons, he can't bring himself to do the truly right thing: To break the cycle. With their help, Monty can keep the cycle going. This also explains his beef with Richtofen:

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"I have to admit something to you Edward. Something I've never ever, ever had to admit to anyone before, it's really quite embarrassing. You ready? Here it is. I don't understand you matey. I don't understand a single thing about what makes you tick! You are the closest thing to an absolute distillation of obtuse obstructionism, an unparallel maniacal chaos in human form as it is possible to imagine."

Richtofen, in all his forms, is the anti-thesis of order. Everywhere he goes, he brings chaos with him, and under the orders of the Shadowman, he separated himself from the Illuminati. For this reason, Monty can never truly have humanity under his thumb as long as there is free-will. Richtofen will always break that control.

[KronoriumExcerptB]

One interesting thing about the illuminati is that the Warden specifically references how they don't approve of his actions sacrificing the mobsters to summon the Shadowman.

 

Warden: "The work will continue with or without the damn(static) Illuminati. All they do is talk and scheme and pass judgement on methods that they deem unorthodox. Well, to hell with their protection!"

 

So I would agree that the illuminati probably follow Monty and not Shadowman, and Warden broke away from them and followed the Shadowman.

 

 

I also still like the idea that the Warden somehow came across Buried, which is why he's known to have Civil War-era weapons and where he learned about the Shadowman. 

[RadZakpak]

2 hours ago, KronoriumExcerptB said:

One interesting thing about the illuminati is that the Warden specifically references how they don't approve of his actions sacrificing the mobsters to summon the Shadowman.

 

Warden: "The work will continue with or without the damn(static) Illuminati. All they do is talk and scheme and pass judgement on methods that they deem unorthodox. Well, to hell with their protection!"

 

So I would agree that the illuminati probably follow Monty and not Shadowman, and Warden broke away from them and followed the Shadowman.

 

A very good point, just like Richtofen he splintered away due to the Shadowman's influence. Monty seemed not too keen on Richtofen's blood plan in the first place, so he wouldn't exactly approve of the Warden's actions here.

 

2 hours ago, KronoriumExcerptB said:

 

I also still like the idea that the Warden somehow came across Buried, which is why he's known to have Civil War-era weapons and where he learned about the Shadowman. 

That's a theory worthy of exploring right there. The Warden is in a very similar situation to Ultimis Richtofen, driven mad by the Shadowman inside his head. If not from coming into contact with the MPD, I wonder where he first touched the Aether. Buried and the rift underneath might be a perfect location. We know Group 935 discovers it in the original timeline in the 40s, but perhaps it was found much earlier in D63. In fact, it could even be related to this cipher and its mention of a drill:

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Finally the lab is almost complete. Security measures have been put in place so the chance of detection by the Americans is very unlikely. We also have several agents embedded with the staff as insurance. We will keep the individuals in stasis, on ice to speak, and continue the specimen rotation once we finish drawing more power from the drill. Oh, I almost forgot, the sequencing for the current blood samples is as follows: SSMJABR

The drill may be a red herring to make us think Nuketown, but the fact the lab is in Dimension 63 complicates things, so in fact the drill in question may be at Buried, and run by the Illuminati to help Richtofen create his lab. 

[anonymous]

Both wunderbar replies I self have not noticed! I find the division in the Ancient Order and the Order of the Keepers interesting. Your comment is very convincing in to believe that the undercrofts of Morg City were used by the Illuminati (or any other secret cult/Order under their umbrella), and it would explain the Alcatraz map there. It pretty much reminds me of Bane's underground HQ in the Dark Knight Rises, hidden in the severs and subways of Gotham. It might be this location where the Illuminati, as the Warden says, do their "talk and scheme and pass judgement on methods that they deem unorthodox". As the undercroft also features several candles, human skulls and skull of which I presume are Apothican. After the 'rituals-door', in the Pack-a-Punch room, we even encounter the picture of the medieval Great War, possibly tightening the connection between the Knights Templar and the modern Ancient Order/Illuminati. Human sacrifices might be needed for using their Life Force to open portals for making contact with their "gods". 

 

Just throwing a ball at you guys (or however you say that) but, do you think Nero might have known/have contacts in the Ancient Order? I always felt like something was off with that guy. A character always mentions that, upon entering Neros room, "this is a room of secrets", and during the Easter Egg, in one step we also have to pick up a book in Nero's room. Somehow it seems like Nero's character has greater importance than the other three, seemingly confirmed by the map's poster and loading screen. See how Nero stands above the rest:

 

I honestly totally forgot about that Blood of the Dead radio. If the Warden was a member of the Illuminati, their knowledge and actions might have been how he came in contact with the Shadowman. He simply knew of his existence and because of his rotten character, he betrayed the Illuminati, chose for the dark side and made contact with the Shadowman through Satanic blood rites and such. @KronoriumExcerptB I dont fully understand what Civil War-era weapons you mean, as Mob of the Dead is the only bo2 map I do not possess, but if you talk about the Tomahawk thing, I think that is a blink to the Rock's history: Native Americans mentioned evil spirits they purportedly encountered on Alcatraz island long before it became a federal prison. Bones and artifacts unearthed by archaeologists have indicated that it might have served as a burial ground for Native Americans. A lot of burial grounds or mounds are made at what is believed to be leyline locations (which is confirmed by the chalk board in BotD's spawn room). 

