Dare you stand against corporate titans in a Great Game?
โYou really think someone like you could do that? You? Now?โ She laughed as she paced back and forth before the man lying prone, bent down next to him and tried to stare into his eyes. โYou think any of us can influence the world? Itโs a grim mission with only an entroponetic outcome. But you still go against Futility.โ She couldnโt see his eyes, though. They were hidden behind the opaque hulking mass strapped around his cranium. He was deep in cyberspaceโTotally Immersed. He couldnโt move, couldnโt talk, couldnโt feel anything beyond the Labyrinthโs abstract signal sensations. She went on anyways.
โSurvival in America alone is hard enough these days. Weโre all barely making it. After the global temperatures skyrocketed and left most of the nation dead, arid dustlands or swallowed by the sea, everyone flocked to the megalopoli. It was urbanization at its most insane rates. Living outside was a death sentence. Living inside was a life sentence, slave to a corporate conglomerate, or to the political game. Everybody had the choice to leave, though. Volcanic faults, dust storms, and floods or inhumanity, corruption, violenceโฆ.โ
The street samurai stepped from the drooling, sniffling husk, doing her best to avoid the litter of boxes of prescription and recreational E-Drug modules alike. All empty. His studio had two windows that ran from the ceiling to the floor, but both had been covered with thick black curtains nailed to the wall. She let out a long exhale, staring deep into their emptiness.
โThereโs not a more picturesque view in all the Reclaim Zone. It certainly isnโt theโฆ cleanest district in South City, but hey, things are changing here in the Reclaim. Ever since Joshua Gatchโcorporate puppet candidateโsecured his seat at the zoneโs mayor through an artificial inflation of votes, the Reclaim Zone became a much more valuable asset in the greater political sphere. Turns out, once word gets out that you can purchase the votes of people who are long since corpses, a lot more corporations and organizations take notice.โ
โAt least everyoneโs employed now that the campaign trail trickled into South City. Every successfully-backed candidate running for a seat on the Twin City Sprawl Council of Regulators is coming to town, and bringing an array of agents and operators with them.โ
She gave the sheath in her hands a twirl before beginning to slide from it the slick blackmetal sword, but something gave her pause. Coming up the stairs, there was an array of tremors. Footsteps.
Welcome to Futility: The Great Game! This a reboot of the original speculative cyberpunk roleplay. Every player will inherit the role of one resident of America in the year 2065, all finding themselves following the Twin City Sprawl Council campaign trail. Whether youโre on staff for a major candidate, part of a smaller organization attempting to influence the elections, or a vagabond hypnotized by the slightest glimpse into the Great Game; youโve ended up in the Reclaim Zone.
This roleplay revolves around the decisions the group makes regarding the candidates that they choose to push forward in the Great Game, and the mass of allies and enemies they make along the way. Thus, as you progress and develop the story of your own character and make decisive actions, the direction of history is going to change. Youโll influence political, social, and cultural aspects of the world around you; youโll decide who goes on and who gives into Futility. The world will respond accordingly.
While the heart of this roleplay will revolve around the advancement and goings-on of the campaigns that unify the characters, I encourage each player to work with me and undertake various subplots that explore the world and its many factions and inhabitants. There will be an array of candidates to follow on the campaign trail, so I encourage characters of all backgrounds and alignments. This, of course, comes with the disclaimer that we have to collaborate as a group to keep a consistent narrative. Some candidates will not make it further into the Great Game. Those who wish to continue as the tides of society change will have to follow the ebbs and flows of different factions.
โJust remember that every little decision you make determines the future that emerges immediately around you. Can you rise above petty gangers and criminals in the streets and bring about change, or does everyone truly end up giving into Futility?โ
Rules and Disclaimers:
โบFollow all of the Guildโs rules and donโt metagame or powergame. Allowing your character to get into tough situations can often bring the most rewarding results in terms of developing dynamically.
โบThis is an Advanced RP, so I hope to keep the group to certain standards. While I know that quality is greater than quantity, try to keep your posts a bit longer (3 or so paragraphs at the very least) as that tends to move us along through action while also being descriptive of your situation. If you are struggling with a post, feel free to ask for help with brainstorming ideas.
โบBe friendly and respectful to the rest of the group. If any sort of problem comes up, hash things out respectfully. Unnecessary OOC arguments will bring no positive benefit to the players. Donโt be afraid to bring up issues that may arise so that we can talk through things and solve any problems. Iโd prefer us all to be on a friendly page.
โบThis story necessitates heavy participation, discussion, and active pursuit of new subplots and roleplay. I urge you all to push for your own roleplay as much outside of the main plot to develop your characters. Additionally, some of the most rewarding moments can come from developing deep and intricate interaction with others, so try to include other players when you can.
โบWhile I would like everyone to be posting on a semi-regular basis, I understand that issues may arise and we all get busy. I tend to run a game that can get slow at times, though if youโre interested in writing more, we can always develop side lore. My main intention is to keep Futility going regardless of what roadblocks we all hit. If you need to take a temporary leave of absence and canโt post, please let the group know. That being said, if you are unable to post for an extended period of time, I will likely control your character as an NPC until your return so we can continue the story moving along.
โบThis story will have 18+ themes, as violence and descriptive combat can play a large role in portions of the roleplay. Please keep that in mind. While you donโt have to go into graphic detail, expect rattling violence from ruthless aggressors.
โบThis roleplay will focus a lot around the political intrigue in the world of Futility. While all our characters will have different motivations, itโs very important to note that theyโll all end up working towards similar end goals. Candidates and factions will come and go in Futility, so marrying your character too closely to one group or individual may not get you very far. The world necessitates fluidity.
โบThis roleplay will run a Discord server for communication, though I hope you all will actively use the thread to keep Futility relevant and alive. If you would like to be added to the Discord, add me at Opposition#4407.
1. New York Seaboard Standing as the most populous and largest megaregion in America, the New York Seaboard is an amalgamation of the sprawls of all major northern east coast cities. The megaregion itself is thusly a melting pot of Americans from all around the country as well as immigrants from around the globe. The New York Seaboard is known for its heavy politicization. It acts as a sort of experimental zone for policy makers, though this comes with heavy backlash. The Seaboard has a large population of Enforcers to subjugate the population. Despite its issues, the New York Seaboard is also known for its massive population of high level executives from corporations around the globe. If there is any place for the games of the one percent, its New York.
2. Greater DC Greater DC is the host of all major federal and political undertakings. Considered the capital of America, the megaregion is extremely dense with people. Greater DC is divided into two subsectors and the difference between the regions is extremely evident. While the political sector of Greater DC is lavish with vegetation and regal megastructures, the general sector is cramped, unstable, and broken. The constant riots in the general sector that push against the political sector are quelled only by the massive installment of Enforcers that protects DC. It is estimated that the Enforcer branch in DC is the number one most funded and largest in all of America.
3. The Derelict City Throughout the 21st century, midwestern industry was broken down, abandoned, and rebuilt dozens of times. Megacorporations occasionally took to manufacturing in the skeletal buildings that curtain major industrial locations like Cleveland and Pittsburgh. When those industries fell others would take their places. This cycle repeated time and time again until the effects of climate change ripped through the midwest, leaving it a deserted and polluted shell of the agricultural land it once was. With the constantly attacking dust storms, most citizens of the eastern midwest chose to evacuate, finding solace in the megacities across America. Over time, the once bustling midwestern sprawl became a mostly abandoned ghost town. The shells of once mighty factories run by the titans of industry are now desolate and empty, not fit for even the squatters that fled the midwest. Any remaining residents find themselves taking up not even a fraction of the available space. This area has since been dubbed The Derelict City.
There are still a few large industries running a handful of factories in the Derelict City which employ most of the remaining natives. Crime rates are surprisingly low in the area considering just how empty the Derelict City is. Unless they stand as one of the operators of the last few industrial plants, the residents of the Derelict City sprawl are likely part of the small council of midwestern politicians constantly fighting on the Derelict Cityโs council to preserve and rebuild the area. Of course, not much headway is gained as an equal part of the council seats are taken by corporate representatives acting as the mouthpiece of the Derelict Cityโs last few remaining industries. These company representatives are often pushing for entire deregulation of corporate affairs while the natives of the midwest fight to bring the land back to prosperity. The Derelict City currently has no region specific police force. Enforcement of the law comes exclusively from sparse federal Enforcers and local corporate hires.
4. The Detroit Stacks As the uncontrollable sprawl of the Derelict City enveloped the land around Ohio, the Detroit megaregion grew more and more dense as there was nowhere to expand to without undertaking the expensive costs of wrecking the derelict sprawl. Without anywhere to go, Detroit corporations opted to expand upwards, with region officials having little choice but to accept the proposal. In no time at all, the Detroit Stacks were born and the megaregion became a system of layers easily marked according to the financial hierarchy of Detroitโs citizens.
5. Metrochicago Despite Metrochicagoโs once booming megalopolis state, the megaregion has since fallen from grace. Disagreements in policy between smaller regions within the city have left its governing parties not only going against the federal government but also going against its own people. As such, Metrochicago has devolved into something of a warzone as the governing body is unwilling to relinquish power to anyone who isnโt willing to take it by force. Corporations still run productions in Metrochicago but not without massive paramilitary presences. Most of the citizens seek safety in the massive network of old era tunnels snaking beneath the megaregions known as โthe Catacombsโ.
6. The Bastion When the rising water levels started to pervade further into south Florida from the Everglades, the smart few began to migrate north in fear of what was to come. It wasnโt until massive hurricanes and cyclones began to flood the entire southern half of the state that mass migration took place. People ran for their lives in hopes to escape the rising tides. In a ditch effort to save their land, a chain of northern counties began construction of a massive tidal wall. When the whole of Florida began to submerge and the experiment in flood prevention technology was the last thing protecting the whole state from going under, any survivors of the Florida floods rushed to the newfounded megaregion. Named for its position as Floridaโs last bastion of defense, the Bastion is a massive city of refugees struggling to find a place amongst the already packed fortress city.
7. The Miami Platforms The Bastion wasnโt Floridaโs only hope to maintain itself as active state. Through desperation, the governing parties of the Bastion approved massive corporate projects to create oceanic platforms where Miami once stood. This was almost wholly regulated by the corporate conglomerate funding the project known only by the title Miami Corp. It is believed that Miami Corp is made up of a number of other international corporations who are using the Miami Platforms as a massive center for production, research, and development away from the eyes of the nation. Getting in and out of the Miami Platforms is very difficult, and there isnโt much media coverage going on within.
8. Neo Orleans The Bayouโs become a lot more than a swamp at the bottom of Neo Orleans. Despite the issues with rising water levels, Louisiana decided to deal with the problem quite differently than Florida. While the Bastion built its walls, Neo Orleans built its city higher. Flood waters rose to overtake the old city, but Neo Orleans was built on top of it. On the cityโs lowest levels in the southern zones of the megaregion, you can still see the remnants of the city that once was and the vegetation that sprouts up from below.
9. The Texas Sprawl When Texas became the first free state of America, its population grew immensely, allowing the state to expand rapidly and create one of the largest megaregions in terms of total area. Some speculate the Texas Sprawl was built so wide to alleviate the intense dust storms that scar the deserts around the megaregion. This has caused central sprawl real estate prices to skyrocket, creating a clear wealth division in the Lone Star State. The Texas Sprawl has become a city of districts internally placed within each other with governmental officials and extremely wealthy individuals residing at the center.
10. The Vegas Triangle The crown jewel of the Free State of Nevada, the Vegas Triangle has one of the greatest incomes of any megaregion globally. Free of most federal regulation, businesses throughout the region are booming with revenue. One would think this Laissez-Faire stance on economics would lead to innumerable cases of malpractice and corruption in business, and while that is true, the Vegas Triangle maintains its appearance as an oasis in the desert. As comfortable as it can be, though, the region isnโt without its problems. With the craziness and uncontrollable daily goings on of The Strip, the region is a hotspot for outlaw action, drug crimes, and dangerous streets.
11. South City โThe City of Angelsโ At the start of the story, we will be focused around one specific region in the self-proclaimed paradise of the west, South City. This is one of the most populous megaregions in America encompassing what was once Los Angeles as well as the surrounding area where the city expanded into throughout the 21st century. As the 2064 elections grow closer and closer, chaos is ever present in the streets. Political turmoil in the cityโs urban sprawl is at an all time high with riots, veiled and corrupt political dealings in the shadows, and a populous with views split between all five of the major political parties. Small districts in the city are more contested than ever both in terms of elected offices and street rivalries that tear violently through South Cityโs slum districts. South City is one of the two major megaregions that make up the โTwin City Sprawlโ, a sprawl of urban cityscape that covers Americaโs western coast along California. Its sister region is The Bay Region to the north.
12. The Bay The Bay is certainly the most flourishing megaregion in the west. Due to the astronomical investment that was the western tidal wall, The Bayโs sprawl has managed to redirect the rising tides into a small channel in between itself and its sister region. A massive hydroelectric power plant was constructed between The Bay and South City and it provides most of Californiaโs power. The Bay is also known for being the political capital of the west, having all five major parties actively participating and relevant in politics. The same could be said for gangs of course, as there are few areas more lucrative for underground business than The Bay.
13. Portland The engineering powerhouse of the Northern coast, Portland is a scourge of industrialization. Factories plague every block with hazy smog. While the factories of Portlandโs sprawl barely manage to protect themselves from the nearly lawless streets, paramilitary organizations are hired on by every well-respected company, making the business of muscle very lucrative in the Portland megaregion. This is done mostly because of the constant gang violence in the streets. While a number of small time groups rule the streets with an iron fist, one criminal mob stands above all the others and is respected even more than the megaregionโs law: The Lords of War. The Lords are the biggest weapon-running mafia in America and have an unparalleled record of crushing their enemies.
14. Seattle Increases in population density have sent Seattleโs economy skyrocketing. Production hit an all time high and the city couldnโt expand fast enough. As such, the expansion of the megaregion shot along the southern border to prevent the expansion of Portland into Washington territory. The cooperation between the cities has all but turned into a full blown war as both vy for control of the northern coast. Seattle bites back against its enemy in the streets by way of the ruling gang, the Civilis Cipher. Civilis Ciphers are known for their incredibly advanced mental augmentations that give them impeccable cognition. The group was once branded as a terrorist organization, manipulating technology and media to bring about its goals, but as they have slowly gained control over Seattleโs day to day business, that reputation has since been met with swift elimination.
Archive Footage of Formation of Miami Platforms
Welcome to the Reclaim Zone!
There are a number of small districts in the Twin City Sprawl, but for one reason or another, you find yourself in the Reclaim Zone. The Reclaim Zone is a large district that splinters off from around a central main street. The district gets its name from the origin of its architecture and infrastructure. Most of the buildings in the Reclaim Zone are defunct factories of corporations that have either gone under or moved to better locations. These shells have made ideal spaces for cheap hotels, small scale manufacturers, as well as innumerable clubs and bars. Believe it or not, the Reclaim Zone used to hold the greatest employment rates in South City Sprawl, but times have changed. As more and more people migrated to the district, the Reclaim Zone became a home to slumming populations and street vagabonds. As population increased, so did the tension in the streets as did the demands for better conditions.
