Kaiser Iron

Kaiser Iron is the sixth encounter in the Vryllon Citadel raid, serving as the second encounter of the Vryllon Core wing. He is, supposedly, the lost son of Ghost Iron, and the last living commander of the Ghosts of Iron forces, which some had seceded to join the Shard of the Sun. His efforts however, lead to speculation, due to his essence of undeath that he is a sleeper agent, and that he seeks to restore Syndra to its 'undying glory'.
The battle consists of three phases (four on Rising), with intermissions every two minutes. The fight is essentially a battle of survival that focuses on mitigating several of Kaiser's abilities but also avoiding adds that spawn in the fight that deter the raid that can lead to wipes. Each phase, Kaiser gains one artifact of Ghost Iron's to use against the adventurers. Within the intermission, he invokes the Iron Lament, similar to the River of the Fallen in the Skull-Lands. His fourth and final phase that is featured exclusively on Rising allows for an interesting battle where Ghost Iron finds his way back to the mortal world, and requires two tanks, as well as the raid, to survive simultaneous assaults and prevent raid-wide damage.
==Background==
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== Abilities ==
Kaiser Iron has three (four on Rising) phases along with an intermission period every two minutes that lasts one minute. Each phase he adds new abilities to his arsenal and keeps powers from the previous phase.
=== Intermission: Requiem for the Fallen ===
* Spectral Bulwark: Reduces damage taken by 99% while channeling the Iron Lament.
* Iron Lament: A song of sorrow, pain, and respite that increases damage taken by double. Stacks every 6 seconds.
* Lament's Anguish: Kaiser unleashes a pulse of psionic energy that shatters his enemy's minds, dealing 25,850 - 31,980 damage.
* Ghost Echoes: Very faint portals appear during the Requiem at random locations. Being within 10 yards of an Echo deals 6,709 - 6,882 damage per second. Entering an Echo affects players with Haunting Visions.
** Haunting Visions: Deals 14,322 - 15,653 damage every 3 seconds. Allows players to perceive hidden secrets.
* Ghostreaver - Knights of Kaiser who revel in the Iron Lament.
** Spectral Slash: Deals 26,985 - 31,322 damage to all enemies in a 10 yard cone in front of the user.
** Dying Wish: Killing a Ghostreaver removes a stack of Iron Lament to all enemies within 20 yards, but reduces healing done by 10%. Stacks.
* Fallen Iron - Fallen members of the Ghosts of Iron that seek vengeance upon the living.
**Deathshock: Contact with a Fallen Iron deals 40,000 irresistible damage and stuns the enemy for 6 seconds.
**Sorrowsong: A sorrowful wail that deals 12,500 - 15,000 damage to all enemies every 3 seconds for 30 seconds.
* Spectres of Death - Dangerous beings that seek nothing but the death of their enemies. (Rising)
**Fatal Grasp: Contact with a Spectre instantly kills the target, and adds a stack of Iron Lament to all other members of the raid.
**Agonizing Defiance: Reduces movement speed of enemies within 50 yards by 20%.
=== Phase I: Visage of the Ghost ===
Kaiser dons the Visage of the Ghost, granting him ocular capabilities.
* Pain Spike: Launches a spike of grave energy, dealing 83,432 - 85,432 damage to the target.
* Afflict: Corruption seeps in the chosen target, dealing 23,432 - 26,543 damage every 3 seconds and increasing the damage of Pain Spike by 25% for 30 seconds.
* Soul Volley: Deathly souls pour out of the helmet every 3 seconds, dealing 78,982 - 81,983 damage to the main target, and 50,688 - 53,211 damage to the closest two targets to the main target.
* Vengeance Aura: For 10 seconds, Kaiser Iron reflects damage equal to 20% of the damage dealt back to corresponding enemies.
* Gaze of Syndra: Channels a powerful ocular beam, dealing 626,985 - 630,221 damage over 3 seconds to all enemies in a 15 yard cone.
* Mindgame: Selects a random target, swapping their damage and healing for 6 seconds. After this ends, the user takes 20% of their health in damage and are stunned for 6 seconds.
=== Phase II: Tome of Iron ===
Kaiser dons the Tome of Iron, allowing him to beckon powerful spells from its pages.
