The Final Darkness

These documents you found in a Council base contain some of Requiem's personal documents, including recent messages to Arakhn:

'My Lady Arakhn,
I know that we are on an accelerated schedule, but you ask too much of my men. perhaps if we'd had a more accurate time for the Peacebringers to arrive, or if you had found or made an opportunity to assasinate the Center as we had planned, we would not have been brought to such a wretched state now. You forced me to draw plans against my own men, yet you never took the Center's life in all these years. All the opportunities you had to silence him, all these years you were close enough to put a blade to his throat, and yet you spared his life at every turn. There is only one explanation: You have feelings for him. You always have, do not deny it. Even before you joined Arachnos, I saw how you and he would court over wine at your villa. In my old life as Ridolfo Uzzano, as a flunky to Il Duce, I watched the two of you. I was there. I saw. I know.
Requiem'

This solemnly worded report explains how the reporter Lillain Issan inflitrated the base before they could recieve an unnamed shipment, was captured, and was then abducted by the Center's Ascendant troops. The author takes full responsibility for the failure, but does point out that he was able to trace where the Ascendants took Lillian.

This message from Arakhn to Requiem was intercepted and copied here by the Council's intelligence group. From the sounds of it, the Nictus aren't taking their defeat well:

'My Requiem,
I must assume that our recent set-backs have set your mind aflame, for there is no other reason I could conceive that would cause you to speak to me with such a tone. has this alteration to our plans so snuffed out your wits? Of course I preserved the Center. think past your crude world of strife, past your philosophy of battles pitting strength against strength. The Center's powers added to our own would have ensured our plans. I sought to preserve a resource you wished to throw away for what? Yes, the Kheldians have stopped our plans, and yes, the Center's men now seek us out. But we have more plans, my Requiem. We are not yet done.'

These shipping records show the lists of cargo ships entering and exiting Paragon City over the last few days. one ship in particular has been highlighted, a cargo vessel that lef from Italy and arrived in Paragon City a few days ago. The words, 'This is where they brought them in' are written next to the ship's name.

After you rescued Lillian Issan, the intrepid reporter and future Shadowstar told you:

'Thanks for the rescue. This is getting to be a bad habit. Who would have guessed that snoping arounf the private armies of would-be world conquering megalomaniacs would be such a dangerous career?'

'Anyway, I found out something important. Arakhn and Requiem have been in hiding, but they haven't stopped their plans. I saw Requiem overseeing the arrival of something major, something they think will let them win even without the Council's troops behind them. hey called them Shadow Seeds. They brought them in on a ship, but I don't know which one. I was caught before I was able to fin dout. Then the Center's troops came after me, I guess to find out what I'd learned, too.'

This slip of paper was left in an empty packing container that once held at least one shadow seed. The paper has some scribbled directions written on it, showing where to tkae whatever was in te crates. You could probably use this to track down where the conents were taken.

Though this email was supposed to be deleted, it looks like whoever was reading it didn't hit the return button, and instead blasted the laptop with some kind of power. The laptop is still working, and you can read the following:

'My Lady Arakhn,
When I presented my plan to you, when I came crawling before you as a mere human seeking power, you knew that the Center's death would have to be part of that plan. We would need his resources, his talents, but we could never trust him to share our power. When you told me where to look to find the Shadow Cyst below Ravenna, you knew that this course could not be altered. And when I arrived before Il Duce, when I presented my services as Requiem and when we began our plans, you accepted what the end of ti all would be. A new world. A new rule. Our rule.
I have never reneged.
I have never forgotten.
I am uncertain, however, if the same can be said for you.
Requiem'

The drawing here show the plans for placing one of two Shadow Cysts beneath the City. The location of only one of the two cysts is shown here.

This letter was written by hand, and as numerous notes angrily penned over parts of it in another hand. Parts of the letter are almost obscured by angily written phrases like 'She would dare!' or 'Curse her Harpy tongue!' Despite this, you can make out the following:

'My Requiem,
At times I now almost regret sending Ridolfo Uzanno to Ravenna. I had hoped you would gain enough strength. I had hope dyou would survive. I had not dreamed that you would join with a Nictus as powerful as Dirge of Entropy, and perhaps that is the problem. perhaps the bond between a Nictus so strong and a man so weak has created a creature too emboldened by it's power. Remember that I am the ruler of the Nictus, Requiem. I am the one who led us to this Earth. I refined fragmentation, I created the cysts where we can survive. You had plans only for temporal power within this world, I had plan to change this world forever and make it a new home for our kind. The Center's genius could have been our greatest asset, and you would tell me what to do with it! You short sighted fool! It is no wonder that our plans hae come to naught with you at their helm!
- Arakhn'

This is a draft of an unfinished letter, written by Requiem to Arakhn. It reads:

'My Lady Arakhn,
You speak of the Center's power as if it were irreplaceable in these 70 years. Even now you let your feelings for him cloud your mine. I, who have burned away all trace of my former human weaknesses am now brought low because I trusted you had done the same. You said you would convert him or kill him. You have done neither, and he has instead helped the Kheldians to hatter ourplans and tear our schemes assunder.'

'Until now.'

'When we are done and this world is under our rule, the Nictus will need a leader if we are to stave off the certain Peacebringer assault and quell the growing number of Warshades. If you show such weakness again, you shall not live to challenge me for the title.'

More important than the test is that is has the location a courier is to deliver the letter written on it. This could lead you right to Arakhn and the rest of the Shadow Seeds.