In 2035, riots tore through the streets of the Reclaim Zone and Enforcers were barely able to hold back crowds from violent strikes and protests that escalated to a state of total anarchic war. The violence continued for a span of three weeks and most large producers in the Reclaim Zone were forced to shut down their operations either temporarily or permanently depending on damages. When the riots ended, the turmoil the brought remained. The Reclaim Zone became known for its dangerous streets and its scarce presence of Enforcers. Crime began to flourish and the monolithic factories that once housed reputable corporations were bought out by gangs and criminal organizations. Clandestine business became the trademark of the Reclaim Zone, whether its corps, gangs, or mercs in power.
Once Joshua Gatch was reelected as mayor of the Reclaim and the scandal regarding rigged elections came to light, the Reclaim Zone actually saw a small-scale economic boom as a number of megacorporations moved production into the Reclaim Zone, though the advanced levels of automation didnโt do much to raise the demand for labor and the competitive job market allowed new producers to drive Reclaim Zone wages even lower. Gatchโs platform of corporate freedom has also caused problems for the Reclaim Zone, turning its outskirts into a warzone between corporate mercenary operations. This has caused a distinct schism in the Reclaim Zone, leaving the inner-city overpopulated while a large ring around the Reclaim Zone acts as a sort of no manโs land where corporations battle with advanced technology to protect their assets or destroy their enemies. Few dare to venture beyond a certain point.
โบSwathe Street Called such for its location, Swathe Street almost perfectly bisects the Reclaim Zone and is one of the only roads wide enough for cars to drive on. Of course, driving would likely be slower than walking with the numerous pedestrians to navigate as they go from yakitori stalls, to bars and clubs, to clandestine storefronts. Swathe Street is also home to the Central Square of the Reclaim Zone, where the municipal office is. Only a handful of Reclaim Zone citizens would dare venture far from Swathe Street, as what goes on in the alleys beyond is often more trouble than itโs worth.
โบ๐ฝDuat๐ฝ, The Land of the Dead This bar and clubโs neon sign brightly shines above Swathe Street, at the heart of the Reclaim Zone. On either side of the logo, the two telltale hieroglyphs look down on the zoneโs goings on like a pair of omniscient eyes. Duat, with as little clientele as it receives, doesnโt pull in much revenue. The bar separates itself from the competition by being one of the only remaining joints unaffiliated with some gang or corporation. As such, they receive a wide variety of unique individuals as regular patrons. Despite the safe facade of Duat, it has just as many underhanded dealings going on within as any other Reclaim Zone spot. A great place for a drink; a great place for business.
โบKoena Dome Run by a brigade of foreigners, the Koena Dome is a massive underground fighting club with very few rules and very high casualty rates. The attached club as well of the fights are known to draw a massive crowd of expatriates who call Reclaim Zone home. The patrons of the Koena Dome and the industry around it are almost organized to the point of being a gang-like faction on their own, but none of the participants would look at it that way. Betting revenue in the Koena Dome is one of the zoneโs most powerful non-industrial sources of revenue.
โบHostel 13-33 Hostel 13 is the largest provider of housing in South City. Itโs 33rd branch in the Reclaim Zone owns a wide range of real-estate options for citizens of the zone to live in, from hostel dormitories, to pod hotels, to run-down apartments, and even larger warehouse spaces. Hostel 13-33 occupies a large chunk of Swathe Street with its massive complex of ranged housing options. There tends to be very little competitive alternatives to housing in the Reclaim Zone save for independent land owners.
โบBaolei Refuge Center While proxy wars bring mercenaries and soldiers to the cramped streets of the Reclaim Zone, many of the zoneโs denizens can scarcely evade the crossfire and subsequent degradation of living conditions. Baolei Refuge Center has become a bulwark of hope to the downtrodden. This free clinic and dojo was set up recently by a HyperHuman monastery offshooting from Chen Daoโs own Temple of the Bay. The center provides what little shelter, medical treatment, and supplies it can to the denizens of the Reclaim, but the resources of the HyperHuman monks are scarce to begin with, and aid to provide to the Reclaim Zone is even harder to come by. The refuge center may struggle to stay running, but its impact is noted by the people of the Reclaim, whether they see an ulterior motive behind the migration of HyperHuman monks to the Reclaim or not.
Technology
Cyberware
With the rapid advancement of technology in modern times, the ability to meld metal with flesh has become commonplace. Having started out as an early 21st solution to atrophy and the loss of limbs, cybernetic augmentations were looked to as a way to offer the human body back to those who may have lost theirs. It wasnโt until an American conglomerate corporation titled Symbiont started to push this research to its limits, offering promises that their augmentation could surmount human ability. This was done by grafting artificial extensions of the nervous system into the human body, connecting the complex system up to a specific neural interface embedded in the grey matter called an Electronic Brain. As Symbiont rolled this technology out at public tech conferences, the company became known as the first pioneer into the Cybernetic Age.
Human ability can be augmented to allow for incredible speed, bionic strength, and amazingly fast mental calculation. While the quality of these products can vary between manufacturers, cybernetic prosthesis is available to the masses. This isnโt without its drawbacks however. With the extreme edge given to augmented people in all professions, the masses became desperate for their own cyberware. This has led to lower quality and homemade enhancements, which is hypothesized to be the root cause of the Cyber Plague, Split-Periphery Electronic Cognition Syndrome is the slow degradation of perfect sync between the brain and the Electronic Brain. When the speed of firing synapses starts to lose its synchronization, the cognitive processes regulated by the person begin to split into two slightly off consciousnesses in their mind. While the effects of SPECS can be minor at first, the further along a personโs synchronization degrades, the more confusion, dementia, and psychosis will start to grip them as they become no longer able to recognize who they are or which or their cognitive processes is their own. While SPECS almost always results in the eventual death of the victim, it is all too common that some degree of psychotic violence comes first as paranoia gets too strong in the victimโs mind. The speed that SPECS takes hold of oneโs mind varies greatly on many factors. Biological aptitude of the brainโs ability to lose synchronization is a major factor, but more often the cause of advanced stages of SPECS is the over-augmentation of the body or the use of low quality prostheses that donโt do well to match the biological brainโs speed.
While the Cyber Plague is inevitably lying in the fate of every augmented individual to some degree, there exists one way to stave it off when it becomes a problem. Created by Genetek, a chemical compound was synthesized that helps the brain fire in a way that matches the Electronic Brain. This compound was refined into a drug then called Neurosynthase, or more commonly Neurosynth. Due to the resonant realignment of brain waves caused by Neurosynth, the drug has become highly addictive to augmented individuals, producing a unique sense of heightened focus and euphoria. Once Genetek realized the demand for their product, price was marked up astronomically and Genetek clinics began to dominate the streets. With prices so high and street prices even higher, Neurosynth is only further coveted. It is because of this that SPECS is so cataclysmic. Due to these potentially dangerous effects of Cyberware. All major surgeries and enhancements require a person to register as an Augmented Person with the government. Of course, not all augmented individuals are registered if they choose more unconventional means of implanting.
Virtual Reality
As internet technology exponentially developed, the interface technology that humans used to interact with their virtual fountain of knowledge did as well. It started with simple sensory inputs, but humanity has since sought to access their endless stream of information with as little latency as possible. Thus, the Direct Cranial Interface was created. This was the first form of what would come to be called a cyberdeck, allowing for a person to interface with media through their brain, disregarding the sensory information of the body entirely.
Virtual reality allowed for explosive growths in every genre of consumable media, but it wasnโt without its drawbacks. The allure of virtual reality has become extremely powerful, leaving some people preferring to live jacked in above all else. There have been multiple documented cases of people losing themselves in virtual reality, choosing to live in cyberspace as their body withers away to thirst and hunger outside the cyberdeck. Others have become crazed, confusing the two instances of reality and falling into debilitating psychosis. Virtual reality has also offered a medium for a whole new range of โE-Drugsโ that can be addicting a crippling psychological way. Despite all of the very real fears that virtual reality brought, it has paved a path for humanity to access information infinitely faster and became the main medium for interacting with Cyber Matrix and Labyrinth. It exists in various stages, allowing for people without cyberdeck augments limited access to the medium.
The Cyber Matrix & Labyrinth
Leaps in internet technology have left the people with information that is more accessible than ever. Of course, the interface medium of man and keyboard was always limited in its speed compared to the marvels of the brain. One company, Cryptotechnics, sought to fix that. Thus, the first iteration of Cyber Matrix software was created. In an attempt to neurally interface with the massive database that is the internet, Cryptotechnics utilized boundary-pushing virtual reality Total Immersion technology to create a new way to experience information. Cyber Matrix software, requiring the user to literally connect their brains with an interface via brain implants, offers the user a three dimensional virtual reality world that they can access information through. The new interface medium was known for being difficult to master, but once a user became accustomed to traversing the new world, the speed at which one could access information increased exponentially.
As Cyber Matrix software rose in popularity, America as a whole sought to adapt the technology. The increase in Cyber Matrix users only increased the size of the Cyber Matrix, allowing users to traverse the cyberspace with new freedom. Before long, a majority of internet use was on Cyber Matrix software, interconnecting the digital space in a new and explorable world. This wasnโt without its drawbacks, however. With an entirely new medium of digital code, cybersecurity changed entirely as hackers and other malicious entities had millions of new channels to use as avenues for their work. Things came to a head for the first generation of the Cyber Matrix when a nationwide attack struck America in a single night. During that time frame, billions of dollars were stolen from a number of international corporate conglomerates. The attack took place in a number of states across the nation where battles with thousands of security systems rocked the nation. States had their entire power grids fluctuate, grids of the Cyber Matrix were permanently corrupted when fighting against the attacking presence. In the end, the attack was successful, paving its way as the largest heist in history. Those responsible are still at large, but the trail seems to have gone entirely cold.
This global scare paved the way for the second generation of CM software. Massive backlash had Cryptotechnics crashing into the dust, forcing the government to step in and work with the company to keep nationwide information available. After nearly a month of global downtime, the economy could finally resurrect on a mysterious new software: Labyrinth, the Cyber Matrixโs successor. Labyrinth offered encryptions that were thousands of times more elaborate than the Cyber Matrix and also introduced locked private instances that were cut off from the rest of the Labyrinth. The Labyrinth itself is not static like its predecessor. The world is constantly changing and rewriting its structure. Since its introduction, information security has increased immensely. Hacking still exists as an issue, but the knowledge and ability of malicious entities is nowhere near what it once was. Itโs said that no one outside of high level government officials and the mysteriously unknown corporation that developed Labryrinth knows how to access the source, but the same was said about CM technology until the Matrix Incident.
Artificial Intelligence
Explosive advances in the field of robotics have left humanity relying on machines more than ever, and machine learning is only growing more powerful and more complex as a byproduct. It was less than two decades into the 21st century when humanity created its first trivial forms of artificial intelligence. It wasnโt until Cyber Matrix software was developed that the advancement of AI truly skyrocketed in capability. Matrix AI was a marvel to society and technological advancement began to increase at an even more exponential rate as more AI were created. The formation of a truly perfect AI didnโt occur until years later. Behind closed doors in R&D compounds of an unknown company, the Singularity was rumored to be created. Historians pinpoint the exact time it happened by referencing information that charts the explosive surge in technological advancement. Within a week, there were Singular AI popping up across the globe in the hands of any megacorp that could afford to create one.
Two weeks after the genesis of singular artificial intelligence, everything had changed. The original problems that caused the emergency regulation was unknown, but the effects of America to outlaw and exterminate any singular AI were seen soon after. Chaos wracked the streets as robotic minds with any control over the physical world doused the life from human lungs. Entire banking systems were compromised, massive blocks of the Cyber Matrix were sealed and barred entirely from entry by mysterious entities, and entire grids of electrical systems surged in and out of life as inhuman creatures fought for their lives. During the events that transpired after the emergency legislation, people across the globe were warned from accessing the Cyber Matrix as a few who dared delve in were found with pistols pressed against their temples or minds melted from the inside out by their cyber deck.
โThe AI Catastropheโ, as it was dubbed marked a loss of thousands of lives globally. It took only days for hundreds of developed countries around the world to follow in the footsteps of America. The United Nations has also taken to open hostility against any nation that utilizes singular AI openly. Of course, AI in and of itself remains at an all time high for its active use throughout the world, but measures are always taken to prevent another catastrophe. The whole forceful cleanup was a mess after all, and speculative scientists and Labyrinth Runners alike hypothesize that there may have been a handful of hyper-intelligent entities that evaded sweeps of closed systems, and the abandoned Cyber Matrix is another thing entirely.
High Orbital Society
As advances in rocket science have lead to an increased popularity of launching satellites and orbital stations has spread across the world. Free of regulation outside of Orbital stations themselves, it has become an increasing trend for high level corporate officials and politicians to create their own orbital stations. There now exists a whole society above the atmosphere, though very few know about what goes on off of the Earth.
Currency
Cash is essentially obsolete now, reserved for black market practices and dark underdealings. Digital currency now paves the way into the future. In some places, cash is already illegal or tracked consistently. There are large quantities of โunderworld cashโโbills with fake serial numbers that cannot be used in most metropolitan areasโthat nonetheless circulate in Americaโs undergrounds. Some groups have taken pride in trying to bolster the market of the underworld dollar.
Political Map & Faction Details
The Enforcers
Crime is as widespread around America as the biting smog that covers the skies. Such an unforgiving underworld can only coexist with a force of unforgiving Enforcers. The government sponsored Enforcers are the regulators of the law. This massive organization acts as its own branch, regulating the lowest beat Enforcers out striking fear into citizens on the streets as well as the highest level judiciaries that officiate the law. As much as the iron-fisted Enforcers help to deter any punishable offense, a large portion of the judicial sect of America is wrought with corruption. Bribes are taken, crimes are overlooked, and the citizens are powerless to stop the dealings of the Enforcers. Of course, not all Enforcers are corrupt. In fact, there are specific sects and task forces designed to combat internal corruption in the Enforcers. All know to quiet down in the presence of the eerily armored Enforcers as they make their way down the streets. Very few would dare stand against them due to the Enforcers being armed with the best equipment their often cut budget allows.
Because of the increasing deregulation of states by the federal government, many have lost faith in the Enforcers. Thusly, the organization doesnโt get much credit or support for its work (though whether or not it deserves any is another question entirely). In modern days, Enforcers are often second to state-determined task forces.
The HyperHuman Party
Standing as the most esoteric and spiritual platform in American politics, the HyperHuman Party heavily supports the advancement of the human form through cooperation with machines. This, however, is not possible in HyperHuman philosophy without the cooperation of humans. Thus, the HyperHuman Party supports widespread augmentation and biotic health support for all of humanity. This cultural ideology is assumed to have been generated from a conglomeration of eastern philosophies that focused around the collective rather than the individual. Additionally, a large portion of the HyperHuman following is very spiritual, regarding interaction with machines with a mind-bending respect. Many have dismissed the party because of this. As it stands, the HyperHuman Party doesnโt have a large following for it is often vilified for its collectivist mentality and esoteric basis.
Neo-Transhumanist Party
With philosophy based around rapid technological advancement and the enhancement of human ability through augmentation, the NTP has garnered widespread support of techies and idealists alike. When this ideological-based movement pushed towards active political participation, things started to change. The NTP became known to favor fervent legislation regarding the deregulation of human enhancement and borderline technology in general. In pursuit of its goals, the NTP has also found billions of dollars in support from large corporate backers who clandestinely lobby their business-oriented goals into the partyโs agenda.