* Echoing Words: The Tome of Iron's words are chaotic to all who fail to understand them. Deals 16,509 - 19,323 damage to all enemies every 5 seconds. 
* Iron Tome - Legion: Summons ghostly visions of fallen Iron members five yards away from five chosen targets. After three seconds, the soldiers will explode, dealing 65,000 damage to all enemies within ten yards and stun those affected for 6 seconds.
* Iron Tome - Madness: Powerful shockwaves emanate from the caster, dealing 35,609 - 43,221 damage to all enemies within 15 yards, then 25 yards, then 35 yards. Enemies affected run in fear for 3 seconds.
* Iron Tome - Chaos: Selects a random target, reducing the threat they generate by 200% for 10 seconds and turning them on their closest ally, increasing their damage dealt by 500% and damage taken by 50%. If the target kills an ally, their damage dealt is doubled and the control's duration resets.
* Iron Tome - Devastation: Unleashes a massive wave of energy, reducing all enemies to 20% of the maximum health. Any enemy under 50% of their maximum health are instead dealt 650,769 - 677,544 damage.
* Iron Tome - Contract: Burns the wrath of the Iron Tome into the target, dealing 23,403 - 26,554 damage every 3 seconds for 12 seconds. When this expires, it jumps to another target within 15 yards and resets, gaining a 10% damage increase. If no target is found, the contract detonates, dealing 350,000 irresistible damage to the target and leaving a Fallen Iron in the target's wake.
=== Phase III: Halberd of the Black Table ===
Kaiser dons the Halberd of the Black Table, adding in deadly melee attacks into the mix.
* Shattering Strikes: 20% of autoattack damage is dealt to the nearest two allies of the target within 10 yards. If the target does not have two allies, they suffer double damage from autoattacks.
* Blackened Reach: Slashes the target for 75,443 - 79,211 damage, and on the second swing deals 20% of the damage dealt to the target and throws a blackened halberd in the direction of the target, dealing 65,099 - 71,211 damage to all enemies affected. Targets struck by the second strike leave Blackened Decay at their locations.
** Blackened Decay: Deals 26,095 - 28,991 damage per second, and reducing movement speed of the target by 15%. Consumes Fire of Kaiser, but detonates when done so.
* Infernal Cleave: Deals 365,431 - 387,983 damage split amongst all enemies, up to a maximum of ten in front of the caster in a 15 yard cone, afflicting them with Fire of Kaiser for 20 seconds.
** Fire of Kaiser: Burns the target for 20,000 damage every 3 seconds. Lasts until a player steps into Blackened Decay.
*** Detonated Fire: Stepping into a decay consumes the fire, but deals 115,432 - 118,211 damage to the target and 98,654 - 99,999 damage to all enemies within 10 yards.
* Deathmist Slash: Slices into the target, dealing 89,111 - 95,432 damage to the target and leaving a permanent haze on the ground that cannot be contained.
** Mist of Death: Standing in the haze deals 35,000 damage per second and stuns the target after 5 seconds.
* Armour Spikes: Periodically, Kaiser Iron will shed spikes on his armour, dealing 13,432 - 15,653 damage to all enemies every 10 seconds. This damage increases by 1% for each percent of health Kaiser loses until the end of the phase.
=== Phase IV (Rising): Twin Sorrows ===
In the final phase, Kaiser's plan to resurrect Ghost Iron takes center stage, duplicating each other's abilities while preparing a Reconstitution. Ghost and Kaiser Iron have the same abilities, but Ghost is 50% weaker and cannot be attacked, being immune to all attacks until the Reconstitution is halfway complete. Once the Reconstitution is halfway completed, Ghost Iron becomes attackable.
* Reconstitution: Kaiser attempts to restore Ghost Iron to his mighty glory after four minutes. Doing so will increase Ghost Iron's damage by 500% and attack speed by 25%.
* Ghost Iron's Vigil: When Ghost Iron is halfway restored, he shields Kaiser from harm, reducing his damage taken by 50% until he is defeated.
* Kaiser's Rage: When Ghost Iron is defeated, Kaiser's attack speed and damage increase by 25% per minute.
* Iron Strike: Slices the target, dealing 134,322 - 136,873 damage to the target, and 25% of the damage to the nearest two targets.
