Top Secret -- A Report To The Federal Bureau Of Superpowered Affairs On Lord Recluse

City Of Villains Assets: Lord Recluse Revealed!

The enclosed memorandum is circulated at the request of the Director of the FBSA.

Subject: Lord Recluse

At the center of the Web of Arachnos sits the villain I consider the most deadly threat to Paragon City. Stefan Richter has one of the highest recorded power levels in the FBSA database. Even more than that I believe his burning hatred of Marcus Cole, the man known as Statesman makes Richter an Omega Class threat.

Richter was born in Paragon City. He grew up on its streets. He and Marcus Cole were literally like brothers for much of their lives. They grew up together, went to war together, and most importantly gained their powers together. The details regarding the events that occurred during these two men’s exploration of the Well of the Furies have always been difficult to pin down. One thing is clear; their paths from that day forward diverged greatly. It was not long after that when Richter encountered the organization known as Arachnos for the first time. Most accounts indicate that he was recruited by them while they were still Mussolini’s lap dogs. One thing that is very clear, as Richter rose in power within the organization they became more independent and more aggressive. It is almost certain that the old regime would never have been able to establish Arachnos as the ruling body of the Rogue Isles. As an interesting side note, my research strongly indicates that the Council takeover of the 5th Column was almost certainly a direct response to Arachnos’ recent actions in the Rogue Isles. There is evidence to suggest that the Center, the leader of the Council, was aware of Operation Destiny as much as a year in advance of its implementation.

Caption: Photographs of Lord Recluse are very rare.

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Lord Recluse has a personal guard within Arachnos known as Bane Spiders. He seems to have an interesting strategy with regards to these elite troops. He allows all of his most powerful henchmen to use them in addition to the troops from their respective sections. After extensive surveillance I believe I know why. It seems these Bane Spiders are all individuals with psychic potential who are put through some sort of indoctrination at the hands of the Fortunatas. At the end of this process their psychic abilities are altered and they become unswervingly loyal to Recluse. It seems they are turned into psychic receptors connected to a network monitored by the Fortunatas. They are the perfect spies for him to use to keep his lieutenants in line.

Caption: Only the most loyal and ruthless Arachnos agents are allowed to become Bane Spiders.

Lord Recluse was once merely a diabolical Mastermind. Before his powers fully manifested his greatest power was his ability to manipulate people through intimidation and dark charisma. The water from the Well of the Furies combined with the potent magic encountered that day to make Stefan Richter the more physical threat he is now. Although he still maintains his strategic and leadership abilities, Recluse is also a terrible and implacable foe in a physical confrontation. His additional appendages are sheathed in what appears to be Impervium. They combine with his control of energy to unleash a vicious offensive barrage.

Due to his cunning strategies, large body of troops, and immense personal power level, I put forth that Lord Recluse may well be the single greatest super-powered threat on the planet. The one potential crack in his armor could be his obsession with Statesman. I believe his burning hatred of Paragon City’s greatest defender could potentially be exploited. Until we can successfully find a way to bring him down, Lord Recluse and his organization Arachnos are a clear and present danger to us all.

Indigo

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