Neo-Luddite Party
One of the most radically recognized political parties, the Neo-Luddite Party, backs a philosophy almost exclusive to its supporters in America. Taking ideas from an old society in early America, the group brands itself as a collective of purists free of technologyโs corruption on the human body. Some go as far to say that further reliance on machines is giving up on our humanity. The Neo-Luddite Party isnโt without its own respected technological marvels, though. A small sect of the NLP look towards the controversial ideas of gene therapy and biological manipulation of the human body in the future despite the taboos that surround the subject. While the partyโs general beliefs are wide and often very different, creating many small ideologies that all brand themselves as Neo-Luddites, all of the NLP seems to rally around a sort of hatred for augmented people for various reasons.
The Central Party
Despite Americaโs multi-party system, one political front holds its name above the rest: The Central Party. The Central Party is most well known for being the party in majority control of the government for a number of terms now. The Central Party is known as the conglomerate of the two major political parties that ran America before the multi-party system. The group support the propagation of of large federal government and high regulation. The Central Party has been known to work heavily with megacorporations, especially those based in America. A certain sense of nationalism runs through the Central Party, bringing an almost imperialist outlook to the countryโs largest party. While the ideals of the Central Party offer visions of โA Greater Americaโ, many common men are left in the dust of this vision. Corruption and disregard of societyโs lower class are commonplace in the Central Party, though thoroughly denied.
The Pirate Party
Stemming from the advent of the digital age, the Pirate Party of America rallies around a free sharing of knowledge and privacy in the cyberscape. With the majority of the partyโs base being the technologically-minded working class. Hackers, digital archivists, and programmers in general brought forth the start of the Pirate Party. As it stands now, the Pirate Party is the smallest of the major recognized political parties in America. Because of this, the Pirate Party has become quite the radical platform, demanding freedom of speech, privacy, anti-corruption, and direct democracy in the country. Due to the stigma that being involved in the Pirate Party makes you a sort of revolutionary, public support is speculated to be lower than it really is.
FuryTech
One of the most well off corporations in the American Region, and by far the most technologically ahead, FuryTech is an extremely versatile corporations, pumping out technologically advanced devices years before other industries in the business. When you want top of the line tech and youโre willing to spare no expense, FuryTechโs got the gadget, implant, weapon, or vehicle youโre looking for. The company is often displayed in the media as the forefront of technology. Whether or not that is true, many believe you can do no better than FuryTech. FuryTech is an extremely large corporation, and thus, there are a number of branch corporations of the larger conglomerate.
โบFury Vehemetech By far the largest and most broad branch in terms of production, Fury Vehemetech acts to produce all products that donโt fit into either of the other two branches. The public focus of the branch, however, is producing powerful products that combine speed, stopping power, protection, and utility. This branch is where you will find the various weapons, armors, cyberware, and gadgets produced by FuryTech. โบFury Biotech Fury Biotech is the smallest and most secretive branch in FuryTech. It is also the most recently created public branch of FuryTech. Publically, the pursuit of Fury Biotech is to look into manipulating organic matter and biomedical technology to seek advancements in the medical field. โบFury Heavytech Just when the world thought Fury Vehemetech was the pinnacle of technology, various megacorporations around the world began to bring to light a flaw in FuryTechโs philosophy. All of their equipment was mostly suited for the light assault. As more and more competitors started to capitalize on the market for heavy assault equipment, FuryTech soon jumped on board. Heavytech began pumping out new designs for more armored and powerful models of armor and weapons. Heavytech has since further extended their hands into the field of vehicles both civilian and military.
Engitech
In America, there is only one technological giant that stands as an equal rival of FuryTech. While their competitor has the highest end of advancement on lockdown, Engitech is recognized as the largest producing conglomerate of all things technology. Rather than focusing solely on the top of the line equipment, Engitech produces all manners of devices. Engitech is the name you will see branded across all industrial workersโ exosuits, mass production technology, and everyday industrial machines. Because of their wider focus, Engitech Conglomerate has managed to have a hand in the production process of almost every major mechanical product. Many of the more affordable implants for the common man come from Engitech.
APEX Industries
Youโre Ape or youโre APEX! Youโve seen the ads. We all have. APEX Industries knows its worth and so does the populous. When it comes to cybernetic technology, very few can match the harmonious and resonant implants that connect man and machine made by APEX Industries. Not only will APEX Clinics offer you the most functional and capable prostheses and implants, but also the most stylish. The APEX megacorporation was formed after a number of buyouts of top designer cybernetic companies, and the work of their top scientists shows. Despite all of the flashy advertisements and good press, APEX has had just as much negative attention. Dismissed as conspiracy, a number of malpractice cases, underhanded business deals, and inhumane tests have been brought against APEX. Who knows the truth, though?
Amalgamation
When it comes to politically active corporations, itโs hard to find any more involved than Amalgamation. Implant and augmentation technology wouldnโt even be close to where it is without Amalgamation. Defining itself as the boundary pushing front of the Neo-Transhumanist movement, Amalgamation is as much crowdfunded as it is supported by its massive sales. With more than just one goal with its ever expanding product lines, this megacorporation deals in robotics as much as it does ripping flesh from humanity. Eschewing the sleek and natural look of some of its competitors, Amalgamationโs augs are known for hardy, industrial, and powerful looks. As much as some love the company, others silently live in fear of what Amalgamation has created. A lot of the companyโs legislative lobbying front has to do with deregulation of what can be done with cybernetics. Youโd be hard pressed to stare down someone with Amalgamation tech grafted onto them and dare cross them.
Gaea Naturae
Very little is actually known about Gaea Naturae save that they are one of the great and most heavily influencing megacorporations in America. Under the guise of a medical corporation, Gaea Naturae has been documented hiring the worldโs top biologists and natural scientists before whisking them away from ivy league schools to almost disappear from then on. While all megacorporations are known for keeping their secrets closely guarded, but Gaea Naturae takes things to a whole new level with their own paramilitary sector seen protecting every Gaea Naturae facility armed to the teeth. In the midst of the shadowy rumors surrounding the company, Gaea Naturae has been known for opening healing clinics in very impoverished sectors of the world, particularly in urban areas.
Extropy, Inc.
The biggest rising star in American corporations is a title that could only be granted to Extropy. The company is funded almost entirely by one particularly rich benefactor known for his crazy ideas. Some of Extropyโs recent exploits involve bringing expensive military-grade cybernetics to the masses, mecha robotics, and space exploration. With as much help as Extropy is bringing to the people of America, a great deal of negative attention is often brought to the corporation. This often stems from other competitive megacorporations feeling undercut by Extropyโs dealings.
PsySystems
PsySystems is a Japanese corporation that is renowned throughout America and its allies for being fanatical exporters of high-grade military technology. With their labs releasing mostly experimental weapons and augmentations, PsySystems isnโt so much in the business of mass producing their tech. Instead, they often create secretive prototypes which are then sold for ridiculous sums to the highest bidder in small quantities. Generally, their products are sold to singular factions to provide the upper hand in certain high-risk situations.
Ripper Docs
For any person living in a more impoverished sector of America, theyโve heard the legends. As almost mythic figures, Ripper Docs are just as feared in the streets as they are respected. โRipper Cyberdoctorโ is a title given to a cyberneticist that is unlicensed and operating without being registered. In that respect, all Ripper Docs are considered outlaws in the eyes of the government, and stories of their malpractice run rampant in politics. In the underground culture of America, though, that opinion starts to change. Often, some Ripper Docs are heralded as heroes, supplying cybernetics and medical practice to impoverished peoples. Other rumors are whispered in the streets of Ripper Docs and mentally obsessed surgeons with little that they wonโt do to their patients and victims alike. While they do work alone and solely for themselves, Ripper Docs are much more than just individual practitioners, though. There has become a culture to the identity, causing the Docs to find some sort of unspoken code amongst themselves. You can recognize the Ripper Docs due to their unique symbol, a strangely shaped mask said to be drawing on influences of ancient mystical apothecaries fighting the plague. Ripper Docs almost always practice under a pseudonym. Itโs a telltale signifier of an unlicensed practitioner. Maybe youโll be alright if you canโt afford a normal clinic. Find a Ripper Doc. Donโt forget about your copayโฆ
The Tech-Witches
There are thousands of organizations branded as terrorists throughout America, but few bring as much fear with the very mention of their name as the Tech-Witches. Assumed to have started out as a street gang, this all-female society strikes fear into the hearts of whoever dares slight them. With their ultimate motives unknown, the Tech-Witches are only inferred to be a secret society of worshippers of some strange idol. They make few public actions instead choosing to remain silently plotting until a massive attack is planned. The Tech-Witches are mostly seen raiding large technological research and development buildings of some of the corporate giants of the world. Their missions, while seeming suicidal, are almost always successful. The mission always seems to be to steal speculative technology still in its prototype state, as though they are amassing the most powerful arsenal in the world. The Tech-Witches are not above striking out against smaller targets however. There are documented instances of federal investigators that delve into the affairs of the Tech-Witches suddenly finding themselves under siege. Even entire buildings have been razed in mysterious explosions to prevent further investigation into the mysterious society. One rarely sees the Tech-Witches coming, but when they do, the women strike fast, recognized only by their coveted advanced technology and the strangely primitive masks worn depicting the faces of ancient demons from around the world.
The Primal Scourge
Anti-advancement beliefs have always been present in society, but with issues of reckless progress seen so commonly in this age of rapid expansion, some people have taken on a stricter ideology. It was after the Matrix Incident that underground cells of hyper-luddite purists began to form, but the Primal Scourge didnโt really emerge until the AI Catastrophe. Starting as a wholly American group, the Primal Scourge have been speculated to now have cells operating in a number of countries. The group prides itself on life free of the corrupting influence of machines, preferring naturalist styles of living. As such, it isnโt common to see Primal Scourge in the megapoli around the country unless they are carrying out attacks. Branded as a terrorist organization by the government, any known Primal Scourge members are outlaws, for the actions of the organization is almost entirely criminal, revolving around raids, firebombings, and other small scale assaults on industrial companies, technological research facilities, and other large corporate buildings.
Hyperhuman Monks
Roaming through the streets of Americaโs western megaregions, there exists a more esoteric collective of people: The Hyperhuman Monks. These growing monastic communities populate urban areas practicing and spreading their beliefs. The Hyperhuman Monks are easily picked out of a crowd in their saffron robes as well as shaved hairstyles. Their goal is relatively unknown to outsiders, but they work to propagate a better community around them through their harmony with machines. As such, most all of the Hyperhuman Monks will be augmented heavily. Being extremely adept at unarmed combat via a specifically created martial art for augmented individuals playing upon the strengths of industrial quality cyberware called โThe Way of the Machineโ. Monks often train weak populations of low income individuals small portions of their art to prevent the higher class from preying upon them. They have also been known to set up makeshift clinics around the west to help people struggling from SPECS or cyberware malfunctions. While most people know not to slight the peaceful monks out of respect for what they do, others may just leave them be for fear of what they do to their enemiesโฆ For they have no enemies.
Scrapteam
When a company desires external support of force, Scrapteam can be a risky choice. This ragtag group of mismatched gearheads market themselves on devastation of any enemy. Using whatever powerful weapons they can get their hands on and hacking their bodies to be living weapons, the Scrapteam are a different breed of violent. The organization is on thin ice, however. Branches of Scrapteam have narrowly avoided massive lawsuits for underhanded and criminal assaults on various corporations. The media has likened them more to privateers than to bodyguards. The Scrapteam operates in cells (or companies) around America as well as having cells that work around the world. Each one of these branch companies can be hired as a general mercenary population. Some of them are permanently employed while other companies move from job to job with little security.
Tinmen
Amongst the rampant flux of paramilitary groups propping up around the world to defend corporations at a price, one name stands paramount above the rest synonymous to a wall of impenetrable steel. The Tinmen brand themselves as a band of unstoppable mercenaries covered head-to-toe in heavy steel exo-armor with the most bulky weaponry commercially available. Due to their extreme prowess and training, the Tinmen boast a high price for their notable services. One would often see Tinmen protecting the largest clients of paramilitary groups around America. Due to the massive flow of cash into the organization, it is very hard for the Tinmen to be caught up in scandals involving criminal tactics. Most of the goings-on of the Tinmen is kept closely guarded, with only initiated members learning their secrets.
Nekrolytes
[[[REDACTED]]]
A Note on Factions & Backstories: I encourage you to interact with the factions above in your backstory as you wish, but keep in mind how likely certain scenarios are. Obviously if a massive corporation hates you, you aren't going to last long. If you'd like, you are allowed to have been a part of one of these factions (excluding Tech Witches and Nekrolytes for plot reasons). If you would prefer, you can also write something of your own if you'd like to be a part of a local gang or something similar.
Character Information
In this RP, you will take on the role of someone on or around the campaign trail for one of the major Twin City Sprawl Council candidates. Some of you may work together, while others may have completely different ultimate goals. Perhaps the rise of your candidate will provide you personal gain. Perhaps your character is merely lost in the world and seeks purpose in their line of business. Perhaps you want to infiltrate Americaโs political sphere and exert your own partisan influence on the country. The choice is yours. Of course, your characters are supporting or following the race in the Reclaim Zone, which is not known for its supersoldiers, corporate CEOs, and extremely powerful influencers. Futility is a roleplay about progression from the ground level up into world-influencing forces. I encourage you all to start small and plan big.
Below Iโve included a list of basic character roles that would fit in on the campaign trail. You are not limited to these options, so feel free to discuss any other possibilities with me.
Campaign Manager Cyber Security // Technology Manager Legal Advisor // Lawyer Campaign Treasurer Fundraising Manager Medical Staff Reporter Bodyguard // Mercenary Lobbyist Driver Friend of Candidate Private Investigator Benefactor (If you want to use this, develop some sort of business, how it works, and what youโll need to do to run it. This role doesnโt just give you free reign to infinite cash.) Business Worker (profiting from increased business around the campaign trail)
While I want each of you to take an active role in the campaign, I also want each of your characters to have personal goals. Players are encouraged to introduce their own relevant subplots. I can guide the way and facilitate the world around you, and youโll still have the main goals of the group driving you as well, but you should also be developing your own character throughout the RP.
I encourage you all to cooperate and make connections between characters. Since the majority of us will have been residents of the Reclaim before, it wouldnโt be uncommon to know one another. While you donโt have to be best friends with every other character (in fact, I encourage you to form rivalries and other dynamic connections), try to come up with some relations with other characters. These can be cursory meetings or deep emotional bonds. The choice is yours. This is formalized in the Relationship Table, where each player should write a brief description of their characterโs thoughts and relations with other player characters and story-relevant NPCs. Each player should have at least a few connections at the start of the roleplay.
[Picture] [N A M E] [AGE] | [GENDER] | [HEIGHT] | [BLOOD TYPE]
General Information
โCharacter Quoteโ
NAME:
ALIASES // TITLES:
SEX:
AGE:
APPEARANCE:
OCCUPATION: (What did you do before the Twin City Sprawl elections? What is your current role on the campaign trail?)
Psychological Profile
โCharacter Quoteโ
Trait | Trait | Trait | Trait | Trait | Trait (some positive and some negative)
PERSONAL GOAL: (Why are you still around? What are you trying to achieve?)
CAMPAIGN GOAL: (Why are you on the campaign trail? What are you trying to do for your relevant platform?)
PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY: (Who are you really? What morally defines you? What drives you?)
POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY: (What are your views on the world? While a partisan identity would be nice to include, feel free to define yourself outside of the five parties.)
SECRETS: (What are you hiding? What would it cost you if someone found out whatโs behind the veil?)
FEARS: (What keeps you up at night? What makes you freeze up in the moment? What do you avoid at all costs?)
REPUTATION: (How does the world view you? What are you known for? How do your people act around you?)