 

Still, your idea about the Warden having made contact with the Apothicans via Buried sounds very appealing. Maybe he or his father originated from Purgatory Point before it disappeared. It is said that a meteor shower in New England, 1882, made fungus appear and possibly caused the New England Vampire Panic with as hotspot Purgatory Point. Perhaps something rotten and corrupt remained in the family ever since...

 

Concerning that, by the way, Faust made a very admirable post about a connection between the Apothicans and Lovecraft a while ago. I kinda replicated that thread with some updates, as I thought the original post itself might be too old to reply on. I never released it because I felt like it was too much of an imitation post, but I think it might fit well with the previous story about Purgatory Point and such, so here it is. All credit to Faust, of course:

 

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

The Mi-Go, or Apothicans

 

In Lovecraftian tales, the Mi-Go are fungus-based multi-dimensional creatures, extremely varied due to their prodigious surgical, biological, chemical, and mechanical skills. Several Earthly paranormal entities, such as the Tibetan Yeti, are Mi-Go’s, though the most common variant in Lovecraft’s books are those resembling some kind of humanoid crabs. They possess a pair of membranous bat-like wings which are used to fly through the "Aether” of outer space. Sounding familiar?

What I find interesting in particular is that they are said to be fungus-based. Remember this radio?

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Reporter: "Hey Mr. Rapt, just checking in. So, I'm here, finally, taking in the sights, sounds and smells of Morg City. I know you sent me here to write a piece about the city's bustling nightlife and theater scene, and the characters that inhabit it, but things are getting kinda strange. Even though no one seems to wants to talk about it, something is definitely off about this city. Just last week there was a meteor shower, a freakin' meteor shower! And everybody acted like it was no big thing. Then, the mold showed up, all over the city. In the dark, damp alleys, there's a strange kind of fungus growing. It looks weird, and smells even weirder, but nobody's really said anything. Then people started getting sick. At first it just made them delirious... confused. Then they really got sick. It was like they were wasting away. People finally started talking about it. I spoke to one guy in his 80s, a fruit seller, at a local market. He said a similar thing happened in New England in 1882. When I tried to press him on it, he just lowered his head and ignored me. If you ask me, something definitely ain't right here."

It seems like the meteor shower somehow brought the fungi seen growning in the dark, humid alleys of Morg City. Someone on the reddit made a connection between the New England meteor shower of 1882, the at-the-time ‘Vampire Panic’ and the Buried Town, Purgatory Point. The Vampire Panic was a reaction to an outbreak of tuberculosis in New England, as the disease was thought to be caused by the deceased consuming the life of their surviving relatives. Bodies were exhumed and internal organs ritually burned to stop the "vampire" from attacking the local population and to prevent the spread of the disease. Not only does this remind us of possible Satanic, Apothican rites being involved in the 115-infected Purgatory Point, but also to a potential connection with the much-later appearing faction that would go under the name The Flesh. Dead eating the living, living eating the dead. Just thoughs :)

 

Anyhow, back to Shadows of Evil, fungi are known to be able to diffuse a lot of spores and therefore spread rapidly, so could these things be the origins of Apothican influence in the City? Could the meteor shower literally ‘sewed’ Mi-Go? 

 

Now before you think we are fighting evolved mushrooms all the time, consider this: Fungi is one of the five major organism kingdoms. The to us known species of fungi are even more diverse than comparing a tardigrade with a human. That being said, fungi originate from the very same eukaryote group as animals and plants do, and they have most likely evolved from the very first multicellular animals, just like we evolved from ancient plant-like. 

 

I would like to share one final particular aspect of the Mi-Go: Their ability to transport human consiousness by by removing the subject's living brain and placing it into a "brain cylinder", which can be attached to external devices to allow it to see, hear, and speak. This sounds very much alike to the technology used to transport Maxis from the Crazy Place to Agartha to the House.

 

“Maxis’ brain arrives in Agartha and Doctor Monty decides to step in. Monty brings Maxis’ brain to the house and wipes the Maxis corrupted by Dark Aether from existence.” - Timeline

 

“With Doctor Monty’s help, the Maxis Drone arrives at the house in Agartha. Despite the absence of his soul, Monty recreates a physical manifestation of his Dimension 63 form.” - Timeline

 

Nyarlathotep, the Shadowman

 

The Mi-Go, however, are not the most powerfull race in existence, something far more terrible than you can imagine lays beyond them. They serve a master: Nyarlathotep, the Black Man (note how Black is a synonym for Shadow). Although he is able to shift his physical shape, he is mostly described as a tall, swarthy man. He is frequently associated with the Devil and any other evil spirits named in various cultures and religions around the globe. He wanders the Earth, seemingly gathering legions of followers, his demonstrations of strange and seemingly magical instruments. These followers lose awareness of the world around them and get an impression of the world's collapse. This sounds very much alike to how the Shadowman manipulated the Shadows cast into doing what he wanted, to “prevent the destruction of your world”. 

