Scirocco

Scirocco

Perhaps the most puzzling of the super-powered Arachnos operatives to come under the purview of my investigation is the man known as Scirocco.

It is my intent to shed as much light as possible on this shadowy figure in the following report, but the matter of Imad Malak is not a simple one to unravel.

I began following Scirocco's trail in Paragon City. There was another man called Scirocco who operated as a hero starting sometime in the 1980's.

Before that, information on this hero quickly became sketchy. I was able to piece together a few things. He was originally granted powers by a mysterious order of monks from the Temple of the Four Winds.

Very little is known about these monks, but a few things are certain.

First, they train gifted individuals in the mystic arts. After accessing early Freedom Phalanx records I was able to determine that the Dark Watcher was one of their trainees.

I was not able to locate him for questioning. He has not been heard from since he vanished on one of his dimensional patrols in 1957. The second aspect of the Order of the Four Winds is more difficult to analyze and is the one that affects my current investigation directly.

It seems they are responsible for granting "mantles of mystic power" to certain individuals who embody the winds of the world. The Scirocco, as an example, originates in the Sahara Desert as a dry dusty wind but becomes humid as it passes over the Mediterranean.

I could not determine what criteria are used to choose these individuals, or why the last Scirocco was a hero and the current one appears to be a villain. Perhaps the dual nature of the wind itself has something to do with it.

One important fact should not be lost here: before his encounter with the monks, Imad Malak had a certain amount of power from artifacts he had stolen -- but nothing like the level he attained afterward. This order bears further investigation.

Scirocco's connection to the Temple of the Four Winds was solidified in my mind by his association with Irena Rudenko, also known as Ice Mistral. She is another recipient of the monks' "blessing."

Her powers are quite different from Scirocco's and are clearly analogous to the icy-cold wind that matches her name. Her relationship to the monks seems different as well. I found evidence of at least three instances in which Ice Mistral has come into conflict with Monks of the Fours Winds in the last year.

I have not been able to confirm the source of the conflict, but Rudenko is wanted for murder in several countries.

An alliance with her enemies could help in bringing her down.

Recently Scirocco has had more and more control over Lord Recluse's Mystics. They are a relatively new division in Arachnos' web but early evidence indicates they may well be one of the most powerful. Their part in the Paragon City Power Crash (See File PC-404) raises their potential threat rating to the highest levels.

I am planning a more detailed report on the Arachnos Mystics at a later time.

In most ways Scirocco is a typical Corruptor. He embodies the power of the desert storm wind. Deadly blasts of lightning and violent winds are all in his purview. His ace in the hole is the Blade of Serafina that he carries. Often it causes him to be mistaken for a Stalker.

It is actually a last resort weapon, but anyone engaging him in melee should be wary of its bite. One rumor indicated that the blade might be cursed, but I could not find confirmation.

Ice Mistral is a Dominator with mastery over ice and wind. She relishes the chance to knock down and torment her foes, reducing their ability to recover from attacks. One eyewitness watched as she locked her foes in a cage of ice and then ripped them to shreds with razor sharp Icicle blasts.

Of the two, Ice Mistral is the most direct threat. She is a killer and should be treated with the highest caution. Scirocco cannot be ignored however. If they are encountered together he will fight fiercely to defend her.

Despite indications of a strong honorable streak, his motives are questionable based on his associates alone. For the most part Scirocco keeps himself aloof from Arachnos' other super-powered operatives, but I have seen him speaking to Ghost Widow on several occasions.

Perhaps that relationship is another weakness that can be exploited to bring him down.