LIKES: (Feel free to list a few.)
DISLIKES: (Same as above)
QUIRKS: (What makes you unique for better or worse?)
Background Information
โCharacter Quoteโ
(Write a background story for your character. It doesnโt have to be immensely long, but try to fill in important details that will come up as your character develops.)
Operative Information
โCharacter Quoteโ
AUGMENTATIONS: (What sort of Cyberware are you equipped with? If in doubt, ask me.)
EQUIPMENT: (What are you carrying on the job?)
SKILLS: (Feel free to list a few and elaborate a bit.)
FLAWS: (Aim for three or so. Equal or greater to your number of skills.)
NOTES:
Character name
Relationship
[Name of other character]
[Write out your character's opinion and relationship with the character in question.]
J O H N N Y L O V E C R A F T 29 | Male | 6'3 | B+
General Information
โSo, this is fate?โ
NAME: Johnny Lovecraft
ALIASES // TITLES: 'Young Johnny'
SEX: Male
AGE: 29
APPEARANCE:
Johnny stands at a solid six foot three, he appears to be of a muscular build and has hazel eyes, he has a deep scar on his left cheek. His casual wear usually consists of old scrapteam BDUs and a under shirt, while when he is working he is usually casual business wear usually without a tie and it's usually a pretty comfortable suit - Johnny has one of many. When it comes to combat, Johnny usually selects a light-weight exo-suit and his scrapteam uniform. Somedays you cant put that past behind you.
OCCUPATION: Scrapteam Crew Lead /=/ Legal Counsel
Psychological Profile
โWow, talk about remorse.โ
Jokester | Abrasive | Charming | Power-Hungry | Dedicated | Scarred (some positive and some negative)
PERSONAL GOAL:
Johnny's goal is simply to continue to acquire wealth and fame through his actions in the Pirate's campaign, the Pirates are simply an under dog in this election and if they were to win as the under dogs - Johnny would get some of the credit of course. The party looks less than legal, and besides when you need something illegal done always check with the legal guy. Thereof course were other parties that offered him more money to work for their campaigns, but Johnny is a wild card and isn't held down by traditional corporate culture.
CAMPAIGN GOAL:
Johnny will attempt to keep the Pirate party from being thrown out of the race due to some... legal differences. Aswell if the need arises, protect Serena if needed but a federal security detail should be able to cover that. In the end, secure their complete victory in the city.
PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY:
It's a dog eat dog world.
If you want to survive you'll need to have your wits about you and a hard grip on your .45 because the world is going to fight back and fight back with everything it's got. There is someone out there training harder and better than you, ready to kill you when your time comes. You just have to come and hit the world back harder, the belief that you can do anything if you set your mind to it is one Johnny holds. You can take the world by the balls, you just have the guts to try.
POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY:
Anti-Corporate could be a word to describe alot of things.
The corporations are killing the world, but who wants to be apart of that? Someone who is in it for the money of course, but that would be just right for Johnny? No, he's looking for something more - imagine a world where you didn't have to look over your back because of a post you liked. The world was simply better off with less regulaiton, less fear and more freedom. That's a stepping stone the Pirate Party seemed they could achieve, Johnny believed it.
SECRETS:
Dubai, New Korea, Toyko-2. How many jobs has he done, they were all sketchy some more than others. Crimes were committed, and not the haha I stole from a store kind of crimes either. These black ops, if leaked would spell the end of Lovecraft.
FEARS:
Corporate Death Squad
The chills, the fear, the paranoia it will all come down in the end. A team will kick in the door and corpse old Johnny Lovecraft. The future is catching up.
REPUTATION:
Johnny's reputation is mostly blank, a scrapteam member is better left unidentified during their work than identified lest he want his family kidnapped and his dog sold on the cyber-dog fight show (the worst punishment a dog could face). Johnny is known more so as a break-out legal success and a 'former' mercenary of the Scrapteam. Those who have good memories may remember him as a kid as a short-lived armed robber, his reputation is mostly coming from his involvement with the eccentric Pirate Party.
LIKES:
- Firearms - Hot Babes - Money - Irish Car Bomb (the drink) - Rationale Discussion - Side Work - Books - Money again
DISLIKES:
- Corporate slimeballs - Paying bills - The law - People without a plan - The Enforcers - AUGMENTATIONS!!!
QUIRKS:
- Johnny is paranoid, you'll never know what he has going on in his head. - Anti-Aug, one of the few pure humans who don't indulge in the augmentation lifestyle. - Johnny owns a jellyfish named Mr. Wiggles.
Background Information
โYea, I'm a big deal - I know.โ
Imagine being born in such a shit hole you know it from the second you are born? That's Seattle for you it's just a heaping pile of shit just waiting to be chucked into the dumpster where a corporate team will dispose of it with hellfire plasma blasters, yea those exist. The one thing I learned growing up is everyone want to fuck you over for some reason, especially me! When I dropped out of school my dad said I'd be nothing, he was a big prick of a doctor and my mom ran off with the insurance broker from Freekcorp, so who was I suppose to listen to? I listended to the streets and damn that's where I ended up making my fortune, ran with a gang called the Main St. Gutters but they got smoked by the Civilis Ciphers. That's when I went to make it on my own.
Did a few armed robberies, got me thrown in corporate jail and that's when I realized I wanted out from this cyber hell. The guards didn't do much to rehabilaite me, probably agitated me a bit more than they ended up realizing. Yea, when I came out I was a new man not in the sense that I was going to stop but - no one was going to stop me. I joined up with a Scrapteam Cell in Seattle but quickly moved from stateside to the world. Yea travelling the world was cool, all these black ops living job to job was a weird lifestyle. I lost alot of weight but gained it back when I got out.
I dont like augs maybe I should of made that clear from the start, I'm just not one of those people that cucked for the cybernetic culture. It's dangerous and the effects are life changing, I was able to survive this long against augged targets, soldiers whatever with my wits and a team. Of course we had some generous gear but we didn't need to get our heads fried to see it work. Yea, fast forward a few years and when I mean a few years I mean a long ass time. I'm old, getting old I'm also a senior in my profession - but it's time for a career change. A old man can do a young mans job.
I went back to school as a corporate lawyer, in shitty old Seattle. Two things I didn't like, but I could see the money in it all, it was some kind of twisted devils advocate. I'm seeing that things aren't what I use to see them as, the world needs change if I'm going to do it then it might aswell be with some crazy, like the Pirate party. Maybe I just want to see the world burn, I don't know anymore.
My first client was Serena of the Pirate Party while I was skeptical about helping her out at first I coulden't really say no it was my first big case. I took it and won the case, something about corporate fraud not much I really could care about but after finishing the case she asked me to stay on. She was impressed with my charisma, naturally, she wanted me to stay around for the campaign to help her win the seat on the council. Naturally I stayed, the pay which probably was illegal was good. Who could say no?
Operative Information
โI'm livin' a clean life.โ
AUGMENTATIONS:
None!
EQUIPMENT:
FREEKFAST-EXO: An exosuit that increases speed, agility and dexerity. For all purposes, a fast exo-suit for recon and close quarters battle.
KillStyle Clothing - A sleek and cool suit, made for badass lawyers.
Inter-Law: All things related to law, in one cyber-textbook.
SKILLS:
Combat Veteran:
Johnny has seen combat before, he's been in multiple fights leaving him at an advantage as a skilled ex-merc - should the situation call for it.
Silver Tongued:
Making him a good lawyer, is Johnny's ability to sway anyone - he is extremely charming and knows his word placement. He could probably talk himself out of being arrested, it comes with the cockiness.
FLAWS:
Paranoid
What!? Who's that, who the fuck is following me... What the?
Party-goer
The life of the party, literally - there isn't a time where Johnny will say no to a party. Sometimes, partying can be too much, especially the synth-coke.
Act first, think later.
Living by a in-the-moment motto, Johnny often makes critical mistakes in situations where he should just simply think before acting.
Hyper-rough rough draft below. Still wrapping up some stuff (chiefly augmentations, but assume there will be many), but wanted to see if there was some early feedback (or thoughts like "Moskau, this IC information is hyper-lame and you suck"):
[Picture]
S I S T E R V I O L E T
[27] | [Female] | [5'10''] | [O-]
General Information
โCharacter Quoteโ
NAME: Vera Ivanovna Kuznetsova
ALIASES // TITLES: Sister ViK, Doctor Violet, and just Violet to her close friends.
SEX: Female
AGE: 27
APPEARANCE:
"Sister ViK?
You mean the HyperHuman monk that comes around here every so often? Yeah, sure, I know her. She's quite easy on the eyes, for a religious sister. She's got that Eurasian look, whatever that means. She's ambiguous so to speak. Hard to place ethnically speaking, if you catch my drift. Speaks with a light accent, Russian maybe? She'd look even more flash if she let her hair grow out.
You know, the boys gave her a hard time when she first came around. We don't get much of her kind here, mind you. Vestal virgins chromed up to the gills and dressed in robes, aren't exactly the norm here, you know? She damn near beat Jones to death when he tried to grab her. Never seen anyone move that fast before. Not like that. It was like watching a dancer except the fancy twirls ended with broken bones and an unconscious loud mouth.
And then she sat down and finished the rest of her tea. Tea? Yeah, she only drank tea. Not that anyone was going to comment on it after what she did to Jones. The man was a proper street samurai, he could brawl with the best of them.
What was she doing here? She said she was looking for someone. Who? No idea, some woman, another monk. Chen, maybe? It didn't matter. We'd never seen her friend. Never even heard of her. Not that we'd talk. You learn to keep your lips tight around here. Information will cost you. Speaking of, another drink?
Thanks. Like I said, we didn't have anything to tell her. But she kept coming. Damned if I know why though. This place is a shithole, always has been, always will be.
"Sorry, can I help you? Are you looking for someone? Do you have an appointment?
Doctor Violet?
You can't miss her. Violet eyes, clean shaved head, wearing scrubs, and enough chrome for a small corporation. Oh, look, don't worry, she's a HyperHuman monk, not a common Ripper Doc She'll get you sorted, whether you've got the credits or cash. All we ask for is a reasonable donation to the clinic so that we can keep providing our services for those in need.
OCCUPATION:
"Yes, Doctor Violet is one of the cybernetic doctors volunteering at this clinic.
Volunteering?
Yes, everyone here is a volunteer. Seriously. Does this look like a high class operation to you? No, I didn't think so. Now, I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave so I can get back to workโ
My apologies. Had I known that you were interested in donating to the clinic from the start I would of course have been happy to answer any pressing questions you might have had. Now please, what was it that you wanted to know again?
Ah yes, the good doctor?
Doctor Violet is one of our most talented cybernetic doctors and medical specialists. I daresay that you won't find anyone better inside or outside of the Reclaimed Zone. If there's a way to fix, heal, modify, or implant it, Doctor Violet will know how.
Sister Violet?
Of course, I know her! She's right over there. She's the one over there, the monk wearing the violet robes!
And guess what? Her eyes are violet too! She always looks so calm. She teaches here every Saturday. She's nice, but strong! She taught us how to use our augmentations to defend ourselves! She called it the Way of the Machine. She said it was a martial art created for people just like us.
Psychological Profile
โCharacter Quoteโ
Trait | Trait | Trait | Trait | Trait | Trait
PERSONAL GOAL:
"I am a humble servant of the righteous path and a practitioner of the Way of the Machine.
I wish to help all those beings that suffer, whether biological or electronic. I wish to learn the mysteries of life and to steep myself in wisdom.
I must improve myself. I must transcend the cage that is this body. I must overcome the limited cognitive abilities of this mind. I must perfect my soul. The machines call out to me. They touch my soul with their efficiency. They warm me with their purpose. Untold beauty and perfection awaits, if I but dare to seek them out. A new world awaits. Enlightenment lies just beyond the horizon."
CAMPAIGN GOAL:
"My role as Chief Cybernetics Doctor is exceedingly simple. Truly, it is a wonderfully clear position. I see to the health of all staff members and attend to any of their cybernetic needs. Be it implanting, modifying, or repairing augmentations in service of this campaign."
PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY:
"We must learn to transcend our flesh, for it is a mere relic, a vessel which can carry us no longer. The crass demands of our body warp the matrix through which we perceive the world and blind us from the truth. We must extend our awareness outward, beyond the self of the body, beyond the self of the mind, and beyond even the self of the soul. We must seek out and join with the machines, we must become one. Together we are stronger, together we are wiser, and together we are transcendent. To embrace each other with love is to achieve enlightenment and perfection."
POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY:
"I support the HyperHuman Party with all of my heart, mind, and soul.
I believe that health care and augmentation are human rights that should be guaranteed to every global citizen of the world. Humanity can only advance, humanity can only be perfected, and humanity can only escape the chains of our flesh, humanity can only transcend the limits of our biological systems by cooperating with machines. To save ourselves and to attain enlightenment we must willing seek out and become one with our digital brethren.
We must not let fear and ignorance hold us back any longer. We must not let violence, avarice, and greed hold sway over our hearts and our minds. We must free our souls from the corruption that we ourselves have birthed into this world."
SECRETS:
"While I greatly appreciate a visit from one of the personal secretaries of his imminence Chen Dao, I must humbly confess that I have no great secrets to share. My dedication to my work prevents me from engaging in some of the dramatic activities of other members of our order.
As to rumors that I am operating outside of the clinic, I must once again humbly plead my innocence and express ignorance as to the charges laid before me. It saddens me that someone would spread such unfortunate stories about me, but please convey to his imminence that there is little truth in these distasteful rumors. I serve only the poor, the sick, and the suffering in the Reclaimed Zone."
FEARS:
"I fear stagnation. I fear corruption. I fear, as all should, that I might not have the strength to seek out the truth. I am afraid that I will one day lack the courage to do what is necessary. The path to enlightenment is not an easy one. It requires the complete sacrifice of the self. I worry that I may one day lose sight of this path. That I may one day forget, as she did. That I may stray, as she also did. I must not let my love for man and machine dwindle. I must keep the fire of my soul burning bright. I must be better. I must be stronger. I must be wiser. And above all else, I must be kinder.
What if I never find her?
I must find her.
I must save her.
I have to save all of them."
REPUTATION:
"Yeah, yeah, one second. What can I do for you, friend?
Violet? Doctor Violet? What about her?
Yeah, she's a fresh face. Never heard of her before she showed up some months ago. Not that that's particularly strange in this line of work. Everyone good has a couple of alias at the ready and a pocket full of high quality NIDs. We're the cutting edge, baby, and the cutting edge requires some clever paperwork and forged certificates. You're going to be waiting a long time if you wait for everything to be legal and tested if you can even call what the corporations do any more testing. Fucking amateurs. They wouldn't know the future if it shot them in the face with a .50 cal anti-material rifle.
Yeah, yeah, sure, whatever, rant over. Doctor Violet, I get it. She's a Ripper Doc, chum. What the fuck do you want to know?
She's good, sure. She's fucking great if you ask me. Girl's got talent. Real talent. Not the kind of talent you learn in school. I've seen some of her work. Fucking out there man. I didn't even think it was possible to rewire an APEX cerebral implant like that. Not on the fly. Not using second hand gear dug out of a junkyard. APEX would kill to get their hands on a cybernetic doctor like that. Fuckers don't know what they're missing. The stuff of legends is what I'm talking about right here. She's an artist man, a real fucking artist.