 

Different than the other Apothicans, the Shadowman seems to, just like Nyarlathotep, able to appear and disappear in any dimension where he wants (with the exception of Agartha). He alone, however, is not able to consume a universe, though he has a very manipulative tongue. He is the harbinger of the Doom that lays beyond him, beyond the Mi-Go: the Outer Gods, the Universe Consumers. In Shadows of Evil, the Shadowman talks the cast into performing Satanic rites, involving the sacrifice of a soul bound to an object. Using this soul’s Life Force, the Apothicans are able to open a small gateway, sending in a Gateworm (possibly the type Apothican that eats the Pack-a-Punch in Revelations, merely in a larval state). Four of these Gateworms are needed to break the Apothican Rift Stone in the City’s undercroft. When this happened, the Apothicans gained full entrance in Dimension 63, starting consuming it.

Will Murray, an American novelist, has speculated that Lovecraft’s image of Nyarlathotep may have been inspired by the inventor Nikola Tesla, whose well-attended lectures did involve extraordinary experiments with electrical apparatus and whom some saw as a sinister figure… Could the Shadowman’s origins lay in scientific experiments done by humans? An artificial demon.

"Beware of the beast man.

For he is the devils pawn.

Alone among gods primates.

He kills for sport,or lust,or greed.

Yay he will murder his brother to posses his brothers land.

Let him not breed in great numbers,

For he will make a desert of his home,and yours.

Shun him, drive him back into his jungle layer.

For he is the harbinger of death."

- GKNova-6 files

 

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Great respect for getting through all these words. Sorry for making this commentbox so chaotic.

[RichKiller]

Great thread. 

"Could the Shadowman’s origins lay in scientific experiments done by humans? An artificial demon."

 

This reminds me a theory of @PINNAZ that says the Shadowman and Monty are subjects of test number #1,#2 of Maxis' MTD tests.
 

"Do you think Nero might have known/have contacts in the Ancient Order?

He was most likely contacted by the Shadowman, which probably cooperates with him. As you probably know, there is a poster in SoE showing apothicon tentacles coming out of Nero's crystal ball. 

The symbol of the Illuminati is an eye within a triangle. It is appropriate to consider the afterlife symbol, an eye within a rhombus. Could they be representing the same thing? 

 

 

Also consider the overlords mentioned by the Shadowman. Could they be the leaders of the Illuminati?

Any discussion of the Illuminati reminds me the following message/cipher from Der Riese:
"To faithful servant, The seed has been planted, observe and report, Maxis must not know."

and the above leads to the Porta cipher from Shadow of Evil:
"The elders will continue to seed space and time. I must lead them to the place they cannot see."

[anonymous]

On 12/18/2019 at 8:05 PM, RichKiller said:

Do you think Nero might have known/have contacts in the Ancient Order?

He was most likely contacted by the Shadowman, which probably cooperates with him. As you probably know, there is a poster in SoE showing apothicon tentacles coming out of Nero's crystal ball. 

So Nero has a book in his shelf, talking about the Keepers. Jessica Rose says the following upon picking up the book:

 

"I'm a fast reader... (rapidly) Bla, bla, bla, bla... For two millenias, the Keepers kept the forces of darkness at bay. That power is always dormant, just waiting to be awoken. Just as it was on the battlefields of the Great War."

 

So Nero knew about this, about the gooddies and baddies of an everlasting ancient war between two alien races? Who is he, and what more does he hide from the rest?

 

"I can hear you! Geez, are you...are you the one I saw i-in my...dream?"

 

"I-I think we should listen to him. Really, really listen to him."

 

Nero says this upon observing the Shadowman. Did they had contact with each other prior, in a dream-like vision just like Cornelius Pernell perhaps?

[RichKiller]

35 minutes ago, anonymous said:

So Nero has a book in his shelf, talking about the Keepers. Jessica Rose says the following upon picking up the book:

 

"I'm a fast reader... (rapidly) Bla, bla, bla, bla... For two millenias, the Keepers kept the forces of darkness at bay. That power is always dormant, just waiting to be awoken. Just as it was on the battlefields of the Great War."

 

I know these book quotes are in the files but I never heard them in-game.
Can anyone confirm they heard the book quotes in-game or even a recorded gameplay which has them?

[anonymous]

23 hours ago, RichKiller said:

I know these book quotes are in the files but I never heard them in-game.
Can anyone confirm they heard the book quotes in-game or even a recorded gameplay which has them?

I honestly don't know. Will check it if I ever reach that step.

 

Another thing, with help of @caljitsu's recent Apothican translations thread, it appears to me that Nero's area, Easy street, is associated with the symbol for 'Envy', a characterism that can be connected with Nero himself. Now, the interesting thing is that the litteral Apothican translation of their symbol for Envy, with radials and all, is 'consume(d) mind/brain'. So is Nero envy, is envy meaning his mind is consumed and perhaps corrupted like Maxis' and Richtofen's? That would be another argument for Nero having a dark background with the Shadowman