* Spirit Volley: Channels the wrath of lost souls, dealing 43,111 - 44,543 damage to all enemies within 15 yards every 2 seconds for 12 seconds.
* Fallen Warscream: Causes all enemies within 10 years to run in fear for 6 seconds, reducing their health by 10% in the process until the fear subsides.
* Meteor of Death: Summons an ungodly meteor on chosen areas, dealing 854,322 - 876,322 damage to all enemies hit, and 98,322 - 109,211 damage to all enemies not in the area within 10 yards.
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== Strategy ==
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== Quotes ==
Intro
* Abel Strom: Champions, is that you?
* Abel Strom: Fortunate, and I'm glad to hear you survived whatever transpired up above.
* Abel Strom: I fear I may be seeing things. I've been meaning to see what is in this room but... I fear there's something out of my reach.
* Abel Strom: What of the others? Tell me, heroes. I don't want us to think we are the only ones.
An echo emanates in the distance. The sounds of faint spirits can be heard.
* Abel Strom: I'm getting faint memories of the River of the Fallen. This can't bode well.
* Abel Strom: Be wary, adventurers. Contact with these spirits should be kept at a distance. Look, up there!
Kaiser Iron makes his appearance, channeling power into several artifacts.
* Kaiser Iron: So all of you have either come to die... or to witness my master's return?
* Abel Strom: Your master? The Shardlord?
Kaiser shatters the platforms around him.
* Kaiser Iron: The TRUE master, you insignificant fool. Ghost Iron, our fallen king.
* Kaiser Iron: Long ago, when he fell to the likes of that being... we of Syndra, the true members of our long-lost order, have worked relentlessly to return his glory back to where it shall be.
* Kaiser Iron: The Ghosts are to rule worlds. ALL worlds. The Shardlord prevented that... at least this one. But no longer.
* Kaiser Iron: Some of his sons, his allies, do not see his return as necessary. They do not see what must be done.
* Kaiser Iron: I, Kaiser Iron, will do what must be done. I have assembled his arsenal. And you will bear witness.
* Abel Strom: This Ghost has quite the band of followers. Looks like we won't be leaving this place without a fight.
Kaiser Iron swathes Abel, forming large numbers of spirits around him.
* Kaiser Iron: You bore me. You were not present for the fall of my kin. 
* Kaiser Iron: But you... "champions". You saw Vice fall. I will make sure you will go there with him.
* Kaiser Iron: Step forward, and witness the next chapter of the Ghosts of Iron.
Aggro
* Your deaths will be swift.
Requiem of the Fallen
* Now you will see the pain you caused so many to suffer.
* The dead are far from silent. You will see.
* Listen to the echoes of the fallen. Let their chants wrack your mind.
* Suffer, and die.
* The Iron Lament will be the last thing you will hear.
Phase Transition
* The Visage of the Ghost... to see what my king has seen... is no easy feat!
* The spells within the Tome of Iron... you should feel fortunate to witness such devastation!
* Consider yourselves lucky to be cut apart by the Halberd of the Black Table!
* Your sorrow will end soon. My master returns! (Rising)
* Ghost Iron: You fools are out of time. My ascension begins! (Rising)
Killing a player
* Vice lost to you?
* Barely exceptional.
* Such a disappointment.
* No chance.
Berserk
* Pathetic.
Ghost Iron fully reconstituted
* My master returns!
* Ghost Iron: You will all die. Then, the Shardlord is next.
Defeat
* NO! My work, you cannot stop this!
* Ghost Iron: Damnable mortals! I will curse you all with my last breath! (Rising)
Outro
* Abel Strom: Champions...
* Abel Strom: So that's it. The last remnant of the Ghosts of Iron.
* Abel Strom: Considering the history the Shard and the Ghosts have... this is a sight.
* Abel Strom: Interesting that even the Shardlord has defectors... but perhaps he welcomed it. I will never truly understand his intentions. When I was held in that jail... I'll never understood why they didn't just kill me. 
* Abel Strom: It's as if we are necessary to his plan. But enough of that. Let's find our allies and move forward.
* Abel Strom: One hell down, and onto the next.
== Loot ==
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== Achievements ==
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== Notes ==
* The jumpscares during the fight nearly didn't make it out of the beta.