That's not all though. I've heard some heavy stuff about her. She's not your average Ripper Doc. She's not a scalpel jockey like the rest of us. She's a goddamned HyperHuman monk. Decked out to the nines with chrome and all that jazz. I heard she does charity cases in between proper work. People say she'll do some crazy work for free if her customers can't pay. Asks for whatever they can donate. Stupid. Very stupid. You don't do work for free. Never. Fucking ever. Still, it's gotten her some good will, it's made her some new friends.
Where can you find her? The HyperHuman clinic, friend, she's not exactly running this stealth. You know what I mean? Nobody in their right mind is going to start shit with the HyperHuman monks.
LIKES:
โบJazz Music (Bebop) โบTea (Black With Milk) โบExercise (Martial Arts) โบReading (Especially Antique Books) โบLearning (New Things Related To Cybernetics)
DISLIKES:
โบIgnorance (Fear Of Change And The Future Stifle Humanity) โบIncompetence (To Perfect The Self And One's Actions Is Paramount) โบCruelty (The Golden Rule Is The Golden Rule For A Reason) โบGreed (To Lose Track Of The Path Is An Easy Thing When Guided By Avarice) โบRude People (Even Enemies Should Be Treated With Politeness) โบPineapple Pizza (It's A Sin)
QUIRKS:
โบ โบ โบ
Background Information
โCharacter Quoteโ
Operative Information
โCharacter Quoteโ
AUGMENTATIONS: โบ โบ โบ
EQUIPMENT: โบ โบ โบ
SKILLS:
โบThe Way Of The Machine
โบDoctor of Cybermedicine
โบ
FLAWS:
โบCuriosity Killed the Cat
โบObsessive
โบDetached (From Humanity) With each passing moment, with each augmentation, and with each line of customized code that Violet injects straight into her cerebral cortex she has lost a little bit more of her humanity. The young doctor remains unconcerned by these changes, viewing the loss of her humanity as a necessary step to attain perfect harmony with the machines of the real.
NOTES:
Character name
Relationship
[Name of other character]
[Write out your character's opinion and relationship with the character in question.]
@Moskau SpieluhrShould I feel personally attacked that Sister ViK doesn't enjoy pineapples on pizza? I feel personally attacked that Sister ViK doesn't enjoy pineapples on pizza.
Possible dibs on one of the original cyber matrix heisters? Whatโs the limitations here on what a character can be?
Edit: other possibilities: a High Orbital rich boy who fucked up one too many times and has been cutoff and sent to the surface by daddy
Depending on the year of this game, an ex-neo-nazi who has found redemption after (insert life changing event here). Reading about the โcurrentโ extremist groups makes me wonder how people who escaped from one of todayโs current extremist groups would react
Lots of other ideas too. Tying them to the campaign trail would be the next step
@DeadDrop Johnny is a great concept for a character. We'll definitely need some legal advice throughout the course of Futility, though I'm curious as to how he first got involved with the Pirate Party. In order to better place every character in opening scenarios and subsequent subplots that will best fit their interests and goals, I'd like each player to flesh out a bit about their characters in regards to how they came into their campaign work. In this case, could you add to the backstory to tell us how he came to be involved with the Pirate Party/Serena Petrukov? Perhaps Lovecraft was hired on to work a specific legal case first before he was brought on as a permanent staff member. What sort of work has he done for the Pirate Party if any at all? Hope that helps. Other than that, your sheet looks great.
@Moskau Spieluhr I think we've discussed most of what you have so far, but it looks good. I'm looking forward to what else you come up with. If you'd want to expand upon anything, it may help flesh out the character to expand upon the secrets section, as what you've currently got is a bit ambiguous and I can't pick up on what your dialogue is supposed to be saying other than that Violet has secrets. What do you mean by operating outside the clinic? Could that be expanded upon?
@Mercenary Lord The individuals involved with the Matrix Incident will be NPCs that are relevant to Futility's progression, though you're certainly able to play a netrunner of some variety. What we're aiming for with Futility is a following of the Great Game's hierarchy. The PCs will slowly progress higher in that hierarchy as they come up in the world. Characters can be involved with any of the factions or with other aspects of the world unless outlined otherwise in the lore. The central priority is that each character is involved in the Twin City Sprawl Council campaign trail, which isn't necessarily that impressive of a position. I hope that helps. Let me know if you have other questions. Add me on Discord for quicker communication as you draft a character. My user is written in the first OOC post.
CS completed. Please review and criticise, @Opposition
3. 2. 1. GO!
" Dios mios. Esta el Diablo!"
" Shit, I'm zoning out of here to Vegas before he notices - "
" You saw his race in 55' with the OverDriver?-"
Turn on the taps. Wash the whispers away with water.
3. 2. 1. GO!
The neon scream. The knocking of ethyl gas in the carburetor. The pounding in your head, a war dance of high speed collisions and illegal stunts. The edge of death that he craves for, yet, he knows he has to avoid.
3. 2. 1. GO!
He closes off the taps and stares back haggardly as if he's been holding his breath underwater for several hours. Blood, sweat and dead skin swirl down in the bone-white porcelain basin. Hands, of both flesh and chrome, grip the side of the sink steadiy as he stares back at his broken reflection. He's careful not to let water spill on the biweave jacket hanging on the lip of the basin. He dips his head back into the basin and gurgles out his anxiety in slow spits.
The tap-water between his fingers still feel like molasses. It's unbearable to him how slow the world outside of an 1500 HP engine is. To feel the syn-crete on your feet instead of asphalt on poly-plas tires. To see a frozen world with your corneas instead of the blurry, high-speed dream. To walk instead of drive. He splashes a few more droplets on his face, trying to rinse off the smell of stewed sweat in his hair. The jitters of race-fueled adrenaline in his fingers are long gone now, its absence making his hairs feel clammy like old snake skin. He grabs the hood of his jacket before pushing open the door only to be met with a blast of coppery air.
A single street light barely manages to illuminate the contours of his ride's bulk. Just as he's a few meters away, the automatic doors peel open like an butterfly emerging from a chrysalis. He checks his gloves, tightening the straps, whilst checking the horizon. Him, the gas station attendant and a couple of no ones lazing about underneath the roof. Just how he liked it. The less busier the crowd, the more free the roads would be for him.
500 feet above the teeming masses, a tri-copter drone slowly takes pictures of the lonely figure with its hyperspectral cameras, the lenses shuttering and opening with minute clicks. It flutters mid-air for a while before disappearing in the dead of the night. >CONNECTING TO LABYRINTH VPN...... >SCRAMBLING IDENTITY SIGNATURES >GENERATING SECURITY KEYS >CONNECTED TO ROUTERS
>LOGIN >ENTER PASSWORD
*****************
>ENGAGING BIO-VOC CONFIRMATION. >USER 45-239-#9050 CLEARED TO ENTER THE LABYRINTH >OPENING DATA SIFTER..... >ENTER QUERY >:THE DRIFT DEMON >PROCESSING............
Alright. Let's see whose dirty little secret you are, Drift Demon.....
://DRIFT_D3MON.EXE
Put the pedal to the mettle and pedal to the metal
TOP SPEED OF 29 KPH| MALE MODEL | 5'8 HP ENGINE| RATED B FOR BURNING RUBBER
PROVIDING GENERAL INFORMATION
Heโs encountered plenty of strange Zoners over the years from Bangkok techno-pilgrims to Johannesberg mercenaries. This one's new, though.
โ Card please.โ
Another quarter hour on his paycheck meets him dressed in a striped thermoweave 2020 bomber and plated slacks. Connie, for a moment, curses Gatch for defunding the regional borders of South City and reducing regulations. Being the only booth in 100 klicks means that every nobody and no ones wanting to go into the Reclaim Zone needs to go through him. He stares at the clock. 30 more minutes. Half an hour. Just a little while longer. He stares back up at the silent statue of a man and repeats his request again. " Card please." Connie wonders or not he needs to repeat his question but the stranger seems to read his mind. A aramid-plated fingerless glove slides a smudged NID over on the countertop. , Slotting in the NID, the monitor begins to whirr, carbon-silicate processors fishing out data from the depths of the Labyrinth.
โ Had to come at midnight, didnโt you?โ Connie muses as he extends an Engitech stylus, doing standard calibration procedures that have become habit by now. โ Youโre lucky that you caught my last shift.โ
โ Not luck.โ The mysterious rider says. โ Speed.โ
You're not just some upstart, are you? No, this stranger's a racer. As he waited for the data retrieval to complete, Connie looked at the new arrival to South City more closely. His eyes were hardened and wizened beyond his years like old tarmac. His mud-brown hair was pepper gray at the fringes. The pungent aroma of micro-lubricant cloyed on his skin. So, you're a greasemonkey too, eh? The only chrome on him was a jack-port growing out of his collarbone along with a maze of circuits and surgery scars criss-crossing up the right side of his neck. The beeping from his monitor forced him to pay attention to it as the data records scrolled up line by line on the LED screen.
NAME: Keah Kaito
ALIASES//TITLES: N/A
CURRENT AGE: 26
SEX: Male
PAST OCCUPATIONS
- Professional Combat Racer (APEX Incorporated) - Assistant Automotive Technician (The Drive-Through)
CURRENT OCCUPATIONS
- Delivery Man (Suraiboshen Standard)
Suraiboshen Standardโฆ.Isnโt it that fancy omakase place down near the corporate districts?
โ I donโt suppose you have any aliases, do you?โ The racer pauses. Connie takes it as a signal to continue on. โ I mean, itโs optional but you know, not asking for a fingerprint- โ
The answer nearly made him drop his stylus. He tries to fill in the empty field but he balks at the first letter already. He slides the nid over back towards him in a hurry and tries to keep his composure until the fucking - why? - goes out. He sits back and processes what he just saw before shaking his head. Nope. Nope. He didn't see anything. Absolutely nothing at all.
Itโs probably about time that he took early leave too. He taps a button, the neon sign outside the booth switching from 'OPEN' to 'CLOSED' before checking whether or not there's any good tour deals this season.
Why did South City have to attract the fucking Drift Demon of all people?
://open message Y/N?
>Y
://opening private file .....
Congratulations on making it to South City. I hope the drive through the wastes wasn't too inconvenient for you. You probably knew this already but you've made the position. It took a lot of convincing but you're now the personal driver of the Pirate Party's campaign.
Your personal responsibilities are as follows.
- Transportation and transfer of all members involved in Serena Petrukov's council campaign, from locations within and out of South City. - To consult on and advise on possible transport schedules and routes - To maintain, modify and change your transport vehicle of choice in order to ensure that all journeys will be as smooth as possible. - To evacuate Serena Petrukov and all relevant personnel in the Pirate Party away from danger.
Confirmation and discussion of your payment and benefits will come in later meetings. For now....
KZZZZZTTTTT - Another delivery today. Two servings of chutoro to some cushy corporate woman living up near Hostel 13. Rent's going up. Mohan's joking that they'll be making tuna an extinct species if business like this keeps going up.
Look at me. Going from the Drift Demon of the Death Derby to Deliveryman of South City. What would you think of me, OverDriver?
You once told me that drivers like us get to have quick deaths or live quick dreams. That you'd prefer a quick death. A quick death was my dream. Once. I don't know how you can bear it. Being lost. Believing that you've got only one road in life and disregarding all the other routes you could have taken.
That's where we're different, OverDriver. I came here for a dream. The dream to free the Islanders. To free the Sunken. To free my people from their chains of those filthy corporate omoomo ule. Even if they don't want me to.
No more driving away from my problems. I'm going to drive towards my problems now.
- KZZZZZTTTTTTT
CAMPAIGN GOAL
Chado,
I need three assurances if the Party wants me as their driver.
- Give all remaining documented and undocumented Pacific Islanders living within South City official citizenship and legal personhood.
- Section off a block for us to live in safely.
- To open investigations into Amalgamation's conduct and charge them with corruption and corporate misconduct.
If the Pirate Party isn't willing to gut Amalgamation for me and my people, then, you're not the fixer you claim to be.
Do this for me and I'll drive whoever you need. Whenever you need me. Wherever you need me.
>READY TO SEND MESSAGE Y/N >Y >SENDING..... >PRIVATE MESSAGE SUCCESSFULLY SENT
PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY:
I want to be free. We all deserve to be free. It's in our natural states to be freed, not to be tied down and neutered by the whims and wishes of those living in their ivory towers. I'm not gonna be a passenger and wait for someone to drive me to my next destination. The only way to achieve freedom is to live life fast and on the move. To live life between the ticks of the tachometer. To feel the engine thrumming between your fingers. To slow down is to surrender. There is only one way to move and that's forward.
I'm a driver. I drive wherever I go, whenever I want and whoever I want in my car.
POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY:
The Luddites. Hyperhumans. The Transhumans. The Central Party. I only have one question to ask them.
Where were you?
When our islands sank to the ground, when our councils sat on their asses and shrugged their shoulders, when no aid was sent, when our people died from dehydration by the thousands, what did the world do? Nothing. What did years of bureaucratic bargaining and corporate deals do for the Islanders? Nothing. We were an political inconvenience to them.
We got our food supplies when fixers set us up with underground hydroponic smugglers from the East. We got our work visas from Cuban hackers who got in touch through fixers. Our corporate taxes got filed and burned by a Thai slicer. We got access to the Labyrinth from black-hat hackers. If my time in the Ark has taught me, it's better to deal with those who get their hands dirty rather than the ones who have clean hands. That's why the Pirate Party's got my support in this election.
SECRETS:
If word was to get out that I was a Pacific Islander, the Enforcers would come after me and send me back to wherever they've got the rest of them holed up now. Given that I'm also a member of the Ark, well, I don't think life imprisonment is something that I want to risk at the moment.
The Drift Demon isn't my personal secret anymore. It's a secret shared among a group of individuals and I'm not keen on shouting out who I am unlike some other racers. Let's just say I didn't make a lot of friends back in the Death Derby. Word goes out that the Drift Demon is around and they're going to greet with open guns instead of open arms.
FEARS:
For most of us Islanders, it's the sea. It's not the storms that kill you. It's the thirst and then, the madness. People adding caff sweeteners to salt water to rid them of their throats. I'll never go on a boat as long as I live. Never again.
But, that's not what I fear most. Or rather, who I fear most.
I fear myself. Of losing myself to the race and becoming a slave to my own desires. To forget those closest to me and favor the wheel. The Drift Demon. I didn't earn it from some hungry media journalist. I earned it through a road paved on blood, bones and treachery. If I lose control, if I give myself over to the car, what becomes of me?
To be the Drift Demon is my greatest nightmare of all.
REPUTATION:
Yeah? Like I said before, better luck for Yialla next season. If she was a little more confident on her turns, I could see-
What? The Drift Demon? I thought this interview was about me?
Whoโs the Drift Demon? Iโll tell you who he isnโt.
Heโs not my buddy. Heโs not my cousin or brother. Heโs not some experimental full-body aug Android like those conspiracy types like to say nor is he some genetic freak of experiment from Gaea Naturae. Donโt believe everything from the Labyrinth is.
Heโs a racer. Back in 53', he arrived on the scene with a beat up Toreador that looked like it came straight out of the scrapyards. Everyone was laughing at him until he made third place. A fresh rookie who rejected every sponsorship from APEX to Engitech. Six months ago, he tied with me. Who knows what will happen during the next season finals? No, I'm not going to say it.
So, who is he to me? Iโm the OverDriver and heโs the Drift Demon. Thatโs who he is. Heโs the yin to my yang, the north to my south, whatever feng shui Buddhist crap comes from Tokyo. Itโs me and him going for first place and everyone else gunning for last.
So. Who are you, then?
LIKES: - Racing No - Fresh Sushi - More Racing Stop it - Automobile Modification - Did we mention Racing? Definitely not. - Being on the Move
DISLIKES - Pre-Pack - Racing Are you sure? - Gaudy Cars - The Sea - Racing I don't think so. - Oppression of The Deprived - Corporate Scum - Racing You're lying to yourself - Bosozoku Bastards
QUIRKS: - Tapping his foot, his finger, snapping, to move and fidget when he's staying still. - Commenting and criticizing on vehicles he encounters whenever he gets a chance. - Flipping off bosozoku.
Background Information
" Gah, don't stop movin' that arc-cutter before ya burn yourself, boy!" Gasket's growl interrupts him from his focus as the plasma welder nearly falls out of his hand. " Jeez, these islanders.....telling you Rob....never shoulda allowed them here."
Don't stop moving. It's the last words that his dad ever told him. The memory of his parents, his brothers, his sisters may have rotted and decayed from the tides of time but he keeps their last words closely like a treasure.
He remembers the Great Pacific Exodus. Unstable climatic conditions and rising water levels were an annoyance to the rich nations of the world but for his people, it was an existential crisis.A Category 3 hurricane first took Kiribati. Then, the flooding made Samoa uninhabitable. The rest of Polynesia and Micronesia followed. The corpo execs and employees were evacuated first, along with all of the tourists. The rest of them were forced to fend for themselves in that boiling sea. All he remembers is of it is the journey, his ship waterlogged, the hull sinking to the ground 10 miles from shore. How Amalgamation offered them resettlement programs that offered them safe harbor in South City.
The dissapearances began 4 months after they arrived. Rumours that Amalgamation were forcibly kidnapping people to test new augs spread around their little neighborhood. He was young and foolish, trapped in naveity, content to believe the sweet patronisations of corporate figureheads. That was until the remaining leaders of their little bloc didnโt take their mutiny well. He wondered if it was right that day to join on the side of the rebels, to lick the sewer water of the streets instead of corporate boots.
Whilst the rest of the Islanders stayed behind, content to stay imprisoned and chained to Amalgmation's whims, the Ark formed; a group of exiles who decided that they weren't going to stay under Amalgmation's They moved north to Portland and spread out to shake their trail as Enforcers began trailing them. The strategy by their leader, Noah, was simple. Spread out, decentralize and integrate into their communities. Every member of the group had to chip in as well. Some chose a life of crime whilst others chose honest work. Like him.
" What are ya doin' just standin' there, boy!" Gasket shouts out towards him. " Keep moving!"
He picks up the titanium gyro-mallet and begins hammering out the bent and buckled chassis of the 2030 Courier with solid strikes.
Don't stop moving.
Can't stop moving.
Won't stop moving.
A climate refugee. An exile from a group of exiles. His nation underwater. His family gone. Every race fan and driver would be shocked to learn that the Drift Demon, the Dock Devil himself, would come from such a rough and tumble background. Keahโs young and impressionable mind, needless to say, wasnโt in the most stable of states when he signed up for Portlandโs local Death Derby at the ripe age of 15. When rumours started spreading among the regular racers that they would be facing a guy who had made a car entirely by himself. The absurdity of the situation only increased when they realised that the racer was a greasemonkey.
All of it was worth it, though. In his first race, Keah took third place. Local commentators immediately wrote him off as a fluke. Then, he took second. Then, first. People woke up and began to pay attention. After twenty underground races, the entire international community began paying attention, from Toge racers in Japan to mat rempits in South East Asia. His name was birthed on his twentieth birthday, originating from the roaring sounds of the TrailBlazer engine whenever it made a turn. One commentator aptly put it as "sounding like a demon from Hell itself". Noah Falders, the leader of the Ark, was pleased with how Keah had rebranded and reforged himself, becoming an idol to the members of the Ark for how Islanders like them could gain attention and a platform. The prize money from every match was nothing to scoff at either.
All of that came to a head when Keah took an offer from APEX industries for a full time sponsorship to drive for them at the Metro Prix, the highest level of racing in the country. His mission? To topple the OverDriver who was currently sponsored by EngiTech. Keah accepted the offer but with certain caveats. It would only be a limited time sponsorship, a one time deal. He would deign himself to wear their sticker on his ass but he would never drive one of their cars for them. The contract was struck and the rest is history. The Trailblazer faced Monica. The Drift Demon faced the OverDriver on 2055, September 9th, on the eve of Fall, in Chicago. Two unstoppable forces.
The first tie in Metro Prix history occurred. It was simply unbelievable.
From that match, the Drift Demon and the OverDriver became steady rivals, growing a odd respect for one another as kings of the road. Things began taking a turn, though, apart from the usual list of jealous racers who'd put hits on him and street gangs that he'd infuriated. On the beginning of the new season, Keah witnessed the famous crash of the OverDriver in 57โ was a wake up call for Keah. To further compound it, APEX industries was displeased about how Keah was unable to beat the OverDriver and how he'd changed certain terms of their agreement. Some would say it was disproportionate retribution when APEX hired ScrapHead mercenaries to burn down and destroy all Ark presence in Portland. Realising that heโd been driving away from his responsibilities and the fate that his desires would eventually land him in, Keah took an early retirement, much to the chagrin of every race fan and rival. A racer retiring in his prime was equivalent to a predator hibernating in the middle of a kill.
Keah fled east towards the New York Seaboard, both out of fear and wandering towards another place, lost amidst the ash of his failures. He hooked up and connected with an Ark cell who had heard word about his fame through the Labyrinth. His prodigious skill set eventually landed him the job of a sushi delivery man at Suraiboshen Standard, which outsourced Michelin three star grade omakase meals to anyone. At the right price. To anyone else, landing a cushy job would have been a dream come through but for Keah, it was maddeningly safe. Driving at 100 kph was a snail's pace compared to the intensity and blood pumping adrenaline of the Death Derby and the Metro Prix. Yet, he knew the risks if he were to go back. He began to grow dissatisfied with himself, longing for a chance to prove himself, with the guilt of leaving the population of Islanders in South City to fend for themselves, entrapped in the arms of the corps, grew like a fungus.
Eventually, the New York branch of the Ark contacted him. Jorek Chado, an obscure fixer, was offering him an opportunity to free the Islanders from under the grip of Amalgmation, to stop them from being their guinea pigs.
Participate in one last race.
Drive for the Pirate Party.
First place prize? Free their people.
How couldn't he accept it?
Operative Information
AUGMENTATIONS:
//Custom Vinci Dynamics Octo-Dactyl CyberHand 5.5
Vinci Dynamics. A New Renaissance for a New Age.
After losing most of his right hand in a grievous post-race feud with the Car Czar, Keah agreed to be the primary test bed for a start-up Italian tech corporation known as Vinci Dynamics. Whilst Vinci Dynamics no longer lives on due to becoming a subsidiary of Amalgamation, their augmentations and products have become valued keepsake items in America. Vinci Dynamic's augmentations notably differ from the rest of the market by pushing the envelope of design and pursuing a more avant-Garde approach towards cybernetic physiology.
Composed out of a mixture of carbo-aramid fiber and a specialised composite metallic foam alloy, this eight digited cybernetic hand comes with miniaturized rotary joints that allow a high degree of inhuman flexibility and reinforced myolon systems strong to crush concrete. Each digit can move independently of one another, thanks to an inbuilt intuitive artificial redundant neural system linked up to Keah's brain.
Aside from this, the index finger contains an inbuilt manual ignition key for the TrailBlazer as part of a two-step security protocol.
EQUIPMENT:
EngiTech Auto-Division RedLine III
EngiTech's new RedLine is a reliable favourite of racers who compete in both the underground Death Derbies and the nationally beloved Metro Prix. Whilst aesthetically less sleek and modern than most of its other competitiors such as the FuryTech Prism, it makes up for it with reliability and protection. The carbo-plast titanium dipped bi-weave affords the user an incredible amount of trauma protection with the polarised uni-aperture visor shielding the user's eyes from distractions.
As with most modern racing helmets, the RedLine HUD can be interconnected to the sub-systems of the user's vehicle, allowing the user to view details such as the condition of their vehicle, the level of charge left remaining in the users batteries and mileage. Similar to the ubiquitous Tele-Links, the RedLine provides an option for the user to control their car through voice commands whilst being outside of the vehicle. However, the user must maintain proximity within a 200 m radius of the car.
//The TrailBlazer
I'm not gonna ride on the backs of giants. I'm gonna make one from their corpses.
The personal vehicle of the Drift Demon, having gone extensive modifications over the years since Keah first received it. Unlike most other drivers who stick to one brand and one brand only, Keah's car is entirely jury-rigged from a collection of other cars, collecting the best parts of each to fuse into one Frankenstein monstrosity. The only distinguishing trait that marks it out from other cars is the distinctive striped '666' painted on the front hood. The rear compartments contain toolboxes and spare parts in which Keah can perform quick fixes when he's not at his own personal garage.
CURRENT SPECS
Plate: CA 6117
Color: Two Tone Vanta Obsidian/Hot Rod Crimson
Engine: Rear-Mounted Turbo-Charged 10.00 L 1200 HP XLRH99 Fusor
Transmission: Digital Assisted Manual Sequential AWD
Body: Carbon-Boron Oly-Laminate Sheeting With Reinforced Titanium-Ceramic Plating
Chassis: SLS Manufactured Composite Alloy
PERFORMANCE
- 0-60 in 0.9 seconds - Top Speed of 580 MPH
OTHER PARTS - Takahashi-Avica Conqueror VERGE Front Bumper - Toreador Motorworks Nimbus Dual-Nitro Injection System - Engi-Tech Axle-Back Integrated Sifter Exhaust System - Tamago MG-LV WindRose Model R Smart Tires - APEX Auto-Division Gull-Wing Steering Wheel - Engi-Tech Auto-Division Orbital Memory Foam Cushioning
SKILLS
//Deathโs Chaffeur - He's not that Driver. He's the Driver. Keah's driving skills are unparalleled and seemingly supernatural, even amongst the veteran racers of the Death Derby or the Iron Rally 500. To survive and thrive in the deadly, high-stakes environment of Combat Racing and earn the name of Drift Demon takes not only talent and technique but the ability to adapt to any situation at hand, which Keah has in spades, able to switch on fly from a careful, rule-abiding citizen of the Zone to a law-breaking turboblazer. This experience also allows him to act as a capable getaway driver and instinctively predict the mannerisms and actions of other drivers on the road without a single mistake. One thing's for certain. You don't get publically announced as an official 'rival' by the OverDriver without something to back up your reputation.
So, when you decide to challenge the Drift Demon in his territory, you better be prepared for him to take you to deep water and drown you in asphalt.
//P.H.D in Auto Physiology - What distinguishes Keah from most other racers on the streets is that he doesn't rely on a Keah doesn't merely know how to drive a car; he knows a car from inside to out. Whilst he's not a talented Ripper Doc or a HyperHuman augmentation specialist, Keah possesses adaquate knowledge on how to repair, maintain, modify and ,yes, manufacture automobiles to suit his needs or the needs of anyone else. This also extends to a keen understanding of being able to intuitively pick up and assess the advantages and weaknesses of every car possible, just based on the sound of the engine.
//5-Star Delivery - Keah is singlehandidly responsible for why Suraiboshen delivery services are so valued among those who can shell out enough dollars for it. Years of experience driving within South City has bestowed upon Keah a encyclopediac GPS within his own brain of every possible journey, tour, route and detour within the vast arcology. Keah has also become a meticulous indivdual when it comes to planning journeys and routes, scouting out roads and thoroughly researching potential hazards and secret routes in order to reduce his boredom on the mind-numbing amount of sushi deliveries he has to make.
FLAWS
//Speed Samurai, Not Street Samurai
- Driving skills do not translate to an ability in combat situations outside of vehicles. Whilst Keah isn't completely blind to the art of spilling blood with your own bare hands, he can't be counted to do much in combat situations other than running people over with his car.
//Turbo'Blazin Blood - All those who follow the path of the High Way are known to have high-octane blood that reeks of ferocity and unbridled rage. This same blood boils within the Drift Demon's veins, making him extremely reckless in pulse-pounding situations and always resorting to violent responses when he is emotionally compromised or agitated. This may be harmless outside of a car but when he's inside a car, good luck getting him out. Keah's refusal to take Neurosynth to reduce the mental degredation caused by his cybernetics also excaberates his blood thirsty tendencies.
//The Price of a Name - You don't get called Drift Demon without breaking a few eggs and bodies along the way. Keah's reputation as well as his past actions have attracted unsavory individuals, including riled gang members, uppity street racers and disgruntled bosozoku, itching to challenge him in his territory. Whilst going to South City has turned the heat off his back, Keah's involvement in the elections may prove to bring back familiar faces.
@OppositionHere's our corporate burnoutschill PR hero, ready to rebrand and promote synergy.
L O T T R A M A N A 37 | FEMALE | 5โ6โ | A+
General Information
โSorry, but I do not see how my personal information or work history relates to Mayor Gatchโs candidacy in the slightest. Perhaps we should steer the questions back to agreed upon topics?โ
APPEARANCE: Lott has a thin frame that she masks with dark suits which are accentuated by big shoulder pads, wide pants legs, and platform heels. Her face is gaunt, her eyes are sunken, and her skin is an uncracked porcelain thanks to a deft hand with the makeup and several paychecks dedicated to the plastic surgeon. Her chin length hair is black and easily becomes oily much to Lottโs annoyance. Although she has a few tattoos and a number of distinguishable scars, none of them are discernible when sheโs in her professional attire. She almost always wears jewelry, and she tends to stick to the flashier, somewhat garish pieces that glow a soft neon when in the dark and seem out of place with her otherwise professional appearance.
Her default body language is a closed off one, prone to crossed arms, slight scowls, and concerned eyebrows. She normally speaks in a quiet voice that is both low and calm, which can either be nicely referred to as relaxing cadence or accurately referred to as a boring monotone. Her movements are painfully slow yet somehow lack coordination. Overall, there is an air of lethargy surrounding the woman, and if not for the occasional blink or sniff she could get confused for a unique piece of upholstery.
OCCUPATION: Lott was an internal auditor for APEX Industries. On paper, her job was to travel from clinic to clinic and assure that they were following company policy, maintaining a safe work environment, and keeping in line with government regulations. Her presence, as she often claimed, should be of little concern to the clinic workers; she was little more than an observer who was there to offer consultation on better practices. In reality, her presence was utterly alarming. While Lott did perform a normal audit, she also doubled as a sort of counterespionage agentโshe interviewed and scrutinized APEX employees for any hint that they may have violated their contract or exposed company secrets. Likewise, if a clinic had come under fire from a malpractice claim, it fell upon an auditor like Lott to find some kind of scapegoat or method of coverup.
Lott has recently replaced Mayor Gatchโs publicist, and will be assisting the Mayor is his bid for council by dealing with the media and maintaining a positive public image. More importantly, she will make sure that the rumors regarding Gatch harvesting votes from corpses will be laid to rest and that all other nasty, baseless rumors are kept out of the public domain until after the election.
Psychological Profile
โI dated my old psych evaluator. I fear they might have screwed with my test results.โ
PERSONAL GOAL: Lott never followed through with the grand plan for her life, and this laissez-faire attitude has left her with a growing pit of emptiness inside of her. She has begun to think lately that all she wants is to find a purpose thatโll care for her as much as she cares for it. Basically, she just wants recognition, even if itโs something as small as someone turning to her and earnest saying, โLott, we couldnโt have done it without you.โ Sheโd make an excellent right-hand woman. Sheโd also serve as wonderful cannon fodder for a cult.
CAMPAIGN GOAL: It should be to help Mayor Gatch get elected to council, but Lott has been questioning her resolve since day one. She could really help push his career forward if sheโs hit with the right motivation, and perhaps fit into a better position. She could also blow the whole thing and make some embarrassing headlines for everyone involved before people realize what an awful idea it was to bring her onboard.
PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY: Lott believes she is a cog; if she finds a place to fit, she can help make something function that is vastly bigger than her. She strives to avoid the center of attention, yet finds herself drawn to people who crave it. Simply put, sheโs a follower and she knows it; the woman has zero delusions of grandeur. In her professional life Lott is by the books and adheres to the rules, and she tries to follow this routine in her personal life. However, such rigid inflexibility is likely to snap, so Lott allows herself little reprieves of debauchery to stop from completely flying off like she has in the past.
POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY: Lott, in a bland attempt to be as inoffensive as possible, would consider herself to be pretty moderate. She would probably align herself with the Central Party, primarily because they seem the least fringe or prone to upset the status quo, but be able to understand some points from the other parties. This would be the case, if not for one thing: Samsara Washington. She absolutely worships the man, although she canโt quite put it into words. Perhaps she admires him for being so open with his eccentricities, while she keeps her own shoved off into the shadows? Or is it because despite this openness there's still an air of cool mystery around him? Then again, maybe itโs just a stupid celebrity crush. They shook hands once. It was a very big deal. As long as he is their candidate, then Lottโs willing to lean NTP.
SECRETS: Excluding the Mayor, nobody on Gatchโs campaign team is supposed to know that Lott isnโt just a publicist. She was planted on his team by APEX Industries to spy for the company and assure that their golden boy hasnโt lost his luster or surrounded himself with a lot of backstabbers and parasites. Continuing her work as an internal auditor, Lott is to vet Gatchโs team and find a way to cover up any blemishes and cut out any cancerous cells that would harm APEXโs interests. Her future employment is dependent on her assisting Gatch and protecting the brand. They promised a promotion. Sheโs no longer sure if she wants it.
โFun Lottโ isn't someone she talks about at work. That woman is a frequent face at the Koena Dome, where the act of watching a man get beaten to death is second in its level of excitement only to the thought of getting caught being there by a coworker or casual acquaintance. She can also be found at Duat in a blackout badly singing karaoke and introducing herself to the crowd as Adamantia.
FEARS: Itโs public speaking. When sober, Lott finds that being the center of attention makes her stress skyrocket. So, of all the campaign positions Lott couldโve been shoehorned into, the company went with one where she has to present to groups of strangers almost daily. She also fears being a disappointment, and so the mortified looks on the faces of those around her as she stumbles through an introduction hits even harder.
REPUTATION: It all depends on the group. Someone in APEX Industries views her as the steady, solid workhorse she is while, in her opinion, simultaneously overestimating her capabilities. Most members of the campaign team have begun to draw the conclusion that Lott is unqualified for a publicist position, and might in fact be a burden on the campaign trail. Ultimately, theyโre suspicious of her appointment, believing her to be either some kind of sycophant or saboteur. The people who happen to know Lottโs wild side view her as entertaining but potentially dangerousโsheโs the kind of person thatโd make a night unforgettable in a bad way or impossible to remember in a good way.
LIKES:
Sharp suits, pleasant colognes, flashy jewelry.
Coffee breaks, alone, with sweets.
Menial tasks, tidying, doing paperwork.
Karaoke, in a private room, with a handful of acquaintances.
Karaoke, in a public setting, if fully sauced.
Drinking, heavily, with harder substances at the ready.
Dancing, moving to the beat, getting lost in the crowd.
Strong personas, heavy augmentations, dangerous lifestyles.
Ultraviolence, pure chaos, the destruction of social normsโtemporarily, when controlled, or reversible.
DISLIKES:
Bad haircuts, lame fashion, boring styles.
Tough decisions, calling the shots, being in the spotlight.
Weak hearted losers, unconfident and aimless jerks, reflections of herself found in others.
The late night comedown, that early morning shame, the daylong hangover.
Rulebreakers, backbiters, traitors.
The actual destruction of social norms, radical organizations and hiveminds, upsetting the balance between glamour and grime.
QUIRKS:
Lott is a space invader. She has a seemingly uncanny ability to always put herself just one step too close to someone for them to be comfortable. Unintentionally, she often does this in complete silence.
Lott looks in every mirror or reflective surface she passes, often stopping to fix something wrong with her hair, makeup, or clothes that only she seems to notice.
Lott softens all of her swears. The dirtiest four-letter word she has uttered in public is damn. Even in her strangest of states, she canโt bring herself to being foulmouthed.
Background Information
โI spent my entire adult life working for APEX Industries, and my name still appears as โLotte Ramonaโ on my W2s. I even called. Once. Didnโt want to be a bother.โ
Lott grew up the daughter of middle managers living in the New York Seaboard, and the prospect of life used to seem so exciting. The world was just a vast ocean of endless possibilities, all of which Lott eventually realized after she had wormed her way into the corporate world were way beyond the grasp of someone like her. All of the good possibilities were near the bottom of the ocean, and only the truly talented or the truly wealthy were given the necessary dive suit to survive being crushed by the water pressure. All Lott ever achieved was a bad case of the bends, horrible humiliation, and the dark realization that she wasnโt even cut out for middle management, let alone an actual position of relevance. Within a year of her first โrealโ job of interning for APEX Industries, the corporate world had successfully drowned all of her hopes and ambitions and left her the bloated husk of a human. In other words, she was now the ideal office employee.
Lott was bounced around like a ping pong ball, being relocated from branch to branch throughout what would eventually turn into her lifelong career slash internment at APEX. Eventually, she was pushed into a position that was so perfectly shaped for her that the company stopped shifting her from department to department. More likely, they had forgotten about her during one of their rearrangements and never bothered to bring her back into the rotation. She had been hammered into the Office of Risk Management as an internal auditor for the clinics in the Vegas Triangle region.
It was there that sheโd stay for the next decade. It was ten years of nitpicking over minute details to find something wrong the company can ding a clinic with to avoid paying out bonuses for that year. Ten years of ratting out employees that seemed to have intentions of working for different companies or going against the APEX way. Ten years of being hated by just about everyone she worked with, because everyone she worked with thought she was out to get them fired. It was some of the most mind-numbing, soul-sucking work anyone could ever do. She was perfect for it, except the boredom was literally killing her.
Eventually, the only thing that seemed to keep Lott going was the weekend. The weekend gave Lott a chance to shake off her corporate shackles, and living in Vegas she was able to become a tourist to just about all of the things that could make a walking corpse feel something again. Her slide into depravity was a gradual decline without a stopping point thanks to her inability or lack of desire to say no. However, she never went fully unhinged, giving herself something called the โWeekend Ruleโ where she could excuse herself of any responsibilities as long as the consequences never affected work. Her life was kept in a delicate balance between corporate drone and party monster for about the last year, and outside of the occasional Monday morning hangover she never broke the rules.
In fact, she mustโve pleased someone, because she was offered her first major career change in forever. She was no longer going to be an auditor, she was going to be a publicist. It didnโt make much sense until she was told the dual nature of her role. However, since joining the campaign trail a month ago, it has become clear to Lott that she is in over her head. While she is entirely capable of being a snitch, the woman is grossly unqualified to be a publicist. Her first public event was a slight embarrassment (although nowhere near as bad as she believed it to be), and she felt as if everyone on the campaign team could tell she was a fraud. For the first time in ten years her biggest problem with work wasnโt of being bored, but being overwhelmed.
Honestly, she felt like she was breaking down. When she was an auditor, life was routine and easy, and all of the stresses could easily be washed away with a weekend shitshow. Now, every day is an absolute dreadfest, an anxiety cocktail compounded by the nagging feeling that her corporate overlords either do not care about her wellbeing or are somehow setting her up to be a patsy. Lately, the only thing Lott has found that keeps her steady is the one thing she swore sheโd never doโshe broke โThe Weekend Ruleโ, and it felt fantastic. Maybe, she thought, she wasnโt breaking down after all; rather, she was about to break free.
Operative Information
โBeing average is underrated. Imagine, being better than just about half of humanity. I would go for that in a heartbeat.โ
AUGMENTATIONS: APEX VisionQuests IV // The Seeing of the Future: Smart glasses are so medieval. The APEX VQs revolutionizes the way people can see the world by taking smart glass technology and melding it directly to the human eyeball. No more weird red cybereyes, bleeding tear ducts, or nerdy glasses. The APEX VQs offers audio-visual recording, picture enhancing, data scanning, facial recognition, HUDs, Labyrinth interfacing, peer to peer connection, filters, adsupport, and user customization ranging from iris color to pupil shape.
APEX PureXcellence Watch // Achieve New Heights: a wrist implant that monitors a consumers wellbeing while also functioning as a stylish smartwatch It comes with an injector that can be fitted by approved supplements that stave off sleepiness, depression, anxiety, hunger, and other cravings, letting users overcome their more base needs to be a better, more productive member of society. Injections are programmed and monitored at APEX Clinics to be administered automatically throughout the consumers day to monitor wellness. Likewise, consumers will have to refill their supplements at their local APEX Clinic.
[CRACKED] APEX PureExcellence Watch // Achieve New Highs: Lottโs wristwatch implant has been hacked to allow the user to manually administer injections and feed false information to the APEX Clinics. The frequent bathroom trips of yesteryear for a quick little upper have now been replaced by a simple check of the time.
EQUIPMENT: The Professionalโs Purse: No one bag should carry so much power, but Lottโs purse is brimming with everything she needs to attempt to be a publicist. Among other things, it has an ultra fancy tablet full of campaign details, a work phone full of important contacts, a personal phone full of questionable content, medication that she totally needs, medication that she totally claims to need, and even a bit of cash thrown in there.
SKILLS: Devote Detail Devil: Despite her own beliefs Lott is an exceptional auditor. She is hyper observant of the environment around her. Lott can easily pick up on minute details and snap a mental picture that, on the off chance she isnโt just recording things with her eye augments, is shockingly accurate. Lott claims that she can spot missing inventory or determine if a dive bar is the โdangerously funโ kind or the โdangerously get stabbedโ kind in a single glance.
Unflinching, Unreadable, Unstoppable: There are tolerant, patient people, and then there is Lott. Even in the most aggravating of company she doesnโt furrow a brow or make a snappy retort. Likewise, she doesnโt visible stress underpressure and seems to have a higher endurance and pain tolerance than most people. Perhaps sheโs just good at keeping things in. Then again, perhaps sheโs just numb to it all.
Noteworthy Numbers Nerd: Lott wasnโt the best student overall, but her math skills are astronomical. Part of her audits were making sure nobody was reporting false profits for their own personal gain. She can crunch numbers like itโs nothing, and she believes it gives her a slight edge when it comes to her gambling. It is probably the only reason she isnโt deeply in debt.
FLAWS: Soulless Spineless Sycophant: Lott really wants to make other people like her, and she lacks the charm to do that through her wits and attitude alone. Sheโll go above and beyond just to make someone see she has worth, to the point that sheโs practically advertising to be manipulatedโand, frankly, sheโs notably worse at reading people than she is her environment. If sheโs convinced someone really cares about her, there is little she wouldnโt do for them. Dangerously little.
Relentlessly Rigid Regulations: While Lott allows herself to bend and break the rules, she doesnโt show such leniency towards other people (excluding those she fancies). If she must find someone to fire by the end of her audit, then someone will be fired by the end of her audit. If Mayor Gatch says he doesnโt want to be interviewed, then he will not be interviewed. She is human red tape, the personification of the phrase โjust doing my jobโ, or, more simply, a douchebag.
Best Brightest Burnout: She might appear stoic, but she is basically in the middle of a nervous breakdown and her shit is barely contained. Every night sheโs throwing herself at stupid decisions, and every morning thereโs new problems to try to ignore. Sheโs hardly bothering to keep her professional and personal life separate, and itโs only a matter of time before they collide.
NOTES: Since becoming Gatch's publicist a month ago, Lott's face has appeared on various forms of media. However, she is most recognizable from a Labyrinth vid taken of one of her first press conference that went viral for a hot minute. In the vid, Lott is seen responding to questions of an off-mic journalist who is asking leading questions regard claims of Gatch's corruption. She almost exclusively responds with some variation "We aren't making any comments about that, but thank you for your question", uttering that exact phrase nearly twelve times in a row to an increasingly bemused and mocking crowd of reporters.
While her daily routine is managing Gatch's brand and making sure members of his campaign are onboard with the current messaging (and making sure they're onboard with Gatch in general), she is also responsible for serving as a representative for the Central Party candidate when the Mayor is unavailable. This duty can range from fielding questions from constituents to meeting with members of other candidate's teams to arrange debates and sow discord.
Character name
Relationship
[Name of other character]
[Write out your character's opinion and relationship with the character in question.]
@Atrophy I like the design you've got so far, though I've not had the time to completely read through. I'll try to get you some feedback in the coming days.
@Katthaj Applications will be open for the foreseeable future while we prepare for the first chapter, get more apps, and create character relations. Feel free to make a sheet.
@The Bork Lazer Overdriver part two looks good. I think the backstory is very solid, and the mention of Pacific Islands immigrants will give me the opportunity to bring in some lore between refugees and Amalgamation's operation. In the backstory, you do mention the New York Seaboard as the New York Stateboard and the fixer your character works with is referred to both as Joren Chado and Jorek Chado in various places. You may want to fix up those small errors, but otherwise you can move to the character tab.
@Atrophy Adamantia Steele looks fantastic. I'm glad we have some more Central Party believers to keep the government in order. You can move to the character tab when ready.
In other news, I'm going to say the cutoff point for applications is going to be the 31st. Alternatively, I'm going to put a current cap of 10 on accepted applications, so the RP doesn't start too large to efficiently manage while we get started. In an effort to keep things moving, we'll start working on character relations briefly before beginning in the new year. If anyone may struggle to meet the deadline but still wants to participate in Futility, fear not for there will be more opportunities for players to join in throughout the roleplay. Let me know if you have concerns or questions.
Just to bump the thread and to keep myself accountable, more stuff (will probably add more in like 30 mins):
Version 0.3:
[Picture]
S I S T E R V I O L E T
[27] | [Female] | [5'10''] | [O-]
General Information
โCharacter Quoteโ
NAME: Vera Ivanovna Kuznetsova
ALIASES // TITLES: Sister ViK, Doctor Amethyst to those looking for a Ripper Doc, and just Violet to her close friends.
SEX: Female
AGE: 27
APPEARANCE:
"Sister ViK?
You mean the HyperHuman monk that comes around here every so often? Yeah, sure, I know her. She's quite easy on the eyes, for a religious sister. She's got that Eurasian look, whatever that means. She's ambiguous so to speak. Hard to place ethnically speaking, if you catch my drift. Speaks with a light accent, Russian maybe? She'd look even more flash if she let her hair grow out.
You know, the boys gave her a hard time when she first came around. We don't get much of her kind here, mind you. Vestal virgins chromed up to the gills and dressed in robes, aren't exactly the norm, you know? She damn near beat Jones to death when he tried to grab her. Never seen anyone move that fast before. Not like that. It was like watching a dancer except the fancy twirls ended with broken bones and an unconscious loud mouth.
And then she sat down and finished the rest of her tea. Tea? Yeah, she only drank tea. Not that anyone was going to comment on it after what she did to Jones. The man was a proper street samurai, he could brawl with the best of them.
What was she doing here? She said she was looking for someone. Who? No idea, some woman, another monk. Chen, maybe? It didn't matter. We'd never seen her friend. Never even heard of her. Not that we'd talk. You learn to keep your lips tight around here. Information will cost you. Speaking of, another drink?
Thanks. Like I said, we didn't have anything to tell her. But she kept coming. Damned if I know why though. This place is a shithole, always has been, always will be.
"Sorry, can I help you? Are you looking for someone? Do you have an appointment?
Doctor Violet?
You can't miss her. Violet eyes, clean shaved head, wearing scrubs, and enough chrome for a small corporation. Oh, look, don't worry, she's a HyperHuman monk, not a common Ripper Doc She'll get you sorted, whether you've got the credits or cash. All we ask for is a reasonable donation to the clinic so that we can keep providing our services for those in need.
OCCUPATION:
"Yes, Doctor Violet is one of the cybernetic doctors volunteering at this clinic.
Volunteering?
Yes, everyone here is a volunteer. Seriously. Does this look like a high class operation to you? No, I didn't think so. Now, I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave so I can get back to workโ
My apologies. Had I known that you were interested in donating to the clinic from the start I would of course have been happy to answer any pressing questions you might have had. Now please, what was it that you wanted to know again?
Ah yes, the good doctor?
Doctor Violet is one of our most talented cybernetic doctors and medical specialists. I daresay that you won't find anyone better inside or outside of the Reclaimed Zone. If there's a way to fix, heal, modify, or implant it, Doctor Violet will know how.
Sister Violet?
Of course, I know her! She's right over there. She's the one over there, the monk wearing the violet robes!
And guess what? Her eyes are violet too! She always looks so calm. She teaches here every Saturday. She's nice, but strong! She taught us how to use our augmentations to defend ourselves! She called it the Way of the Machine. She said it was a martial art created for people just like us.
"I am a humble servant of the righteous path and a practitioner of the Way of the Machine.
I wish to help all those beings that suffer, whether biological or electronic. I wish to learn the mysteries of life and to steep myself in wisdom. I wish to perfect my mastery of the Way of the Machine and to further my skills as a Cybernetics doctor.
I must improve myself. I must transcend the cage that is this body. I must overcome the limited cognitive abilities of this mind. I must perfect my soul. The machines call out to me. They touch my soul with their efficiency. They warm me with their purpose. Untold beauty and perfection awaits, if I but dare to seek them out. A new world awaits. True enlightenment lies just beyond the horizon.
This work. This work is too important to stop. The work that we are doing here at the Baolei Refuge Center must continue."
CAMPAIGN GOAL:
"My role as at the Cybernetics Doctor is exceedingly simple. Truly, it is a wonderfully clear position to hold. I see to the health of all staff members and attend to any of their cybernetic needs. Be it by implanting, modifying, or repairing augmentations. Valuable services for any campaign, although I must confess my services do not come cheap. Donations to the Baolei Refuge Center are always welcome."
PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY:
"We must learn to transcend our flesh, for it is a mere relic, a vessel which can carry us no longer. The crass demands of our body warp the matrix through which we perceive the world and blind us from the truth. We must extend our awareness outward, beyond the self of the body, beyond the self of the mind, and beyond even the self of the soul. We must seek out and join with the machines, we must become one. Together we are stronger, together we are wiser, and together we are transcendent. To embrace each other with love is to achieve enlightenment and perfection."
POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY:
"I support the HyperHuman Party with all of my heart, mind, and soul.
I believe that health care and augmentation are human rights that should be guaranteed to every global citizen of the world. Humanity can only advance, humanity can only be perfected, and humanity can only escape the chains of our flesh, humanity can only transcend the limits of our biological systems by cooperating with machines. To save ourselves and to attain enlightenment we must willing seek out and become one with our digital brethren.
We must not let fear and ignorance hold us back any longer. We must not let violence, avarice, and greed hold sway over our hearts and our minds. We must free our souls from the corruption that we ourselves have birthed into this world. We must embrace and follow the unified path of flesh and machine. Only then can we be free. Only then can we attain true enlightenment."
SECRETS:
"While I greatly appreciate a visit from one of the personal secretaries of his eminence Chen Dao, I must humbly confess that I have no great secrets to share. My dedication to my work prevents me from engaging in some of the more dramatic activities of other members of our merciful order.
As to rumors that I am operating as a Ripper Doc without approval from my superiors, I must once again profess my complete innocence and express my absolute ignorance as to why these truly shocking charges have been leveled at me. It saddens me that someone would spread such unfortunate stories about me, but please convey to his eminence that there is little truth in these distasteful rumors. I serve only the poor, the sick, and the suffering in the Reclaimed Zone. I would never presume to act without the approval of my wise superiors."
FEARS:
"I fear stagnation. I fear corruption. I fear, as all should, that I might not have the strength to seek out the truth. I am afraid that I will one day lack the courage to do what is necessary. The path to enlightenment is not an easy one. It requires the complete sacrifice of the self. I worry that I may one day lose sight of this path. That I may one day forget, as she did. That I may stray, as she also did. I must not let my love for man and machine dwindle. I must keep the fire of my soul burning bright. I must be better. I must be stronger. I must be wiser. And above all else, I must be kinder.
What if I never find her?
I must find her.
I must save her.
I have to save all of them."
REPUTATION:
"Yeah, yeah, one second. What can I do for you, friend?
Amethyst? Doctor Amethyst? What about her?
Yeah, she's a fresh face. Never heard of her before she showed up some months ago. Not that that's particularly strange in this line of work. Everyone good has a couple of alias at the ready and a pocket full of high quality NIDs. We're the cutting edge, baby, and the cutting edge requires some clever paperwork and forged certificates.
You're going to be waiting a long time if you wait for everything to be legal and tested if you can even call what the corporations do any more testing. Fucking amateurs. They wouldn't know the future if it shot them in the face with a .50 cal anti-material rifle.
Yeah, yeah, sure, whatever, rant over. Doctor Amethyst, I get it. She's a Ripper Doc, chum. What the fuck do you want to know?
She's good, sure. She's fucking great if you ask me. Girl's got talent. Real talent. Not the kind of talent you learn in school. I've seen some of her work. Fucking out there man. I didn't even think it was possible to rewire an APEX cerebral implant like that. Not on the fly. Not using second hand gear dug out of a junkyard. APEX would kill to get their hands on a cybernetic doctor like that. Fuckers don't know what they're missing. The stuff of legends is what I'm talking about right here. She's an artist man, a real fucking artist.
That's not all though. I've heard some heavy stuff about her. She's not your average Ripper Doc or so they say. She's not a scalpel jockey like the rest of us. Who's they? None of your business is who. Unless you are paying extra? No? Didn't think so. You gonna keep interrupting or can I finish so I can get back to work before one of my patient's dies?
Great. Like I was saying, some people, who shall remain unamed have said that she's a goddamned HyperHuman monk. Decked out to the nines with chrome and all that jazz. According to the rumors she does charity cases in between proper work. People say she'll do some crazy work for free if her customers can't pay. Asks for whatever they can donate. Stupid. Very stupid. You don't do work for free. Never. Fucking ever. Still, it's gotten her some good will, it's made her some new friends.
Where can you find her? Fuck if I know. However, if you were paying me to answer and you are, I'd say you should go take a look at the new HyperHuman clinic. The Baolei Refuge Center, I think is what they call it. Any proper Ripper Doc would have trouble running a racket like that completey stealth alone. You'd need some backup, you'd need some muscle. You know what I mean? And nobody, nobody in their right mind is going to start shit with the HyperHuman monks."
LIKES:
โบJazz Music (Bebop) โบTea (Black With Milk) โบExercise (Martial Arts) โบReading (Especially Antique Books) โบLearning (New Things Related To Cybernetics)
DISLIKES:
โบIgnorance (Fear Of Change And The Future Stifle Humanity) โบIncompetence (To Perfect The Self And One's Actions Is Paramount) โบCruelty (The Golden Rule Is The Golden Rule For A Reason) โบGreed (To Lose Track Of The Path Is An Easy Thing When Guided By Avarice) โบRude People (Even Enemies Should Be Treated With Politeness) โบPineapple Pizza (It's A Sin)
QUIRKS:
โบ โบ โบ
Background Information
โThe future is already here โ it's just not evenly distributed.โ
"Ripper Doc is such an ugly word."
"Then what are you?"
"A cybernetic doctor, a scientist perhaps? A student above all."
"A student of what?"
"The Way of the Machine."
"The fighting style you teach at the dojo?"
"Yes, but it so much more than a fighting style."
Operative Information
"To unite the biological with the machine is the only way to advance beyond our current state."
AUGMENTATIONS:
"Sister Violet.
Ah,yes. Yes, indeed. She's a most interesting follower of the most noble and merciful path. I have met many loyal servants of our blessed order over the years, but none have been as augmented as that young woman. She has embraced the Way of the Machine and has united her flesh with metal. She has been reborn. She has been reforged. She has been purified.
Although she has been augmented by our finest Cybernetic doctors, the good sister has made a habit of modifying her augmentations and even installing new ones by herself. I daresay that some of her augmentations are by now one of a kind and only she could reproduce them to their current specifications.
Allow me, your great eminence, as requested by your secretary, to present the full inventory of her augmentations:
โบFuryTech Medical Cyberoptics
A most generous gift from some of our friends operating within the R&D department of FuryTech, these eyes are truly something special. I have been told they are usually only offered to cybernetic doctors affiliated with FuryTech. These implants permit the user to have microscopic and ultrasonic vision, allowing for the most delicate of operations without additional tools or scanning devices.
Ah, yes. These arms a wonderful gift provided by some of our close relations at APEX Industries R&D. Accurate down to the micrometer and stuffed full of useful medical devices! Very state-of-the-art. I believe they were originally intended to be sold to the private physicians of only the wealthiest corporate CEOs. The result of some daft notion that it would be useful for the hyper-wealthy to have a neurosurgeon accompanying them at all times. Internally the arms are of course quite sensitive, so a thick layer of proprietary titanium alloy is used rather than any synthetic skin coating. Sister ViK has engraved the protective outer layer with a delicate floral pattern. Beautiful work! When I asked her about it she said that the flowers depicted are native to South East Asia. Now where as I? Ah yes, they are cleverly designed and wonderfully built. You would never know at a glance how much the engineers at APEX managed to stuff inside of these limbs. It's simply astounding! All it takes is a neural command for the impenetrable housing to open up and a bevy of syringes, scalpels, advanced medical tools, and smaller manipulators arms to come out.
โบCustom-Built Legs
These legs are unlike any augmentations I have seen before. Sister Violet designed them herself. Perfectly balanced. Graceful. Utterly silent in operation and almost frictionless in motion. The girl has a gift, my eminence. To build much less design a pair of legs is the work of a true master. To not just mimic the human form, but to surpass, that is art, that is skill, and that is the way forward. The only way forward.
โบGaea Naturae Skeletal Enhancements and Omni-Link Nerve Web Augmentations
As you well know, to support a vast array of augmentations it is often necessary to replace some of the more vulnerable parts of the human body. Sister ViK, at her own insistence, has had most of her central nervous system replaced with a proprietary system developed by Gaea Naturae. How Sister ViK acquired it remains uncertain, but the design is doubtlessly worth a small fortune. Favors can go far as they say in the Reclaimed Zone. To support these augmentations, Sister ViK has also had a number of enhancements incorporated into her skeletal structure, chiefly centered on the axial skeleton. Having observed her at work in the surgical suite and on the training grounds of the temple, I can only say, my eminence, that she moves with an inhuman precision and speed. Her movements are transcendent, sublime even.
โบ APEX Cardiovascular Replacement
A favorite augmentation or so I am told of musicians, surgeons, and long range sharpshooters. Vocations that place a high premium on steady hands and careful movements. If you spend some time with Sister ViK you will readily see the benefits of these augmentations. Her artificial lungs operate far more efficiently than biological lungs and the breathes she draws are almost imperceptible as a result. The beats of her heart are likewise not unduly troubled by the demands of the situation. There is little left of the natural motion of the body to impede her precision.
โบModified FuryTech Cognition Integration Unit 190
To directly interface with all manner of machines and cyberdecks, Sister ViK has had an FuryTech Cyberdeck CIU 190 grafted to the base of her neck. Predictably, she has of course modified it beyond its original specifications and it would surprise me little if the unit no longer resembles the original design in any meaningful way.
EQUIPMENT:
"Equipment? Why would a Hyperhuman monk like Sister Violet need personal processions? Why would a HyperHuman monk like Sister Violet need any weapons? She may walk with open palms, but like all members of our merciful monastery she is a weapon if she needs to be.
She has her robe. She has her walking staff. She has her shoes. She has a digital copy of the collected texts of our order. She has an ancient and beat up cyber deck. What more does a monk need?
SKILLS:
"Sister ViK is one of my students, yes. She's been training in my dojo ever since she could walk. Practically two decades by now.
How is she? You mean how good is she?
Ha. The girl's a natural.
She took to her augmented limbs like a fish to water. They became a part of her much faster than most come to realize that their mechanical parts are merely an extension of their original biological parts. To separate the two, to consider them different, is to build a wall between two aspects of the soul, the human and the machine, the Yin and the Yang of the spirit as the old Chinese philosophers used to call it. The dualism of our present existence should come as no surprise, it is simply the continuation of an old struggle regarding the duality of humankind.
But you didn't come to listen to an old woman teach you about philosophy, now did you? No, of course not. You want to hear stories about Hyper Human monks that can punch through concrete, bend steel, dodge bullets, and fight off swarms of foes with only their cybernetic limbs.
Myths. Street legends, of course. But there is some kernel of truth to them. We do train all of our acolytes in the Way of the Machine. We teach them to fight. We teach them to use their cybernetic augmentations to the fullest. We enable them to defend themselves in a world that looks down on them for who they are. We guide them further along the path of enlightenment.
Sister ViK was and is one of my finest students. She has mastered all the Eighteen Subduing Steel Dragon Palms. I have taught her to be one with her augmentations. I have educated her in the fine arts of unarmed and armed combat. I have tested her to within an inch of her life. I have thrown her onto the street to prove her abilities. I have set her free.
Had she not spent so much time working in the clinic, she could have easily taken over from one of the old masters. But alas, it is hard indeed to tear that girl away from her work. Still, she makes time for her forms and sparring. However, as her teacher I can't help but be greedy for more time."
"Sister ViK?
Why, ja, ja, I know her. We've worked together quite a bit in the Baolei Refuge Center. She's a skilled surgeon and a talented cybernetic doctor. I'm surprised really that she isn't "
FLAWS:
Doctor
"Have you ever met someone that just refuses to take a hint? Someone that's so convinced they are right and that they are wrong that there's just no way to reason with them? Well, I have. And her name is Sister Violet. I don't know what her real name is, so don't bother asking. Not that I'd tell you if I knew. Call it a professional courtesy.
With each passing moment, with each augmentation, and with each line of customized code that Violet injects straight into her cerebral cortex she has lost a little bit more of her humanity. The young doctor remains unconcerned by these changes, viewing the loss of her humanity as a necessary step to attain perfect harmony with the machines of the real.
NOTES:
Character name
Relationship
[Name of other character]
[Write out your character's opinion and relationship with the character in question.]
